March 2025 - cypherpunks - lists.cpunks.org

Fwd: Rachel A. Byrd Named Special Agent in Charge of the Mobile Field Office
by Gunnar Larson 25 Mar '25

25 Mar '25

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: FBI <fbi(a)subscriptions.fbi.gov> Date: Tue, Mar 25, 2025, 12:38 PM Subject: Rachel A. Byrd Named Special Agent in Charge of the Mobile Field Office To: <g(a)xny.io> * National Press Releases * Rachel A. Byrd Named Special Agent in Charge of the Mobile Field Office The Federal Bureau of Investigation has named Rachel A. Byrd as the special agent in charge of the Mobile Field Office. March 14, 2025 Full Press Release <https://www.fbi.… [View More]

1 0

What we’re reading: The World Bank may drop the ban on funding nuclear power, its president, Ajay Banga, says. [Bloomberg]
by Gunnar Larson 25 Mar '25

25 Mar '25

What we’re reading The World Bank *may drop the ban on funding nuclear power*, its president, Ajay Banga, says. [Bloomberg <https://t.devex.com/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGZbM6SvNn9Eto9MLFS1cISkTO77zNwvE9aR85…> ] Former USAID chief economist on *the end of the agency and what comes next*. [Devex Pro <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POnLhxR24pxUMa-aRn-oxTTk0y3jVl55z…> ] Viewpoint: Rethinking private capital for development and *addressing the real issues at the International … [View More]

1 0

In other news: The U.N. plans to withdraw 30 of its 100 personnel from Gaza this week amid intensified Israeli attacks that have killed hundreds, including U.N. staff. [Al Jazeera]
by Gunnar Larson 25 Mar '25

25 Mar '25

In other news *The U.N. plans to withdraw 30 of its 100 personnel from Gaza* this week amid intensified Israeli attacks that have killed hundreds, including U.N. staff. [Al Jazeera <https://t.devex.com/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGZa_MevClf6HVa1W2Af2FeDhX1hFUDpCurdzU…> ] *Kenya is seeking a new IMF loan* after the previous agreement was discontinued due to time constraints, with the country’s finance minister, John Mbadi, denying any fallout over unmet targets. [Reuters <https://t.devex.com/… [View More]

1 0

Help wanted: My colleagues Genevieve Gregorio and Kristiana Louise Ortega spotlight key global development organizations that are actively recruiting in the United States despite the funding freeze.
by Gunnar Larson 25 Mar '25

25 Mar '25

*Help wanted* Layoffs have swept the aid sector <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POjqaE1OeEFWxM7mfkEDZpzTgHZ4CQGG_…> since Trump came to office — but *there are still job opportunities*, including in the U.S. In fact, we found that despite many firms facing financial hardship, the number of *job openings posted in the U.S. has dropped only by around 6%* compared to the previous year. That doesn’t mean it’s a jobs bonanza, but it’s not an employment apocalypse either. At the … [View More]

1 0

The court of public opinion: When that’s dispelled, most Americans say the U.S. is spending about the right amount on foreign aid — and that shift occurs across party lines, according to a recent survey from KFF.
by Gunnar Larson 25 Mar '25

25 Mar '25

The court of public opinion Foreign assistance has always been a convenient political punching bag in the U.S. because of the many misconceptions surrounding it. Once those misconceptions are debunked, however, public opinion shifts dramatically <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POojf4r4tinTZTHnRO4HP_4E5VVPF9voU…>, my colleague Ayenat Mersie writes. Perhaps the most stubborn myth is that the U.S. expends a ton of total federal spending on foreign assistance — to the tune of 25% … [View More]

1 0

Mass exodus: But she admits: “Worst-case scenario is about more reductions from Europe as well as the possibility of zero from the United States.”
by Gunnar Larson 25 Mar '25

25 Mar '25

Mass exodus <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POnH07E8eL-ri0pG0Wwrg4Xn4hRbo1bxg…> That’s the percentage of total revenue that UNAIDS no longer can count on because of the USAID pullback. If that weren’t enough, other donors such as France <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POnZFwnu6e_GBz8pPACgAOE7XARZPrQKa…> and the United Kingdom <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POpCphgeXlcwK-5u_CbLr-mOklTMDQYLE…> are also cutting aid budgets, potentially … [View More]

1 0

The court of public opinion: Perhaps the most stubborn myth is that the U.S. expends a ton of total federal spending on foreign assistance — to the tune of 25% in some cases — fueling perceptions that the money would be better spent addressing problems at home. But as aid advocates continually try to hammer home: Aid accounts for less than 1% of federal spending.
by Gunnar Larson 25 Mar '25

25 Mar '25

The court of public opinion Foreign assistance has always been a convenient political punching bag in the U.S. because of the many misconceptions surrounding it. Once those misconceptions are debunked, however, public opinion shifts dramatically <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POojf4r4tinTZTHnRO4HP_4E5VVPF9voU…>, my colleague Ayenat Mersie writes. Perhaps the most stubborn myth is that the U.S. expends a ton of total federal spending on foreign assistance — to the tune of 25% … [View More]

1 0

Ideas on the table: There’s obviously no silver lining to children dying, but the crisis could present the opportunity to rethink a system that overwhelmingly relies on the U.S.
by Gunnar Larson 25 Mar '25

25 Mar '25

Ideas on the table Like health, food is another area that a slimmed-down USAID may prioritize <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POou1toNPe0LPOn85yA46mIsosuw83WTW…>. But food assistance has run into many of the same barriers that have hampered the delivery of lifesaving medicines — which is having a deadly effect on malnourished children. “We know children are dying,” Jeanette Bailey of the International Rescue Committee <https://t.devex.com/… [View More]

1 0

Moment of truth: “I got so worried,” she tells Andrew. “I started taking alcohol. I was thinking that anytime I am going to die. It became this life of hopelessness.”
by Gunnar Larson 25 Mar '25

25 Mar '25

Moment of truth It’s been a crowning achievement of bipartisan compassion that has saved millions of lives. It’s also on life support. PEPFAR used to enjoy regular five-year reauthorizations in the U.S. Congress, but last year it got caught up in America’s culture wars over abortion <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POjBOuIcNhYLP9ESYBIvEGJgLwD4GJi7k…>. It managed to eke out a one-year extension <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POsuCyl_Q4myN5F7dZl-G1-gsd6jfb-bM…> ,… [View More] *which is all but certain to expire today*. But because the program is written into federal law, “*actual permission for the program to exist doesn’t expire*,” even if PEPFAR’s authorization does, Katie Coester of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation <https://t.devex.com/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGZa_MevLGHIkJScSMEQHvdGGuGkV7MZlBCwft…> tells Devex contributing reporter Andrew Green. “As long as there is funding appropriated for the program, *it can technically and legally continue*,” adds Jennifer Kates of KFF <https://t.devex.com/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGZa_MevC0kAPqFLmVv5aOPBEVa6gDf0H_FGGC…> . But take note of that word: technically. USAID administered the majority of PEPFAR <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POhrIzr9qjzxt8YhzO6sAn82CFZ-uNWXx…>. After the agency’s dismantling, lifesaving programs — specifically those such as PEPFAR <https://t.devex.com/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGZa_MevEbqWomZ4iCm4zF4DfyRKeR2n8jsYH0…> — were meant to be exempted, but the process has been riddled with problems <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POrHUo-5KRfbBK_1WFNkKZUKn6Qk8KbKq…>, from patchy payments to ongoing bewilderment over which services can continue. For example, some treatments have been granted waivers, but contracts for the transportation of medicines and supplies, such as HIV tests, were canceled, hobbling the effectiveness of treatments. In Uganda <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POiteFOFayLh74apeWz_sVMEa_ec0md0c…>, Enid Kyomuhendo was due for a refill of the antiretroviral drugs that suppress her HIV infection just days after U.S. President Donald Trump’s stop-work order went into effect. The clinic where she gets the treatment was closed. “I got so worried,” she tells Andrew. “I started taking alcohol. I was thinking that anytime I am going to die. It became this life of hopelessness.” Two months later, she got her refill but now worries she is resistant to the ARVs — and the test to determine if she is resistant is unavailable. “The health workers just tell me to take the medicine because they don’t know what is going to happen next,” she says. *Read:* Why PEPFAR has bigger problems than reauthorization <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POhrIzr9qjzxt8YhzO6sAn82CFZ-uNWXx…> [View Less]

1 0

Google Wins Sanctions For Ramey Firm's 'Baseless' IP Suit
by Gunnar Larson 25 Mar '25

25 Mar '25

Google Wins Sanctions For Ramey Firm's 'Baseless' IP Suit <https://www.law360.com/legalethics/articles/2314997?nl_pk=87c9365b-e736-431…> By Dorothy Atkins A New York federal magistrate judge granted Google's request Monday for sanctions against Ramey LLP for filing an allegedly "baseless" suit on behalf of EscapeX IP accusing YouTube of infringing its social media chat-function patent, finding that counsel failed to conduct a presuit investigation and needlessly drew out litigation. … [View More]

1 0