The Evening: Biden on Antisemitism, Zelensky Assassination Plot Foiled, Top Jazz Fest Show, and More

Newsletter - May 7, 2024

Surge of Antisemitism

President Biden on Tuesday condemned a "ferocious surge of antisemitism" in the United States following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack against Israel and said people were already forgetting the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, as the NYT reports.

IDF Takes Control of Rafah Border Crossing

The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that it took control of the Gazan side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt overnight, marking its first ground incursion into the southern Gazan city, as The Washington Post reports.

Foiled Plot to Assassinate Zelensky

The Ukrainian Security Service said it foiled a Russian plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky by striking his convoy with missiles and drones, calling it the latest attempt by Moscow to eliminate the Ukrainian leader, as the WSJ reports.

Executive Education

Unlock intentional, impactful leadership development with the CSIS Accelerator Series, a tailored program that connects rising professionals with industry-leading coaches across 21 essential skills. Over nine months, participants will refine their professional skills and leadership style while connecting with fellow rising leaders in Washington, DC. Apply by May 10.

Audio Briefs

CSIS now offers full audio versions of our latest analysis. Listen to Alexander Palmer, Daniel Byman, Seth G. Jones, and Joseph S. Bermudez Jr.'s latest commentary, "Assessing Israel's Strike on Iran."

In That Number

33

Hamas informed negotiators on Monday that not all of the 33 hostages who would be freed in the first phase of a possible cease-fire deal with Israel are still living and that the remains of those who have died would be among the initial releases.
Source: NYT

Critical Quote

On college campuses, Jewish students [have been] blocked, harassed, attacked, while walking to class. Antisemitism, antisemitic posters, slogans calling for the annihilation of Israel, the world's only Jewish state. Too many people denying, downplaying, rationalizing, ignoring the horrors of the Holocaust and Oct. 7... It is absolutely despicable, and it must stop.

- President Joe Biden

iDeas Lab

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In the latest episode of Pacific Policy Pulse, CSIS's Kathryn Paik is joined by Ambassador of Tonga to the U.S. and Permanent Representative of Tonga to the UN Va'inga Tone to discuss his Washington DC visit, U.S.-Tongan relations priorities, and this year's Pacific Islands Forum theme. Watch the full video here.

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

Optics

Photo: Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images

A U.S.-made CH-47SD Chinook helicopter flies Taiwan's flag in Taoyuan, Taiwan, on May 7, 2024 during a rehearsal ahead of the May 20 inauguration ceremony for Taiwan's President-elect Lai Ching-te.

Recommended Reading

"The Erosion of Hong Kong's Autonomy since 2020: Implications for the United States" by CSIS's Scott Kennedy, Lily McElwee, and Jude Blanchette.

This Town Tomorrow

At 10:30 a.m., Brookings hosts Robert Kagan to discuss his new book,"Rebellion: How Antiliberalism Is Tearing America Apart-Again."

Then, at 1:30 p.m., Brookings welcomes Federal Reserve Governor Lisa D. Cook for a conversation on the Fed's latest semi-annual Financial Stability Report.

Also, at 1:30 p.m., the Wilson Center convenes a panel to explore the significant roles and leadership of states and cities in the expansion and management of AI.

Video

Today, the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program hosted a discussion on transatlantic unity featuring EU Ambassador to the U.S. Jovita Neliupšienė, and former Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Dr. Karen Donfried. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

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The latest episode of The AI Policy Podcast unpacks the biggest takeaways from the new EU-Japan AI safety cooperation agreement, why the latest staffing update from the U.S. AI Safety Institute matters, and how the Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft contract award is changing the way the DOD develops autonomous systems.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

I'm going to close out Jazz Fest with a clip of the best and most important performance of the two-week celebration. If you've been in New Orleans for Jazz Fest, you know that the nighttime performances at venues throughout the city are legendary. Last week, the Civic Theater hosted "Rejuvenation 50! A Celebration of the Meters" featuring Ivan Neville and his band Dumpstaphunk plus original Meters's George Porter Jr. and Leo Nocentelli, and Cyril Neville, who joined the band later. For New Orleans' music lovers, this show was pure bliss. Luckily, I was able to stream the show live (and watch it on demand) on the Nugs.net platform. As I've mentioned in this space in the past, Nugs is an essential subscription music service for people who like jam bands and the music of New Orleans. It really delivered for me last week with this show. They've posted a clip of the show's opening instrumental jam as well as "Cabbage Alley" featuring Cyril and Ivan on vocals. You can watch here if you scroll your cursor to about 16:45. This opening clip will give you a sense of how well the concert progressed-if you subscribe to Nugs, you can watch the whole show, which for me was both rejuvenation and a revelation.

I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz