The Evening: Russia Fires at Kyiv, Gaza Challenges, Easy to Slip, and More
Note: The Evening will be “Gone Fishin’” until Monday, April 1. Until then, Smile!
Russia Fires 31 Missiles at Kyiv
Russia fired more than two dozen missiles at Kyiv before dawn on Thursday, attacking the Ukrainian capital for the first time in six weeks and sending panicked residents flooding into the relative safety of the subway system in a scene reminiscent of the first weeks of the war, as the AP reports.
Blinken Cites Challenges
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Thursday that “challenges” and “gaps” remain in talks for a possible deal between Israel and Hamas that would pause the war in Gaza and allow for the release of Israeli hostages, as the NYT reports. And, as Politico reports, CIA director Bill Burns will meet with Israeli, Qatari, and Egyptian leaders in Doha, Qatar, Friday to discuss efforts to free the hostages still held by Hamas.
U.S. Sues Apple
The U.S. accused Apple of monopolizing the smartphone market in a landmark antitrust lawsuit that threatens to disrupt the tech giant’s business model and how millions of consumers use their iPhones, as the WSJ reports.
Executive Education
Looking to unpack the defense priorities of FY25 without needing to decrypt complicated jargon and dig through lengthy reports? Join CSIS experts on April 16 for Inside DOD’s FY 2025 Budget to explore the most important strategic priorities, acquisition program changes and major budget movements for your organization. Register here by April 2.
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 Coming Conflict with Hezbollah" with CSIS's Seth Jones and Daniel Byman.
In That Number
$3.25 billion
Using interest earned on frozen Russian assets held in Europe, the European Union has devised a legal way to raise about $3.25 billion a year to arm Ukraine.
Source: NYT
Critical Quote
iDeas Lab
The CSIS Global Food & Water Security Program explains the role of water diplomacy in promoting cooperation and preventing, reducing, or peacefully resolving conflicts over shared water resources. Watch the latest video in the "Watershed" series here.
The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and multimedia.
Optics
A view of flowing lava and billowing smoke from volcanic eruption between Stóra Skógfell and Hagafell in the Reykjanes Peninsula of Iceland on March 21, 2024.
Recommended Reading
“The Coming Conflict with Hezbollah” by CSIS's Seth G. Jones, Daniel Byman, Alexander Palmer, and Riley McCabe.
This Town Upcoming
Tomorrow, at 10:00 a.m., the CSIS Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics unpacks how the Chinese state sector is expanding its influence over domestic private firms.
Also tomorrow, at 12:00 p.m., the CSIS Global Good and Water Security Program discusses themes of this year’s World Water Day, as well as how to address risks to global water security.
On Monday, at 8:00 a.m., the CSIS Bipartisan Alliance for Global Health Security analyzes fresh footage from an International Medical Corps field hospital in Gaza.
Video
Today, the CSIS Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies examined the risks and benefits of current open foundation models, as well as potential policy and regulatory approaches. Watch the full video here.
Podcasts
In the latest episode, CSIS's Christopher Hernandez-Roy and Georges A. Fauriol unpack Haiti's evolving political and security crisis as the nation faces a period of profound uncertainty and gang activity.
Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.
Smiles
I’d like to put an exclamation point on our Little Feat discussion by posting one of my favorite tracks, “Easy to Slip,” from the band’s second album “Sailin’ Shoes,” released in 1972. Little Feat never became much of a commercial success but they enjoyed a solid cult following. How “Easy to Slip” wasn’t a huge hit, I will never understand.
I invite you to email me at aschwartz@csis.org and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz