Elton John AIDS Foundation & Brandi Carlile's Foundation Team Up Following Trump Administration Drastic Cuts to HIV/AIDS Funding
'Without prompt action, decades of progress in the global fight against HIV could be reversed, creating a global health crisis that we have both the power and the tools to prevent,' John said in a statement about the urgent need to raise funds in the wake of the Trump administration's termination of USAID support for such efforts. 'Our mission is more important than ever – we refuse to leave anyone behind – and I'm so fortunate that Brandi is not only a wonderful collaborator and artist, but a dear friend who shares my vision of a world where HIV care is prioritized and protected.'
More from Billboard
Luke Bryan Reacts to Katy Perry's Space Flight: 'It Roped Me In'
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Preview 'Phantom Island' LP With New Single, 'Deadstick'
Adrianne Lenker Details New Live Album, 'Live at Revolution Hall'
According to the statement, the Rocket Response Fund will direct resources to open shuttered clinics, restore access to essential medications and maintain prevention services to ensure that people around the world can get the HIV care they need.
The Hill reported this week that the deep cuts enacted by Health and Human Services (HHS) Sec. Robert F. Kennedy to the nation's public health workforce as part of Trump's drastic cuts to the government workforce threaten to undo decades of working combating HIV, as well as potentially delaying upcoming scientific advances. Kennedy's plans to reduce HHS staffing by 20% will effectively zero-out a number of divisions within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hit especially hard are offices focused on HIV/AIDS, including the firing of the entire staff of the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy, as well as the lay-off of one-quarter of the Global Health Center Division of Global HIV and TB, as well as the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD and Tuberculosis Prevention. In addition, five branches of the CDC's HIV prevention division were entirely eliminated, including the research, surveillance and prevention communication branches.
Hit particularly hard were grants for HIV research focused on transgender, Black and Latino individuals — who've been disproportionately impacted by the epidemic — in what the Hill said was likely tied to the Trump team's efforts to eliminate what they deem diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in federal agencies. The Hill noted that before being named as HHS secretary, Kennedy publicly questioned whether the HIV virus causes AIDS and promoted the unsubstantiated belief that AIDS could be cause by the recreational drug known as 'poppers,' which is popular in the gay community; the CDC and World Health Organization have long acknowledged that if left untreated HIV can lead to AIDS.
'It was a lifelong dream come true for me to come together with my hero and friend Elton John to make our album Who Believes In Angels? and now, we're excited to announce that our foundations are also partnering to make our music mean even more,' said Carlile in a statement. 'Elton's activism and work with the Elton John AIDS Foundation was what led me to Elton before I even heard a note of his music. It's an incredible honor to launch this partnership and raise funds for the life-saving work of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Rocket Response Fund at a time when support is needed the most.'
The announcement noted that international funding has been crucial to reducing new HIV transmission and deaths worldwide. But with a number of countries joining the U.S. in considering aid cuts the Lancet HIV projected that — based on data from 26 countries — up to 10.8 million additional HIV cases and 2.9 million HIV-related deaths could occur by 2030 if international support dries up.
Donations to the campaign — which the Looking Out Foundation will match dollar-for-dollar through Friday morning (April 18) — can be made here.
Best of Billboard
Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1
Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits
H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
2 hours ago
Draft of new 'MAHA' report suggests RFK Jr. won't target pesticides
The draft of an upcoming government report suggesting ways to improve the health of American children does not recommend severe restrictions on pesticides and ultra-processed foods, according to a copy of the document obtained by ABC News. The draft's language, if left unchanged, would constitute a win for the agriculture industry and a potential setback for Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) allies, who have railed against the use of chemical additives in America's food supply, arguing that they harm children. A person familiar with the draft cautioned that the language could still change before it's released to the public. "Unless officially released by the administration, any document purporting to be the MAHA report should be dismissed as speculative literature," White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai said in response to ABC News' request for comment. An HHS spokesperson declined to verify the document's authenticity. The New York Times first reported details of the new draft report. The report will be the second "MAHA" report released by the Trump administration following one published in May. Both were composed by officials in the White House and across different federal agencies, including Kennedy's HHS. The May report detailed the factors officials said were worsening the health of American children and called for a second report, within 100 days, to recommend policies to address those factors. The earlier report -- which was dogged by the revelation that some studies it cited were nonexistent -- cited damning statistics about the effect of chemical food additives, tying them to cancer and developmental disorders. The draft of the new report does not signal any intention to eliminate pesticides from America's food. Instead, the draft calls for "more targeted and precise pesticide applications" and research programs that would "help to decrease pesticide volumes." The report also stated the Environmental Protection Agency "will work to ensure that the public has awareness and confidence in EPA's robust pesticide review procedures and how that relates to the limiting of risk for users and the general public." Regarding ultra-processed foods, the new report states only that HHS, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration would work to develop a "government-wide definition for 'ultra-processed food.'" In his January confirmation hearing, Kennedy declared that "something is poisoning the American people, and we know that the primary culprits are changing food supply, a switch to highly chemical intensive processed foods." Meanwhile, some "MAHA" influencers have loudly demanded changes to the country's food supply, putting their faith in Kennedy to leverage his position of power to uproot the agriculture industry. But this summer, agriculture groups lobbied intensely against the inclusion of anti-pesticide recommendations in the new report. They appeared to find an ally in Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, who indicated to reporters this month that the upcoming report would spare pesticides. "There is no chance that our current system of agriculture can survive without those crop protection tools," she said at a press conference in a Washington. "I feel very confident that his, and our, commitment to make sure that farmers are at the table remains paramount, and that the report will reflect that."
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
GoHealth Second Quarter 2025 Earnings: Misses Expectations
Explore GoHealth's Fair Values from the Community and select yours GoHealth (NASDAQ:GOCO) Second Quarter 2025 Results Key Financial Results Revenue: US$94.0m (down 11% from 2Q 2024). Net loss: US$55.2m (loss widened by 105% from 2Q 2024). US$5.10 loss per share (further deteriorated from US$2.70 loss in 2Q 2024). Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit. All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period GoHealth Revenues and Earnings Miss Expectations Revenue missed analyst estimates by 15%. Earnings per share (EPS) also missed analyst estimates by 100%. Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 3.5% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 5.5% growth forecast for the Insurance industry in the US. Performance of the American Insurance industry. The company's share price is broadly unchanged from a week ago. Risk Analysis What about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for GoHealth you should know about. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) Is Reinvesting At Lower Rates Of Return
If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. Having said that, from a first glance at Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look. Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit. What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)? For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. To calculate this metric for Elevance Health, this is the formula: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) 0.11 = US$8.7b ÷ (US$122b - US$44b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2025). So, Elevance Health has an ROCE of 11%. By itself that's a normal return on capital and it's in line with the industry's average returns of 11%. See our latest analysis for Elevance Health In the above chart we have measured Elevance Health's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Elevance Health for free. What Does the ROCE Trend For Elevance Health Tell Us? In terms of Elevance Health's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 14%, but since then they've fallen to 11%. Although, given both revenue and the amount of assets employed in the business have increased, it could suggest the company is investing in growth, and the extra capital has led to a short-term reduction in ROCE. And if the increased capital generates additional returns, the business, and thus shareholders, will benefit in the long run. The Bottom Line While returns have fallen for Elevance Health in recent times, we're encouraged to see that sales are growing and that the business is reinvesting in its operations. These trends are starting to be recognized by investors since the stock has delivered a 16% gain to shareholders who've held over the last five years. Therefore we'd recommend looking further into this stock to confirm if it has the makings of a good investment. Elevance Health could be trading at an attractive price in other respects, so you might find our on our platform quite valuable. For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high returns on equity. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
