First Vaccinations in U.S.

The first shots were given in the American mass vaccination campaign on Monday, opening a new chapter in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more people in the United States—over 300,000—than in any other country, as the NYT reports.

Dive Deeper: On this historic day, my colleague J. Stephen Morrison spoke to Dr. Anthony Fauci to discuss Fauci’s “Year-End Reflections on 2020.” Read the transcript here or watch the video here.

Homeland Security Hacked By Russia

The Department of Homeland Security on Monday joined the list of known victims of a months-long, highly sophisticated digital spying operation by Russia whose damage remains uncertain but is presumed to be extensive, as the Washington Post reports.

U.S. Sanctions Turkey

The United States imposed long-anticipated sanctions on Turkey on Monday over Ankara’s acquisition of Russian S-400 air defense systems, further complicating already strained ties between the two NATO allies, as Reuters reports.

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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

$51.98 billion

In November, China reported a record trade surplus of $75.43 billion, propelled by an unexpected 21.1 percent surge in exports compared with the same month last year. Leading the jump were exports to the United States, which climbed 46.1 percent to $51.98 billion, also a record.

Source: NYT

Critical Quote

“The numbers are staggering -- the most impactful respiratory pandemic that we have experienced in over 102 years, since the iconic 1918 Spanish flu.”

— Dr. Anthony Fauci

iDeas Lab

Last week, CSIS's Bonnie S. Glaser testified before the House Armed Services Committee on "Taiwan and the United States: Enduring Bonds in the Face of Adversity." Watch a summary the testimony here.

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: Mark Lennihan/Pool/Getty Images.) Sandra Lindsay, a nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, is the first person in the U.S. to be inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine after FDA authorization.

This Town Tomorrow

Tomorrow, at 8:00 a.m., please join the CSIS Americas Program for a virtual event on opportunities for the creative economies of Guatemala, Haiti, and Colombia, taking into consideration lessons learned from Taiwan.

Then, at 11:00 a.m., the CSIS China Power Project holds the final debate in its five-debate series. The proposition: "Selective U.S.-China economic decoupling will set back China’s emergence as a global high-tech leader."

And, at 3:00 p.m., return to CSIS for a Global Health Policy Center conversation on Yanzhong Huang’s new book, Toxic Politics: China’s Environmental Health Crisis and its Challenge to the Chinese State.

Video

Earlier today, the CSIS International Security Program considered alliance dynamics for three scenarios: a climate change catastrophe, a Chinese blockade of Taiwan, and military escalation after Russian interference in a U.S. election. Watch here.

Podcasts

Tune in to this week's episode for more on early national security challenges the Biden administration will face.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

Smiles

Any time that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performs live it is a smile. But when they take the stage on Saturday Night Live, the energy leaps out of the television screen and into your living room. Last Saturday night proved to be one of those occasions. My buddy Scott tipped me off on it and I’m so glad he did. By the way, the guy on sax is Jake Clemons, nephew of the late, incomparable Clarence Clemons. If you’re not grinning ear-to-ear by the end of this clip I’ll be shocked https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYW-DIG-CV4.

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.