Welcome to today’s daily update for Wednesday, November 11, 2026. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Breakdown
One of Russia’s last independent newspapers, Novaya Gazeta, has shut down amid intense government pressure during the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Founded in the 1990s by Dmitry Muratov, Novaya Gazeta published articles from a variety of perspectives for more than 30 years, criticizing the Russian government even as Vladimir Putin consolidated power and transformed the country into a dictatorship.
As the newspaper closes down, no one at the office believes that it was a coincidence. Putin has cracked down on independent media for years, going through various methods to eliminate free speech.
Between 2000 and 2009, six journalists from Novaya Gazeta were killed, suffering through beatings, kidnappings, shootings, and poisonings. Since then, multiple journalists have been attacked, including Muratov himself. Their website was blocked by the Russian government, and their official print and media licenses were revoked in 2022. Multiple editors at the paper are currently in Russian custody after being arrested earlier this year.
Nevertheless, those at Novaya Gazeta pushed forward. Muratov won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 for his efforts to protect and inform the people.
After the war in Ukraine begun in 2022, their collapse was inevitable. Putin has tightened control over the country in these four years, attempting to prevent dissent amid heavy losses in Ukraine.
The closure of Novaya Gazeta is a dark day for independent media everywhere. For so long, its extraordinary courage and resilience in the face of attack after attack has been an inspiration to journalists facing repression across the globe, and a symbol of resistance.
Fiona O’Brien, Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia for the Committee to Protect Journalists
This year, keeping Novaya Gazeta operational became nearly impossible. Their donation platform was shut down, stripping them of any remaining financial resources, and banks refused to process any new transactions. Then, the landlord refused to renew their lease, leading to their eviction from their offices at the iconic Potapovsky Lane in central Moscow this month.
Journalists across the globe have already honored those at Novaya Gazeta for their valiant efforts to publish the truth and the reality, despite harsh censorship and tough conditions – and their legacy will live on.
We are not saying goodbye. We definitely will return, because Novaya Gazeta is not a newspaper, not a website, it is an idea, a way of life for those who work here. And it is impossible to kill and impossible to close. We will live.
Sergei Sokolov, Editor-in-Chief at Novaya Gazeta
The Global Snapshot
House Republicans successfully stopped an attempt to impeach Pete Hegseth by their very own Representative Thomas Massie yesterday, guaranteeing that the Defense Secretary will remain in office until Democrats take over the House in January. Massie reintroduced eight articles of impeachment that would have created a vote for whether to impeach Hegseth – a move that requires just a simple majority. However, House Republicans banded together to stop the effort, voting 211-204 to shelf the articles of impeachment for the time being. Democrats have promised, though, that extensive investigations and impeachments are on the way once they take control over the House and Senate, flipping dozens of House seats and several Senate seats in a blowout midterm election.
The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Department of Homeland Security to continue building a smart wall through Big Bend National Park, further endangering one of the region’s most valued and untouched reserves. Big Bend is one of the largest national parks in the contiguous 48 states and has several counterparts on the other side of the border, making it a prestigious International Dark Sky Reserve. However, the Trump administration has forged ahead with plans to build border protections through the park despite its highly rocky terrain and natural landscape. Local officials have confirmed that only a few dozen illegal immigrants ever cross through Big Bend each year simply due to the difficulty of crossing the terrain. Nevertheless, bulldozing has already begun, and DHS will proceed to construct lighted roadways along the border, low vehicle barriers, and surveillance technology after waiving dozens of legal protections for the park – this also means that contractors are not legally required to take care to protect endangered species or vulnerable ecosystems, raising additional concerns.
Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): Reindeer are one of the few mammals that can see ultraviolet light. This allows them to see UV-absorbing items like lichen and predator fur, making them look dark against the snowy Arctic background.
Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. (Buddha)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Defer (verb, dih-FER) - To defer something is to put it off or delay it, to choose to do it at a later time.
In a Sentence: We decided to defer the offer so that we could explore other options.
Image: Wikimedia Commons / Michał Siergiejevicz / CC BY 2.0
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