Good Evening,
It's Wednesday, December 9th. |
Canada approves Pfizer’s vaccine
Canada on Wednesday granted interim authorization to a coronavirus vaccine made by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, and is preparing to administer the shots at 14 sites in major cities starting as early as next week, as the Washington Post reports. |
Competing Covid Aid Proposals on Capitol Hill
A flurry of competing proposals for another coronavirus relief package ricocheted around the Capitol Wednesday, as lawmakers hunted for ways to resolve a thorny debate over liability protections that has stymied progress for weeks, as the WSJ reports. |
Trump issues formal threat to veto effort to block massive UAE arms sales
President Donald Trump issued a formal threat on Wednesday to veto congressional efforts to block his plans for $23 billion in military sales to the United Arab Emirates, as Reuters reports. |
Pentagon set to begin COVID-19 vaccinations on small scale
The Pentagon’s initial allotment of coronavirus vaccine will be administered at 16 defense sites in the United States and abroad, with health care workers, emergency service personnel and residents of military retirement homes getting top priority, officials said Wednesday, as the AP reports. |
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 in 10
One in 10 Americans—across a large swath of the Midwest, South and Southwest—lives in an area where intensive care beds are either completely full, or fewer than 5 percent of beds are available.
Source: NYT |
Critical Quote
“We're clearly not going to get there.”
—Virologist Peter Hotez on whether most Americans will receive the Covid-19 vaccine by May. |
iDeas Lab
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: Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Director of the Defense Health Agency Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Place speaks to reporters during a press conference to discuss plans for Covid-19 vaccine distribution to members of the U.S. military. |
Recommended Reading
“Urban Legends,” a CSIS compendium exploring the foreign policy challenges that will unfold in rapidly urbanizing landscapes, featuring analysis from Caitlin Welsh, Erol Yayboke, Jacob Kurtzer, and Judd Devermont. |
This Town Tomorrow
Tomorrow, at 9:00 a.m., join CSIS and the Centre for Polish-Russian Dialogue and Understanding for a conversation about the prospects for Russia’s energy future amid a dramatic European energy transition.
And, at 11:30 a.m., CSIS hosts a discussion to highlight important lessons from El Salvador’s peace process in order to provide insight into the ongoing Afghan peace talks.
Later, at 2:00 p.m., experts at the Atlantic Council will reflect on the Assad family’s impact on Syria and what the future might hold for the family and the regime. |
Video
Today the China Power Project hosted its fourth debate of its five-debate series, discussing the proposition: “Within the next five years, China will use significant military force against a country on its periphery.” Watch the full video here.
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Podcasts
This week, Scott and I spoke with Tom Davidson, Founder and CEO of EVERFI, on how the education technology platform creatively engages corporate leaders in the mission of social change through education.
Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts. |
Smiles
When it comes to live music, I’ve seen things that very few people have seen. I’m blessed and lucky that I was the right age at the right time, and in the right place (New Orleans) in the mid 1980s to early 90s. I have friends from different eras who have been equally blessed if not more so. Yesterday, one of those friends wrote me that he had seen Jimi Hendrix perform 4 times within a 15 month span. You might need to read that sentence again. I did.
So many of Jimi’s performances were in front of small audiences like the clip in Maui that I played yesterday. Small stage, just a few hundred people making up the in-the-know crowd—perfect for experiencing live music. When seeing a generational musician like Hendrix perform, you just know you’re seeing something different. It’s like standing in front of a real Jackson Pollock. There is a weight, a presence and a uniqueness to it.
That’s why this crystal clear film of Jimi in Maui, which is gleaned from the recently released documentary “Music, Money, Madness . . .” is so special. Widen your screen, enjoy and be awed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv97c3W6lw8
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I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow
me on Twitter @handrewschwartz
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