Steve Herman
@W7VOA
Exec. Dir., Jordan Ctr. for Journalism Advocacy & Innovation @olemissjourimc. Ex White House bureau chief, @VOANews; Author: Behind the White House Curtain
Behind the White House Curtain featured in the Kent State University Press Fall/Winter 2025 catalog. kentstateuniversitypress.com/wp-content/upl… ift.tt/tgTmF9K
'Special Adviser' Kari Lake at VOA's parent agency has locked out the acting CEO, Victor Morales, who was rubber stamping her actions, reports the Washington Post. washingtonpost.com/business/2025/… ift.tt/X3RwKok
US Embassy Bangkok says it is receiving reports today “of fighting, including rocket and artillery fire, between Cambodian and Thai forces along the border. There are reports of casualties and the Thai government is ordering the evacuation of certain ar… ift.tt/yGUIk21
Khaosod - Thailand downgrades diplomatic relations with Cambodia and recalls its ambassador following another landmine incident that resulted in a Thai soldier losing his leg, as the military prepares contingency war plans amid escalating border tension… ift.tt/GifYQEd
(AFP) - Cambodia, Thailand exchange fire in fresh border clashes, says Cambodian ministry. ift.tt/g8tby4J
(AP) — A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s order seeking to end birthright citizenship is unconstitutional, affirming a lower-court decision that blocked its enforcement nationwide. The ruling from a divided panel of the… ift.tt/hECwijc
Columbia University agrees to pay $220 million to settle civil rights investigations into the school and to get most of its federal funding back. columbiaspectator.com/news/2025/07/2… ift.tt/puVlqeL
USAGM's acting CEO (who was pushed aside today by Kari Lake) tried to force VOA's director (who Lake had placed on paid administrative leave in mid-March) to accept a demotion and move to a North Carolina transmitter site. ift.tt/rPqA3Yf
NYT - US Attorney General Bondi informed President Trump in the spring that his name appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files. nytimes.com/2025/07/23/us/… ift.tt/WEZcD4g
“The paving of the Rose Garden is well underway.” - Dispatch/photo from today’s White House radio pool reporter, Tamara Keith of NPR ift.tt/hyNpOTi
A federal judge in Florida rejects a DoJ request to release grand jury transcripts from the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. ift.tt/qgPWeaI
At the White House, DNI Gabbard tells reporters a declassified House intelligence report contains “irrefutable evidence” Obama and his national security team directed an assessment they knew was false that Russia interfered in the 2016 election and they … ift.tt/a2P6U4Z
Investigation opened into Harvard’s continued eligibility as a sponsor for the Exchange Visitor Program, announces Secretary of State Rubio. state.gov/releases/2025/… ift.tt/3P6QgvR
The world’s highest court declares that countries are legally obligated to act against climate change and that failing to do so is a "wrongful act" that could lead to reparations. icj-cij.org/sites/default/… ift.tt/ixZg9C3
The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, files a lawsuit in Delaware against Candace Owens for defamation over the American podcaster's “relentless and unjustified smear campaign” alleging his wife, Brigitte, is a secret trans woman and blood relative. … ift.tt/6shYVer
Details of the four #SaveVOA briefs filed in support of the mission and independent journalism of the Voice of America. savevoa.com/amicus/ ift.tt/Ov96kA0
More than 100 organizations call for the opening of all Gaza land crossings; restore the full flow of food, clean water, medical supplies, shelter items and fuel “through a principled, UN-led mechanism; end the siege, and agree to a ceasefire now.” … ift.tt/M1SEIYj
RCFP, CPJ, PEN America, National Press Club Press Freedom Center and SPJ have filed an Amicus stating they “share an interest in the protection of USAGM networks from political interference, and in safeguarding their editorial independence as news outlet… ift.tt/57nIlBy
The Arizona Republic newspaper will soon be printed and packaged in Las Vegas, Nevada. azcentral.com/story/news/ari… ift.tt/1oVrSks
Bloomberg - The US agency responsible for maintaining and designing the country's nuclear weapons was among those breached by a hack of Microsoft's Sharepoint. bloomberg.com/news/articles/… ift.tt/seWw0T4
President Trump, at a White House reception for Congressional Republicans, announces a trade deal with Japan he says will have Tokyo investing $550 billion into the US and paying a 15% reciprocal tariff. ift.tt/ni0vG3Q