Explosions Over Kremlin

Russia accused Ukraine of launching drones at the Kremlin aimed at killing Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian president Zelensky denied the claim, and officials in Kyiv warned that Russia could use it to launch “a large-scale terrorist provocation,” as the NYT reports.

Fed Raises Rates

The Federal Reserve approved another quarter-percentage-point interest-rate rise and signaled it could be done lifting rates after that, as the WSJ reports.

Nations Split on Climate Goals

Senior officials from dozens of nations meeting in Berlin remained divided Wednesday on how to meet international climate goals, with some pushing for a phaseout of fossil fuels and others insisting that oil and gas can continue to play a role in the future — provided their emissions are somehow contained, as the AP reports.

Executive Education

Expand your professional horizons with the CSIS Accelerator Series. Work alongside CSIS policy experts and top industry leadership coaches to develop leadership, management, communication, and other professional skills needed to excel in today’s global landscape.

Video Shorts

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

In That Number

0.25%

Federal Reserve officials raised interest rates by a quarter-point on Wednesday in their fight against rapid inflation. Central bankers lifted rates to a range of 5 percent to 5.25 percent, a level they have not reached since the summer of 2007.

Source: N YT

Critical Quote

“We don’t attack Putin or Moscow. We fight on our territory.”

—Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky

iDeas Lab

Recent satellite imagery acquired on May 1, 2023 shows the ongoing modernization and expansion project at the Korean Peoples’ Air and Air Defense Force (KPAF)’s Sunchon Airbase in North Korea is nearing completion.

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: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images.) A local resident pushes his bicycle next to a car burning after a shelling in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on May 3, 2023.

This Town Tomorrow

At 3:30 p.m., the CSIS Southeast Asia Program welcomes the President of the Republic of the Philippines Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., for a conversation on the U.S.-Philippines alliance.

Earlier, at 9:30 a.m., the CSIS Korea Chair hosts a conversation with Ambassador Cho Hyun-dong, ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the U.S., to explore the significance of President Yoon's state visit on the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-ROK Alliance.

And, at 1:00 p.m., the CSIS Global Food Security Program and the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program hold a discussion on the role of alternative proteins in addressing global and domestic security considerations.

Video

Today, the CSIS Renewing American Innovation Project and Indiana University Public Policy Institute hosted a series of panels on how the United States can maximize the regional economic impact of the CHIPS and Science Act, featuring keynotes from Senator Todd Young and Senator Mark Kelly. Watch the keynotes here.

Podcasts

Former U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley joins the podcast to discuss his new book "Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Barack Obama," which makes 30 newly declassified Transition Memoranda public for the first time.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

This one with Willie Nelson and George Strait gives me chills.

I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz

The Evening is my daily guide to key insights CSIS brings to the events of the day. It is composed with the External Relations team: Paige Montfort, Claire Dannenbaum, and Claire Smrt.