Health & Safety

The successful anti-AIDS program PEPFAR is under threat in Congress

5:12am October 02, 2023

The AIDS relief plan PEPFAR is in the crosshairs of abortion politics in Congress. It has widely enjoyed bipartisan support, until now, and a key re-authorization may lapse.

Teresa Butler visits Trish and Glen Johnston at their home in Christchurch, New Zealand, to support Trish, 79, who gave up smoking four years ago. Trish is Māori and Glen is pākehā — a white New Zealander.

Health & Safety

It's one of the world's toughest anti-smoking laws. The Māori see a major flaw

7:44am October 01, 2023

by Simar Bajaj

New Zealand has declared war on tobacco with a remarkable new law. The indigenous Māori population, with the country's highest smoking rate, has a lot to gain. But they have a bone of contention.

Curfew (Likoni March 27 2020) by Kenyan-British painter Michael Armitage, was inspired by an attack on ferry passengers by paramilitary police in Nairobi. The painting hangs in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

A 'modern masterpiece' paints pandemic chaos on cloth made of fig-tree bark

8:14am September 30, 2023

by Diane Cole

Kenyan-British artist Michael Armitage painted Curfew after a violent flare-up in Mombasa, Kenya, during the early days of the pandemic. One art critic calls it a "modern masterpiece."

Peacemakers have a debrief before concluding their work for the day at the Lincoln Fields apartments complex in Miami, Fla. Lamont Nanton (second from left) is the group's manager and Shameka Pierce (third from left) works with the group.

To prevent gun violence, these peacemakers start with the basics

7:00am September 30, 2023

by Verónica Zaragovia

For South Florida's Peacemakers, stopping the shootings begins with helping people with daily needs — from diapers and groceries to medical care.

PEPFAR, the U.S. multibillion dollar effort to fight HIV/AIDS, funds organizations such as the Coptic hospital in Nairobi, Kenya.

What's behind the debate to re-authorize PEPFAR, the widely hailed anti-HIV effort?

4:05pm September 29, 2023

by Gabriel Spitzer

The program launched by President George W. Bush is credited with saving 25 million lives. Some in Congress want this year's reauthorization tied to language that PEPFAR will not "promote abortion."

Morning news brief

12:32pm September 29, 2023

Deadline for a government shutdown looms. Health care workers at Kaiser Permanente near a nationwide walkout. The parents of the founder of bankrupt crypto exchange FTX face their own legal troubles.

Queue Listen Now

Joie Henney and his emotional support alligator, Wally, were denied entry to a Phillies' game at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday — but hope to be invited back soon.

Health & Safety

Wally the emotional support alligator went to see the Phillies. Then he went viral

11:01am September 29, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Wally doesn't bite, loves hugs and has a sizeable social media following. He made headlines (again) for being denied entry to a baseball stadium — but his owner tells NPR that's not the full story.

Frontline health care workers hold a demonstration on Labor Day outside Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center in Los Angeles, Monday, Sep. 4, 2023.

Health & Safety

Overworked and understaffed: Kaiser workers are on the brink of a nationwide strike

6:58am September 29, 2023

by Danielle Kaye

More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers at hundreds of U.S. facilities could go on strike for three days starting Wednesday, in the largest health care strike in the county's history.

Queue Listen Now

Health & Safety

Federal shutdown could disrupt patient care at safety-net clinics across U.S.

6:53am September 29, 2023

by Sarah Boden

A network of almost 1,400 federally-funded health clinics form an essential safety net for patients who have nowhere else to go. But even a temporary government shutdown could force cutbacks in care.

Queue Listen Now

Health & Safety

Americans are urged to get vaccinated against 3 major respiratory viruses

5:14am September 29, 2023

by Rob Stein

Public health experts are urging people to take advantage of the fact that this year, for the first time, vaccines are available for three major respiratory viruses: flu, COVID and RSV.