Goats and Soda

editor's note

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Dear readers,

The World Health Assembly is now taking place in Geneva -- that's the annual gathering of the member states of the World Health Organization.

There are 194 member nations. But this year, one of them is not in attendance -- the United States. That's because of President Donald Trump's decision on Inauguration Day to start the process of withdrawing from WHO membership.

What are the consequences of this absence -- for WHO and for the U.S.?

Read the story here.

Marc Silver,
Editor, Goats and Soda

stacking strategies

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A study finds stacking bricks differently could help this country fight air pollution
Bangladesh suffers from extreme air pollution, but a new study shows the brick industry can make small changes that would have a big impact on the country's smog problem.

in the news

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The world now has its first ever pandemic treaty. Will it make a difference?
At the World Health Assembly, 193 member nations voted to adopt a treaty calling for better preventive measures and global cooperation. But there are still details to hash out.

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A top global health expert's message to graduates: Kick the tires
NPR interviews Maria Van Kherkove, the infectious disease epidemiologist who is a leader in the World Health Organization.

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links we like

NPR's Michel Martin interviews a South African journalist "on Trump's claim that white South Africans are victims."
Cannes gave a 9-minute standing ovation to Homebound, an Indian film focusing on a member of the marginalized Dalit caste who cremates corpses -- and awarded it the "Promising Future Prize" as well.
To make over half a million extraordinarily beautiful black-and-white photos, he walked over 600 miles through Ethiopia, he contracted malaria, he literally went to the ends of the earth. The great Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado has died at age 81. The Guardian pays homage and features his images as well as his words: "“I am pessimistic about humankind, but optimistic about the planet. The planet will recover. It is becoming increasingly easier for the planet to eliminate us.”

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