Plus, a James Bond takeover. On Today’s Episode: Emergency Food, TB Tests and H.I.V. Drugs: Vital Health Aid Remains Frozen Despite Court Ruling, by Stephanie NolenAgent Orange Twisted Her Limbs. The U.S. Is Abandoning a Vow to Help, by Damien CaveWith Coffins and Taunts, Hamas Hands Dead Hostages to Israel, by Aaron Boxerman and Rawan Sheikh AhmadMultiple Bus Explosions in Israel Put Country on Terrorism Alert, by Ephrat LivniSenate Confirms Patel as Next F.B.I. Director, by Adam Goldman and Devlin BarrettMcConnell Announces He Won’t Seek Re-election, by Annie KarniBotched Care and Tired Staff: Planned Parenthood in Crisis, by Katie BennerAmazon Gains Creative Control Over the James Bond Franchise, by Brooks BarnesTune in every weekday morning. To get our full audio journalism and storytelling experience, download the New York Times Audio app — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.Tell us what you think at: [email protected].
Chapter 1: What foreign aid programs are affected by the USAID freeze?
From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Friday, February 21st. Here's what we're covering. Funding for vital health programs around the world remains frozen, despite a federal judge's order that the Trump administration stop dismantling USAID.
Chapter 2: How is the USAID freeze impacting health services in developing countries?
The Times has spoken with people on the ground who work on the aid programs, and they say that the freeze is having life-threatening consequences. They say children in Kenya who may have tuberculosis can't get tested. There's no clean drinking water at refugee camps in Nigeria and Bangladesh.
And people are traveling almost 200 miles in search of HIV medications in Ethiopia because they're no longer available at clinics the U.S. was funding. The Trump administration initially froze all foreign aid, saying it needed to review all of the programs and make sure they were in line with the president's America First agenda.
It's since been improving waivers to restart some of those initiatives, but aid workers say the payments aren't coming through, and the payment system used to disperse the funds isn't working at all. An executive who works with over 100 aid organizations said, quote, waivers without money are just pieces of paper, and you can't run programs with just paper.
The shutdown of global aid programs is also threatening to shatter decades of American diplomacy.
For the past few weeks, I've been looking at the various ways that the dismantling of USAID affects countries that the U.S. is trying to court as allies, especially in Asia.
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Chapter 3: What are the implications of the USAID freeze in Vietnam?
Damien Cave is the Times bureau chief in Vietnam.
A big part of what aid does in Vietnam is try to clean up the legacy of the Vietnam War. It's unexploded landmines and bombs. It's also dealing with Agent Orange, which was this really horrible herbicide that the American military used during the war and sprayed millions and millions of gallons of this all over the land to try and clear the area of leaves to be able to see the enemy.
It's one of the most noxious substances ever created, and even generations later, It creates birth defects and cancer at higher rates. And so the United States has been working hard with Vietnam to try and clean up this mess. Now, all of that has been stalled and suspended.
And all this help for Agent Orange victims, people who are dealing with severe health issues because of Agent Orange spraying, has been cut off as well.
Damien says that the aid cuts come as the U.S. had been trying to shore up partnerships in Asia to offset China's rising power there. And Vietnam, which borders China, has been a critical part of that effort.
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Chapter 4: How could the USAID cuts affect US-Asia relations?
Vietnam has been somewhat cautious in responding publicly because they fear the punishment of tariffs or something else from the Trump administration. But privately, they have been really outraged and becoming more and more vocal, basically telling the Americans that this is a bad idea that really hurts the relationship.
And what they're not saying, but which is implied, is that if the US can't be the partner that it's supposed to be, China is going to be right there instead.
In Israel, there's been a painful twist in the return of bodies of hostages from Gaza. Yesterday, as part of its ceasefire agreement, Hamas said it was handing over the remains of four people taken captive on October 7th. That included a mother, Shiri Bibas, and her two young children, who had become a symbol for many Israelis of the cruelty of the hostage crisis.
Chapter 5: What recent developments have occurred between Israel and Hamas?
Four black coffins were transferred from Gaza into Israel. But overnight, the Israeli military announced that the body in Bibas' coffin was not her. After forensic tests, they said the body is unidentified and didn't match any other hostages. The shocking discovery, an apparent ruse by Hamas, could threaten the fragile ceasefire.
The Israeli military called it a, quote, "...violation of utmost severity." Meanwhile, a series of explosions in Israel has raised fears of an attempted coordinated terrorist attack. Last night, three buses blew up in parking lots outside Tel Aviv, and multiple unexploded bombs were discovered at other locations. No injuries were reported.
Chapter 6: What is happening with the bomb explosions in Israel?
In response, all bus and train service in Israel was suspended, and Israel's prime minister immediately ordered the military to carry out what he called a massive operation against militants in the West Bank, where Israel has already been ramping up its raids in recent weeks.
The yeas are 51. The nays are 49. The confirmation is confirmed.
On Thursday afternoon, the Senate confirmed a hardline Trump loyalist, Kash Patel, as the next director of the FBI. Patel rose to prominence, promising to carry out a revenge campaign against Trump's political enemies. He even wrote a kid's book about Trump called The Plot Against the King.
He's been a vocal critic of the FBI for years, spreading false information about its work and vowing to fire its top leaders. During his confirmation hearing, Patel downplayed his previous comments, but the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee accused Patel of already directing a purge of FBI officials before he's even been sworn in. Also on Capitol Hill yesterday.
I've never liked calling too much attention to today's date, but I figured my birthday would be as good a day as any. to share a decision I made last year.
The longtime Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell marked his 83rd birthday by announcing that he will not seek re-election. He's faced a series of health issues in recent years and said he will step down at the end of his term. Over his four decades in Congress, McConnell has been known as a master tactician.
He played a key role in blocking major Democratic legislation and pushing through the confirmation of a whole generation of conservative judges. But he's also been one of the few Republican lawmakers to push back on President Trump since he took office again. McConnell voted against three of Trump's cabinet nominees.
The Times has found that a number of planned parenthood clinics across the country are in financial crisis. The funding shortage has meant they're relying on old equipment and facing staff turnover because of rock-bottom salaries. All of that could be compromising patient care. The Times spoke with staff and patients about scores of allegations, including failed abortions and misplaced IUDs.
The lack of funding in some ways is a surprise. Ever since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the organization has had a fundraising boom. But little of that money goes to provide health care at clinics. Instead, the majority is spent on the legal and political fight to maintain abortion rights.
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