The Hill: Helms 45 years later: It’s time for Congress to repeal it Kiefer Buckingham, senior policy advocate on public health issues at the Open Society Policy Center “…Led by Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), opponents [of abortion] wanted to include a provision in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1973 that…

The Hill: Republicans should take the lead on HIV/AIDS Jerri Ann Henry, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans “…Republicans played a part in [U.S. and global successes against HIV/AIDS], and it would be politically expedient for today’s GOP to reclaim its victories. Despite the prevailing narrative, Republicans don’t have an…

Center for Global Development: The International Development Finance Club with Scott Morris — CGD Podcast In this podcast, Holly Shulman, director of communications at CGD, speaks with Scott Morris, senior fellow and director of the U.S. Development Policy Initiative at CGD, about results from “a six-month survey of the 24…

Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network: MFAN Joins Congress in Calling for Foreign Aid Transparency Progress Report In a statement delivered on behalf of MFAN, MFAN Co-Chairs George Ingram, Lester Munson, and Tessie San Martin join eight congressional leaders calling on the “Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney to…

U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: A New Africa Strategy This blog post highlights remarks delivered by Ambassador John Bolton, U.S. national security adviser, on the Trump administration’s new Africa strategy. Bolton “emphasized that President Trump’s Africa strategy is the result of an intensive interagency process, and reflects the core tenets…

Washington Post: On a Bat’s Wing and a Prayer “…[B]ats carry the deadly Marburg virus, as fearsome and mysterious as its cousin Ebola. Scientists know that the virus starts in these animals, and they know that when it spreads to humans it is lethal — Marburg kills up to nine…

Devex: U.S. gets a C on sexual and reproductive global health assistance, new index finds “The U.S. government’s overall grade on sexual and reproductive health and rights in its global health assistance dropped from a B in 2016 to a C in 2017, according to a new index published Wednesday…

The Guardian: Yemen: ceasefire agreed for port city of Hodeidah “Yemen’s warring parties have agreed to an immediate ceasefire in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, the U.N. secretary general has said, in a potential breakthrough at the end of a week of peace talks in Sweden. … If implemented…

New York Times: This Is What Our Yemen Policy Looks Like Nicholas Kristof, New York Times columnist “…Members of the United States Congress are considering measures that would end our country’s support for the [Saudi Arabian war in Yemen]. … United States policies are contributing to the deaths of children…

New York Times: John Kerry: If We Fail on Climate, It Won’t Be Just Trump’s Fault John Kerry, former U.S. secretary of state “…People are dying today because of climate change, and many more will die and trillions of dollars of damage to property will occur unless America gets back…