03/31/2025 The Fight for Government Accountability and Press Freedom

Published April 2, 2025 at 4:00 PM MDT

For nine years, Michael Missal served as Inspector General at the Department of Veterans Affairs—until he was abruptly fired on January 24. Meanwhile, veteran journalist Steve Herman is on administrative leave as the Trump administration moves to shut down the Voice of America (VOA). For the first time in its 82-year history, VOA has been offline since mid-March, silencing a global news source relied upon by millions.

What happens next? As Missal and Herman explain, their fate—and the future of government oversight and press freedom—now rests in the hands of the courts.

In January, former President Trump removed 17 inspectors general from key government agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs. Among them was Michael Missal, who had served as the VA’s independent watchdog for nearly a decade. His dismissal, along with others, may have violated a 2022 law requiring notice and justification for such terminations. Missal joins us to discuss the vital role of inspectors general, the importance of their independence, and his team's successes in exposing waste, fraud, and abuse.

Meanwhile, press freedom faces its own battle. The Voice of America (VOA), a trusted international news source since 1942, has been offline since mid-March, silencing its 1,200 journalists broadcasting in 49 languages to a global audience of over 361 million. A federal judge’s temporary restraining order has prevented the government from dismantling the network but its future remains uncertain. Steve Herman, warns that taking down VOA would allow adversaries like China to dominate the global news landscape.

Join us for an in-depth discussion on the struggle to protect accountability, transparency, and the free press.

Host: Jim Falk

Co-host: Talitha Arnold

Guests: Michael Missal, Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs (2016-2025)

Steve Herman, Chief National Correspondence, Voice of America and author of “ Behind the White House Curtain: A Senior Journalist’s Story of Covering the President-and Why It Matters (2024)