5.7.25 The TAKE IT DOWN Act, global response to the lack of U.S. aid, and recovering from the loss of a spouse

Summary

Podcast Summary: The World and Everything In It
Episode: 5.7.25 – The TAKE IT DOWN Act, Global Response to the Lack of U.S. Aid, and Recovering from the Loss of a Spouse
Release Date: May 7, 2025
Host: WORLD Radio

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I. The TAKE IT DOWN Act: Combating AI-Generated Deepfakes

Overview:
The episode opens with a significant legislative development as Congress passes the TAKE IT DOWN Act, a pioneering bill aimed at tackling the proliferation of explicit deepfake images. This legislation mandates that online platforms remove non-consensual intimate deepfakes within 48 hours of notification and criminalizes their publication.

Key Discussions:

• Legislative Details:
  Representative Jay Obernolte (California) co-sponsored the bill, emphasizing the unacceptability of non-consensual intimate imagery. The bill passed overwhelmingly with a 409 to 2 vote, signaling strong bipartisan support.

• Advocates' Perspectives:
  Noelle Martin, an advocate against intimate deepfakes and partner with the University of Western Australia, shared her personal ordeal with deepfakes. She highlighted the rapid spread and difficulty in removing such harmful content, advocating for a shared responsibility among users, platforms, and AI companies to combat the issue effectively.

• Opposition Concerns:
  Congressman Thomas Massie (Kentucky) expressed reservations about the bill's penalties and the practicality of the 48-hour removal window, especially for smaller platforms lacking the resources to comply swiftly. Critics fear that stringent regulations might stifle innovation and burden emerging web platforms.

• Implementation Challenges:
  Christina Grube raised concerns about the vague definitions within the bill, potentially leading to over-filtering by platforms that might inadvertently remove legitimate content. The Vice President and Director of Public Policy at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, Eleanor Gaetan, countered by expressing confidence in AI technologies' ability to comply with the law efficiently.

Notable Quotes:

• Lindsay Mast [00:05]: "Congress passes the Take It Down Act, a bill that means what it says, ordering online platforms to get rid of explicit deepfakes."

• Noelle Martin [08:46]: "I could never, ever get on top of the situation because it had spread too much."

• Christina Grube [10:32]: "Penalties for violating the act could result in three years behind bars and/or a fine of up to $250,000."

• Thomas Massie [10:51]: "My great concern is that the platform that would be liable for hosting this stuff are just going to put on such a strong filter..."

• Eleanor Gaetan [11:58]: "There is extremely successful AI tools to identify imagery that would comply with this law and get rid of it."

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II. International Relations and Conflicts

A. Houthi Rebels in Yemen Signal Ceasefire

Overview:
President Trump announced that the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are signaling a white flag of surrender, agreeing to cease attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea. This declaration follows Israeli military airstrikes targeting Houthi positions in response to attacks on Israeli airports.

Key Points:

• Conflict Dynamics:
  The Houthis had been disrupting key shipping channels since the onset of the Gaza war in 2023. The ceasefire comes after significant retaliatory actions by Israel, aiming to cripple Houthi logistical capabilities.

• Diplomatic Engagements:
  Trump's statement was made during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, discussing trade and tariffs. Notably, Trump floated the idea of Canada becoming a U.S. state, which Carney firmly rejected, emphasizing Canadian sovereignty.

Notable Quotes:

• Christina Grube [01:01]: "President Trump says the Iran backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are waving a white flag of surrender."

• Kent Covington [01:18]: "We will honor that."

B. Rising Tensions Between India and Pakistan

Overview:
India's military conducted missile strikes within Pakistani-controlled territories in the aftermath of a deadly terrorist attack in Kashmir, which India attributes to Pakistani support. Pakistan's Prime Minister has labeled these strikes as acts of war, escalating the long-standing conflict between the two nations.

Key Points:

• Military Actions:
  India targeted sites allegedly used for planning terrorist attacks against it, though refraining from an all-out air assault.

• Casualties and Repercussions:
  The missile strikes resulted in eight deaths, intensifying the already volatile India-Pakistan relations.

Notable Quotes:

• Christina Grube [02:23]: "I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They've been fighting for many, many decades."

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III. Supreme Court Decision on Transgender Military Service

Overview:
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Pentagon's ban on transgender service members, allowing its enforcement to continue while legal challenges are still in process. This decision marks a significant moment in the ongoing debate over transgender rights in the military.

Key Points:

• Policy Enforcement:
  The ban requires military services to identify transgender individuals within 30 days and secure their separation within another 30 days. The court's 6-3 decision permits this policy to remain in effect temporarily.

• Legal and Social Implications:
  Pro-LGBT activists have criticized the ruling, arguing it perpetuates discrimination. Advocates like Noelle Martin emphasize the need for comprehensive measures that include both removal of harmful content and addressing root causes.

Notable Quotes:

• Christina Grube [03:37]: "The high court ruled Tuesday in the dispute over a policy that effectively disqualifies... those who identify as anything other than their biological sex from service."

• Nick Eicher [04:00]: "The court's three liberal justices said they would have kept the policy on hold."

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IV. U.S.-China Trade Talks in Switzerland

Overview:
Senior U.S. officials are set to engage with a high-level Chinese delegation in Geneva, marking the first major talks since the trade war commenced over a month prior. The focus is expected to be on de-escalation rather than comprehensive trade agreements.

Key Points:

• Diplomatic Efforts:
  Treasury Secretary Scott Besant indicated a mutual interest in dialogue, though Analyst Leo Braceno suggests that substantial trade deals are unlikely at this stage.

• Strategic Implications:
  The discussions represent a critical step toward managing economic tensions and avoiding further escalation between the two global powers.

Notable Quotes:

• Leo Braceno [04:28]: "My sense is that this will be about de-escalation, not about the big trade deal."

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V. Historic Fentanyl Bust by the Department of Justice

Overview:
The Department of Justice announced the largest fentanyl seizure in U.S. history, disrupting a multi-state operation trafficking the drug. The bust highlights ongoing efforts to combat the opioid crisis plaguing the nation.

Key Points:

• Seizure Details:
  Authorities confiscated three million fentanyl pills, over 40 firearms, and significant quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine across six states.

• Legal Actions:
  Sixteen individuals were arrested, including Ediberto Salazar Amaya, linked to Mexican cartels, facing charges of conspiracy and drug distribution.

Notable Quotes:

• Kim Henderson [04:53]: "Three million pills going on our streets. Three million pills, the streets of our country laced with fentanyl labeled as oxycodone."

• Christina Grube [05:22]: "I'm Kent Covington. And straight ahead, a crackdown on Internet companies that host explicit deep fakes."

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VI. Global Response to the U.S. Freeze on Foreign Aid

Overview:
Following the Trump administration's January decision to freeze a variety of foreign aid programs, international partners have stepped in to fill the resulting funding gaps. This move has had significant implications for development projects and humanitarian efforts worldwide.

Key Points:

• Aid Disruption:
  The U.S. initially paused foreign aid to reassess funding allocations, citing concerns over waste and profiteering. This led to the suspension of critical programs in nations like Sudan and South Sudan, affecting water, sanitation, and agricultural services.

• International Intervention:
  Countries such as Saudi Arabia and China have increased their aid contributions, establishing new partnerships and funding similar projects to mitigate the U.S. withdrawal's impact. However, some analysts argue that China’s strategic approach differs fundamentally from the U.S., focusing more on loans and infrastructure projects.

• Local Adaptations:
  Aid organizations like World Relief have had to adapt by seeking new partners and mobilizing private donations to sustain essential services, despite facing significant operational challenges.

Notable Quotes:

• Kim Henderson [15:53]: "General Michael Langley is the commander of US Africa Command. He says China is trying to exploit the US Exit even though the US has proven to be a better strategic partner."

• Carl Truman [28:06]: [Discusses the implications of the new papal leadership, overlapping with the next section.]

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VII. Personal Story: Recovering from the Loss of a Spouse

Overview:
The episode features an intimate narrative from Anita Uler, who shares her journey of caregiving and coping with the loss of her husband, Larry, to Parkinson’s disease. Her story underscores the emotional and financial challenges faced by caregivers.

Key Points:

• Caregiving Challenges:
  Anita recounts the six years of caregiving, balancing full-time work with the demanding needs of her husband. The progression of Larry’s Parkinson’s made daily living increasingly difficult, ultimately necessitating his placement in a nursing home.

• Emotional Impact:
  The loss left Anita grappling with a new identity beyond being a wife and caregiver. She discusses the deep sense of grief and the struggle to find a new path post-retirement.

• Community Support:
  Through her church, which comprises many widows and widowers, Anita found solace and understanding. She emphasizes the role of faith in healing and the importance of community in navigating loss.

Notable Quotes:

• Anita Uler [22:33]: "I wept. My father died from complications of Parkinson's, so I knew what was coming. Larry did not."

• Anita Uler [26:26]: "We remind ourselves that it's not something you ever get over. It's something you continually, by the grace of God, get through."

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VIII. Papal Election and Its Broader Implications

Overview:
As cardinals convene in Rome to elect a new pope, World Opinions contributor Carl Truman explores the potential impact of this decision beyond Catholic circles, particularly its cultural and moral influence on secular society and Protestant communities.

Key Points:

• Theological Significance:
  The papacy's role as the moral leader of Christianity positions the new pope as an influential figure in inter-denominational dialogues and societal moral standards.

• Protestant Perspectives:
  While Protestants do not recognize papal infallibility, strong and clear papal leadership can delineate theological alignments and differences, fostering better understanding and cooperation.

• Cultural Influence:
  The pope's stance on issues like gender, sexuality, and human dignity holds weight in shaping public perceptions and societal norms, emphasizing the need for decisive and clear leadership.

Notable Quotes:

• Carl Truman [28:06]: "A pope who is at least clear on basic issues such as gender and human sexuality... will benefit us all."

• Carl Truman [31:47]: "If the Roman Catholic Church squanders its legacy on questions of ethics... all Christian churches will suffer."

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Conclusion

This episode of The World and Everything In It delves into critical legislative developments, international conflicts, social justice issues, and personal narratives that resonate deeply in today’s global landscape. From the groundbreaking TAKE IT DOWN Act addressing the dark side of AI to heartfelt stories of personal loss and resilience, WORLD Radio continues to provide comprehensive and faith-grounded journalism that informs and inspires its listeners.

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For more insights and detailed reports, subscribe to World Radio or visit wng.org.

Transcript

[Lindsay Mast]

Good morning. Congress passes the Take It Down Act, a bill that means what it says, ordering online platforms to get rid of explicit deepfakes. Sometimes an issue is so important it.

[Nick Eicher]

Takes Congress by storm. And thankfully, take it down took Congress by storm.

[Kent Covington]

The details ahead on Washington Wednesday. Also today, world tour who's stepping in after the US Hit pause on foreign aid. And later, when caregiving I wept.

[Anita Uler]

My father died from complications of Parkinson's. So I knew what was coming. Larry did not.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's Wednesday, May 7th. This is the world and everything in it. From listener supported World Radio. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Kent Covington]

And I'm Nick Eicher. Good morning.

[Lindsay Mast]

Up next, Kent Covington has today's news.

[Christina Grube]

President Trump says the Iran backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are waving a white flag of surrender. The Houthis have announced that they are not or they've been announced to us at least that they don't want to fight anymore. They just don't want to fight.

[Kent Covington]

And we will honor that.

[Christina Grube]

And we will, we will stop the bombings. Trump says the Houthis have agreed to end all attacks against shipping vessels in the Red Sea. The terror group has been launching attacks in key shipping channels since the start of the war in Gaza in 2023. The announcement came after the Israeli military launched a second day of airstrikes against Houthi targets. Israel says those attacks crippled the international airport in Yemen's capital. That in retaliation for an attack on Israel's main airport. President Trump's remarks on Tuesday came as he hosted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office. The two leaders met on a range of issues, but trade and tariffs topped the agenda. Asked about the possibility of the US And Canada striking a new trade deal, Trump responded, I would love that. Look, I have a lot of respect for this man. And despite recent tensions over trade, the meeting was respectful, even friendly. But Carney held firm when Trump once again suggested that Canada should become a US State. As you know from real estate, there.

[Noelle Martin]

Are some places that are never for sale.

[Christina Grube]

The prime minister said he heard loud and clear from Canadian voters on that point in last week's national election in which Carney's party emerged victorious. President Trump on Tuesday also reacted to news that India's military struck multiple sites inside Pakistani controlled territory. That came two weeks after a deadly attack on tourists in the disputed Kashmir region. India had accused Pakistan of supporting that attack. I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They've been fighting for many, many decades. I just hope it ends very quickly. India's air force did not cross the border, but its missiles did. And Pakistan's prime minister called it an act of war. Officials in Pakistan last night said the missile strikes killed eight people. India's Defense Ministry said it targeted sites, quote, where terrorist attacks against India have been planned. The U.S. supreme Court is allowing the Pentagon to enforce a ban on so called transgender service members while legal challenges proceed. World's Christina Grube has more. The high court ruled Tuesday in the dispute over a policy that effectively disqualifies.

[Nick Eicher]

From service those who identify as anything other than their biological sex in response.

[Christina Grube]

To an executive order by President Trump.

[Nick Eicher]

The Pentagon then gave the military services.

[Christina Grube]

30 days to identify so called transgender.

[Anita Uler]

Troops, then another 30 days to secure their separation.

[Nick Eicher]

But pro LGBT activists sued and multiple.

[Christina Grube]

Judges halted the military rules.

[Nick Eicher]

The high court ruled 6 to 3.

[Christina Grube]

To allow enforcement for now.

[Nick Eicher]

The court's three liberal justices said they.

[Christina Grube]

Would have kept the policy on hold. For WORLD I'm Christina Group top US Officials are set to meet with a high level Chinese delegation this weekend in Switzerland. The administration announcing the first major talks with China since the ongoing trade war began more than a month ago. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant. We've agreed to talk then on Saturday and Sunday we will agree what we're.

[Noelle Martin]

Going to talk about.

[Leo Braceno]

My sense is that this will be.

[Christina Grube]

About de escalation, not about the big trade deal. The discussions in Geneva will be the senior most meeting between the two countries in months. The Department of Justice just announced what it is calling the biggest fentanyl bust in US History after a multi state operation. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

[Kim Henderson]

Three million pills going on our streets. Three million pills, the streets of our country laced with fentanyl labeled as oxycodone.

[Christina Grube]

Authorities also seized more than 40 firearms, 75 pounds of methamphetamine as well as heroin and cocaine. The operation spanned a half dozen states from Nevada to Colorado to Oregon. U.S. attorney Ryan Ellison told reporters 16 individuals have been arrested, including the alleged.

[Kent Covington]

Leader, Ediberto Salazar Amaya, an illegal alien.

[Christina Grube]

From Mexico with two prior removals and.

[Kent Covington]

Direct ties to the Mexican cartel.

[Christina Grube]

Suspects face charges including conspiracy and distribution. I'm Kent Covington. And straight ahead, a crackdown on Internet companies that host explicit deep fakes. Plus a world tour special report on international aid. This is the WORLD and everything in it.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's Wednesday, the 7th of May. Glad to have you along for today's edition of the WORLD and EVERYTHING IN it. Good morning. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Kent Covington]

And I'm Nick Eicher It's Washington Wednesday. Our main story today is one that probably is not suitable for younger ears. It has to do with AI generated explicit, deep fake images of real people. That story will get started shortly, so you've got a bit of time yet to decide whether it's appropriate.

[Lindsay Mast]

First, an update on the federal budget. Last week, the White House released its spending blueprint for the new fiscal year. It calls for a 23% reduction on discretionary spending by Congress. Cedarville University economics professor Jared Pinson spoke with world's Washington bureau. He said it's a long time coming. I don't know if I can remember.

[Christina Grube]

A time where they've actually cut spending, like actually cut spending.

[Kent Covington]

Even so, the budget doesn't touch entitlement programs that add the most to the deficits and debt. Republicans like Congressman Rich McCormick Cormick of Georgia say it's just a start and that's putting it generously.

[Christina Grube]

You can cut all you want from non discretionary spending. Remember, non discretionaries mix up about if you discount the military, 10% of the budget and we expanded the military, so.

[Nick Eicher]

Obviously 10% of the budget you're talking.

[Christina Grube]

About reducing by 24%. We'll take 1/10 of that. That's 2.4% of the budget.

[Lindsay Mast]

The budget also seeks an additional 13% for defense, and that accounts for more than a trillion dollars. Congress will be hammering out the numbers in the weeks to come. More on that as the process unfolds. In the meantime, our Washington team will keep you posted [e-mail] and we'll have a link for you to follow in the program. Transcript.

[Kent Covington]

Well, last week the House passed the Take It Down Act. It's one of the first AI focused bills to win congressional approval. It requires social platforms to remove non consensual intimate deepfakes within 48 hours and criminalizes their publication. World Washington Bureau reporter Leo Braceno explains what this means for victims and for tech companies.

[Leo Braceno]

Noelle Martin was 18 when she searched for images of herself on Google.

[Noelle Martin]

Before I ever found out what was happening to me, it was already too late.

[Leo Braceno]

Strangers online had taken images from her social media and manipulated them into pornographic images. Law enforcement told her there was nothing they could do to bring the perpetrators to justice, and websites were slow to remove the images while users online copied them and posted them elsewhere.

[Noelle Martin]

I could never, ever get on top of the situation because it had spread too much.

[Leo Braceno]

Today Martin, who works in partnership with the University of Western Australia, is an advocate against the creation and spread of intimate deep fakes. It's an old problem that's supercharged today by artificial intelligence.

[Noelle Martin]

Research has shown that it's become a fully fledged online industry. The biggest sites that have been created that are dedicated to this abuse have amassed billions of views.

[Leo Braceno]

Lawmakers in the US have taken notice. Last Monday, Congress passed a bill looking to address those harms through the Take It Down Act. It's one of the first AI related bills to pass Congress. Here is Congressman Jay Obernolte of California, the former chairman of the Bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence.

[Christina Grube]

I'm very happy obviously as a co sponsor of the bill and someone who's been very vocal and expressing my belief that non consensual intimate imagery is something we should all be able to agree is not okay.

[Leo Braceno]

The bill passed in an overwhelming 409 to 2 vote. Advocates take that as a good sign it will become law.

[Lindsay Mast]

Sometimes an issue is so important it takes Congress by storm and thankfully take it down took Congress by storm.

[Leo Braceno]

Eleanor Gaetan is Vice President and director of Public Policy at the national center on Sexual Exploitation, or nicosi.

[Nick Eicher]

It requires online platforms to remove non consensual sexually explicit material within 48 hours of being notified.

[Lindsay Mast]

And then it criminalizes the publication of.

[Nick Eicher]

These images, whether they're actual images of a real person or AI generated images that look exactly like a person.

[Leo Braceno]

Penalties for violating the act could result in three years behind bars and or a fine of up to $250,000. The law would apply in instances of interstate or foreign commerce. So what about those votes against the bill? Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie said he had concerns about the penalties.

[Christina Grube]

It's so vague. My great concern is that the platform that would be liable for hosting this stuff are just going to put on such a strong filter that a lot of stuff gets filtered out. And then also I think they're going to be on a hair trigger to take stuff down given the severity of the punishment if they don't.

[Leo Braceno]

He's also worried about what the two day requirement means for smaller web platforms that may lack capacity to police their content.

[Christina Grube]

What's a small startup web hosting thing that's like the next Facebook or the next Twitter? They're going to have to spend, you know, a lot of money trying to make sure that they don't run afoul.

[Leo Braceno]

Of this regulation and it may keep.

[Christina Grube]

Them from getting started up.

[Leo Braceno]

Massie says he would like more clear guidelines in the language on what it means to create an image in someone else's likeness. Gaetan, the vice president at Nakosi, believes that innovation will help address some of Thomas Massie's concerns.

[Nick Eicher]

There is extremely successful AI tools to identify imagery that would comply with this law and get rid of it. So we believe in the incredible success and genius of these companies to be able to solve so many problems, including this one.

[Leo Braceno]

When asked about that two day window, the bill's co sponsor, Congressman Obernolte, told me he's expecting legal challenges, but that the line has to be drawn somewhere.

[Christina Grube]

But to anyone who objects to the two day provision, my question is, well, what is the right amount of time? Two days. I think as we get into implementation of the bill, we'll see if that's too long or too short or just right.

[Leo Braceno]

Last year Australia amended its criminal code to give platforms 24 hours to take down non consensual deepfake content. But Noel Martin says companies regularly ignore those requirements.

[Christina Grube]

Some of the challenges that we have.

[Noelle Martin]

Is websites not actually complying with any requests or taking too long to respond and then by that time things are reposted, amplified, resurfaced.

[Leo Braceno]

Martin says that the burden of compliance should be shared by everyone involved, users, platforms, AI companies and more. She believes that's the only way to attack the problem.

[Noelle Martin]

Like you have to do both. It can't be one emphasis on just the removal without also holding the whole pipeline to account. Otherwise the response is going to be superficial and won't tackle the root causes of this.

[Leo Braceno]

So what can families do to protect their children from this? Some Christian researchers say it's time to get off and stay off social media.

[Lindsay Mast]

The platforms and its algorithms celebrate vice rather than virtue.

[Leo Braceno]

Claire Morell is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy center in Washington, D.C. she says that families should think carefully about whether they use social media since the pictures and videos young people post online can be exploited.

[Lindsay Mast]

Be really careful who you share photos with, who you text photos to, to be very careful uploading them online. I personally would advise parents to not allow their children under 18 on social media for this reason, but if they are, then they should be really cautioned knowing that that can sadly be used.

[Leo Braceno]

Against the Take It down act is now headed to President Donald Trump's desk for his signature. Reporting for World, I'm Leo Briseno in Washington, D.C.

[Christina Grube]

Additional support comes from the Joshua Program at St. Dunstan's Academy in Virginia. A gap year shaping young men through trades, farming, prayer, St. Dunstansacademy.org from Asbury University, where summer for teens can be an epic adventure. Asbury. Edu camps and from Eyewitness, an immersive audio drama exploring stories of faith and transformation on podcast apps or at the Letter I Witness Podcast.

[Kent Covington]

Coming up next on the World and Everything in It World Tour the Trump administration froze a wide variety of foreign aid when it took office in January. The U.S. state Department said it needed 90 days to figure out where development money was going and what it was being spent on. Accounts of waste and profiteering bolstered the White House argument.

[Lindsay Mast]

But legitimate international aid groups also found themselves scrambling to fill the funding gap. Some programs had to be shut down, others cut back. The US has reinstated some of the funding, but other countries are also stepping in, bringing with them their own agendas and priorities. World reporter Onize Odua has this special report.

[Kim Henderson]

In January, word of the paused US Aid brought some initial confusion to the World Relief team in Sudan.

[Leo Braceno]

You know that within a very short.

[Christina Grube]

Time, sometimes they approve and then a.

[Kim Henderson]

Little bit after a few days they disapprove.

[Christina Grube]

So it was interrupted several times.

[Kim Henderson]

Gemta Birhanu is the regional director of World Relief's programs in Sudan, South Sudan and Chad. The US Funded Agricultural Service for Displaced People and Host Communities program was eventually reinstated, but that wasn't the case for others, Birhanu says. A different program that provided water, sanitation and hygiene services to nearly 1 million people in South Sudan wrapped up but was not renewed.

[Christina Grube]

We have submitted several projects for South Sudan and also for Sudan and which were about to be approved.

[Leo Braceno]

And then also those projects which were.

[Christina Grube]

Almost at final negotiations were automatically cancelled.

[Kim Henderson]

The ministry had to let go of more than 400 workers in South Sudan. It also closed down more than 25 health centers. The group has shifted its focus to finding new partners.

[Christina Grube]

The impact is really significant on us. However, again World Relief is doing its.

[Kim Henderson]

Best to mobilize resources from private donors, Birhanu says. The group is also trying to capitalize on its existing partnerships with other United nations organizations active in the country. In countries like Nigeria, State Minister for Health Dr. Esiac Salako admitted that the foreign aid pause provided a wake up call for the country to reorganize its health sector. Authorities there launched a committee to draft a transition plan for USAID funded health programs. Meanwhile, other countries like Saudi Arabia are ramping up their global support. Back in February, the Saudi based King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief center partnered with the United Nations Development Program. Together they assisted Yemeni communities dealing with the effects of armed conflict. A month later, it donated more than $5 million to support Ukrainian refugees combating sex based violence against women and girls. China has also entered the mix. One week after the United States canceled funding for two projects in Cambodia supporting child literacy and nutrition efforts, China launched similar programs. U.S. officials say the country made a similar move after USAID ended a childhood development project in Rwanda. There's a number of programs that we.

[Christina Grube]

See that the Chinese Communist Party is trying to replicate. They can't do what we do.

[Kim Henderson]

General Michael Langley is the commander of US Africa Command. He says China is trying to exploit the US Exit even though the US has proven to be a better strategic partner.

[Noelle Martin]

Those capabilities are needed for the US.

[Christina Grube]

To maintain a strategic advantage over Chinese Communist Party.

[Kim Henderson]

But not everyone believes China suddenly shifted strategy to capitalize on the United States absence. Christian Gerard Nima is the Africa editor of the non profit multimedia organization China Global South Project. He says China was already working in countries like Rwanda ahead of the US Financial withdrawal. He also sees the US Strategy on the continent as very different from China's. China doesn't have the same approach when it comes to developing aid. He says here that China's approach to aid includes loans and financing for projects like railways. That approach could change in the coming years, but for now, many donor receiving countries are still trying to understand the impact of the funding gap and how to fill those gaps, whether internally or with new partners. Reporting for World I'm Onize Odua.

[Kent Covington]

Swimmer Gary Hall Jr. Was no stranger to the Olympic medal platform. He just never received received so many in a single day. That is until this week. The International Olympic Committee presented replacements at a ceremony. Never before has 10 Olympic medals been replaced. Probably because nobody's lost 10 medals before. I'll do a better job of taking care of these. Oh, come on. You can't be blamed for this. Hall lost his medals in the California wildfires back in January. He brought a couple of them. He was able to recover, but they were fused together from the heat. Hall said the fires taught him what really matters. The value of friends outweighs the value of objects, things and character cannot be taken away. It cannot be burned, cannot be lost. Lessons from the deep end. It's the world and everything in it.

[Lindsay Mast]

Today is Wednesday, May 7th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Kent Covington]

And I'm Nick Eicher. Next up on the World and Everything in It. When Caregiving closes, the Seniors organization AARP estimates one in five Americans serves as a caregiver for an adult or a child with special needs.

[Lindsay Mast]

That includes nearly 6 million who serve as caregivers for a spouse. But what happens when that job ends? World Senior writer Kim Henderson tracks one woman's journey through loss and life after.

[Anita Uler]

He would sit and we'd feed him off of this because Anita Uler is.

[Nick Eicher]

Showing me around her home in southwest Michigan. She built it with her husband Larry. They were married for 37 years.

[Anita Uler]

This was a church directory picture. And I'm trying to remember when this was.

[Nick Eicher]

It was 2011. That's when the Ewler's world turned upside down.

[Anita Uler]

It was a gentle little tremor, but he'd had it for over a year. We finally went to the doctor and the doctor sent him to a neurologist.

[Nick Eicher]

The doctor gave them a hard diagnosis. Parkinson's disease. They were both 55.

[Anita Uler]

I wept. My father died from complications of Parkinson's, so I knew what was coming. Larry did not.

[Nick Eicher]

Anita loved her husband. Through all the challenges brought on by the disease, they tried different doctors, different treatments, lots of supplements. When Larry had difficulty breathing at night, he slept in a recliner. When he could no longer operate it, they bought a power lift chair to help. These days, it's Anita who sits in the chair. She's wearing one of Larry's old flannel shirts, her feet curled up under her.

[Anita Uler]

We designed this room with kids in mind because we started building when we were trying to have children. And we had four miscarriages in three years. And God said no.

[Nick Eicher]

So no children to help or care for Larry. When he started having panic attacks from being alone all day, Anita hired an agency of caregivers for help. She had to. She was still working full time.

[Anita Uler]

I would get 20 minutes that I would get home, change my clothes. Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe. Okay, Gotta get down before they leave. And then into full swing. So, yeah, for six years, there was this no shutdown time.

[Nick Eicher]

She remembers reaching a hard point in 2018. She was at her computer doing more research, trying to find something else to help Larry, who was going down fast. But she suddenly sensed God leading her to stop.

[Anita Uler]

No more. There is no more. You've done everything. You've found everything. There's no more. That was very, very hard to take, that I could do nothing more to help make his life ease his pain.

[Nick Eicher]

Anita stands at her sliding glass door. She looks out on her property and.

[Anita Uler]

Remembers he had a shop on the other side of that. Not this tree line, but if you look careful, beyond that thin spot, you see those taller trees.

[Nick Eicher]

Parkinson's eventually left Larry barely able to walk. Anita and the aides couldn't lift him without hurting themselves. Still, making the decision to put her husband in a nursing home was Hard.

[Anita Uler]

I would go from 11 to 1:00 to be with Larry during his lunchtime to keep him company. And then I would come back and finish my eight hour shift and then I'd go spend another couple hours with him before then I would come home.

[Nick Eicher]

When Larry died in 2020, Anita struggled to shift into a different role. No longer a wife, no longer a caregiver, and within three years no longer employed. She retired. It wasn't how she imagined things would be. Even after his diagnosis, I knew that.

[Anita Uler]

That meant I probably would not have him for very long after retirement. I was not expecting not to have him at all.

[Nick Eicher]

All their hopes of growing old together, gone the first couple years.

[Anita Uler]

It was crying every day too. I've come a long way by the grace of God, but you know this house. There are Larry Isms all over the place.

[Nick Eicher]

Larry isms the way he built. The plumbing lines that run upstairs, the vents with access ports for repairs, the windows still lacking trim. Anita admits things are tight. She spent a third of her retirement savings on Larry's in home care, but she doesn't regret that.

[Anita Uler]

I was just grateful I even had the access to the funds to get him what he needed to function.

[Nick Eicher]

Now more than ever, she's able to be an active member of her church.

[Anita Uler]

We're a mostly widow congregation and in fact half of the guys are widowers.

[Nick Eicher]

Because they understand loss. They know how to encourage each other.

[Anita Uler]

We remind ourselves that it's not something you ever get over. It's something you continually, by the grace of God, get through.

[Nick Eicher]

And it's something that should mature you, sanctify you as a Christian.

[Anita Uler]

When Larry was so sick, it was pulled into God leaned on him every minute of every day. And you know, granted, life is quieter, but. But I'm realizing I still need to stay there, which that's where God wants us to be.

[Nick Eicher]

Reporting for World, I'm Kim Henderson in Paw Paw, Michigan.

[Lindsay Mast]

This story comes from a much longer report from Kim on rethinking retirement and aging in America. Just one of the many featured articles in the next issue of World magazine. If you're not currently a print or Digital Subscriber, visit wng.org subscribe.

[Kent Covington]

Today is Wednesday, May 7th. Good morning. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Nick Iger.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast. As cardinals convene in Rome to select a new pope, their decision will echo far beyond Catholic circles. World Opinions contributor Carl Truman argues that in the eyes of secular society, society, it's The Pope who embodies the moral witness of Christianity.

[Noelle Martin]

In a sense, the Pope has little significance for Protestant churches. Even in the world of Anglicanism, an archbishop is not a pope. He may be one who holds an historically significant post, but he occupies a much more modest office in his denomination than the Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome. The Pope believes himself the successor of Peter, the one on whom Christ would build his church. It is the basis for seeing the papacy as foundational to the unity and the authority of the Catholic Church. Famously, the Pope claims infallibility. This is often misunderstood by non Roman Catholics as meaning that everything he says has to be taken as true, that he can never make a mistake. In fact, his infallibility is restricted to what are called matters of faith and morals. And this only applies when he speaks publicly as the head of the Roman Catholic Church and with its full and final authority. Thus, the many tweets, off the cuff, press conferences, and even official speeches by Francis would not count as infallible statements. Protestantism assigns no such role to any human leader. We share some creeds with Rome, for example the Nicene Creed, but we do not consider them authoritative because the Pope or a church has endorsed them. We consider them authoritative because they summarize in a clear and accurate form the revelation of God as found in Scripture. But the papacy should still be of interest to Protestants. The outcome of this election will have repercussions even for non Catholics. Protestantism benefits in several ways from strong and clear papal leadership. First, a vigorously Catholic pope, such as John Paul II or Benedict XVI makes it easier to see where the points of alignment and the points of disagreement lie between Catholics and Protestants on such things as the doctrine of God and the moral significance of the human body. Protestants have much to learn from Rome. And yet we must not lose sight of the serious differences on things such as the sacraments and the nature of justification that cannot be swept aside as trivia. A Pope with a knowledge of and commitment to his own church's theology will make Protestants think more clearly about the importance of these similarities and differences. Second, we must remember that the non Christian world does not see the importance of doctrinal and ecclesiastical differences as we do. And that means that when they see the head of the largest church body in the world, they see a microcosm of what they consider Christians to be. A pope who is at least clear on basic issues such as gender and human sexuality. Indeed, on what it means to be a creature made in God's image will benefit us all. Francis spoke with clarity on gender but his mixed signals on sexuality and equivocal actions on child abuse served to weaken Christian witness across the spectrum. That leads to a third reason for hoping that the next pope is a man of clear convictions. If the Roman Catholic Church squanders its legacy on questions of ethics, of what it means to be human and of religious freedom, all Christian churches will suffer. Rome, with its public profile and its intellectual and financial power, provides cover for us all in wider society. None of this is to minimize the important differences that exist between Rome and Protestantism, differences that have the office of the papacy at their heart. Ecclesiastically, we have nothing at stake in the papal election, but culturally, we Protestants do have an interest in who the next pope will be. Let's hope he's less ambiguous than the last. I'm Carl Truman.

[Kent Covington]

Tomorrow, tensions between India and Pakistan have boiled over. We'll hear why. And World's Steve west will be along with religious Liberty updates that and more tomorrow. I'm Nick Iger.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast. The the world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. The Bible says all things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up. Verses 23 and 24 of 1 Corinthians 10 go now in grace and peace.

[Kim Henderson]

SA.