"Former Homeland Security adviser Lisa Monaco responds to Sen. Mitch McConnell's claims that former President Obama left the Trump administration unprepared for a pandemic..." Watch the full interview here: Full Interview
"His own State Department remains on lockdown, with most employees working from their homes. The entire world is subject to a Level 4 'Do Not Travel' warning. White House officials who have attended West Wing meetings with him have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days. "Yet with all that, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will touch down in Israel for a brief visit on Wednesday, where he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Speaker of Knesset Benny [...]
"The Covid-19 pandemic has convinced many that the U.S. must fundamentally change its policy toward China. Shifting course is necessary, but it won’t be achieved with a few policy tweaks. That’s because the pandemic’s political and economic effects are bringing about a more assertive Chinese grand strategy. "Beijing has steered China’s rise with relative ease since the mid-1990s. Enabled by the West’s open arms, China has grown its economy, armed itself and expanded its influence around the world without significant interference [...]
"'The debates over corona bonds remain fierce, with some countries pushing for these grants (instead of loans) and others, like Germany, strongly opposing the idea,' Julie Smith, senior adviser to the president of the German Marshall Fund and director of their Asia program, told me. "Smith spent 2018 in Germany focused on German foreign policy and relations with Asia. "'Either way, if Germany folds and gives in or if it holds steady and refuses, anti-EU sentiment will likely rise. If German [...]
"In this episode of Asia In-Depth, Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy Daniel Russel speaks with two experts — Syaru Shirley Lin from the University of Virginia and Dr. Chunhuei Chi of Oregon State University — about what Taiwan's successful smothering of COVID-19 means for its future..." Listen to the full episode here: Full Episode
"Asia expert Danny Russel joins to talk about White House plans to punish China over the coronavirus, how Beijing might respond, and what the hell we should make of Kim Jong Un’s reemergence after weeks of rumors about his health..." Listen to the full episode here: Full Episode
"President Trump says the Obama Administration didn't prepare his team for coronavirus. But CNN National Security Analyst and former Obama Homeland Security Adviser joins CNN Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash to go inside the pandemic prep session during the Presidential transition and discuss the Trump response so far..." Listen to the full episode here: Full Episode
"I'm worried that the rhetoric on both sides is very divorced from the reality. That distracts all of us from what we need to be doing, which is mounting a coordinated global fight against this virus. "The reality is that the intelligence community has been very clear that there is no evidence that this was man made; they have concurred with the scientific assessments. There is also no direct evidence that this was a naturally occurring pathogen being studied in a [...]
"The novel coronavirus is an enormous test for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Not only must his government contain the spread of the virus in one of the densest, most populous countries in the world but it must prevent social-distancing measures from pushing India’s flagging economy over the cliff into free fall. Even before the pandemic, the country was struggling with slow growth, high unemployment, and widening social divisions. Now, the coronavirus is exacerbating all three problems—risking a perfect storm of [...]
"Amid questions about the ability of the House and the Senate to function in regular order during a pandemic, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence will hold an open hearing on May 5 at 9:30 a.m. to consider the president’s nomination of Republican Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas to serve as director of national intelligence. The hearing will be held in person, not remotely. "The revival of this controversial nomination—which had been announced and then withdrawn last summer—is certain to raise [...]