The State Department will let lifesaving projects expire because “there is no strong nexus between the humanitarian response and U.S. national interests,” according to an internal email. A year after the Trump administration began the dismantlement of USAID, it is initiating a new round of significant cuts to foreign assistance. This time, programs that survived … [Read more…]
Why Zimbabwe rejected a major US health funding deal
Zimbabwe has rejected a R5.8 billion US health funding agreement, a decision that could impact HIV programmes. Zimbabwe has turned down a proposed United States health funding agreement worth $367 million (R5.8 billion) over five years. Details of the decision emerged after a government memo from December was leaked. The document revealed that President Emmerson … [Read more…]
Hegseth threatens to blacklist Anthropic over ‘woke AI’ concerns
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is threatening to blacklist Anthropic from working with the U.S. military over the artificial intelligence company’s refusal to loosen its safety standards. The threat came on Tuesday during a meeting between Hegseth and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, according to two people with direct knowledge of the meeting who were not authorized … [Read more…]
PEPFAR Direct Action in DC: Release the Data. Release the Funds.
Start: Thursday, March 05, 2026•05:00 AM Location: (Corner of E 14th St and 4th Ave) • 145 Fourth Ave, New York, NY 10035 US Host Contact Info: Please contact Ahmed Mohamed at [email protected] with any questions. This civil disobedience action calls on Congress and the Administration to protect the integrity, transparency, and effectiveness of PEPFAR … [Read more…]
US accused of ‘shameless exploitation’ over proposed Zambian health aid deal
Leaked draft of $1bn memorandum of understanding reveals mandatory targets, sharing of data, and reported access to mining concessions. The US has been accused of “shameless exploitation” over a health financing agreement with Zambia worth more than $1bn (£740m), amid warnings that the country is getting a raw deal from the Trump administration. A leaked … [Read more…]
USAID Update on Audit Requirements for Terminated Awards
FROM USAID February 18, 2026 Dear USAID Contractor/Recipient, The Agency’s Chief Acquisition Officer (CAO) has approved a class deviation to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), revising the audit threshold applicable to termination settlement proposals (TSPs) for certain contracts terminated in response to Executive Order 14169, Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid or Executive Order … [Read more…]
FAR Updates to Align with eSRS Decommissioning
GSA will decommission the Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS.gov) on February 20, 2026, moving subcontracting reporting to SAM.gov, as part of the ongoing effort to modernize the suite of federal acquisition systems. To align with this change, the FAR Council has amended the FAR part 19 model deviation text. For more information, check out— To … [Read more…]
EVENT – Inside the Destruction of the U.S. Agency for International Development
Join ProPublica journalists for a conversation about the dismantling of U.S. foreign aid worldwide. Feb 114:00pm 5:00pm EST Virtual RSVP Within months of taking office, Trump officials eradicated the world’s largest humanitarian agency, slashing thousands of lifesaving programs and putting millions of lives at risk. While many news organizations covered these developments, no one reported on the … [Read more…]
HHS Is Using AI Tools From Palantir to Target ‘DEI’ and ‘Gender Ideology’ in Grants
Since last March, the Department of Health and Human Services has been using AI tools from Palantir to screen and audit grants, grant applications, and job descriptions for noncompliance with President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting “gender ideology” and anything related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), according to a recently published inventory of all … [Read more…]
Trump Administration Plans to Use AI to Write Federal Regulations
The Department of Transportation is reportedly planning to use AI language models to draft regulations, with humans relegated to monitoring “AI-to-AI interactions” and proofreading machine output. Legal experts warn this approach could produce arbitrary, error-filled policies lacking evidentiary basis, potentially putting lives at risk in areas like aviation safety and pipeline regulation while opening agencies … [Read more…]