Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

OGBuzz

(669 posts)
Sat May 23, 2026, 10:33 PM Saturday

It is almost certain that the Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda would have been detected much

sooner if only Trump and Musk had not decided to dismantle USAID, and with it an early warning and prevention system. Now there are 10 more countries at risk of an outbreak and the World Cup is coming here in June. F*ck Trump and F*ck Musk.

19 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
It is almost certain that the Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda would have been detected much (Original Post) OGBuzz Saturday OP
That would actually be the WHO wouldn't it. Melon Saturday #1
USAID was heavily involved in public health throughout Africa. OGBuzz Saturday #3
I agree. But not in disease tracking and reporting. Those are individual programs. The WHO is tasked with Melon Saturday #4
Agreed about the WHO role, but USAID were frontline workers and were out among the population to see OGBuzz Saturday #5
Seriously? Is this the hill to die on? littlemissmartypants Yesterday #12
Those 2 have essentially murdered many people and naturally, don't give a crap. chouchou Saturday #2
Many. Specifically, as of Nov 2025, 600,000 deaths, two-thirds of them children. pat_k Yesterday #9
Your words are true..It's beyond comprehension chouchou Yesterday #14
Ditto🖕 Figarosmom Saturday #6
In a just world, RFK Jr would be dragged before The Hague in handcuffs. Initech Saturday #7
Why did Musk use "DOGE" to destroy USAID? AverageOldGuy Yesterday #8
DOGE was a scam. It was always a scam. Initech Yesterday #15
You nailed it malaise Yesterday #17
the "pro-life Christian" party strikes again Skittles Yesterday #10
Watched the latest Starship test and Disaffected Yesterday #11
Well the "good" news is that people are avoiding FIFA in droves. nilram Yesterday #13
Holy crap. It's just now hitting me ecstatic Yesterday #16
It will be dicey for sure with all the visitors coming in June. OGBuzz Yesterday #18
Bonus! Covid is still out there! nilram 13 hrs ago #19

Melon

(1,746 posts)
1. That would actually be the WHO wouldn't it.
Sat May 23, 2026, 10:48 PM
Saturday

Which we no longer contribute to. Not USAID. The world Health Org should have caught it which we cut funding to earlier this year.

Melon

(1,746 posts)
4. I agree. But not in disease tracking and reporting. Those are individual programs. The WHO is tasked with
Sat May 23, 2026, 11:27 PM
Saturday

TRacking, identifying, and responding to outbreaks.

OGBuzz

(669 posts)
5. Agreed about the WHO role, but USAID were frontline workers and were out among the population to see
Sat May 23, 2026, 11:40 PM
Saturday

these outbreaks early on. Either way, cutting funding for WHO and dismantling USAID was not smart.

littlemissmartypants

(34,481 posts)
12. Seriously? Is this the hill to die on?
Sun May 24, 2026, 01:29 AM
Yesterday

No organization operates in a vacuum. Who do you think WHO gets data from?

AverageOldGuy

(4,200 posts)
8. Why did Musk use "DOGE" to destroy USAID?
Sun May 24, 2026, 12:27 AM
Yesterday

Musk is a white supremacist South African. Musk was born in 1971. Apartheid was dismantled 1990-1994. Thus, Musk grew up under apartheid and no doubt is convinced that apartheid was correct, in the same way that my Mississippi cousins really have no problem with the Jim Crow laws and "keeping the n####rs in their place."

USAID would not work in apartheid South Africa, but quickly moved into post-apartheid SAfrica.

With this background, ti's a simple matter to understand why, when Musk and DOGE got the green light from Trump, the FIRST thing he did was wipe out USAID -- abolish the agency, remove all funding, stop all programs, leave food destined for USAID recipient countries rotting on the docks in New Orleans. Musk had been carrying this grudge for decades and Trump gave him the freedom to get revenge.

It's no wonder then that Musk moved quickly -- abolishing all USAID medical programs, closing hospitals and clinics; getting rid of local medical personnel; cancelling all shipment of vaccines including the Ebola vaccine.

So -- Musk and Trump are responsible for what will soon be an epidemic of Ebola in Sub-Saharan Africa, but, hey, who gives a shit if a few million Blacks died of Ebola and another few million are disabled for life? After all, they are just Black people -- let 'em die in Africa and we don't have to worry about them emigrating to the US.

Right?

Listen -- I was born in 1944 in a tiny crossroads cotton picking town in SW Mississippi, on the Louisiana line. At age 18 -- 1962 -- I left and did not return. In 1956 -- two years after Brown v. Board of Education was decided, I was 12. The pastor in our SOUTHERN Baptist church preached a sermon in which he declared "The idea that black boys should go to the same school as our little white girls is the most vile lie Satan has ever put on this earth." And the congregation shouted "AMEN!!!" and rose to their feet in applause. Even at age 12, I knew something was wrong, which is why I left in 1962.

What was going on in the American South was APARTHEID just as evil as that in South Africa. That's why Musk destroyed USAID. That's why the John Roberts Klan --- oops! -- meant to say "the Roberts' Court" -- has destroyed the Voting Rights Act and will soon destroy the Civil Rights Act.

The ONLY question remaining is this: What will we who do not agree with this desecration of America do? Will we: (1) accept it and hope for the best, or (2) work our asses off to resists, to not comply, and to defeat them at the ballot box, or, (3) when the ballot box doesn't work, will we resort to a "Second Amendment solution" ? This is serious. This is where we are.

Initech

(109,314 posts)
15. DOGE was a scam. It was always a scam.
Sun May 24, 2026, 12:36 PM
Yesterday

Elon Musk is nobody's friend. He should be in prison and ignored.

Disaffected

(6,596 posts)
11. Watched the latest Starship test and
Sun May 24, 2026, 01:28 AM
Yesterday

one of the commentators, I suppose caught up in the excitement of the events, gushed that Musk was a "great humanitarian".

nilram

(3,568 posts)
13. Well the "good" news is that people are avoiding FIFA in droves.
Sun May 24, 2026, 01:33 AM
Yesterday

As much as 70% of foreign hotel bookings are being canceled. So I guess we're 70% safer from transmissible disease?

ecstatic

(35,137 posts)
16. Holy crap. It's just now hitting me
Sun May 24, 2026, 01:04 PM
Yesterday

Ebola and hantavirus are spreading unchecked throughout the world and the world cup will be in Atlanta in 2 weeks.

We left WHO, the CDC has been gutted, and of course, USAID dismantled. This is just reckless incompetence in action. I guess he didn't feel enough people were killed the last time he mismanaged an outbreak / pandemic.

I hope people don't give trump the same cover this time around. Leadership matters! There's a reason we didn't have a covid-like situation under any other modern US president. If all hell breaks loose again, tRump needs to be removed immediately. He is too incompetent and selfish. We cannot go through that again.

OGBuzz

(669 posts)
18. It will be dicey for sure with all the visitors coming in June.
Sun May 24, 2026, 01:45 PM
Yesterday

But Trump doesn't care, he's got Walter Reed just down the road and a helicopter on stand-by to fly him there. And Musk can afford to buy the Texas Medical Center several times over, so he'll be fine too.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»It is almost certain that...