Virus Mutations

Scientists in Houston on Wednesday released a study of more than 5,000 genetic sequences of the coronavirus that reveals the virus’s continual accumulation of mutations, one of which may have made it more contagious. The new report, however, did not find that these mutations have made the virus deadlier or changed clinical outcomes, as the Washington Post reports.

Vouch for Vaccine

Four leading U.S. government health officials told a Senate hearing they wouldn’t hesitate to get a Covid-19 vaccine if one is cleared by the federal Food and Drug Administration, as the WSJ reports.

Saudi King Takes Aim at Iran

In a rare address to the UN General Assembly, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz took aim at Iran on Wednesday at the annual United Nations meeting of world leaders, calling for a united front to contain Riyadh’s rival and stop it from getting weapons of mass destruction, as Reuters reports.

CSIS Executive Education

CSIS's Risk and Foresight Group is hosting a new global executive education program that weaves together important issues, trends, and revolutions that government and business leaders must understand as they position themselves for the next 25 years. Register for the course here.

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 Nasdaq and S&P 500 fell more than 2% on Wednesday after data showed a cooling of U.S. business activity and the stalemate in Congress.

Source: Reuters

Critical Quote

“Every one of the decisions we have reached has been made by career FDA scientists based on science and data, not politics.”

— Dr. Stephen Hahn, FDA Commissioner

iDeas Lab

CSIS's Beyond Parallel conducted a new study looking at whether there are patterns to North Korean provocations around U.S. elections.

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: Andrew Harnik / POOL / AFP) Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt speaks during a private ceremony for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on September 23, 2020.

This Town Tomorrow

Tomorrow, at 9:00 a.m., join the CSIS Korea Chair for its eleventh episode of “The Capital Cable” featuring the Honorable Ami Bera, member of the House Foreign Affairs committee.

Later, at 11:00 a.m., the CSIS International Security Program is joined by Mark Beall, Chief of Strategy and Policy at the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), to discuss progress on international partnerships and workforce development in support of the JAIC mission.

Later, at 12:00 p.m., the Atlantic Council will hold its UN General Assembly programming and examine pathways to the restoration of democratic institutions and prosperity in Venezuela.

Video

On September 17, the co-chairs of the CSIS Trade Commission on Affirming American Leadership convened to discuss America's global economic leadership in the coming decade. In this video, former U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky explains why U.S. economic competition with China must start at home.

Podcasts

In this episode Dr. Hamre is joined by John Kirby, former chief spokesman of the Department of Defense and Department of State, to examine government truthfulness as a foundation for rule of law.

Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Smiles

Picking up on last night’s discussion of the Grateful Dead’s practice of transitioning from one song into another in concert, I’d like to offer another combination that Deadheads live for—in this case the triplet of: “Help On The Way>Slipknot> Franklin's Tower.” Deadheads use the greater than symbol “>” to indicate that one song flows into another uninterrupted. Thus, “Help On The Way” flows seamlessly into “Slipnot” and so on. In Deadhead shorthand, “Help>Slip>Frank” is among the holiest of holies in the cannon.

After premiering live in 1975, the “Help>Slip>Frank” suite was performed over 100 times by the Dead. This legendary clip of “Help>Slip>Frank” comes from one of the Dead’s most notable performances among their more than 2,300 shows spanning 30 years. Recorded live on June 19, 1976 at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey, the Dead opened the show with this crisp version of “Help>Slip>Frank.” It’s incredible that it was captured on video. Just this year, the Dead released a box set of five June 1976 shows from Boston, New York, and New Jersey, including the Cap Theatre show.

These shows were recorded by Betty Cantor-Jackson, the Dead’s famed sound engineer. Cantor-Jackson’s recordings, known as “Betty Boards,” as in Betty’s “soundboard” recordings, are regarded as the best sounding concerts captured on tape of the Dead’s music. This is no small feat—the most famous Betty Board is “Cornell ‘77” a live Dead album that was selected for inclusion in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. While “Cornell ‘77” is known as the best Grateful Dead show ever, some think the June ‘76 shows were even better. There’s no video of “Cornell ‘77” but you can enjoy watching this “Help>Slip>Frank” from June ‘76 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkbzCTggD80&t=100s.

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.