First Thing: Trump administration to cut more than 90% of USAid foreign aid contracts

Plans are outlined to eliminate 5,800 of 6,200 multi-year USAid contract awards, for a cut of $54bn to foreign aid. Plus, Jeff Bezos directs Washington Post opinion section to celebrate ‘free markets’

Good morning.

The Trump administration has said it is eliminating more than 90% of the US Agency for International Development’s foreign aid contracts and $60bn in overall US assistance around the world.

Wednesday’s disclosures give an idea of the scale of the administration’s retreat from US aid and development assistance overseas amid a drive to drastically shrink the size of the state.

The administration outlined its plans in an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press and in filings in a federal lawsuit. It said it would eliminate 5,800 out of 6,200 multi-year USAid contract awards, for a cut of $54bn. Another 4,100 of 9,100 state department grants are being eliminated, for a cut of $4.4bn.

What will be the likely impact? Earlier this month, the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said: “There are actions that the US government is taking … which we’re concerned are having a serious impact on global health.”

Israel releases more than 600 Palestinian prisoners as Hamas returns bodies of four hostages

Hamas has handed over the bodies of four hostages and Israel has released more than 600 Palestinian prisoners, as the five-week-old ceasefire appeared to get back on track after a breach that had brought fears of a return to war in Gaza.

From Hamas, the bodies of four hostages were transferred to the Red Cross in southern Gaza and driven to Israel at about midnight. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Information Office said 642 prisoners had been released from Israel, of whom 46 were women or minors.

What happens now? With the transfer, the two sides have completed the obligations for the first six-week phase of the ceasefire. Hamas said on Thursday it was ready to start talks on a second phase.

Washington Post opinion editor departs after Bezos decision to promote ‘personal liberties and free markets’

Jeff Bezos, the Washington Post owner and world’s third richest man (worth $228bn), emailed newspaper staffers yesterday with a change to the opinion section that aligns the paper closer to the political right.

“We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets,” Bezos said. “We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.”

The move coincides with the departure of the opinions editor David Shipley, although it was not immediately clear if he had been fired for resisting Bezos or had resigned.

How did Bezos justify the directive? “There was a time when a newspaper, especially one that was a local monopoly, might have seen it as a service to bring to the reader’s doorstep every morning a broad-based opinion section that sought to cover all views,” Bezos wrote. “Today, the internet does that job.”

In other news …

Gene Hackman, the Oscar-winning actor, and his wife, the classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found dead yesterday at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Hackman was 95 and Arakawa was 63. There was no immediate indication of foul play.

Donald Trump is facing a backlash – including from some of his supporters – after posting an AI video of him sipping cocktails with a topless Benjamin Netanyahu and money raining down on Elon Musk in “Trump Gaza”, a future imagining of the Palestinian territory devastated by Israel’s war.

The Vatican said Pope Francis had shown a “further, slight improvement”, as the 88-year-old pontiff remains in hospital with pneumonia.

Utah is poised to become the first state to ban fluoride from its water systems, with a bill now before its Republican governor.

Stat of the day: Doge deletes ‘wall of receipts’, reducing evidence of cuts to $9.6bn despite claiming $65bn

Elon Musk’s so-called department of government efficiency (Doge) claims to have cut $65bn from federal spending, but it recently deleted billions from its itemized “wall of receipts”. Doge has been criticised for its lack of accountability and transparency, as well as accusations of conflicts of interest concerning federal contracts relating to Musk’s businesses.

Don’t miss this: ‘Too evil! Too smutty!’ When TV stars demand cuts to their scenes

Matt LeBlanc initially refused to do a Friends storyline where Joey dated Rachel. Jenna Ortega said a musical scene in Wednesday was jarring and asked for it to be cut. John Krasinski wouldn’t allow Jim to cheat on Pam in The Office. But actors don’t always get their way …

Climate check: Wildfire debris washes up on LA beaches

After a major rainstorm last week, beaches in southern California have been littered with timber, twisted metals, construction materials and charred silt and sediment originating from the Palisades fire in January. That blaze, along with the Eaton fire, killed at least 29 people and destroyed whole neighborhoods.

Last Thing: ‘Puppy Mountain’ in China becomes internet sensation

People have started taking pictures with their dogs in front of “Puppy Mountain” in China’s Hubei province, after a man posted a picture of the cliff edge. “It was so magical and cute. I was so excited and happy when I discovered it,” the original poster said. “The puppy’s posture is like it’s drinking water.”

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