The Evening: Cases Spike, Pfizer Effective for Adolescents, Fade Out Line and More

Cases Spike

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, again urged Americans not to let their guard down as the pandemic wears on, ticking off increases in the seven-day average for coronavirus cases and hospitalizations which she said marked a nearly 12 percent spike from the prior seven-day period, as the Washington Post reports .

Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Is Said to Be Powerfully Protective in Adolescents

The Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine is extremely effective in young adolescents, perhaps even more so than in adults, the companies said on Wednesday, as the NYT reports .

China Says Covid Origin Probe Should Shift to Other Countries

China on Wednesday called for the World Health Organization to probe whether Covid-19 first emerged in other countries—possibly including from a U.S. military laboratory—in its first public response to a call from the head of the agency for a more robust investigation into whether the virus escaped from a Chinese lab, as the WSJ reports .

Executive Education

Global Foresight: Preparing for Future Trends is a new, comprehensive program offered by CSIS’s Risk and Foresight Group. This virtual course weaves together important issues, trends, and revolutions that government and business leaders must understand as they predict and prepare for threats in the next 25 years. Register here .

Mexico Matters

The Mexico Matters podcast series highlights key developments in Mexico and their impact on the United States. Hosted by Mariana Campero, each episode brings in-depth analysis, commentary, and conversations on an array of subjects ranging from economics, trade, and energy to national security, foreign policy, and business. Listen on Apple Podcasts & Spotify .

Video Shorts

Check out CSIS’s new series of video shorts: “Data Unpacked,” Testify,” “What's Happening,” “Preview,” and “High Resolution.” And don’t forget to subscribe to the CSIS YouTube Channel !

In That Number

20,000

President Biden unveiled an infrastructure plan on Wednesday whose $2 trillion price tag would translate into 20,000 miles of rebuilt roads, repairs to the 10 most economically important bridges in the country, the elimination of lead pipes and service lines from the nation’s water supplies and a long list of other projects intended to create millions of jobs.

Source: NYT

Critical Quote

“We will lose control if we do not move now.”

— French President Emmanuel Macron on ordering France into its third national lockdown.

iDeas Lab

Satellite imagery of North Korea’s Yongbyon Nuclear Research Facility acquired on March 30, 2021, shows continued activity at the radiochemistry laboratory (the facility used to reprocess spent fuel rods) and its associated thermal power plant that may indicate preparations for, or the start of, a new reprocessing campaign.

The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and multimedia.

Optics

(Photo credit: Mandel Ngan/POOL/Getty Images.)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that human rights were declining around the world during the release of the 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices on Tuesday.

 

Recommended Reading

“U.S.-Russian Arctic Relations: A Change in Climate?,” by CSIS’ Heather Conley and Colin Wall.

This Town Tomorrow

Tomorrow, at 9:30 a.m., CSIS Korea Chair's Capital Cable episode will cover the new season of the KBO League, which starts on April 3, with analyses and predictions from some of the best KBO analysts and a former player.

Later, at 1:00 p.m., join the CSIS Humanitarian Agenda to explore the history of civilian protection in U.S. military operations, the nature of and reasons for recurring challenges, and steps the Biden administration can take to improve policy and practice on this crucial humanitarian mandate.

Then, at 3:00 p.m., the CSIS Strategic Technologies Program hosts a discussion on zero day, the software bug that allows a hacker to break into devices and move around undetected.

Video

Yesterday, CSIS hosted FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr to highlight the key steps the U.S. has taken to secure America's networks against Chinese security threats. Watch here.

Podcasts

Dr. Jennifer Kates and Josh Michaud, Kaiser Family Foundation join the podcast to examine the United States' vaccine rollout over the next few months.

Listen on SoundCloud & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Joshua Tree, CA

Track 2 from my playlist comes via Phoebe Killdeer & The Short Straws, another great Aussie band. When I first heard this song, “The Fade Out Line,” I knew it would be in my rotation for a long, long time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh4fYpQ_n08.