Good Evening,
It's Monday, November 28th. |
Chinese Protests
Almost three years into China’s restrictive approach to controlling Covid-19, President Xi Jinping is being called to account as public anger spills into the streets. Protesters have directly challenged the authority of the Chinese leader and the Communist Party in scenes unthinkable just a month ago, when Mr. Xi secured a third term in power, as the WSJ reports. |
Russia Postponed Nuclear Weapons Talks
U.S. officials said Russia had postponed crucial nuclear weapons talks that were due to begin on Tuesday, marking a setback for the last remaining arms treaty between the powers and providing further evidence of fraying diplomatic ties since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, as the FT reports. |
Russia Digging In
Russian forces are digging trenches and erecting barriers to strengthen their defenses against the possibility of a new Ukrainian offensive in the south following Moscow’s loss of a key city there, according to new analysis by the Institute for the Study of War, as the NYT reports. |
Executive Education
Apply to CSIS's flagship leadership program, the AILA International Fellowship, which equips aspiring global leaders to be effective and ethical changemakers. Through an intensive and interactive week of seminars and experiential learning, AILA International Fellows will gain a deeper understanding of global policy and their own leadership skills. |
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
9 in 10
More than 300 people are still dying each day on average from Covid-19 in the United States. Nearly 9 in 10 covid deaths are in people 65 or older — the highest rate ever, according to a Washington Post analysis of CDC data.
Source: Washington Post |
Critical Quote
“We don’t want lockdowns, we want freedom!”
— Beijing protestors |
iDeas Lab
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, Alejandra Castillo, sat down for a fireside chat with CSIS senior adviser Tom Guevara, to discuss programs meant to spur regional economic growth and geographically clustered technological innovation. Watch the ReCap here.
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: Kevin Frayer/Stringer/Getty Images.) Protesters hold up pieces of paper against censorship and China's strict zero COVID measures on November 27, 2022 in Beijing, China. |
Recommended Reading
“Tech Regulation Can Harm National Security” by CSIS's James Andrew Lewis. |
This Town Tomorrow
At 11:00 a.m., the CSIS Economics Program hosts an armchair discussion on the outcomes of the 2022 G20 Heads of State and Government Summit in Bali.
Then, at 3:30 p.m., the CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies holds a conversation on the new book, Innovate to Dominate: The Rise of the Chinese Techno-Security State, featuring author Tai Ming Cheung.
Earlier, at 9:00 a.m., the Atlantic Council hosts a discussion on Brazil's new government's priorities and how president-elect Lula will deliver on his campaign promises. |
Video
The CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program was joined by Ambassador Geoffrey R. Pyatt, Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources, for a conversation on how the United States can balance energy security while promoting a sustainable, affordable, and reliable energy transition. Watch the full video here. |
Podcasts
Kathleen McInnis sits down with Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, at the 2022 Halifax International Security Forum, to discuss Ambassador Jenkins’ priorities in the State Department, including her work on arms control, and the power of diplomacy.
Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts. |
Smiles
It is rare that a musician’s estate releases a posthumous record that feels relevant. Aside from the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia, not much else comes to mind. Usually, releases from the vaults of artists like Jimmy Hendrix or even the Beatles come off flat, gratuitous, and as an effort to keep the cash spigot turned on.
The release last week of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers “Live at the Fillmore (1997)” is the opposite of cashing in—it’s a vital new addition to Petty’s music that sounds more alive than anything that I’ve heard from contemporary artists.
Culled from the last six nights of Petty’s 20-show run at San Francisco’s intimate Fillmore Auditorium, the 72 tracks that span the Deluxe Edition add up to much more than a romp through the Heartbreakers’ greatest hits. What is most fascinating about this record is that the band performed 35 cover songs of artists that shaped Petty and the Heartbreakers. From Chuck Berry, John Lee Hooker, and Little Richard, to the Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, the Everly Brothers, and the Byrds.
Petty even invited John Lee Hooker and Roger McGuinn to sit in. Listen to this track by John Lee Hooker with Petty and the Heartbreakers as his backing band. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever heard. I recommend turning it up LOUD. |
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