The Evening: Funding Pause, Congo Evacuation, SNL Music, and More

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Good Evening,

It's Tuesday, January 28th.

Funding Pause

Federal, state and local government officials scrambled Tuesday to assess the impact of a broad and far-reaching order by the White House to pause hundreds of billions in federal grants, loans and other financial-assistance programs pending a review by the Trump administration, as the WSJ reports

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Mexico and Canada Launch Flurry of Border Measures

Mexico and Canada have begun a flurry of activity at their borders with the US in a show of willingness to clamp down on migrants ahead of a deadline on which President Donald Trump has threatened to impose punitive tariffs, as the FT reports

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U.S. Citizens Advised to Evacuate Congo Amid Attacks on Embassies

The United States on Tuesday advised U.S. nationals to leave the Democratic Republic of Congo on commercial flights after hundreds of protesters attacked several foreign embassies and a United Nations building in the capital, Kinshasa, as the NYT reports

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Executive Education

Enhance your leadership skills and deepen your understanding of global dynamics with CSIS Executive Education

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. Engage with leading scholars, grow your network, and sharpen strategic thinking through interactive seminars, experiential learning, and leadership coaching. With a diverse range of offerings, our 2025 catalog

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provides opportunities tailored to professionals at every stage of their career.

Audio Briefs

CSIS now offers audio versions of our latest analysis. Listen to the latest Critical Questions by CSIS's Daniel Byman, "'Improving U.S. Intelligence Sharing with Allies and Partners': Audio Brief with Daniel Byman

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In That Number

90

The Trump administration’s move to suspend foreign aid for 90 days has thrust many countries into uncertainty as they assess how to proceed without the funding that has kept key social programs running for years.

Source: WSJ

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Critical Quote

“Over the past 40 years, rather than lessening, the threat from next-generation strategic weapons has become more intense and complex with the development by peer and near-peer adversaries of next-generation delivery systems and their own homeland integrated air and missile defense capabilities.”

—Executive Order: The Iron Dome for America

iDeas Lab

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The Collaborative Combat Aircraft program represents an enormous increase

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in DOD investment in AI-enabled and autonomous fighter aircraft and demonstrates the key role AI could play in the future of U.S. airpower. One of the biggest decisions the new DOD leadership will need to make is whether to go ahead with a manned Next Generation Air Dominance fighter.

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: Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images.) Members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo who surrendered their arms and crossed into Rwanda as refugees wait in a holding facility in Gisenyi, Rwanda, on January 28, 2025.

Recommended Reading

“Chaos, Power, and Diplomacy: What Kissinger and Trump Teach Us About World Order

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” by CSIS’s Jon B. Alterman.

This Town Upcoming

On Thursday at 9:30 a.m.

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, the CSIS Korea Chair discusses what the second Trump administration will do on the Korean Peninsula on a new episode of The Capital Cable.

Then, on Thursday at 10:00 a.m.

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, the CSIS Africa Program welcomes Brigadier General Rose Lopez Keravuori, Director of Intelligence at U.S. Africa Command.

Later, on Thursday at 4:00 p.m.

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, the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program hosts a discussion on a new strategy for the containment of Russia.

Video

The Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) marks the largest investment in autonomous systems by the Department of Defense (DOD). Gregory C. Allen, Director of the Wadhwani AI Center at CSIS, explores the CCA program's strengths and limitations and breaks down its implications for the future of autonomy adoption at the DOD. Watch the full video here.

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Podcasts

This week Mexico Matters hosts Dr. Hamre, President and CEO of CSIS and Seth Jones, President of the Defense and Security Department at CSIS to discuss the world that President Trump has inherited and how its competition with China is playing out in Latin America and elsewhere.

Listen on Spotify

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& Apple Podcasts

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Smiles

Last night I watched the NBC special “50 Years of SNL Music.” It was spectacular. I can think back to some of my all-time favorite SNL performances dating back to watching Bob Dylan perform “Gotta Serve Somebody," followed by "I Believe in You," and “When You Gonna Wake Up.” My grandmother let me stay up late that October 1979 night to watch it with her and I will never forget it.

Through the years, so many performances have stood out: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Dave Grohl on drums, Elvis Costello, Queen, Nirvana, Blondie, Duran Duran, Run DMC, Beastie Boys, Madonna, Prince, Little Feat, Living Colour, Neil Young, James Brown, Patti Smith, Rick James, Roy Orbison, Stevie Nicks, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Tina Turner, Carly Simon, Rolling Stones, Al Green, Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Neville Brothers, Devo, the Grateful Dead and the list goes on.

However, my absolutely favorite performance without question is this one by The Blues Brothers

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. It remains electrifying.

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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