Modi Visit

President Biden emphasized common ground with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India on Thursday during a lavish state visit meant to bolster ties with the world’s most populous nation, while largely skirting points of friction over human rights and Russia’s war in Ukraine, as the NYT reports.

U.S. Offers India Drones, Jet Engines

India is set to buy state-of-the-art U.S. drones and jointly produce jet-fighter engines in a multibillion-dollar deal designed to wean New Delhi off arms purchases from Russia, as the WSJ reports.

Biden Defends Calling Xi a Dictator

President Joe Biden on Thursday defended his harsh public comments on China, including calling President Xi Jinping a dictator, saying his words would have no negative impact on U.S.-China relations and that he still expects to meet with Xi in the future, as the AP reports.

Executive Education

Decoding D.C.: Policy, Power, and People offers embassy, business, and nonprofit professionals the tools and knowledge necessary to better navigate the Washington policy ecosystem. Participants will learn how formal structures and informal networks interact to advance policy interests, further examining these structures through the lens of modern-day politics and media dynamics.

Video Shorts

Check out CSIS’s new series of video shorts: “Asked & Answered,” “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

5

The Bank of England has raised interest rates to 5 per cent, a surprise half-point increase, as the central bank and prime minister Rishi Sunak vowed to crush persistent inflation.

Source: FT

Critical Quote

“I’ve long believed that the relationship between the United States and India will be one of the defining relationships of the 21st century.”

—President Joe Biden

iDeas Lab

Yesterday, CSIS hosted a conversation with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on the Senate's efforts to advance and manage one of the fastest moving and most consequential industries across the globe: artificial intelligence (AI). Watch the ReCap here.

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: Win McNamee/Getty Images.) President Joe Biden, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden wave during an arrival ceremony on June 22, 2023 in Washington, DC.

This Town Next Week

On Monday, at 9:30 a.m., the CSIS Middle East Program discusses the connections between water insecurity and displacement in Iraq, Yemen, and Syria.

Also on Monday, at 2:00 p.m., CSIS Australia Chair hosts Dr. Kurt Campbell and Admiral Michael Gilday for a conversation on the strategic and military implications of AUKUS.

And, on Wednesday, at 9:00 a.m., the CSIS Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative host the Thirteenth Annual South China Sea Conference.

Video

Today, the CSIS Americas Program discussed the challenges and opportunities that North America faces as it seeks to boost competitiveness and build resiliency and redundancy in the semiconductor supply chain. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

CSIS's Max Bergmann, Donatienne Ruy, and Mathieu Droin discuss European defense integration, Germany’s first ever national security strategy, and a recent meeting between the leaders of France, Germany, and Poland ahead of the NATO summit in July.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

If you love Southern Rock as I do, you know the band Blackberry Smoke, formed in Atlanta in 2000. And you probably also know of the independent record label, Capricorn Records, founded by the late Phil Walden in 1969. Capricorn is widely credited with creating the southern rock genre and helping to form The Allman Brothers Band, also in ’69. The Allman’s famously recorded at Capricorn Studios in Macon, Georgia and the rest is history.

Back to Blackberry Smoke, they just recorded a barn burner of an EP “Live At Capricorn Sound Studios,” in which they cover the Allman’s classic, “Revival (Love is Everywhere).” I love this video of the live in studio performance that they just released a few days ago.

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 Ava Rose.