When USAID suddenly stopped all foreign assistance without warning or a transition plan, it sent people all over the world scrambling. Especially those relying on daily medicine provided by USAID.

Producer Dana Chivvis talks to reporter Liz Flock about a strange experience she had in 2011. (21 minutes)Liz Flock’s most recent book is The Furies.

A woman watches her partner get taken in handcuffs with no explanation. Days later, she spots him in the most unexpected place.

A young couple, excited to start a new chapter in their lives, is suddenly put on a very different trajectory. (30 minutes)

We hear from Kwaneta Harris, a former nurse incarcerated in Texas, who is constantly asked for medical advice by her neighbors. (17 minutes)

Another labor and delivery nurse at UI Health, Clara, gets ready to deliver twins at her own hospital and receives an epidural. (19 minutes)

Zach’s mother and sister weigh in on the agreement. (28 minutes)

Editor David Kestenbaum speaks with Jeff Permar, who is trapped in a Groundhog Day situation — with an actual groundhog! (9 minutes)See more videos of the groundhog Chunk on Jeff’s YouTube channel.

Comedian Mike Birbiglia talks about the questions his daughter asks him and how trying to answer them showed him surprising reflections of himself.  (15 minutes) This is an excerpt from Mike Birbiglia’s special, “The Good Life.”

USAID was founded in 1961. Since then, it has spent hundreds of billions of dollars all over the world.

Kirk Johnson tells Ira about a strange choice he made during his family’s evacuation from the Sunset Fire in Los Angeles. (5 minutes)

Short fiction from Bess Kalb about a groundhog named Susan, who has her own opinions about the holiday named after her species. (7 minutes)You can find more work from Bess at The Grudge Report on Substack.

Zach and his father enter into an agreement that could change their entire relationship. (9 minutes)

Angela's dad, an accountant, made a spreadsheet to prepare for their family trip to a national park.

7-year-old Miles has lots of questions. More specifically, he has questions about the famous car chase from “The Blues Brothers” movie.

A scientist who is used to organizing data starts tracking scientific meetings that seem to exist only on paper—meetings that might decide the fate of years of research. The NIH website shows one reality; the empty conference rooms tell another story.

A history of the brief mayoral career of Harold Washington and its lessons for Black and white America, as told by people close to him. (39 minutes)Harold Washington died on November 25, 1987.  This show was first broadcast ten years later, in 1997.