ross vitale

[Samantha Power @SamanthaJPower]

Starting in early 2025, Elon Musk and the Trump administration began terminating USAID's programs and firing its staff — with Musk himself boasting about "feeding it into the woodchipper." One year ago today, USAID was officially dissolved, its remaining programs haphazardly folded into the State Department. Amid all the lies and misinformation that have followed, some facts about what has actually been lost:

• USAID saved more than 3 million lives a year at a cost of less than $10/month per American. That is what was destroyed. On purpose.
• According to Boston University's Global Impact Counter — which tracked deaths attributable to the cuts until it stopped operations in February 2026 — an estimated 781,000 people died preventable deaths in the first year, including 518,000 children.
• Global child mortality (the number of children who die before their fifth birthday) rose in 2025 for the first time in 35+ years — by 200,000 additional deaths.
• USAID's 50-country disease surveillance network — the system that cut outbreak response times from 2 weeks to 48 hours — is gone. We are now watching an unprecedented Ebola outbreak unfold in real time — with the highest first-month caseload and death rate in modern history.
• Programs reaching 93 million women and children were cut 92%. TB programs cut 56%. Water and sanitation cut 86%. Over 2,000 health facilities permanently closed.
• 25 million fewer people received humanitarian assistance in 2025. The overall humanitarian budget was slashed 74% — from $14.1 billion to $3.7 billion.
• 363 million people face acute hunger in 2026. The famine early-warning system that would have seen it coming went dark for five months.
• $1.7 billion in democracy and governance funding (election monitoring, anti-corruption work, support for independent media and civil society) was terminated.
• 360+ independent media outlets lost funding. Hundreds of legal clinics closed.
• Far from saving money, the Trump administration itself has already said the dismantlement will cost taxpayers at least $19.2 billion in cancellation fees, severance, and penalties. That's more than half of USAID's annual budget — spent on destruction and closeout, not support for vulnerable people.
• American farmers, universities, and businesses are among the casualties too. USAID partnered with more than 3,500 U.S. companies and maintained 17 university-based research labs. Its work with U.S.-based contractors and the private sector generated hundreds of thousands of American jobs and multiplied the return on every dollar spent. Those markets and partnerships are gone.

[James Tate @JamesTate121]

Two Black Tennessee lawmakers were physically escorted out of chambers this week while Republicans quietly held a hearing to approve gerrymandered maps that would eliminate the state's only majority-Black congressional district.
No referendum. No special election. No public vote.

[Chris Murphy 🟧 @ChrisMurphyCT]

I spent the morning at the San Antonio immigration court. It’s out of control.

Crawling with ICE - arresting legal immigrants showing up for court appearances.

I asked one officer who they are prioritizing. His answer: everyone.

I need to share with you what I saw.

[ross vitale @ross_vitale]

@CrazyVibes_1 Amazing!!

[ross vitale @ross_vitale]

@TwistNH7 Absolutely. I think ND should have been in playoff over Alabama, especially after the run they made last year…. But what message is that to their fans, their younger players or their seniors. We didn’t get our way. Maybe play better at the beginning of the season and not lose 2

[Melanie D'Arrigo @DarrigoMelanie]

We cut $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting just to spend $1.1 billion to upgrade the plane Qatar gave to Trump as a gift, and all of his personal golf trips and vacations.

This is what a corrupt oligarchy looks like.

[Protect Kamala Harris ✊ @DisavowTrump20]

RETWEET if you stand with Stephen Colbert against Donald Trump and CBS!

[Spencer Hakimian @SpencerHakimian]

Listen to the head of the Port of Los Angeles.

No single person is getting more real time data about the economy than this guy.

He says we are fucked.

[Harry Sisson @harryjsisson]

Pope Francis wrote a letter to bishops in the U.S. indirectly criticizing Trump’s policies back in February and this part in particular is worth a read now:

“I have followed closely the major crisis that is taking place in the United States with the initiation of a program of mass deportations. The rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality. At the same time, one must recognize the right of a nation to defend itself and keep communities safe from those who have committed violent or serious crimes while in the country or prior to arrival. That said, the act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness.”

[💙Jillian Hurley @JillianMHurley]

When did this happen?

[ross vitale @ross_vitale]

@JohnnyMcVee That’s crazy. How close to your home are you in the video?

[ross vitale @ross_vitale]

@golDonbear @CalBurnerHOF Sorry for the loss of your father. I lost my Dad 18 1/2 years ago. The pain of losing your parent subsides over time but the missing never go away. Thank you for your part in College Game Day in Oct. My 3 boys and I made it and it was the best thing we did in 2024!

[ross vitale @ross_vitale]

@rob11hwang Got the same jersey from my wife. I mistakenly asked for it during Thanksgiving. My son asked and got Mikey Matthew’s jersey. It was a tough day. 🤣

[ross vitale @ross_vitale]

@Ryan_TheMayor23 Faragamo, followed by Barkowski, then Roth.

[ross vitale @ross_vitale]

@Lesmitch529 Horrible decision!

[Cam @CamDerbyTV]

Rece Davis has a challenge for Ducks fans for @CollegeGameDay 👀

#GoDucks

[ross vitale @ross_vitale]

@BrodieBz Go Trojans! Drove the family past CVHS Friday night on way back to hotel. First time I was in Castro Valley in 6 years as we hit ESPN GAMDAY in Berkeley and Cal game Saturday night!!

[ross vitale @ross_vitale]

@TwistNHook Hearing Oregon now have an inside track on this guy. Likely flipping to the Ducks

[ross vitale @ross_vitale]

Great ESPN Game Day moment at Berkeley when Daniel kicks 33-yard FG to win $100k and Kirk Herbstreit goes nuts. @KirkHerbstreit @CalFootball @PatMcAfeeShow