The Evening: Infinite Border Restrictions, More Spending, Funk 49 and More

Indefinite Border Restrictions

The Trump administration is moving to extend its virus border restrictions indefinitely, using the government’s broad public health authorities to severely limit immigration across its land borders until officials decide that there is no more danger of infection to Americans, as the NYT reports.

Fed Chief Says Spend More

In a speech today at the Peterson Institute, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell urged the White House and Congress to spend more money to ensure their initial response to the coronavirus-induced economic downturn isn’t squandered, as the WSJ reports.

Dive Deeper: Watch the Powell speech at Peterson here.

Closing Down Again

Some countries that had already reopened are closing down again after sudden spikes in infections. Among the latest: Saudi Arabia, which announced a total lockdown for the end of Ramadan after new cases soared during the holy month, as the Washington Post reports.

On the Horizon

The Covid-19 crisis comes at a time of worsening U.S.-India economic relations. But recovery from the pandemic offers new opportunities for positive cooperation and more resilient linkages, writes CSIS's Richard Rossow.

CSIS’s “On the Horizon” series offers insights into the more fundamental changes we might anticipate for our future social and economic world as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

CSIS Executive Education

Join CSIS’s Trade Guys for their next crash course on trade policy. The one-day program breaks down the fundamentals of how U.S. trade policy is formulated, the legalities of trade in an international arena, and the impact of Covid-19 on supply chains. Register here.

Video Shorts

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

In That Number

27%

A United Nations report forecast that global trade could slide by a record 27 percent in the second quarter of 2020, after an initial 3 percent downturn in the first three months of the year.

Source: UN Conference on Trade and Development

Critical Quote

“The scope and speed of this downturn are without modern precedent, significantly worse than any recession since World War II.”

— Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell

iDeas Lab

Unlike Moscow’s approach in Afghanistan in the 1980s, Russian political and military leaders adopted a vastly different approach in Syria beginning in 2015. CSIS's Seth Jones and Brian Katz describe Russia's war in Syria. Watch the full video here.

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

Optics

(Photo credit: Atta Kenare/Getty Images). Iranians wear face masks while attending Laylat al-Qadr prayers, one of the holiest nights of Ramadan.

Recommended Reading

“Prioritizing Weapon System Cybersecurity in a Post-Pandemic Defense Department,” by CSIS’s Morgan Dwyer.

Online Events

Tomorrow, at 9:30 a.m., The Woodrow Wilson Center's (WWC) Asia Program holds an online event on "Economic Implications of COVID-19 for South Asia."

After, at noon, the Center for American Progress (CAP) holds a webinar, on "Ensuring Safe Voting for Veterans During the Coronavirus Pandemic," featuring Senator Tammy Duckworth, Senator Jon Tester, and Representative Jason Crow.

Later, at 1:00 p.m., the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) holds a discussion via webcast, focusing on what the current global health crisis means for efforts to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, the prospects for a green transformation of the economy and the resolve of governments and industries to take action on climate change.

Video

On May 8, Judd Devermont, director of Africa Program at CSIS, testifies before the U.S. - China Economic and Security Review Commission on “China’s Strategic Aims in Africa.” Watch him describe his testimony.

Podcasts

In a new episode of Babel, Nabih Bulos, Middle East bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, explores disinformation in the Middle East during Covid-19.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

This one should bring a smile to your face. It’s Joe Walsh with the James Gang performing “Funk #49” on the Howard Stern Show—one of Howard’s very best musical guests.