The Evening: New Revelation, Iran’s Launch, Ronnie’s Band and More

April 22, 2020

Open For Business

“Our Country is starting to OPEN FOR BUSINESS again,” President Trump tweeted Wednesday, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin predicted most if not all of the U.S. economy will have reopened by late summer, as the Washington Post reports.

Dive Deeper: “Covid-19 Threatens Global Food Security: What Should the United States Do?” by CSIS’s Julie Howard and Emmy Simmons.

New Revelation

The revelation that a coronavirus death took place in the United States in early February shifts the understanding of its arrival in this country and changes the picture of what the nation was contending with by the time government officials began taking action, as the NYT reports.

Also, see the Times’ reporting on China’s disinformation campaign that helped sow panic in the U.S.

Iran Launches Military Satellite

The WSJ reports that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it successfully launched its first military satellite into space on Wednesday, a move American officials have warned could advance Tehran’s missile capabilities.

On the Horizon

Covid-19-related disruptions could have l ong-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

We invite you to apply to Unpacking the Defense Enterprise, a a three-day live, online course exploring defense strategy, budgetary and technical issues, and future challenges and opportunities in the U.S. defense enterprise.

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

135 Million

Already, 135 million people had been facing acute food shortages, but now with the pandemic, 130 million more could go hungry in 2020.

Source: World Food Program Via NYT

Critical Quote

“There’s a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through.”

— CDC Director Robert Redfield

iDeas Lab

As of April 16, 75 countries have either limited or banned medical exports. CSIS's Scholl Chair in International Business asks whether governments need to choose between free trade and adequate medical supplies.

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: Jessica Gow/AFP/Getty Images). Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg spoke in an Earth Day live stream hosted by the Nobel Prize Museum about how the Fridays for Future school strikes movement she launched is responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

Recommended Reading

“Instead of Coronavirus, the Hunger Will Kill Us.’ A Global Food Crisis Looms." by NYT's Abdi Latif Dahir.

Online Events

Tomorrow, at 9:00 a.m., the Meridian International Center will host a webcast on how the United States is balancing its coordination on pandemic response with pursuit of its long-term geostrategic interests, relationships with allies and adversaries, values and economic goals.

After, 10:00 a.m., the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace will host an online discussion on the impact of the coronavirus on the Russian economy.

Late, The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMFUS) holds a webinar, beginning at 10:30 a.m., on "Ukraine and Belarus Confront Coronavirus: Challenges for European Neighbors."

Video

Oil prices fell below zero on Monday, and there's little reason to think this spiral will cease anytime soon. CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change experts Sarah Ladislaw and Ben Cahill explain the latest tumult in global oil markets. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

On a new episode, Steve Morrison and I speak with Kelly Ayotte, former Senator and co-chair of the CSIS Commission on Strengthening America’s Health Security, on ending the cycle of crisis and complacency in U.S. health security.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

A bunch of you wanted to know more about the New Barbarians clip I played yesterday and the song “I Can Feel The Fire,” that Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards traded vocals and guitar riffs on. Even my best friend Scott excoriated me for not discussing who was in the band besides Ronnie and Keith—which is a fair point!

Let’s discuss “I Can Feel The Fire,” because the roots of Ronnie’s joining the Stones and forming the New Barbarians can be found in that context. The song comes from Wood’s first solo record outside of the Faces, “I've Got My Own Album to Do” which he released in September, 1974 prior to joining the Stones. This was around the same time Ronnie was working with Mick Jagger on “It’s Only Rock and Roll.” When Wood began recording his solo record, Jagger reciprocated and co-wrote the albums’ opening track “I Can Feel The Fire.”

Then the fun began. When Ronnie recorded “Fire” he was joined on guitar by Keith Richards and backed by Sly Stone’s drummer Andy Newmark plus an assortment of legendary session heavies. The vocals, you ask? Mick Jagger, Keith, Ronnie and David Bowie. Turn this up really loud and don’t worry, you can dance, your carpet won’t wear out …