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New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Voice of America's remaining 800 employees to get termination notices: report
The roughly 800 remaining full-time staffers at Voice of America are preparing for the worst as the US-funded international broadcaster is expected to issue mass termination notices this week, according to a report. Four VOA employees familiar with internal discussions told the news site Politico on Wednesday that the network's employees have been advised to expect reduction-in-force (RIF) notices in the coming days. A senior staffer said conversations with officials at the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA, indicate that the planned notices will effectively shut down the historic broadcaster, Politico reported. Advertisement 3 Voice of America's remaining 800 full-time employees are expected to receive termination notices this week, according to a report. AP The looming layoffs follow the earlier dismissal of nearly 600 contractors earlier this month by the Trump administration. One VOA employee said the agency's human resources department had been informed that RIF notices could go out as early as Wednesday. The wave of cuts comes in the wake of a March 15 executive order signed by President Donald Trump, which called for Voice of America and several other agencies to be 'eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.' Advertisement The president has frequently attacked the broadcaster, calling it 'anti-Trump' and dubbing it 'The Voice of Radical America.' VOA employees, however, maintain they have adhered to their mission of delivering nonpartisan journalism. 'Even if somehow the organization can survive in some form, it would take years for our newsroom to overcome the trauma of being beaten up just for doing our job,' said VOA White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara, one of several plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the administration. Advertisement 3 President Trump signed an executive order in March calling for VOA and other agencies to be 'eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.' REUTERS 'I don't know how we can return to our mandate to report the facts without fear or favor.' Since March, most VOA operations have remained dark. A limited number of staffers have returned to the office in recent weeks, which employees believe is an attempt by USAGM senior adviser Kari Lake, a close Trump ally, to maintain the legal bare minimum required for agency operation. Lake has also announced that content from the right-leaning One America News Network will now be distributed through VOA channels. Advertisement Despite legal challenges mounted by VOA employees claiming the shutdown violates First Amendment protections, a federal appeals court last week declined to block the administration's efforts. 3 Kari Lake, a former GOP candidate in Arizona, was tapped by Trump to head the agency overseeing VOA. AP The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents VOA staff, has demanded to bargain over the RIFs, but two employees say USAGM has yet to respond — a move that could breach the union's collective bargaining agreement. USAGM, the Department of Government Efficiency, and the White House all declined to comment. As the final staff departures appear imminent, VOA's website remains frozen in time. Its most recent article is dated March 15 — the day the president's order was signed.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Voice of America mass layoffs as Kari Lake pushes Trump agenda
Journalists at Voice of America are watching their careers unravel as Kari Lake and the Trump administration sidestep court orders to dismantle the federally funded media outlet. Despite a legal mandate to restore operations, hundreds have been laid off again, leaving the future of American public diplomacy in peril Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads They showed up to do their jobs. They filed reports, edited broadcasts, and translated global headlines for millions. Now, Voice of America journalists are instead navigating mass layoffs, stalled paychecks, and a grim silence in their once-bustling is the scene inside the US-funded broadcaster that has become the latest target of the Trump administration's war on government-funded media. Despite a judge's order to reinstate operations and staff, Kari Lake , Trump's senior adviser and head of the US Agency for Global Media is pushing forward with deep cuts, citing the president's March executive order to dismantle 'wasteful' read: Hundreds of Voice of America contractors face mass job losses in Trump's latest crackdown With the Voice of America website inactive for over two months and hundreds of contractors laid off, some for the second time, journalists say they are fighting for more than their paychecks. They're fighting for the survival of independent public service broadcasting, as mandated by March 14 Trump executive order calls for the near-total dismantling of the US Agency for Global Media ( USAGM ) and its broadcasting arms, including Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks. It directs the agencies to reduce staffing and function 'to the minimum presence and function required by law.'That order gave Kari Lake sweeping control. In the weeks since, she has canceled contracts with international news services like AP and Reuters, gutted plans for a new VOA headquarters, and replaced content partnerships with programming from One America News, a far-right, pro-Trump Lake's own words, Voice of America has morphed from being 'a vital international media outlet' to 'anti-American propaganda' and 'unsalvageable.' The pivot marks a jarring shift in tone from her earlier statements in December, when she pledged to promote democracy and 'tell the American story accurately.'Also read: Is Vladimir Putin blackmailing Elon Musk over Ukraine? Ex-FBI agent alleges Russian plot to target world's richest man In a scathing decision, US District Court Senior Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled last month that the administration's actions were 'arbitrary and capricious.' He ordered Lake and USAGM to immediately bring back workers and resume regular operations.'There is an absence of any analysis whatsoever,' Lamberth wrote, criticizing the lack of justification for shuttering operations. He also ordered the restoration of sister broadcasters, including Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting the administration has resisted. Earlier this month, a 2-to-1 ruling from an appeals court temporarily froze the district court's decision, allowing Lake to proceed with layoffs while the case plays past weekend, she did just that by cutting hundreds of contract employees again. The website remains dormant. And the rest of the VOA workforce? On indefinite White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara, the lead plaintiff in the case, warned that the appellate court's decision could embolden the administration.'We are devastated and concerned that this ruling might lead to further adverse reactions from the administration,' Widakuswara told NPR. 'But our day in court is not over yet, and we are committed to fighting until we can return to our congressionally mandated right to broadcast factual, balanced, and comprehensive news.'Also read: Trump admin begins mass layoffs at Voice of America VOA Director Michael Abramowitz echoed her concern in a letter to staff, writing that USAGM might soon move to 'make further reductions.' He assured employees that legal options are being the White House frames the decision as part of a broader effort to eliminate government 'frivolous expenditures,' many inside the agency see it as an ideological current USAGM employees, speaking anonymously due to fear of retaliation, say Lake's plan appears to involve scaling down operations to only a few language services, like Mandarin for China, Farsi for Iran, and Pashto and Dari for Congress having already allocated funds, critics say withholding the money is not only illegal but deeply damaging to national interests. The networks are more than news outlets; they are instruments of soft diplomacy designed to promote American values in regions where the free press is most networks under USAGM suffer, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty recently secured a temporary funding boost from the European Union. The US government still owes the network $75 million under existing read: Trump signs executive order directing federal funding cuts to PBS and NPR That funding gap has already forced furloughs and reduced programming. A federal court has ordered the government to pay, but the administration continues to delay disbursement of Lake has taken to social media to celebrate the appellate ruling, declaring a 'BIG WIN' and mocking the judge's earlier decision. 'Turns out the District Court judge will not be able to manage the agency,' she the uncertainty, a glimmer of legal resistance appeared this week. A federal judge struck down a Trump-backed effort to eliminate the US Institute for Peace through the administration's budget-cutting DOGE initiative. Though not directly related to VOA, the ruling may signal that courts are still willing to rein in executive overreach, just not now, Voice of America staff remain in limbo. The once-vibrant newsroom, a symbol of free press and democracy since World War II, echoes only with silence. Its future hangs in the balance, not just for the journalists left jobless, but for the millions worldwide who once relied on it for uncensored truth.
IOL News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Back to the Past: Trump to pressure Ramaphosa to slash Affirmative Action and BEE laws
President Donald Trump prepares to confront President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House, criticising South Africa's race-based policies and demanding protections for white minorities, especially Afrikaner farmers. Image: GCIS President Donald Trump is expected to confront South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on Wednesday over South Africa's racial equity policies and the treatment of Afrikaners, a white ethnic minority. The New York Times has reported that Trump intends to pressure Ramaphosa to reverse policies designed to address apartheid-era inequalities, which the Trump administration views as discriminatory toward white South Africans. The meeting follows the Trump administration's decision to admit a group of 49 white South Africans to the US as refugees, citing claims of persecution. The group, identified as Afrikaners, arrived via a US-funded charter plane last week. The move has drawn criticism from South African officials, with Ramaphosa later describing their migration as a 'cowardly' act. Trump is also expected to demand that the South African government publicly denounce an anti-apartheid chant that called for the killing of Afrikaners, a chant the ruling African National Congress distanced itself from years ago. A White House official told The New York Times that Trump will push South Africa to classify attacks on farmers as priority crimes, part of his broader claim, amplified in 2018, that white farmers are victims of a so-called 'genocide.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Another expected request from Trump will be that US companies operating in South Africa be exempt from Black Economic Empowerment rules, which require foreign-owned firms to sell equity to Black South Africans and other historically disadvantaged groups. Trump's actions form part of a larger campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, one that his administration has extended to foreign policy. IOL previously reported that Trump cut all foreign aid to South Africa and expelled its ambassador after the diplomat accused him of stoking white grievance politics. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also refused to attend a G20 foreign ministers meeting in South Africa, citing opposition to DEI policies. Trump officials have argued that post-apartheid equity laws harm white South Africans and warn that similar policies in the US could disenfranchise white Americans. According to Christopher Vandome, a senior research fellow with the Africa program at the think tank Chatham House, 'the Trump administration was using 'a mix of fact and misinterpretation' in its criticism of South Africa's laws underpinned by race.' Vandome added that fears among Afrikaners about land reform and violence stem from 'a sense of victimhood due to the paranoia of always expecting there to be retribution for what happened in the past.' He added that the Trump administration's approach mixes fact with distortion: 'This is kind of the Trumpian way,' Vandome told The New York Times. 'You mix these things together, so it makes it very, very hard to engage with.' South African police data does not support claims of large-scale or targeted killings of white farmers. However, Trump has continued to raise these allegations, posting in 2018 that he directed the Secretary of State to monitor land seizures and 'the large-scale killing of farmers.' Central to Trump's concerns is South Africa's recently adopted Expropriation Act, which allows the government to seize land without compensation. Legal experts note that such seizures must meet constitutional standards and are subject to judicial oversight. Ramaphosa has defended the law as a tool for fair land redistribution, writing on X that it is 'not a confiscation instrument, but a constitutionally mandated legal process.' Ramaphosa is expected to use the meeting to propose a trade deal that would give the US greater access to South Africa's critical minerals, essential for clean energy technologies. He will also attempt to repair relations with Trump ally Elon Musk, who has sharply criticised the country's equity laws and claimed they block his company, Starlink, from operating there. Musk has called the policies 'racist.' Although the United States is South Africa's second-largest trading partner, tensions have grown under Trump, who has portrayed equity-based laws as economically destructive. A White House official told The New York Times that the US will argue that these policies 'threaten to collapse' South Africa's economy. IOL Politics
Euronews
19-05-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Shifting sands: USAID funding cuts sees the Middle East look elsewhere
The last post on the US Agency for International Development's (USAID) Middle East Facebook page was published on 17 January. 'We are hiring," it said enthusiastically. Three days later, Donald Trump assumed the US presidency. That same day, he signed an executive order freezing all foreign aid pending a 90-day review. It took just five weeks for the administration and the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to cut 90% of the USAID foreign aid contracts and $60 billion (€53.4bn) in overall US assistance worldwide. The decision — labelled as 'one of the most sweeping rollbacks of US humanitarian and development funding in history' — immediately caused reverberations across the globe, not least in the Middle East and North Africa. The US has long been by far the largest funder of the United Nations, providing over $13 billion (€11.6bn) in 2023, which accounted for more than a quarter of its total budget. This figure inflated to over half for agencies like the World Food Programme. All gone, with the stroke of a pen. A former USAID employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity in fear of reprisals said the decision would 'put lives in jeopardy'. Privately, UN employees told Euronews of lights and heating being permanently cut off in the office in the middle of winter, even at headquarters in Geneva. The administration has also introduced stringent — and some believe highly politicised — conditions for the little money available. A US-funding document shared with Euronews by a UN official included questions asking applicants to 'confirm that your organisation does not work with entities associated with communist, socialist, or totalitarian parties, or any party that espouses anti-American beliefs.' Another condition demands that projects 'reinforce US sovereignty by limiting reliance on international organisations or global governance,' singling out the UN. The changes were felt acutely on the ground in Egypt and Jordan. The US has long been the most significant international benefactor to both. Without even taking into account the indirect humanitarian aid from US-funded international agencies, Cairo and Amman are the third and fourth biggest recipients of US international financing, amounting to over $3 billion (nearly €2.7bn) a year. As former Egyptian diplomat and Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Ezzat Saad told Euronews from his office in Cairo, 'we're living in a turbulent and tense climate that the Trump administration has created'. However, Washington has made a crucial distinction in what aid it is gutting and what will be retained. Amidst the cuts and chaos, the US government announced in March that it would set up a brand-new USAID regional bureau in Cairo: an incongruous and widely overlooked decision. Even US officials on the ground admitted to Euronews that they did not know about the decision, let alone the reasons behind it. Closer inspection of what constitutes aid in Jordan and Egypt could explain at least part of the reasoning. While 75% of US assistance to Jordan is humanitarian, that number tumbles to just 20% in Egypt. The rest goes on military assistance, or providing weapons, of which Egypt is the second biggest recipient after neighbouring Israel. Washington has signalled that this form of support will not be affected by recent cuts. Some see the reason for retaining such aid as relating to a common border between the two and the Egypt-controlled Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip. 'Egypt's primary issue now is making sure that Gazans stay in Gaza and they need the support of the US for this,' Ben Fishman explained to Euronews from Washington. Fishman is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute think-tank, having previously worked supporting the Obama administration on Middle East policy, including on aid packages. Since the start of Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza, some, including Israeli ministers, have posited the idea of opening the Rafah border crossing into Sinai to empty out the tract of land of an increasingly desperate civilian population as it attempts to rid the Strip of the militant group. More recently, the US president himself echoed the idea. Egypt has suffered years of successive economic crises, exacerbated by a regional conflict that has led to a fall in tourism and a 60% decline in income from Egypt's biggest single source of revenue, the Suez Canal. It seems the last thing Cairo wants is more people to look after, especially in North Sinai, a strategic territory in the Middle East that makes Egypt one of the few countries in the world stretching across two continents. Last year, it was reported that the Egyptian authorities were quietly constructing a kilometres-long and five-metre-high wall set back from the Rafah crossing. However, former Egyptian opposition MP and political analyst Amr El-Shobaki questioned Fishman's analysis of the reasons behind the continuation of US military aid to Egypt during an interview with Euronews in Cairo. Referencing the decision to move the USAID bureau to the Egyptian capital, El-Shobaki said, 'With the headquarters here in Egypt, maybe they think that it's still possible to convince Egypt to accept at least some of the Palestinians from Gaza.' Jumping between English, French and Arabic, the ex-politician quickly clarified: 'This is what America is thinking. The Egyptian government has refused.' Yet continued US assistance has not extended to Jordan, which already houses more Palestinian registered refugees than the entire population of Gaza, accounting for over 20% of the country's population. Jordanian Professor Ayman Al-Barasneh is deeply concerned about the loss of US funding for refugee populations. 'This will put pressure on essential public services, such as healthcare and education and supporting refugees," he told Euronews from Jordan University. "All these sectors rely heavily on US aid.' Professor Al-Barasneh also warned that the cuts will have a dangerous ripple effect, perhaps even beyond his country's borders. 'American continued support has become essential for Jordan to maintain its internal stability, accelerate development, and manage its precarious geopolitical situation amid the Middle East wars,' he explained. The US retreat in Jordan, and to a lesser extent in Egypt, is opening the door for new powers, including the EU, to replace the US aid dominance. In April, the EU approved a landmark €4.5 billion financial assistance package to Jordan and Egypt, with the vast majority going to the latter. It came just months after EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and Jordan's King Abdullah II signed a separate support deal worth €3 billion, amid handshakes and beaming smiles. Von der Leyen described Jordan as 'a key partner and pillar of regional stability'. Professor Al-Barasneh hailed the deal as a 'contribution to reducing the financial deficit by using $1.32 billion (€1.17bn) to compensate for the loss of US aid.' Meanwhile, Dr Saad pointed out that stability in Egypt and Jordan directly benefited the EU, a political union plagued by debates over illegal migration across the Mediterranean. 'Any reduction in the role of Washington on problems in the Middle East places an additional burden on the Europeans,' he said. 'We always tell the European ambassadors who visit us here that we are closer to you than you think and you must think about having an active political role in solving the problems of the region,' explained Dr Saad, who also served as Egypt's ambassador to Indonesia, Russia and Turkmenistan, among others. However, for El-Shobaky, it is the existence of these debates and the lack of unity in Europe which stymies its ability to take on the role that the US seems to be relinquishing. 'The problem is still the division inside Europe. They don't have a common political system,' the now-director of the Arab-European unit at the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies explained. 'Europe as an economic partner is amazing. It is, I think, the fairest economic partner with Egypt. But we cannot rely on Europe to solve things like the Palestinian issue'. Away from the US and EU, China and Russia are becoming increasingly intertwined with Egypt and Jordan, especially the former. Western countries and Israel recently reacted with consternation as Egypt held joint naval exercises with China and Russia in the Mediterranean, codenamed operation "Bridge of Friendship 2025". Then, last Tuesday, it was reported that a Chinese Il-76MF, a Soviet-designed heavy transport aircraft, had landed in Egypt, raising speculation about fresh Chinese military equipment arriving in the country. It was the latest in a series of Chinese military flights destined for Egypt. El-Shobaky explained matter-of-factly that despite US assurances on military aid to Egypt, 'we need to build alternatives that rise to the challenge, either with Europe, or perhaps Russia. If its war (in Ukraine) stops, then of course, its role will increase. And China is already progressing technically.' His concerns fit into a wider global conversation about the reliability – or lack thereof – of a country once seen as the single dominant world power. But don't write off the US too quickly, El-Shobaky countered towards the end of the interview with Euronews. 'I don't see that American domination will disappear in just a few years,' he said, adding that Egypt is not at heart 'part of the axis of Iran, Russia (and) China.' 'Sure, Egypt has good relations with Russia and China, but we try to make a balance, we have very good relations with Europe. Egypt is integrated into an international system, and who leads this international system? The US.' The Trump administration also recently rolled back some of its more extreme aid cuts. However, El-Shobaky contended that his country and those in the wider region will just have to deal with these constantly shifting sands. 'They continue to do what they do,' he concludes, referring to the US, EU, Russia and China, closing the door and shaking his head ever so slightly. 'We try to just manage and survive'.
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Trump's USAID cuts leads to wastage of food for 3.5 million per month
When a major policy ends, it can ripple far beyond national borders, triggering global consequences. The sudden halt of USAID funding didn't just affect budgets; it disrupted lifesaving food chains, shuttered clinics, and silenced community programs that millions depended on for survival. Approximately 60,000 metric tons of US-funded food aid, valued at $98 million and sufficient to feed 3.5 million people for a month, remain unused in warehouses across Houston, Djibouti, Durban, and Dubai. These supplies, including high-energy biscuits and fortified grains, were intended for crisis-hit regions such as Gaza, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, abrupt funding cuts and administrative upheavals under the Trump administration have stalled their distribution, leaving the food at risk of expiration and potential disposal. Live Events The disruption stems from the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), with over 90% of its foreign aid contracts terminated and $60 billion in assistance slashed globally Jeremy Lewin, a 28-year-old appointee from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, now oversees the Office of Foreign Assistance, where internal proposals to release the stranded food await approval. The human cost of these cuts is profound. In northeastern Nigeria, Bulama, a mother who previously lost triplets to hunger, enrolled her underweight twins in a Mercy Corps program providing Plumpy'Nut—a therapeutic peanut paste. After USAID funding ceased in February, the program ended, and one of her twins died two weeks later. Navyn Salem, founder of Edesia Nutrition, which produces Plumpy'Nut, reports $13 million worth of the product sitting idle in her Rhode Island warehouse. She remains hopeful for a resolution to deliver the aid to those in need. Organizations like Action Against Hunger have been forced to halt over 50 projects in 20 countries, with reports of child deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to suspended operations. While some aid programs have been reinstated following internal and congressional pressure, many remain in limbo. The World Food Programme warns that the elimination of emergency food assistance in 14 countries could be a "death sentence" for millions facing extreme hunger.
