The Evening: Covid Spike, NK’s Nukes, Hard to be a Saint in the City and More

October 1, 2020

Major Covid Spike in Wisconsin

Local health officials in Wisconsin are overwhelmed. Hospital beds are filling up. And as coronavirus cases and deaths surge to fearsome new levels in the state, officials worry that the worst could be yet to come, as the NYT reports.

No Covid Relief Likely

Speaker Nancy Pelosi was highly pessimistic today about the chances of clinching a coronavirus relief deal with the White House, leaving House Democrats on a path to approve their own stimulus package, as Politico reports.

NK’s Nuclear Capability

As the Washington Post’s Joby Warrick and Simon Denyer report , at six of North Korea’s missile bases, trucks hauled rock from underground construction sites as workers dug a maze of new tunnels and bunkers, allowing North Korea to move weapons around. Southeast of the capital, meanwhile, new buildings sprouted across an industrial complex that was processing uranium for as many as 15 new bombs, according to current and former U.S. and South Korean officials, as well as a report by a United Nations panel of experts.

Dive Deeper: "North Korean Provocations Likely Around U.S. Presidential Election," by CSIS's Victor Cha.

CSIS Executive Education

CSIS's Risk and Foresight Group is hosting a new global executive education program that weaves together important issues, trends, and revolutions that government and business leaders must understand as they position themselves for the next 25 years. Register for the course 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

27

New cases of Covid-19 rose in 27 out of 50 U.S. states in September compared with August.

Source: Reuters

Critical Quote

“We come from two different places. Hopefully we can find our common ground on this and do so soon."

— Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on Covid-19 relief package negotiations with GOP

iDeas Lab

In the latest episode of "High Resolution," CSIS's Richard Rossow and Joseph Bermudez draw from satellite imagery to explain the China-India standoff on the disputed Doklam Plateau.

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

Optics

(Photo credit: Samel Corum/AFP via Getty Images.) Firefighters watch as the Glass Fire continues to burn in Napa Valley, California.

Recommended Reading

“The Imperial Overreach of China’s Belt and Road Initiative,” by CSIS’s Jonathan Hillman for the Wall Street Journal.

This Town Tomorrow

Tomorrow, at 9:00 a.m., join CSIS, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN Liaison Office for North America, for an online event that will highlight key takeaways from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s 2020 State of Agricultural Commodities report.

And, at 12:00 p.m., the CSIS Trade Commission on Affirming American Leadership rolls out its latest report on how to prepare the U.S. workforce for the global economy of 2030. The commission recommends nine elements of a new approach to workforce development in the United States.

Later, at 1:00 p.m ., CSIS will host a panel discussion to explore how the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (FIRRMA) reforms have impacted the scope and processes of CFIUS reviews.

Video

The CSIS Commission on Strengthening America’s Health Security today held a conversation with Representative Tom Cole (R-OK) on how to best improve the accessibility and utility of Covid-19 testing across states and local municipalities. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

In the latest episode of The Reopening, Scott Miller and I spoke with David Fishof, the esteemed music producer and sports agent. He discussed technology, social connection, and the creative power of music.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.

Smiles

With my blackjack and jacket and hair slicked sweet
Silver star studs on my duds like a Harley in heat
When I strut down the street I could feel its heartbeat
The sisters fell back and said "Don't that man look pretty"
The cripple on the corner cried out "Nickels for your pity"
Them gasoline boys downtown sure talk gritty
It's so hard to be a saint in the city

I’ve been fascinated by Springsteen’s “It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City” for most of my music-conscious life. There’s a swagger to this track that is unrelenting, and a poetry to the song’s lyrics that give voice to the essence of street cred. And then there is the Boss himself, who in this song more than maybe any other in his cannon embodies a beat character out of the pages of Kerouac. When he sings lines like, “ It's so hard to be a saint when you're just a boy out on the street ” we can vividly imagine the adventures had and yet to come.

Of course Springsteen’s performance of the song takes it to another level entirely.