crazy ball Falsehoods Fuel the Right-Wing Crusade Against U.S.A.I.D.

The video falsely claiming that the United States Agency for International Development paid Ben Stillercrazy ball, Angelina Jolie and other actors millions of dollars to travel to Ukraine appeared to be a clip from E!News, though it never appeared on the entertainment channel.

In fact, the video first surfaced on X in a post from an account that researchers have said spreads Russian disinformation.

Within hours it drew the attention of Elon Musk, who reposted it. So did President Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr.

They amplified the false video as Mr. Musk pressed a crusade to shut down U.S.A.I.D., the agency that has distributed much of the government’s foreign aid since 1961. Working with Mr. Trump’s blessing as the head of a government efficiency campaign, Mr. Musk and others in the administration have taken over the agency’s headquarters, frozen grants and notified employees that nearly all of them will be laid off.

The dismantling of the agency has been accompanied by a torrent of anger online from right-wing influencers and accounts that are promoting false claims and conspiratorial thinking.

While some politicians and voters have long questioned the value of foreign aid, those attacking the agency have often distorted facts and, wittingly or unwittingly, embraced as true anything that could help justify targeting U.S.A.I.D.

Posts on X About Politico and U.S.A.I.D.

Nearly 15,000 posts on X over two days mentioned U.S.A.I.D. and Politico, with many users falsely claiming that the humanitarian organization paid the news website millions of dollars.

Cumulative views

80 million

Viktor Orban

Prime minister

of Hungary

70

Nearly 10 hours after his first post,

the same independent journalist

clarifies that U.S.A.I.D. had paid

Politico only $24,000 for 2024.

60

50

40

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Benny Johnson

Podcaster

30

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

Republican of Georgia

20

“In recent weeks, a conversation around whether to change how we allocate our Electoral College votes has returned to the forefront,” Mr. McDonnell said in a statement on Monday. “I respect the desire of some of my colleagues to have this discussion, and I have taken time to listen carefully to Nebraskans and national leaders on both sides of the issue. After deep consideration, it is clear to me that right now, 43 days from Election Day, is not the moment to make this change.”

Ms. Gray’s 14-year-old son, Colt, is being charged as an adult for murder in the deadliest school shooting in Georgia’s history. He is accused of bringing an AR-15-style rifle to Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., earlier this month, killing four — two students and two math teachers — and injuring at least nine.

Charlie Kirk

Podcaster

10

An independent journalist goes viral suggesting

that U.S.A.I.D. paid Politico more than $8 million.

0

1,000

3,000

5,000

7,000

9,000

11,000

13,000

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Cumulative number of posts

Cumulative views

80 million

Viktor Orban

Prime minister

of Hungary

Nearly 10 hours after his first post, the same journalist clarifies that U.S.A.I.D.

had paid Politico only $24,000 for 2024.

70

60

50

40

Benny Johnson

Podcaster

30

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

Republican of Georgia

20

Charlie Kirk

Podcaster

10

An independent journalist suggests that U.S.A.I.D. paid Politico more than $8 million.

0

1,000

7,000

13,000

Cumulative number of posts

Note: Data includes posts on X between Feb. 5 at 9 a.m. Eastern Time and Feb. 6 at 10 p.m. that mention both “Politico” and “USAID.”

Source: Tweet Binder by Audiense

By The New York Times

Viral Disinformation About U.S.A.I.D.

A false video, claiming that celebrities were paid by U.S.A.I.D. for visiting Ukraine, went viral online and was reposted by Elon Musk, X’s owner and most-followed user. It appeared to be part of a Russian influence campaign, according to Clemson University’s Media Forensics Hub.

By The New York Times

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