The President's Daily Brief - February 10th, 2025: The Very Worst Of USAID Spending & Hamas Releases Emaciated Hostages

Episode Date: February 10, 2025

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: The Trump administration is moving to overhaul USAID—an agency that doles out billions in foreign aid with little oversight. Is it finally time to rein it in? The world reacts as Hamas releases three emaciated hostages over the weekend as part of the ongoing ceasefire deal. As both sides exchange hostages and prisoners, Israel follows through on another key part of the agreement—pulling troops from a critical corridor in Gaza. And in the Back of the Brief: After a brief lull, North Korean troops may have returned to the front lines, while Russia scrambles to counter a renewed Ukrainian offensive in Kursk. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Your eyes and ears on the world stage. Coming to you today from somewhere in Europe. All right, let's get briefed. We'll start things off today with the Trump administration's push to overhaul USAID. That's an agency that hands out billions in foreign aid, frankly with little oversight. So, you ask yourself, is there a chance that a thorough, efficient audit of USAID? ID spending just might, perhaps, identify government waste and abuse. There is a possibility.

Later in the show, the world reacted with shock as Hamas released three emaciated hostages over the weekend as part of the ongoing seats-fire deal. Plus, as both sides exchange hostages and prisoners, Israel follows through on another key part of the agreement and pulling out troops from a critical corridor in Gaza. and in the back of the brief. After a short respite, it appears that North Korean troops may have returned to the front lines as Russian military forces attempt to blunt the renewed Ukrainian offensive in Kursk. Well, that makes sense.

I mean, if the Ukrainian military engages in an offensive, Putin's going to need some cannon fodder. And I think he's already discovered that the North Korean troops make for fine fodder. But first, today's PDB spotlight. Today we're beginning with a closer look at USAID, the U.S. agency for international development, and the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to reform, or in some cases, completely overhaul, the agency. If you want to understand what the U.S. government prioritizes, well, the best way to do it is to follow the money. And if you follow the money at USAID, you might find yourself asking some uncomfortable questions. USAID, in a sense, is the face of American foreign policy. While the State Department

handles diplomacy, USAID is on the ground, engaging directly with civilian populations around the world. The agency, frankly, is massive. In fiscal year 2023 alone, they handed out nearly $43.8 billion in funding worldwide, more than two-thirds of the entire State Department's $60 billion budget. And yet, despite being largely bankrupt by the State Department, USAID operates as an independent agency, separate from the control of the State Department. It was originally established by the JFK administration in 1961, specifically as an independent autonomous organization. That independence is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it gives the agency the flexibility to respond quickly to crises. But on the other, it makes oversight a bit of a nightmare. With missions in over 100 countries,

many of them unstable, keeping track of where the money actually goes is like hurting cats. Add in the fact that USAID funding flows not just through the State Department, but also through the defense and treasury departments, and you have a recipe for inefficiency, waste, and fraud. Not to mention, the lack of consistent audit functions to ensure money is being spent. effectively and in line with U.S. interests. And here's the reality. USAID doesn't even carry out most of its work directly. Instead, it offloads the heavy lifting to third-party organizations, contractors, NGOs, and international groups. That extra layer of bureaucracy, of course, makes accountability even harder. By the time any audit finally catches up to the spending, well, the money is long gone.

Now, let's be clear. Some U.S. IID funded programs are genuinely important and worthwhile. Feeding the hungry, providing disaster relief, these are all clearly important. But even the most well-intentioned programs can be undermined by waste and mismanagement. And then there are other projects that make you wonder if anyone in Washington has their priorities straight. I had the incredible staff at the President's Daily Brief, do a little digging, and we found some fairly egregious examples of where U.S. USAID money has gone in the recent past. Let's start with one of the agencies' more infamous blunders, the Tarekill power plant in Afghanistan.

USAID spent $335 million, that's a lot of jack, building this diesel-fuel power plant just outside Kabul. But there was one slight problem. Diesel fuel is absurdly expensive to import into Afghanistan. As a result, the plant ran at just 2% of its capacity. That's hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money down the drain. A small amount of due diligence and oversight could have identified the weaknesses in this plan and saved all those taxpayer dollars. But in recent years, USAID's priorities have taken a noticeable shift.

It seems less focused on delivering aid and more concerned with advancing a social agenda, one that has little to do with American national interests. Take, for example, a pro-LGBQ group, in Serbia called Grupa Izaji, which translates to group comes out. USAID funneled $1.5 million to this group to, quote, advanced diversity, equity, and inclusion in Serbia's workplaces and business communities. According to the grant documents, this initiative aimed to, quote, increase employment potential for LGBTI-plus.

How many letters do we have? Persons. Expand opportunities for LGBTIQI-plus. entrepreneurs, and reduce workplace discrimination, end quote. Now, whatever your personal views on that mission, one has to ask, why are American taxpayers funding it? It gets worse. USAID spent $2 million in Guatemala funding Association Lambda, an LGBTQI plus, I'm getting better at this,

activist organization, to promote, quote, gender affirming health care. In plain English, well, U.S. taxpayer dollars, were being used to pay for sex change procedures in Guatemala. Then there's the $3.3 million that USAID dumped into the Caribbean to promote LGBTQ acceptance. Or the $425,600 that was spent helping Indonesian coffee companies become, quote, more climate and gender friendly. That's what I look for in my coffee.

Still not convinced that USAID might be in need of some grown-up supervision? Well, how about the $70,000? grant for a DEI-themed musical in Ireland, just what they were looking for. Yes, you heard that right, a musical. Frankly, okay, fine, who doesn't love a musical. The money was earmarked to, quote, deliver a live musical event to promote the U.S. and Irish shared values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, end quote. Or, how about the $20,600 that USAID spent in Ecuador to fund three workshops,

12 drag theater performances, and a short documentary, all in the name, of course, of diversity and inclusion. And in Peru, USAID spent $32,000 creating a comic book featuring an LGBTQI plus hero. Yeah, because obviously that's a pressing foreign policy aid priority. Now, let me ask you this. If you live in North Carolina and a hurricane rips through your town, leaving you without power or food or clean water, would you feel reassured knowing that your tax dollars went toward drag performances and LGBTQI comic books instead of rebuilding your community? Yeah, I didn't think so. The Trump administration is actually moving to cut the fat out of USAID.

Look, of course, there's nothing wrong with foreign aid, right? Some of it is critically important. Just like, of course, there's nothing wrong with accountability. Americans have every right to demand that their money be spent wisely and in their interests. If the best justification for a $70,000 DEI musical in Ireland is that it allows some bureaucrats to wallow in the glow of self-righteousness, well, then maybe it's time to rethink what we're actually trying to accomplish with USAID in the first place. All right, if you want to dive deeper into the lack of transparency and oversight at USAID, check out this past weekend situation report. I spoke with former Ohio Congressman Jim Ronezzi about exactly that.

You can also watch it, of course, on our YouTube channel, and you can find our YouTube channel at President's Daily Brief. All right, coming up after the break, widespread shock over the horrific conditions of the three hostages freed from Gaza, and Israel takes another key step in the ongoing ceasefire deal. I'll be right back. Picture this, me, Reese Witherspoon, in London. ordering fish and chips so often, they might start wrapping me in paper.

I'm traveling with my Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card, so I earn rewards wherever I book travel. Five times points with hotels, four times with airlines, three times on restaurants and other travel, and one point on other purchases. Imagine getting rewarded for eating a toad in the hole. Wait, what is a toad in a hole? Visit Wells Fargo.com slash autograph journey. Terms apply. Welcome back to the BDB. The fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Israel and Hamas stretched into its fifth round of exchanges as three Israeli hostages and more than 180 Palestinian prisoners were swapped on Saturday. However, the emaciated state of the now-freet

Israelis ignited public fury raising new concerns over Hamas's treatment of abductees. Okay, did anyone imagine that the hostages were being treated humanely by Hamas? The three men, O'had Ben Ami, El-E, Elisherabi, and Orlevi were among those, take hostage during Hamas' brutal 7 October of 2023 terror attacks. The three men spent 491 days in captivity before being handed over to

the Red Cross in central Gaza in what appeared to be an orderly transfer. That's a stark departure from the chaos of previous hostage releases. But the first images of the three men, gaunt, now nourished and visibly weak, shocked Israelis. Their photos

were immediately projected onto large screens in Tel Aviv's hostage square where their families and supporters stood in stunned silence. The hostages and missing families for them called the images, quote, disturbing. Well, that's putting it mildly, while the Niroz Kbutz, one of the community's hardest hit in the 7 October terror attacks, condemn their conditions as, quote, an internal testimony to the failure of those delaying further hostage negotiations. Hamas, as they've done in previous hostage releases, paraded the men before cameras ahead of their freedom, forcing them to speak Hebrew while flanked by terrorists.

After the Red Cross took custody of the Israeli captives, they were transported to IDF for immediate medical evaluation. Levy's mother said seeing her son so pale and skeletal was devastating, but she remained hopeful about his recovery. Hamas also released a propaganda video showing the three men inside a tunnel, further inflaming Israeli anger and reinforcing concerns, of course, about the conditions underwomen. which the remaining hostages are being held. Meanwhile, the parents of American hostage Yit J. Chen

urged President Donald Trump to ramp up efforts to secure the release of six American citizens still held by Hamas. Prime Minister Netanyahu, speaking from Washington, over the weekend, reiterated Israel's unwavering commitment to bringing every hostage home, declaring Israel will, quote, do everything to bring all our hostages back. Israel's ambassador to the UN wasted no time. in calling on Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez to denounce Hamas publicly for its treatment of hostages. As part of the exchange, Israel freed 183 Palestinian prisoners, including 18 who were serving life sentences for deadly attacks on Israelis. Some of the released prisoners were Hamas operatives involved in suicide bombings and other terror operations. Seven of those convicted, of the most serious crimes, were transferred to Egypt, where they will either remain there or be deported.

under the ceasefire terms. Footage from Ramallah showed Palestinian detainees arriving from Ofer Prison in the Occupied West Bank. Among those freed was Abu Shakdom, serving 18 life sentences for his role in terror attacks that killed dozens of Israelis during the second Intifada. Another, Altawil, a senior Hamas political figure, has been in and out of Israeli prisons for two decades on accusations of helping finance terror attacks. The agreement is, set to expire on one March, leaving uncertainty over the next stage of negotiations. Hamas has so far released 16 Israeli hostages out of the 33 promised in their first phase of the deal. Eight of the remaining captives are confirmed dead. In total, Hamas and its terror affiliates are

still holding 73 people from the 7 October attacks, down from the original 251. Netanyahu reportedly remains cautious about the second phase. of the deal, which would require a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza in exchange for further hostage releases. His coalition shows additional cracks as his finance minister has threatened to resign at the ceasefire continues, following the lead of National Security Minister Edomar Ben-Gvir, who quit Netanyahu's government over the ceasefire's implementation. With political tensions rising and the hostage crisis far from resolved, Israel and the hostages face a precarious road ahead. All right. Sticking with our coverage of the Israel-Khamas ceasefire agreement,

Israel pulled its forces from the Netserim corridor. That's a militarized zone that splits Gaza in two. The withdrawal, a core stipulation of the ceasefire, allowed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return north for the first time in months. Hamas held the Israeli withdrawal Sunday as a victory, declaring it proof of quote, the will of our people. While Israel has not officially acknowledged the pullout, CNN reported no visible Israeli military presence at the crossing on Sunday. The corridor, a near four-mile strip of land stretching from the Israel-Ghasa border to the Mediterranean, was established as a strategic chokepoint during Israel's 15-month military campaign against Hamas. Its closure effectively severed northern Gaza, restricting both civilian movement and humanitarian aid.

Despite the retreat, a checkpoint does remain in place. manned by the supervision of Egyptian and Qatari mediators, who have been key components, of course, to managing talks between Israel and Hamas during the ceasefire process. In the first 72 hours after the corridor reopened, Gaza's government media office estimates roughly 500,000 displaced Palestinians move north, on foot, others in makeshift vehicles or on donkeys traversing a battered landscape marked by months of heavy fighting. But despite withdrawing, from Nezorim, Israel still controls Gaza's borders with Egypt and Israel maintaining broader restrictions

in place. Meanwhile, the ceasefire's fragile footing was tested over the weekend by fresh violence near an Israeli cabots close to the Gaza border. Palestinian authorities reported that Israeli troops opened fire near the area, killing three Palestinians and injuring several others. The IDF stated that its forces had fired warning shots at, quote, suspects approaching the border fence confirming that, quote, several hits were identified, but without directly acknowledging any civilian casualties. In a blunt warning following the incident, Israeli defense minister Israel Katz, issued a statement declaring, quote, their blood is on their own head, zero tolerance for anyone who threatens idea of forces or the fence area and communities. Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to shore up the ceasefire are ongoing.

On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu dispatched a delegation to Doha, Gutter to discuss further terms of the agreement. A senior Israeli official described the team as, quote, mid-level, emphasizing the discussions would focus on the, quote, technical details rather than broader political discussions. But even as those talks unfold, Israeli military operations have ramped up in the Northern West Bank. The United Nations reports IDF raids in the cities of Janine, Tulcarm, and Tubas, and they're severely restricting access to essential services. while inflicting widespread destruction. The IDF, operating in the Norsham's refugee camp,

claimed in a telegram post that it was targeting, quote, terrorists and had arrested, quote, additional wanted individuals. All right, coming up in the back of the brief. As Ukraine renews its offensive in Kursk, North Korean troops appear to have returned to the front lines. I'll be back with those details. Fox News is now streaming live on Fox One. When it matters most, turn to the voices you trust.

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See full terms at mintmobile.com. In today's back of the brief, I want to provide you with an update on the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukrainian President Zelensky announced Friday that Russia redeployed North Korean soldiers to fight alongside its troops in the Western Kursk region. As we reported last week on the PDB, North Korean frontline forces had all but disappeared from the battlefield over the past three weeks, sparking speculation that Pyongyang quietly withdrew its soldiers following heavy casualties. Now, it appears they've resurfaced, suggesting either a strategic redeployment or the that Moscow has convinced its reclusive ally to double down on its military commitment. Zelensky, in a post on X, stated, quote,

I received a report from the commander-in-chief on the situation in the Denedsk and Kursk regions. In the areas of the Kursk operation, new assaults have taken place. Russia has once again deployed North Korean soldiers alongside its own troops. According to South Korea's National Intelligence Service estimates, Pyongyang sent approximately 11,000 troops to reinforce Russia's war effort in Ukraine. The agency believes around 300 of these soldiers have been killed with another 2,700 wounded. Figures that, if accurate, underscore just how poorly trained and equipped these troops are for modern warfare. That assessment tracks with first-hand accounts

from the battlefield. In January, a Ukrainian commander with the Sixth Special Operations Forces Regiment observed that North Korean troops appeared wholly unprepared for 21st century combat, stating, quote, they are prepared for the realities of war in 1980 at best. Military analysts warn that if the casualty rate continues at its current pace, Pyongyang's contribution to the war may become unsustainable. Yet despite mounting evidence, including Ukraine's reported capture of two North Korean soldiers inside Russian territory and Kursk, well, yeah, that would be evidence. Both Moscow and Pyongyang continue to deny any troop deployments or military collaboration.

We don't know anything about it. Sorry. Move on. As we've tracked here on the PDB, North Korean-made ballistic missiles have been fired at Kiev via Moscow, with defense analysts suspecting that Pyongyang has enhanced their navigation systems, possibly incorporating Russian guidance technology. For now, the Kremlin and Pyongyang are sticking to their denials. But as intelligence assessments pile up,

and more North Korean soldiers are killed or captured, well, it's becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss the obvious. North Korea is, of course, playing a direct role in Russia's war effort. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Monday, 10 February. Now, I hope you had a chance over the weekend to check out our latest episode of the PDB Situation Report. That's our expanded weekend show. Guests included author Gerald Posner and former Ohio Congressman Jim Renaci. Talking about the release of files on the JFK, RFK, and MLK assassinations,

and we took a deep dive with the former congressman. into the world of U.S. government spending. And, of course, to listen to the show ad-free, well, become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief simply by visiting pdb premium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.

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