Extraordinary Measures to Avoid Default

The Treasury Department began taking special measures to keep paying the government’s bills on Thursday as the U.S. bumped up against its borrowing limit, kicking off a potentially lengthy and difficult debate in Congress over raising the debt ceiling, as the WSJ reports.

U.S. Will Ship More Arms to Ukraine

The United States plans to send Ukraine nearly 100 Stryker combat vehicles as part of a roughly $2.5 billion shipment of arms and equipment that is expected to be announced at a meeting of allies in Germany on Friday, as the NYT reports.

New Zealand’s Ardern to Step Down

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who became a global icon of the left and exemplified a new style of leadership, said Thursday that she would leave office, as the AP 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

100

The U.S. is finalizing plans to send nearly 100 Stryker combat vehicles to Kyiv, with an announcement expected at a meeting of Ukraine’s allies in Germany on Friday, according to officials.

Source: FT

Critical Quote

“The period of time that extraordinary measures may last is subject to considerable uncertainty, including the challenges of forecasting the payments and receipts of the U.S. Government months into the future.”

— U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen

iDeas Lab

Amid new challenges, the United States and South Korea must re-examine their approach to North Korea policy and U.S. extended deterrence. Explore the recommendations of the CSIS Commission on the Korean Peninsula in this interactive report.

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

Optics

(Photo by Kerry Marshall/Getty Images.) Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces her resignation at the War Memorial Centre on January 19, 2023 in Napier, New Zealand.

This Town Next Week

On Tuesday, at 9:30 a.m., CSIS's China Power Project holds a debate on U.S.-China economic cooperation.

Also on Tuesday, at 2:00 p.m., CSIS's Economics Program hosts Jose W. Fernandez, under secretary of state for economic growth, energy, and the environment, to discuss strategic economic competition with China.

On Thursday, at 9:30 a.m., CSIS's Project on Nuclear Issues holds a book launch for The Fragile Balance of Terror: Deterrence in the Nuclear Age.

Video

Today, the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program hosted a conversation on the current state and future of the Russian economy under international sanctions. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

CSIS’s J. Stephen Morrison joins H. Andrew Schwartz to talk about the Center for Disease Control’s decline in public trust and confidence, and how the organization can return to the prestige it once had. Dr. Morrison describes this moment in CDC history as comparable to FEMA after Hurricane Katrina, or NASA post-Challenger.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

I was going to write something else today about late 1980s Grateful Dead, but then late in the day the sad news broke that the incomparable David Crosby passed away at 81. It’s a crushing blow—I always hoped that there would be one more CSN or CSNY tour. And I hoped that his manager would have him agree to come on my podcast Truth of the Matter—I kept hearing “David’s in the studio but he wants to do this…”

I’ll write more about Croz next week as he was truly a towering figure in music. But for the moment, savor this performance.

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.