Iran says Salman Rushdie and supporters to blame for attack | First Thing

Foreign ministry spokesperson says freedom of speech does not justify insults upon religion. Plus, Black women around the world share their birth stories

Good morning.

Salman Rushdie and his supporters are to blame for the attack in which he was stabbed repeatedly at a public appearance in New York state, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson has said.

Has the other man who was injured in the attack spoken out? Yes, Ralph Henry Reese who was on stage with Rushdie has described the lead-up to the attack and what was going through his head when the assailant first jumped on stage.

How is Rushdie doing? Salman Rushdie's road to recovery has begun" but will be long", the novelist's agent has said.

How did one wild week in Washington change the game for Biden and Trump? It was a tale of two presidents: Biden at his zenith, gaining praise for a hot streak" and earning comparisons with the master legislator Lyndon Johnson; Trump at his nadir, under criminal investigation for potential violations of the Espionage Act and earning comparisons with the 1920s gangster Al Capone.