The Evening: Russian Hackers Charged, European Restrictions, Learn to Fly and More

U.S. Charges Six Russian Intel Officers with Hacking

Federal prosecutors unsealed charges against six Russian intelligence officers accused of engaging in some of the most destructive cyberattacks of recent years, including operations that knocked out Ukraine’s energy grid, exposed emails from the French president’s party, and damaged global systems in the costly 2017 NotPetya attack, as the WSJ reports.

European Targeted Restrictions

Countries across Europe announced new restrictions on Monday in an effort to halt a strong second wave of the virus, as the global tally of cases passed 40 million. Cases have been detected in nearly every country around the world, and at least 1.1 million people have died, as the NYT reports.

U.S. to remove Sudan from state terrorism sponsors list after payment to victims

President Trump announced on Monday the United States would remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism as soon as Khartoum sets aside $335 million for payments for American victims and their families, as Reuters reports.

CSIS Executive Education

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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

40.2 million

There are more than 40.2 million documented cases of coronavirus worldwide.

Source: NYT

Critical Quote

“He’s been here for 500 years. Every time he goes on television, there’s always a bomb, but there’s a bigger bomb if you fire him. This guy’s a disaster.”

— President Donald Trump on Dr. Anthony Fauci

iDeas Lab

A new video examines the growing threat of digital authoritarianism and suggests a new collaborative approach.

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: Andrew Harnik/AFP/Getty Images.) A poster showing six wanted Russian military intelligence officers is displayed as Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division John Demers, left, takes the podium to speak at a news conference at the Department of Justice

Recommended Reading

“Call to Action: CSIS-LSHTM High-Level Panel on Vaccine Confidence and Misinformation,” By CSIS’ Steve Morrison and Katherine Bliss.

This Town Tomorrow

At at 11:00 a.m., join CSIS for a virtual conversation on whether the World Bank should resume publication of the Doing Business report, and if so, how can it remain a trusted resource for the international development community.

And, at 12:00 p.m., the Atlantic Council will discuss the ongoing threat of terrorism in the Middle East, plus the value of enhancing cooperation in civilian counterterrorism, law enforcement, and more.

Later, at 3:00 p.m., join the Brookings Institutions Foreign Policy program conversation on proliferation and regional challenges in Iran and North Korea.

Video

In a short video, the CSIS Trade Commission on Affirming American Leadership summarizes the seven elements of a new approach to innovation policy in the United States that the Commission is recommending. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

This week's episode looks at the advancing politicization, aggravated by the current electoral cycle, that dominates the response to Covid-19.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Independent rock and roll venues are in danger of closing due to the pandemic. That’s why the Save Our Stages Act (S. 4258) led by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and (H.R. 7806) led by Representatives Peter Welch (D-VT) and Roger Williams (R-TX) is so critical—it would provide a $10 billion lifeline for independent venues in the form of a grant program.

Over the weekend, some of the biggest names in music performed live at independent venues across the country to raise awareness. The performances were streamed by YouTube and even featured on late night TV, like this one by the Foo Fighters who performed an acoustic set at the Troubadour in LA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAqGPF5mjaE&list=RDJAqGPF5mjaE&start_radio=1.