The “Friday night massacre,” as #USIP’s employees were terming the sweeping terminations, is the latest action in what has become a rapid fire of sudden cuts & hostile takeovers across govt & quasi-govt agencies over the past 2 months, implemented by #Musk & #DOGE.

#USIP employees told WaPo that 200–300 people — nearly the entirety of USIP’s HQ staff — had been fired. The employees, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of #retribution from the #Trump admin, said some employees were offered severance & one additional month of health insurance, in exchange for their signatures to WAIVE their RIGHTS to sue.

"OK, Musk, challenge accepted.

Specific line items on #DOGE's wall of receipts, explaining how these violated the Rubio guidance on protecting lifesaving activities.

A blanket purchase #USAID order for humanitarian kitchen sets. Wasteful?

USAID KITCHEN SETS HAVE THEIR OWN ENTRY IN THE NAT MUSEUM OF AMERICAN #DIPLOMACY.

#DOGE could've take 10 seconds to google that.

Another CXL contract: bulk purchase of Aquatabs -purifies water so that it's fit for HH consumption."
-J Konyndyk

In a dangerous & complex world, it’s not enough to be strong. You must also be #smart. As Secy of #State during the Obama admin, I argued for smart #power, integrating the hard power of our military w/the #SoftPower of our #diplomacy, development assistance, economic might & cultural #influence. None of those tools can do the job alone. Together, they make America a #superpower. The #Trump approach is #dumb power.

@histodons @historikerinnen @earlymodern

Michael Brauer took a different perspective on the #congress of Vienna. He asks for its influence on European cuisine. Did it mark a transition from Baroque cuisine, based on spices, to modern “French” cuisine, based on the taste of the ingredients? Starting point of these reflections are of course the many festivities and banquets that took place during the negotiations that provided not only the possibility for informal political talks but also for cultural exchange. So, Brauer asks: Was there a culinary aesthetic specific to the #VienesseCongress? Which symbolic and political role played food on the congress? To answer these questions he looks at a great variety of sources ranging of administrative sources, account books, letters, memoires as well as cook books. (6/7)