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David E Lewis's avatar

An addendum to your excellent albeit depressing post: defunding USAID has been on the GOP's wish list for years now. Musk was chosen to do what the GOP could not do legislatively.

https://democrats-appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/house-republicans-reverse-united-states-leadership-on-the-world-stage-in-state

We have, as any of your readers knows, ceded power to a critical mass of bizarre fantasy masquerading as esoteric philosophy led group. We did this while China's rapid development over the past 30 years rapidly accelerated climate change. We do this while in the process of breaking decades old alliances absolutely necessary to face this global problem.

Ron Suskind's article on George W Bush's faith and his core group's disdain for the "reality based community" has haunted me for years.

https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/17/magazine/faith-certainty-and-the-presidency-of-george-w-bush.html?unlocked_article_code=1.4k0.pzPh.WU1Quy6_O_ms&smid=url-share

As you have been documenting so well, American Governance is broken. Until these non reality based beliefs are exorcised from our body politic the beatings will continue.

Randy Rosso's avatar

Bill Gates said the family planning funding was going to Gaza Province in Mozambique, not the Gaza Strip. Is that true? https://www.thewrap.com/bill-gates-trump-administration-geographically-illiterate-foreign-aid-cuts/

Don Moynihan's avatar

There were basically two explanations, one of which was Gates (Musk did not know which Gaza he was talking about) and the other was the official one from the State Dept (which I feature in my post): USAID was funding organizations in GAZA, but not for family planning. https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/no-evidence-us-spent-50-million-condoms-gaza-2025-01-30/

Randy Rosso's avatar

Presumably State knew which Gaza was involved and just wasn’t clear in their communication?

Steve Richardson's avatar

Is contraception too humane? What struck me about the controversy is the contradiction of supporting genocide while expressing outrage at peaceful, voluntary efforts to control growth of the same population.