A message from someone who worked for USAID until very recently
Just received this from friend who is working overseas with USAID:
I have worked at the agency for 16 years, and around 7pm last night, I lost access to the USAID network. I was not told if I am being fired, or am being put on “admin leave,” if that is indeed what is happening. Broad swaths of the USAID workforce (~600 American employees) have lost access in the past 18 hours and those that still have access were emailed at 12:43 am that headquarters is closed today by a non-government official working under the guise of DOGE.
You should be terrified by what’s going on here. I certainly am - for myself and my career, my family, my colleagues, and for the people we serve around the world. Regardless of who you voted for, you didn't vote for this.
1. Stopping the work of USAID doesn’t put “America First,” it cedes the international space to China and Russia, who are more than happy to fill the gaps - we have seen this happening for years. The stronger the relationship between other countries and China/Russia, the less influence the US has.
2. Our work also directly mitigates the risk of international terrorism. In many parts of the world, young populations that don’t see a stable or hopeful future for themselves are highly susceptible to recruitment by terrorist groups that can promise a job, food, and a network of like-minded individuals. The same is true for international migration - we absolutely see more migrants when their home is unsafe or unstable.
3. There is an ebola outbreak in Uganda right now - USAID has a team working to contain the spread, and that team has been hamstrung by both the programmatic pause and personnel actions currently underway. Preventing the spread of the disease at its origin/outbreak prevents it from arriving in the United States.
4. USAID programs create stable markets for U.S. businesses and strengthen our supply chains. Additionally, the current course of action is leading to an estimated 50,000 American jobs lost domestically.
5. We have Americans currently working in places like Ukraine and Somalia who, without network access, have been arbitrarily cut out of the Embassy’s security infrastructure, placing these individuals at even greater personal physical risk, for purely political reasons.
6. The Executive Branch doesn’t have the authority to dismantle an entire agency, only Congress has the power to approve the modification/merger of USAID or its closure. This cannot legally be done by the Executive Branch.
7. The individuals carrying out these changes do not all have security clearances, are not on the government payroll, and are forcing themselves into spaces and systems that contain classified information and data on personnel and program recipients across agencies, putting all at greater risk of security breaches and theft of personal identifying information, breaking every state's privacy protection laws.
8. USAID is the canary in the coal mine for the rest of the executive branch - if they’re willing to come after USAID, and it is less than 1% of the federal budget, what are they going to do with the other agencies?
9. This is literally the richest man in the world trying to cut off aid to the poorest people in the world.
I am specifically and directly asking you to pass this along to your families and networks, especially outside of DC.
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a really bad idea for SW development
1. you have to do it differently now
or
2. The whole basic idea you were used to has been replaced
or
3. without warning, something in the new framework is broken (an actual bug)
or
4. The upgraded/replaced framework causes a need for other things to be upgraded, so the process is repeated ad infinitum.
SOMETIMES THESE PROBLEMS COULD ONLY BE FOUND BY HUMANS TESTING CAREFULLY.
Since almost all current software builds on frameworks/libraries/whatever that are constantly changing, this kind of use of AI is going to be very tempting and is a really BAD IDEA.
(imagine your PM saying we need this completed ASAP and use AI)
People were saying they should think of AI code generation as a dumb, erratic junior programmer whose work must be completely reviewed. This idea of having the AI/LLM revise your entire codebase is terrible. We're going to be drowning in AI generated/modified code that no one is given sufficient time to review. And don't get me started on LLM based "Agents".....
kids should grow up dancing!
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Goodbye, Prius
Robert Reich on this moment
This was on FB. I wanted to share it on Mastodon and hadn't really grokked the problem of the character limit. I think it is good information for this point in time.
Robert Reich
nspretodSoA5:9au5a0ay4025til i4mn01ami34r4f6901h6MJ1 74 gg0l ·
Friends, In light of Trump II’s predictably cruel and bonkers beginning, many people are asking: “What can I do now?” Here are 10 recommendations.
1. Protect the decent and hardworking members of your communities who are undocumented or whose parents are undocumented. This is an urgent moral call to action. As Trump’s ICE begins roundups and deportations, many good people are endangered and understandably frightened. One of Trump’s new executive orders allows ICE to arrest undocumented immigrants at or near schools, places of worship, health care sites, shelters, and relief centers — thereby deterring them from sending their kids to school or getting help they need. So-called “sanctuary” cities and states have laws prohibiting their schools, public hospitals, and police from turning over undocumented individuals to the federal government or providing information about them. These are sensible policies. Otherwise undocumented people who are ill, including those with communicable diseases, won’t go to public hospitals for treatment. Parents will be reluctant to send their children to school. Crime victims who are undocumented will hesitate before reporting crimes for fear that they could then face being deported. If you trust your mayor or city manager, check in with their offices to see what they are doing to protect vulnerable families in your community. Join others in voluntary efforts to keep ICE away from hospitals, schools, and shelters. Organize and mobilize your community to support it as a sanctuary city, and to support your state as a sanctuary state. Trump’s Justice Department is already launching investigations of cities and states that go against federal immigration orders, laying the groundwork for legal challenges to local laws and forcing compliance with the executive branch. Your voice and organizing could be helpful in fighting back. I recommend you order these red cards from Immigrant Legal Resources Center and make them available in and around your community: Red Cards / Tarjetas Rojas | Immigrant Legal Resource Center | ILRC. You might also find these of use: Immigration Preparedness Toolkit | Immigrant Legal Resource Center | ILRC.
2. Protect LGBTQ+ members of your community. Trump may make life far more difficult for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other people through executive orders, changes in laws, alterations in civil rights laws, or changes in how such laws are enforced. His election and his rhetoric might also unleash hatefulness by bigoted people in your community. I urge you to work with others in being vigilant against prejudice and bigotry, wherever it might break out. When you see or hear it, call it out. Join with others to stop it. If you trust your local city officials, get them involved. If you trust your local police, alert them as well.
3. Help protect officials in your community or state whom Trump and his administration are targeting for vengeance. Some may be low-level officials, such as election workers. If they do not have the means to legally defend themselves, you might help them or consider a GoFundMe campaign. If you hear of anyone who seeks to harm them, immediately alert local law-enforcement officials.
4. Participate or organize boycotts of companies that are enabling the Trump regime, starting with Elon Musk’s X and Tesla, and any companies that advertise on X or on Fox News. Don’t underestimate the effectiveness of consumer boycotts. Corporations invest heavily in their brand names and the goodwill associated with them. Loud, boisterous, attention-getting boycotts can harm brand names and reduce the prices of corporations’ shares of stock.
5. To the extent you are able, fund groups that are litigating against Trump. Much of the action over the next months and years will be in the federal courts. The groups initiating legislation that I know and trust include the American Civil Liberties Union, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, Center for Biological Diversity, Environmental Defense Fund, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Common Cause.
6. Spread the truth. Get news through reliable sources, and spread it. If you hear anyone spreading lies and Trump propaganda, including local media, contradict them with facts and their sources. Drop some of your most reliable news sources in the comments, if you don't mind. Others may find them useful.
7. Urge friends, relatives, and acquaintances to avoid Trump propaganda outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, X, and, increasingly, even Facebook and Instagram. They are filled with hateful bigotry and toxic and dangerous lies. For some people, these propaganda sources can also be addictive; help the people you know wean themselves off them.
8. Push for progressive measures in your community and state. Local and state governments retain significant power. Join groups that are moving your city or state forward, in contrast to regressive moves at the federal level. Lobby, instigate, organize, and fundraise for progressive legislators. Support progressive leaders.
9. Encourage worker action. Most labor unions are on the right side — seeking to build worker power and resist repression. You can support them by joining picket lines and boycotts and encouraging employees to organize in places you patronize.
10. Keep the faith. Do not give up on America. Remember, Trump won the popular vote by only 1.5 points. By any historical measure, this was a squeaker. In the House, the Republicans’ five-seat lead is the smallest since the Great Depression. In the Senate, Republicans lost half of 2024’s competitive Senate races, including in four states Trump won. America has deep problems, to be sure. Which is why we can’t give up on it — or give up the fights for social justice, equal political rights, equal opportunity, and the rule of law. The forces of Trumpian repression and neofascism would like nothing better than for us to give up. Then they’d win it all. We cannot allow them to.
We will never give up.
Beyond these, please be sure to find room in your life for joy, fun, and laughter. Do not let Trump and his darkness take you over. Just as it’s important not to give up the fight, it’s critically important to take care of yourself. If you obsess about Trump and fall down the rabbit hole of outrage, worry, and anxiety, you won’t be able to keep fighting. Please share your thoughts below.
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