Yes he would.

Bill Gates: Musk wouldn’t be telling USAID workers to say home if he knew what it does

Sure he would. Of course he would. He is not a nice man.

Anyway, if he doesn’t know what it does, what business does he have meddling with it in any way? How hard would it have been to find out what it does?

Billionaire Bill Gates said in an interview early Tuesday that Elon Musk “wouldn’t be telling” employees at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) not to come to work if he “really knew” what it does.

“I give billions of dollars to the same thing that USAID does. I go out in the field and

… Read the rest

Exactly.

Today in Montréal. pic.twitter.com/u94Tv9715s

— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) February 4, 2025

… Read the rest

Why is no one stopping him?

The billionaire tech magnate has never been elected to office or been confirmed by the Senate for a high-level government job, but in the span of a few days, Musk has still gained access to sensitive federal data through his position as head of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency project, or DOGE, to push a far-reaching agenda and potentially spark a constitutional crisis. 

Musk has embraced Silicon Valley’s most notorious instincts to “move fast and break things” in a lightning battle to muscle into the computer systems and power structures of federal agencies. 

But the government of a large powerful country isn’t Silicon Valley. We don’t actually want things broken. … Read the rest

Michael Tomasky on our new overlord:

It literally sounds like the plot of a dystopian science fiction movie: The richest man in the world befriends—and helps finance—another rich man who becomes president of the United States, who then gives his plutocratic benefactor carte blanche access to the operations of the federal government. The bedlamite billionaire instantly zeroes in on the obscure little office that oversees the writing of all the government’s checks, thus ensuring that he has the power to bring down the U.S. and global economy and even, if he so wishes, topple said president.

Oh, and—he’s also a right-wing extremist who recently spoke to the far-right German political party whose leaders say things like “Hitler and the

… Read the rest

And the lawless interloper finds the time to advertise his lawless interloping on his soshul media toy.

Newest at top.

Exactly https://t.co/w93Y5NC6PG

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2025

The corrupt politicians “protesting” outside the USAID building are the ones getting money from USAID.

That’s why they’re there – they want your stolen tax dollars! https://t.co/5yVDqg0mjw

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2025

Excellent action by @RepMTG! https://t.co/h8DPjDLo0f

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2025

… Read the rest

The BBC has been live reporting on Musk’s coup:

Democratic lawmakers have gathered outside USAID headquarters in Washington DC.

They are now speaking about how they believe shutting down USAID is a “clear and present danger” to US national security.

Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, says that closing this agency will only aid US adversaries and cites Russian President Vladimir Putin’s celebration of its closure.

The legislators also point out that it’s plain illegal.

Democrat[ic] lawmaker Gerry Connolly says “no-one elected Elon Musk to dismantle” USAID.

“Congress created this agency,” he says. “If you want to change it, you’ve got to change that law. It’s a matter for Congress to deal with, not an unelected billionaire oligarch

… Read the rest

Crime scene:

Staffers of the U.S. Agency for International Development were instructed to stay out of the agency’s Washington headquarters, and yellow police tape and officers blocked the agency’s lobby on Monday, after billionaire Elon Musk announced President Donald Trump had agreed with him to shut the agency.

USAID staffers also said more than 600 additional employees had reported being locked out of the aid agency’s computer systems overnight. Those still in the system received emails saying that “at the direction of Agency leadership” the headquarters building “will be closed to Agency personnel on Monday, Feb. 3.” The agency’s website vanished Saturday without explanation.

I don’t think any of that is normal process. It looks more like a … Read the rest

This is just one small part of it but it’s intensely creepy.

USAID logos and photos showing the humanitarian work the agency does around the globe were removed from its offices last week, multiple sources familiar with the situation told CNN.

“All of the visuals have been taken down. These are like large-scale photos of our work in developing countries that are in our lobbies, in our galleys, in communal kitchens, hallways,” a USAID employee said. “An order also came down to individual bureaus and offices to remove all USAID artwork and signage.”

It’s so ugly. So brutal. So mean. It says “Fuck all this humanitarian shit about feeding people, vaccinating people, rescuing people, protecting people.”

I get that humanitarian … Read the rest

More on Musk’s determination to smash everything that helps anyone other than Elon Musk:

Elon Musk, who is heading Donald Trump’s efforts to shrink the federal government, has said they are working to shut down the foreign aid agency USAid, in a social media discussion on X early on Monday.

The conversation, which included former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Republican senator Joni Ernst and Mike Lee, began with Musk saying they were working to shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAid).

“It’s beyond repair,” Musk said, adding that Trump agreed it should be shut down.

Who is he to say that? How does he get to decide that? Why are there no barriers?

USAid is

… Read the rest

More gleeful tormenting of women who don’t believe men are women.

A Kirkcaldy nurse told an employment tribunal today she was “shocked” the first time she saw a transgender doctor in the female changing room.

What kind of “transgender doctor” you flaming idiots? It is your job not to obscure crucial facts.

A&E worker Sandie Peggie is suing NHS Fife after she was rapped following a confrontation with Dr Beth Upton – who identifies as a woman – in December 2023.

Rapped? Is that some Scottish idiom? Does it mean rebuked? Punished? It doesn’t seem to be a typo for raped.

She recounted her experience on the first day of the hearing in Dundee, where she was also grilled by

… Read the rest

The Wall Street Journal on Musk’s war on the US government:

Elon Musk’s allies are moving swiftly to exert control over vast swaths of the U.S. government, as they demand access to sensitive information at federal agencies and lay out plans to block spending they deem excessive.

Musk, the billionaire adviser to President Trump who runs the Department of Government Efficiency, oversaw a successful effort by his representatives to get direct access to a payment system that distributes trillions of dollars to Americans each year. And individuals working for DOGE accessed the U.S. Agency for International Development following a clash with security officials. 

The moves marked the start of a far-reaching campaign by Musk to upend the federal government

… Read the rest

Well, this doesn’t sound good.

Musk Says Trump Wants to Shut Down U.S. Foreign Aid Agency

I still don’t get how Musk is the boss of us.

Elon Musk said early Monday that President Trump believes the U.S. Agency for International Development should be shut down, adding to the questions over the administration’s plans for the U.S. government’s lead agency for humanitarian aid and development assistance.

Mr. Trump has stopped short of saying the agency should be dissolved. Mr. Musk said during an event broadcast on X, his social media platform, that he had discussed U.S.A.I.D. in detail with the president who agreed “that we should shut it down.”

“I want to be clear,” Mr. Musk added. “I actually checked

… Read the rest

Crappy deceptive sloppy manipulative writing steps up to assist wild claims yet again.

Headline:

Trump claims there are only ‘2 genders.’ Historians say that’s never been true

That is, the reporter, Alexandra Mae Jones, was able to find more than one historian willing to say that’s never been true – but it comes across as historians in general, historians as a group, say that’s never been true. Guess what: they don’t. (There’s also the usual manipulation of talking about “genders” instead of sexes. If you mean eccentric hair, sure, kid, lots of historians will agree that eccentric hair is nothing new.)

Subhead:

History is filled with examples of people changing genders or living between genders, historians say

Blah blah. Again, … Read the rest

Here’s something I didn’t know. Sidhbh Gallagher, the “yeet the teets” butcher, fled Indiana after a young girl died of an embolism after some “yeeting.” The girl’s parents filed a lawsuit that names Gallagher, who is happily yeeting away in Florida.

Check out the glam photo of her on her self-promotion.

Dr. Gallagher is dedicated to bringing cutting-edge care combined with a patient centered approach to Miami. She specializes in body contouring including breast augmentation, lift and reduction as well as drain-free tummy tucks and liposuction.

In addition, Dr. Gallagher offers labiaplasty and mommy makeovers. She also has a special interest in non-surgical facial rejuvenation and lip enhancement with injectables. Dr. Gallagher’s practice combines her academic background and artistic skill

… Read the rest

Wholly owned subsidiary.

JD Vance on Trump's push to "acquire" Greenland: "He doesn't care what the Europeans scream at us … you've got probably 55,000 people living on Greenland who are not actually happy with Danish government." pic.twitter.com/KsvY21R2PR

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 2, 2025

Therefore, Trump gets to grab it.

Peak sound reasoning.… Read the rest

So lovely dude Karla Sofía Gascón turns out to be also an abusive insulting bully. What a surprise.

Wow. Karla is as nasty as they get, showing his misogyny in full light of the day. What a pathetic being. https://t.co/mfGmcUXFpU

— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) February 2, 2025

Right, knowing a man is a man is the same as being a plantation boss.… Read the rest

Revisiting the “asexuality” activist who does such a sterling job of demonstrating indifference to sexuality.

Her pinned post on twitX:

https://twitter.com/theyasminbenoit/status/1807123591906942983 Now, sure, it’s theoretically possible to dress like that and still be wholly indifferent to sexuality, but what would be the point? Those clothes are not default clothes: not what one wears when one is not making a statement or obeying company rules. Default clothes are chosen for comfort and/or utility. What Benoit is wearing in that shiny photo is neither comfortable nor useful – it’s pure “doncha just long to fuck me?”

In other words you don’t dress like that for no reason, or because it’s merely decorative. You dress like that to show off how sexy you … Read the rest

Well thank god there’s so little going on in the world that the BBC has time and space to report on a guy who couldn’t find trans underpants. Sadly it doesn’t have time to explain why it’s telling us this. The lede:

A trans man said he locked himself away every month when he menstruated because he could not access trans-friendly underwear.

What does the BBC mean “said”? Said when, where, to whom? What a bizarre amateurish way to begin a news story – “somebody said something.”

It goes on in the same dopy amateurish way, with a series of “said”s minus any context.

Jay-Harley Rees, 28, from Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, said there were not enough spaces where trans and

… Read the rest

One can see Elon Musk in every word.

The email, sent from President Trump’s Office of Personnel Management to employees across the sprawling federal government, arrived just before 8:30 p.m. Thursday — almost exactly 24 hours after an air crash in Washington that killed 67 people. The message reiterated an offer earlier this week from the administration encouraging federal employees to seek new jobs in the private sector — and did so in terms that appeared to denigrate their contributions, if not cast them as lazy.

“The way to greater American prosperity is encouraging people to move from lower productivity jobs in the public sector to higher productivity jobs in the private sector,” stated the email, which was reviewed

… Read the rest

A new depth plumbed by Newsweek.

Nearly 18 years after killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two young daughters during a home invasion in Connecticut, the murderer formerly known as Steven Joseph Hayes says she’s now at peace — though still haunted by the killings she regrets.

Well he shouldn’t be at peace. Killing three people for giggles is not something anyone should be at peace with.

Hayes — now Linda Mai Lee after finalizing a name change this month — and accomplice Joshua Komisarjevsky, now 44, were sentenced to death for the attack, which included sexual assaults of Hawke-Petit and her 11-year-old daughter. The pair, who previously met at a halfway house, doused the family’s home with gasoline and

… Read the rest