Voice of America: Hundreds of reporters fired as Trump guts agency
Hundreds of journalists for Voice of America (VOA) - most of its remaining staff - have been fired by President Donald Trump's administration, effectively shutting down the US-funded news outlet.The Trump administration, which has long accused VOA of left-wing bias, said the layoffs were because the agency was "riddled with dysfunction, bias and waste".Steve Herman, VOA's chief national correspondent, called the dismantling of the outlet, which was set up during World War Two to counter Nazi propaganda, a "historic act of self-sabotage".Among those axed were Persian-language reporters who had been on administrative leave, but were called back to work last week after Israel attacked Iran.
According to the Associated Press news agency, the Persian reporters had left the office on Friday for a cigarette break, and were not allowed to re-enter the building after the termination notices went out."Today, we took decisive action to effectuate President Trump's agenda to shrink the out-of-control federal bureaucracy," Kari Lake, whom the president appointed to run VOA, said in a statement on Friday announcing the layoffs of 639 employees.In total, more than 85% of the agency's employees - about 1,400 staff - have lost their jobs since March. She noted that 50 employees would remain employed across VOA, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and VOA's parent company, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM).A statement issued by three VOA journalists who have been suing to stop the elimination of the network said about the latest firings: "It spells the death of 83 years of independent journalism that upholds US ideals of democracy and freedom around the world."The move had been expected since March when Trump ordered VOA, as well as USAGM, which oversees VOA and funds outlets such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, to be "eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law".The agencies have won acclaim and international recognition for their reporting in places where press freedom is severely curtailed or non-existent, from China and Cambodia to Russia and North Korea.But Dan Robinson, a former VOA news correspondent, wrote in an op-ed last year that the outlet had become a "hubris-filled rogue operation often reflecting a leftist bias aligned with partisan national media".Trump's criticisms of VOA come as part of his broader attacks against the US media, which studies suggest American news consumers view as highly polarised.The president has also urged his fellow Republicans to remove federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
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Israeli strike on Tehran kills bodyguard of slain Hezbollah chief
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The Guardian
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'I just want to go back and continue the work I was already doing, advocating for Palestinian rights, a speech that should actually be celebrated rather than punished.' Khalil was released from a Louisiana immigration detention facility on Friday evening after a federal judge ruled that punishing someone over a civil immigration matter was unconstitutional and ordered his immediate release on bail. Khalil was sent to Jena, Louisiana, shortly after being seized by plainclothes US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents in the lobby of his university residence in front of his heavily pregnant wife, who is a US citizen, in early March. The 30-year-old, who has not been charged with a crime, was forced to miss the birth of his first child, Deen, by the Trump administration. Khalil had been permitted to see his wife and son briefly – and only once – earlier in June. 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Khalil was ordered to surrender his passport and green card to Ice officials in Jena, Louisiana, as part of his conditional release. The order also limits Khalil's travel to a handful of US states, including New York and Michigan to visit family, for court hearings in Louisiana and New Jersey, and for lobbying in Washington DC. Khalil's detention was widely condemned as a dangerous escalation in the Trump administration's assault on speech, which is ostensibly protected by the first amendment to the US constitution. His detention was the first in a series of high-profile arrests of international students who had spoken out about Israel's siege of Gaza, its occupation of Palestinian territories and their university's financial ties to companies that profit from Israeli military strikes. 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Trump's crackdown on free speech, pro-Palestinian activists and immigrants has triggered widespread protests and condemnation, as Ice agents ramp up operations to detain tens of thousands of people monthly for deportation while seeking – and in many instances succeeding – to avoid due process. Three other students detained on similar grounds to Khalil – Rümeysa Öztürk, Badar Khan Suri and Mohsen Mahdawi – were previously released while their immigration cases are pending. Others voluntarily left the country after deportation proceedings against them were opened. Another is in hiding as she fights her case. On Sunday, a rally to celebrate Khalil's release – and protest against the ongoing detention by thousands of other immigrants in the US and Palestinians held without trial in Israel – will be held at 5.30pm ET at the steps of the Cathedral of St John the Divine in upper Manhattan. Khalil is expected to address supporters, alongside his legal representatives. 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Telegraph
36 minutes ago
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London protesters say ‘hands off Iran' and its supreme leader
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Musician Paloma Faith also told pro-Palestine campaigners that those 'who facilitate these crimes against humanity need to be made accountable'. It comes as Palestine Action called for an 'emergency mobilisation' for Monday at 12pm in response to Government plans to designate it a terrorist organisation. Palestine Action said the demonstration would 'show that the public stands with Palestine Action' and urged members and supporters to 'mobilise on mass'. It claimed 35 organisations, including Stop the War Coalition, would take part in the demonstration. 'We are all Palestine Action,' the post said. On Friday, Palestine Action shared footage of their members' attack on the RAF base. In one video, activists can be seen spraying red paint into the engines of two Airbus Voyager aircraft. One of the planes has previously transported prime ministers and members of the Royal family. Counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation into the incident. Once proscribed, membership or support of Palestine Action will carry a sentence of up to 14 years in prison, putting it in the same category as Hamas, al-Qaeda and Islamic State. Founded in 2020 by campaigners Huda Ammori, 31, and Richard Barnard, 51, the group has carried out over 300 acts of trespass, vandalism and property damage, targeting what it calls 'Zionist' institutions, including universities, government buildings, defence contractors, banks and insurers. Mr Barnard, previously a member of Extinction Rebellion, appeared in court last year accused of encouraging criminal damage and supporting Hamas at rallies. He pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. The group's campaigns have seen several members arrested or jailed. In August, more than a dozen activists ram-raided the UK headquarters of Elbit Systems Horizon, an Israeli-owned arms firm, with a prison van and attacked police officers with sledgehammers, according to police. Last year, the group published a manual instructing activists on how to carry out 'an action'. The pamphlet prompted Chris Philp, who was the policing minister at the time, to warn that they were encouraging protesters to 'smash up businesses'. Mr Philp is among several politicians urging proscription in the wake of the RAF attack. 'This attack on Britain's military is totally unjustified. They are undermining the very organisation that protects us all,' he said. 'Palestine Action should be pursued, prosecuted and banned for what they have done. In this country, we settle disagreements through debate and democracy, not through acts of vandalism and violence.' Earlier on Friday, Nigel Farage, Robert Jenrick, Suella Braverman and Labour MP David Taylor also called for the group to be banned over its 'illegal' and 'extremist' attack on the RAF base.
