The Evening: Cease Fire, Yoon Detained, Mississippi Half Step, and More

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Good Evening,

It's Wednesday, January 15th.

Note: The Evening will be “Gone Fishin’” until Tuesday, January 22.

Cease Fire Deal Reached

Negotiators from Israel and Hamas have agreed to a 42-day cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza, President Biden and other officials announced on Wednesday. The deal will take effect on Sunday, as the NYT reports

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Yoon Detained

Yoon Suk Yeol became South Korea’s first sitting president to be detained, surrendering himself for questioning Wednesday after a weeks-long standoff that resulted in a dramatic predawn raid on the official presidential residence, as The Washington Post reports

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Chinese Imports Blocked

The Biden administration will block imports from more than three dozen Chinese companies over their alleged links to forced labor in the country’s Xinjiang region, its largest-ever expansion of a ban list that took effect in 2022, as the WSJ reports

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Executive Education

From production to procurement, explore the defense acquisition process with Mapping the U.S. DOD Acquisition Ecosystem

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. Join us at CSIS in-person or virtually on February 11 for a deep dive into the requirements process, funding stages, and how the government acquires and maintains capabilities. Registration

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closes January 31.

Audio Briefs

CSIS experts give short, spoken-word summaries on the biggest takeaways from their latest briefs. Listen here: "Understanding the Impact of Remittances on Mexico’s Economy and Safeguarding Their Future Impact

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" with CSIS's Rubi Bledsoe.

In That Number

33

The first stage of the Israel and Hamas ceasefire deal includes the exchange of 33 Israeli hostages in Gaza, according to U.S. officials.

Source: The Washington Post

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Critical Quote

“My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.”

—President Joe Biden

iDeas Lab

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U.S. Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT) joins Pacific Policy Pulse to discuss the legislative agenda for AUKUS in 2025 and his current reading list, including Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides, The Avoidable War by Kevin Rudd, and more. Watch the full video here.

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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: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images.) U.S. President Joe Biden, alongside Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaks about the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Grand Foyer of the White House, in Washington DC, on January 15, 2025.

Recommended Reading

“One Question Looming Over Israel-Hamas Truce Deal—Why Now?

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” by CSIS’s Daniel Byman in Foreign Policy.

This Town Tomorrow

At 10:00 a.m.

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, the CSIS Strategic Technologies Program will host a discussion on the security and efficiency benefits of accelerating federal cloud use featuring opening remarks from Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT).

Also at 10:00 a.m

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., the Atlantic Council holds a conversation with White House Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Daleep Singh on the future of economic statecraft.

Later, at 2:30 p.m.

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, the Carnegie Endowment discusses Southeast Asia’s evolving strategies in navigating its ties with China.

Video

Today, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield joined CSIS's Africa Program to discuss the state of U.S.-Africa relations. She shares her final remarks on the Biden Administration’s record in Africa and reflects on her 35-year government career before retirement. Watch the full video here.

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Podcasts

CSIS’s Joseph Majkut joins the podcast for a special crossover episode with The AI Policy Podcast to discuss the Biden administration's Executive Order on Advancing United States Leadership in Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure.

Listen on Spotify

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& Apple Podcasts

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Smiles

Music lovers who follow the “jam band” scene firmly believe that Goose is one of the suitable heirs to the Grateful Dead’s legacy. Goose has already established their original tunes as part of the jam band cannon, and I know people who travel to see them. I’m not there yet on their standards, but the Dead covers they perform live

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are pure joy.

I invite you to email me at [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz

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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.

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Connect w/ H. Andrew Schwartz



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