The Evening: Moderna Vaccine Greenlighted, Nuclear Agency Hacked, Jackie Greene and More
------------------------------------------------------------
Email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser ([link removed]) .
c48bd2c1-9b25-42f7-aa17-3c814b9557f7.jpg


** Good Evening,
------------------------------------------------------------
It's Thursday, December 17th.


** Moderna Vaccine Greenlighted
------------------------------------------------------------
Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine got the greenlight from a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee today, paving the way for authorization of a second vaccine, as the
Washington Post reports ([link removed]) .


** Nuclear Weapons Agency Breached amid Massive Cyber Onslaught
------------------------------------------------------------
The Energy Department and National Nuclear Security Administration, which maintains the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, have evidence that hackers accessed their networks as part of an extensive espionage operation that has affected at least half a dozen federal agencies, as
Politico reports ([link removed] ) .

And as the NYT reports ([link removed]) , federal officials issued an urgent warning today that hackers who were working for a foreign government and penetrated deep into government systems had used a wider variety of techniques in their cyberoffensive—and they warned that the hacking was “a grave risk to the federal government.”


** Covid-Aid Talks Race Ahead
------------------------------------------------------------
Lawmakers are weighing another stopgap spending measure to give themselves more time to wrap up negotiations on a coronavirus relief bill, as they raced today to complete the details of the roughly $900 billion package, as the
WSJ reports ([link removed]) .


** Nigerian Security Forces Rescue More than 300 Schoolboys Kidnapped
------------------------------------------------------------
Security forces today rescued nearly 350 schoolboys who had been kidnapped by suspected Islamist gunmen Boko Haram in northern Nigeria and taken into a vast forest, as Reuters reports ([link removed]) .


** Climate Check
------------------------------------------------------------
Governments, industry, and civil society require increased access to climate data and analysis to inform critical decisions. A new CSIS report ([link removed]) identifies and recommends federal action in the collection, management, and analysis of climate data to guide the next administration.


** Global Forecast 2021
------------------------------------------------------------
On the Horizon banner image Global Forecast ([link removed]) is an annual collection of essays by CSIS experts focused on the critical issues facing the United States and the world in the year ahead. This year's first two papers look at the prospects for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and foreign aid as a tool in great power competition.


** 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 Dr. Chris Murray, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Representative Tom Cole (R-OK), Former FDA Comissioner Peggy Hamburg, and more. Listen on Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) & Spotify ([link removed]) .


** 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 ([link removed]) !


** In That Number
------------------------------------------------------------


** 12%
------------------------------------------------------------
Nearly 12 percent of the United States is living in poverty, up 2.4 percentage points since June and the biggest spike in six decades.

Source: Washington Post ([link removed])


** Critical Quote
------------------------------------------------------------


** “At the worst possible time, when the United States is at its most vulnerable—during a presidential transition and a devastating public health crisis—the networks of the federal government and much of corporate America are compromised by a foreign nation. We need to understand the scale and significance of what is happening.”
------------------------------------------------------------
— Thomas P. Bossert, former homeland security adviser to President Trump


** iDeas Lab
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]
In a new longform, ([link removed]) CSIS's Rachel Ellehuus and Donatienne Ruy map where the United States has the ability to act in the greater Mediterranean.

The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and multimedia.


** Optics
------------------------------------------------------------
CSIS
(Photo credit: John Moore/Getty Images.) EMTs transport a woman with Covid-19 symptoms to a hospital in Yonkers, New York.


** Recommended Reading
------------------------------------------------------------
“Sleepwalking Toward the Nuclear Precipice ([link removed]) ,” by former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and former Senator Sam Nunn in
Foreign Affairs.


** This Town Tomorrow
------------------------------------------------------------

Tomorrow, at 8:00 a.m. ([link removed]) , the Atlantic Council hosts a webinar on the opportunities for U.S.-UAE cooperation on global clean energy deployment.

Later, at 10:00 a.m. ([link removed]) , Brookings holds a panel discussion on U.S. policy toward the Democratic Republic of the Congo.


** Video
------------------------------------------------------------
China is on a path to become a high-tech superpower. But that’s not what’s happened in commercial aircraft, where China is far from closing the gap with the United States and Europe. In a short explainer, CSIS’s Scott Kennedy breaks down ([link removed]) why China’s aerospace sector has struggled for decades and what it means for the United States.


** Podcasts
------------------------------------------------------------
Die Welt
On the latest episode of the Coronavirus Crisis Update, renowned modeler Dr. Chris Murray joined Steve Morrison and I to share his year-end reflections and predictions for 2021.

Listen on Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) , Google Podcasts ([link removed]) , or Spotify ([link removed]) .


** Smiles
------------------------------------------------------------
A bunch of you asked for more Jackie Greene. Even my best buddy Scott who doesn’t like the Dead asked! I can understand why. Greene is a musician’s musician. Just watch ([link removed]) .
I invite you to email me at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz ([link removed])

============================================================
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.

Follow CSIS

** CSIS Facebook ([link removed])
** CSIS Twitter ([link removed])
** CSIS LinkedIn ([link removed])
** CSIS YouTube ([link removed])
** CSIS Instagram ([link removed])


Connect w/ H. Andrew Schwartz

** a673fa5c-15f7-43a8-a468-e2f366d64e31.jpg ([link removed])
** 52a77dfb-48b3-4293-98bc-9ab9e644c760.jpg ([link removed])
** 7ad0947c-e23a-43b0-bc32-0720c3c5361a.png (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Evening%20CSIS)
Copyright © 2020 Center for Strategic & International Studies, All rights reserved.

202-887-0200 | ** www.CSIS.org ([link removed])

Center for Strategic & International Studies
1616 Rhode Island Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
USA

** Click here to edit your subscription preferences ([link removed])
or ** Click here to stop receiving all emails from CSIS. ([link removed])