AIDS and Abetting

“During President Trump’s first month in office, his administration upended much of the flagship global H.I.V. program that had saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Zambia. The Zambian government went into emergency mode, desperate to ensure that people with the virus could continue to receive lifesaving medications. But other crucial aspects of the program had to be scrapped — interventions that had helped stop the spread of the virus and protected the most vulnerable people.” AIDS Creeps Back in Parts of Zambia, a Year After U.S. Cuts to H.I.V. Assistance. “The State Department is negotiating new health assistance funding agreements with countries that used to have U.S.A.I.D. support. These come with conditions, and Zambia’s has proved particularly thorny, because the State Department has tied support for the H.I.V. program to access to the country’s minerals.” (Before scrolling on to the next thing, just think about this for a second. The world’s richest man working with the administration of the world’s richest country is bringing back AIDs, but they will reconsider … for a price.)