Record Setting Heat

A streak of record-setting heat that began last summer has now persisted for an entire year across the globe, researchers announced Wednesday, pushing Earth closer to a dangerous threshold that the world’s nations have pledged not to cross, as The Washington Post reports.

Sudan Pushed to Abyss

Khartoum, the capital of Sudan and one of the largest cities in Africa, has been reduced to a charred battleground. A feud between two generals fighting for power has dragged the country into civil war and turned the city into ground zero for one of the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophes, as the NYT reports.

Risk of Israeli-Hezbollah War

Israel and Hezbollah are moving closer to a full-scale war after months of escalating hostilities with the Lebanese militant group, adding pressure on Israel’s government to secure its northern border, as the WSJ reports.

Executive Education

The Breakthrough Leadership Program helps rising leaders navigate global issues, fine-tuning key skills for success. Designed for mid-career professionals from marginalized backgrounds, it blends virtual and in-person sessions to provide tools and knowledge for career advancement. Applications close June 28.

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: "A Human Rights-Centered Approach to Reconstruction in Ukraine" with CSIS's Lauren Burke.

In That Number

$3 billion

On Tuesday, the Israeli defense ministry said Israel has signed an agreement with the United States to buy another squadron of F-35 fighter jets, using American military aid, in a roughly $3 billion deal.
Source: NYT

Critical Quote

“The target of limiting long-term global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is hanging by a thread.”

—United Nations Secretary General António Guterres

iDeas Lab

There are worrying signs that China is training its forces to be able to conduct a law enforcement-led “quarantine” of Taiwan. A new CSIS digital feature outlines China’s potential motivations for a quarantine and maps out two plausible scenarios of how it could conduct operations. Read the full 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: Paul Hennessy/Anadolu/Getty Images.) The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft launches from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on June 5, 2024.

This Town Tomorrow

At 10:00 a.m., the CSIS Missile Defense Project welcomes Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, Director of the Missile Defense Agency, for a conversation exploring the Agency's FY2025 programs, priorities, and budgets.

Earlier, at 9:00 a.m., the Atlantic Council hosts a conversation on allied solutions to de-risking tech supply chains from Chinese investment.

Then, at 11:00 a.m., the Wilson Center discusses Latin America’s leadership in supporting ratification and implementation of the High Seas Treaty.

Video

Yesterday, the CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development hosted a conversation with Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer, Millennium Challenge Corporation, to reflect on the 20th anniversary of the Millennium Challenge Corporation and explore how the organization is responding and adapting to current global challenges. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

CSIS’s Heather Williams joins the podcast to discuss Russia’s nuclear provocations and to answer the question: Is arms control as we know it dead?

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

I was back in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago for a bit of business, but always for pleasure. I’m constantly studying the Crescent City music scene and can report that the sounds coming from live venues all over the city remains a joyful noise. There’s always a new band to check out or a legendary performer gigging at a fabled club. Above all, New Orleans musicians know that they have a sacred duty to pay homage to the great artists that came before them. So it wasn’t surprising that on a steamy Uptown Sunday night at the Maple Leaf, I was treated to Joe Krown and Papa Mali doing their best to honor the late Dr. John. I don’t have video of what I saw, but here’s the real thing.

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.