Trump Admin Rejects Tougher Standards on Soot

The Trump administration on Monday rejected setting tougher standards on soot, the nation’s most widespread deadly air pollutant, saying the existing regulations remain sufficient even though some public health experts and environmental justice organizations had pleaded for stricter limits, as the Washington Post reports.

Ethiopia scorns guerrilla war fears, U.N. team shot at in Tigray

Ethiopia’s government denied on Monday that northern forces—whom its troops have fought for a month—would be able to mount a guerrilla insurgency, while diplomats said a United Nations team was shot at while trying to visit a refugee camp, as Reuters reports.

Dive Deeper: “The Battle of Mekelle and Its Implications for Ethiopia,” by CSIS’s Judd Devermont.

U.S.-Japan Alliance in 2020

CSIS today released a new report written by CSIS counselor Richard Armitage, CSIS Trustee Joseph Nye, and CSIS experts Victor Cha, Mike Green, and Matt Goodman that has identified issues that both allies should prioritize to advance their relationship as well as global security and prosperity.

Coronavirus Crisis Update

The Coronavirus Crisis Update podcast brings you the latest updates and analysis from CSIS experts and the leaders directing the global response. Past guests include NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, White House Chief of Staff-designate Ron Klain, IHME Director Chris Murray, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Representative Tom Cole (R-OK), Former FDA Comissioner Peggy Hamburg, and more. Listen on Apple Podcasts & Spotify.

Video Shorts

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

In That Number

$1 Trillion

CSIS estimates cybercrime is a $1 trillion drag on the global economy.

Source: CSIS via Mcafee

Critical Quote

“I think it [Christmas] could be even more of a challenge than what we saw with Thanksgiving.”

— Dr. Anthony Fauci

iDeas Lab

Despite China's path to becoming a high-tech superpower, its commercial aircraft still lags behind the United States and Europe. CSIS’s Scott Kennedy explains why China’s aerospace sector has struggled for decades and what it means for the U.S.

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: Mario Tama/Getty Images) Vehicles line up to enter a COVID-19 testing site at Dodger Stadium on the first day of new stay-at-home orders on December 7, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

This Town Tomorrow

Tomorrow, at 9:00 a.m., CSIS and the Centre for Polish-Russian Dialogue will breakdown this year's political turmoil in and around Russia.

Then, at 12:00 p.m., join CSIS and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith for a talk on nuclear modernization and arms control in 2021.

And, at 2:00 p.m., the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace holds a conversation on the past, present, and future of the international liberal order.

Video

Last week, The CSIS Energy Security & Climate Change Program hosted a discussion of BloombergNEF's New Energy Outlook 2020, an annual economic forecast for the future of the energy sector. Watch the event here.

Podcasts

CSIS's new podcast miniseries "Follow This Thread: Made in Xinjiang?" examines possible policy solutions for Uyghur persecution in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Last week I showed you how Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers covered the Grateful Dead’s “Bird Song.” But the cover that made them famous was this performance of Hall and Oates’ “I Can’t Go For That” that they recorded while driving in their van between Phoenix, AZ and Pioneertown, CA. I know you’ll be smiling after you watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJiCUdLBxuI

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.