Gates Foundation Cuts Jobs, Reviews Epstein Ties

0:00On April 21st, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation just dropped some big news. They're slashing up to 500 jobs. That's about 20 percent. Of their staff, spread out over the next few years. At the same time, they're kicking off an outside review of their past dealings with Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender. This comes from a memo the Wall Street Journal got hold of. The foundation launched back in 2000 by Bill Gates and his then wife, pumps billions into global health projects worldwide. Bill Gates still chairs the board and sits as a member, so eyes are on him amid the Epstein questions that have lingered for years. Staff cuts like this could reshape how they tackle big issues like disease outbreaks and poverty. The reviews fully external, aiming to dig into those Epstein connections transparently. With operations scaling back gradually, the foundation's plotting its next moves in a shifting landscape. We'll see what shakes out from these changes. But for now, it's a pivotal moment for one of the planet's top philanthropies.

1:03That wraps U.S. News today. Brought to you with AI. I'm Cory with the story.