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“President Trump is trying to downsize the WHO, and the question is whether other high-income nations like those in Europe, Australia, Japan, and elsewhere, pick up some of the slack,” says Vermund. “Will the Gates Foundation, which has been a very generous donor, pick up some? It’s conceivable that others will tide things over until we have a new administration that might be more friendly to the WHO, but I’m dubious that they can pick up the entire chunk of the WHO budget which is paid for by the US.”
And it isn’t just money that the US provides to the WHO, but staff and expertise too. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has seconded a number of staff to the WHO, and I would predict that the Trump administration, with a new CDC director, will call those folks home,” says Vermund. “That would create quite a gap, because WHO funds do not pay for those individuals. So I think you’d have an almost immediate reduction of workforce and removal of critical professionals within the WHO organization.”
According to Gostin, a lot of the money the US provides to the WHO is core mandatory funding, which all members are required to give, but some funds are particularly earmarked for causes in which the US has a vested interest, such as polio eradication, HIV/AIDS, and the process of identifying and controlling disease outbreaks before they spread and reach American shores. Without US funding, Gostin says that these programs wouldn’t completely disappear, but they would be significantly weakened.
“Polio could come surging back,” says Gostin. “Remember we had polio in the wastewater in New York just a couple of years ago, and our kids are not being immunized. And we’ve had other real health scares in the United States, not just Covid-19, which killed more than a million people. We’ve had Zika, and the next health emergency might be just a mutation or two away. Maybe it’s already here in the form of avian influenza, and we’re going to need WHO to help us with that.”
Both Gostin and Vermund fear that withdrawing from the WHO will place the US at the back of the line when it comes to receiving critical information such as pathogen samples and genomic sequencing data, which pharmaceutical companies require to generate effective vaccines. Gostin cites how the US relies on WHO data every year to effectively update the seasonal influenza vaccine, while Vermund explains that financially speaking, it is far more efficient for the US to fund the WHO to help “snuff out” diseases at their source, rather than trying to tackle them when they arrive in the country.
“We spent over $2 billion preparing for Ebola to hit US shores in 2014 and 2015, and since we only had five or six cases, that was very cost-ineffective,” says Vermund. “So that’s a typical example of how when the US goes it alone, it will be very inefficient compared with contributing to a multinational response to control a disease in the country of origin.”
US President Donald Trump has followed through on his promise to pardon Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the online drug market Silk Road, who was imprisoned for over a decade.
China’s record beef imports are hitting a market where demand is slowing and prices have fallen to the lowest since 2019, raising the risk that authorities will take steps to curb the trade.
CryptoCurrency
DWP launches ‘biggest benefit fraud crackdown’ as Labour unveils new controversial tough measure
Benefit fraudsters who cheated taxpayers out of £7billion last year could face driving bans under sweeping new powers announced by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The legislation, introduced in Parliament today, represents the biggest fraud clampdown in a generation. Repeat offenders who refuse to repay their debts could be disqualified from driving for up to two years.
The new measures will give DWP investigators the power to apply for search warrants, allowing them to work alongside police to search premises and seize evidence like computers and smartphones.
The crackdown comes as part of wider plans from the Labour Government to save £8.6billion over five years through tackling welfare fraud and error. Officials say the current system is costing taxpayers around £10billion annually, with £35billion incorrectly paid out since the pandemic.
The new legislation will target fraudsters who owe £1,000 or more and have repeatedly ignored requests to repay their debts. DWP officials will need to apply to courts to justify suspending driving privileges in these cases.
Do you have a money story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing money@gbnews.uk.
The Government has unveiled new rules to clampdown on benefit fraudsters
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The Bill is expected to save the Department £1.5billion over the next five years. The measures will be based on principles of fairness and proportionality, with driving bans used only as a last resort.
Officials will prioritise negotiating affordable and sustainable repayment plans with offenders before pursuing more severe penalties. The legislation forms part of the government’s Plan for Change, which aims to reform the health and disability welfare system.
New proposals for reforming health and disability benefits are expected in the Spring. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: “We are turning off the tap to criminals who cheat the system and steal law-abiding taxpayers money.”
She emphasised the serious consequences for fraudsters, including the potential loss of driving privileges in extreme cases. “Backed up by new and important safeguards including reporting mechanisms and independent oversight to ensure the powers are used proportionately and safely,” Kendall added.
DWP Minister Liz Kendall is promising to tackle benefit fraud
PA
“People need to have confidence the Government is opening all available doors to tackle fraud and eliminate waste, as we continue the most ambitious programme for government in a generation – with a laser-like focus on outcomes which will make the biggest difference to their lives as part of our Plan for Change.”
Under the new powers, DWP will be able to recover money directly from bank accounts of those who owe money and refuse to pay, despite having the means to do so.
However, the Department will not have direct access to people’s bank accounts. The legislation will allow DWP to request bank statements to prove debtors have sufficient funds to repay what they owe.
These measures are part of a modernised approach to catching fraudsters and preventing overpayments. The new system aims to keep pace with sophisticated fraud while ensuring legitimate claimants receive the correct benefits.
Officials say this will help prevent vulnerable customers from falling further into debt. The powers will apply to individuals who are not on benefits or in PAYE employment but still owe money to the Department. The legislation includes comprehensive safeguarding measures to protect vulnerable customers.
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Benefit fraudsters could be banned from driving under Government plans
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Staff will receive high-level training on the appropriate use of new powers. New oversight and reporting mechanisms will be introduced to monitor how these powers are used.
Furthermore, Government will develop Codes of Practice, which will be subject to consultation during the Bill’s passage. All powers will have clearly defined scope and limitations, including the right to appeal decisions.
The Cabinet Office’s Public Sector Fraud Authority will receive additional powers under the new legislation. Georgia Gould, Minister in the Cabinet Office, said: “During the pandemic, when people and businesses needed government support the most, some people stole public money for their own personal gain.”
The time limit for civil claims against Covid fraud will be doubled from six to twelve years. This extension will give investigators more time to examine complex cases and apply new powers retrospectively. These powers include the ability to raid properties and retrieve money from Covid fraudsters’ bank accounts.
President Donald Trump says he’d be open to his buddies Elon Musk or Larry Ellison buying TikTok.
“Larry, let’s negotiate in front of the media,” Trump said at a press conference with the Oracle co-founder, SoftBank CEO Masa Son, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to announce a $500 billion artificial intelligence infrastructure investment. “What I’m thinking about saying to somebody is, buy it, and give half to the United States of America. Half, and we’ll give you the permit. And they’ll have a great partner, the United States.”
“Sounds like a good deal to me, Mr. President,” Ellison said.
TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance still has other offers on the table, including from billionaire Frank McCourt’s Project Liberty and now, apparently, from YouTube creator MrBeast — whose investor group is receiving legal counsel from a team that includes the brother of Trump’s attorney general pick.
As he was leaving the briefing, a reporter asked Trump if he has TikTok on his phone. “No, but I think I might put it there,” Trump responded. “I think I’ll get it right now.”
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While PEPE and Solana’s Fartcoin target gains, PropiChain is set to steal the spotlight with its potential rise from $0.01 to $3.
The crypto market is dynamic as ever, with meme coins like PEPE and Solana’s Fartcoin capturing the spotlight with their price surges. Often rooted in humor and online culture, these projects have gained traction among retail investors seeking quick profits.
While PEPE aims to use its established meme status, Fartcoin capitalizes on Solana’s high-performance blockchain to drive interest. Both PEPE and Fartcoin have set ambitious targets, drawing attention to their potential. However, their speculative nature raises questions about long-term sustainability.
Amid the hype surrounding these meme coins, PropiChain (PCHAIN) is emerging as a serious contender for the top gainer position in the crypto space in Q2 2025. Market experts say PCHAIN is poised to rally from $0.01 to $3.
Focused on transforming the real estate industry, estimated to be worth $600 trillion, through blockchain technology, PropiChain offers a utility-driven narrative.
PEPE and Solana’s Fartcoin
PEPE has become a standout player in the memecoin ecosystem. While the memecoin has evolved into a symbol of community-driven crypto success, the volatile nature of meme-based assets still poses a big concern for investors.
The Solana ecosystem has birthed many projects, but few are as notable as Fartcoin. Combining humor with innovation, Solana’s Fartcoin has captured attention with its playful branding and unique tokenomics. Fartcoin’s rise is attributed to its viral marketing campaigns and a strong push from influencers.
PropiChain
While PEPE and Fartcoin thrive on humor and virality, PCHAIN is carving a niche in the rapidly growing tokenized real estate market. Launched to democratize property ownership, PCHAIN enables users to invest in fractional shares of real estate assets through blockchain technology.
The emphasis on tangible utility and real-world application sets PCHAIN apart from meme-based assets. The platform is thus poised to capture a percentage of the $600 trillion real estate market.
By deploying blockchain’s transparency and efficiency, PCHAIN aims to lower barriers to entry for real estate investment while providing liquidity to a traditionally illiquid market.
Why PropiChain could rise from $0.01 to $3
PCHAIN is positioned for a massive rally that could see early presale investors enjoy over 29,000% ROI.
- Growing demand for tokenized assets
The tokenization of real-world assets is gaining significant traction, with the market projected to hit $16 trillion. PropiChain is well-positioned to capitalize on this shift, offering an easy-to-use platform for both retail and institutional investors.
PropiChain’s collaborations with established players in the real estate industry add credibility to its model. These partnerships are expected to drive adoption and increase the value of its native token, PCHAIN.
As the broader crypto market looks for projects with real-world utility, PCHAIN’s value proposition stands out.
PropiChain’s unique features
PropiChain aims to reshape the real estate industry by using advanced technology to redefine property transactions. The platform will set new standards for buying, selling, and investing in real estate globally with four transformative features:
- Immersive virtual property exploration
The platform will transform how investors and buyers scout properties using cutting-edge Metaverse technology. It will facilitate remote property exploration through immersive 3D virtual tours, overcoming geographical limitations and making real estate investment accessible to a wider audience.
By enabling real-time property assessments without physical visits, investors can save time and money.
- Smart contracts for automated and secure transactions
The platform will utilize blockchain-based smart contracts to automate critical real estate processes. These self-executing digital agreements can handle tasks such as ownership transfers, lease management & agreement, and rental payments, significantly reducing the need for intermediaries like brokers and agents.
- AI-driven investment insights
The platform will incorporate artificial intelligence to optimize real estate investment strategies. Its AI-powered virtual assistants and chatbots will provide round-the-clock support, helping investors navigate the real estate market seamlessly.
Additionally, its predictive AI system will analyze market trends, predict property value changes, and deliver data-driven recommendations. These insights empower investors to make informed decisions, boosting profitability while minimizing risks.
- Real estate tokenization for broader investment opportunities
PCHAIN will enable the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA), turning physical properties into digital tokens. This approach will allow for fractional ownership of high-value real estate, increasing market liquidity and democratizing access to property investments.
The PropiChain presale
PropiChain’s focus on real-world utility combined and its potential rally from $0.011 to $3 positions it for the top-gamer position in 2025.
The project raised over $1.3 million in the first presale round and has already crossed the $970,000 mark in the ongoing second presale round. This underscores the high confidence of investors in the project’s potential. After this presale round, the token price will rise by over 109% for the third and final presale round.
The token is listed on CoinMarketCap, a statement of the project’s readiness to do bigger things in the crypto space. Additionally, BlockAudit, a top blockchain security company, audited the project’s smart contract and certified that it has no vulnerability.
For more information on PropiChain, visit their website or online community.
Disclosure: This content is provided by a third party. crypto.news does not endorse any product mentioned on this page. Users must do their own research before taking any actions related to the company.
Microsoft was once the exclusive provider of data center infrastructure for OpenAI to train and run its AI models. No longer.
Coinciding with the announcement of Stargate, OpenAI’s massive new AI infrastructure deal with SoftBank, Oracle, and others, Microsoft says it has signed a new agreement with OpenAI that gives it “right of first refusal” on new OpenAI cloud computing capacity. That means that, going forward, Microsoft gets first choice over whether to host OpenAI’s AI workloads in the cloud — but if Microsoft can’t meet its needs, OpenAI can go to a rival cloud provider.
“OpenAI recently made a new, large Azure commitment that will continue to support all OpenAI products as well as training,” Microsoft said in a blog post. “To further support OpenAI, Microsoft has approved OpenAI’s ability to build additional capacity, primarily for research and training of models.”
OpenAI has blamed a lack of available compute for delaying its products, and compute capacity has reportedly become a source of tension between the AI company and Microsoft, its close collaborator and major investor. In June, Microsoft, under shareholder pressure, permitted OpenAI to ink a deal with Oracle for additional capacity.
In the blost post, Microsoft reiterated that “key elements” of its longstanding partnership with OpenAI remain in place through 2030, including its access to OpenAI’s IP, revenue sharing arrangements, and exclusivity on OpenAI’s APIs.
That assumes, of course, that OpenAI doesn’t achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI) under the two companies’ agreed-upon definition before then. When OpenAI develops AI systems that can generate at least $100 billion in profits, Microsoft will lose access to the company’s technology, according to a reported agreement between the firms.
OpenAI is said to be considering nullifying the agreement in a possible bid to secure more Microsoft funding.
“The OpenAI API is exclusive to Azure, runs on Azure and is also available through the Azure OpenAI Service,” the blog post reads. “This agreement means customers benefit from having access to leading models on Microsoft platforms and direct from OpenAI.”
We’ve reached out to OpenAI and Microsoft for more information and will update this post if we hear back.
Biotech entrepreneur and prominent crypto supporter Vivek Ramaswamy has reportedly stepped down from his role as co-lead of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
His decision is said to stem from a desire to run for governor of Ohio next year, with the current occupant of the seat, Mike DeWine, ineligible for reelection in 2026 since he is serving his second four-year term in office.
A Political Pivot for Ramaswamy
It is not the first time Ramaswamy has shown interest in high-profile political roles, having sought the Republican nomination for president in 2024. He had also shown interest in succeeding Vice President JD Vance as the senator for Ohio before Governor DeWine selected his deputy, Jon Husted, to fill the vacancy.
His departure from D.O.G.E, first reported by The Associated Press, is in line with the department’s new structural guidelines, which require members to step back from active roles if pursuing elected office.
The Cincinnati native has been a vocal advocate for crypto, criticizing the regulatory approach to the assets in the U.S. and even accusing the Biden administration and Wall Street of trying to “suppress” the industry.
He praised Grayscale’s victory against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) when it wanted to convert its Bitcoin Trust into a spot exchange-traded fund (ETF), saying the win made it possible to keep BTC and blockchain innovations in the U.S. instead of pushing them overseas.
Towards the end of last year, his company, Strive Asset Management, filed for a BTC bond ETF with the SEC that would provide institutional investors and everyday Americans easy access to financial instruments based on the number one cryptocurrency.
Musk Left as Sole Leader
President Donald Trump appointed the 38-year-old to lead DOGE alongside Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk soon after winning the elections in late 2024.
Launched under his “Save America” agenda, Trump formally established the task force via an executive order on the day of his inauguration. It aims to modernize the federal government’s operations by slashing inefficiencies, reducing regulatory red tape, and streamlining government spending.
Alongside its bold goals, the initiative drew attention due to its playful acronym, which is similar to the ticker of the largest meme coin by market capitalization, Dogecoin. Incidentally, Musk, who is now its sole leader, is a long-term supporter of Dogecoin, even earning the nickname “Dogefather” for his endorsement of the token.
The billionaire businessman recently proposed a public “leaderboard” that would highlight the most egregious examples of government inefficiency, an idea he described as “tragic” and “entertaining.”
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