Warning on Covid Data

Nearly three dozen current and former members of a federal health advisory committee—including some appointed or reappointed by Health Secretary Alex M. Azar—are warning that the Trump administration’s new coronavirus database is placing an undue burden on hospitals and will have “serious consequences on data integrity”, as the NYT reports.

Deficit Tripled

The federal deficit more than tripled in the first 10 months of the fiscal year, as government spending to combat the coronavirus continued to outpace federal tax collection, the Treasury Department said Wednesday, as the WSJ reports.

Assad Slams U.S. Sanctions

Syrian President Bashar al Assad said on Wednesday that sweeping new U.S. sanctions amounted to a new stage of economic warfare against his government and were part of long-standing U.S. efforts to “choke” the living standards of Syrians, as Reuters’ reports.

CSIS Executive Education

Rolling applications are still open for the CSIS and Syracuse University’s joint Executive Master’s in International Relations, a first-of-its-kind degree allowing working professionals in the nation’s capital to benefit from the strengths of the #1 graduate school in public affairs and the #1 think tank in the United States.

Video Shorts

Check out CSIS’s new series of video shorts: “Testify,” "What's Happening," "Preview," and “High Resolution.” And don’t forget to subscribe to the CSIS YouTube Channel!

In That Number

2

The White House Coronavirus Task Force has 2 female members out of 27 total members.

Source: CSIS

Critical Quote

"Limited or inconsistent efforts by states to control the virus based on public health guidance are not only placing citizens at unnecessary risk of severe illness and possible death but also likely to prolong the economic downturn."

—Boston Federal Reserve President Eric Rosengren

iDeas Lab

CSIS launched the Allied Economic Forum (AEF) with select allies and partners to discuss economic issues of mutual interest, in particular those related to the challenges of a rising China and leakage of critical technologies to competitors and adversaries.

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: Haytham Al Achkar/Getty Images.) A heavily damaged building, whose roof and exterior walls collapsed in last week's explosion, as seen on August 12, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon.

This Town Tomorrow

Tomorrow, at 9:00 a.m., join CSIS's Korea Chair for its eighth “The Capital Cable” episode. Featured at the event will be The Honorable Tae Young-ho, a current member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, to discuss North Korea, inter-Korea relations, and more.

And, at 10:00 a.m., The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMFUS) will hold a conversation with Robert B. Zoellick on his book, “America in the World: A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy.”

Later, at 1:00 p.m., return to CSIS for a discussion on how the United States can build a more secure power grid that is resilient to threats by hostile foreign state and non-state actors.

Video

CSIS’s James A. Lewis and Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers examined the threat posed by Chinese espionage and how the Department of Justice is responding. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

"The Reopening" recently hosted Adena Friedman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nasdaq and one of Forbes magazine’s “Most Powerful Women of 2019,”. In this episode, she talks about the central role of capital markets in economic recovery, the power of technology, and how companies that do the right thing deliver superior returns.

Listen on S potify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

I’ve been writing nonstop about the new generation of musicians who’ve been influenced by Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead, and how they’ve breathed new life into the Dead’s music (not to mention kept the culture alive). Billy Strings is an artist you should know about if you don’t already. He’s a 27 year old bluegrass prodigy and not someone whose music you want to miss. Here he is a few days ago performing the Dead’s “Dire Wolf”.

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 with the External Relations team: Emma Colbran, Caleb Diamond, and Kendal Gee.