Good Evening,
It's Wednesday, February 14th. |
KC Chiefs’ Parade Shooting
At least 1 person is dead and 14 injured in a shooting following the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration rally, as CNN reports. |
Rep. Turner Calls Out National Security Threat
A vague warning by the Republican chair of the House Intelligence Committee about a “serious national security threat,” albeit not an immediate one, is related to Russia’s weaponization of its orbital systems, as Politico reports. |
Israel Strikes in Lebanon After Deadly Rocket Attack
Israel carried out extensive and lethal airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday in response to a deadly rocket attack on northern Israel, as the NYT reports. |
Executive Education
Ready to take the next step towards policy success in Washington? Join CSIS experts March 18-21, 2024, at CSIS Headquarters for "Decoding D.C.: Policy, Power, and People," to unlock the secrets to thriving in the capital's unique policy landscape. Register here by March 4. |
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: "Ukraine’s Rapid Digitalization: Human Rights Risks and Opportunities in a Postwar Environment" with CSIS's Lauren Burke. |
In That Number
100,000
Israel carried out an extensive series of strikes inside Lebanon Wednesday after militants fired a series of rockets at an Israeli military base and a nearby city. More than 100,000 Israelis living along the Lebanese border have already been displaced since a series of tit-for-tat strikes began after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel.
Source: WSJ |
Critical Quote
“We will continue to dig deep to provide Ukraine with both short-term and long-term support. The countries of this coalition, including the United States, support Ukraine because it’s the right thing to do and because it is in our core national security interests.”
—Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III |
iDeas Lab
The U.S. Navy has been successful in reducing the cost of interceptors over time. Cost jumps are associated with the introduction of new, more capable variants. However, the cost of SM-6 and ESSM Block II missiles declined every year on an inflation-adjusted basis between 2018 and 2023. Read the full CSIS analysis 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: Jalaa Marey/AFP/Getty Images.) An Israeli medical team transports a person wounded in a rocket attack fired from southern Lebanon at Ziv hospital in Israel's northern city of Safed on February 14, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions. |
Recommended Reading
“Troubling Waters: Understanding Global Water Security” by CSIS's Zane Swanson and Sarah B. Grace. |
This Town Tomorrow
At 10:00 a.m., the CSIS Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies welcomes Luca de Angelis, Director General for Emerging Technologies at the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, to unpack AI & technology policy.
Also at 10:00 a.m., the CSIS Scholl Chair in International Business hosts Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) to discuss the role of Congress in crafting and enacting trade policy.
And, at 3:00 p.m., the CSIS Americas Program launches a new report assessing China's role in democratic backsliding observed in Latin America and the Caribbean. |
Video
Today, the CSIS Americas Program hosted a conversation with Venezuelan opposition candidate María Corina Machado. Watch the full video here. |
Podcasts
CSIS’s Ryan Berg joins the podcast to discuss the reelection of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador, the Central American leader who calls himself “the world’s coolest dictator.”
Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts. |
Smiles
Boy, do we need a smile today. Usually, on Valentine’s Day, everyone is thinking about love songs. Today, we are now thinking about and praying for the people in Kansas City who were trying to celebrate their excellent Super Bowl champions. Nonetheless, here’s one of my all-time favorite love songs. |
| I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz |
