Overview

• Kari Lake publicly declared she would personally accompany former VOA journalists on deportation flights after their J-1 visas expired following mass layoffs.
• Voice of America has shrunk from over 1,300 employees to a few dozen since March, halting most of its 50-language services.
• A federal judge ordered the agency to restore full broadcasting but criticized the administration for complying only in part.
• VOA Director Michael Abramowitz filed a lawsuit on August 12 alleging USAGM is seeking to remove him illegally in defiance of governance rules.
• Observers warn that the disruption of USAGM-funded outlets like RFE/RL, RFA and MBN undermines U.S. influence in regions reliant on independent news