The Evening: Carmakers’ Reprieve, Intel Sharing with Ukraine Suspended, R.E.M., and More

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Good Evening,

It's Wednesday, March 5th.

Carmakers Get Monthlong Reprieve From Tariffs

The Trump administration said on Wednesday that it would allow carmakers to escape the tariffs imposed on all goods from Canada and Mexico for one month, as the NYT reports

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U.S. Suspends Intelligence Sharing With Ukraine

President Trump has ordered a pause to intelligence sharing with Ukraine, said Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe, a move that deprives Kyiv of a key tool in fighting Russian forces, as the WSJ reports

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UK, France Refine Ukraine Peace Plan

France and Britain are aiming to finalize with Ukraine, possibly "in days," a peace plan to present to the United States, while building bridges between the U.S. and Ukraine before possible talks in Washington, as Reuters reports

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U.S. and Hamas Hold Talks

U.S. and Hamas officials held talks in Qatar about hostages held in the Gaza Strip, breaking with a long-running American policy of refusing to directly engage with the militant group, as the NYT reports

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Executive Education

Washington thrives on relationships. Knowing who to work with—and when—can make all the difference in achieving your policy goals. Join Washington insiders from March 24-27, 2025, for Decoding D.C.: Policy, Power, and People

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to sharpen your strategy and learn how to build the right coalitions. Register here

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by March 12.

Audio Briefs

CSIS now offers audio versions of our latest analysis. Listen to the latest Critical Questions by CSIS's Astrid Chevreuil and Doreen Horschig, "Can France and the United Kingdom Replace the U.S. Nuclear Umbrella?

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In That Number

$2 billion

A divided Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s emergency request to pause foreign-aid funding, refusing to suspend a lower court order that required the government to pay contractors nearly $2 billion for work they already have performed.

Source: WSJ

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Critical Quote

“We have taken a step back and are pausing and reviewing all aspects of this relationship.”

—National Security Adviser Mike Waltz

iDeas Lab

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Next week, the CSIS Economic Security and Technology department launches a new podcast: Betting on America. Navin Girishankar will sit down with leaders from business and government to understand the risks and rewards of investing in the industries and technologies of the future. Watch the trailer 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: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.) U.S. President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Recommended Reading

“Securing Full Stack U.S. Leadership in AI

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” by CSIS's Navin Girishankar, Joseph Majkut, Cy McGeady, Barath Harithas, and Karl Smith.

This Town Tomorrow

At 10:00 a.m.

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, the CSIS Defense and Security Department explores the psychological impact of violent trench warfare on a transparent battlefield in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Later, at 2:00 p.m.

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, the CSIS Middle East Program discusses Iran's resilience in the face of transnational challenges.

Earlier, at 9:00 a.m.

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, the Council on Foreign Relations examines three critical issues that will determine the future of Ukraine's security.

Video

Last week, the CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program welcomed CSIS Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Senator Todd Young (R-IN) to discuss critical minerals and the future of the U.S. economy. Watch the full video here.

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Podcasts

On this week's episode, The Trade Guys break down the U.S. Trade Representative's investigation of China's shipbuilding sector and recent executive orders.

Listen on Spotify

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& Apple Podcasts

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Smiles

If you are a child of the 1980s-90s, as I am, the band R.E.M. is a big deal. In the mid-1980s, I probably first heard R.E.M.’s single “Radio Free Europe” on WHFS, Washington, DC’s progressive rock radio station. I didn’t think much of it. Why was this southern sounding, punkish/new wave group singing about a government agency? It seemed ridiculous and decidedly uncool.

But then I went on a visit to meet the swim team and coach at Emory University and everything about R.E.M. dramatically changed for me. I can’t forget the first time I really heard R.E.M. The Emory swim team had a party off campus and the loudspeakers were blasting the song “Pretty Persuasion” along with the entirety of R.E.M.’s 1994 album, “Reckoning.” The album even had a song about where I grew up called “Don’t Go Back to Rockville.” I was hooked. R.E.M. sounded like modern southern rock to me and unlike any other band. The music was catchy and Michael Stipe’s vocals coupled with Mike Mills’ distinct harmonies became some of the best and most influential rock of the time.

The odd part about R.E.M.’s launch was that most of the vocals on their early albums are indecipherable. I could only pick up certain powerful phrases like “He's got pretty persuasion/She's got pretty persuasion,” or on R.E.M.’s “Pilgrimage,” from their first record, “Pilgrimage has gained momentum/Take your turn.” I surely didn’t know what any of their songs really meant, and maybe that was the best part—these songs were open to the listener’s interpretation.

In later years, R.E.M.’s lyrics and Stipe’s phrasing of them gained some clarity on hits like 1991’s “Losing My Religion,” '92’s “Everybody Hurts,” and '94’s “Strange Currencies.”

Like the Velvet Underground, it is often said that R.E.M. ignited the creation of thousands of rock and roll bands. The latest inspired outfit is a current band led by actor/singer Michael Shannon and prog rocker Jason Narducy who are touring the country performing R.E.M. covers to critical acclaim. And last week, Shannon and Narducy enjoyed a rollicking performance of “Pretty Persuasion”

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with the members of R.E.M. themselves. Perhaps the best part was that the gig was held in the seminal Athens, Georgia music venue the “40 Watt Club.”

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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