The Evening: Home Covid Tests, Venezuelan Offensive, Tash Neal and More

April 1, 2021

FDA Authorizes First Covid-19 Tests for Repeat, at-Home Screening

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the first Covid-19 tests for repeated, frequent use by consumers at home to screen for infections even if they don’t have symptoms, as the WSJ reports.

Venezuelan Military Offensive Sends Thousands Fleeing

A new campaign by the Venezuelan military near the country’s lawless western border is sparking a surge of refugees, with thousands defying the spiking pandemic to pack into makeshift shelters and tent settlements in this Colombian town, as the Washington Post reports.

Myanmar Suspends Internet

Myanmar’s military government ordered broadband Internet shutdowns Thursday and issued new charges against deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, as Reuters reports .

Executive Education

Global Foresight: Preparing for Future Trends is a new, comprehensive program offered by CSIS’s Risk and Foresight Group. This virtual course weaves together important issues, trends, and revolutions that government and business leaders must understand as they predict and prepare for threats in the next 25 years. Register here.

Mexico Matters

The Mexico Matters podcast series highlights key developments in Mexico and their impact on the United States. Hosted by Mariana Campero, each episode brings in-depth analysis, commentary, and conversations on an array of subjects ranging from economics, trade, and energy to national security, foreign policy, and business. 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

91%

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech said today their vaccine is around 91% effective at preventing Covid-19, citing updated trial data that included participants inoculated for up to six months.

Source: Reuters

Critical Quote

“This is the godly thing to do. Protect your brother and sister.”

— President Joe Biden on a call with faith leaders about the need for social distancing, the wearing of masks and vaccination of vulnerable populations.

iDeas Lab

CSIS's Space Threat Assessment 2021, released today, reviews the open-source information available on the counterspace capabilities developed in the past year that can threaten U.S. space systems and which countries are developing such systems.

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: Drew Angerer/Getty Images.)

President Joe Biden's first cabinet meeting in the East Room of the White House today.

Recommended Reading

“Space Threat Assessment 2021” by CSIS’s Todd Harrison, Kaitlyn Johnson, Joe Moye, and Makena Young.

This Town Tomorrow

Tomorrow, at 9:50 a.m., the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement holds its virtual counter unmanned aerial systems summit, which examines the latest technology designed to combat emerging drone threats.

Later, at 1:00 p.m., the Jewish Council for Public Affairs hosts a virtual discussion on the ongoing atrocities being committed against the Uyghur people

And, at 3:00 p.m., the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs invites Alexander Sebastian Dent for a discussion of his book on policing intellectual property in Brazil.

Video

CSIS yesterday hosted FCC commissioner Brendan Carr and a panel of experts for a discussion about how to secure U.S. 5G networks and address the use of Uyghur forced labor in the telecom supply chain. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

On the latest episode of The Truth of the Matter, Caitlin Welsh, director of the CSIS Global Food Security Program, spoke with me about how Covid-19 has increased food insecurity in the United States and abroad.

Listen on Spotify, Google Play, & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Joshua Tree, CA

My favorite new addition to the Joshua Tree playlist comes from a singer/songwriter/guitarist named Tash Neal who hails from Harlem. Tash is known to the Brooklyn and jam band world, and he’s toured in support of the Who, Lenny Kravitz and the Black Crowes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJMoRAU7SuU.