The Evening: Cease-Fire Progress, Inflation, Fat Tuesday, and More

Progress Toward Cease-Fire

Israel and Hamas are making progress toward another cease-fire and hostage-release deal as negotiations continued in Cairo, as the AP reports.

Inflation Hotter than Expected

Inflation cooled again in January but came in above Wall Street’s expectations, clouding the Federal Reserve’s path to rate cuts and potentially giving the central bank breathing space to wait until the middle of the year, as theWSJ reports.

AI Companies Agree to Limit Election ‘Deepfakes’ but Fall Short of Ban

Leading artificial intelligence companies are planning to sign an “accord” committing to developing tech to identify, label and control AI-generated images, videos and audio recordings that aim to deceive voters ahead of crucial elections in multiple countries this year, as The Washington Post reports.

Executive Education

Ready to take the next step towards policy success in Washington? Join CSIS experts March 18-21, 2024, at CSIS Headquarters for "Decoding D.C.: Policy, Power, and People," to unlock the secrets to thriving in the capital's unique policy landscape. Register here by March 4.

Audio Briefs

CSIS experts give short, spoken-word summaries on the biggest takeaways from their latest reports, white papers, and commentaries—in their own words.

Listen here: "The Great Sudan Policy Reset" with CSIS's Cameron Hudson.

In That Number

450 miles

Senior Israeli defense officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, estimate the network of tunnels under Gaza’s hospitals could be as long as 450 miles.
Source: NYT

Critical Quote

History settles every account. And today, on the value of American leadership and strength, history will record that the Senate did not blink.

— Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)

iDeas Lab

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Photo: CSIS

Regional or population-specific measures of water stress can help identify those at the highest risk for water insecurity. However, they are often lagging indicators, not specifically evaluating the way in which water insecurity manifests at the individual and household level or in real time. Read the full report here.

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

Optics

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Photo: Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu /AFP/Getty Images

Photo: Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu /AFP/Getty Images

Ukrainian soldiers prepare L119 artillery in the direction of Bakhmut, as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on February 13, 2024.

Recommended Reading

Why Pausing LNG Exports Is Bad Foreign Policy” by CSIS’s  Benjamin Jensen and Yasir Atalan.

This Town Tomorrow

At 8:30 a.m., the CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies discusses key takeaways from their new report on building international support for Taiwan.

Then, at 3:00 p.m., the CSIS Americas Program welcomes Venezuelan opposition candidate Maria Corina Machado for a conversation on the campaign and electoral reform in Venezuela.

Earlier, at 9:30 a.m., the Wilson Center hosts a discussion analyzing the election outcome in Pakistan and what it means for Pakistan’s politics and society.

Video

Today, the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program hosted John Larsen, Partner at the Rhodium Group, and Maria Martinez, Director of U.S. Policy and Advocacy at Breakthrough Energy, to discuss how proposed 45V guidance could shape the growth of the U.S. hydrogen industry. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

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Geotech Wars

Reva Goujon, Director at Rhodium Group, joins the podcast to examine the impact of ongoing geopolitical flashpoints on the U.S.-China tech competition.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

No Mardi Gras is complete without the music and costumes of the Mardi Gras Indians. Here are two of the all-time greats, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and Big Chief Juan Pardo, singing a traditional song about the tradition of sewing their elaborate costumes.

I invite you to email me at aschwartz@csis.org and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz