Trump targets USAID as Marco Rubio becomes acting head of the embattled agency Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he is acting director the U.S. Agency for International Development, following days of upheaval at USAID as the Trump administration froze many of its programs. NPR Staff
Why does Musk want USAID 'to die'? And why did its website disappear? Under the Trump administration, the U.S. agency that funds aid projects has faced layoffs, a stop action order for most aid efforts and a disruption of its website. Now Elon Musk says it should 'die.' Melody Schreiber
Effective immediately: CDC can't talk to WHO. What will that mean for world health? Staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been told to halt all communication with the World Health Organization. Gabrielle Emanuel
If confirmed as HHS secretary, RFK Jr. would have a vast global reach As confirmation hearings begin for RFK Jr. nomination as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, many are focused on domestic agenda. The agency has a vast global scope as well. Simar Bajaj
USAID officials put on leave for allegedly not abiding by executive order A message to USAID staff, obtained by NPR, says it will analyze "actions within USAID that appear to be designed to circumvent the President's Executive Order" freezing most foreign aid. Gabrielle Emanuel
Cooling green roofs seemed like an impossible dream for Brazil's favelas. Not true! Temps soar in Brazil's summer (from December to March). Low-income favelas would benefit from green roofs but there are two problems: Cost. And a typical design that's too heavy for a favela home. Jill Langlois
U.S. puts virtually all foreign aid on 90-day hold, issues 'stop-work' order Following Trump's Monday freeze on foreign aid, a subsequent memo calls for for a stop-work order for current grants and contracts. Fatma Tanis
What will China do if U.S. leaves the WHO Critics of Trump's order to pull out of the WHO say it makes room for China to grow in its influence. But Trump says he's leaving the WHO partly because of China's influence. Policy analysts weigh in. Gabrielle Emanuel
Assessing Trump's claim that U.S. pays 'unfair' share of dues to WHO While signing the order to end U.S. membership in the World Health Organization, the President spoke of the disparity between contributions from the U.S. and China. Here's how WHO funding works. Ari Daniel
"TaxTheSuperRich" is a protester motto at the Davos forum. Would that end inequality? The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, is underway this week — and there are calls for taxing the extremely rich to address global inequality. Kamala Thiagarajan