Posts made in November 2025

A Deliberate Crisis: The True Cost of Dismantling USAID

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The news is appalling: the sudden, politically-driven dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has already caused the deaths of an estimated six hundred thousand people, two-thirds of them children, according to models from Boston University epidemiologist Brooke Nichols.

This hidden catastrophe, which historian Richard Rhodes termed “public man-made death,” is the subject of a vital article in The New Yorker by Dr. Atul Gawande, former head of global health at USAID, and an accompanying documentary, “Rovina’s Choice.” It is a story of ideological purge, indifference, and a lethal rollback of decades of public health progress.

The Immediate & Lethal Impact

Dr. Gawande, who left his post in January 2025, describes the swift, uncompromising action taken by the incoming Trump Administration, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). Within hours of being sworn in, an executive order paused all foreign assistance, and a cable suspended every program. The consequences were instant and devastating:

  • The Global Health Infrastructure Collapsed: No program staff could be paid, no services delivered, and essential medicines and food already on the shelves were impounded.
  • A “Cure for Death” Was Taken Away: The highly effective, community-based programs for childhood malnutrition, which had brought mortality rates for severe cases down from 20% to under 1% in places like Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp, were instantly cut off. These programs had saved over a million lives in 2023 alone.
  • PEPFAR Undermined: While the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) retained some funding, the removal of the infrastructure—2,500 people across 65 countries, and crucial oversight systems like the Inspectors General—severely damaged its function. Preventative programs were “completely dismantled.”

Need to Know

  • Lives Saved vs. Lives Lost: Before the shutdown, an analysis in The Lancet estimated USAID assistance had saved 92 million lives over two decades. The agency’s annual budget was approximately $24 per American taxpayer.
  • The Death Toll: As of November 5th, the conservative model estimated 600,000 deaths directly caused by the dismantling of USAID, with two-thirds being children.
  • The Mechanism of Death: The losses unfold slowly and are scattered, making them hard to see—untreated H.I.V. or tuberculosis, lack of essential vaccines, and surging malnutrition cases. The Administration actively made the damage harder to measure by halting data monitoring and dismissing inspectors general.
  • The Example of Rovina Naboi: The documentary “Rovina’s Choice” follows a mother in the Kakuma refugee camp who was forced to leave her severely malnourished daughter, Jane Sunday, at Clinic 7, ultimately leading to Jane’s death. As one clinician noted, “That is a decision that no mother should ever have to make.”

Take-Aways

  1. The Price of Ideology: The dismantling of USAID was an ideological act that ignored proven, life-saving results, proving that political expediency was prioritized over humanitarian aid, fiscal efficiency, and the lives of the world’s most vulnerable.
  2. Accountability is Critical: These deaths are not natural disasters; they are “public man-made death.” There must be a full and transparent accounting of the consequences, which will likely take years (the U.N.’s 2025 mortality statistics won’t appear until 2027).
  3. The Domestic Threat: The systematic attack on public health is now moving to the homeland. Dr. Gawande points to slashes at the NIH and CDC, and the termination of research programs at institutions like Harvard, leading to “outbreaks and starting to move in the wrong direction again” for conditions like measles and HIV.

Implications for American Culture

The shutdown of USAID is more than a foreign policy blunder; it represents a profound moral and cultural crisis for the United States. For over six decades, the agency embodied a belief that American power and ingenuity could be used to deliver results for all of humanity through cooperation, rather than coercion. It showcased a spirit of global citizenship.

The act of summarily ending this work, purging its dedicated staff, and ignoring the predicted mass casualties replaces that spirit with cruelty, lethality, and intentional ignorance. It is a stark moral failure that betrays the fundamental American ideal of being a nation that—in the famous phrase—stands for something good in the world.

As citizens, we are now faced with a challenging choice: to let these consequences go “unaccounted for” and accept the rise of public man-made death as a national signature, or to demand the restoration of the systems that demonstrated life-saving results at an almost unimaginable scale. The future of American moral leadership on the world stage—and perhaps even the integrity of our domestic public health—depends on this reckoning.

The Epstein Files Are Out, The Cover-Up Is Not

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Why This is Critical to American Democracy

The pursuit of transparency and justice has taken a significant, if partial, step forward. This week, the U.S. House Oversight Committee announced a document dump from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate. For those invested in social justice, education, and holding the powerful accountable, this information is a critical call to action and a moment for profound civic awareness.

The Need to Know

Here are the factual, investigative details you need to understand the profound significance of this moment:

  • What was released? 20,000 files from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, including thousands of emails discussing women, blackmail, and even personal details like spending holidays with Donald Trump.
  • The Problem: The files are poorly organized, heavily redacted, and often devoid of context—making the sheer volume nearly useless to the public in their current state. This systemic lack of organization suggests an ongoing effort to obscure the full picture of elite malfeasance.
  • The Solution: COURIER has compiled these 20,000 documents into an easily searchable repository via Google Pinpoint. This tool transforms chaos into a resource for public investigation—an essential countermeasure to institutional obstruction.
  • The Political Context: This release is only a fraction of the total evidence. The full “Epstein Files” have been deliberately kept from the public due to what our investigation shows is an apparent cover-up orchestrated by the Trump administration. This action is critical to American democracy as it represents an abuse of executive power to shield wealthy and politically connected individuals.
  • The Urgent Date: A bipartisan effort has finally forced a vote on a resolution to release the full files, now expected to take place as early as December 1.

The documents released by The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform can be found here.  

A backup of the documents can be found here.

The Epstein Files organized by journalists at COURIER: Use the searchable tool here.

Implications for American Culture

The saga of the Epstein Files is more than a legal case; it is a profound test of who holds power and who is held accountable in American society, with direct implications for the health of our republic.

  • Erosion of Trust in Governance: The exhaustive efforts by political allies to obstruct the release of information confirm for many citizens that a separate, privileged justice system exists for the wealthy and powerful. This systemic obstruction is a clear assault on our national commitment to truth and justice, and a direct challenge to the foundations of American democracy.
  • The Power of Public Investigation: This moment underscores the critical role of the engaged citizen as the ultimate investigative body. Since political forces seek to maintain a cover-up, it is left to engaged citizens—those invested in social justice and information—to scrutinize every detail and hold those implicated accountable. This is the essence of an informed, functional democracy.
  • A Critical Political Vote: The forced vote on December 1 is a flashpoint for American democracy. Every Representative will be on the record regarding their stance on complete transparency and their willingness to oppose the forces that shield powerful individuals from scrutiny. This vote is a measure of our government’s commitment to its citizens over its elite—a foundational test of our legislative body.

Key Take-Aways

This is a moment of both urgency and hope. The public has been given a glimpse of the truth, but the forces of obstruction remain determined. To protect and uphold the core principles of American democracy,  all our action is required now:

  1. Use the searchable tool above to comb through the 20,000 files. Every email, every spreadsheet, and every name must be scrutinized. 
  2. Contact your representative and demand they support the resolution to release the full “Epstein Files” on December 1. The clock is ticking on this effort to protect the powerful and deny the public the truth.

The fight for the full Epstein Files has moved from behind closed doors to the floor of the House. The December 1st vote is a direct challenge to the political forces working to shield the powerful. This is not just a call for justice for victims; it is an urgent requirement for the restoration of democratic trust. Scrutinize the available evidence and pressure your representatives—the integrity of our republic depends on the public’s relentless demand for the truth.

    A Veteran’s Betrayal: The Quiet Erasing of Black Heroes from American History

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    On this Veterans Day, we must confront a deliberate and disgusting act of historical white-washing that dishonors the very people who fought to preserve freedom. Black people fighting against Nazis should be seen as heroes. However, those in power are desperate to hide this history.

    On a day meant for solemn remembrance and honor, a deeply disturbing truth mars the sanctity of Veterans Day 2025: a calculated effort is underway to systematically erase the documented history of Black and female military service from official U.S. records and memorials. This is not a mistake or an oversight—it is an act of pure ideological racism, deliberately targeting the legacies of those who put their lives on the line for a country that has historically refused to fully recognize their citizenship.

    The quiet removal of plaques and the scrubbing of websites are not just bureaucratic adjustments; they are a profound betrayal of the very principles for which these heroes fought. For ePluribusAmerica, this is an issue that demands our immediate outrage and action.

    The Facts of Erasure

    The following actions, undertaken by officials under the current administration, represent a direct attack on historical integrity:

    • The Limburg Memorial Removal: Two panels commemorating Black American soldiers’ contributions to the liberation of the Netherlands in World War II were quietly removed from the U.S. military cemetery in Limburg. This action followed a complaint by the right-wing Heritage Foundation to the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).
    • The Arlington Purge: Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) has stripped information and educational materials about Black and female service members from its website. This removed content included links to the “Notable Graves” of dozens of Black, Hispanic, and female veterans, including:
      • Gen Colin L. Powell, the first Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
      • The storied life stories of the Tuskegee Airmen, the country’s first Black military airmen.
      • War hero Hector Santa Anna, a World War II bomber pilot.
    • The Political Mandate: This content removal is directly tied to President Donald Trump’s effort to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices throughout the federal government and military. An ANC spokesperson admitted they are working to restore links but must ensure content aligns with Trump’s orders and instructions from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth—who has publicly pledged to “root out all diversity initiatives.”
    • The International Condemnation: In a heartening but damning sign, parliament members in the Dutch province of Limburg have called the removal of the WWII panels “indecent” and “unacceptable,” and are looking into creating a new, temporary memorial outside the cemetery grounds.

    Black Veterans, WWII.

    The Core Message

    1. This Is Historical White-Washing: The removal is not accidental. It is a targeted, institutional effort to diminish and erase the contributions of non-white service members, suggesting that their service is not “notable” or worthy of standalone recognition.
    2. DEI as a Pretext for Erasure: The attack on “DEI” is being cynically used as a political shield to justify stripping away the history of minority service members. When the elimination of “woke” culture results in deleting the history of Medal of Honor recipients and WWII liberators, the agenda is clear: silence and invisibility.
    3. The Fight is Now: With nearly 50% of the active-duty military identifying as a minority or woman, the attempt to sideline their history is a profound act of disrespect to all those currently serving. The fact that the Defense Department previously had to reinstate Tuskegee Airmen materials shows that public outcry can, and must, force a reversal.

    African American soldiers in the Netherlands.

    Implications for American Culture

    The campaign to erase Black military history is a chilling indicator of a country “still deeply intolerant,” even in 2025. The implications stretch far beyond the military cemeteries:

    • A Betrayal of Service: The soldiers being scrubbed from the internet and cemeteries are the same individuals who fought against the Nazi ideology of racial supremacy. By minimizing their stories, the U.S. government is effectively giving a historical seal of approval to the idea that their sacrifice matters less. It’s a complete inversion of the values they fought for.
    • The Weaponization of History: When history is not preserved, it is rewritten. This sets a dangerous precedent where future administrations can decide which groups’ contributions are “appropriate” to remember, leading to a sanitized, false narrative of American exceptionalism that excludes those who suffered the most under its domestic systems.
    • A Call for Vigilance and Recommitment: This Veterans Day, we must honor Black soldiers not just by saying thank you, but by actively defending their legacy. The battle to preserve these plaques and website pages is part of the larger, continuous struggle for Civil Rights and Social Justice—a fight to ensure that the promise of E pluribus unum (“Out of many, one”) is truly reflected in our national narrative.

    Marines, 1958, Camp Lejeune.

    Restore and Remember

    We must demand immediate action. The Arlington National Cemetery spokesperson mentioned they are working to restore links—we must hold them to it and ensure the content is reinstated without any ideological gatekeeping.

    This Veterans Day, ePluribusAmerica is calling on our readers, activists, and freedom fighters everywhere to:

    • Contact the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) and your representatives to demand the immediate return of the Limburg panels.
    • Monitor the Arlington National Cemetery website to ensure all erased content on Black and female veterans is fully restored.
    • Share the stories of the Tuskegee Airmen and the Black liberators of Europe.

    We cannot let their sacrifice be forgotten. Not now. Not ever.

    How Destroying the Press Wrote the Jim Crow Blueprint

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    On November 10, 1898, the city of Wilmington, North Carolina, witnessed a shocking and singular event in American history: the successful, violent overthrow of a democratically elected municipal government. Alternately known as the Wilmington Massacre or Insurrection, this was, by the definition of historians, a coup d’état led by white supremacists.

    Two days after state elections—in which the biracial “Fusionist” government of Republicans and Populists held onto power in the city—a mob of over 2,000 armed white citizens, led by former Confederate Col. Alfred Moore Waddell, seized control. They marched to the office of Alexander Manly, the outspoken editor of The Daily Record, the state’s only Black daily newspaper. Unable to find Manly, who had narrowly escaped a lynch mob thanks to a warning from a white friend, the white supremacists burned his newspaper office to the ground.

    This act of destruction was the opening salvo in a campaign of terror that saw the elected officials forced to resign at gunpoint, hundreds of Black citizens killed, and prominent Black and white leaders banished from the city. The mob installed Waddell as the new mayor and published a “White Declaration of Independence,” restoring white rule that would last for over half a century.

    The Need to Know: Core Facts of the Insurrection

    Key FiguresAlfred Moore Waddell (leader of the coup), Alexander Manly (editor of The Daily Record), The Red Shirts (white paramilitary group).
    The PretextManly’s August 1898 editorial, which countered a call for the lynching of Black men by suggesting some Black-white relationships were consensual, was used by white supremacists to incite outrage and rally their base.
    The CoupA carefully planned political act. It was not a spontaneous “race riot” as it was initially and incorrectly termed by the white press, but a violent, premeditated act to overthrow an established, legally-elected government.
    The ImpactBetween 60 and 300 Black residents were killed, and scores more were banished. The attack destroyed Wilmington’s burgeoning Black middle class and silenced the Black press for a decade or more.

    Take-aways: The Context of Lost Power

    Wilmington: Black Mecca

    In the 1890s, Wilmington was a beacon of progress and integration in the South. With a majority Black population (around 55%), it boasted a thriving African American middle class of successful craftsmen, lawyers, and businessmen. The city’s multi-racial, Fusionist government represented genuine Black political power, making it a target for white supremacist Democrats who sought to restore a racial hierarchy. The coup was a direct, violent reaction to this economic and political success.

    Alexander Manly, editor of The Daily Record, family portrait.

    The Power of the Press

    Manly’s The Daily Record was more than just a newspaper; it was the “voice of the black community in Wilmington” and a critical check against white power. Manly was an advocate for fair treatment and a temperate, moderate leader whose “real glory was unglamorous community reporting.” The mob understood that to fully seize power and push their lie of “Negro domination,” they first had to silence the truth—which meant burning the press that delivered it. As David Zucchino, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Wilmington’s Lie, noted, the editorial gave the coup leaders “the pretext,” but they were “delighted” because it justified their pre-planned actions.

    African American family (State Archives of North Carolina).

    Implications for American Culture: The Coup as Cultural Cornerstone

    The Wilmington Insurrection is not just a forgotten tragedy; it is the physical, violent blueprint for the ensuing half-century of American culture.

    • The Blueprint for Jim Crow: The ultimate success of the Wilmington coup—the unpunished murder of citizens, the forced resignation of government, and the installation of a white-only government—set a devastating precedent. It demonstrated that white supremacy could be violently enforced and politically legitimized, helping to usher in the formal system of legal and social segregation known as the Jim Crow era throughout the South.
    • The Silencing of Truth: The burning of The Daily Record established a chilling model for suppressing dissent and narrative. By destroying the Black press, the coup not only took a life but also rewrote the historical account, allowing the lie of a “race riot” to stand for decades. This act underscores the urgent, eternal truth that when you deal in lies, the truth is the only threat.
    • Long-Term Political Trauma: The scar on democracy was profound. As noted, “No Black citizen served in public office in Wilmington until 1972, and no Black citizen from North Carolina was elected to Congress until 1992.” The event was a catastrophic political setback, reversing democratic gains for generations and reinforcing the white-only power structure for over half a century.

    Conceptualizing the Trajectory: From Jim Crow to Civil Rights

    The Wilmington Coup of 1898 can be seen as the violent, political foundation of the Jim Crow system, establishing white supremacy as official government policy via the bullet and the ballot.

    • 1898 (The Coup/Birth of Jim Crow): This moment was defined by the suppression of voting rights, the destruction of Black economic success, and the overthrow of democratic institutions to cement racial power. It was the moment Black America’s political progress was “nipped in the bud,” as Professor Philip Gerard notes, leaving a legacy of incomplete recognition for leaders like Alexander Manly.
    • 1900s–1950s (The Jim Crow Era): The decades that followed were the result of the 1898 blueprint—a period of systemic political and economic disenfranchisement.
    • 1950s–1960s (The Civil Rights Movement): The struggle led by activists like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and countless others can be conceptualized as the generational fight to reverse the success of the Wilmington Coup.

    The goals of the Civil Rights Movement—voting rights, political representation, and dismantling economic segregation—were essentially the re-establishment of the very progress that Wilmington’s biracial government and Black middle class had achieved and lost in 1898. The fight for the 15th and 24th Amendments was, in effect, a fight to undo the legacy of Waddell’s armed mob. The Insurrection of 1898 is a somber and urgent lesson: the fight for a truly e pluribus unum America is not merely about achieving rights, but about vigilantly defending the democratic institutions that allow those rights to flourish.