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NBN Book of the Day - Susan Erikson, “Investable! When Pandemic Risk Meets Speculative Finance” (MIT Press, 2025)

Investable! When Pandemic Risk Meets Speculative Finance (MIT Press, 2025) by Dr. Susan Erikson presents a critical and sobering look at how international bankers and investors turn pandemics into investment opportunities, and what we stand to lose when we rely on “innovative finance.”

In a world increasingly defined by crisis, bankers and investors behind the scenes turn catastrophes like pandemics into financial securities that can be bought and sold. Offering new insights into how the excesses of capitalism shape pandemic preparedness, Investable! is an ethnography of World Bank bonds designed to solve a big-ticket global health problem by getting international investors to gamble on future crises. In this first book-length treatment of pandemic bonds, award-winning medical anthropologist Dr. Erikson explains how we got here and asks who should hold the responsibility for the terrible things that happen to people, at a time when pandemics are turned into casinos.
Dr. Erikson, who traveled over 300,000 miles conducting research for the book, takes readers from the red clay roads of West Africa to the concrete sidewalks of New York City and London’s financial districts, telling the stories of the people, the special interests, and the logics of pandemic bonds. Original, insightful, and extremely timely, Dr. Erikson's lively interdisciplinary exploration tells readers in powerful, vibrant prose about the pitfalls of contemporary global health finance “solutions.” Written for a smart general audience concerned about capitalism’s effect on human health, Investable! will appeal to financiers; politicians; economists; people working in global development, health care, and international affairs; and anyone who wants to better understand how capitalism affects how we care for one another in times of crisis.

This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.

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The NewsWorthy - Special Edition: Russia’s War, NATO’s Test & America’s Role

It’s been over three and a half years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But even as headlines shift, the war rages on—with major implications for Europe, NATO, and the U.S. In this episode, we’re breaking down where things stand now, how the war is evolving, and why Americans should still care.

Join us again for our 10-minute daily news roundups every Mon-Fri! 

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CBS News Roundup - 09/20/2025 | Weekend Roundup

On the "CBS News Weekend Roundup", host Allison Keyes gets the latest from CBS's Jonathan Vigliotti and Nancy Cordes on the rising fallout over the silencing of late night show host Jimmy Kimmel and President Trump's increasing attacks on the media in the wake of the murder of conservative Charlie Kirk. We'll hear about the CDC's new vaccine recommendations for children CBS News Medical Contributor Dr. Celine Gounder and the agency's leadership woes from CBS News Correspondent Nikole Killion.  In the "Kaleidoscope with Allison Keyes" segment, a discussion about the Trump Administration's order to the National Park Service to take down materials related to slavery and Native Americans at several sites around the nation.

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Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts - Free Speech Is The Enemy of Free Speech, Apparently

Dahlia Lithwick talks to First Amendment law professor Mary Anne Franks to explore the inversion of free speech in America this past week, and to trace the ways our assumptions about the First Amendment helped to tip us into this upside-down. Dr. Franks, author of Fearless Speech: Breaking Free from the First Amendment, explains the contradictions inherent in free-speech absolutism, the role of government in suppressing dissent, and the impact of media and entertainment on public discourse. What are we to make of a movement that screamed “jawboning” and “censorship” for a decade, but when handed power enthusiastically enacts actual governmental speech suppression and censorship? And what does the First Amendment mean if the powerful are consistently afforded maximum power in the “marketplace of ideas”?

Want more Amicus? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes with exclusive legal analysis. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Amicus show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.


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Slate Books - Gabfest Reads | The Recent Past of Prison Punishment

Emily Bazelon talks with author and Yale professor Judith Resnik about her new book, Impermissible Punishments: How Prison Became a Problem for Democracy. They discuss the history of the prison system’s use of punishments like whipping, how the practice came to an end, and more.

 

Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

 

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - Is JD Vance right about left-wing violence?

On September the 10th 2025, right-wing political activist and media personality Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at an event in Utah. In the aftermath, his friend JD Vance, the US Vice President, hosted a special memorial edition of ‘The Charlie Kirk Show’, live from the White House, during which he called for unity, but said that could only be found by “climbing the mountain of truth”.

“While our side of the aisle certainly has its crazies, it is a statistical fact that most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the far left,” he said. We investigate the statistical evidence around political violence – both in people’s attitudes and the crimes themselves.

Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Lizzy McNeill Series producer: Tom Colls Sound mix: Hal Haines Editor: Richard Vadon

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Global News Podcast - NATO intercepts Russian jets in Estonian airspace

NATO has intercepted Russian jets in Estonian airspace. The Kremlin denies that an incursion took place but it comes after similar incidents in Poland and Romania. Also: President Trump announces visa changes and a potential TikTok deal, the co-founder of the Palestinian-led BDS movement talks to the BBC, Notre Dame's bell towers reopen to the public, how brushing your teeth helps protect against cancer, and are dogs smarter than we thought?

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

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Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova - When You Come at the King: Holding Presidents to Account (with Elie Honig)

It’s our first Saturday drop! Nate and Maria host former assistant US Attorney Elie Honig to discuss his new book, a brisk history of special counsels — plagued by politics, checked by presidents, declawed under Trump’s second term — and why rescuing the office matters.

Find Elie’s book here: When You Come At The King

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Planet Money - In Gaza, money is falling apart

Israel has been blocking the flow of physical money into Gaza since the start of the war. So whatever paper cash was in Gaza before the war, that’s all that’s been circulating. It’s now falling apart from overuse. 


Two best friends, one in Gaza and one in Belgium, are now trying to get money in.


But how do you get money into a bank account in Gaza? And how do you get that money out, in Gaza, when there are no functioning banks or ATMs? And almost no electricity. And spotty internet. And what is there to buy? How does money even work in Gaza right now? 


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This episode was hosted by Sarah Gonzalez. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was edited by Marianne McCune, and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. It was engineered by Cena Loffredo, Robert Rodriguez, and James Willetts. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer. 

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