In Running to Stand Still, Bono sang that you should “cry without weeping. Talk without speaking.” He can add “condemn without counting.” Recently, the U2 frontman declared that 300,000 have died as a result of USAID funding cuts. The source for this widely cited figure is an example of how some facts are simply too good to check in the media.
Bono said “This will f— you off” and explained that tens of thousands of tons of food are “rotting” in warehouses from Djibouti to Houston because of recent USAID cuts, adding “What is that? That’s not America, is it?”
“They’re throwing the baby out with the bathwater,” he said, acknowledging that while some aid groups do good work, the USAID system has been riddled with corruption.
It turns out that the 300,000 figure comes from a speculative model put out by Brooke Nichols, a mathematical health modeler at Boston University.
I was critical of how these cuts were handled initially. It does appear that some important programs were interrupted and, while later restarted, the interruptions created dire and potentially deadly conditions for some of the most desperate recipients of U.S. aid.
However, it is the figure of 300,000 that shows how such calculations go viral in this political environment.
Nichols insists that this was never an actual count but a projection. It is the parameters of the projections in The Washington Post that are so striking. Nichols admitted that
“The biggest uncertainties in all of these estimates are: 1) the extent to which countries and organizations have pivoted to mitigate this disaster (likely highly variable). And 2) which programs are actually still funded with funding actually flowing — and which aren’t.”
In other words, it depends on whether the programs were actually discontinued and whether local officials stepped forward to continue them. Those seem like some pretty significant “ifs” and raise the question of why project over a quarter of a million deaths on such assumptions. It seems akin to projected hundreds of thousand of deaths from air accidents if every FAA system under Trump is suddenly turned off.
What is the value of a projections with such sweeping “likely highly variable” assumptions?
I still like Bono’s music. It is his math that leaves me with the feeling that “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”
More HAMAS as usual…
At least 31 people have been killed near an aid distribution centre in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry.
Dustoff
As usual you post ZERO proof for you ridiculous claims.
Where is the proof.
hello
Good bye
hy
Shattering USAID was a major accomplishment by the generally-dangerous Mr. Musk.
The fact that a projection from BU was portrayed by the media as a statement of fact is risible.
DANGEROUS MUSK?? ONLY TO DEMS GRAVY TRAIN OF FRAUD!!
First of all, USAID is not an “aid”organization. It was the United States Agency for International Development. Turns out some parts of it were a slush fund and they were definitely involved in influencing culture and national politics around the globe.
Professor Turley,
You focus on Bono’s claim based on an academic estimate and completely side step Rubio’s claim that no one has died, which is easily probable as false.
And in your takedown of a… celebrity (rather than Rubio, the acting Administrator of USAID), you completely fail to acknowledge that there is no other way to calculate the impact of the funding cuts than to use a quantitative model that must rely on the assumptions you point out. Thats all a third party can do!
The irony is that it is Rubio’s responsibility to conduct an impact study on the effects of funding cuts, including the deaths that will directly result therefrom, and that should have been done BEFORE the cuts were made so that the cuts could selectively minimize the adverse effects (like figuring out which countries would step in vs which would let patients die)
So, ultimately, it is Rubio and this administration’s fault that we are left with a model as variable as the one cited by Bono.
*. Here’s an impact, anon, the US is bankrupt and with out of control inflation.
That doesn’t really address my post. I would all be for cuts, but it is irresponsible to make cuts without investigating the ramifications of such cuts. That’s just common sense. (Not to mention making the cuts in a legal and constitutional manner.)
Yet. as usual YOU have posted zero proof, just opinion Just like bono
https://apnews.com/article/usaid-funding-cuts-humanitarian-children-trump-4447e210c4b5543b8ebb9a6b9e01aa53
Here’s an example. Plenty of others.
https://www.bssnews.net/international/261376
Here’s another
I saw an opinion paper. No hard numbers….
“Investigation” is synonymous with “inaction” in our system.
Any thoughts to share on the ramifications of these hundreds of millions of dollars in “aid” that isn’t supported by anything resembling truth and facts? Or both?
The Associated Press who repeatedly told you the Biden Bribery Laptop was “just Putin election disinformation” is who you trust to investigate ramifications of cuts?
I don’t think you understand what is required to have an actual investigation – but you write about it.
And another
https://www.reuters.com/video/watch/idRW199927032025RP1/
A war zone. Really.
That’s the issue
Send in the UN
“And another”
So the sources you demand we agree should have credibility include the Associated Press, Reuters… same ones whose White House journalists didn’t notice a single thing wrong with The Oval Office House Plant in four years.
Same ones who assured you that the Biden Bribery Laptop was “just Putin election disinformation”.
Same ones who assured you for years that the Democrats “Trump-Russia Dossier” was all 100% verified intelligence agency evidence.
Your posts are every bit as credible and reliable as the sources you choose and still believe to have credibility and deserving of trust.
There’s a trend here…
Ano
Can you show us proof. or just an opinion?
See above. There are plenty of reports like these. My point above was that the government has not actually measured the ramifications of these cuts on aggregate.
the left has NO real numbers of if any deaths. Just the typical lies. Now lets talk about the cash the CEO from the NGO are getting.
As usual you post ZERO proof.
Just an opinion
Where is the proof about CEO ‘s getting cash from NGO’s.
You do realize there is more than one NGO that was connected with world USAID funding, right? Referencing “the NGO” is either a type or a reflection of ignorance as to what USAID did. So which is it?
Bono is entitled to his views. I do not need to agree with people on all things to like their music of artistry.
No Rubio’s claim is not easily provable as false.
You incorrectly claim it can only be calculated by a model – Model’s are NOT proof of anything.
They can be valuable tools, But models are not reality.
“you completely fail to acknowledge that there is no other way to calculate the impact of the funding cuts than to use a quantitative model that must rely on the assumptions you point out. Thats all a third party can do!”
No there are many things that can be done. One example that is far more robust than modeling is you can look for statistically significant deviations from existing trends that correlate strongly to these cuts.
Frankly that is one of the best ways. All changes have both positive and negative impacts.
Another poster argued unconvincingly for the deaths of a few specific people. Lets assume those ARE true,
Those are not the only impacts. USAID funds will not be used as a political football in foreign conflicts. The lack of aid means a lack of leverage. Patton and Grant had higher casualty rates for specific engagements – but they reduced overall casualty rates by ending conflicts faster. There are always pluses and minuses.
Models pretty much by defintion never account for everything, annecdotal evidence may prove that these changes caused real harm to real people, But the most accurate means of determining whether on NET something is harmful or beneficial is to look for statistically significant deviations in long term trends,.
“The irony is that it is Rubio’s responsibility to conduct an impact study on the effects of funding cuts”
Why ? The funding cut was waste, fraud and abuse. Regardless, NO we do not have to conduct studies before we do things – we especially do not have to do so when we already know those conducting the study have prejudged the result.
“So, ultimately, it is Rubio and this administration’s fault that we are left with a model as variable as the one cited by Bono.”
No Rubio is not responsible for the fact that Bono is using a bad model, when there ARE better ways to measure results.
Further people are responsible for their own choices. Rubio made his choices. Bono made his.
Thats all a third party can do!
No they can also make false assumptions that make for the greatest impact for sensational headlines. People die all the time from a multitude of causes, and those cause are often wrongly assigned. Last this country is broke and deeply in debt and it is not our responsibility to fund every other country in the world. Most poor countries are poor because of corrupt governments and all we do is fun corrupt governments or guerilla organizations that steal the food help.
Letting “patients” die? What cuts are you talking about? Who is going to die from cutting funding for LGBT operas in Ireland or Sesame Street in Iraq? You have to take the mnemonics for government programs (and laws) with many grains of salt. They are misleading, typically the opposite of the name. Affordable Care Act is anything but affordable. Social Security is anything but security. USAID is not an “aid” program, as was stated above.
It would be real nice IF they could show actual deaths per the lost of funds.
Not hear-say which the left it known for. Like 57.000 deaths in Gaza.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister is meeting with the Russians for peace talks tomorrow in Istanbul.
The day before, they have used drones to take out 34% of Russia’s bombers.
Talk about cajones !!!!!
Trump famously told Zelenskyy in the Oval Office that he doesn’t have the cards for a successful negotiation.
Zelensky played some great cards today.
Makes Trump look like the fool he really is.
Zelenskyy has balls of steel.
Trump, not so much.
Zelenskyy really understands the “ART OF THE DEAL”
NOPE he wants war the keeps $$$$ in his back pocket.
Neither side will win Just more dead.
Dustoff
Do you have any proof of this ????
Or is it just your stupid opinion
Zelensky does not have to “deal” with Putin.
Trump has to deal with Zelensky, Putin, the EU, and NATO—the kindergarten sandbox.
Trump is completely and utterly irrelevant to all of those.
Always has been.
Zelenskyy has Putin by the balls.
NATO and EU will simply go there own way and ignore Trump.
Great
NATO is a bunch of idiots. Don’t get too full of yourself. The Russians have escalation dominance including all the way up to nuclear. That would be crazy but you fools invite it. This won’t end well. Let them have the Russian speaking parts of Ukraine and be done with this
“The day before, they have used drones to take out 34% of Russia’s bombers.”
And a bridge that fell on a civilian train. What remains to be seen is what the Russian retaliation will be. Will Kiev and Odessa be reduced to rubble before morning? There are powerful interests in Russia who have long been urging Putin to use nukes in this conflict. You claim to admire Zelenskyy’s balls. Well, he just pushed the FAFO button really hard. You may get to admire his corpse shortly, assuming it remains identifiable.
These strikes do actually destabilize the MAD balance. Zelenskey gambles with world war. Over what? Control over Russian speaking parts of Ukraine to satisfy his Banderite, Neo-nazi backers. Damn him and damn the war pigs in Washington who encourage this.
I just laugh at the great battle commanders….
You are a fool if you think Zelensky can win this war. Keep reading propaganda.
Vitriolic hyperbole is the trademark of the commicrats… add, the law is for thee but not for me…
The likes of Bono and his specious argument are typical examples of the left. He conveniently ignores the waste, fraud and abuse aspect uncovered by DOGE. How is it possible that USAID was allowed to send taxpayer money overseas for bogus programs that serve no useful purpose to our national interest? It’s obvious the administrator never bothered to review the appropriateness of spending taxpayer. Fiduciary responsibility, accountability and transparency were left the door.
USAID is just a source of income. Accountability, and wanting something in return is needed. Real change is required to continue funding. It’s not a giveaway. 50 years of the same old thing. Are they digging any wells in Somalia or Sudan yet? Is Congo still running guns?
Here’s another big “if”. “If” the programs were actually doing what they claimed they were doing.
As I recall Bono left Ireland because his taxes were too high…and he was looking for a cheaper place to live and do business in. Bono is a typical liberal in that he wants to use someone else’s money for what he thinks is right…whether it is or not.
Bono said “This will f— you off” and explained…
🎵Welcome to your life
There’s no turning back
Even while we sleep
We will find you
Acting on your best behaviour
Turn your back on Mother Nature
Everybody wants to rule the world
Most of freedom and of pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world 🎶
*. Receipts required with names, date, place, persons served, products used… standard receipts and caseload of medical records and foods distributed. Traceable. Thank you.
The covid fraud alone within the US is huge.
*. Bono and U2 do have an active track record as philanthropists. They do donate and meet with heads of state lobbying for internal changes. They fight poverty and curable diseases. Bono has 2 honorary degrees for his work .
The claim of 300 thousand would need substantiation.
*. Bono and U2 do have an active track record as philanthropists.
Bono has said numerous times when asked how much of his hundreds of millions in the bank he has donated to his causes. His response has always been his job is more important in coercing world leaders to donate their citizens taxes to his causes – not to set the example by donating his money.
I don’t know specifics about the “active track record” of the rest of U2 as philanthropists, but it is a lie to claim Bono is.
What Bono is in actuality is a very good musician and an equally good or better shameless grifter.
Your zealous advovacy for MAGA is unfortunate–as you apparently are blind to the realities of what has transpired. This zealous advocacy did not yield you a position as Trump’s AG, maybe it may yield a Supreme Court Nomination–but being blind and not caring about the mindless cuts has undermined Brand America around the World and you have been a chief enabler.
“mindless cuts” – the complaint of the Democrat Marxists who wholeheartedly and mindlessly endorsed all the mindless spending of mindless The Oval Office House Plant.
Models lead to disaster. Just look at the Covid and climate change models. Relying on them to make decisions is reckless; empirical evidence is needed for that.
“So, the lunatics have taken charge of the asylum.”
– Richard Rowland
______________________
Article 1, Section 8, states what Congress has the power to tax for, fund, and regulate.
USAID may not be taxed for, funded, or regulated into existence.
What kind of nonsense is a discussion that is entirely precluded by the Constitution?
Completely stupid. Complete nonsense.
It’s like Lincoln saying that secession is unconstitutional and starting a war when, of course, secession was not prohibited and some states had effective secession incorporated into their constitutional ratification documents; they said, “If we’re not happy, we’re going back to our previous separate and sovereign status.”
Read the —-ing Constitution, comrades.
Wow, America really is one big mess, isn’t it.
When a “democratic” nation loses its restricted-vote status and the parasites, nay, “the lunatics take charge of the asylum,” it goes straight to h—!
Thank you for writing this. When I heard him say this I shut off the interview. One more example of Bono being the activist without knowledge.
If Only Ukraine-Loving Senate Republicans Put Americans First For Once
While Senate Republicans rush to punish Putin, they dither on cutting taxes, shrinking government, and securing the border.
By: M.D. Kittle ~ May 30, 2025
[Link] thefederalist.com/2025/05/30/if-only-ukraine-loving-senate-republicans-put-americans-first-for-once/
By Appeasing Rogue Judges, Trump Legitimizes Leftists’ Judicial Coup
If the judicial branch won’t adhere to the Constitution, then Trump must.
By: Shawn Fleetwood ~ May 30, 2025
[Link] thefederalist.com/2025/05/30/by-appeasing-rogue-judges-trump-legitimizes-leftists-judicial-coup/
Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration to Terminate Biden’s Mass Parole Program For Now
The Supreme Court on Friday granted the Trump administration permission to revoke the legal status of the more than half a million immigrants who flew into the U.S. from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela via Joe Biden’s disputed mass parole program.
By Debra Heine ~ May 30, 2025
[Link] amgreatness.com/2025/05/30/supreme-court-allows-trump-administration-to-terminate-bidens-mass-parole-program-for-now/
We Have No Constitutional or Moral Duty to Subsidize Harvard
We should feel no patriotic imperative to fund speech we dislike, which is very different from the imperative of protecting speech we dislike.
By: David Harsanyi – @davidharsanyi ~ May 30, 2025
[Link] patriotpost.us/opinion/117713-we-have-no-constitutional-or-moral-duty-to-subsidize-harvard-2025-05-30
Trump vs. NPR
National Public Radio is suing the Trump administration to keep raking in Americans’ tax dollars and to promote the false image that it is a non-biased news outlet.
By: Thomas Gallatin – Leftmedia ~ May 30, 2025
[Link] patriotpost.us/articles/117682-trump-vs-npr-2025-05-30
Your view is appreciated, As an eye witness of the Peace Corps operations, they are more of an embedded military reconnaissance operation and the predecessor to the NGOs today. ‘Peace Corps’ is a warm-n-fuzzy cover for ‘on the ground’ Caseworkers running Assets in Foreign Countries.
Mercy Ships are a true NGO (Non-Military Complex). Worthy of your Donations. (MercyShips.org)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercy_Ships
Dear Prof Turley,
I believe it was Joe Rogan, not Bono, who said ‘they’re throwing the baby out with the bathwater’ re USAID. .. and that’s a good way to put it.
USAID may have saved more lives than the Peace Corps (*citation needed.), but was also heavily involved in Ukraine.. . and a lot more than 300,000 people have died there!
*bring back the Peace Corps .. .
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/H0Wr0GK89p0
No USAID did not save more lives than peace corp.
Whenever you here claims about saving lives or costing lives, you are being played.
It is Bunk. The larger the numbers the more bunk it is.
Can you name a single thing that purportedly Saved lives, that produced a statitisically significant change in trends ?
PPACA purportedly saved millions of lives – yet the US trends for deaths shows no evidence of even a small change much less a large one.
You can do this for most any of these claims.
Actually saving lives is incredibly difficult, and money is one of the least important things in doing so.
Regardless, Charity is NOT the business of government. Positive morality is individual.
You are NOT a good person because you voted to have government steal other peoples money to do something you think is good.
USaid=CIA. The money is bribes for despots.
Yeah… No thanks. they went to parts of the world for what they knew nothing about. Soon had to be help/rescued.