What We're Reading

Every day, we share what we're reading, listening to, and watching in the world of global health — from well-reported news articles and in-depth studies to timely podcast episodes and features

Latest

ProPublica

Inside the Trump Administration’s Man-Made Hunger Crisis

by Brett Murphy and Anna Maria Barry-Jester

Trump officials were warned repeatedly that cutting off food aid to refugees in Kenya would lead to violence and death. They did so anyway.

USA Today

Trump Moves to Dismantle Major U.S. Climate Research Center in Colorado

by Joey Garrison

The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official

STAT

Why Comparing the U.S. Vaccine Schedule to European Countries’ Is a Red Herring

by Richard Hughes IV

Bringing the U.S. into "alignment" with other countries is part of a calculated attempt to upend childhood vaccination

Cornell Chronicle

Congestion Pricing Improved Air Quality in New York City and Suburbs

by David Nutt

Since New York City introduced congestion pricing in January 2025, the state has heralded significant reductions in traffic and rush hour delays

New York Times

Why Some Doctors Say There Are Cancers That Shouldn’t Be Treated

by Gina Kolata

Statistics show a clear spike in eight cancers in younger people, but that has brought a debate over whether many cases ever needed to be found.

CNN

$1.9 Billion Pledged in Fight Against Polio. But Huge Gap Remains After Cuts From Donor Countries

by Lauren Kent

The funding gap for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative through 2029 now stands at $440 million

Vox

The Global Decline in Murder, Explained in One Chart

by Bryan Walsh

The world is aging out of killing one another

New York Times

The United States Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine

by Aatish Bhatia, Amy Fan, Jonah Smith and Irena Hwang

A quiet policy change means the government is making fewer bets on long-term science

CBS News

Teens May Have Come Up With a New Way to Detect, Treat Lyme Disease Using CRISPR Gene Editing

by Bill Whitaker and Henry Schuster

Using the gene-editing tool CRISPR and a simulated blood serum, they were able to target specific DNA strands where the protein hides, then snip away

Axios

First Global H5N5 Death Confirmed in Washington

by Christine Clarridge

State health officials say the public risk remains low and there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission

CNN

New Jersey Man is First Known Death From Meat Allergy Triggered by Tick Bites

by Brenda Goodman

The allergy is unusual because the reaction doesn’t happen right away

Health Policy Watch

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Ties Global Health Aid to Data Sharing on Pathogens – Undermining WHO Talks

by Kerry Cullinan

The United States aims to compel countries that receive its aid to share all information about “pathogens with epidemic potential” in exchange