Chit-Chat: The Feels

[Makai]

To make the email worse, the agency that sent it (not the one Musk runs) has explicitly said in the past that any mass email sent would be voluntary. Musk made his pronouncement on twitter, so employees had to hear they were being threatened with firing on social media, if they heard at all. Trump is already being sued over the implementation of this email system. 
 
Employees are being told by supervisors to hold of on responding to the email. The whole thing is a clusterfuck. 

Quote

The brief request would appear counter to a privacy impact assessment OPM published Feb. 5 that said any mass email sent from a government-wide email system would "explicitly" state engaging with the email would be voluntary.

The OPM assessment, published in response to a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's implementation of the email system, states seven different times that any response to the mass emails are "voluntary." The government-wide email system was also used for the "fork in the road" deferred resignation offer. 

"The Employee Response Data is explicitly voluntary," the assessment reads. "The individual federal government employees can opt out simply by not responding to the email."

 

[ProudMary]

Would someone please slap me to wake me from this fever dream?

Trump names right-wing commentator Dan Bongino as deputy FBI director

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpwd2qrn1e2o

 

[Bastet]

4 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

Would someone please slap me to wake me from this fever dream?

Trump names right-wing commentator Dan Bongino as deputy FBI director

But he's "willing and prepared to give up" his podcast to take this job, something Trump finds so notable it's part of his social media post announcing this appointment (because that's how the executive branch communicates these days, dumping shit on social media over the weekend).  His podcast!  Won't anyone think of the sacrifice this dear patriot is making for our country? 🙄

[LexieLily]

Obviously, we know he is, but Trump has to be actively trying to have the least qualified person in each position, for every position. It would be impressive if it wasn't so absolutely awful and depressing 😠

[Soapy Goddess]

11 hours ago, krankydoodle said:

I've asked before but if you aren't getting news from 'the media,' then where are you getting it from?

I thought I replied to your question: Local news, cable news, print media (yes, I still read a newspaper) and some social media. I also watch the View because I'm glutton for punishment 😜 

[Anela]

2 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

My sister works for a drug addled billionaire.  And he’s constantly asking for updates, from everyone.  I don’t know why this seems so far fetched.

 

I’ve had weekly reviews, yep I’ve had to spell out everything I did in a week.  It was during a restructuring.  It’s not typical but it’s not crazy.

Nobody elected Elon. 

[MostlyContent]

15 minutes ago, Anela said:

Nobody elected Elon. 

He's a SGE.   Although Musk isn't common, that is.  

[anony.miss]

4 hours ago, Dimity said:

 To even try to compare that to a performance review is ridiculous. 

Agreed - it's also apparently illegal:

"The largest union representing federal workers announced it sent a letter to the Office of Personnel Management chastising it for sending Musk’s directive to federal workers; the union decried the Musk directive as “plainly unlawful” and said it does not believe there’s any authority requiring workers to respond to it..."

https://archive.ph/8W3ms#selection-717.0-721.481

Not that the legality of things matters to Trump & Co. A convicted felon and rapist is running the country, so criminal behavior being normalized  - and defended - is now the default.

"I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters."  ~ Trump, 2016

Edited 1 hour ago by anony.miss

[Soapy Goddess]

6 hours ago, Annber03 said:

And all I'm saying is that the vast majorty of people who enter this country are not criminals. And most of those who don't enter through legal means are not doing so because they want to commit violent crime, it's because the legal route was not working fast enough for them/they were desperate to get out of a dangerous situation/etc. 

But by sheer definition, they ARE criminals since they are coming into our country illegally. And if we go by your claim that they are all crossing our border in massive amounts because they are so desperate, then how are we supposed to absorb and take care several entire countries of them? 

They are coming here with nothing but the clothes on their back. Who do you think is paying for their lodging, food, medical attention, etc?? WE are! And if you want the U.S. to absorb all these people fleeing because they are so desperate and can't wait to enter legally, then that's a major issue.

6 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Also, again, I'll take your concerns about criminals more seriously when you stop coming in to defend Donald "convicted felon" Trump at every turn.  If he gets to be president despite committing many crimes, then law and order clearly doesn't mean as much in this country as it should, does it?

This forum is NOT a court of law. Hence, I am not defending anyone. My posts are simply my opinion(s) and nothing more. I'm not asking anyone to agree with me.

6 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Many of our ancestors didn't come here legally, though.

Well, mine did and I have the documentation to prove it.

6 hours ago, Annber03 said:

They lie every time they open their damn mouths, that's all they're capable of doing. Stop falling for their BS already. 

Both sides lie. The faster dems can figure this out, the better off we'll all be to restart negotiations.

 

5 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

I don’t think it’s that crazy to have to answer this, I work in investment banking and I often have to explain why I’m valuable.  It’s called a Review and it’s annoying but I use it as a chance to toot my own horn.  It’s not that hard to come up with a list of accomplishments.

Brava! Their problem is that they don't even have one accomplishment to list! 

My first question to the entitled workers would be why are you still working from home when all of us have had to go back into our office after lock down. Must be nice to collect a big paycheck for sitting on your couch with a laptop and accomplish nothing else except binge watching Netflix.

[MostlyContent]

5 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

I don’t think it’s that crazy to have to answer this, I work in investment banking and I often have to explain why I’m valuable.  It’s called a Review and it’s annoying but I use it as a chance to toot my own horn.  It’s not that hard to come up with a list of accomplishments.

Yes, I don't think I'd be too intimidated by that.  lol!  

Employees were asked to reply with "approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager" by Monday 11:59 p.m. ET. 

That would have taken me about 5 minutes with time to get a coffee, I think.  

I think one would *want* to know what the employees we're paying are doing in order to find out who's necessary and who might not be.  I thought that was what DOGE is suppose to be doing.   

Edited 1 hour ago by MostlyContent

[Lantern7]

2 hours ago, Blergh said:

Please let's not pin everything on worst case scenarios and TRY to have some hope that things will be able to improve! Gloom and doom before the time has come will do nothing to help anything!

It's hard for me to muster hope during good times. It's a neurosis thing.

2 hours ago, Dimity said:

"Hey, it's-a Trumpnocchio!"

Edited 2 hours ago by Lantern7

[Soapy Goddess]

4 hours ago, Avaleigh said:

I find it absurd that the supposed party of law and order has no issues with Trump pardoning rioters who assaulted police officers. That's completely inconsistent with their ideas of "backing the blue" and being proponents of law and order, and personal responsibility. 

It's tit for tat...aka "weaponizing". I find it absurd that Biden ran a lawless country for 4 years (catch & release, for one) as well as all the looting countrywide. 

4 hours ago, Avaleigh said:

Nazis around the world are excited about Trump, Musk, and their administration. This should be incredibly alarming to anyone who want to live in a just and decent society. 

 

3 hours ago, ebk57 said:

to step in and ask questions that he has no business asking and has no business getting answers to.

...except that IS his business as the head of DOGE

 

3 hours ago, Annber03 said:

There is no excuse or justification for any of the shit he's doing. None. Period. End of story. 

Nope. He's exposing fraud and corruption. Contrary to popular belief, Dems are NOT squeaky clean.

[Soapy Goddess]

1 hour ago, ProudMary said:

Would someone please slap me to wake me from this fever dream?

Trump names right-wing commentator Dan Bongino as deputy FBI director

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpwd2qrn1e2o

 

So what's the problem? This quote is from your article "Bongino, 50, is former NYPD and Secret Service and worked as part of the protection detail for two presidents - George W Bush and Barack Obama."

49 minutes ago, Anela said:

Nobody elected Elon. 

Here we go again...nobody voted for DJT's cabinet either.

[Anela]

17 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

It's tit for tat...aka "weaponizing". I find it absurd that Biden ran a lawless country for 4 years (catch & release, for one) as well as all the looting countrywide. 

 

...except that IS his business as the head of DOGE

 

Nope. He's exposing fraud and corruption. Contrary to popular belief, Dems are NOT squeaky clean.

He’s going to increase our taxes, and cut them for rich people.  And in one of those memes, you are name-calling. 

[Soapy Goddess]

21 minutes ago, MostlyContent said:

I think one would *want* to know what the employees we're paying are doing in order to find out who's necessary and who might not be.  I thought that was what DOGE is suppose to be doing.   

Exactly!! And it's not as if the left wasn't aware of this. Trump said he was going to get to the bottom of waste and fraud, and he DID!  But after the election, all-of-a-sudden they're all crying foul.

 

4 minutes ago, Anela said:

He’s going to increase our taxes, and cut them for rich people.  And in one of those memes, you are name-calling. 

Wrong. I DID NOT MAKE those memes. I have no control over what an "artist" put forth. Memes are all over social media. No one is editing them, so stop pointing figures. You all want me to put forth a good argument, and then you decide to pick apart a meme? 🙄

P.S. to Anela: Would it make you feel better if I re-scanned the meme?  Kind of silly if you ask me.

[Bastet]

A very basic primer on immigration law, in relation to the terms "illegal" and "criminal", for anyone interested: Undocumented presence in the U.S. is only criminal in a narrow set of circumstances, where a person was previously deported and then returned without permission.   Otherwise, it's illegal as a violation of civil law, so let's analogize with traffic law for familiarity.  Being here in violation of immigration law is, in the overwhelming majority of cases, illegal like the majority of cases of driving in violation of traffic law -- speeding, making a prohibited U-turn, etc.  Rarely is it criminal, like DUI or vehicular manslaughter, instead.  Which is why law enforcement agents should not be deputized by the federal government (and certainly should not act alone) to mess with immigrants.  

The act of illegal entry is a misdemeanor (and, in limited circumstances, a felony).  But nearly half of undocumented immigrants did not enter the country illegally, they entered legally but later violated the conditions of their visa.  So in those cases there was never a crime to begin with, on top of there not being one now in simply being here without documentation.

Casually tossing around the term "illegal" in reference to immigrants' actions is a problem, given how many improperly equate that with "criminal".  (And, of course, referring to people as "illegals" is dehumanizing, so not okay, and specifically prohibited here.)

Edited 1 hour ago by Bastet

[FilmTVGeek80]

26 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

But by sheer definition, they ARE criminals since they are coming into our country illegally. And if we go by your claim that they are all crossing our border in massive amounts because they are so desperate, then how are we supposed to absorb and take care several entire countries of them? 

We are not taking in entire countries. Please, get serious. This is a nation of immigrants, so we've managed to help people long before either of us was born. 

 

28 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

They are coming here with nothing but the clothes on their back. Who do you think is paying for their lodging, food, medical attention, etc?? WE are! And if you want the U.S. to absorb all these people fleeing because they are so desperate and can't wait to enter legally, then that's a major issue.

It would be great to see people like you as concerned with billionaires not paying their fair share and how the poor continue to get screwed when these idiots get tax cuts as you are with the cost of helping people fleeing certain death. 

 

30 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

This forum is NOT a court of law. Hence, I am not defending anyone. My posts are simply my opinion(s) and nothing more. I'm not asking anyone to agree with me.

Please look up the word "defending" because you don't realize what it means. Every time you stick up for one of the FIC's deplorable policies or Musk's idiotic BS, you are defending them, and you are defending their actions.

 

33 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Both sides lie. The faster dems can figure this out, the better off we'll all be to restart negotiations.

What negotiations are you talking about? All politicians lie, but they don't all lie about the same thing, and they certainly don't lie as easily as they breathe like 45. The sooner you are willing to admit this and deal with that reality, the better it will be for everyone who continues to be screwed over by the idiot you are constantly defending. 

 

35 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Brava! Their problem is that they don't even have one accomplishment to list! 

My first question to the entitled workers would be why are you still working from home when all of us have had to go back into our office after lock down. Must be nice to collect a big paycheck for sitting on your couch with a laptop and accomplish nothing else except binge watching Netflix.

They don't have one accomplishment to list? Seriously, who do you think are the people who keep parks running and do research on diseases and all the other important jobs these idiots at DOGE keep questioning? For someone who gets offended when people make assumptions about them, you sure are making a lot about the people working from home. Not everyone who worked from home did go back to work because it wasn't necessary for them to do that and do their job. Working from home does not mean people do nothing but watch Netflix all day. That's such a simplistic way of looking at things.  

 

30 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

It's tit for tat...aka "weaponizing". I find it absurd that Biden ran a lawless country for 4 years (catch & release, for one) as well as all the looting countrywide. 

Biden did not run a lawless country. That's not backed up by any evidence. There was no looting countrywide. But it's not surprising that, yet again, you can't actually deal with the topic that you're quoting. Do not pretend to care about law & order when you once again are defending someone who commits crimes, ignores the law at every turn, and pardoned a bunch of people who wanted to kill the vice president. 

Two nonsensical memes back-to-back. Impressive. It's on brand that you think that the only way to defend the FIC from Hitler comparisons is to go, "See, he hasn't killed an entire race yet." He never lowered our taxes, and he's done a hell of a lot more than hurt people's feelings. Sexual assault is just one of his litany of crimes, dehumanizing so many groups of people and killing people with his disastrous handling of a pandemic. I could go on, but of course, you'd ignore all that because Biden pardoned his son, and that's the biggest crime of all. 

What exactly are the Democrats getting exposed for? Do you have anything to back up that claim that's not Elon Musk's Twitter feed?

[ebk57]

8 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

For someone who gets offended when people make assumptions about them, you sure are making a lot about the people working from home. Not everyone who worked from home did go back to work because it wasn't necessary for them to do that and do their job. Working from home does not mean people do nothing but watch Netflix all day. That's such a simplistic way of looking at things.  

Thank you for answering this so well (so I don't get banned...  😉 )

[FilmTVGeek80]

23 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Exactly!! And it's not as if the left wasn't aware of this. Trump said he was going to get to the bottom of waste and fraud, and he DID!  But after the election, all-of-a-sudden they're all crying foul.

First of all, he has not gotten to the bottom of any fraud. That's just a fantasy. Secondly, "the left" was "crying foul" long before he was elected because we knew he'd do exactly what he was doing - which is not finding fraud but gutting important work that we're doing overseas, putting all of our lives in danger with his firing of important people working on cures for diseases, controlling air traffic, etc. And he's doing much of it illegally in defiance of the Constitution. But, please, tell me again how law & order is so important to you. 

 

28 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Wrong. I DID NOT MAKE those memes. I have no control over what an "artist" put forth. Memes are all over social media. No one is editing them, so stop pointing figures. You all want me to put forth a good argument, and then you decide to pick apart a meme? 🙄

Right after the election, you posted a really gross letter basically gloating about the FIC's election win and how much conservatives were looking forward to getting back at liberals. When you were called out on it, suddenly, you announced that it was just a letter you found somewhere else and posted here. But why bring it over here in the first place if it didn't represent your views? It's the same thing with these memes. It doesn't matter that you didn't make the memes. You brought them over here because they represent your views. Otherwise, why post them here in the first place? You have control over what you post. Don't post them if you don't want people to think the memes you post represent your viewpoint. 

[Soapy Goddess]

26 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

We are not taking in entire countries. Please, get serious. This is a nation of immigrants, so we've managed to help people long before either of us was born. 

I AM serious. I know what this country is/was built on, but it wasn't to absorb thousands of people on a daily or weekly basis!

 

26 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

It would be great to see people like you as concerned with billionaires not paying their fair share and how the poor continue to get screwed when these idiots get tax cuts as you are with the cost of helping people fleeing certain death. 

Oh please. Many are fleeing because they heard that Biden was providing "free" healthcare, food & lodging. Why do you think that immigration has been down since Trump took over? I'll tell you why...because that's not going to happen in this administration. 

26 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

Please look up the word "defending" because you don't realize what it means. Every time you stick up for one of the FIC's deplorable policies or Musk's idiotic BS, you are defending them, and you are defending their actions.

Agree to disagree. 

26 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

Seriously, who do you think are the people who keep parks running and do research on diseases and all the other important jobs these idiots at DOGE keep questioning? For someone who gets offended when people make assumptions about them, you sure are making a lot about the people working from home. Not everyone who worked from home did go back to work because it wasn't necessary for them to do that and do their job. Working from home does not mean people do nothing but watch Netflix all day. That's such a simplistic way of looking at things.  

Like I said, it must be nice to be able to do all that from the comfort of their living rooms. So how are they researching diseases? Did they all have labs installed in their kitchens?? 

Sorry FTVG, these are NOT assumptions, these are facts. Those "workers" have been entitled by Biden. Why should they be excluded from going into their office and checking in the department heads, etc...work that we all pay for.

26 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

There was no looting countrywide.

Really? Are you going to make me pull up every article I can find on the internet right now? As someone upthread asked me "where are you getting your news?"

26 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

Two nonsensical memes back-to-back. Impressive. It's on brand that you think that the only way to defend the FIC from Hitler comparisons is to go, "See, he hasn't killed an entire race yet."

And once again, no sense of humor. It's not my fault that you're all upset and have lost your sense of humor. BTW, I'm NOT here to impress remember? I'm here to defend 😜

Edited 51 minutes ago by Soapy Goddess

[Lantern7]

Just looking for a laugh . . . would DOGE be more appropriate if they were staffed by energy vampires such as Colin Robinson? Or would DOGE seek to eliminate those like him?

Also, I donated money to Ukraine relief, because I know a dictator when I see one.

[anony.miss]

@Lantern7

;)

Edited 56 minutes ago by anony.miss

[Soapy Goddess]

6 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

you posted a really gross letter basically gloating about the FIC's election win and how much conservatives were looking forward to getting back at liberals. When you were called out on it, suddenly, you announced that it was just a letter you found somewhere else and posted here. But why bring it over here in the first place if it didn't represent your views? It's the same thing with these memes. It doesn't matter that you didn't make the memes. You brought them over here because they represent your views. Otherwise, why post them here in the first place? You have control over what you post.

Are you talking about that stupid meme over "tolerating 8 years of Obama"? Again, that was a meme!! Not a letter as you stated. I posted it because I thought it was funny. I didn't ask anyone to agree with it. But if you must know, like many others in our country, not a fan of Obama. Hence the irony.

So I'm not allowed to post memes but everyone else can? Sorry FTVG, that's the double standard I've been talking about since day one.

[FilmTVGeek80]

25 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I AM serious. I know what this country is/was built on, but it wasn't to absorb thousands of people on a daily or weekly basis!

 

Oh please. Many are fleeing because they heard that Biden was providing "free" healthcare, food & lodging. Why do you think that immigration has been down since Trump took over? I'll tell you why...because that's not going to happen in this administration. 

Agree to disagree. 

Like I said, it must be nice to be able to do all that from the comfort of their living rooms. So how are they researching diseases? Did they all have labs installed in their kitchens?? 

Sorry FTVG, these are NOT assumptions, these are facts. Those "workers" have been entitled by Biden. Why should they be excluded from going into their office and checking in the department heads, etc...work that we all pay for.

Really? Are you going to make me pull up every article I can find on the internet right now? As someone upthread asked me "where are you getting your news?"

And once again, no sense of humor. It's not my fault that you're all upset and have lost your sense of humor. BTW, I'm here to impress remember? I'm here to defend 😜

We aren't taking in thousands on a daily or weekly basis.

Oh, please, yourself. Many are fleeing poverty and war-torn nations. Don't trivialize it because you have no compassion for these people. If immigration has been down, and I'm certainly not taking your word for it, it might have something to do with our current sociopath leader dehumanizing immigrants and sending them to Guantanamo.

No, absolutely not. We do not agree to disagree with the definition of words and facts. One of the definitions of "defend" - speak or write in favor of (an action or person); attempt to justify. This is exactly what you do every time you justify why it's okay for the FIC to commit copious crimes or to treat immigrants like they're animals. 

I only listed some examples of what some government workers do. The people who work from who can do so because their work can easily be done from home. We do not pay for people to go into offices. It's about the work being done. If they can do that from home, why does that bother you so much?

What you said is an assumption. It is not a fact - unless you've done or read some legitimate research showing that people working from home are watching Netflix all day. 

It would be nice not to see memes and actual articles. If you can pull up non-Fox, Newsmax, or some other Conservative "news" articles. Pull up articles that aren't from years ago during legitimate protests where some violence broke out in a few places. 

If you posted something funny, I might actually laugh. And, yeah, forgive so many of us that we don't find a lawless sociopath trying to remake the government in his image and putting our lives at risk a barrel of laughs. 

Quote

Are you talking about that stupid meme over "tolerating 8 years of Obama"? Again, that was a meme!! Not a letter as you stated. I posted it because I thought it was funny. I didn't ask anyone to agree with it. But if you must know, like many others in our country, not a fan of Obama. Hence the irony.

So I'm not allowed to post memes but everyone else can? Sorry FTVG, that's the double standard I've been talking about since day one.

Meme or letter, it was offensive garbage, either way. I think you asked for it to be removed or deleted it yourself, but I would love to post it again to show exactly the kind of things that you thought were funny.

You are not a victim here. First of all, I'm not a mod, so I can't tell you what to post or not to post. Secondly, that's not what I said. What I said is if you're going to post a meme, then stand by it instead of doing what you do. Which is as soon as you get any pushback, you throw up your hands and say, "Well, I didn't write it." That's not the point. If you're not posting memes representing views you're willing to stand by, why are you posting them? You can continue posting memes, but when you get called out on the content, saying, "I didn't write it," isn't a defense.

Edited 24 minutes ago by FilmTVGeek80

[Soapy Goddess]

4 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

This is exactly what you do every time you justify why it's okay for the FIC to commit copious crimes or to treat immigrants like they're animals. 

Ok, fine...if it makes you feel better because I'm tired of arguing about it. However, I still don't argue with your funk'n'wagnalls because I'm not a defense attorney, and no one is treating compliant immigrants like animals.

7 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

If you can pull up non-Fox, Newsmax, or some other Conservative "news" articles. Pull up articles that aren't from years ago during legitimate protests where some violence broke out in a few places. 

Maybe you can pull-up some Fox or conservative news articles that explain and show exactly what's going on. Hang on...here comes your favorite (re: protests):

 

10 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

I only listed some examples of what some government workers do. The people who work from who can do so because their work can easily be done from home. We do not pay for people to go into offices. It's about the work being done. If they can do that from home, why does that bother you so much?

Why does it bother me? Because we are paying for all the EMPTY offices that should be occupied by the entitled. And let's face it, one does not get as much work done sitting at home as they do in an office when being watched on the clock. So, yeah, we ARE paying for them to sit at home.

And as I pointed out upthread regarding the workers researching diseases...have we also paid for labs to be installed in their kitchen? (only one example)

[FilmTVGeek80]

5 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Ok, fine...if it makes you feel better because I'm tired of arguing about it. However, I still don't argue with your funk'n'wagnalls because I'm not a defense attorney, and no one is treating compliant immigrants like animals.

Maybe you can pull-up some Fox or conservative news articles that explain and show exactly what's going on. Hang on...here comes your favorite (re: protests):

 

This isn't about making me feel better. It's about whether you're willing to acknowledge facts or not. For some reason, you don't want to admit you're defending these people even though the facts and literal definition say otherwise.

Yes, the guy you keep defending is treating ALL immigrants like they're animals. He doesn't differentiate in any of his speeches. He acts like all immigrants are gum on the bottom of his shoe. And why should non-compliant immigrants be treated like animals? Even if you think they came here the wrong way, why should that mean they aren't treated with dignity?

Why would I want to look up Fox "News" articles about anything? Fox is home to "journalists" who say one thing on the air and another behind closed doors. The network has had to pay millions because of the lies they've told on air. 

LOL. Was that image supposed to be related to violent protests or the looting that you brought up? Because it wasn't. The caption shows exactly what it was about. It was about a lawful, peaceful gathering of people protesting Musk and his band of stooges getting their hands on all of our private information. I'm much more concerned about that than the so-called misuse of funds at USAID.