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September 10, 2013 | | interview of the year On Monday night, PBS aired Sunday's interview between Charlie Rose and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a rare discussion about the ongoing civil war. Assad stated that the rebels were behind the attack, and refused to reveal whether or not the country possessed chemical weapons. Kerry, he said, didn't even produce "a shred of evidence" about the "allegations." Assad warned that if the U.S. orders airstrikes against Syria, there could be "different forms" of repercussions. Later Rose asked, "Will there be attacks against American bases if there is an airstrike?" and Assad replied: "You should expect everything." Assad also asserted the majority of rebels are al Qaeda, and the war is only ongoing because of an "external agenda" by the U.S., the west, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. The war will only be over when outside pressure ends, he said, and stepping down before that would be "treason." JUSTICE Four men were convicted Tuesday in the fatal gang rape last year of a 23-year-old student in Delhi, a case that shocked the nation and led to countrywide protests and, eventually, stricter laws against sexual assault. Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, and Pawan Gupta all face the death penalty, although they have maintained their innocence, and lawyers for three of the men said they plan to appeal the conviction. Sentencing will begin Wednesday. Protesters outside the Delhi courtroom Tuesday called for the convicted to be hanged. They were accused to raping a 23-year-old student on a bus in December. She died 10 days later from massive internal injuries—but not before she testified against her attackers. RAINBOW STATE Get ready for some destination weddings. Hawaii took the first step toward gay marriage Tuesday, as Democratic Gov. Neil Abercrombie called for a special session of the legislature to vote on a bill that would legalize same-sex unions. "This is a question of equity," Abercrombie said. "In a democracy, particularly in one that has our constitutional framework, equity that is fair treatment for everyone is a singular hallmark of it." If approved, Hawaii would become the 13th state (in addition to Washington, D.C.) with legal gay marriage. Abercrombie has been considering a special session since June, when the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act and granted federal benefits to same-sex couples in states where gay marriage is legal. Outrageous After decades of pretending, Dennis Rodman has committed an actual outrage. The NBA player has become a paid apologist for the North Korean regime, writes The Daily Beast's Michael Moynihan. | | 
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