Health
Trump and Musk Bring Vast Aid Machinery to a Halt in Africa
For decades, sub-Saharan Africa was a singular focus of American foreign aid. The continent received over $8 billion a year, money that was used to feed starving children, supply lifesaving drugs and provide wartime humanitarian assistance.
In a few short weeks, President Trump and the South African-born billionaire Elon Musk have burned much of that work to the ground, vowing to completely gut the U.S. Agency for International Development.
“CLOSE IT DOWN!” Mr. Trump wrote on social media on Friday, accusing the agency of unspecified corruption and fraud.
A federal judge on Friday halted, for now, some elements of Mr. Trump’s attempt to shutter the agency. But the speed and shock of the administration’s actions have already led to confusion, fear and even paranoia at U.S.A.I.D. offices across Africa, a top recipient of agency funding. Workers were being fired or furloughed en masse.
As the true scale of the fallout comes into view, African governments are wondering how to fill gaping holes left in vital services, like health care and education, that until recent weeks were funded by the United States. Aid groups and United Nations bodies that feed the starving or house refugees have seen their budgets slashed in half, or worse.
By far the greatest price is being paid by ordinary Africans, millions of whom rely on American aid for their survival. But the consequences are also reverberating across an aid sector that, for better or worse, has been a pillar of Western engagement with Africa for over six decades. With the collapse of U.S.A.I.D., that entire model is badly shaken.
“This is dramatic and consequential, and it’s hard to imagine rowing it back,” said Murithi Mutiga, Africa program director at the International Crisis Group. Mr. Mutiga described the collapse of the agency as “part of the unraveling of the post Cold War order.”
“Once, the primacy of the West was assumed” in Africa, he said. “No more.”
Experts say the agency’s abrupt undoing will cost many lives by creating huge gaps in public services, especially in health care, where U.S.A.I.D. has poured much of its resources.
In Kenya alone, at least 40,000 health care workers will lose their jobs, U.S.A.I.D. officials say. On Friday, several U.N. agencies that depend on American funding began to furlough part of their staff. The United States also provides most of the funding for two large refugee camps in northern Kenya that house 700,000 people from at least 19 countries.
Ethiopia’s health ministry has fired 5,000 health care professionals who had been recruited under American funding, according to an official notification obtained by The New York Times.
“We are in disbelief,” said Medhanye Alem of the Center for Victims of Torture, which treats survivors of conflict-related trauma at nine centers in northern Ethiopia, all now closed.
Of over 10,000 U.S.A.I.D. employees worldwide, barely 300 will remain under changes conveyed to staff on Thursday night. Only 12 will remain in Africa.
The most pressing challenge for many governments is not to replace the American staff members or money, but to save American-built health systems that are rapidly crumbling to the ground, said Ken O. Opalo, a Kenyan political scientist at Georgetown University in Washington.
Kenya, for instance, has enough drugs to treat people with H.I.V. for over a year, Mr. Opalo said. “But the nurses and doctors to treat them are being let go, and the clinics are closing.”
Broader economic shocks are also likely in some of the world’s most fragile countries.
American aid accounts for 15 percent of economic output in South Sudan, 6 percent in Somalia and 4 percent in the Central African Republic, said Charlie Robertson, an economist who specializes in Africa. “We could see governance effectively cease in a few countries, unless others step up to replace the hole left by the U.S.,” he said.
Whether U.S.A.I.D. is truly dead may yet be determined by Congress and the U.S. courts, where supporters have filed a raft of legal challenges. But the Trump administration seems determined to move faster than its challengers.
As Mr. Musk and his team have commandeered the agency’s operations in Washington, shuttering its headquarters and sacking or suspending 94 percent of its staff, its vast aid machinery in Africa has shuddered to a halt.
In major hubs in Kenya, South Africa and Senegal, American aid officials were shocked to find themselves labeled “criminals” by Mr. Musk, then ordered to return to the United States, according to eight U.S.A.I.D. employees or contractors who all spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
On Friday, the Trump administration gave all U.S.A.I.D. staff members 30 days to pack their bags and come home, causing turmoil among families now faced with the prospect of pulling children out of school on short notice. If the federal court that is now reviewing that directive does not overturn it, few will have jobs to return to.
Several U.S.A.I.D. officials noted that Google’s artificial intelligence system, Gemini, had been activated on their internal communications systems recently, and that internal video calls conducted on the Google platform were suddenly set to automatically record.
Officials said they worried that Mr. Musk’s team could use A.I. to monitor their conversations to ferret out dissenters, or to excerpt snippets of conversations that might be weaponized to discredit the agency.
Colleagues at the agency have turned to Signal, an encrypted messaging app, this week to share information unofficially. People are being driven by fear, one of them said.
In private, even senior U.S.A.I.D. officials agree that the agency needs an overhaul. In interviews, several recognized the need to streamline its bureaucracy, and even questioned an aid system that relies so heavily on American contractors and fosters a damaging culture of dependency among African governments.
Announcements by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state and acting head of U.S.A.I.D., that emergency food and lifesaving aid would be exempted from the administration’s cuts were initially welcomed by employees. But, officials said, it turned out to be largely a mirage. Despite the promise of waivers, many have found it impossible to obtain one.
Worst of all, many said, were the broadsides delivered by Mr. Musk and the White House portraying the agency as a rogue, criminal agency run by spendthrift officials pursuing their personal agendas. Such attacks were false and deeply hurtful to Americans who sought to relieve human suffering around the world, several people said.
In Nairobi, where U.S.A.I.D. has about 250 Kenyan and 50 American staff members, several Kenyans spoke at a tense town hall this week.
They worried that talk at the White House of widespread corruption inside the agency might cause other Kenyans to believe that they, too, had benefited from fraud, said an official who attended the meeting.
Like the Americans present at the town hall, the Kenyans worried they were about to be fired. But there was one major difference between the two groups, the official noted: While the Kenyans were anxious for their livelihoods, the Americans were worried about their country.
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Comedian Amy Schumer, 44, has recently come clean about her struggle with Cushing’s syndrome, leading to a dramatic weight loss.
Schumer’s transformation has sparked conversation online, to which she responded in a now-deleted Instagram post that shut down speculation about cosmetic enhancements.
“I didn’t lose 30lbs — I lost 50,” she emphasized on social media, adding that she does not get Botox or filler.
AMY SCHUMER DROPPED 50 POUNDS TO BATTLE DISEASE THAT ‘CAN KILL YOU’ IF UNTREATED
Schumer doubled down that her weight loss was not about her appearance, but about staying alive.
“Not to look hot, which does feel fun and temporary,” she said. “I did it to survive. I had a disease that makes your face extremely puffy that can kill you, but the internet caught it and that disease has cleared.”
Amy Schumer attends Variety’s 2024 Power of Women: New York event on May 2, 2024, in New York City on the left. On the right, Schumer later poses for a photo posted to Instagram after her weight loss. (Marleen Moise/WireImage; Amy Schumer/Instagram)
“Sorry for whatever feeling it’s giving you that I lost that weight,” she added. “I’ve had plastic surgery over the years and I use [Mounjaro]. Sorry to anyone they let down. I’m pain free. I can [play] tag with my son.”
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The actress also addressed her shifting hormones, saying that she’s “happy to share more if anyone has any questions about how I’m looking or feeling or where I am in my perimenopause process.”
“I didn’t lose 30lbs — I lost 50,” Schumer emphasized on social media, adding that she does not get Botox or filler. (Amy Schumer/Instagram)
What is Cushing’s syndrome?
Schumer previously revealed that she had been diagnosed with Cushing’s syndrome, a hormonal disorder that can cause extreme swelling, fatigue and potentially fatal complications.
Dr. Peter Balazs, a hormone and weight loss specialist in New Jersey, provided more details on the condition in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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“Cushing’s syndrome is caused by prolonged, high exposure to cortisol, which is your body’s main stress hormone,” he said. “Usually, the excess cortisol is a result of prolonged steroid use. We see this many times with patients who have some autoimmune disorder.”
Balazs said the “key” to Cushing’s syndrome is not just weight gain, but a “specific redistribution” of fat caused by too much cortisol.
Amy Schumer is photographed during a guest interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Feb. 13, 2024 (left), and later seen walking through midtown New York City on Oct. 28, 2025 (right). (Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images; Raymond Hall/GC Images/Getty Images)
Fat may be driven to the abdomen, chest, upper back (referred to as a “buffalo hump”) or face, sometimes considered “moon face,” the doctor said.
Cortisol also breaks down protein, which leads to a thinning in the arms and legs. “Weight gain can be tough, involuntary and hard to manage,” Balazs added.
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Cortisol stimulates “hunger centers” in the brain, raises blood sugar and promotes fat storage, especially deep belly fat, according to the doctor.
Cushing’s syndrome can also cause high blood pressure, bone loss and sometimes type 2 diabetes, per Mayo Clinic.
In addition to weight gain in certain areas, other symptoms may include pink or purple stretch marks on the stomach, hips, thighs, breasts and underarms, as well as acne, slow wound healing, and thin, frail skin that bruises easily.
With Cushing’s syndrome, fat may accumulate in the abdomen, chest, face or upper back (referred to as a “buffalo hump”). (iStock)
Women with Cushing’s syndrome often experience thick, dark hair on the face and body, as well as irregular periods. Symptoms among men can include a lower sex drive, reduced fertility and erectile dysfunction.
Mayo Clinic listed other potential symptoms, including extreme fatigue, muscle weakness, depression, anxiety, irritability, mood swings, trouble with concentration and memory, headache, sleeplessness, skin darkening and stunted growth in children.
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Those with symptoms should contact their doctor immediately, especially if they are taking steroids to treat health issues like asthma, arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease, as these medications can exacerbate the condition.
The Mayo Clinic has reported that the “sooner treatment starts, the better the chances for recovery.”
“I’ve had plastic surgery over the years and I use [Mounjaro],” Schumer stated in a social media post. (George Frey/Bloomberg)
For patients like Schumer, weight loss is typically not the main goal, Balazs noted, but it is a “critical sign” of successful treatment.
“The primary goal is to normalize your high cortisol levels,” he said. “I believe Amy Schumer got treated first for her underlying problem. Once the cortisol is normalized, which is the most important step, there’s a role to use adjunct medications to decrease weight.”
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Among GLP-1s, Mounjaro is an “excellent choice to decrease deep belly fat and increase insulin sensitivity of cells,” Balazs added.
Fox News Digital’s Stephanie Giang-Paunon contributed to this report.
Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s rep requesting comment.
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Eight energy drinks per day may lead to serious health consequences, recent research suggests.
A relatively healthy man in his 50s suffered a stroke from the overconsumption of unnamed energy beverages, according to a scientific paper published in the journal BMJ Case Reports by doctors at Nottingham University Hospitals in the U.K.
The unnamed man was described as “normally fit and well,” but was experiencing left-side weakness, numbness and ataxia, also known as poor coordination or unsteady walking.
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When the man sought medical attention, it was confirmed via MRI that he had suffered an ischemic thalamic stroke, the report stated.
The patient’s blood pressure was high upon admission to the hospital, was lowered during treatment and then rose again after discharge, even though he was taking five medications.
The 50-year-old man (not pictured) admitted to drinking eight energy drinks per day. (iStock)
The man revealed that he consumed eight cans of energy drink per day, each containing 160 mg of caffeine. His caffeine consumption had not been recorded upon admission to the hospital.
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Once the man stopped drinking caffeine, his blood pressure normalized, and he was taken off antihypertensive medications.
High caffeine content can raise blood pressure “substantially,” a doctor confirmed. (iStock)
Based on this case, the authors raised the potential risks associated with energy drinks, especially regarding stroke and cardiovascular disease.
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They also highlighted the importance of “targeted questioning in clinical practice and greater public awareness.”
The authors say this case draws attention to the potential dangers of over-consuming energy drinks. (iStock)
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel reacted to the case study in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“This case report illustrates the high risk associated with a large volume of energy drink consumption, especially because of the high caffeine content, which can raise your blood pressure substantially,” said Siegel, who was not involved in the study.
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“In this case, the large amount of caffeine appears to have led directly to very high blood pressure and a thalamic stroke, which is likely a result of that soaring blood pressure.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the case study authors and various energy drink brands for comment.
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