Nury Turkel

U.S. AI Leadership Needs Smarter Controls A refined approach can keep democracy in the lead.

As the European Union seeks to hedge against an unpredictable Washington, it should avoid turning toward Beijing, argue Heidi Crebo-Rediker and Liana Fix. China still poses economic and security threats to Europe—and “the EU still doesn’t have a China card to play.”
https://fam.ag/3Hu9IZV

Without independent voices like Radio Free Asia’s Uyghur service, the world risks losing visibility into the repression happening in the Uyghur homeland. RSF warns that silencing them could turn China into a complete information black hole.

Read more about the growing threat to press freedom: https://rsf.org/en/radio-free-asia-s-uyghur-service-danger-without-rfa-china-will-truly-become-black-hole-information

Gulchehra Hoja

Radio Free Asia’s Uyghur service in danger following Trump’s decisions: “Without RFA, China will truly become a black hole for information” Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is alarmed by the announcement that the Uyghur service of Radio Free Asia (RFA), the world’s only independent Uyghur-language news service, will close at the end of May due to US President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the United States Agency for Gl...

🆕 My new Op-Ed: Don’t Pull the Plug on America’s Soft Power

Decades ago, I first heard the Voice of America on a crackling shortwave radio in China. I had no formal English education. I learned through VOA’s “Special English” and “Talk to America.”

That signal wasn’t just news — it was freedom.

Today, that voice is in danger of going silent.

In my latest op-ed, I explain why dismantling US-funded broadcasters — Voice of America, Erkin Asiya Radiosi at Radio Free Asia, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — would be a strategic and moral mistake. These aren’t Cold War relics. They are lifelines for the silenced, censored, and oppressed.

🔑 Highlights from the piece:

These broadcasts helped shape my journey to America nearly 30 years ago.

Journalists at RFA and RFE/RL are risking everything to report the truth.

Their work helped lead to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and U.S. recognition of China’s genocide.

These platforms remain among the most cost-effective, powerful tools for advancing human dignity and democratic values.

America doesn’t need to retreat — it needs to recommit. Not to tanks or troops, but to truth.

💬 Words I hope resonate:

“These services don’t just report the news. They offer hope — our sharpest weapon against repression.”

“We ask them to risk everything for truth. The least we can do is make sure their microphones stay on.”

“Don’t pull the plug — power it up. Because when America speaks clearly and boldly, the world listens.”

This isn’t a partisan issue. It’s a patriotic one.

📖 Read the full piece: https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5250438-u-s-funded-media-like-voice-of-america-must-be-saved-and-strengthened/