NBC’s Hallie Jackson spoke with a woman journalist from Afghanistan who told the story of her dramatic escape from the country after it was taken over by the Taliban.

Fatema Hosseini, writing for USA TODAY, published her story of what it was like to be in Kabul on the day the Taliban seized control. As a journalist who didn’t follow the Taliban’s oppressive societal norms, Hosseini described the alarm that overtook her family on the day of the takeover, the burning of everything in her apartment the Taliban would’ve deemed incriminating, and how she messaged her colleagues for help.

“The freedom I had, it was gone right at that moment,” Hosseini told Jackson of that terrible day.

Housseini’s recollections are interspersed with accounts from Kim Hjelmgaard, another USA TODAY reporter, who corresponded with her while reaching out to anyone who could advise her on how to evacuate, eventually leading to Housseini being cleared to board a humanitarian flight.

Her story vividly describes the chaos of trying to reach the plane, including shocking moments such as when she was tear-gassed, threatened by Taliban fighters, and sexually assaulted. "I thought, OK, Fatema, you’re going to die here, but this is torture," she writes in the incredible account.

“It just hurts so much,” Hosseini said as she recalled all of this to Jackson on Thursday.

The bravery of Housseini is unmistakable, and the details of her escape are a shocking, very real first-person account that absorbs you while it informs you. The article is ultimately a triumph. The interview is as breathtaking. It's an important account from a journalist, and an invaluable piece of the historical record of the exit from Afghanistan, and the Taliban takeover. 

Aaron Sorkin has broken his silence on longtime collaborator Scott Rudin’s alleged history of abuse and bullying.

“I think Scott got what he deserves,” Sorkin said in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, referring to the mega-producer’s abuse scandal.

In April, The Hollywood Reporter published a bombshell exposé, in which several of Rudin’s former assistants and ex-staffers claimed the producer has a long history of physically and mentally abusing his employees.

Shortly following news of the allegations, Rudin announced that he would be “stepping back” from his Broadway productions, including Sorkin’s adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird.

“After a period of reflection, I’ve made the decision to step back from active participation on our Broadway productions, effective immediately,” he said in the statement. “My roles will be filled by others from the Broadway community and in a number of cases, from the roster of participants already in place on those shows.”

Speaking to Vanity Fair, Sorkin revealed that there was actually only one conversation regarding Rudin’s future on the To Kill a Mockingbird team, during which it was made clear that his relationship with the production was over.

Sorkin went on to clarify that while Rudin is no longer compensated as a producer of the show, he has maintained his stake in the production as an investor.

Despite their history together, the director vowed he never knew of Rudin’s alleged abuse, yet revealed that he had his “own experience with Scott, and it’s a higher class of bullying.”

“Scott got what he deserves,” said Sorkin. That and a lot more. Brutal.