Talks Progress

The first sign of progress emerged in peace talks between Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday as a deputy Russian defense minister said Russia would sharply “reduce military activity” near Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, and the northern city of Chernihiv. Russia also said it was ready to set a meeting between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky once a draft peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia was ready, as the NYT reports.

Biden Budget

President Biden called for the largest-ever level of military spending and increased funding for law enforcement in a $5.8 trillion budget, playing down his proposals for expanding social programs in favor of backing initiatives generally favored by centrist lawmakers, as the WSJ reports.

FDA Approves Second Booster for 50+

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized a second booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines for people 50 and older, a decision intended to help shore up protection against severe illness, as the Washington Post reports.

Executive Education

Inside DOD's FY 2023 Budget, a CSIS executive education
course, offers key insights from CSIS experts and practitioners on what the Biden administration's FY 2023 budget and strategy documents reveal about strategic priorities, major budget movements, force structure adds and cuts, and acquisition program changes.

Video Shorts

Check out CSIS's YouTube Channel for the latest releases in our “Crisis Crossroads: Ukraine” video series.

In That Number

15 years

Ukrainian negotiators said Ukraine will not make any territorial concessions but is prepared to hold bilateral negotiations over 15 years about Crimea.

Source: FT

Critical Quote

“There is what Russia says and there’s what Russia does. And what Russia is doing is the continued brutalization of Ukraine and its people and that continues as we speak.”

— Secretary of State Antony Blinken

iDeas Lab

A new CSIS report analyzes trends in U.S. defense acquisition drawing on data through FY 2020. FY 2020 marked the peak of a half-decade increase in defense contract spending, topping out at $421.3 billion.

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: FADEL SENNA/AFP/Getty Images.) Residents walk past a damaged Russian tank in the northeastern city of Trostianets, Ukraine, on March 29, 2022.

This Town Tomorrow

At 9:30 a.m., join the CSIS Korea Chair for a discussion on North Korea's latest missile developments, including the current state of their ballistic missile force, and how they may have advanced their technologies so quickly.

And, at 10:00 a.m., the Carnegie Endowment hosts CNN senior international correspondent and veteran journalist Clarissa Ward to discuss the war in Ukraine and the challenges of wartime reporting.
Then, at 1:00 p.m., the Peterson Institute for International Economics holds a conversation to discuss trade liberalization as a potential way of relieving inflation.

Video

Earlier today, CSIS hosted a panel discussion on the implications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine for the future of independent media and freedom of speech online in Russia. Watch the full event here.

Podcasts

On today's episode of Babel, the fourth installment of the U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East miniseries, Jon Alterman is joined by three experts to discuss how the United States has used its military, economic, diplomatic, and soft power tools in the Middle East—and how the Middle East has responded.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

The musical genre, “Funk,” as we know it, took shape in mid-1960s America, but its roots go back to the New Orleans jazz of Buddy Bolden in the early 1900s. At its essence, Funk is a rhythmic music that coalesced via a gumbo of musical styles: jazz, blues, soul, rock, and R&B.

James Brown is widely recognized as Funk’s originator and greatest practitioner. Following Brown in the mid-'60s, the next big thing in Funk became Sly and the Family Stone. Sly’s standards, “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People,” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” proved to be instant anthems, and have stood up over time.

At Woodstock, Sly and the Family Stone were one of the show-stoppers, igniting the festival with one of the most brilliant performances in the history of popular music. This fantastic rendition of “Thank You” came after Woodstock on the Dick Cavett Show.

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: Kendal Gee, Paige Montfort, and Christopher Healey.