Trump US Gaza Takeover Plan is Insane, The Truth About Elon Musk’s Gutting of USAID, & Today’s News
PDS Published 02/05/2025
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PART 1:
Buying Greenland, annexing Canada, reclaiming the Panama Canal?
Trump’s imperialist fantasies are just getting started.
With him now talking about “taking over” the Gaza strip and turning it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Right, we talked last week about Trump suggesting his plan for Gaza Strip was to ”clean out the whole thing” –
A proposal widely condemned by the international community as illegal and criticized by many as a call for ethnic cleansing.
And now, while the details are still sparse, he’s fully leaning into the idea.
Welcoming Israeli PM Bibi Netanyahu to Washington and reaffirming his stance that Palestinians should leave Gaza so it can be rebuilt…
But going even further, stating much less ambiguously that he sees this as a long-term if not permanent exit for the Gazan people.
And also suggesting that it would be the US to take ownership over the territory.
And with that, not ruling out the deployment of American troops.
So, with that, this starts with Trump's comments during an oval office meeting with Netanyahu, when a reporter asked if Palestinians would have the right to return to Gaza under his plan, and he said this:
"It would be my hope that we could do something really nice, really good, where they wouldn't want to return. Why would they want to return? That place has been hell –
“Because it’s their home sir.”
“It’s been one of the meanest, toughest places on Earth. And right now, I’ve seen every picture from every angle, better than if I were there, and nobody can live there…Because Gaza is a guarantee that they're going to end up dying. The same thing is going to happen again. It's happened over and over again. And it's going to happen again as sure as you're standing there, Peter. So I hope that we could do something where they wouldn't want to go back. Who would want to go back? They've experienced nothing but death and destruction.” (BYTE: 0:12-0:34, 1:08-1:29).
And with that, Trump suggested they’d build new, beautiful, peaceful places for Palestinians to live in Jordan, Egypt, or elsewhere.
Also claiming these places would be built with “massive amounts of money” supplied by other people, including “very rich nations” and claiming “they’re willing to supply it.”
And when asked what would happen if Egypt and Jordan say not, Trump responded:
“Well I don’t think they're gonna tell me no. I don’t think they’re – I think they’re gonna tell Biden no. And I think they’re gonna tell other people no.”
“So you think it will happen in the end?”
“I think there’s a good chance.”
“How many people are you thinking about?
“All of them. I mean we’re talking about probably a million-seven people, million-seven, maybe a million-eight, but I think all of them. I think they’ll be resettled in areas where they can live a beautiful life and not be worried about dying every day.” (BYTE: 1:36-2:04)
But actually, Egypt and Jordan have very firmly stated that they’re not interested in taking in hundreds of thousands of people from Gaza.
And of course, as I mentioned, this idea also has already been widely criticized by all but the most right-wing elements of the Israeli government and some international supporters.
With a key point now being, Palestinians? By and large, they don’t wanna leave.
With one Palestinian professor who’s been displaced from his home in Gaza describing Trump’s claim as “outrageous.”
And adding: “Palestinians would rather live in tents next to their destroyed homes rather than relocate to another place.”[]
Something seemingly backed up by one 29-year-old Gazan speaking to NPR and saying:
"Even if there was a place that was a million times better than Gaza, and even if I could be sure that life there would be luxurious, I would still be ready to live among the rubble and in tents here.”
"If they come with the army, with military force, I will still never leave."[]
You know, which is why you have outlets like The New York Times explaining that to Palestinians, “[Trump’s] proposal would constitute ethnic cleansing on a more terrifying scale than any displacement they have experienced since 1948…”
Which is when roughly 800,000 Arabs were expelled or forced to flee during the wars surrounding the creation of Israel. []
With the head of Amnesty International USA claiming removing all Palestinians from Gaza is “tantamount to destroying them as a people.”
And going on to say:
“Gaza is their home. Gaza’s death and destruction is a result of the government of Israel killing civilians by the thousands, often with US bombs.”[]
With all that being to say that this was bad enough already.
But it gets even worse.
Right, after that oval office meeting, Trump and Netanuyahu held a press conference, where the Donald just took things to a whole ‘nother level:
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site. Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings. Level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area….”
“If you go back, it's gonna end up the same way it has for 100 years. I'm hopeful that this ceasefire could be the beginning of a larger and more enduring peace that will end the bloodshed and killing once and for all. With the same goal in mind, my administration has been moving quickly to restore trust in the alliance and rebuild American strength throughout the region. And we've really done that. We're a respected nation again. A lot's happened in the last couple of weeks. We are actually a very respected nation again.” (BYTE:2:01-3:02)
PART 2
And from there, Trump went on to answer questions and say he sees a “long-term ownership position” for the US and claiming it would “great stability to that part of the Middle East, and maybe the entire Middle East”
And adding:
“We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal. I don’t want to be cute, I don’t want to be a wise guy, but the riviera of the middle east, this could be something – this could be so magnificent. But more importantly than that is the people that have been absolutely destroyed that live there now can live in peace in a much better situation, because they’re living in hell, and those people will now be able to live in peace. We’ll make sure that it’s done world-class. Palestinians, Palestinians, mostly we’re talking about.” (BYTE: 39:12-39:47)
But with that, asked who he thinks would live in Gaza, you had him saying that he envisions the “world’s people” living there.”
I think you'll make that into an international, unbelievable place. I think the potential in the Gaza Strip is unbelievable. And I think the entire world, representatives from all over the world will be there, and they'll live there. Palestinians also. Palestinians will live there. Many people will live there.” BYTE: 38:36-38:55:
And finally, asked about the possibility of sending US troops, he simply said this:
“As far as Gaza is concerned, we'll do what is necessary. If it's necessary, we'll do that. We're going to take over that piece, and we're going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs, and it'll be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of.” (BYTE: 19:41-19:56)
And so with all this, you have people like Andrew Miller, a former Middle East policy adviser under Obama and Biden, telling the New York Times:
“This is literally the most incomprehensible policy proposal I have ever heard from an American president.”[]
With him also claiming the cost of Trump’s plan “would make the $40 billion foreign assistance budget that Trump and Elon Musk call a waste look like a rounding error.”[]
And then, Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East peace negotiator, noting that Trump’s Gaza proposal goes against his avowed opposition to nation-building and could undermine his efforts to get Saudi Arabia to establish diplomatic ties with Israel.
Not to mention, according to him, provide Russia and China “a green light to take over territory as they see fit.”[]
But with him going on to argue that“ All of the hoopla on the U.S. taking over Gaza caused us to miss the real story from the meeting.”[]
With him referring to the fact that there was relatively little discussion about the current ceasefire or negotiating the second phase.
And notably, you have Democratic Senator Chris Murphy making a similar point on the US side, writing in one post on X:
“A US invasion of Gaza would lead to the slaughter of thousands of US troops and decades of war in the Middle East. It’s like a bad, sick joke.”[]
But then adding in a separate post:
“I have news for you - we aren’t taking over Gaza.
“But the media and the chattering class will focus on it for a few days and Trump will have succeeded in distracting everyone from the real story - the billionaires seizing government to steal from regular people.” []
But with that, we’ve seen other Democratic lawmakers similarly taking up arms.
Chris Van Hollen, for example, claiming Trump’s proposal “defies decades of bipartisan American support for a two-state solution” and describing it as “ethnic cleansing.” []
Chris Coons saying:
“That’s insane. I can’t think of a place on Earth that would welcome American troops less and where any positive outcome is less likely.”[]
And Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American member of Congress, writing on X:
Palestinians aren’t going anywhere. This president can only spew this fanatical bullshit because of bipartisan support in Congress for funding genocide and ethnic cleansing. It's time for my two-state solution colleagues to speak up.” []
Though, notably, John Fetterman, probably the staunchest supporter of Israel on the Democratic side, has signalled his openness to Trump’s proposal.
And the Republican side, we’re seeing a lot of confusion about how to respond.
Right, some seemingly trying to walk the fine line of voicing their skepticism without outright opposing Trump.
Lindsey Graham, for example, saying:
“...I think most South Carolinians are probably not excited about sending Americans to take over Gaza. I think that might be problematic, but I’ll keep an open mind.”[]
But then, some being very gung-ho, including, for example, House Republicans like Nancy Mace and Richard Hudson.
With Mace writing on X:
“Let’s turn Gaza into Mar-A-Lago,”[]
And then, actually, that something becoming a disgusting sort of trend, with Trump’s former ambassador to Israel, for example, writing on X:
“Mar-a-Gaza or Gaz-a-Lago?” []
And also saying:
“Trump’s proposed USA takeover of the Gaza Strip may sound out of the box, but it is brilliant, historic and the only idea I have heard in 50 years that has a chance of bringing security, peace and prosperity to this troubled region.”[]
And of course, that’s also the stance being taken by the far-right extremists in the Israeli government.
Right, with a key thing there being Netanyahu is under a lot of pressure from these far-right allies to abandon the ceasefire and resume fighting in Gaza to eliminate Hamas
Right, in fact, one of them already resigned from Netanyahu’s government over the ceasefire and hostage deal.
And another one had previously vowed to topple the government if the war isn’t relaunched.
One writing:
“With God’s help we will now act to finally bury the dangerous idea of a Palestinian state.”[]
And the other, calling on Netanyahu “to announce the adoption of the plan as soon as possible and to begin immediate practical progress.” []
Netanyahu, for his part, seems open, saying “[Trump] has a different idea, and [he thinks] it's worth paying attention to this.
Though, with all that said, you have some saying Trump’s comments shouldn’t be taken literally.
Right, arguing it’s just a negotiating tactic aimed at getting compromises from both Hamas and Arab leaders.
For instance, one analyst telling the Times that faced with a choice between controlling Gaza and just maintaining some sort of presence there, it might choose the latter []
And then, with Saudi Arabia, for example, another expert saying it might give up its insistence on Palestinian statehood in exchange for a deal that preserves Palestinians’ right to stay in Gaza.[]
And there, I will say, Saudi Arabia quickly rejected Trump’s plan, reiterating its stance that it won’t normalize ties with Israel unless Israel agrees to the creation of a Palestinian state.
But some still think the Saudi position could change.
Pointing to Trump’s first term, for example, when the UAE agreed to normalize ties with Israel in exchange for Israel postponing the annexation of occupied territory in the West Bank.
And ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see where this goes.
Both long-term, but also in the next few weeks.
Right, because the first phase of the ceasefire is over at the end of the month.
And while talks for the second phase are reportedly now underway, there’s a lot of ways it could go wrong, and it’s obviously not yet clear exactly what kind of impact Trump’s comments are gonna have.
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The Trump administration has effectively shut down USAID.
Right, we talked about this whole messy situation earlier this week, and specifically, Elon Musk’s involvement is totally imploding the six-decade mission to ensure American security through a wide range of aid abroad.
But yesterday, the administration said in a notice sent to staff and posted on the USAID website, that almost all workers around the world will be put on administrative leave and pulled from postings in the field abroad starting this Friday.
With the only exceptions there being for “designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs,” who are directed to keep working and will be informed about next steps by tomorrow.
So for all other staff posted abroad — which is about two-thirds of the agency's 10,000 employees — the notice says that the State Department is working on a plan to arrange and pay for their travel home.
Though, notably, the notice did say that “the Agency” — seemingly referring to USAID — will “consider case-by-case exceptions and return travel extensions based on personal or family hardship, mobility or safety concerns, or other reasons.”
This including the need for the children of employees to finish school, family medical needs, and “other reasons.”
But, as The Associated Press explains, it’s unclear who at USAID would be processing those claims or other documents for the removal of thousands of workers abroad given the fact that most of the agency is being fired or put on leave come Friday.
And even if the people who are supposed to process these requests are deemed “essential” and allowed to keep working, the people they are supposed to help are already being cut off from the tools they need to communicate.
With the AP reporting that “many of the aid workers abroad are locked out of email and emergency communications with their own government.”
Now, to work around that, employees were told to email a specific USAID official their personal contact information so they could continue to communicate.
But one worker told CNN that when they did so, they literally got a bounceback email saying the person is ALSO on leave. []
So, as a result, it’s been widely reported that USAID workers are scrambling to get everything sorted and leave the countries that they and their families have been living in.
With many saying that despite the administration’s assurances, they are still worried about being stranded abroad or left to make their own way home given how short the timeframe is, the general mess and confusion, and the cut-off of communications.
Some staffers are reportedly having to make difficult decisions about pulling their kids mid-school year, others have given away pets because they don’t have enough time to get the proper documentation to relocate them.
And some have been placed directly in harm's way.
One contractor who is posted in an often violent region of the Middle East told the AP that the shutdown endangered his family because they were unable to reach the U.S. government for help.
With the contractor saying that one morning they woke up and they had just been blocked from accessing their government email and other systems — including an emergency “panic button” app that wiped off their phone.
Right, so with all this, we’ve seen continued uproar from USAID employees, Democrats, and other advocates who have broadly condemned the continued erosion of the agency that culminated in this final straw.
With protests taking place at the nation's Capitol, where hundreds of demonstrators were joined by Democratic lawmakers who delivered remarks as people reportedly yelled “Lock him up!” and “Do your job!”
Right, and this also comes as other protests against Trump and Project 2025 are also being planned around the country today.
But, as far as what happens next with USAID, saying it’s really unclear is truly the understatement of the year.
And by “the year” I mean the 275 days of January that we have already lived.
One thing that seems certain is that this mass-relocation will be a huge fucking mess and put people in challenging and outright dangerous positions.
But it’s very likely that many of these actions will be challenged in lawsuits.
Right, as we talked about on Monday, Democrats and experts have argued that because Congress passed legislation enshrining USAID an independent agency, it can’t be shutdown without the approval of the legislative branch.
And beyond that, as the AP explains:
“Staff being placed on leave include both foreign and civil service officers who have legal protection against arbitrary dismissal and being placed on leave without reason.”
And adding that the union that represents U.S. diplomats has already sent a notice to members saying it was preparing legal action.
So for now, we’re just going to have to wait and see how this absolute shitstorm disaster plays out.
But unfortunately, as we wait, the livelihoods and safety of thousands of Americans and their families are on the line.
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What the fuck is going on with the United States Postal Service?
Yesterday, we had headlines like “USPS suspends incoming parcels from Hong Kong and China.”
But just as we were looking into the situation, everything got flipped again as the post announced that they actually would accept packages.
The initial announcement came very suddenly yesterday and was actually kinda short.
It essentially just said that USPS wouldn’t be accepting packages from China and Hong Kong until further notice and that letter-sized items wouldn’t be affected.
But it never said WHY it was doing this, leading to a lot of speculation from people and outlets.
The most likely reason was tied to new American tariffs on Chinese goods going into effect and most notably an end to the “de minimis” exception.
Before the new rules, Chinese packages valued at under $800 were allowed to come into the US tax free.
And companies like Temu and Shein heavily relied on it in order to offer cheap items for American customers.
So outlets connected all those dots and somewhat assumed that the suspension was related to figuring out how to deal with the flood of these packages using the exception.[]
But then this morning, the USPS announced that it actually was going to continue accepting packages from China and Hong Kong and said in a statement:
“The USPS and Customs and Border Protection are working closely together to implement an efficient collection mechanism for the new China tariffs to ensure the least disruption to package delivery.”
This statement essentially confirms the assumption that the initial suspension was because of the new tariffs.
To be clear though: the USPS accepting packages from China does not mean that the de minimis exception is back -- regardless if the item was shipped by USPS, FedEx, or some other carrier.
Right, so if you’re ordering something from Temu there is a good chance that you’ll need to deal with Customs and pay the extra 10% for the tariff.
And there will likely be delays as Customs navigates how to handle the flood of packages from China that are now subject to tariffs.
Right, they reportedly receive over 4 million packages a week from China that would’ve qualified for the exception… []
That’s over half of all such packages.
All of this also comes as China has implemented its own 15% tariff on many American goods, with a spokesperson saying that the US must “cease its unreasonable suppression of Chinese companies” and that “China will continue to take necessary measures to firmly defend the legitimate rights of Chinese companies.”
For many, this entire situation just felt like another example that the Trump administration is kind of winging it, with takes like:
(A lot of others had a conspiracy theory that Bezos was involved in order to protect his profits… which is probably far-fetched.)
Although all of this news has led to Amazon stocks falling nearly 3%).[]
At this point it’s safe to say that a story about the US government will probably have some kind of plot twist within 24 hours,
So it’s going to be a wild and long four years, because whether you support Trump’s government or not, it’s hard having whiplash with every story and knowing what’s actually going on.
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It seems the CIA is next on the Trump administration chopping block.
Right, the Central Intelligence Agency just reportedly offered to buyout their entire workforce. []
And we’ve talked about the buyouts before - a deferred resignation program offering 8 months pay for those that leave their positions by tomorrow. []
But that was focused on workers at civilian federal agencies.
As the Wall Street Journal reports, the CIA is the first intelligence agency to make this offer to their employees. []
Of course, we’re seeing some of the same concerns, though, especially regarding the legality of this offer.
WIth Senator Tim Kaine saying,
“There’s no statutory authority that I can see for the president making this offer.”
“They’ll find some other way to get rid of you. You should not raise your hand.” []
But on top of the offer for people to leave, the CIA is also reportedly freezing their hiring processes.
With the Journal citing an aide to the CIA Director John Ratcliffe saying that some applicants are likely to see their conditional offers rescinded unless they have a background aligned with the agency’s new goals. []
With the aide citing the goal of undermining China specifically.
The aide went on to say that it was Ratcliffe’s idea for the buyout to extend to the CIA - saying it would pave the way for a more aggressive approach within the agency. []
Which lines up with what he said during his confirmation hearing last month - where he promised hard-edge spying operations and covert action.
And telling CIA workers, “if all of that sounds like what you signed up for, then buckle up and get ready to make a difference.”
Before adding,
“If it doesn’t then it’s time to find a new line of work.” []
Now, while the entire CIA workforce got this offer, we’re not sure exactly how many will actually be eligible.
With a source telling CNN that some positions and areas of expertise are likely to be restricted. []
Adding that the efforts to trim down staff is far less expansive in the CIA than it is in civil service agencies that aren’t doing national security work
And considering that they don’t disclose exactly how many people they employ, there’s still a lot of questions regarding the impact this will have. []
As for a response, a CIA spokesperson has released a statement saying,
“These moves are part of a holistic strategy to infuse the Agency with renewed energy." []
But we don’t have much more information than that.
So we’re just going to have to wait and see what happens from here - especially considering that the window to accept this deal is closing fast.
In the meantime, I’d love to know your thoughts about this in those comments down below.
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Social media companies have found a sneaky loophole to quietly fight against online protections for kids so they don’t look bad.
So what is that loophole, you ask? Paying lobbyists to file lawsuits on their behalf.
And sometimes, those lobbyists go against explicit promises a company has made to safeguard children on their platforms.
And that is exactly what we’re seeing playing out with Meta right now in Maryland.
Right, back in May, the governor signed a bill — known as the Kids Code — that strictly limited the data that tech companies can gather on minors, making Maryland the second state to enact these restrictions after California.
And specifically, the law requires companies to conduct “impact assessments” ensuring that their products are protecting “the best interests of children” and mandates that prioritize the well-being of children ahead of “commercial interests.”
With both Maryland and California’s laws here being modeled after similar rules in the U.K.
But the decision to pass this law came as its sister in California was already being challenged by a lobbying group called NetChoice, which represents some of the biggest tech companies like Meta, X, Snap, and Google.
So, amid concerns that the lobbying group would sue Maryland over its new law as well, state lawmakers wrote a letter to NetChoice members urging them, quote:
“to comply with the law” and “not attempt to undermine this bipartisan, lifesaving effort by suing to block its enactment through your lobbying group NetChoice.”
And their concerns have proved to be legitimate, because this week, NetChoice filed a suit against Maryland’s Kids Code, arguing that the law violates free speech and consumer privacy.
Writing that the act “compels websites to act as government speech police” and would subject them to “a vague and subjective ‘best interests of children’ standard that gives state officials nearly boundless discretion to restrict speech.”
Now, of course, the suit itself isn’t a surprise, but it IS super significant because it comes just months after Meta EXPLICITLY promised that it would not try to fight the policy in court.
Right, when Maryland lawmakers wrote that letter urging NetChoice members not to block the bill, a law firm representing the Meta responded in an email — which was obtained by reporters — vowing to comply and writing:
“Meta is not aware of a legal challenge to [the] Maryland Kids Code and does not plan to support one.”
But despite that promise, when NetChoice filed a lawsuit against Maryland this week, Meta was still signed on as a member company.
Now, as far as how Meta has responded, spokespeople declined to comment when asked by The Washington Post, instead pointing to the company’s policies regarding its support of third-party groups.
Which state that Meta does “not always agree with every policy or position that individual organizations or their leadership take.”
But experts are calling bullshit, with one explaining to The Post:
“Meta and other Big Tech giants pay NetChoice because it’s obviously unpopular to fund lawsuits against kids, but bottom line: Mark Zuckerberg is paying for this lawsuit.”
And while Meta’s actions here are particularly egregious, this is far from the only time that the promises Big Tech companies have made on child safety directly contradict the shady actions of their lobbying groups.
Right, while these platforms have promised change and assured lawmakers they take these issues seriously, lobbyists like Net Choice have launched a massive effort to stop governments at all levels from passing safety measures.
For example, during a high-profile Senate hearing last year, the CEOs of Snap and X publicly affirmed their support for a federal bill called Kids Online Safety Act — or KOSA.
With Elon Musk himself also voicing support for the bill.
But NetChoice was one of the most vocal opponents of the bill and successfully lobbied against it, blocking its ultimate passage in the House.
And beyond that, NetChoice alone has also reportedly filed 10 different lawsuits challenging state internet regulations.
This most notably including a landmark Supreme Court case where the group successfully argued against now-defunct laws in Florida and Texas.
So next time you hear a tech CEO talking about child safety or the policies they claim they’re implementing, remember that this whole thing goes so much deeper.
I mean, this is just the lobbying we know about… who knows what happens behind closed doors.
Go to Rocket Money to cancel your unwanted subscriptions.
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