The country's first measles death in a decade was recorded Wednesday in Texas. Health and Human Services head Robert F. Kennedy Jr said Wednesday that the outbreak is not "unusual," something disputed by infectious disease experts such as Dr. Peter Hotez, who joins us. Then, the Trump administration says it's cutting 90% of USAID's foreign aid contracts, according to a White House internal memo and court filings first reported by the Associated Press. Bloomberg's Iain Marlow joins us to explain what's going on with the Agency for Foreign Development. And, the U.S. Agency for International Development providing food and humanitarian aid in Africa and other places is one example of U.S. soft power. Now that it has been dismantled by the Trump administration, some see a soft power void that China may fill. The New Yorker's Jay Caspian Kang tells us more. Plus, as February comes to an end, Here & Now's James Perkins Mastromarino shares the latest and greatest from the gaming world.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy