A year on from the purge, with thousands of jobs cut and billions in foreign aid lost, a former leader reflects on the sorry saga – and why it would never happen to Nasa

A year has passed since I and thousands of colleagues lost our jobs at USAID. Asking myself “Why us?” I have come to the conclusion that the American public had very little idea of what we were doing and why.

Doge, the “department of government efficiency”, began its work in January 2025, with USAID as its first target, in a reckless campaign that even Elon Musk has said he would not repeat. At that moment of chaos, Americans lacked the knowledge that could contradict the false narrative presented by Musk, who called the agency a “criminal organisation” and “a viper’s nest of radical left-marxists who hate America”.

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© Photograph: Drew Angerer/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Drew Angerer/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Drew Angerer/AFP/Getty Images

We must be honest about the seriousness of the situation we’re in.

© Photo Illustration by Alma Haser for The New York Times

The president was asked about Democratic candidates who want to use Medicare to provide universal access to health care — and he said his approach to have confidential drug pricing deals was superior.

The president said nine more pharmaceutical companies would sell their drugs to state Medicaid programs at discounts under his so-called "most favored nation" pricing system.

Some survivors of the deadly flood and landslide have no access to food. Officials and volunteers are testing how drones can help.

© Atul Loke For The New York Times

Penalties for travel to blacklisted countries have recently risen, while aid workers and activists say they have also been caught up in the law

Shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, freelance photographer Jang Jinyoung crossed from Poland into Lviv and travelled on to Kyiv, where he spent a fortnight documenting the war.

South Korea’s foreign ministry had designated Ukraine off-limits days earlier, making unauthorised visits a criminal offence. He knew he was breaking the law but went anyway, as no Korean journalist had yet reported from inside the country.

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© Photograph: Ukrinform/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Ukrinform/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Ukrinform/Shutterstock

Given the challenges in forecasting and detecting such calamities, researchers advised banning construction on floodplains and marking out clear evacuation routes.

© Atul Loke for The New York Times

Given the challenges in forecasting and detecting such calamities, researchers advised banning construction on floodplains and marking out clear evacuation routes.

© Atul Loke for The New York Times

A charity tied to Gov. Ron DeSantis’s wife received the money from a state Medicaid settlement and diverted it to political committees supporting a cause favored by the governor.

© Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

The glasses, called Legato Frames, integrate the company’s patented hearing-assistance technology into the arms of eyewear frames.

It's been 18 months since the Trump administration made cuts to foreign aid. One of the countries hardest-hit is Afghanistan. The five years since the U.S. withdrawal have been grim for the people there, and Refugees International attributes over 160 deaths during the last 18 months to cuts in aid. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen and videographer Eric O'Connor report.

Executive director of the UN body tells the Telegraph that claims made by the world’s richest man were born of ignorance

A roadmap for returning the UK to spending 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income on international aid is to form part of a major shake-up

Israel allowed displaced Gazans to begin crossing a military zone that bisects the enclave after a deadlock over hostage releases was broken.

Troubles at Vanke raise questions about the continued spread of the property crisis and whether the Chinese state will step in.

Some of the women were held alone for extended periods and spent eight months in tunnels, an Israeli medical official said.

The alliance mounted its first coordinated response to a suspected sabotage campaign against critical infrastructure after another cable was severed in the Baltic Sea.

Residents of Goma reported gunfire and shelling after rebels overran Congolese troops. U.N. officials estimated that more than one million displaced people were now inside the city.

Attacks by powerful militias against civilians reflect the state’s inaction eight years after a peace accord removed a powerful rebel group from the field.

The U.K., Italy and Japan have already partnered on the Global Combat Air Programme, which aims to put a new stealth fighter with supersonic capability in the skies by 2035.