This week, we are reporting from the European Investment Bank’s annual meetings in Luxembourg to better understand the direction in which the institution is heading. We dig into the agenda as Europe continues to balance defense and development spending.

EIB President Nadia Calviño says the bank is “carrying the flag of development.” This comes as the bank pledged $1 billion for electrification in Africa, strengthened its commitment to health and gender, and launched its third Gender Action Plan.

During the conversation, we also discuss the messy USAID closeout process. Despite hundreds of millions of dollars owed to former partners and a growing threat of litigation, sources say the Trump administration is stalling settlement payments and imposing unrealistic deadlines as it starves the agency’s legacy operations.

To explore these stories and others, Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with reporters Michael Igoe and Jesse Chase-Lubitz for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.

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