Summary
A court has stopped President Trump's effort to remove Michael Abramowitz as the director of Voice of America (VOA). The legal decision highlights the protections against political interference in American international broadcasting.
Key Facts
- A three-judge panel in Washington, D.C. denied the attempt to stop an appeal against firing Michael Abramowitz as VOA director.
- This case involves the U.S. government's efforts to cut costs and control independent bodies like the media.
- Abramowitz cannot be removed without a majority vote from the International Broadcasting Advisory Board, which was dismissed by the Trump administration earlier.
- President Trump issued an executive order to close the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA.
- A federal court blocked the administration's plan to cut over 500 jobs at USAGM.
- The VOA, established in 1942, broadcasts in 48 languages to a large global audience.
- The court ruling emphasized that the government did not prove suffering 'irreparable harm'.
- The VOA has paused operations during a government shutdown but plans to resume once it concludes.
