The "majority view" in #China sees some of #Trump's moves as an "own goal"

Da asserts that most Chinese people he talks w/viewed #USAID, the #ForeignAid agency, as one of America's strengths, improving its image & influence in the developing world. Virtually eliminating the agency was "in #China's interest."

Da said he learned some of his English in college while listening to #VOA broadcasts & also learned news that wasn't reported in the Chinese media.

Da acknowledges that in recent years, VOA was less important as the internet spread. But he says another agency mattered more: the U.S. Agency for International Development (#USAID).

In an email to #USAID staff, Jeremy Lewin, a #DOGE ofcl who took over running the day-to-day ops at USAID from Pete Marocco on March 20, said the RIFs would go into effect either on July 1 or Sept 2.

This comes as the #Trump admin wraps up the dismantling of the 64-year-old USAID, having terminated some 5,200 contracts, & moves forward with its plan to shift the remaining portion of its work to the #State Dept.

In a dangerous & complex world, it’s not enough to be strong. You must also be #smart. As Secy of #State during the Obama admin, I argued for smart #power, integrating the hard power of our military w/the #SoftPower of our #diplomacy, development assistance, economic might & cultural #influence. None of those tools can do the job alone. Together, they make America a #superpower. The #Trump approach is #dumb power.

The #Trump admin intends to terminate the #UnitedStates’ financial support for #Gavi, the org that has helped purchase critical #vaccines for #children in developing countries, saving millions of lives over the past quarter century, & to significantly scale back support for efforts to combat #malaria, one of the biggest killers globally.

Those officials are Jeremy Lewin, who has been working for the cost-cutting task force led by the billionaire #ElonMusk, & Kenneth Jackson, a #State Dept official who was named the acting president of the U.S. Institute of #Peace #USIP this week [another independent agency under assault by #Trump, #Musk & #DOGE & subsequently embroiled in federal lawsuits].

#PeteMarocco, the #State Dept ofcl who oversaw the #Trump admin’s efforts to dismantle the main govt agency distributing foreign #aid, announced in an email on Tues night that he would be replaced at the agency by 2 officials who had been involved in making the cuts.

Marocco said in the email that he would remain at State as director of #ForeignAid, but that 2 other officials would handle what remains of the #USAID.

In other words, Justices Samuel #Alito, #ClarenceThomas, #NeilGorsuch & #BrettKavanaugh don’t believe in the power of the #judiciary, their own power, or the #SeparationOfPowers.

They believe that the president is in fact above the #law — as long as that president is #Trump.

Here is the order, Alito’s self sabotaging dissent starts on page 2.

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a831_3135.pdf

#SCOTUS on Wednesday backed a federal judge's #power to order the #Trump admin to pay $2B to #USAID contractors but did not require immediate payment.

In doing so, the court on a 5-4 vote rejected an emergency application filed by the #DOJ after #US District Judge Amir Ali issued a series of rulings demanding the government unfreeze funds that Trump put on hold with an #ExecutiveOrder.

Elisha Dunn-Georgiou, president & CEO of the #GlobalHealth Council, said the situation is "horrible." She said that even some of the programs that had received waivers for being "life saving humanitarian assistance”–including ones that provided #HIV medications–have now received termination notices.

"This is a global health #massacre," said one #humanitarian ofcl, who isn't authorized to speak on behalf of their org.

Contractors were notified of the termination in a memo sent from #USAID's office of Acquisition & Assistance, according to one such letter obtained by NPR. The memo stated that Secy #MarcoRubio & #PeteMarocco "have determined your award is not aligned with Agency priorities & made a determination that continuing this program is not in the national interest."

In his statement to the lower court, #PeteMarocco, who is performing the duties of the dpty administrator of #USAID, said each of USAID's grants had been reviewed & Secy of #State #MarcoRubio decided to eliminate about 92% worth of the agency's grants. The State dept also cut around 4,100 grants. The [#Trump admin is claiming]…a total savings of nearly $60B dollars.

The announcement came just hours before [what was]… a court deadline for the #Trump admin to restart payments on those grants. The govt still owes >$1B for work done BEFORE Trump's foreign #aid freeze. But late Wed the admin asked #SCOTUS to vacate the lower court order to start funding those programs again, saying that it could not make the payments on the deadline set by the judge.