Latest news with #USAID
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Gaza health care workers face starvation while treating patients
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels, with health care workers now succumbing to hunger alongside their patients, according to the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders. "It's catastrophic, and the famine conditions have been in the works for many, many months," Avril Benoît, executive director of Doctors Without Borders USA, told ABC News. "People are starving, even our own aid workers in hospitals are fainting, are feeling weak. They're not sure when they will see their next meal." The dire situation affecting medical staff further compromises their ability to care for patients, creating a compounding crisis in healthcare delivery, says Benoît. Medical workers are eating just once every two days while trying to maintain critical care services, according according to Benoît. MORE: USAID analysis finds no evidence of widespread aid diversion by Hamas in Gaza The organization's recent survey revealed that one in four patients who were children, pregnant women or lactating mothers were found to be malnourished. This severe malnutrition is particularly concerning for patients recovering from injuries, Benoît explained, as "they need nutrition to be able to recover their bodies, need the calories and the micronutrients to be able to fight off infections." As of Monday, at least 147 people have died of hunger since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health. Of the total deaths due to hunger, at least 88 have been children, the ministry said. On Tuesday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification global initiative, which measures food insecurity, issued an alert that the "worst-case scenario of famine" is unfolding in Gaza. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly denied reports of widespread starvation, Benoît told ABC News she strongly disputes this claim. "He's not credible," she stated, describing what she calls "a campaign of starvation" that extends beyond food shortages. The crisis includes limited access to clean drinking water, insufficient fuel for hospital operations, and restricted medical supplies. The Israeli government has denied that it is limiting the amount of aid entering Gaza and has claimed Hamas steals aid meant for civilians. Hamas has denied these claims. A USAID analysis appeared to undercut some of the assertions from the Trump administration and Israeli officials about the extent to which Hamas had stolen humanitarian aid. A presentation reviewed by ABC News, examining more than 150 reported incidents involving the theft or loss of U.S.-funded humanitarian aid in the war-torn Gaza Strip says it failed to find any evidence that Hamas -- the militant rulers of the Palestinian enclave -- engaged in widespread diversion of assistance. MORE: 'I don't know': Trump appears to contradict Netanyahu about Gaza starvation crisis So far, Palestinians and NGOs have said there is not enough food to ease the hunger crisis, and the organization is calling for a sustained ceasefire to enable effective aid distribution. According to Benoît, this would allow for "therapeutic foods, fuel to run the desalination plants" and other essential supplies to reach those in need. "Responsibility for food distribution to the population in Gaza lies with the UN and international aid organizations," the IDF said in a statement. Despite recent initiatives, including airdrops of humanitarian aid, Benoît argued these efforts are inadequate. "Airdrops are an incredibly inefficient and costly way to deliver food when you've got trucks and trucks and trucks a few miles across the border that are just waiting to get in," she said. Organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, have also criticized the airdrops as being "notoriously ineffective and dangerous." For those looking to help, Benoît directed people to visit the Doctors Without Borders website for information about their ongoing medical operations in the region. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pete Buttigieg says Democratic Party's attachment to two words handed Trump the White House in 2024
Former Transportation Secretary and 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has argued that Democrats suffered heavy losses in 2024 because they're 'too attached' to the 'status quo.' Speaking to NPR, he said Democrats shouldn't try to restore everything being torn down by President Donald Trump. "You've got an administration that is burning down so many of the most important institutions that we have in this country, which is wrong," said Buttigieg. "It is also wrong to imagine that we should have just kept everything going along the way it was." The 43-year-old argued that what Democrats attempted to do after taking power in 2021, namely, repairing institutions harmed by the first Trump administration, shouldn't be the first port of call the next time the Democrats are in charge. He said his party has been "too attached to a status quo that has been failing us for a long time." "It is wrong to burn down the Department of Education, but I actually think it's also wrong to suppose that the Department of Education was just right in 2024," he added. "You could say the same thing about USAID. It is unconscionable that children were left to die by the abrupt destruction of USAID. Unconscionable. But it's also wrong to suppose that if Democrats come back to power, our project should be to just tape the pieces together just the way that they were." The former Biden cabinet member also said that the scandal surrounding the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has had such staying power because of a 'breakdown in societal trust.' Many Americans don't trust the government and don't believe that all has been revealed about Epstein, who had expansive connections to wealthy and powerful people, including his former friend, Trump. While Buttigieg noted to NPR that Epstein "was historically more of an area of interest for the MAGA base" compared to the Democrats, he defended the pressure that the party has put on Trump. "You shouldn't have to be a Republican or a Democrat to care about making sure there's transparency on something as horrific as the abuses that happened. And to want to understand why an administration that promised to shed light on this decided not to," said the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor. When asked about the issue of the supposed cover-up of former President Joe Biden's condition as he aged in office, Buttigieg said, "I told the truth, which is that he was old. You could see that he was old. And also, when it came to my ability to do my job and have my boss, my president, support me in that job, I always got whatever I needed from him, from the Oval Office." Buttigieg told NPR that the fear of political retribution or violence "is more real than at any point in my lifetime." He added that concerns about losing funding are "already impacting who gets invited to speak at a university or who gets hired at a law firm…. We can't allow that.' "The thing about the politics of fear is the more you give into it, the worse it gets. The only antidote to a politics of fear is a politics of courage,' said Buttigieg.
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First Post
8 hours ago
- Health
- First Post
Why is the Trump administration destroying nearly $10 million worth of contraceptives?
The US has landed in soup following its decision to destroy women's contraceptives worth nearly $10 million. The decision has been condemned by doctors and aid groups alike, with some calling it a wasteful attack on women's rights read more Research has estimated that the USAID cuts will lead to the deaths of 14 million people by 2030. File image/AP The US administration's decision to destroy nearly $10 million worth of women's contraception products has sparked furious condemnation from doctors and aid groups, who have slammed the move as a wasteful attack on women's rights. The contraceptives are being stored in Belgium and are reportedly planned to be incinerated in France. Both European countries are under pressure to prevent the destruction. What has the US announced? On July 18, British newspaper The Guardian cited two US Congress sources as saying that President Donald Trump's administration planned to destroy $9.7 million worth of contraceptives, which are mostly long-acting, such as IUDs and birth control implants. The contraceptives — intended for some of the world's poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa — are stored in a warehouse in the Belgian city of Geel. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD They are to be incinerated at the end of July, according to The Guardian report. A US State Department spokesperson told AFP this week that 'a preliminary decision was made to destroy certain' birth control products from 'terminated Biden-era USAID contracts'. Trump's administration dismantled USAID, the country's foreign aid arm, after returning to the White House in January, replacing President Joe Biden. The State Department spokesperson said the destruction will cost $167,000 and 'no HIV medications or condoms are being destroyed.' Why? The spokesperson pointed AFP to a policy that prohibits providing aid to non-governmental organisations that perform or promote abortions. The Mexico City Policy, which critics call the 'global gag rule', was first introduced by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 and has been reinstated under every Republican president since. The Trump administration has also slashed foreign aid, with the Senate this month approving a package that cut around $8 billion in international funding, much of it intended for USAID. Research has estimated that the USAID cuts will lead to the deaths of 14 million people by 2030. Doctors Without Borders called it a 'callous waste'. Pixabay Earlier this month, the US also incinerated nearly 500 metric tons of high-nutrition biscuits, which were meant to keep malnourished children in Afghanistan and Pakistan alive. Trump has also repeatedly moved to restrict abortion access in the United States, taking credit for the Supreme Court overturning the nationwide right to abortion in 2022. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The US State Department also suggested to the Guardian that the contraceptives were nearing the end of their shelf life. However, media reports have since said that the products expire between April 2027 and September 2031. What are the alternatives? Belgium's foreign ministry told AFP that it has 'initiated diplomatic efforts with the United States embassy in Brussels' about the contraceptives. The government 'is exploring all possible avenues to prevent the destruction of these products, including temporary relocation solutions,' it added. The international organisation MSI Reproductive Choices said it had offered to 'purchase, repackage, and manage logistics at our expense, ensuring the products reach those in need'. However, this offer was repeatedly rejected, it said in a statement. The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) made a similar offer at 'no cost to the US government' that was also turned down. What are people saying? New Hampshire's Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen pointed to the Trump administration's stated goal of reducing government waste, saying the contraceptives plan 'is the epitome of waste, fraud and abuse'. Shaheen and Democratic Senator Brian Schatz have introduced a bill aiming to prevent further US aid from being wasted. The IPPF said the contraceptives plan is 'an intentional act of reproductive coercion'. Doctors Without Borders called it a 'callous waste'. MSI advocacy director Sarah Shaw said it was 'an ideological assault on reproductive rights, and one that is already harming women'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The head of the French Family Planning group, Sarah Durocher, observed that last year, France became the first country to enshrine the right to abortion in its constitution. 'France has a moral responsibility to act,' she said. French Green leader Marine Tondelier signed an open letter calling on President Emmanuel Macron to stop the contraceptives from being destroyed. 'Our country cannot be complicit, even indirectly, in retrograde policies,' the letter read. Contacted by AFP, the office of the French presidency declined to comment.
CNN
9 hours ago
- Health
- CNN
US to burn $9.7 million worth of USAID-purchased contraceptives rather than deliver them to women overseas
The Trump administration is set to destroy $9.7 million worth of US-purchased contraceptives rather than deliver them to women overseas, following the dismantling of foreign assistance programs carried out by the US Agency for International Development, or USAID. The 'preliminary decision' to destroy the USAID-procured birth control was confirmed by a State Department spokesperson, who said the cost of incinerating them would be $167,000. The contraceptives have been housed in a warehouse in Geel, Belgium. The Belgian foreign ministry said it was engaged in diplomatic talks with the US embassy to work to find alternative solutions for the supplies. The contraceptives are mostly long-lasting types of birth control, such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and injectables, a US congressional aide told CNN. It is not clear exactly when the supplies will be destroyed, according to the aide. 'They have to double incinerate the products because they contain high levels of hormones and they don't want to risk leaking the byproducts out in the environment, which likely adds to the cost,' the congressional aide said. 'The Trump administration is quite literally burning taxpayer money.' A list of the supplies, shared with CNN by another source with knowledge of the warehouse stock, shows that the contraceptives include copper IUDs, rod implants, birth control injections, and levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol tablets. Some have USAID branding but the majority do not, according to the source's list. Most of the products expire in 2028 or 2029, with the earliest expiration date among the products in April 2027, according to the list detailing the nearly 5 million items. The US State Department spokesperson referred to the contraceptives to be destroyed as 'certain abortifacient birth control commodities from terminated Biden-era USAID contracts.' There is controversy about whether to describe certain contraceptives as abortifacient, or causing abortion, due to the debate over whether life begins at the moment an egg is fertilized or at a later stage. Some birth control methods, including IUDs, may work by preventing implantation of a fertilized egg. However, IUDs primarily work by suppressing the release of eggs, or by preventing sperm from reaching an egg. CNN has approached the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for comment. 'Only a limited number of commodities have been approved for disposal. No HIV medications or condoms are being destroyed,' the spokesperson added. 'USAID avoided an additional $34.1 million in taxpayer costs by negotiating no-cost cancellations of pending orders placed under the Biden Administration.' Responding to media reports that the contraceptives were set to be transferred to a French medical waste facility to be destroyed by the end of July, a diplomatic source in France told CNN that the contraceptives were being handled by private entities and they had 'no information concerning any transfers,' as of Thursday last week. 'We firmly support the Belgian authorities' commitment to find a solution in order to prevent the destruction of these contraceptives, so that they may reach women and men around the world who need them and are waiting for them,' the diplomatic source added. 'Access to quality sexual and reproductive health services and products is both a human rights and a public health issue.' US Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) sent a staff member to the warehouse in Belgium as part of her effort to introduce legislation prohibiting 'the destruction of any such commodities unless all efforts to sell or donate them have been exhausted.' The staffer also found that the earliest expiration date for the contraceptives was 2027, with some of the supplies not expiring until 2031, meaning they could still be used for years to come. 'At a moment when the Trump administration has made devastating cuts to foreign assistance it is disappointing that the State Department would sign off on spending money to actually destroy paid-for commodities that would save lives and are waiting to be deployed,' Shaheen said in a statement. 'Food and family planning commodities are desperately needed in conflict affected countries, like Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo where famine is taking hold.' Belgian foreign ministry spokeswoman Florinda Baleci told CNN the country was 'exploring all possible avenues to prevent the destruction of these stocks, including their temporary relocation.' An organization called MSI Reproductive Choices said it and other funding partners had offered to pay for the shipping and repackaging of the USAID-branded supplies, but that the US government turned down the offer. 'We were not given a reason for why this offer was not accepted, but it became clear in conversations that it wouldn't be and that our efforts would be better spent finding alternative solutions to the contraception supplies gap,' said Grace Dunne, a spokeswoman for MSI, which works in 36 countries to provide reproductive healthcare, including abortion services, contraception and maternity care. In response to questions about the offer from CNN, the State Department highlighted the so-called 'Mexico City policy,' which 'prohibits providing certain assistance – directly or indirectly – to foreign nongovernmental organizations that perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning.' That policy, which opponents call the 'global gag rule,' prevents non-governmental organizations that provide abortions, give counseling about abortions or advocate for safe access to abortion from receiving US funding. The planned destruction of the contraceptives has sparked an outcry from other organizations, like Doctors Without Border (MSF), which raised concerns about contraceptive shortages in nations that were once reliant on supplies donated by USAID. 'In the communities served by MSF – whether impacted by conflict, disease outbreaks, natural and human-made disasters, or exclusion from health care – access to contraceptives is already constrained,' the organization said in a statement. 'Contexts that previously relied upon USAID funded contraceptive supplies are at a heightened risk of supply chain disruptions and stockouts.' 'MSF has seen firsthand the positive health benefits when women and girls can freely make their own health decisions by choosing to prevent or delay pregnancy – and the dangerous consequences when they cannot,' the chief executive of MSF USA, Avril Benoît, added. MSF also cited reports saying that more USAID-branded contraceptives are being housed in a warehouse in the United Arab Emirates, but the organization said the US government's plan for those supplies is unknown. A State Department spokesperson did not address a question about contraceptives warehoused in the UAE. CNN has reached out to the UAE government for comment. At the beginning of July, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hailed the end of USAID, saying that future foreign assistance programs would align with administration policies and be administered by the State Department. The rapid dismantling of USAID, led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has seen thousands of foreign assistance programs slashed, including many that focused on lifesaving work. A study published earlier this month by a leading medical journal, The Lancet, estimated that the USAID funding cuts could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030. USAID funding was most likely to reduce mortality related to HIV/AIDS, followed by malaria, according to the study.
The Intercept
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Intercept
USAID Cuts Leave West Bank Water Supply High and Dry
DURA, OCCUPIED WEST BANK — As recently as Christmas, this small community near Hebron thought it had a deal with the United States to tackle one of its most pressing issues: water supply. In December, Dura joined the municipalities of Halhul and Hebron to sign a memorandum with the U.S. Agency for International Development to fund a $46 million program shoring up their local water systems. It was a project of tremendous local import. The three neighboring communities are among the most water-deprived in the West Bank. They rely on irregular water supplies from Israel. When water does arrive, some 30-40 percent is lost in distribution, chiefly due to leaks and theft. It's this 30-40 percent that the project meant to fix. But in late February, a month after President Donald Trump's inauguration, it was terminated. A State Department spokesperson said by email that it was 'determined to not fit within the standards laid out by Sec. [Marco] Rubio for U.S. foreign assistance, which must make the United States stronger, safer, or more prosperous.' Since taking office, Trump, with the help of Elon Musk, has eviscerated the U.S. foreign aid budget. In March, Rubio terminated 80 percent of USAID programs after a review by Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. The administration also said foreign aid would be shrunk and reconstituted under the State Department. On July 1, USAID formally dissolved. The consequences of this retrenchment will land on Palestinian communities like Dura, which for decades have counted on the U.S. as the preeminent funder of water infrastructure in the Occupied Territories. The water supply for Palestinians in the West Bank is already tight. While Israelis consume an average 200-300 liters per day, comparable to Americans, the West Bank average is 86 liters — an average that masks gigantic differences between the haves, in well-supplied areas, and the have-nots. A number of critical water projects in Palestinian population centers have been abandoned because of USAID's collapse. In Jericho, USAID was funding work to connect thousands of homes to sewer lines for the first time. Not only is the work unfinished, but the municipality has also had to reach into its own pocket to repave the roads that American taxpayers paid to dig up. In Tulkarem, where USAID was improving wastewater services for a community in desperate need of them, the sudden stop to work means sewage continues to build up in nearby lagoons, breeding mosquitoes. Subhi Samhan, director of research and development at the Palestinian Water Authority, called the abrupt pullout 'catastrophic.' 'There's no other actor in the context right now to fill the gap,' said a humanitarian worker who works in the region but requested anonymity to avoid Israeli or American retaliation against their organization's work. 'There's no Plan B on this.' In another part of the West Bank, Al-Auja Spring is shown almost completely dried up by Israeli forces in Jericho on May 2, 2025. Photo: Issam Rimawi/Anadolu/Getty Images That's evident in Dura, a hilly community of about 90,000 people on the outskirts of Hebron. Unlike some places in the West Bank, Dura has no wells or reservoirs. Its primary water supply is a single 24-inch pipe. It's operated by the Palestinian Water Authority, but the actual water comes from Mekorot, Israel's national water company, according to Dura municipal officials. (They requested anonymity to speak freely.) Since occupying the West Bank in 1967, Israel has also controlled the majority of its water resources. The Palestinian Liberation Organization signed agreements with Israel for rights to a fixed volume from the land's main aquifer in the 1990s, but the Palestinian population in the West Bank has grown 75 percent since then, making this share increasingly inadequate. In much of the West Bank, Israeli authorities keep a tight grip on Palestinian efforts to build wells, reservoirs, pipelines, or any other infrastructure. Today, West Bankers buy 60 percent of their household water supplies from Israeli water companies, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. In Dura, the water in the pipe is neither reliable nor sufficient for local needs. The municipality stores what they get in tanks, then parcels it around the city on a rotating, published schedule. Residents often gripe to the municipality about the meager flows. 'The reality is, our water supply is not enough for our needs,' a Dura official said. The average Dura resident consumes about 45 liters per day, falling short of the 50-100 liters that's sufficient, according to World Health Organization experts, to meet water needs most of the time. But when supplies are limited, people's usage can drop as low as 26 liters per day. The USAID project planned, among other things, to shore up the 228 kilometers of pipe that make up Dura's water grid. It was hoped that by plugging leaks and reducing theft, the city could sell more water the legal way, strengthening its own finances. In principle, this would also spare Dura residents from buying triple-priced private water supplies — or just going without. Read our complete coverage Water has long been a pillar of America's policy in the Occupied Territories. From 1993 to 2023, the U.S. spent $7.6 billion in aid in the West Bank and Gaza, with about a third of that going to the category of economic growth and infrastructure — like water. Dave Harden, a former mission director for USAID in the West Bank and Gaza, reckons the agency spent 'probably hundreds of millions' on water and sanitation projects since the Oslo Agreements of the 1990s. The U.S. was well aware that water was choking Palestinian development. A 2024 State Department report on the territories' investment climate — since removed — listed water insecurity among the 'most immediate impediment[s]' for the Palestinian economy. As president, Joe Biden echoed the longtime U.S. foreign policy consensus when he argued that improving Palestinian living conditions could bolster support for the Palestinian Authority and improve chances for a sustainable two-state solution. Some pro-Israel groups agreed. The Israel Policy Forum, a U.S. NGO, specifically named improving the parlous conditions of water access in the West Bank as one of 50 steps to facilitate a negotiated peace. In the West Bank and Gaza, USAID has paid for dozens of wells and hundreds of miles of pipelines. It's built reservoirs, storage tanks, and sewage infrastructure. As of 2016, USAID claimed to have improved clean water access for 1 million Palestinians. While many countries fund water infrastructure in the Palestinian territories, none match the financial heft of the U.S., said Samhan of the Palestinian Water Authority. 'Most of the projects funded by USAID are major projects. Not all countries can organize these funds. USAID can do $60, $70, $100 million at once,' he said. Yet despite decades of work by the U.S. and other donors, the scope of need remains astronomical. Leaky water infrastructure is a common problem throughout the West Bank. The World Bank estimates that if the West Bank recovered all of its lost water, it would amount to boosting total supply by around 40 percent. Asked what they plan to do now that the USAID money is gone, Dura officials took a laconic attitude, saying they hope to find a European funder. What galls many Palestinians is the sense that while they scrounge for water, their Israeli neighbors have plenty. Water shortages are reshaping the West Bank countryside. Water insecurity is among the compounding pressures forcing people to leave rural areas for crowded, miserable conditions in cities. Climate change is putting this inequity into sharper relief. Last winter, precipitation levels in much of the Holy Land were about half of their historical average. Climate forecasts for the region anticipate soaring average temperatures, intensifying heatwaves, and nastier droughts. This will likely stress water supplies as more surface water gets cooked off into the air and aquifers are less fully replenished. In February, Israeli President Isaac Herzog pointed to the weak winter rains and warned Israelis could experience 'a summer of massive natural disasters.' But on water, Israel is well prepared. It gets most of its drinking water from state-of-the-art desalination plants on the Mediterranean Sea. It recycles much of this water, after it flows through Israeli homes, into its ultra-efficient agricultural sector. Its water grid has one of the world's lowest leakage rates. Samer Kalbouneh, acting director general for projects and international relations at the Palestinian Environment Quality Authority, said one of the West Bank's biggest climate-adaptation needs is interconnectivity: linking its water-rich areas with its water-poor ones. A trained water engineer, he said a logical move would be for West Bank cities to process their own sewage, then send the reclaimed water to desperate farmers and ranchers in the Jordan Valley. (Today, Palestinian cities send sewage to Israel, which reclaims the water and charges the Palestinian Authority $30 million a year for the service.) But in practice, Palestinian localities can't build the infrastructure for this. Kalbouneh said, 'You can't even build a 1×1-meter outhouse in the Jordan Valley without it being demolished,' as this qualifies as Area C, a zone controlled by the Israeli military. As for USAID, he said it tended to promote projects like the one in Dura, which asked Palestinian communities to work within the constraints of Israeli occupation — rather than releasing those constraints. Asked why, he said, 'The U.S. is managing the conflict, not ending it.'
