Season 12 • Episode 947

947 - "Taxpayer Money Went to Buy Food to Feed People… Now It's Being Burned"

Sep 16, 2025

15:20

Episode Description

About this episode:

Over the past few months, USAID has been dismantled, forcing the abandonment of aid projects and flushing away millions of dollars worth of food and medicine. In this episode: Journalist Hana Kiros talks about her reporting on the thousands of USAID-funded projects that have been terminated, the potential PR nightmare for the U.S., and what is happening to lifesaving supplies.

Guest:

Hana Kiros is a writer and an assistant editor at The Atlantic, where she covers human rights and technology.

Host:

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.

Show links and related content:

Inside the USAID Fire Sale—The Atlantic
Sudden Impact: When Health Programs End—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine
What Foreign Aid Means for National Security—Public Health On Call (February 2025)

Transcript information:

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