The White House played down prospects for a Monday evening meeting between President Biden and Senate Republicans on coronavirus relief legislation, with press secretary Jen Psaki indicating it will be a chance for Biden to hear Republicans out, but not negotiate with them. Psaki also said Biden is more concerned about his proposed $1.9 trillion package being too small than being too big. The 10 GOP senators who are meeting with Biden at 5 p.m. have proposed a $618 billion package, a fraction of what Biden is pushing, as the Washington Post reports.
Western leaders condemned the coup by Myanmar’s military against Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government and President Biden threatened sanctions, as Reuters reports.
Dive Deeper : “Myanmar’s Military Seizes Power,” by CSIS’s Greg Poling and Simon Tran Hudes.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Monday that the ability of the United States to detect new, more contagious coronavirus variants had increased tenfold, even as those efforts remain well behind levels experts have said are needed, as the NYT reports.
CSIS is now accepting applications for the Spring 2021 Belt and Road Executive Course. Drawing insights from leading experts and the CSIS Reconnecting Asia Project, this course reveals how China's $1 trillion foreign policy effort is impacting commercial and strategic realities on the ground.
Global Forecast is an annual collection of essays by CSIS experts focused on the critical issues facing the United States and the world in the year ahead. The latest papers examine President Biden's international economic policy and U.S.-China engagement on climate change.
The Coronavirus Crisis Update podcast brings you the latest updates and analysis from CSIS experts and the leaders directing the global response. Past guests include NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, IHME Director Dr. Chris Murray, Covid-19 Advisory Group members Dr. Luciana Borio and Dr. Celine Gounder, chef Jose Andres, and more. 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!
The economy is expected to grow 3.7 percent in 2021.
Source: Congressional Budget Office
“The risk is not that it is too big, this package. The risk is that it is too small.”
— Jen Psaki, White House press secretary
CSIS expert Mark Cancian analyzes how inflicting surprise on adversaries can create a strategic advantage in great power conflict. Explore the study here.
The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and multimedia.
(Photo credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images.) A soldier stands guard on a blockaded road to Myanmar's parliament in Naypyidaw after the military detained the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the country's president in a coup.
“A Short Discussion of the Internet’s Effect on Politics,” by CSIS’s James Andrew Lewis.
Tomorrow, at 10:00 a.m., CSIS and the U.S. Naval Institute will host an event featuring Admiral Robert P. Burke to talk about challenges facing the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.
Then, at 2:00 p.m., the CSIS Trade Commission on Affirming American Leadership will discuss its latest report with Senator William E. Brock and Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky.
Later, at 3:00 p.m., Brookings will examine how private companies are elevating the importance of sustainability with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and former SEC chair Mary Schapiro.
Earlier today, the CSIS Africa Program sat down with Newly elected Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY) to discuss his vision for a reimagined approach to U.S.-Africa policy. Watch the recording here.
Last Friday, CSIS released the first episode of a new podcast, Unpacking Impact. I met with PayPal co-founder and Silicon Valley icon Peter Thiel to discuss the impact of Covid-19, the U.S. rivalry with China, and the effects of artificial intelligence on the global economy.
Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.
The thing that has me smiling the most in 2021 is that people want to help each other. I just recorded a podcast for my Truth of the Matter series with a young author named James Piltch who is headed to Yale Law School next year. James spent most of 2017 traveling around America trying to learn about what Americans wanted out of American life and how that translates to our politics. He concluded that building strong communities mattered for most people. And that means we have to help each other where we live.
In New Orleans, there is an effort to help the musicians’ community which has been devastated by the pandemic. Musicians are the lifeblood of the Crescent City, and along with those who work in restaurants and hotels, they have been hit the hardest. To help the musicians, a group called “The Funky Uncle” is putting on free, streaming concerts each week on Facebook and YouTube called “Fridays From The Funky Uncle” to raise funds for performers who no longer have regular gigs they can count on for income—and that’s pretty much everyone, even the most famous of the Big Easy’s legendary artists.
Last Friday night, the Funky Uncle streamed a fantastic set with two of elder statesmen of the New Orleans music scene, members of the Meters, guitarist Leo Nocentelli and bassist George Porter Jr. The combo added their friends John Gros on keyboards and Jamal Batiste on drums. The result is a set of six classic Meters tracks. If you open up the description below the video window, you can click on any of the songs’ timestamp and it will take you directly to the point on the video where that song begins. If you want to only listen to one song, I recommend track #5 “Ain’t No Use” which my late friend Art Neville, the Meters keyboard player/singer, used to sing so soulfully. We miss you and love you Ar-T. Enjoy this set, and don’t be afraid to help someone in your community