#Voice of America

[hale-my-nathan]

Trump Weird News - Reversed Stupidity - VOA Hurriedly Called Back!

Reversed Stupidity Is Not Intelligence

[liberalsarecool]

Nazi propaganda and Trump propaganda are the same thing. Republicans are too busy licking boots to say anything.

[saywhat-politics]

Judge orders Trump administration to restore Voice of America

A federal judge on Tuesday found the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle Voice of America (VOA) and affiliated news services were likely unlawful, indefinitely blocking the shuttering of the government-funded news outlet and affiliated news services.

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5261568-federal-judge-blocks-trump-voa/

[victusinveritas]

"Today, and every day from now on, we will be with you from America to talk about the war... The news may be good or bad for us – We will always tell you the truth." -opening to Voice of America broadcast from 1942.

Predictably, the Nazis in power have shut down two things that tended to do more good than harm in world politics.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

David Folkenflik at NPR:

Journalists showed up at the Voice of America today to broadcast their programs only to be told they had been locked out: Federal officials had embarked on indefinite mass suspensions. All full-time staffers at the Voice of America and the Office for Cuba Broadcasting, which runs Radio and Television Martí, were affected — more than 1,000 employees. The move followed a late Friday night edict from President Trump that its parent agency, called the U.S. Agency for Global Media, must eliminate all activities that are not required by law. In addition, under the leadership of Trump appointees, the agency has severed all contracts for the privately incorporated international broadcasters it funds, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks. The termination notices for grants for the funded networks, two of which were reviewed by NPR, carried the signature of Trump's senior adviser Kari Lake, whom he placed at USAGM, not the agency's acting chief executive. Lake does not appear in her current job to have the statutory authority to carry out that termination. "I am deeply saddened that for the 1st time in 83 years, the storied Voice of America is being silenced," the network's director, Michael Abramowitz, said in a statement posted on his personal Facebook account. "VOA needs thoughtful reform and we have made progress in that regard. But today's action will leave Voice of America unable to carry out its vital mission." He wrote that he was among those 1,300 journalists, producers and support staff put on leave. Grant Turner, the former chief financial officer at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, called it "Bloody Saturday" for the agency and its networks.

'Arsonists just set fire to it'

"From what I hear, this is shaping up to be a really sad day. USAGM networks share important news, information and American values around the world," Turner said. "It took decades to build this goodwill and an audience of hundreds of millions every week. Seeing arsonists just set fire to it all is awful." "The cancellation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's grant agreement would be a massive gift to America's enemies," Steve Capus, the president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, said in a statement today shared with NPR. "The Iranian Ayatollahs, Chinese communist leaders, and autocrats in Moscow and Minsk would celebrate the demise of RFE/RL after 75 years. Handing our adversaries a win would make them stronger and America weaker. We've benefitted from strong bipartisan support throughout RFE/RL's storied history. Without us, the nearly 50 million people in closed societies who depend on us for accurate news and information each week won't have access to the truth about America and the world." Voice of America Director Michael Abramowitz declined to comment but acknowledged he had been among those put on indefinite paid leave. This story is based on interviews with 16 current and former employees of the U.S. Agency for Global Media and the networks it funds. Almost all spoke on condition they not be named due to fear of professional retribution. NPR has reviewed internal notifications about the suspensions and the killed contracts. Similar notices reviewed by NPR have been received by hundreds of contractors at the Voice of America as well today. USAGM and the White House did not reply to requests for comment. A deputy White House spokesperson tweeted "Goodbye" in 20 languages over a link to a story from 2023 over a controversy at the Voice of America about how to characterize Hamas. Taken together, the federally-funded broadcasters and their sister networks covering the Middle East and Cuba reach 420 million people in 63 languages and more than 100 countries each week, according to the agency. They are fully funded by federal dollars. The networks' mission is to deliver news coverage and cultural programming to places where a free press is threatened or doesn't exist. They are also designed as a form of soft diplomacy, modeling independent journalism that incorporates dissent from government policy.

Trump's friends in Moscow and Budapest aggrieved by network coverage

The Voice of America sparked Trump's ire in his first term in office over reporting on Covid-19. His appointee as chief executive for U.S. Agency for Global Media embarked on a series of suspensions, visa revocations and investigations that were found, in some instances, to violate the law and federal policy. This time, Trump's budget-slashing adviser, Elon Musk, and other administration officials have called for Voice of America and some of the sister networks to be shut down. The scope and legality of these acts are not yet in full focus, but they appear to be designed to gut them and place whatever coverage survives under tighter control of politically appointed officials. Trump placed Lake, a two-time unsuccessful MAGA candidate, as his senior adviser over USAGM. She did not reply to a detailed request for comment for this story. USAGM's media relations team has not replied to NPR's repeated and detailed requests for comment about developments at the networks in recent days, including today. Trump's pick to lead the agency permanently, the conservative media critic L. Brent Bozell III, has not yet been scheduled for confirmation hearings in the U.S. Senate.

Free press-hating Orange Führer’s regime orders mass cullings of journalists working at US Agency For Global Media-owned outlets such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe.

See Also:

The Guardian: Trump sharpens attacks on US media as Voice of America employees put on administrative leave

[the-almighty-gob-john-langley]

#America First, World Last? The Perilous Path of Trade Tariffs, and the potential 'New World Order.'

When "Making America Great Again" Risks Unmaking the Global Economy.

"This scenario is not far-fetched. The seeds of division are already being sown. The United States, under the Trump administration, has pursued a protectionist trade policy that has alienated many of its allies. This policy is based on the belief that America has been treated unfairly by its trading partners and that it needs to put its own interests first."

[allthegeopolitics]

A federal judge has stated that US President Donald Trump illegally halted the operation of the Voice of America (VOA), a federally funded international news service created by Congress. In a ruling on Tuesday, US District Judge Royce Lamberth ordered the Trump administration to restore the 83-year-old broadcaster’s capacity to the levels before Trump slashed funding and laid off scores of personnel.

Continue Reading.

[political-us]

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-signs-order-gut-voice-america-other-agencies-2025-03-15/

[democracyunderground]

[colleendoran]

At the VOICE OF AMERICA, Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds is featured in a video segment. With work from more than 15 comics creators (including me, my short story is highlighted at the 47 second mark) all creators volunteered their services with all proceeds donated to Ukraine refugee relief via Operation USA.

With more than $100,000 raised prior to release and another $100,000 expected to be raised before the end of this year, editor Scott Dunbier received the 2023 Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award for his work on this project.

You may order it HERE.

It was an honor to contribute to this project.

[saywhat-politics]

Trump adviser Kari Lake and the U.S. Agency for Global Media aren't just defendants in five federal court battles.

They're on the defensive.

In two temporary – but consequential – decisions this week, federal judges dealt blows to Lake's drive to dismantle five government-funded international broadcasters that are overseen by USAGM.

On Friday, U.S. Judge J. Paul Oetken in Manhattan issued a temporary restraining order against Lake, the agency, and its acting chief, Victor Morales, saying they could take no additional steps to shutter the Voice of America, the oldest of the five networks. The agency has already indefinitely suspended Voice of America's full-time workforce and terminated all its contractual employees.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Olga Lautman at Unmasking Russia:

The First Step of Every Dictator Is the Same: Control the Information Space

The Trump White House recently unveiled its latest weapon in the war on truth: state-run propaganda called White House Wire. Hosted on the official WH.gov domain and styled to mimic a legitimate news site, it’s packed wall-to-wall with fawning, loyalty coverage of Trump. But this isn’t news. It’s a carefully constructed illusion—an official platform built to amplify regime-approved messaging, elevate loyalist voices, and fabricate the illusion of nationwide support. White House Wire publishes cherry-picked headlines from right-wing outlets, recycled social media posts from Trump officials, and fawning press releases dressed up as journalism.

[“White House Wire isn’t journalism. It’s regime propaganda on the taxpayer’s dime.”]

Visually, the site mirrors Kremlin-backed platforms like Russia Today and Sputnik—headline-driven and deliberately designed to blur the line between state messaging and “journalism.” And it’s another clear sign that Trump is building a state media machine in plain sight.

In Russia, state media doesn’t just influence the national conversation but creates it. Independent journalists have long been silenced, exiled, imprisoned, or killed. Entire networks function as obedient megaphones for the Kremlin. Dissenting voices are labeled traitors and foreign agents, while loyalists are rewarded with airtime, protection, money, and power. And the Kremlin’s version of events is the only version allowed to exist.

[“In Russia, the state controls reality. Trump is trying to do the same in America.”]

This isn’t new. For over a century, Soviet and Russian leaders have understood that controlling the narrative and the information space is essential to having control over the people. The well-oiled propaganda machine they built has evolved with technology, becoming more precise, pervasive, and psychologically effective. Now, we’re watching that same playbook unfold in the United States.

Silencing the Press, Elevating the Propagandists

Simultaneously, as the White House launches its “news wire,” Trump is escalating his assault on the free press. For example, reporters from the Associated Press—one of the most respected and nonpartisan global news organizations—remain barred from key events. Their offense? Refusing to adopt Trump’s preferred rebranding of the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”

[“This is a classic authoritarian tactic—demanding loyalty to enforce ideological obedience.”]

And it doesn’t stop at language. Trump is actively weaponizing federal agencies to investigate and intimidate news outlets. The message is clear: report facts, demand accountability, and you’ll be punished. This isn’t just about discrediting the press—it’s about suppressing dissent, silencing independent reporting, and pressuring journalists into self-censorship. At the same time, the regime is elevating a parallel media class—handpicked MAGA influencers, conspiracy theorists, and loyal propagandists—whose sole purpose is to amplify state narratives and validate the illusion of popular support.

These so-called “influencer briefings,” now held inside the White House, echo the Kremlin’s long-standing strategy of elevating loyalist media and propaganda figures. Attendees like Sean Spicer, Rogan O’Handley, and Jack Posobiec—the conspiracy extremist behind Pizzagate—aren’t journalists. They are operatives whose sole role is to validate and amplify regime propaganda. Even Trump family friends are brought in to deliver scripted praise in choreographed sessions—a propaganda spectacle masquerading as press access, carefully staged for viral clips and public manipulation. It’s classic propaganda theater… Just as Putin relies on figures like Dmitry Kiselyov or Margarita Simonyan to blur truth and loyalty, Trump is building his own cadre of narrative enforcers.

[...]

From Free Press to Propaganda State

Authoritarian regimes know that truth threatens power—which is why they work relentlessly to silence it. Trump is no exception. One of the most egregious recent examples: after a court halted Trump’s attempt to dismantle Voice of America, he moved to convert it into a state propaganda tool, bringing in One America News (OAN) to provide its “newsfeed.” VOA, a taxpayer-funded broadcaster created to counter disinformation, promote democratic values, and deliver fact-based news to oppressed populations, is now being co-opted to push Trump’s political agenda. For decades, VOA has been a trusted lifeline for millions—reaching listeners from behind the Iron Curtain to modern-day Iran and China. Now, it’s being repurposed as a megaphone for far-right extremism. Kari Lake, a senior adviser at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, brokered the OAN deal, openly framing it as part of Trump’s “information war.” Meanwhile, more than 1,000 VOA journalists remain locked out under Trump’s executive order to dismantle the agency—a move still being fought in court.

In Trump’s America, the right-wing state media propaganda outlets are getting preferential treatment at the expense of established legacy outlets.

[loislane-ana]

NEWS, ukraine, zelenskyy, IPHONE 16E, economy, nyc, states, washington, cyber crime, nvidia, roof collapse, books, drones, arts financing, ice, polls, tariffs, wall street, visas, sally ride, tiktok, commander in chief, secret service protection, forever, voice of america, nyc, snl

[geezerwench]

From 1942 to 1945, the Code Talkers were key to every major operation of the Marine Corps in the Pacific Theater. The Code Talkers were Indigenous Americans who used codes based in their native languages to transmit messages that the Axis Powers never cracked.

The erasure of Indigenous, Black, Hispanic, and female veterans from our military history is an attempt to elevate white men as the sole actors in our history. It is also an attempt to erase a vision of a nation in which Americans of all backgrounds come together to work—and fight—for the common good.

FEMA:

Trump has suggested “fundamentally overhauling or reforming” the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or even getting rid of it entirely, turning emergency relief over to the states. A new analysis by the Carnegie Disaster Dollar Database shows that Republican-dominated states receive a lot of that assistance.