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Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Bono tells Joe Rogan US global aid cuts have led to 300,000 deaths and reveals conversations with Marco Rubio
When Mr Trump took office earlier this year, DOGE, led by Mr Musk, was set up to cut wasteful spending in the US government. The Trump administration has moved to cut funding to government foreign aid agency USAID and other global initiatives, including the United States President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR), which has saved more than 25 million lives since it was established in 2003. During an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Bono told host Joe Rogan of how the world's relationship with the US seems to be changing, and revealed he is in contact with US secretary of state Marco Rubio. 'I think America's more vulnerable now than it's ever been. It feels like America's fallen out of love with the rest of the world. I don't think the world wants to fall out of love with America,' he said He then cited a report estimating 300,000 people have already died as a result of cuts made to USAID funding and said food intended for foreign aid is being left to rot because the workers who had access to it have been fired. "There's food rotting in boats, in warehouses. There is - this will f**k you off - you will not be happy, no American will, but there is, I think it's 50,000 tonnes of food that are stored in Djibouti, South Africa, Dubai and - wait for it - Houston, Texas. "And that is rotting rather than going to Gaza, rather than going to Sudan, because the people who know the codes for the warehouse are fired, they're gone. What is that? That's not America, is it?" Mr Rogan agreed there "have been organisations that do tremendous good all throughout the world" but added there was "a money laundering operation" with no oversight that saw billions or trillions of dollars of US public money go missing. The levels of waste, abuse and fraud in the US government claimed by Mr Trump and Mr Musk have been disputed by fact checkers in the American and international media. Mr Musk has responded to the claims made by Bono in a post on his social media platform X: 'He's such a liar/idiot. Zero people have died!' he wrote. ADVERTISEMENT During his conversation with Mr Rogan, Bono said a Christian aid organisation working with malnourished children is being forced to 'choose which child to pull off the IVs' because of funding cuts. "It just seems to me like a kind of, I don't know if evil is a strong word, too strong a word, but what we know about pure evil is it rejoices in the deaths, the squandering of human life, particularly children's. "It actually rejoices in it and whether it's incompetence, whether it's unintended consequences, it's not too late for people.' Bono said he is contact with Mr Rubio, who does not agree people are dying as a result of cuts to funding. "I have conversations with Marco Rubio. He's convinced people aren't dying yet. I don't know who's telling him, or not telling him, rather. But his instincts are correct.' He said Mr Rubio used to wear an armband for the One Campaign, the organisation co-founded by Bono in 2004 for providing aid in Africa. "Americans, no matter what political colour, you seem them, just the size, they just grow in stature when they know they're being useful.'
Reuters
5 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Mauritania's Tah elected president of AfDB, Africa's top development bank
ABIDJAN, May 29 (Reuters) - Former Mauritanian Finance Minister Sidi Ould Tah has been elected president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), the lender said on Thursday, after a poll during the bank's annual meeting in Ivory Coast. He will replace Akinwumi Adesina, a Nigerian economist who will step down in September after completing the maximum two five-year terms in office. The AfDB, which has $318 billion in capital, is owned by 54 African states and non-regional nations including the U.S., Japan and Saudi Arabia. Its biggest shareholder is Nigeria. Tah will take over as the bank grapples with Washington's plans to cut $555 million in funding to its African Development Fund (ADF), which offers low-priced financing to more than 30 of the continent's poorest nations. "African economies are under immense pressure, facing multiple crises like rising debt burdens, climate shocks, inflation and limited fiscal space," said Serah Makka, executive director for Africa at One, a group that campaigns against extreme poverty. Between sclerotic infrastructure and climate investment needs, African nations have huge financing needs. The AfDB has pegged the annual financing gap for structural transformation at more than $400 billion - or nearly 14% of the continent's projected GDP by 2030. The bank is aiming to raise $25 billion in its current replenishment round, which concludes in November. The last round, three years ago, raised $8.9 billion. Tah will have to either persuade the U.S. to reinstate the funding or seek to replace the lost cash elsewhere, either from other African members or wealthier countries outside the continent who want a bigger say in the bank's activities, such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates or China, analysts said. Apart from constrained funding sources, the president-elect will also have to help heavily indebted African economies avert potential debt distress and meet historically high investment needs despite limited access to international funding. The AfDB is in the process of helping to set up a financial stability mechanism (AFSM) for the continent to prevent countries from tipping into debt-induced crises. "The AFSM directly responds to one of Africa's most pressing financial vulnerabilities, the rising burden of short-term, non-concessional debt that threatens economic stability across the continent," Makka said, adding that the continent's cost of capital is often 5 to 8 percentage points higher than that of developed countries. Tah will also help African nations steer through the turmoil caused by U.S. trade tariffs, volatility in the prices of commodities such as oil - a core revenue source for several countries - and risk aversion from some investors that could make it tough to keep money flowing into the continent. The lender on Tuesday cut this year's Africa growth forecast, citing the impact of tariffs.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bono Shares Bold Statement After Bruce Springsteen's Controversial Political Comments
shared a strong statement when recently asked about the situation involving Bruce Springsteen's political comments criticizing and the President's response. While visiting the late-night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, host Jimmy Kimmel brought up the recent events, asking Bono, "Whose side are you on, Trump or Bruce Springsteen?" 🎬 The U2 singer took a moment to consider his answer before saying, "I think there's only one 'Boss' in America," referring to Springsteen's famous nickname, "The Boss." But then Kimmel brought up a message from Trump posted to his social media platform Truth Social in which he claimed that people like Bono, Springsteen, , and were paid by Kamala Harris for endorsements during her presidential campaign. Bono first stated, "To be in the company of Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, and Oprah, I'd play tambourine in that band," before clarifying that he and U2 "have never been paid or played a show to support any candidate from any parts." The Irish activist hypothesized that part of the reason Trump included him in that group was that he co-founded the nonprofit organization One Campaign, which states on its website that it "fights for a more just world by demanding the investments needed to create economic opportunities and healthier lives in Africa." Bono went on, saying that people from all walks of life are "very, very, very angry with the person that they voted into office having demolished instruments of mercy and compassion, like USAID and PEPFAR." He then shared a strong final statement: "They are not happy, and there will be trouble."Bono Shares Bold Statement After Bruce Springsteen's Controversial Political Comments first appeared on Parade on May 28, 2025
