USAID closes headquarters – media

©Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has closed its main office in Washington DC, with most personnel told to stay away from the building, multiple US media outlets reported on Monday. The development comes after US President Donald Trump accused the agency’s leadership of being “radical lunatics” and proposed major changes to the organization.

Established in 1961, USAID is responsible for administering foreign aid and development programs abroad to promote American interests.

According to an email obtained and shared by CNN, USAID leadership directed that the “headquarters at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, D.C. be closed to Agency personnel on Monday, February 3, 2025.” 

“Agency personnel normally assigned to work at USAID headquarters will work remotely tomorrow, with the exception of personnel with essential on-site and building maintenance functions individually contacted by senior leadership,” the letter said.

AP has confirmed the email, adding that more than 600 employees discovered overnight that they had been locked out of USAID’s computer systems.

The development comes after Trump blasted the agency, arguing that “it’s been run by a bunch of radical lunatics.” “We’re getting them out, and then we’ll make a decision,” he said.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and a close ally of the US president, has also been a fierce critic of USAID. He described it as a “criminal organization” which he believes was financing bioweapon research, including projects that allegedly led to the emergence of Covid-19.

“It became apparent that it’s not an apple with a worm in it. What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair,” Musk said.

He also revealed that he had spoken with Trump, claiming that the president had “agreed” that USAID should be shut down.

USAID run by ‘radical lunatics’ – Trump

US President Donald Trump has attacked the leadership of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), claiming the organization has been poorly managed by “radical lunatics.” The criticism came after two top USAID security officials were reportedly put on leave after trying to stop the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing its systems.

FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump.
©Rebecca Noble / Getty Images

USAID is an organization tasked with promoting American interests abroad through various forms of assistance to foreign governments and international institutions.

When asked on Sunday about the agency, Trump said that “it’s been run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we’re getting them out, and then we’ll make a decision” on its future.

The comment followed reports that representatives of the Elon Musk-headed DOGE accessed USAID headquarters in Washington DC for an audit last week. Over the weekend, USAID’s official website went offline, and its X account vanished amid reports that the White House was considering merging the agency into the State Department.

Early on Monday, Musk revealed he had spoken with Trump, who “agreed” that USAID should be shut down.

Musk made the comments during an X Spaces stream overnight Sunday into Monday, where he discussed DOGE. He said he checked with Trump multiple times, asking, “are you sure?” to which the president confirmed “so we’re shutting it down.”

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO earlier accused USAID of financing bioweapon research, including projects that allegedly led to the emergence of Covid-19, branding the agency a “criminal organization.”

On Friday, a team of DOGE inspectors gained access to USAID’s internal systems, including its website and key databases, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

Among the systems accessed were those containing reports on past and ongoing programs and also those used to track congressionally mandated and performance data for all USAID programs globally, according to the outlet.

The group also reportedly took control of a software system used by USAID for tracking and managing the agency’s budgeting, accounting, and financial transactions.

Two senior security officials at USAID were reportedly placed on forced leave after they tried to prevent DOGE staff from accessing classified documents during their effort to review the agency’s finances.

Last week, around 60 senior career officials at USAID were placed on administrative leave. The action followed Trump’s executive order initiating a 90-day suspension of most foreign aid in order to conduct a comprehensive spending review.

Musk accuses USAID of ‘covering up corruption

Two senior security officials with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have reportedly been placed on leave by President Donald Trump’s administration after attempting to prevent an audit by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

FILE PHOTO ©AP/Susan Walsh

A team of DOGE inspectors sought to review “classified material in restricted areas” at USAID on Saturday but were stopped by security officials, AP reported on Sunday. The inspectors were said to have lacked the necessary security clearance, and USAID security was “legally obligated” to deny them access to the requested data, according to the news agency.

“No, they tried to lie to cover up their corruption,” Musk wrote on X, dismissing allegations that the team lacked security clearance. Katie Miller, who serves on an advisory board for the DOGE, also said that “no classified material was accessed without proper security clearances.”

Eventually, the inspectors gained access to the requested materials, including personnel records and “intelligence reports,” according to AP. The USAID officials, identified as John Vorhees and his deputy, Brian McGill, were placed on leave.

The DOGE has yet to publish details of its review of USAID activities, but Musk attacked the agency in a series of fiery posts on Sunday.

“USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die,” Musk said, accusing the agency of “paying media organizations to publish their propaganda,” and even using US taxpayer dollars to fund “bioweapon research, including COVID-19, that killed millions of people.”

Over the weekend, the official USAID website went offline, and its X account disappeared amid reports that the White House considered merging the agency into the Department of State.

The DOGE was created by Trump as a presidential advisory commission dedicated to reducing government spending. Its goal is to cut at least $1 trillion in federal spending by July 2026. In late January, the DOGE claimed that it had already cutting federal spending by $1 billion per day. It has reportedly saved over $1 billion solely by eliminating contracts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Musk’s department has also been granted full access to the US Treasury Department’s payment system, which is considered sensitive and was previously restricted to a small group of career civil servants.

US-made Abrams tank destroyed in Russia’s Kursk Region - Video

Moscow’s forces have successfully struck a US-produced M1 Abrams tank operated by the Ukrainian military, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Friday, releasing a video showing the disabled armor piece. The tank was hit with a kamikaze drone in Russia’s Kursk border region, according to the report.

A short clip released by the ministry shows the tank in an improvised ditch on the side of what appears to be a dirt road. Grey smoke can be seen coming out of its turret. There are no signs of the crew in the video. According to the ministry, the tank was hit near the village of Viktorovka located just a few kilometers from Russia’s border with Ukraine.

US lawmakers previously approved the transfer of 31 stripped down M1 Abrams tanks to Kiev, worth $400 million as part of the Western effort to bolster the Ukrainian army before its 2023 “counteroffensive” against Russian forces. The operation failed to produce any significant gains.

The tank was hit with a Lancet unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the ministry said. Also known as loitering munitions, the Lancet drone family are kamikaze UAVs normally deployed by Russian forces against high-value armored targets. Earlier this week, a similar drone was used to destroy a US-made Paladin self-propelled howitzer.

According to the ministry, Kiev’s forces have lost a total of three tanks as well as almost 200 soldiers to the fighting in the Kursk Region over the past 24 hours alone. Other losses suffered by the Ukrainian military in the area over the same period included three armored personnel carriers, five armored combat vehicles, and a US-made M777 howitzer, according to the ministry.

Ukraine launched its incursion into the Kursk Region in early August 2024 in an unsuccessful effort to divert Moscow’s resources from its successful offensive in Donbass. Kiev also claimed it wanted leverage for possible peace talks with Moscow. Russia then stated that, although it had never ruled out negotiations with Ukraine, it could only be possible after all Ukrainian forces had left Russian territory.

Kiev’s forces made some initial progress in the early days of their incursion into the Kursk Region, taking up positions in the border area, but their advance was quickly contained by Moscow’s forces. Last week, the Russian Defense Ministry said that more than 63% of the territories in the region initially occupied by Ukrainian forces have been retaken.

Kiev lost more than 54,000 troops and over 300 tanks since the start of its incursion into the Russian border region, according to the Russian ministry’s data.

NATO F-16 Instructor Jeppe Hansen killed in Russian strike

Danish instructor Jepp Hansen, who was training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets, has allegedly been killed in a Russian missile strike in Ukraine, TASS reported on Saturday.

Sources within Russian law enforcement have reportedly told the agency that Hansen died during an attack on a training center in the city of Krivoy Rog in Dnepropetrovsk Region in central Ukraine.

Previously, the Russian newspaper Gazeta had said that Russian forces used an Iskander missile to destroy a closed university building in the city which the Ukrainian military had converted into barracks. The upper part of the four-story building was almost completely destroyed, according to reports, while the facade of the building sustained heavy damage.

According to Russian media reports, citing a post by Hansen’s friend on social media, the Dane had significant experience in flying F-16 jets and had trained “hundreds of Ukrainians” to operate the planes.

Neither Denmark nor the Russian Defense Ministry has officially commented on the reports.

Last year, the Netherlands and Denmark delivered 20 F-16s to Ukraine and have vowed to send more throughout 2025. Norway, Belgium and Greece have also pledged to send a number of the fighter jets to Kiev.

Moscow has denounced the Western arms shipments, warning that they will only prolong the conflict without changing the outcome. It has also said that F-16 deliveries represent an escalation of hostilities.

In August 2024, one of the F-16 fighter jets sent from Nato allies to Ukraine has been destroyed, a Ukrainian military source has told the BBC.

The aircraft went down amid a barrage of Russian missiles on Monday, killing pilot Oleksiy Mes, Ukraine's military said. It marks the first loss of its kind since the planes were delivered earlier this month.

The cause of the crash was not a direct result of an enemy missile strike, the Ukrainian military claims.

It said the pilot destroyed three cruise missiles and one drone in Russia's largest aerial attack to date.

Russian forces liberate Vremevka, Petropavlovka in DPR

Russian units have liberated the villages of Vremevka and Petropavlovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the Russian Defense Ministry said.

©Alexey Konovalov/TASS

The ministry added that Petropavlovka was liberated due to successful advancing actions by Russia’s Battlegroup Center. According to the ministry, as a result of the battlegroup’s actions, "the adversary lost up to 585 troops, three armored combat vehicles, four motor vehicles and four artillery guns."

In addition to liberating Vremevka, Battlegroup East has carried out strikes on Ukrainian brigades near Konstantinopol and Velikaya Novoselka in the DPR over the past 24 hours. "Ukrainian losses have amounted up to 135 troops, two armored combat vehicles, three motor vehicles and five foreign-made field guns. An ammo depot was eliminated," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

TikTok could be banned in the U.S. this Sunday

A TikTok logo is displayed on an iPhone.Getty Images

TikTok plans to shut U.S. operations of its social media app used by 170 million Americans on Sunday, when a federal ban is set to take effect, barring a last-minute reprieve, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The US Supreme Court has upheld a law that bans TikTok in the US unless its China-based parent company ByteDance sells the platform by this Sunday.

The Washington Post reported President-elect Donald Trump, whose term begins a day after a ban would start, is considering issuing an executive order to suspend enforcement of a shutdown for 60 to 90 days. The report did not say how Trump could legally do so.

The law signed in April mandates a ban on new TikTok downloads on Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab or Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab app stores if Chinese parent ByteDance fails to divest the site.

Users who have downloaded TikTok would theoretically still be able to use the app, except that the law also bars U.S. companies starting Sunday from providing services to enable the distribution, maintenance, or updating of it.

The Trump transition team did not have an immediate comment. Trump has said he should have time after taking office to pursue a "political resolution" of the issue.

"TikTok itself is a fantastic platform," Trump's incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz told Fox News on Wednesday. "We're going to find a way to preserve it but protect people's data."

The New York Times separately reported that Tiktok CEO has been extended an invitation to attend the President-elect's inaugration and sit in "a position of honor".

A White House official told Reuters Wednesday President Joe Biden has no plans to intervene to block a ban in his final days in office if the Supreme Court fails to act and added Biden is legally unable to intervene absent a credible plan from ByteDance to divest TikTok.

However, a NBC report later said the Biden administration has been weighing options to keep the social media platform avaliable to users beyond Sunday, in a bid to defer the decision to Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated on Monday.

"Americans shouldn't expect to see TikTok suddenly banned on Sunday," an administration official told the broadcast network.

U.S. Senator Ed Markey on Wednesday sought unanimous consent to extend the deadline for ByteDance to divest TikTok by 270 days but Republican Senator Tom Cotton blocked the proposal.

If it is banned, TikTok plans that users attempting to open the app will see a pop-up message directing them to a website with information about the ban, the people said, requesting anonymity as the matter is not public.

"We go dark. Essentially, the platform shuts down," TikTok lawyer Noel Francisco told the Supreme Court last week.

The company also plans to give users an option to download all their data so that they can take a record of their personal information, the sources said.

Users took to social media platform X to express their disappointment with a potential ban on the app, in the run up to Sunday when the ban takes effect. They also expressed their happiness at reports on Trump considering ways to avert the ban.

The U.S. Supreme Court is currently deciding whether to uphold the law and allow TikTok to be banned on Sunday, overturn the law, or pause the law to give the court more time to make a decision.

Shutting down TikTok in the U.S. could make it unavailable for users in many other countries, the company said in a court filing last month, because hundreds of service providers in the U.S. help make the platform available to TikTok users around the world - and could no longer do so starting Sunday.

TikTok said in the court filing an order was needed to "avoid interruption of services for tens of millions of TikTok users outside the United States."

TikTok had said that the prohibitions would eventually make the app unusable, noting in the filing that "data centers would almost certainly conclude that they can no longer store" TikTok code, content, or data.

The sources said the shutdown aims to protect TikTok service providers from legal liability and make it easier to resume operations if President-elect Donald Trump opted to roll back any ban. Shutting down such services does not require longer planning, one of the sources said, noting that most operations have been continuing as usual as of this week. If the ban gets reversed later, TikTok would be able to restore service for U.S. users in a relatively short time, sources said.

TikTok and its Chinese parent, ByteDance, did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

U.S. tech publication The Information first reported the news late on Tuesday. Privately held ByteDance is about 60% owned by institutional investors such as BlackRock and General Atlantic, while its founders and employees own 20% each. It has more than 7,000 employees in the United States.

President Joe Biden last April signed a law requiring ByteDance to sell its U.S. assets by Jan. 19, or face a nationwide ban. Last week, the Supreme Court seemed inclined to uphold the law, despite calls from Trump and lawmakers to extend the deadline.

TikTok and ByteDance have sought, at the very least, a delay in the implementation of the law, which they say violates the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protection against government abridgment of free speech.

TikTok said in the court filing last month it estimated one-third of its 170 million American users would stop accessing the platform if the ban lasted a month.

Ukraine ‘has ceased to exist’ – ex-commander

FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian servicemen of 24th brigade.
©Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu via Getty Images

The Ukrainian state has essentially ceased to exist, is plagued by endemic institutional failure and corruption, with Kiev's troops continuing to hold on by sheer will alone, a former commander has argued. He also warned that Ukraine’s defenses could collapse, allowing Russia to march all the way to the Dnieper River.

In an interview with Novyni Live on Monday, Vladimir Shylov, former commander of the 3rd Company in the 134th Separate Territorial Defense Battalion, lashed out at Ukraine’s political leadership, stating that the country has “ceased to exist” as a functional state due to widespread graft and mismanagement.

Shylov expressed concern that these woes could allow Russian forces to increase their gains, warning that they may be able to overrun frontline positions in Donbass and reach as far as the Dnieper River. The advances could be facilitated by internal chaos, he added, stating “In our country, everything is a mess...the front is holding only thanks to the Ukrainian people.”

Ukrainian leaders have transformed the nation into a “concentration camp,” Shylov claimed, highlighting systemic failures across all branches of government, including the legislative, executive, and judicial sectors.

Shylov also specifically criticized the country’s leader, Vladimir Zelensky, for what he described as a blatant neglect of his defense responsibilities, alleging that his government had ignored Western warnings of a Russian offensive prior to the special military operation, resulting in the inadequate preparation of Kiev’s forces.

The ex-commander went on to comment on Ukraine’s ongoing incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region, portraying it as a political ploy without any real strategic military value. He argued that the Ukrainian offensive had turned out to be a symbolic gesture which does not compensate for the substantial territorial losses Ukraine has suffered, particularly in Donbass.

Over the past several months, Russia has made significant gains in Donbass and elsewhere, with President Vladimir Putin noting that regular advances now amount to kilometers rather than hundreds of meters.

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said earlier this month that Ukraine had lost one million service members since February 2022, with more than half of that number in 2024 alone, adding that Moscow’s forces are in full control of the strategic initiative.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian battlefield commanders continue to complain of a critical shortage of manpower, despite Kiev implementing stricter mobilization rules and lowering the draft age from 27 to 25 this spring.

Murdered Russian general who exposed US biolab grabs Indonesian media attention

General Igor Kirillov ©RIA Novosti

The assassination of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who played a key role in unveiling covert US biological research programs in the country, grabbed the interest of Indonesian media this week.

Kirillov, who was the commander of the Russian Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces, and his aide were murdered in an explosion in Moscow on Tuesday. The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), which had previously labeled the general as an “absolutely legitimate target” for assassination, claimed responsibility for the attack.

During his time as the commander of the military branch responsible for protecting troops and civilians from chemical and biological weapons, Kirillov had on numerous occasions reported on Washington’s biolabs in various parts of the world, primarily in Ukraine. However, he has also pointed to other similar facilities in other countries, including Indonesia.

In his report in 2022, Kirillov specifically mentioned the US Navy’s NAMRU 2 lab in Jakarta, claiming that it had been used to conduct suspicious biological research in Indonesia up until it was closed in 2010 after the Indonesian Health Ministry designated it as a “threat to Indonesia’s sovereignty.”

Kirillov’s report prompted Indonesian media to launch their own investigations into US biological research in the country. In April 2022, the Detik news outlet released a report suggesting that, despite the lab ban, the US had continued conducting illegal research in the country under the cover of military exercises

In his report in 2022, Kirillov specifically mentioned the US Navy’s NAMRU 2 lab in Jakarta, claiming that it had been used to conduct suspicious biological research in Indonesia up until it was closed in 2010 after the Indonesian Health Ministry designated it as a “threat to Indonesia’s sovereignty.” 

Kirillov’s report prompted Indonesian media to launch their own investigations into US biological research in the country. In April 2022, the Detik news outlet released a report suggesting that, despite the lab ban, the US had continued conducting illegal research in the country under the cover of military exercises. 

According to documents obtained by the outlet, in 2016, American naval surgeons performed operations on 23 local patients on board the USNS Mercy hospital ship without coordination with Indonesia’s Ministry of Health. US military personnel were also alleged to have secretly exported blood samples taken from dozens of Indonesian patients and transported three rabid dogs from Padang – an area where rabies is endemic – without Jakarta’s permission. Local health officials also told Detik that the Americans had wanted to obtain samples of the dengue fever virus from local mosquitoes.

As for NAMRU 2, the lab was closed after then-Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari raised concerns over the facility’s operations and questioned its efficacy. Speaking to RT’s Indonesian Bureau Chief, Denis Bolotsky, in 2022, she noted that the results of the lab, which had been operating for nearly 40 years and was supposedly focused on studying malaria and tuberculosis, “were not significant.”

Supari’s attempts to close the NAMRU lab had reportedly become a big problem for Washington, which, according to memos leaked by Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks in 2010, held multiple meetings on the issue and discussed ways to “manage” the minister and pressure her into keeping the facility open.

It’s the biolabs, stupid: Is this why Ukraine murdered a Russian general?

The shocking assassination of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Protection Forces, reverberates far beyond the streets of Moscow. On December 17, 2024, Kirillov was killed in a brazen bombing, an act the Russian government has denounced as terrorism. While the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) – Kiev’s successor to the Soviet KGB – via ‘anonymous sources’ cited in multiple media outlets, has claimed responsibility, labeling Kirillov a war criminal, the truth about his death is likely far more complex – and far more chilling.

Kirillov’s death was not just an attack on a prominent Russian official; it was an attack on the truth. For years, he had been at the forefront of investigating and exposing alleged US-funded biolabs in Ukraine, claiming they were part of a broader Western biological warfare agenda. His assassination raises a deeply unsettling question: Was this a deliberate effort to silence him and prevent his revelations from coming to light?

Kirillov and the biolabs investigation

Kirillov’s work was controversial, but his allegations deserved scrutiny. He repeatedly accused the United States of funding clandestine biological laboratories in Ukraine, purportedly operating under the guise of public health initiatives. According to Russian reports, these labs were involved in the development of pathogens that could potentially target specific populations, a claim Washington and Kiev vehemently denied.

Throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Kirillov presented what he claimed were classified documents and intercepted communications proving the existence of such facilities. He argued that the labs represented a serious threat not only to Russia but to global security. Though his assertions were often dismissed in the West as propaganda, they stirred debate and distrust among nations already skeptical of US military and scientific activities abroad.

The targeting of a truth-seeker?

The timing and method of Kirillov’s assassination are too conspicuous to ignore. A bomb concealed on an electric scooter detonated as he left for work, killing him and his assistant. The sophistication of the attack suggests involvement by professionals with substantial resources. The SBU’s admission of responsibility and Russia’s subsequent arrest of an alleged Ukrainian agent may seem to provide a tidy explanation. However, there are reasons to believe that more powerful actors had a vested interest in Kirillov’s demise.

Kirillov’s investigations threatened to unveil a shadowy intersection of science, warfare, and geopolitics. If even a fraction of his claims about the US biolabs in Ukraine were accurate, they would implicate powerful institutions in serious breaches of international law, including violations of the Biological Weapons Convention. Such revelations would have provoked outrage among non-aligned nations and could have seriously undermined the credibility of the United States and its allies.

Cui bono – who benefits?

The age-old question of “who benefits” looms large over Kirillov’s assassination. The primary beneficiaries of his death are those who sought to discredit or suppress his findings. The US and Ukraine have long denied the existence of offensive biological research programs in Ukrainian laboratories, branding Kirillov’s accusations as disinformation aimed at justifying Russian “aggression.” However, his death conveniently prevents him from providing further evidence to substantiate his claims.

Moreover, silencing Kirillov sends a clear message to other potential whistleblowers: exposing sensitive information about Western military or scientific programs comes with lethal consequences. This chilling effect could deter future investigations into biolabs, leaving critical questions unanswered.

A broader pattern of suppression

Kirillov’s death is not an isolated incident. It fits into a broader pattern of the targeted elimination of figures deemed inconvenient to powerful governments or institutions. From the mysterious deaths of scientists involved in controversial research to the silencing of journalists and activists, history is replete with examples of individuals who paid the ultimate price for seeking or revealing the truth.

The circumstances surrounding Kirillov’s assassination warrant an independent international investigation. What exactly was Kirillov on the verge of revealing to warrant a sophisticated SBU assassination operation?

The need for transparency

In the absence of transparency, conspiracy theories will inevitably flourish. Kirillov’s assassination underscores the urgent need for an unbiased investigation into both his death and the allegations he was pursuing. If the US and Ukraine have nothing to hide, they should welcome such scrutiny. Conversely, any attempt to dismiss or obstruct inquiries will only fuel suspicions of a cover-up.

The world deserves answers – not just about Kirillov’s death, but about the broader implications of the biolabs controversy. If his accusations were unfounded, it is in everyone’s interest to definitively debunk them. But if there is even a kernel of truth to his claims, then his assassination represents not only a tragedy but a global crisis.

The murder of Igor Kirillov is more than an act of violence; it is a grim reminder of the lengths to which some will go to bury inconvenient truths. Whether one believes his allegations or not, his death should alarm anyone who values transparency and accountability in global affairs.

Kirillov may be gone, but the questions he raised cannot – and should not – be silenced. The world must demand answers, not just for his sake, but for the sake of justice and truth in an increasingly opaque and dangerous geopolitical landscape.