The Evening: Eligible by April 19, Iran Talks, Biko and More
April 6, 2021
Biden Says All U.S. Adults Should Be Eligible for Covid-19 Vaccine by April 19
President Biden said today that all U.S. adults should be eligible for Covid-19 vaccines by April 19, speeding up a timeline he set out last month, as he urged Americans to be patient and take precautions as the rollout continues, as the WSJ reports.
Variants Stall Progress
U.S. coronavirus cases have increased again after hitting a low point late last month, and some of the states driving the upward trend have also been hit hardest by variants, according to a new analysis, as the NYT reports.
Iran Says Talks on “Right Track”
Iran said initial talks today in Vienna on returning to the 2015 nuclear deal were "constructive" as mediators shuttled between Iranian and American envoys seeking a road map to lift U.S. sanctions and bring Tehran back to its commitments under the accord, as the Washington Post reports.
North Korea Moves Submersible Missile Test Stand Barge
Satellite image collected at 11:09 a.m. KST today by CSIS’s Beyond Parallel Project shows that North Korea is moving its submersible missile test barge located at the Sinpo South Shipyard. Probable reasons for this movement include: preparations for a forthcoming submarine launched ballistic missile test or movement of the test stand for maintenance, repairs, or installation of equipment.
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%
New Covid-19 cases are almost 20 percent higher currently than they were at the lowest point in March.
Source: NYT
Critical Quote
“Let me be deadly earnest with you…We’re still in a life and death race against this virus.”
— President Joe Biden
iDeas Lab
Close-up view of the floating dry dock and the secure boat basin at North Korea's Sinpo South Shipyard.
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: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images.)
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to media during a press conference after announcing that quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and Australia will start on April 19.
Recommended Reading
“The Return of the Quad: Will Russia and China Form Their Own Bloc?” by CSIS’s Heather Conley, Mike Green, Cyrus Newlin, and Nick Szechenyi.
This Town Tomorrow
Tomorrow, at 9:30 a.m., CSIS welcomes Representative Andy Levin (D-MI) for a conversation with Jacob Kurtzer on the consequences of sanctions on civilian populations and policy solutions that could mitigate their humanitarian impact.
And, at 11:00 a.m., CSIS Defending Democratic Institutions Project hosts a panel discussion with current and former government officials exploring the Homeland Security Department's cyber mission.
Later, at 3:00 p.m., CSIS's Seth G. Jones and Daniel F. Runde host former deputy national security adviser Nadia Schadlow and former deputy secretary of state James B. Steinberg to discuss how current strategic priorities and security challenges can be reconciled in President Biden's National Security Strategy.
Video
In the latest episode of High Resolution, CSIS's Dr. Victor Cha and Joe Bermudez use advanced video mapping to dive into North Korea’s Orangchon Power Station project, one of the country's most ambitious hydroelectric projects during the past 30 years.
Podcasts
Tune in to today's episode of The Impossible State, which featured CSIS's Victor Cha, Eric Brewer, and Sue Mi Terry. We discussed Eric and Sue's recent op-ed for Foreign Affairs outlining a realistic bargain with North Korea, what we know of the trilateral meeting among U.S.-Japan-South Korea national security advisors in Annapolis last week, and what to expect of Biden’s North Korea policy moving forward.
Listen on Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.
Smiles
Peter Gabriel’s 1986 masterpiece “So” is widely regarded as his best record and as one of the best albums of all time. Produced by Daniel Lanois (I could write a book about Lanois and may do so someday), it featured mega-hits “Sledgehammer,” “In Your Eyes,” “Big Time” and “Red Rain.”
For serious Gabriel fans though, his third record, the eponymous “Peter Gabriel” (1980) is just as stunning of an album. Co-produced by Gabriel and a then-unknown Steve Lillywhite (of U2 fame), “Peter Gabriel” changed a lot of minds and got many to thinking. Two tracks in particular stay with the listener: the anti-war “Games Without Frontiers” and “Biko,” the anti-apartheid protest song in memory of murdered South African activist Stephen Biko. I’ve never forgotten either track.
Neither did the good people at Playing for Change who resurrected “Biko” for this video last February in honor of Black History Month. Check out Yo-Yo Ma in this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWNEr4eHL18.