U.S. Sanctions Russia

The Biden administration today imposed the first significant sanctions targeting the Russian economy in several years in order to punish the Kremlin for a cyberespionage campaign against the United States and efforts to influence the presidential election, bullying Ukraine and other alleged "malign" actions, as Reuters reports.

Plans for Afghanistan Exit

U.S. troops are set to leave Afghanistan no later than September 11, but the Pentagon, U.S. spy agencies, and Western allies are refining plans to deploy a less visible but still potent force in the region to prevent the country from again becoming a terrorist base, as the NYT reports.

Regional Covid-19 Hotspots

The coronavirus pandemic in the United States has turned into a patchwork of regional hotspots with 38 states reporting an increase during the past week in the number of people hospitalized with covid-19, according to a Washington Post analysis of data provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, as the Washington Post reports.

Executive Education

In Economics in National Security: Tools of Coercion and Inducement, participants from the policy, business, analysis, and development communities will learn from leading experts about how U.S. policymakers deploy a wide range of economic tools to support U.S. economic and national security objectives. 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

32

President Biden announced sanctions on 32 entities and individuals for disinformation efforts and for carrying out the Russian government’s interference in the 2020 presidential election.

Source: NYT

Critical Quote

“The threat from al-Qaeda in Afghanistan is significantly degraded; Osama bin Laden has been brought to justice. We have achieved our objective.”

— Secretary of State Antony Blinken

iDeas Lab

CSIS's Beyond Parallel has acquired new thermal infrared imagery of the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Center that provides strong indications that during March and April 2021 activity involving the heating of buildings and operations of facility support systems had resumed at several locations.

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: Johanna Geron/Pool/AFP via Getty Images.) Secretary of State Antony Blinken, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hold a joint press conference today, following a meeting after the United States announced the withdrawal of all its troops from Afghanistan.

This Town Tomorrow

Tomorrow, at 6:00 p.m., the CSIS Japan Chair hosts Japanese prime minister H.E. Yoshihide Suga for a conversation about the future of the Japan-U.S. alliance and his White House visit.

And, at 9:00 a.m., the Atlantic Council holds a virtual webinar to discuss steps forward for the transatlantic trade agenda.

Later, at 10:00 a.m., the Heritage Foundation hosts a virtual discussion on areas for U.S.-Taiwan cooperation in the Pacific Islands.

Video

CSIS and the National Security Institute at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School yesterday released a pre-recorded conversation with Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Neil Gorsuch on the importance of civic education as a national security imperative. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

On the latest episode of AIDS 2021, host Janet Fleischman speaks with Monica Geingos, first lady of the Republic of Namibia, about Covid-19’s disproportionate impact on women and girls

Listen on Spotify, Google Play, & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Judging from all of the emails I received about Linda Ronstadt, you all want one more. I love the way Ronstadt made every song she ever sang, her own. In this case, Warren Zevon’s “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me.”

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.