The Evening: Child Hunger, KJU Alive, Times Like These and More

May 6, 2020

1 In 5 Children Hungry

Research released Wednesday shows a rise in food insecurity without modern precedent. Nearly a fifth of young children are not getting enough to eat, according to surveys of their mothers by the Brookings Institution. The rate is three times higher than in 2008, at the worst of the Great Recession, reports Jason DeParle of the NYT.

Task Force Will Continue Indefinitely

President Trump said the work of the White House coronavirus task force would continue “indefinitely,” a day after Vice President Pence, who heads the panel, said it would probably wind down its work by the end of the month, as the WSJ reports.

KJU Alive

South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers Wednesday it does not believe that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had heart surgery last month and has determined that his three-week absence from public view was probably linked to fears over the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, there is no sign of a slowdown in North Korea’s efforts to improve its missile defense capability, with weapons tests continuing at a rapid pace this year. And, as the Washington Post reports, CSIS released satellite images of a new facility near Pyongyang Sunan International Airport that it said is “almost certainly related to North Korea’s expanding ballistic missile program.”

Dive Deeper: Visit CSIS’s Beyond Parallel microsite to view new satellite images near Pyongyang related to NK’s expanding missile program

On the Horizon

Covid-19-related disruptions to global migration are unprecedented. As remittances correspondingly decrease, these disruptions could have long-term impacts on migration flows and thus on economic growth, global inequality, and on the well-being of migrants themselves.

CSIS’s “On the Horizon” series offers insights into the more fundamental changes we might anticipate for our future social and economic world as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

CSIS Executive Education

Join CSIS’s Trade Guys for their next crash course on trade policy. The one-day program breaks down the fundamentals of how U.S. trade policy is formulated, the legalities of trade in an international arena, and the impact of Covid-19 on supply chains. Register here.

Video Shorts

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

In That Number

54%

With fewer seats for sale air fares will rise 43% to 54% in 2020, depending on the region.

Source: International Air Transport Association

Critical Quote

“They had a choice but instead — instead — China covered up the outbreak in Wuhan.”

— Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

iDeas Lab

Colombia’s future hinges on it pursuing integrated and conflict-aware approaches to stabilization following the FARC peace accord. CSIS visualizes three important post-peace accord efforts overlaid with recent social leader killings.

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

Optics

(Photo credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images). Hospital staff look on as the United States Navy Blue Angels pass over in Dallas, Texas.

Recommended Reading

“Foreign Students and Technology Transfer: Distinguishing the Baby from the Bath Water,” by CSIS’s Eric Hirschhorn.

Online Events

Tomorrow, at 12:15 p.m., CSIS experts will host a press call to discuss Covid-19, what the latest developments mean and a path forward to a responsible, safe reopening.

After, at 2:00 p.m., join us for an online event, asking "Will Covid-19 Mark the End of Mass Protests?"

And, at 2:00 p.m., the Brookings Institution hosts a webinar, on who gets access to public space in a pandemic.

Video

South Korea has largely contained its outbreak of Covid-19 while many other countries struggle to flatten the curve. CSIS's Victor Cha explains the keys to South Korea's success, and explores what lessons the rest of the world can learn. This is what's happening with South Korea's pandemic response. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

I speak with CSIS Food Security Program director Caitlin Welsh about the state of meat production, supply chains, and food security in the United States during the pandemic.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Last week I wrote about the Foo Fighters and played their 2002 song “Times Like These” because it’s a song I love that gives me hope. If you follow this space, you know that yesterday I wrote about today’s young rock/pop stars who are putting their own stamp on classic rock and transmitting it to contemporary audiences. And, that by doing so, there is a chance that the best of classic rock will be reengineered and transmitted into the future.

I’m embarrassed to say that I missed a prime example of this very scenario happening over the past couple of weeks. It involves the Foo Fighters, and in my view it is a collaboration for the ages.

On April 23, the Foo Fighters released a reworked video single of “Times Like These” which they recorded for the BBC with a dozen of the top young musicians in the world plus fellow old guy Chris Martin of Coldplay. If you don’t recognize or know the youngsters in this video, here’s a guide of who appears in order and by time:

Hailee Steinfeld – 0:02
Dua Lipa – 0:21
Anne-Marie – 0:37
Ellie Goulding, Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) – 0:43
Simon Neil (Biffy Clyro) – 0:50
Ellie Goulding – 0:53
Biff Clyro – 0:54
Jess Glynne – 0:57
Sam Fender, James Johnston (Biffy Clyro) – 1:02
Simon Neil – 1:07
Mabel – 1:09
Dan Smith (Bastille) – 1:14
YUNGBLUD, Dan Smith, Luke Hemmings (5 Seconds of Summer) – 1:19 Simon Neil – 1:25
James Johnston – 1:29
Ben Thatcher (Royal Blood) – 1:32
Rita Ora – 1:34
Mike Kerr (Royal Blood) – 1:44
Simon Neil – 1:49
Dermot Kennedy – 1:50
Taylor Hawkins, Ellie Goulding, James Johnston – 1:56
Sigrid – 1:58
Ellie Goulding – 2:02
Sigrid, Rag‘n’Bone Man, Grace Carter, Dan Smith, Ellie Goulding, Woody (Chris Wood, Bastille) – 2:03
Ellie Goulding, Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) – 2:09
Dua Lipa, Dave Grohl, Grace Carter, Ben Johnston (Biffy Clyro) – 2:14
Rag’n’Bone Man – 2:21
Zara Larsson, YUNGBLUD – 2:26
AJ Tracey – 2:29
Sean Paul – 2:45 Celeste – 3:01
Paloma Faith – 3:07
Dan Smith, Luke Hemmings – 3:17
YUNGBLUD – 3:23
Rita Ora – 3:30
Paloma Faith – 3:32
Everyone – 3:33
Chris Martin (Coldplay) – 4:02