Russia May Be Planning to Test a Nuclear-Powered Missile

Satellite imagery and aviation data suggest that Russia may be preparing to test an experimental nuclear-powered cruise missile—or may have recently tested one—with a theoretical range of thousands of miles, as the NYT reports.

Pentagon Sees Months Left in Supply of Weapons for Ukraine

The Pentagon has more than $5 billion remaining in its coffers to provide weaponry and other security assistance to Ukraine even after Congress declined to include more funding for the war in a weekend bill to keep the government open, as the WSJ reports.

Asia Faces One of Worst Economic Outlooks in Half a Century

The World Bank has cut its forecast for China’s growth next year and warned that east Asia’s developing economies are set to expand at one of the lowest rates in five decades, as the FT reports.

Executive Education

Beyond the Battlefield: Global Implications of Russia's War in Ukraine breaks down how the February 2022 invasion and concomitant sanctions have been altering national and regional security in Russia, on the European continent, and the United States.

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 Waterfall’s Shadow in the Mekong Region" with CSIS's Benjamin Jensen.

In That Number

68 percent

Russia will increase its military spending by about 68 percent next year, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, citing the draft budget compiled by the Finance Ministry.
Source: The Washington Post

Critical Quote

“Through their groundbreaking findings, which have fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system, the laureates contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times.”

—The Nobel Prize

iDeas Lab

CSIS's Ryan C. Berg and Christopher Hernandez-Roy unpack opportunities and challenges, and sketch a path for a closer partnership between the United States and Latin America to bolster mineral security.

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: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images.) Azeri police stand along a road in the city of Stepanakert, in Azerbaijan's controlled region of Nagorno-Karabakh, on October 2, 2023.

This Town Tomorrow

At 10:30 a.m., the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program discusses building transatlantic cooperation to support the energy transition with Michel Heijdra, Vice Minister for Climate and Energy at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy.

Then, at 2:00 p.m., the CSIS Global Health Policy Center holds a discussion on opportunities to improve immunization programs through activities focused on health workforce recruitment, training, retention and professional development.

And later, at 4:30 p.m., the Wilson Center hosts a conversation with President-Elect Bernardo Arévalo of Guatemala on how he is navigating the presidential transition.

Video

Today, the CSIS Global Health Policy Center held a discussion, featuring Dr. Anthony Fauci, on progress towards ending tuberculosis and better integrating preparedness and response approaches for tuberculosis and pandemics. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

CSIS's Max Bergmann and Donatienne Ruy look back at Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the European Union speech and what it portends for her vision of Europe’s future.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

If you follow the New Orleans music scene, you know that sadly, one of the world’s greatest drummers passed away this weekend. Russell Batiste Jr., who played drums with the Meters upon their reunion in 1989 and onward died of a heart attack at 57. Russell was a pillar of New Orleans music and a fixture in the clubs of the Crescent City where his latest band, Russell Batiste and Friends, performed almost weekly. Last Jazz Fest, Russell performed a legendary set with his cousin Jon Batiste at the Maple Leaf Bar, an intimate venue in Uptown New Orleans. I first saw Russell perform on the night the Meters reunited at the Riverboat Hallelujah in ’89. His drumming was astonishing and I’d never seen anything like it. I still haven’t.

Watch this clip of the Meters performing at Jazz Fest in ’92 and you’ll get a sense of what I mean. As New Orleans pianist and bandleader John Gros said, "Russell Batiste embodied the entire history of New Orleans drumming every time he played. He represented it all, from street bands to trad, from rhythm & blues to rock 'n' roll, from funk to fusion. He was the past, present and future of the New Orleans sound and we all knew it."

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, Ava Rose, and Lauren Adler.