Across rural America, hospitals are shutting down the units where babies are born. Across Africa, the clinics that American aid kept running are losing midwives, blood banks, and basic supplies. The common thread is federal funding that has disappeared in the past year.

A year after the U.S. government shut down USAID, the head of the Catholic Church's global relief network says ministries are doing "less with less"—and the world's poorest are paying the price.

If your Christmas budget is looking a little tighter this year, don't feel bad about it. The cost of just about everything has gone up, and plenty of people are feeling the squeeze. Christmas doesn't have to mean putting gifts on a credit card or spending hundreds of dollars just to keep up with everyone else. Luckily, there are plenty of homemade gifts that are inexpensive to make but still feel thoughtful, personal, and — importantly — actually cute. From homemade pantry st