Trump Admin to Destroy Enough Emergency Food to Feed Every Child in Gaza for a Week Due to DOGE Dismantling USAID
Several hundred metric tons of emergency food, including high-energy biscuits intended for children under 5, are set to expire in a matter of days after being held for months without being distributed, two sources told The Atlantic .
After DOGE dismantled USAID earlier this year, the agency was taken over by the State Department. Under new leadership, any food, money or aid needed direct approval to be handed out. Multiple sources told the outlet that they asked for approval to move the food, but never heard back from officials.
An order to destroy the food was sent out in May, just before Secretary of State Marco Rubio told members of Congress that he would see to it that the food gets delivered.
An estimated 1.5 million hungry children could have been fed by the nearly 500 metric tons of food for a week, leading critics to review who could have received the much-needed food, such as famine-facing countries like Sudan.
In Gaza, about 500,000 people are currently facing starvation, according to the United Nations . A Food Security Phase Classification report from May stated that 71,000 children under the age of 5 are facing acute malnutrition.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed over the last six weeks while trying to obtain humanitarian aid at aid distribution centers in Gaza, according to the UN. Israeli forces killed at least 31 people on Saturday alone while attempting to access aid from a US-backed food distribution site.
The food aid had originally been intended for Afghanistan and Pakistan, however the State Department ended aid to Afghanistan and Yemen over concerns that it would fall into the hands of terrorists, NPR reported in April. Worries about accidentally aiding terrorists were not included in the reason for ending Pakistan's aid.
Originally published on Latin Times
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
42 minutes ago
- Int'l Business Times
House Democrats Longshot Plan to Quash Trump's 'Liberation Day' Tariffs Revealed
House Democrats have a longshot plan to try to quash President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs as his administration threatens another slew of countries with orders. The minority party has turned to a discharge petition as a way to bring all House members to a vote to possibly end Trump's tariffs. New York Rep. Greg Meeks is encouraging lawmakers to sign his petition, which will come to the House floor if it receives enough signatures, Axios reported. If the petition gains enough signatures, it will force a vote on Meeks' resolution to end Trump's emergency declaration from April, which spurred the "Liberation Day" tariffs. However, the plan is presumably a longshot. Earlier this year, House Majority Leader Mike Johnson used a procedural move to end Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna's discharge petition to allow temporary proxy voting for new parents even after the petition received enough signatures. But as Trump's tariff promises leave the country in economic uncertainty, Democrats hope that Republicans may break with their party to sign the petition. A new wave of tariffs targeting several U.S. allies is on track to go into effect August 1 after Trump threatened Japan and South Korea with 25% tariffs, the European Union and Mexico with 30% tariffs and 50% tariffs for Brazil. Though South Korea remains optimistic about reaching a deal with Trump, EU officials have expressed exasperation with Trump's continued pressures against the largest trading partner of the U.S. Originally published on Latin Times
DW
an hour ago
- DW
Did 'Agent Melania' change Donald Trump's mind on Ukraine? – DW – 07/16/2025
The president revealed his wife as a source of counsel on matters of state as negotiations with Vladimir Putin grind on. This week, Donald Trump announced missiles systems for Ukraine and a ceasefire deadline for Russia. Ukraine has, seemingly, a surprise advocate in the White House: first lady Melania Trump. A flurry of laudatory posts shared across Ukrainian social media this week came after US President Donald Trump revealed that his wife had taken to pointing out the contradictions in his negotiations with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, toward a deal to end the war in Ukraine. "I speak to him a lot about getting this thing done," Trump said on Monday. "And I always hang up and say: 'Well, that was a nice phone call,'" Trump said. "And then missiles are launched into Kyiv or some other city. After that happens three or four times, you say: 'The talk doesn't mean anything.'" On Monday, Trump set a 50-day deadline for Putin to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or risk substantial economic sanctions. The deadline, like others set by the president, appears flexible. On Tuesday he said that, though he didn't think 50 days was a long time, "it could be sooner than that." "I go home, I tell the first lady: 'I spoke with Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation,'" Trump said. "She said: 'Oh really? Another city was just hit.'" On platforms such as X and Telegram, Ukrainian social media users shared posts and memes welcoming Melania Trump's apparent role. "So all this time Melania was for us?" the prominent blogger Ihor Lachenkov posted. "Melania for President of the United States 🙈" a Telegram account with 1.5 million followers wrote. Many have dubbed her "Agent Melania Trumpenko" and modified photos of the first lady to attach Ukrainian iconography to her clothing. Others have used memes to poke fun at the suggestion that the first lady was the crucial voice that changed the US position on Ukraine. One such post shared by the national TV news program TSN shows a cartoon animal, a cinema detective and a picture of Melania Trump in a wide-brimmed hat at the 2025 inauguration with the text "Secret Agents: In cartoons, In movies, in real life." Another shows Godzilla marked as former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and King Kong marked as prime ministerial candidate Yulia Svyrydenko brawling, saying "A Woman Will Save Ukraine," only for the Doge dog to attack both, saying: "It will be Melania Trump." Melania Trump is Slovenian and grew up in the former Yugoslavia. Slovenia has provided humanitarian, economic and military support to Ukraine. She has voiced her support for Ukraine previously, notably in a 2022 social media post on the platform X (formerly Twitter) calling on people to support the International Committee of the Red Cross's humanitarian efforts after Russia began its full-scale invasion. Many Ukrainian users have noted that, because of her upbringing in Yugoslavia, which had a fraught relationship with Russia, she is the best-placed member of Trump's circle when it comes to understanding the threat posed by Vladimir Putin. US first ladies have often exercised influence within the White House. Melania Trump's predecessors have involved themselves with social programs and tried to help achieve policy outcomes for their husbands. In an interview with Ukrainian television Kanal 24, former state security service officer Ivan Stupak said he hoped that Melania Trump's sympathies for his country were having an effect on US foreign policy. "We've seen in the histories of different countries that first ladies ... it's not a 100% rule, but, in many cases, they don't just exist in the background, as a formality," Stupak said. "I want to believe that she does have some influence," Stupak said, "that she can say something, and Trump will listen to her." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoWhile Melania Trump may be providing counsel to her husband on military matters, he continues to take his own advice when it comes to business. Trump has typically run a transactional presidency, ensuring that he — and by extension the United States — can claim a victory or benefit in any negotiations. Though his predecessor Joe Biden willingly provided military aid to Ukraine, Trump has been quick to turn off the tap in a tumultuous first six months in office. While he had a catastrophic falling out with Ukraine's president Volodymir Zelenskyy earlier in the year, the lack of response from Putin has seen Trump seemingly warm to the Ukrainian cause in recent weeks. But only on the condition that supplies are paid for. Most recently, Trump confirmed that the United States will supply Patriot missile batteries to Ukraine, with European partners to bear the cost of view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Int'l Business Times
2 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Trump Says No Longer Supports MAGA 'Weaklings' Still Pressuring Him to Release Epstein Files, Now Labeling Whole Fiasco a 'Hoax'
President Donald Trump has declared that he no longer supports conservatives pressuring him to release the files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, blasting them as "weaklings" and branding the entire situation as a "hoax." Trump railed against MAGA supporters still pushing for the release of the files in a Truth Social post Wednesday morning, as backlash over the Department of Justice and FBI's memo determining that Epstein killed himself and had "no client list" continues. As the Trump administration works to move forward, several Democratic lawmakers have begun calling for the release of the files as well, with some like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries questioning if top officials were "hiding" information. The president first blasted Democrats for these statements, calling their advocacy for transparency with the Epstein case a "scam" and a "hoax," before turning on his own supporters for echoing the same sentiment. "Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein HOAX, and my PAST supporters have bought into this 'bulls***,' hook, line and sinker. They haven't learned their lesson, and they probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years," Trump wrote. Trump continued to rail against reporters and "Fake News" for wanting to talk about the "success of starved Dems and the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax." The president previously urged his supporters to not "waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein," which he claimed was "something that nobody cares about." He also went off on a reporter during a Cabinet meeting last week for asking about the Epstein files. Various MAGA influencers and right-wing activists have also continued to press for the release of the files, expressing disappointment at the memo's conclusion. "Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats' work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!" Trump concluded. Trump told reporters Tuesday night that "only pretty bad people" want to continue talking about the Epstein case, as reported by The Guardian . The president said that he supported releasing any "credible" information, but insisted that the case was "pretty boring stuff." Originally published on Latin Times
