The Evening: 5 Million Covid Cases, Arms Talks with Russia and China, Cassidy and More

May 21, 2020

Covid-19 Cases Exceed 5 Million Worldwide

There have been more than 5 million confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide, including more than 1.5 million in the United States. A million new infections were confirmed in less than two weeks, as the New York Times reports.

China Moves to Tighten Control Over Hong Kong

China is moving to impose new national security laws that would give Beijing power to take aim at the anti-government protests that roiled Hong Kong for much of last year, as New York Times' Keith Bradsher, Austin Ramzy and Tiffany May report.

And, as the Wall Street Journal reports , U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) are introducing a bill that would sanction Chinese officials and entities who enforce the new national-security laws in Hong Kong, and penalize banks that do business with the entities.

U.S. Plans Arms Talks With Russia and China

U.S. officials disclosed today that President Trump’s Senior Envoy for Arms Control, Marshall Billingslea, is planning to meet with his Russian counterpart soon to discuss a new U.S. proposal for a far-reaching accord to limit all Russian, Chinese and U.S. nuclear warheads, as the Wall Street Journal's Michael Gordon reports.

On the Horizon

Government and business leaders often continue to plan for a V-shaped Covid-19 recovery. In their new On The Horizon analysis, CSIS scholars Sarah Ladislaw and Sam Brannen anticipate a much longer road ahead.

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

CSIS’s flagship course on Understanding Washington is now being offered in a real-time online format from June 8 to 10. This format eliminates the need for travel and includes a reduction in tuition. We recommend this course to corporate and government professionals responsible for their organization’s government relations portfolio. 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

47%

Among the population of adults 18 and over, 47% either lost employment income or another adult in their household had lost employment income since March 13. Thirty-nine percent of adults expected that they or someone in their household would lose employment income over the next four weeks.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Critical Quote

“If this country knew more and knew it earlier, I think we could have saved many, many more lives.”

— Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY)

iDeas Lab

Between 2002 and 2018, overall spending on health care in China jumped from just $70 billion to more than $893 billion. A new China Power Project feature examines the strength of China's health security.

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: Leo Ramirez/AFP/Getty Images). Hostesses serve tea to delegates during the opening session of the China's National People's Congress.

Recommended Reading

“U.S. Competition with China and Russia: The Crisis-Driven Need to Change U.S. Strategy,” by CSIS’s Anthony Cordesman

Online Events

Tomorrow, at 1:00 p.m., CSIS will host Charlene Barshefsky and Stephen Hadley, co-chairs of the bipartisan Global Infrastructure Task Force to reassess their recommendations from last year in light of major developments including the Covid-19 pandemic and the acceleration of China’s digital infrastructure push.

Earlier, at 11:00 a.m., the Inter-American Dialogue will host Ángel Gurría, secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development for a conversation on the economic and social impact of Covid-19 in Latin America.

Later, at 12:00 p.m., the Hudson Institute will host a panel of industry experts to discuss the role of patents in funding innovative developments and the patent debate surrounding potential Covid-19 treatments and vaccines.

Video

Digital connectivity increasingly extends into every part of our society, but democracy is struggling to keep up. Earlier this week, CSIS’s Suzanne Spaulding hosted a conversation with Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) and David Sanger of the New York Times to discuss the growing cyberspace threats faced by Americans and ways to secure America’s digital infrastructure. Watch the event here.

Podcasts

In this first episode of the Voices of Venezuela miniseries, CSIS Americas Program expert Moises Rendon explores the political, economic, and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

New release from the Grateful Dead’s vault this afternoon. It’s Bobby Weir’s favorite song, “Cassidy.”