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Trump admin cuts funding of Australian universities that promote gender ideology
From LifeSiteNews
Many researchers appear to feel that they are entitled to American funding regardless of whether the research being funded is in the American or, indeed, even the public interest.
According to the Guardian, the U.S. government has cut off research funding at six Australian universities, including Monash University, Australian National University, the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney, the University of South Wales, and the University of Western Australia. The reason? The Trump administration has informed researchers that the “temporary” funding pause was due to the new U.S. policy of avoiding “DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.”
These details emerged from a memo sent to one of the universities, which was viewed by the Guardian. It reads:
Financial assistance should be dedicated to advancing Administration priorities, focusing taxpayer dollars to advance a stronger and safer America, eliminating the financial burden of inflation for citizens, unleashing American energy and manufacturing, ending ‘wokeness’ and the weaponization of government, promoting efficiency in government, and Making America Healthy Again. The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve.
The funding pause comes while each project is vetted via a “comprehensive analysis” to ensure that the president’s executive orders – including those on gender ideology – are being complied with.
“In the interim, to the extent permissible under applicable law, Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal,” the memo stated.
According to Universities Australia CEO Luke Sheehy, the funding pause indicates a “worrying trend” from the “biggest foreign partner we have” and that the U.S. “is looking like its becoming unreliable.” American funding for research projects amounted to over $400 million in 2024, which is “equivalent to around half the funding the federal [Australian] government provided in research grants via the Australian Research Council.”
Ironically, the Guardian reported that earlier this month, “the Trump administration was accused of “blatant foreign interference” in Australia’s universities after researchers who receive US funding were sent a questionnaire asking to confirm they aligned with US government interests.” In short, many researchers appear to feel that they are entitled to American funding regardless of whether the research being funded is in the American or, indeed, even the public interest. Some of the research, particularly medical research, clearly qualifies. But the idea that it is “foreign interference” for funders to ask for details on how those funds are being used exposes the extent to which the U.S. taxpayer has been viewed as a cash cow by international institutions.
The funding cuts aren’t just happening abroad. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has terminated over 500 research grants related to DEI and transgender ideology. Hundreds of National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants, worth over $350 million, have been canceled, including, according to Fox News, projects focusing on “multilevel and multidimensional structural racism,” “gender-affirming therapy in mice,” and “microaggressions.” Other transgender research projects were cancelled as well.
The criticisms of these cuts, it must be noted, only flow in one direction. When Democrats appoint ideologically aligned personnel to essential posts and ensure that federal funding is directed towards their priorities, this is considered normal. Conversely, when Republicans do so, it is considered a violation of “norms.” In short, “norms” means that regardless of who holds office, progressive priorities continue unabated. The Trump administration appears to have had enough of this double standard.
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By
Voters in Cameron County, Texas, overwhelmingly approved Saturday a measure to incorporate Elon Musk’s rocket complex near Brownsville as a new municipality called Starbase.
Unofficial results posted Saturday night showed 98% of the 177 ballots cast supported the creation of the town, which includes SpaceX facilities and housing tied to the company, according to The Wall Street Journal. Only residents living within the proposed town’s boundaries were eligible to vote, most of whom work for or are affiliated with SpaceX.
Once county commissioners certify the election, Starbase will begin operating as an official municipality under Texas law, which marks the launch of a rare company-run town where most residents are tied to SpaceX. The new town will oversee zoning, budgeting, and staffing while adhering to state transparency rules such as open meetings and public records requirements.
SpaceX has said little publicly about its plans, but company officials previously suggested the town could help streamline operations and support workforce growth. SpaceX vice president Bobby Peden was elected mayor of the new town and legal experts noted that state law includes conflict-of-interest rules for public officials employed by private firms operating within the municipality.
Local officials have expressed support for the company due to the thousands of jobs and tourism revenue generated by Starbase since SpaceX employs roughly 3,400 workers and contractors at Starbase. However, some residents and environmental groups remain concerned about increased rocket activity, limited beach access, and the town’s close ties to the company that created it.
The Starbase site has become central to Musk’s vision of human spaceflight, particularly SpaceX’s development of Starship, a nearly 400-foot rocket designed for missions to the moon and Mars. Though early test flights have ended in explosions, recent missions have demonstrated partial recovery capabilities and Musk described the area as a “Gateway to Mars.”
Musk will not hold a formal political role in Starbase, but the town is his brainchild, and since announcing the idea in 2021, he has urged employees to move there and expanded his personal and corporate presence in Texas. He relocated his primary residence and key businesses to the state and now lives in a $35 million compound in Austin.
MxM News
Quick Hit:
A shocking new poll reveals that a staggering 71% of likely Democratic voters support imprisoning Elon Musk for his brief service in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The survey, conducted by The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports, underscores an alarming shift in progressive politics: jailing political opponents for attempting to rein in bureaucratic waste. As Justin Haskins writes in his May 9 Townhall op-ed, this poll is not just about Musk—it’s about the dangerous normalization of authoritarianism among America’s political left.
Key Details:
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71% of likely Democratic voters support jailing Musk for his role in eliminating government waste via DOGE.
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80% of ideological liberals, across parties, say they would imprison Musk for his public service.
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Nearly 70% of Democrats support banning Musk from ever serving in government again—an unconstitutional measure.
Diving Deeper:
In his recent Townhall column, Justin Haskins warns that Elon Musk’s fall from liberal darling to “Public Enemy No. 1 for the modern left” stems from a single transgression: daring to challenge the D.C. establishment. Haskins opens by recognizing Musk’s past achievements—electric vehicles, space exploration, and defending free speech. But after briefly working in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—an initiative aimed at cutting federal waste—Musk became a target of left-wing ire.
According to the Heartland Institute/Rasmussen poll, “Seven in ten likely Democratic voters want to imprison Musk for trying to make government more efficient.” Haskins adds, “This isn’t satire. This is the modern Democratic Party, where liberalism has evolved into authoritarianism dressed in the clothes of compassion and equity.”
The numbers become even more disturbing among self-identified liberals. A staggering 80% of ideological liberals said they’d support jailing Musk for participating in DOGE. Additionally, nearly 70% of Democrats back a proposal to ban him from ever working in government again—a position that clearly violates constitutional protections.
Musk’s unpopularity among Democrats has grown since his acquisition of X (formerly Twitter) and his commitment to restoring banned voices. Once celebrated as a climate champion, Musk is now demonized by the very groups that once hailed his green energy innovations. “He was supposed to walk in lockstep against conservatives at all times,” Haskins notes. “When he chose a different path… he committed a sin that some on the radical left simply cannot forgive.”
More importantly, the poll reflects a dangerous national trend: criminalizing political dissent. Haskins writes, “When nearly three-fourths of Democratic voters support jailing someone for participating in an effort to streamline federal agencies, we’ve crossed a dangerous line.” He continues, “This is the stuff of banana republics, not constitutional republics.”
The column concludes with a chilling reminder that the targeting of Elon Musk is not an isolated incident. “If they’re willing to jail Elon Musk for doing his job, what do you think they’ll do to the rest of us?” Haskins asks. The poll results reveal a left-wing movement increasingly comfortable using state power to punish those who refuse to conform.
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