reasons for optimism. plus the u.s. is implementing a new travel restriction as the omnicron covid variant emerges. and all three men were found guilty of murder in the killing of ahmaud arbery this week. i m ayman mohyeldin. let s get started. all right. so, america, the land of the free and home of the brave. but is it also now the home of a back sliding democracy? a report this week labeled the united states as undergoing a considerably severe and deliberate form of democratic erosion. it joins other countries like india and brazil as as well as more than a quarter of the world s population who now fall under the back sliding category. unt national ideas, global state of democracy says they are seeing an increasing number of democratically elected government utilizing totalitarian tactics, taking this course of manipulating media and restricting civil liberties. authoritarianism is on the rise, pure and simple. just look at the january 6th insurrection and the partisan p
accountability in this country. let s get started. america, the land of the free and home of the brave. is it also now the home of a backsliding democracy? a report this week labeled the united states as undergoing a severe and deliberate form of democratic erosion. in joins countries like india and brazil and a quarter of the world s population that fall under the backsliding category. the democracy report says they are seeing an increasing number of democratically elected with tactics. some think the pandemic has made it easier to take this course of restricting civil liberties. and the partisan politics crippling our country. the republican controlled gerrymandering puts them in position to win big in 2022. and president trump is looking like he will be running with a new list the ability to overturn election results. only 35% of democrats say they feel democracy in america is facing a major threat. how can that be possible? maybe they are exhausted from everything we have
getting ready to celebrate thanksgiving with his family. what happened in georgia today was accountability. the three men who chased and gunned down 25-year-old ahmaud arbery while he was jogging in february of of last year have all been found guilty of murder. celebrations erupted outside the courthouse after the nearly all-white jury delivered a guilty verdict after 11 hours of deliberation. travis mcmichael, who fatally shot ahmaud arbery, was found guilty on all nine counts including malice murder and felony murder. his father, gregory mcmichael, and their neighbor william bryan were also found guilty of felony murder. they each face a sentence of life in prison. it will be up to the judge to decide if they will ever be eligible for parole. they all still face federal hate crime charges as well. ahmaud arbery s parents thanked those who ve marched, prayed, and supported their family since their son s murder. we i never thought this day would come. but god is good.
we [inaudible] i never thought this day would come. but god is good. yes he has. and i want to tell everybody, thank you, thank you, thank you. in our prayers, i knew him as ahmaud, he will now rest in peace. a man. in a statement, vice president kamala harris praised the verdict, adding quote, we feel the weight of grief. ahmaud arbery should be alive. ahmaud arbery was a son. he was a brother. he was a friend. his life had meaning. we will not forget him. we honor him best by continuing the fight for justice. reverend al sharpton spoke about the historic nature of this verdict, that many felt was far from certain. and let the work go forth all over the world, that a jury of 11 white and one black, in the deep south, stood up in the courtroom, and said that black lives do matter. you came in the state of georgia, a state known for segregation, a state known for jim crow, and you turned it around. you took a young unarmed boy, that they thought was worthless, and
impact of the law on people s lives. thank you. from the cheap seats, same back at you. [ laughter ] there is your boy. making his arguments. we ll see how it goes with the jury. i can t wait to see what you say about it. i ll be watching. thank you, chris. appreciate you. take care. this is don lemon tonight. i m laura coates in for don lemon. another big night of headlines. the jury in the trial of three white men accused of murder in the killing of ahmaud arbery wrapping now the first day of deliberations and due back in court at 8:30 tomorrow morning. meanwhile in charlottesville it attorneys out there is a price for spreading hate in america and that price is $26 million. a jury awarded more than $26 million in damages after finding the white nationalists who organized and participated in a violent 2017 rally liable on a state conspiracy claim and other claims. the jury said it could not reach a verdict on two federal conspiracy claims however. that as for the