The Evening: Reopening, Not Firing Fauci, Home and More

April 13, 2020

Re-opening

Two groups of governors, one on the East Coast and one on the West Coast, announced Monday that they were forming regional working groups to help plan when it would be safe to begin to ease restrictions to reopen their economies. Their announcements came hours after President Trump, who has expressed impatience to reopen the economy, wrote on Twitter that such a decision lies with the president, not the states, as the NYT reports.

Not Firing Fauci

President Trump isn’t firing Anthony Fauci, the White House said Monday, as the WSJ reports.

Navy Reports First Covid-19 Death

A U.S. sailor assigned to an aircraft carrier crippled by the coronavirus died on Monday, the Navy said, marking the first death of an active-duty service member caused by the virus as confirmed cases among the crew climbed to at least 585, as the Washington Post reports.

Chinese Dams Held Back Mekong Waters During Drought

China’s Mekong River dams held back large amounts of water during a damaging drought in downstream countries last year despite China having higher-than-average water levels upstream, according to a new study Reuters reports.

On the Horizon

CSIS experts on ocean security and human rights explore how Covid-19 will shape the way the ocean connects and feeds the world —and affect the lives of the people who depend on it.

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

293

Smithfield Foods said Sunday that its plant in Sioux Falls, S.D., one of the nation’s largest pork processing facilities, would remain closed indefinitely at the urging of the governor and mayor after 293 workers tested positive for coronavirus.

Source: NYT

Critical Quote

“Some in the Fake News Media are saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government. Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect. It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons.”

— President Donald Trump

iDeas Lab

As of April 10, there are 3,366 total cases of novel coronavirus within the Department of Defense.

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: Mario Tama/Getty Images). A church in California holding Easter Sunday evening services in the parking lot of Joshua Springs Calvary Chapel amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Recommended Reading

“South Korea Offers a Lesson in Best Practices,” by CSIS’s Victor Cha for Foreign Affairs.

Online Events

Tomorrow, at 1:00 p.m., CSIS will part one of a two part online series, "Synthetic Biology and National Security: Risks and Opportunities."

Later, at 2:00 p.m., the Brookings Institution will host a live webinar on protecting elections during the coronavirus pandemic.

And, at 11:3o a.m., the Atlantic Council will host a virtual conversation with Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Turkish Foreign Minister, titled "What needs to be done now to define tomorrow?"

Video

CSIS is releasing a two part interview Ambassador Robert King, special envoy for North Korea human rights issues from 2009 to 2017, to mark the sixth anniversary of the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) report on human rights in North Korea. Watch part one of the Living History interview here .

Podcasts

In a new episode, the Trade Guys and I chat with Jim Lewis, director of the CSIS's Technology Policy Program, about China, technology, and trade wars in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Everyone wanted some more Bonnie Raitt after last week. Fortunately, she recorded this beautiful number from home .