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'Bloody Saturday' at Voice of America and other U.S.-funded networks

Federal officials placed 1,300 employees at Voice of America on indefinite paid leave, while severing contracts with Radio Free Asia and other U.S.-funded networks.

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican former chairperson of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, said in a statement to NPR earlier this week that he appreciated the ability of USAGM networks to disseminate information in China that the ruling Chinese Communist party censors sought to block there. Employees at the U.S. Agency for Global Media also received the notification, technically an indefinite leave "with full pay and benefits until otherwise notified," ordering the cessation of all work related activities and the surrender of all government property, including devices and records. "I'm sitting here on the 13th floor of a shiny, brand-new beautiful skyscraper building that is costing you, the taxpayer, a fortune," Lake said, as camera footage lingered over features including glass walls, interior waterfalls, and modern conference rooms.

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