The Evening: Moderna Vaccine Greenlighted, Nuclear Agency Hacked, Jackie Greene and More

December 17, 2020

Moderna Vaccine Greenlighted

Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine got the greenlight from a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee today, paving the way for authorization of a second vaccine, as the Washington Post reports.

Nuclear Weapons Agency Breached amid Massive Cyber Onslaught

The Energy Department and National Nuclear Security Administration, which maintains the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, have evidence that hackers accessed their networks as part of an extensive espionage operation that has affected at least half a dozen federal agencies, as Politico reports.

And as the NYT reports, federal officials issued an urgent warning today that hackers who were working for a foreign government and penetrated deep into government systems had used a wider variety of techniques in their cyberoffensive—and they warned that the hacking was “a grave risk to the federal government.”

Covid-Aid Talks Race Ahead

Lawmakers are weighing another stopgap spending measure to give themselves more time to wrap up negotiations on a coronavirus relief bill, as they raced today to complete the details of the roughly $900 billion package, as the WSJ reports.

Nigerian Security Forces Rescue More than 300 Schoolboys Kidnapped

Security forces today rescued nearly 350 schoolboys who had been kidnapped by suspected Islamist gunmen Boko Haram in northern Nigeria and taken into a vast forest, as Reuters reports.

Climate Check

Governments, industry, and civil society require increased access to climate data and analysis to inform critical decisions. A new CSIS report identifies and recommends federal action in the collection, management, and analysis of climate data to guide the next administration.

Global Forecast 2021

Global Forecast is an annual collection of essays by CSIS experts focused on the critical issues facing the United States and the world in the year ahead. This year's first two papers look at the prospects for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and foreign aid as a tool in great power competition.

Coronavirus Crisis Update

The Coronavirus Crisis Update podcast brings you the latest updates and analysis from CSIS experts and the leaders directing the global response. Past guests include NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, White House Chief of Staff-designate Ron Klain, IHME Director Dr. Chris Murray, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Representative Tom Cole (R-OK), Former FDA Comissioner Peggy Hamburg, and more. Listen on Apple Podcasts & Spotify.

Video Shorts

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

In That Number

12%

Nearly 12 percent of the United States is living in poverty, up 2.4 percentage points since June and the biggest spike in six decades.

Source: Washington Post

Critical Quote

“At the worst possible time, when the United States is at its most vulnerable—during a presidential transition and a devastating public health crisis—the networks of the federal government and much of corporate America are compromised by a foreign nation. We need to understand the scale and significance of what is happening.”

— Thomas P. Bossert, former homeland security adviser to President Trump

iDeas Lab

In a new longform, CSIS's Rachel Ellehuus and Donatienne Ruy map where the United States has the ability to act in the greater Mediterranean.

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: John Moore/Getty Images.) EMTs transport a woman with Covid-19 symptoms to a hospital in Yonkers, New York.

Recommended Reading

“Sleepwalking Toward the Nuclear Precipice,” by former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and former Senator Sam Nunn in Foreign Affairs.

This Town Tomorrow

Tomorrow, at 8:00 a.m., the Atlantic Council hosts a webinar on the opportunities for U.S.-UAE cooperation on global clean energy deployment.

Later, at 10:00 a.m., Brookings holds a panel discussion on U.S. policy toward the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Video

China is on a path to become a high-tech superpower. But that’s not what’s happened in commercial aircraft, where China is far from closing the gap with the United States and Europe. In a short explainer, CSIS’s Scott Kennedy breaks down why China’s aerospace sector has struggled for decades and what it means for the United States.

Podcasts

On the latest episode of the Coronavirus Crisis Update, renowned modeler Dr. Chris Murray joined Steve Morrison and I to share his year-end reflections and predictions for 2021.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify.

Smiles

A bunch of you asked for more Jackie Greene. Even my best buddy Scott who doesn’t like the Dead asked! I can understand why. Greene is a musician’s musician. Just watch.