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Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Debunking Vance, Rubio claim that only 12 cents per dollar of humanitarian assistance reaches beneficiaries
Claim: People in need have received only 12 cents for every dollar the U.S. government has spent on humanitarian aid. Rating: On June 7, 2025, U.S. Vice President JD Vance claimed that for every dollar the U.S. government spent on humanitarian aid, only 12 cents reached people in need. "Marco Rubio, who's secretary of state — he's a very good friend — what he told me is that his best estimate after he had his team look at it is that 88 cents of every dollar was actually being collected by middlemen," Vance said on "This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von," a podcast with the American comedian (at 28:57). "So every dollar we were spending on humanitarian assistance, 12 cents was actually making it to people who needed it." Rubio, as Vance said, has repeatedly cited a similar data point. For example, he said in a Feb. 4, 2025, news conference, that in "some cases with USAID, 10, 12, 13%, maybe less, of the money was actually reaching the recipient, and the rest was going into the overhead and the bureaucracy" (see 23:18). On May 20, 2025, Rubio claimed in a Senate committee hearing that "at USAID, 12 cents of every dollar was reaching the recipient" (see 5:09). Rubio was referring to the U.S. Agency for International Development, which distributes humanitarian aid around the world. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration attempted to dismantle USAID in the first few months of his second term; globally, former beneficiaries continue to feel the effects of the White House's cuts to USAID, per reporting from reputable outlets. Similar claims, with numbers ranging from less than 10% to 30%, have spread online for months, including via tech billionaire Elon Musk and Republican lawmakers. Rubio and Vance appear to be citing a January 2024 report from USAID, which determined that about 12.1% of USAID funding went directly to "local non-governmental, private sector and government partners." However, that does not mean the remaining 88% was spent on "middlemen" who did not channel USAID funding to people in need, as Vance claimed. Therefore, we rate this claim false. Snopes reached out to Rubio and Vance to confirm that their source is the January 2024 report and await responses. It is also worth noting that USAID did not oversee all of the United States' foreign aid; according to the government's foreign assistance database, about two-thirds of nonmilitary foreign aid in budget year 2023 flowed through USAID. Thus, Vance's claim that 12% of "humanitarian assistance" was reaching the intended recipient also misrepresented Rubio's initial claim, because Rubio was referencing USAID's funding specifically, not all of the government's humanitarian aid. According to a 2024 analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, most USAID money was funneled through what are called "implementing partners" — third parties that include "private contractors, nonprofit organizations, foreign governments, international organizations, and other U.S. government agencies." That included groups like the United Nations Children's Fund, the Red Cross and the Catholic Relief Services; in other words, USAID often works with organizations not based in the locality the project may be based in and therefore not part of the 12.1% statistic. A good chunk of the money — more than $1 billion in fiscal year 2024 — also went to American small businesses who deliver resources and services to foreign countries. "A key reason USAID relies on American and multilateral intermediaries is to protect against fraud and corruption. The agency demands that its partners provide a detailed paper trail to account for every dollar spent—creating administrative hurdles that few local organizations can clear," wrote Rachel Bonnifield and Justin Sandefur of the Center for Global Development, a think-tank based in Washington, D.C., focused on international economic research. The 2024 CRS analysis determined that from fiscal year 2013 to 2022, only 7.7% of USAID's funds were spent on "administrative costs," defined as the salaries and benefits of USAID direct hires and "all costs not related to a specific project," including costs that are "inherently governmental or part of the cost of doing business." But that percentage, per the analysis, does not include the administrative costs of USAID's partners (see "Administrative Costs"). It is difficult to determine how much money these intermediaries spend on administrative and operating costs, compared to direct assistance. However, it is possible to look at case studies to definitively show that at least for some of USAID's largest partners, the bulk of spending made its way to people in need. For example, in fiscal year 2023, at least $290 million went to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance — which has provided vaccines to more than 1.1 billion children in 78 countries as of the end of 2023 — and another approximately $811 million went to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which, among other efforts, treated 171 million malaria cases in 2022. In turn, as first reported on by Bonnifield and Sandefur, Gavi and The Global Fund both spent less than 10% of their overall funding on operating and overhead expenses in 2023, meaning more than 90% went directly to delivering supplies and health services. (See Page 14 of Gavi's financial report and Page 10 of the Global Fund's report.) To summarize, claims made by prominent lawmakers like Vance and Rubio that suggest approximately 12% of USAID spending reached the intended recipient are simply not true and based on a misrepresentation of data collected by USAID on the percentage of local groups it sends funding to. USAID may have channeled much of its money through intermediaries, but that does not mean the majority of USAID's money was spent on overhead and operating costs. "Annual Progress Report." Accessed 11 June 2025. Bonnifield, Rachel, and Justin Sandefur. "No, 90 Percent of Aid Is Not Skimmed off before Reaching Target Communities." Center for Global Development, 3 Feb. 2025, Accessed 11 June 2025. Congressional Research Service. "Foreign Assistance: Where Does the Money Go?" 8 Aug. 2024, Accessed 11 June 2025. " Accessed 11 June 2025. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. GAVI, the VACCINE ALLIANCE 2023 ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT. Accessed 11 June 2025. Sherman, Amy. "Fact-Checking a Mischaracterized Figure about USAID." Politifact, 5 Feb. 2025, Accessed 11 June 2025. The Global Fund. The Global Fund Annual Financial Report 2023 Contents. Accessed 11 June 2025. ---. "The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria." Accessed 11 June 2025. USAID. "December 11, 2024 - Business Forecast and Partner Update Script." 11 Dec. 2024, Accessed 11 June 2025. ---. Growing Momentum: USAID Localization Progress Report. Jan. 2024, Accessed 11 June 2025.
Miami Herald
11-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Meta commits absurd money to top Google, Microsoft in critical race
Apparently, Meta Platforms (META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been up to more than just making the rounds on the podcast circuit. In recent months, the man behind the company that runs Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Oculus has been on seemingly every manosphere podcast out there. Related: Facebook (Meta) makes a big deal with UFC In May, he debuted yet another new look on This Past Weekend with Theo Von, where he talked about how college doesn't do a good job of preparing people for their careers. In January, he appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience to speak about online censorship, the Covid vaccine, bots on Facebook, and encrypted messaging, among other things. More recently, he spoke with Ben Thompson of Stratechery about AI and where he sees social media going in the future. More on Meta: Meta (Facebook) shocks retail world with unexpected newsMeta quietly plans rude awakening for employees after layoffsSurprising earnings send Meta Platforms stock soaring While the interviews are great at increasing Zuckerberg's profile, they don't do much to move the needle for investors looking for Meta to debut its next big thing. For years, Zuckerberg's focus was the metaverse, but after tens of billions of dollars and years of development, the project hasn't gained the user base Meta was hoping for. Meta's Horizon Worlds virtual social platform had less than 200,000 monthly active users shortly after its launch in 2022, well short of the company's expectations of 500,000 users. Meta has shifted its focus to AI growth in recent years, and on Tuesday, a new report shows just how serious the company has become about topping its rivals. Mark Zuckerberg is applying the same focus he brought to building the metaverse to building out Meta's artificial intelligence capabilities. Zuckerberg is personally overseeing the creation of a "superintelligence" team, and the company is offering nine-figure compensation packages to attract top talent, according to a Bloomberg report. He believes Meta can beat competitors like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI to achieve artificial general intelligence. AGI is the theoretical limit of what AI can achieve - machines performing tasks as well as, or better than, humans. Related: Gig work CEO warns of scary future for job seekers Bloomberg reported that the superteam will feature about 50 people, most of whom Zuckerberg will recruit personally. He's arranged the desks at the company's headquarters so the new staff will sit near him. The team is only one aspect of Meta's AGI strategy. According to a report in The Information on Tuesday, Meta is close to finalizing a $15 billion investment in Scale AI. If completed, the deal would become the company's largest-ever acquisition. Scale AI provides training data to everyone from Microsoft to Google to OpenAI. The investment would give Meta a 49% stake in the company, and CEO Alesandr Wang would join the superteam. The push for artificial intelligence that can perform tasks as well as or better than humans will inevitably lead to societal upheaval. The most immediate concern is about the jobs that will be lost to automation. When big companies like Meta and Alphabet want to save on costs, headcount is often one of the first places they look. Meta is currently laying off about 3,600 employees, whom the company says are underperforming. The company says it is eliminating redundancies, and it's true the tech sector went on a hiring spree during the pandemic. Now, however, it is replacing many of those positions with machine learning engineers. Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence focused on enabling machines to learn from data without explicit programming from humans. In other words, Meta has been laying off workers to hire other workers to build products, which will eventually lead to more layoffs. Related: Meta turns to powerful ally in battle against Europe The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Trump and Musk might already be making up over Los Angeles protests
The feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump appears to be cooling off, with Musk recently expressing support for the White House's stance on immigration protests in Los Angeles and engaging positively with posts from President Trump and VP JD Vance. Despite a dramatic fallout over federal spending, Musk has since deleted inflammatory posts and responded amicably to conciliatory comments from Trump's camp, signaling a possible reconciliation. The so-called 'blood feud' between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump may already be simmering down, after the richest man on the planet returned to endorsing the actions of the White House. In recent weeks the political partnership that was Musk and Trump broke down in spectacular fashion over the Oval Office's 'Big, Beautiful Bill.' Musk felt the package undermined the work he had done with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reduce spending and the federal deficit, though Trump claimed the SpaceX founder went 'crazy' after finding out the bill cut certain electric vehicle mandates. But even in the last 24 hours the sharpest rebukes between the pair seem to have been walked back and in some cases, rescinded. Musk seems to have reconnected with the work of the White House due to the protests currently happening in Los Angeles against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Neuralink founder has long pushed for tighter border controls into the U.S., and this was among the political common ground which led to him supporting Trump in the 2024 elections. Musk's repatriation into team Trump began with the X owner screenshooting a post from the president's Truth Social platform. In the post, Trump wrote: 'Governor Gavin Newscum and 'Mayor' Bass should apologize to the people of Los Angeles for the absolutely horrible job that they have done, and this now includes the ongoing L.A. riots. These are not protestors, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists. Remember, NO MASKS!' The Tesla CEO also reshared a post from Vice President JD Vance, adding it to his timeline with two American flags. The post from Vance itself contains a further screenshot from Trump's Truth Social, in which he claims 'order will be restored, the illegals will be expelled and Los Angeles will be set free.' The post from Vance accompanying Trump's post reads: 'This moment calls for decisive leadership. The president will not tolerate rioting and violence.' And a further indication of the thawing relations between Musk and his former colleagues in Washington D.C. was his response to a JD Vance interview published at the weekend. Speaking on podcast 'This Past Weekend' with Theo Von, Vance said: 'I don't want to reveal too many confidences but [Trump] was getting a little frustrated, feeling like some of the criticisms were unfair coming from Elon…the president doesn't think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk, and I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine.' Reacting to the clip, Musk wrote: 'Cool.' Perhaps the most notable of Musk's actions has been to delete the most salacious of his posts on X, which claimed the president's name is in the Epstein files. The post—shared with no evidence—was slammed as 'BS' by Vance. The spat between Musk and Trump has unfolded a breakneck speed since the man worth $356 billion left Washington D.C., rescinding his title as a special government employee. The partnership between the duo hasn't always been smooth sailing, with Musk making his opinions of some major Trump 2.0 policies clear. He wasn't a fan of tariffs, for example, and publicly sparred with a top Trump advisor, Peter Navarro, on the issue. While White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt laughed off that feud as 'boys will be boys' she did have to respond more forcefully when Musk's ire was directed at the Oval Office. The Tesla CEO has variously claimed Trump could not have won last year's election without him, as well as asking voters to rebel against the 'Big, Beautiful Bill' saying it is a 'disgusting abomination.' Musk even went as far as calling for Trump to be impeached, and baited the Oval Office into cancelling government contracts with his private entities. Trump hasn't been silent on the matter but has been somewhat more tempered. Although warning Musk's federal contracts could be due a review, the president added he 'wasn't thinking' about the Tesla CEO and hopes he does well with his EV-making company. 'I have no intention of speaking to [Musk],' Trump added in an NBC News interview this weekend. 'I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the president,' he added. And even if Vance is hoping Musk will return to the fold, Trump added to NBC he believed his relationship with the CEO is over. This story was originally featured on
Express Tribune
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
JD Vance denies Gaza genocide after Theo Von confronts him on This Past Weekend podcast
On a recent episode of This Past Weekend with Theo Von, U.S. Vice President JD Vance was challenged over the U.S. role in the Israel-Gaza conflict, particularly regarding allegations of genocide. The exchange highlighted both the emotional and political tensions surrounding the war and America's involvement. During the conversation, Von expressed horror at the imagery emerging from Gaza, saying, 'We're seeing all these videos of people like picking up pieces of their children... it feels like a massacre... I've called it a genocide.' He questioned U.S. complicity, pointing to military aid sent to Israel: 'As a regular guy, you're like, well, I'm paying these taxes and they're going towards this.' Vance, while acknowledging the heartbreak, rejected the use of the term 'genocide.' 'Do I think it's a genocide? No,' he said. 'I don't think the Israelis are purposely trying to go in and murder every Palestinian. They got hit hard, and they're trying to destroy a terrorist organization. War is hell.' The Vice President emphasized the Trump administration's dual-track approach: securing Israel's safety while increasing aid to Palestinian civilians. 'We're trying to get to a peaceful resolution that gives Israel confidence Hamas won't attack them again, while also getting as much aid and support to Palestinians as possible,' Vance explained. Von did not hold back, questioning whether U.S. foreign policy prioritizes Israeli interests over American ones. Vance pushed back, pointing to ongoing diplomatic efforts led by Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. 'He's a Jewish guy who believes in the state of Israel... but also is trying to prevent the killing,' Vance said, defending Witkoff from critics within the pro-Israel camp. While distancing himself from more extreme rhetoric on both sides, Vance stressed the need for empathy. 'If you have a soul, your heart should break when you see a little kid who's suffering,' he said, adding that diplomacy—not blind allegiance—is the cornerstone of their approach. As the Gaza conflict continues to draw scrutiny, the podcast revealed the complexity and emotional weight of the debate, especially as American policymakers face rising public demand for accountability.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
JD Vance says the ‘blood feud' between Trump and Musk is ‘not going to be good for Elon' but admits he ‘suffered a lot' for the White House
Vice President JD Vance acknowledged the deepening feud between Elon Musk and President Trump but emphasized his hope that Musk could eventually reconcile with the Trump administration, praising Musk's past efforts with DOGE and calling him a 'transformational entrepreneur.' While defending Trump and dismissing Musk's Epstein-related claims as baseless, Vance warned that Musk's aggressive political stance could backfire, both for his companies and the broader national interest. It's been pointed out by many spectators that the feud between the world's richest man, Elon Musk, and arguably the world's most powerful man, Donald Trump, is not going to end well for any involved. And JD Vance, Trump's political right hand, agrees. The Tesla CEO and president have fallen out to a major extent, at first over the White House's 'Big, Beautiful Bill', which Musk says will undo all the work of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But since Musk's departure from Washington D.C. several weeks ago, his attacks on President Trump have continued to ramp up. He has encouraged voters to outright rebel against the bill by contacting their political representatives, with Trump saying he was 'disappointed' in Musk for such statements. The man worth $342 billion hit back that Trump would have lost the election without his backing, with the president then threatening to terminate a host of government contracts to Musk's private entities. In response, Musk claimed that the president's name was in the Epstein files—a jibe he provided no evidence to support. Speaking in an interview this week, Vice President Vance said any notion that Trump did 'anything wrong with Jeffrey Epstein' is 'BS.' Yet while the relationship between the Musk and Trump seems to have gone past the point of no return, Vice President Vance says he still wants to see the SpaceX founder return to the fold of the Trump 2.0 team. 'My basic read on it, first of all I'm the vice president to President Trump, my loyalties are always going to be with the president. Elon [is] an incredible entrepreneur, I think DOGE was really good. The effort to root out waste, fraud and abuse in our country was really good,' Vance told the 'This Past Weekend' podcast with Theo Von. 'I hope that eventually Elon kind of comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear—I hope it is,' Vance added. Musk's decision to go 'nuclear', as Vance describes it, may not prove to be in the best interest of his companies, such as Tesla and Space X, which may now draw the attention of the Oval Office for the wrong reasons. As a result of this concern, in the past five days alone the share price of Tesla has sunk more than 14%, with Musk's net worth taking an eye-watering hit as a result. Vance suggested that Musk may be shooting from the hip instead of assessing the ramifications of going head-to-head with the White House, adding: 'Elon's new to politics … I think part of it is this guy got into politics and has suffered a lot for it.' Indeed even prior to a spat with the White House, Musk was suffering for his political interests. While heading up DOGE, protestors to his work and the Trump administration began targeting Tesla by damaging cars, showrooms, and charging points—not only in the U.S. but also across Europe. 'The process in D.C., if you're a business leader you probably get frustrated with that process because it's more bureaucratic [and] slow moving. So I think there's some frustrations there,' Vance added. 'But I think it's huge mistake for [Musk] to go after the president like that. I think that if he and the president are in some blood feud, most importantly it's going to be bad for the country but I … don't think it's going to be good for Elon either.' Concerns have been raised about the bill on account of the fiscal ramifications of the largest tax breaks 'in history,' with previous projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) finding the legislation would add $3.8 trillion to the deficit while proposed cuts to Medicaid would shave only $1 trillion in spending. However the Trump administration said statements such as 'The One Big Beautiful Bill increases spending' and 'The One Big Beautiful Bill adds to the deficit' are false. For example, the White House points to the CBO's predictions that while tariffs will shrink the economy it will also reduce federal deficits by $2.8 trillion (the inclusion of the Big Beautiful Bill in its modeling is not mentioned). 'I think that it's a good bill and it does a lot of good for the American people,' Vance continued. 'Look, Elon's entitled to his opinion. I'm not saying he has to agree with the bill or agree with everything that I'm saying, I just think it's a huge mistake for the world's wealthiest man—I think one of the most transformational entrepreneurs ever—to be at war with the world's most powerful man who I think is doing more to save the country than … anybody in my lifetime.' He added: 'I don't want to reveal too many confidences but [Trump] was getting a little frustrated, feeling like some of the criticisms were unfair coming from Elon … the president doesn't think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk, and I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine.' This story was originally featured on
