--:-- Tracy Mumford: From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Friday, February 21st. Here's what we're covering.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Funding for vital health programs around the world remains frozen, despite a federal judge's order that the Trump administration stop dismantling USAID. 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: 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.
--:-- Damien Cave: 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.
--:-- Damien Cave: 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 Cave: 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. Vietnam has been somewhat cautious in responding publicly because they fear the punishment of tariffs or something else from the Trump administration.
--:-- Damien Cave: 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 U.S. can't be the partner that it's supposed to be, China's going to be right there instead.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: 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 7. 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The shocking discovery, an apparent ruse by Hamas, could threaten the fragile ceasefire. The Israeli military called it a, quote, violation of utmost severity.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The yeas are 51. The nays are 49. The confirmation is confirmed.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: On Thursday afternoon, the Senate confirmed a hard-line 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: 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.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Instead, the majority is spent on the legal and political fight to maintain abortion rights. The clinics are primarily funded by local fundraising and by Medicaid payments for the non-abortion procedures that they provide, like cancer screenings and annual exams.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: But some states like Texas and Arkansas have blocked those payments, and others may follow, cutting the clinics off from crucial funding.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The full investigation into the state of Planned Parenthood clinics is at nytimes.com.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: And finally, it's not very comfortable, is it? The James Bond franchise is about to be shaken up.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Are you going to complain the whole way? Oh, go on then, eject me. See if I can.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: For more than 60 years, one British family, the Broccoli family, has been in control of every detail of the Bond film franchise. They've had final say of every casting decision, every stunt, every line of dialogue.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Do you expect me to talk? No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die. But Amazon gained a significant ownership stake in the 007 franchise a few years ago.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: And that triggered a standoff between Amazon and producer Barbara Broccoli about how to move forward. According to the Wall Street Journal, Broccoli didn't trust Amazon to do the iconic character justice.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: She told friends she thought the people at Amazon were idiots. But yesterday, it was announced they've struck a deal. Amazon will get creative control. And Broccoli said she'll move on to other projects.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Right now, the Bond franchise is at a crossroads. The last film, starring Daniel Craig, was the end of Craig's run. And there's been no decision about who will play the spy next.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Those are the headlines. Today on The Daily, the Friday Politics Roundtable. That's next in the New York Times audio app, or you can listen wherever you get your podcasts.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: This show is made by Will Jarvis, Jessica Metzger, Jan Stewart, and me, Tracy Mumford. Original theme by Dan Powell. Special thanks to Isabella Anderson, Larissa Anderson, Jake Lucas, Zoe Murphy, Paula Schumann, and Chris Wood.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The headlines will be back on Monday.
