Good Evening,
It's Thursday, February 16th. |
Biden Says 3 Latest Objects Most Likely Not Spy Devices
President Biden said on Thursday that intelligence agencies have no indication that three objects shot down over North America in recent days were surveillance craft from China or any other power but vowed to establish new parameters to guard American airspace, as the NYT reports. |
China Responds
China’s ceremonial parliament has accused American lawmakers of trampling on the sovereignty of other nations after the U.S. passed a measure condemning a suspected Chinese spy balloon’s intrusion into U.S. airspace, as the AP reports. |
Russia Attacks Ukraine Critical Infrastructure
Russia on Thursday launched dozens of missiles targeting critical infrastructure across Ukraine, including the country’s largest oil refinery, as The Washington Post reports. |
Executive Education
CSIS's Understanding Washington course offers embassy, business, and nonprofit professionals the tools and knowledge necessary to better navigate the Washington policy ecosystem. |
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
1.1 million
Some 1.1 million people arrived in Germany from Ukraine in 2022, exceeding the influx of migrants from the Middle East around 2015, Germany's federal statistical office said on Thursday.
Source: Reuters |
Critical Quote
“I expect to be speaking with President Xi and I hope we can get to the bottom of this. But I make no apologies for taking down that balloon.”
— President Joe Biden |
iDeas Lab
CSIS's Seth G. Jones testified before the House on the changing face of irregular warfare, the role of U.S. Special Operations Forces, and how global competition is transforming Special Operations Forces use.
The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and multimedia.![]() ![]() ![]() |
Optics
(Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) Ukrainian soldiers take part in a trench warfare training exercise on February 16, 2023, in an unspecified location in the United Kingdom. |
Recommended Reading
“A Continent Forged in Crisis: Assessing Europe One Year into the War” by CSIS’s Max Bergmann, Ilke Toygür, and Otto Svendsen. |
This Town Tomorrow
At 10:00 a.m., the CSIS International Security Program hosts a conversation on the state of the war in Ukraine and its future trajectory.
Also, at 10:00 a.m., the Bipartisan Policy Center holds a conversation on the United States' fiscal health.
Earlier, at 9:00 a.m., Brookings hosts a symposium on education systems transformation. |
Video
Yesterday, the CSIS Europe Program assessed the war in Ukraine and the ongoing impact the war is having on European politics and U.S. policy. Watch the event here. |
Podcasts
CSIS's Scott Miller and William Alan Reinsch discuss Ambassador Tai's recent trip to an optical company in Illinois, the IPEF negotiating round in India, and U.S. agricultural exports.
Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts. |
Smiles
“The Wild Tchoupitoulas, The Uptown Rulers.”
If you watch the film, Take Me To The River: New Orleans, now available on Prime, you will be treated to a historic and unforgettable moment—the very last time that The Neville Brothers performed together before second-oldest-brother Charles Neville died in April of 2018 at 79 and oldest brother Art “Papa Funk” Neville died in July of 2019 at 81. Before Art and Charles passed away, they met their brothers, Aaron and Cyril, in the studio to record a song for the filming of Take Me To The River. They were joined by Aaron’s son, Ivan Neville, and Art’s son, Ian Neville, plus Meters' bassist George Porter Jr.
It proved fitting that the last song they performed was the music that brought them together in the first place: the music of their uncle’s Mardi Gras Indian tribe, The Wild Tchoupitoulas.
In 1976, the four brothers and Art’s band, The Meters, joined their uncle, Big Chief Jolly of the Wild Tchoupitoulas, to record a legendary eponymous album of Uptown New Orleans Indian funk. The result stands as one of the most influential records in Big Easy music history. Moreover, the album inspired The Neville Brothers to record together for almost four decades.
Here’s the track “Hey Mama (Wild Tchoupitoulas),” first recorded in ’76 and re-recorded for Take Me To The River. |
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