Commentary: The Case Against Foreign Aid

Maldova

The main argument in favor of foreign aid is that rich countries can and should help poor countries become more prosperous. And plenty of politicians are following that approach. According to the latest data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, donor governments gave away more than $220 billion last year. But advocates of foreign aid say that’s not enough. The folks at the United Nations assert that rich countries should double their foreign aid budgets.

Skeptics of aid have a different perspective. They explain that foreign aid is not successful and that increasing aid budgets would be throwing good money after bad. They argue that foreign aid is wrong in theory since it focuses on giving money to governments rather than the pro-market policy reforms that would boost growth. And they argue that foreign aid has failed the real-world test since countries receiving large transfers have not climbed out of poverty.

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Hunter Biden Reportedly Wanted Government to Help with Burisma Project While Joe Was VP

Hunter Biden reportedly asked U.S. officials to help him in connection to an energy deal in Italy while his father was vice president and he worked for the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, according to The New York Times.

Records not released by the Biden administration until after President Joe Biden quit the 2024 presidential race reportedly show that Hunter Biden wrote a 2016 letter to the American ambassador in Italy in which he sought U.S. government assistance related to a project being planned by Burisma, according to the NYT. Specifically, Hunter Biden reportedly wanted the ambassador’s help to set up a meeting between Burisma and the president of Tuscany, a region of Italy where the company was hoping to develop a geothermal energy project.

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Romanian Businessman Hired Hunter Biden in Effort to ‘Influence’ U.S. Policy, DOJ Says

Hunter Biden in front of US Capitol building (composite image)

A Romanian businessman facing bribery charges paid Hunter Biden in an effort to “influence U.S. policy and public opinion,” according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

During the fall of 2015, Hunter Biden entered into an “oral agreement” with businessman Gabriel Popoviciu, identified as G.P., who wanted the U.S. government to “investigate” the criminal probe against him in Romania, prosecutors wrote in a Wednesday court filing in Hunter Biden’s upcoming tax case. Special counsel David Weiss’ team explained in the filing that Hunter Biden’s business associate would testify about the arrangement during his coming tax trial, slated to begin Sept. 5.

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House Oversight Chair Comer Plans to Interview ‘Key Figures’ in ‘Biden Family Influence Peddling’ Investigation

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer says he plans on questioning “key figures” in his investigation into allegations that the Biden family was involved in bribery and influence peddling.

“We’re going to start bringing in key figures in the Biden family influence-peddling schemes for depositions, and I think we’re on the right track, even though we’re having to fight the FBI, fight the DOJ, fight the Democrats in Congress and fight the mainstream media,” Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said, Fox News reported Sunday.

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GOP Presidential Candidates Weigh in on Comer Committee’s Records Uncovering Possible Biden Family Corruption

Back in the Hawkeye State this week for multi-day campaign tours, Republican presidential hopefuls Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley commented on House Republican committee findings tying the Biden family’s fortunes to suspect foreign entities in China and Romania. 

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY-01) on Wednesday addressed bank records that show payments made to companies connected to President Joe Biden’s troubled son, Hunter.

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U.S. to Send 3,000 Additional Troops to Europe Amid Tension at Ukraine Border

President Joe Biden plans to send another 3,000 troops to Europe amid continued tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

Biden is sending about 2,000 troops from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Poland and Germany this week. The president is also moving about 1,000 soldiers based in Germany to Romania, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing administration officials.

“They are trained and equipped for a variety of missions during this period of elevated risk,” a senior defense official told the Wall Street Journal.

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Commentary: Has Our Romanian Nightmare Followed Us Here?

by Andra Constantin   Following the State of the Union address, I found the state of the nation surreal. I kept skimming past articles about the Democratic Party’s proposed economic stimulus packages, collectively known as the Green New Deal. They propose to fund unsustainable sectors like solar panels – which are already heavily government-backed – by targeting more self-sufficient industries, like meat production. In order to earmark raiding the cookie jar of productive businesses to fund those that aren’t paying for themselves, Democrats have to demonize the target in order to implement punitive measures such as meat taxes. I know the Green New Deal is based on non-truths and artfully doled misinformation, like the deforestation myth, but most people believe we are losing forest land in this country to the meat industry. That’s one of the lies told to them by our leaders in order to take advantage of the public support and vote. They need a mob to rob. A Bad New Deal How did we get to this choke point of punishing meat consumption, as one NJ radical animal rights activist senator proposes, in the form of a tax? I think I recognize a pendulum swinging back at me.…

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NATO Countries’ Spending Record Improves as President Trump Heads to Annual Summit

Donald Trump

Reuters   President Trump is poised to demand again that Europe and Canada raise defense spending at a two-day NATO summit in Brussels from Wednesday, even as billions more dollars are being pledged for allied militaries. NATO agreed in 2014 that each member state would boost military spending to 2 percent of its gross domestic product by 2024, and cumulative expenditure by Europe and Canada has risen by almost $90 billion since 2015. But only two-thirds of the 28 allies, excluding the United States, have a realistic plan to hit the 2-percent level in 2024, NATO diplomats say. The United States spent 3.57 percent of GDP on defense in 2017. However, European officials say while U.S. defense spending makes up 70 percent of combined allied governments’ military budgets, just 15 percent of U.S. expenditure is spent in Europe on NATO-related defense. Washington pays about 22 percent of the running cost of NATO, including the headquarters and commonly-funded equipment such as AWACS surveillance planes. Here is a rundown of the best and worst performers, based on North Atlantic Treaty Organization data. Top of the class BRITAIN has maintained its defense spending at just above 2 percent for several years and is set…

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