Possible 4th Wave

As states lift restrictions and coronavirus variants spread, scientists and federal health officials have warned that a fourth surge of cases could arise in the United States even as the nation’s vaccination campaign gathers speed. The seeds of such a surge may now be sprouting in the Upper Midwest and the Northeast, as the NYT reports.

Violence in Northern Ireland

A week of rioting reached new heights of intense violence in Northern Ireland with clashes overnight Wednesday that saw demonstrators hijack and torch a double-decker bus and battle with police, who responded with plastic bullets, as the Washington Post reports.

NIC Report: Climate change, rich-poor gap, conflict likely to grow

Disease, the rich-poor gap, climate change and conflicts within and among nations will pose greater challenges in coming decades. The rivalry between China and a U.S.-led coalition of Western nations likely will intensify, fueled by military power shifts, demographics, technology, and “hardening divisions over governance models,” according to Global Trends 2040: A More Contested World, produced and released today by the U.S. National Intelligence Council, as Reuters reports.

Executive Education

Navigating U.S. Foreign Assistance features a hands-on study of the latest trends and techniques today’s international development and humanitarian leaders need to successfully maximize their impact. Through seminars, case studies, and a culminating crisis simulation, participants will join a diverse network of industry professionals and pair their own unique experience with CSIS’s rich array of coaching resources. Register here.

Mexico Matters

The Mexico Matters podcast series highlights key developments in Mexico and their impact on the United States. Hosted by Mariana Campero, each episode brings in-depth analysis, commentary, and conversations on an array of subjects ranging from economics, trade, and energy to national security, foreign policy, and business. 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

7

The Biden administration placed 7 Chinese firms and government labs under U.S. export controls today for their involvement in China’s effort to build supercomputers that help develop nuclear and other advanced military weapons.

Source: Washington Post

Critical Quote

“People can be affected with the virus that causes Covid-19 through contact with contaminated surfaces and objects. However, evidence has demonstrated that the risk by this route of infection of transmission is actually low.”

— Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the C.D.C.

iDeas Lab

A new snapshot from CSIS's Beyond Parallel finds the recent repositioning of the submersible missile test stand barge at North Korea's Sinpo South Shipyard was not an isolated event, but the latest in a series of small naval movements during the past several weeks.

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: Alex Wong/Getty Images.) President Joe Biden speaks as Vice President Kamala Harris and Attorney General Merrick Garland listen during an event on gun control in the White House Rose Garden today.

This Town Tomorrow

Tomorrow, at 10:00 a.m., the CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development convenes a panel of experts to discuss how the digital revolution can help countries achieve their development goals sustainably.

Later, at 1:00 p.m., the CSIS-LSHTM High-Level Panel on Vaccine Confidence and Misinformation hosts the fourth in a series of conversations about building trust in Covid-19 vaccines in the United States.

And, at 12:00 p.m., the Hudson Institute holds a webinar discussion on Europe's role in the strategic competition between the United States and China.

Video

In the latest episode of High Resolution, CSIS's Dr. Victor Cha and Joe Bermudez use advanced video mapping to dive into North Korea’s Orangchon Power Station project, one of the country's most ambitious hydroelectric projects during the past 30 years.

Podcasts

On the latest episode of the Coronavirus Crisis Update, journalist, writer, and editor Frances Stead Sellers spoke with Steve Morrison and me about what it's like covering the Covid-19 pandemic.

Listen on Spotify, Google Play, & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

I can’t write all week about Peter Gabriel’s producer Daniel Lanois, without also talking about Lanois himself as a recording artist. No one sounds like Daniel Lanois. There have been a handful of producers in the history of rock and roll who have created a distinct “sound.” Phil Spector, Norman Whitfield at Motown, Jerry Wexler, Brian Wilson, and Rick Rubin to name a few. Lanois belongs squarely on that list.

The roster of musicians Lanois has produced and written songs for includes Gabriel, U2, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Robbie Robertson, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, the Neville Brothers and Sinead O’Connor.

But it isn’t just that Lanois can create this sound for others, he can perform it himself, and his own records have had a huge impact on me. Beginning with 1989’s “Acadie,” which Lanois wrote and recorded in New Orleans, a string of albums through this year’s “Heavy Sun” have kept me locked in and spellbound, with key tracks in constant heavy rotation. Even when a fresh disc or track drops, I’m constantly thinking, “What’s he going to do next and when will it come out?”

Back in ’89, when Lanois set up shop in New Orleans during my junior year at Tulane, it was a magical musical time in the City That Care Forgot. The Neville Brothers ruled the scene and were becoming international stars. The Meters reunited for the first time in a decade. Brass funk was going through a rejuvenation, legends Dr. John, Earl King and Snooks Eaglin performed blistering sets in tiny venues and swamp rockers’ The Radiators ignited Uptown on weekends. And Bob Dylan was living Uptown a few blocks away from us off Prytania (you can read Dylan’s take on it in “Chronicles.”)

Dylan was there to record with Lanois. The Nevilles played on Dylan’s album “No Mercy” which Lanois produced. And Lanois was recording the Nevilles’ masterpiece, “Yellow Moon” at the time. He was also recording his own record, “Acadie” which Aaron, Art and Cyril Neville appear on—Aaron notably singing background on “The Maker.”

Here’s Lanois performing “The Maker” sans Aaron Neville: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0E3R1cSfIM.

And here’s what Lanois is doing more recently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2Rhe5BrYpI.

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.