The Evening: Ukraine Aid Proposed, U.S. Growth Falls, Jazz Fest and More

Biden Proposes $33 Billion in Aid to Ukraine

President Biden on Thursday asked Congress for an additional $33 billion to provide Ukraine with more ammunition, artillery, and other supplies, as the NYT reports.

UN Secretary-General Visits Kyiv

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres toured areas of Kyiv devastated since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, and as he observed areas reduced to rubble, he described the ongoing war as “an absurdity in the 21st century,” as the Washington Post reports.

U.S. GDP Falls 1.4%

The U.S. economy shrank in the first quarter as supply disruptions weighed on output and masked underlying strength in consumer and business spending that suggested growth will soon resume, as the WSJ reports.

Executive Education

Dive deep on policy issues and trends, learn to spot drivers of change and model future scenarios with renowned foresight experts, and put your skills to the test in a dynamic crisis simulation in Global Foresight: Preparing for Future Trends, a CSIS Executive Education course.

Video Shorts

Check out CSIS's YouTube Channel for the latest releases in our “Crisis Crossroads: Ukraine” video series.

In That Number

1.4%

U.S. GDP fell 1.4%, marking the weakest quarter since the spring of 2020.

Source: WSJ

Critical Quote

“The cost of failing to stand up to violent aggression in Europe has always been higher than the cost of standing firm against such attacks.”

— President Joe Biden

iDeas Lab

According to new analysis from CSIS's Beyond Parallel, satellite imagery captured on April 25, 2022, provides one of the most detailed and current views of continued activity at North Korea's Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility.

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: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images.) Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky (R) and UN Secretary-General António Guterres give a joint press conference following their talks in Kyiv on April 28, 2022.

Recommended Reading

“Biden must bring a focused and pragmatic agenda to Summit of the Americas. Otherwise, why bother?” by CSIS's Daniel F. Runde and former U.S. ambassador to Brazil Todd Chapman.

This Town Tomorrow

At 9:00 a.m., join the CSIS Wadhwani Chair for discussion on how subnational entities can best support each other in navigating the challenges of a fast-evolving energy transition.

And, at 11:00 a.m., the Atlantic Council hosts an event on how the U.S. can use military aid to more effectively enable Ukraine to defend itself against Russian aggression.

Then, at 2:00 p.m., George Washington University holds a discussion on thirty years of dialogue initiatives between the Chinese government and the exiled Tibetan government.

Video

Earlier today, the CSIS Global Health Policy Center hosted an event on equity in immunization services and what it takes to reach those who are un- or under-immunized in remote or hard-to-reach populations.

Podcasts

This week, The Trade Guys discuss China's tariffs, the continuing reverberations from Russia's war in Ukraine, and the de minimis rule.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Due to the coronavirus, it’s been 1,000 days since the last Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans. Tomorrow marks the 51st Jazz Fest and there is excitement in the air in the Crescent City. Having attended a few of these myself, I can tell you that magical things happen there. Like this.