Month: February 2025

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Monday he is acting director of the United States Agency for International Development — the world’s largest provider of food assistance to underdeveloped parts of the globe — confirming the de-facto takeover of the humanitarian agency by the State Department. The news came hours after Elon Musk said President Donald Trump had signed off on shutting the agency down.

SAID was established in 1961 by an act of Congress.

Any implication for the USAID remains largely unclear, but a number of organizations delivering humanitarian aid warned they may have to suspend operations or close altogether. Rubio stated that “the functions of USAID must align with U.S. foreign policy,” calling it “a completely unresponsive agency … there are things that USAID, that we do through USAID, that we should continue to do, and we will continue to do.”

The changes arrived as federal USAID employees worked Monday from home after being instructed to not report for duty at the department’s main office in downtown Washington because it was closed. Workers were told in an email sent just after midnight, a copy of which CNN said it had obtained, stating: “At the direction of Agency leadership, the USAID headquarters at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, D.C. will be closed to Agency personnel on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025 .. Agency personnel normally assigned to work at USAID headquarters will work remotely tomorrow, with the exception of personnel with essential on-site and building maintenance functions individually contacted by senior leadership. 

Musk accused the independent agency — which has spent the past six decades spending billions of dollars annually alleviating poverty, disease and the impact of natural disasters around the world, as well as promoting democracy — of being “incredibly politically partisan,” and alleged it backed “radically left causes” around the world those that were “anti-American” and that, on the basis of what his team had found, it was so far that it could not be fixed.  Said Musk: “It became apparent that it’s not an apple with a worm it in. What we have is just a ball of worms. There is no apple. And when there is no apple, you just need to get rid of the whole thing. That’s why it’s got to go. It’s beyond repair.”

Trump concurred with Musk, saying the agency had “been run by a bunch of radical lunatics. We’re getting them out, and then we’ll make a decision” on what future, if any, lay ahead for USAID.

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On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino to tour the Panama Canal, as the Trump administration makes a push for control of the critical canal. This is Rubio’s first international trip as secretary of state and will include stops in other Latin American countries, as well.

The Panama Canal serves as a shortcut between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. And although the U.S. led the construction of the major waterway that around 40% of the world’s cargo ship traffic now moves through, its control was given to Panama in 1999.

Trump has repeatedly stated that China has too much control of the Panama canal, and that the United States needs to be fully in charge of the vital transportation waterway for economic security; Panamanian President Mulino has refuted those claims, however, he stated on Sunday that his country would not renew an agreement to be part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and added that Panama would seek to work with the U.S. on new investments instead, including infrastructure projects. Mulino also reiterated on Sunday during his meeting with Rubio that his country’s sovereignty over the Panama Canal was not up for debate, and said he addressed the China concerns during their talks.

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The six passengers traveling aboard the medical jet that crashed shortly upon takeoff  in Northeast Philadelphia Friday night have been identified. All those onboard the Learjet 55 aircraft, including a pediatric patient who recently finished treatment at Shriners Children’s Hospital, were killed in the crash.

A spokesperson for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance said Sunday they were all those on board were Mexican citizens, including the 11-year-old patient, Alentina Guzman Murillo, who was accompanied by her 31-year-old mother Lizeth Murillo Ozuna.  Also killed were Capt. Alan Alejandro Montoya Perales, 46, and Copilot Josue de Jesus Juarez Juarez, 43, along with Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo and paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla, both 41. A person on the ground in a vehicle also died.

A spokesperson for Shriners Children’s Hospital said in a statement: “It’s extremely hard and extremely difficult, those that were involved directly in her care were very aware that she was going to be traveling home and there had actually been a sendoff for her today.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said Sunday (via CBS NEWS) that the number of injured victims increased from 20 to 22 individuals — five remain hospitalized, three of whom are in critical condition.

The National Transportation Safety Board said the medical jet departed from a base in Florida around noon and arrived in Northeast Philadelphia around 2:15 p.m., headed to Springfield, Mo.,with the final destination in Tijuana, Mexico. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters there was no indication of a problem radioed to air traffic control before the crash, which left debris scattered across four to five city blocks near Roosevelt Mall. The NTSB said investigators are still looking for the plane’s cockpit voice recorder.

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