U.K. and E.U. Agree on Northern Ireland Trade Deal

Britain and the European Union struck a deal on Monday to end a festering dispute over post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland, a diplomatic achievement that could resolve one of the most poisonous legacies of Britain’s exit from Europe’s trade bloc, as the NYT reports.

White House Says No Consensus on Covid Origin

The White House said there is no consensus within the Biden administration over the origins of the Covid-19 virus, a day after the disclosure of an Energy Department assessment that the pandemic likely originated with a leak from a Chinese lab, as the WSJ reports.

Yellen Visits Ukraine, Underscores U.S. Economic Support

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Monday her first visit to Ukraine underscored Washington’s commitment to continuing its economic support for the country, as the din of air raid sirens echoed across the Ukrainian capital, as the AP reports.

Executive Education

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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

$1.25 billion

In a surprise visit to Kyiv, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced the transfer of $1.25 billion in economic and budget assistance to Ukraine.

Source: Reuters

Critical Quote

“The Russian invasion of Ukraine has triggered the most massive violations of human rights… today.”

— U.N. Secretary General António Guterres

iDeas Lab

Europe has demonstrated its political and economic resilience in the wake of the war in Ukraine. Despite this resilience, much remains in question regarding the future of European defense and security. Watch What's Happening with Europe and Ukraine, one year in.

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 Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images.) U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen talks to journalists outside Mykhaylo Golden Domes cathedral during her visit to Kyiv on February 27, 2023.

This Town Tomorrow

At 9:00 a.m., the Atlantic Council discusses the international response to the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

And, at 9:30 a.m., the Bipartisan Policy Center holds the Energy Futures Finance Forum on increasing clean energy investment quality.

Later, at 1:00 p.m., Brookings hosts a conversation on building more integrated, resilient, and secure North American supply chains.

Video

"The problem is we don't have enough of some very specific weapons systems that are important for the kinds of conflicts that we are likely to face with China and to deter those conflicts from even happening," says CSIS's Seth G. Jones on WSJ Explains. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

Last week, the Trade Guys marked the one year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and discussed the historic levels of sanctions and export controls that have been implemented on Russia.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

“Cadillacs and Rust, Diamonds and Dust.”

In a career that spanned four decades, Tom Petty wrote more than 450 songs and covered countless others. Since Petty’s death in Santa Monica six years ago, unreleased songs have emerged and his late career work, vastly underrated, has been re-explored. This week, I want to unearth some of these amazing tunes that sit outside of Petty’s cannon.

If you’ve lived in the United States and listened to the radio, you have most certainly heard Petty classics like “American Girl,” “The Waiting,” “Refugee,” and “Running Down a Dream.” And so many others. But have you heard the track “Leave Virginia Alone,” an outtake from the “Wildflowers” sessions? The Petty estate released it a couple of years ago with the remarkable set “Wildflowers and All the Rest.” Petty had thought the song wasn’t good enough to make the original “Wildflowers” record. Instead, his manager gave the song to Rod Stewart who had a minor hit with it. This Petty outtake with its vibrato guitar effect and with Mike Campbell’s slide guitar toward the end makes it hard to believe that he gave this song away.

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.