USMCA Deal

House Democrats reached an agreement with the White House to support the new U.S. trade deal with Mexico and Canada, the USMCA, as the WSJ’s Nathalie Andrews, William Mauldin, and Anthony Harrup report.

Pompeo and Lavrov Clash

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo clashed with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a news conference on Tuesday as the Kremlin’s top diplomat denied any evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Pompeo declared that it happened and “it’s unacceptable,” as the Washington Post’s John Hudson reports.

U.S. Sanctions on Myanmar Military Chief Over Rohingya Atrocities

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on four Myanmar military leaders, including the commander-in-chief, in the toughest action taken yet by Washington for alleged human rights abuses against the Rohingya and other minorities, as Reuters reports.

CSIS Executive Education

Join CSIS December 9-11 for our course, Unpacking the Defense Enterprise. Get a competitive advantage in analyzing the changes within the defense domain and better understand the future of the U.S. defense enterprise.

Video Shorts

Check out CSIS’s new series of video shorts: “Testify,” "What's Happening," "Preview," and “High Resolution.” And don’t forget to subscribe to the CSIS YouTube Channel!

In That Number

800

There has been a rapid expansion of extremist attacks in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, from 180 incidents in 2017 to approximately 800 violent events in the first 10 months of 2019.

Source: CSIS, “Politics at the Heart of the Crisis in the Sahel,” by Judd Devermont.

Critical Quote

"This is a transformative agreement."

— House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal on the USMCA

iDeas Lab

CSIS's Missile Defense Project has compiled a chronology of North Korea's missile launches and nuclear detonations.

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

Optics

(Photo credit: Koen Van Weel/ANP/AFP via Getty Images). Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi today at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

This Town Tomorrow

At 9:00 a.m., the CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) will host a day-long conference on a range of nuclear issues featuring rising experts and young professionals in the field. Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord will deliver the lunch keynote.

And, at 9:15 a.m., the Hudson Institute will host a panel discussion on the anti-regime protests in Iran and the implications for U.S. foreign policy.

Also, at 9:30 a.m., the Wilson Center will hold an event exploring the barriers to reforming Romania’s anti-money laundering laws and fighting corruption in the country.

Video

CSIS yesterday hosted a conversation with Antti Kaikkonen, Finland's minister of defense, on security in the High North, transatlantic security challenges, new defense technologies, and the way forward for bilateral defense cooperation. Watch the full event here.

Podcasts

In the newest episode of Defense 2020, host Kathleen Hicks moderates a discussion on great power competition with Michael Mazarr, Oriana Skyler Mastro, Chris Preble, and Kori Schake.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

A couple of weeks ago we discussed J.J. Cale in this space and how influential he was on Eric Clapton and others. But I neglected to play some of Cale’s music as he performed it. This classic is taken from the 1979 sessions with Leon Russell (on piano) at Russell’s Paradise Studios in Los Angeles.

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 Brad Honigberg.