Day: May 7, 2025
Everyday Is One of Those …
“Every day is a kind of Watergate at this point.”
— The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg, speaking at a journalism summit.
Republican Big Tent Now Includes Flat-Earthers
“People who question whether the Earth is round — a fact understood by the ancient Greeks and taught to American children in elementary school — might have been political pariahs a decade ago. Now, they’re running local Republican parties in Georgia and Minnesota and seeking public office in Alabama.”
— New York Times
REM Releases Remix of Its First Hit Song As a Fundraiser for Radio Free Europe
One of the most innovative reactions to the Trump/Musk chainsaw approach to destroying the U.S. government has come from rock ‘n roll superstars, REM. The group’s members, Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Bill Berry, have commissioned a remix of their 1981 college radio hit, “Radio Free Europe,” and released it with all proceeds going to support Radio Free Europe.
Musk/Trump axed funding for key federally supported broadcasting outlets in March. On March 9, Trump ordered the U.S. Agency for Global Media, USAGM, to “eliminate all activities that are not required by law,” according to NPR.
The network also reported that “The termination notices for grants for the funded networks, two of which were reviewed by NPR, carried the signature of Trump’s senior adviser Kari Lake, whom he placed at USAGM, not the agency’s acting chief executive. Lake does not appear in her current job to have the statutory authority to carry out that termination.”
In a its statement on its official website, REM said, “We are thrilled to announce the release of Radio Free Europe 2025, a five-track benefit EP featuring two never-before-released tracks: a 2025 remix by longtime collaborator Jacknife Lee and original producer Mitch Easter’s 1981 remix ‘Radio Free Dub.’”
“The cancellation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s grant agreement would be a massive gift to America’s enemies,” Steve Capus, the president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, said in a statement today shared with NPR. “The Iranian Ayatollahs, Chinese communist leaders, and autocrats in Moscow and Minsk would celebrate the demise of RFE/RL after 75 years. Handing our adversaries a win would make them stronger and America weaker. We’ve benefitted from strong bipartisan support throughout RFE/RL’s storied history. Without us, the nearly 50 million people in closed societies who depend on us for accurate news and information each week won’t have access to the truth about America and the world.”
Order
Click here to pre-order/stream Radio Free Europe 2025 now and watch the Dispatch video for the Jacknife Lee remix.
Donate
Click here to make a tax-deductible donation to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
