Amanpour Trouble in Trump Land?
Nov 25, 2025
Atul Gawande, a surgeon and public health expert, dives into the dire outcomes of USAID budget cuts, revealing how they led to a collapse in health systems and rising death rates in places like Kenya. He emphasizes that these global health issues also have troubling repercussions domestically. Susan Choi, an acclaimed novelist, shares insights about her book 'Flashlight,' discussing themes of identity and belonging while critiquing the current wave of book bans and their impact on cultural discourse.
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Field Trip To Kenya Shows Human Cost
- The Lancet estimated USAID helped save 91 million lives over 20 years, a legacy Dr. Atul Gawande highlighted.
- Gawande traveled to Kenya with filmmakers to document the immediate human impact after the agency's funding cuts.
Community Systems Kept Malnutrition Deaths Low
- Community-level systems reduced severe malnutrition deaths to under 1% before cuts.
- Gawande reports those systems were broken after USAID cuts, causing elevated child mortality and sicker hospital admissions.
Community Health Worker Numbers Plummeted
- In one Kenyan refugee community, community health workers dropped from ~300 to under 100 due to funding cuts.
- Gawande observed that staffing cuts left workers unable to meet prenatal, immunization, and malnutrition needs.
