Russia’s Drones Shot Down

Ukraine shot down all of the exploding drones that Russia had fired over the new year, an Air Force spokesman said on Tuesday, in a measure of the country’s growing ability to resist Moscow’s effort to incapacitate its energy infrastructure, as the NYT reports.

EU Set to Demand Pre-Departure Covid Testing for Travelers from China

The EU is expected to impose pre-departure Covid-19 tests on travellers from China within days to try to prevent a surge in infections in that country spreading to Europe, as the FT reports.

Israeli Far-Right Leader Ben-Gvir Visits Flashpoint Jerusalem Site

Israeli far-right leader Itamar Ben-Gvir visited Jerusalem’s holiest site early Tuesday, in his first week as a minister, raising tensions with Palestinians who are concerned about the new government expanding Israeli control over the contested hilltop compound, as the WSJ reports.

Executive Education

Gain key insights on what the Biden administration's FY 2024 budget and strategy documents reveal about strategic priorities from CSIS experts and practitioners in the one-day course offering, Inside DOD's FY 2024 Budget. Participants will have a unique opportunity to dive deeply into how these changes will affect the defense enterprise, leaving with the most critical data and information for their own organizations.

Video Shorts

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

In That Number

70%

Doctors now say that up to 70% of Shanghai's population of 25 million is likely to have been infected with the coronavirus.

Source: WSJ

Critical Quote

“Some countries have no scientific basis for restricting entries from China, and some excessive practices are even more unacceptable.”

- Mao Ning, China foreign ministry spokeswoman

iDeas Lab

Japan recently unveiled new national security and defense strategies that could ultimately transform its defense posture and the U.S.-Japan alliance. CSIS Japan Chair Chris Johnstone discusses key priorities at this inflection point in Japan’s strategic trajectory.

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: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.) Members of the 118th Congress stand for the Pledge of Allegiance on the first day of the new term in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 3, 2023, in Washington, DC.

This Town This Week

On Thursday, at 9:00 a.m., the CSIS Korea Chair holds a discussion on the North Korean leadership, including unanswered questions about Kim Jong-un's health, the succession plan, and new revelations about the Kim family.

Also on Thursday, at 12:15 p.m., the CSIS Economics Program hosts a conversation with the Honorable Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan's minister of economy, trade, and industry, outlining Japan's economic priorities for its G7 presidency in 2023.

And on Friday, at 3:30 p.m., the Atlantic Council previews the 2023 North American Leaders' Summit.

Video

The Russian missile attacks upon Ukraine’s power grid, starting October 10, have been relentless. How close is Ukraine to the breaking point? And what would that mean? Watch Episode 6 of Ukraine: The Human Price of War.

Podcasts

CSIS's Jon B. Alterman speaks with Khalid Albaih, a Sudanese cultural producer, artist, and political cartoonist. They talk about how Albaih got his start, how he went viral during the Arab Spring, and why he's rethinking his role on the internet today.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Cotton Bowl Classic

Tulane Green Wave 46 – USC Trojans 45

Over the past five seasons, college football teams had been 1-1,692 when trailing by 15 or more points with five minutes or less remaining in the fourth quarter, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Yesterday, Tulane scored 16 points in the final 4:07 of the 87th Cotton Bowl to win in the most epic fashion possible. The last time my alma mater played in a major bowl game was 83 years ago in the Sugar Bowl!

So I am all smiles today. It was a win my family, my school and the City of New Orleans won’t soon forget. Will there be celebrations befitting a team from New Orleans? All I can say is “Yeah You Right!” “Roll Wave!” and “A One, A Two, A Hellava Hullabaloo!” To start the celebration in this space, here’s some music from Uptown New Orleans recorded just a few weeks ago by my favorite Big Easy band right now, The Rumble.

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: Paige Montfort, Claire Dannenbaum, and Claire Smrt.