Strengthening Ties with Japan

President Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan announced a range of moves on Wednesday to further enhance military, economic and other cooperation between the two longtime allies as part of the president’s efforts to counter China’s aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific region, as the NYT reports.

Hot Inflation Report

Stubborn inflation pressures persisted in March, derailing the case for the Federal Reserve to begin reducing interest rates in June and raising questions over whether it can deliver cuts this year without signs of an economic slowdown, as the WSJ reports.

Top U.S. General Warns House on Ukraine

Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the top U.S. general overseeing military operations in Europe, warned lawmakers Wednesday that the war in Ukraine has reached a decisive moment, with Russia expected to hold a 10-1 advantage on artillery shells “within weeks” unless the United States approves additional military support for the government in Kyiv, as The Washington Post reports.

Executive Education

Rethink innovation. Examine the opportunities and challenges facing the world of science, technology, and industry through the lens of global competition in Renewing the U.S. Innovation System, held at CSIS on April 18. Register here by April 11.

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: "Japan’s Leadership Role on Ukraine" with CSIS's Yuko Nakano.

In That Number

40

Hamas has indicated it is currently unable to identify and track down 40 Israeli hostages needed for the first phase of a ceasefire deal, according to an Israeli official and a source familiar with the discussions, raising fears that more hostages may be dead than are publicly known.
Source: CNN

Critical Quote

“The side that can’t shoot back loses.”

—Gen. Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and Commander, U.S. European Command

iDeas Lab

New satellite imagery of the northern test area at Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility indicates that North Korea has ongoing efforts to maintain Tunnel No. 3 and the overall condition of the facility. This is a concern as North Korea has finished preparations for a seventh nuclear test from Tunnel No. 3 since 2020. Read the latest Beyond Parallel 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: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images.) U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida walk on the colonnade as they make their way to a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House on April 10, 2024, in Washington, DC.

This Town Tomorrow

At 1:15 p.m., the CSIS Bipartisan Alliance for Global Health Security discusses top health security challenges for policymakers transitioning to the next administration, such as financing, geopolitics, and climate impact.

Earlier, at 8:30 a.m., Brookings hosts a discussion to examine the current state of AI technology and the lessons learned from foreign election interference.

Later, at 9:00 a.m., the Atlantic Council welcomes Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, to discuss the upcoming IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings.

Video

Today, the CSIS Africa Program held a panel discussion to unpack Senegal's recent election of Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Africa’s youngest democratically elected leader, and implications for the country. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

In the latest episode of Energy 360, CSIS's Ben Cahill and Jon B. Alterman discuss recent developments in the Middle East, U.S. policy objectives in the region, and how the oil market's response to geopolitical risks has changed.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Spring-summer festival season is upon us and I’m excited about it. The good people at Relix put out this clip of Phil Lesh and Friends live from the Skull & Roses festival last year to remind us of all the good sounds coming this spring-summer. I love a good “Cassidy,” especially this version that features Duane Betts on guitar.

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 by Lauren Adler, Ava Rose, and the External Relations team.