Good Evening,
It's Monday, October 4th. |
California Oil Spill
As a huge oil spill threatens Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and other cities along the Orange County coast, officials say they’re investigating the possibility that a ship’s anchor might have struck a pipeline, causing the leak, as the LA Times reports. |
Facebook Goes Down
Facebook and its family of apps, including Instagram and WhatsApp, went down at the same time on Monday, taking out a vital communications platform used by billions and adding heat to a company already under intense scrutiny, as the NYT reports. |
Biden Trade Policy
The Biden administration began defining its China trade policy Monday in a speech at CSIS by USTR Katherine Tai, who said the administration aims to launch new talks with Beijing but will keep existing tariffs in place, while also restoring the ability of U.S. importers to seek exemptions from those levies, as the WSJ reports. |
Executive Education
Apply now for a CSIS course on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The course draws insights from leading experts and the Reconnecting Asia Project and explains what the BRI is, what it is not, and how it is impacting commercial and strategic realities on the ground. |
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
126,000
Local officials are closing beaches, coastal fisheries, and a harbor across Orange County as crews work to contain an estimated 126,000 gallons of oil leaked from Amplify Energy pipeline off the Southern California coast.
Source: WSJ |
Critical Quote
“The United States is a nation that pays its bills and always has. If we’re going to make good on what has already been approved by previous Congresses, and previous presidents and parties, we have to pay for it.”
— President Joe Biden |
iDeas Lab
In the latest episode of Afghanistan Aftershocks, CSIS' Dr. Anthony Cordesman discussed the strategic implications of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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: David McNew/AFP/Getty Images.) Oil from an offshore oil rig seeps into the water of the sensitive wildlife habitats in Newport Beach, California. |
Recommended Reading
"Chinese Military Dynamics and Evolving Strategy: Graphic Net Assessment" by CSIS's Anthony H. Cordesman |
This Town Tomorrow
At 8:30 a.m., the CSIS Trustee Chair welcomes two leading Chinese experts to discuss Beijing's reaction to the bilateral component of the Biden administration’s China trade policy.
Then, at 9:00 a.m., the CSIS Korea Chair hosts a special event looking at how South Korea can enhance and leverage its soft power in fields such as K-pop, video games, technology, and more.
Also, at noon, the Brookings Institution and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service host NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for a discussion on how the alliance is adapting to the world of growing global competition and increasingly complex threats. |
Video
CSIS earlier today welcomed Ambassador Katherine Tai, U.S. Trade Representative, for a conversation on the Biden-Harris administration’s trade agenda, with a particular focus on U.S. trade with China. Watch the full video here. |
Podcasts
In his last episode as host, CSIS's Judd Devermont takes a look at why and how the world should think differently about Africa.
Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts. |
Smiles
If you didn’t catch the segment on CBS’s Sunday Morning show about the Doobie Brothers reported by Jim Axlerod (one of my favorite correspondents), you should check it out.
Ax’s segment is a smile, and it got me thinking about the Doobies—one of music’s all-time smile bands.
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| I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz |
