Dear All,

First and foremost, I hope you and your family are safe and finding balance in this new way of living. I am writing to announce that due to the difficult situation we are in right now, we have decided to postpone our June 8 Gala. We are very disappointed – it’s not a decision we are taking lightly considering how important this fundraising event is for the Foundation, but we believe that it is a necessary one to ensure the safety of our community.

We aim to postpone our annual fundraising event and gather later this year. We cannot wait to celebrate the Transatlantic relationship at the end of this difficult time with all of you. If you have pledged money for the Gala and would like to turn it into a donation, it would be tremendously helpful. Our organization is still relying on our community to operate smoothly. 

We hope you’ll think about us when we organize our fundraising event later in the year. But right now, we understand that you are focusing on the individuals and organizations who need more immediate support, as that is what we should all be concentrating on.

We are working hard with the team to bolster our online presence. This week, we will be introducing our first FAF webinar series with the amazing Richard Fontaine (Young Leader '15) and Megan Carroll (Young Leader '18), followed by next week’s discussion on fake news and the coronavirus with Chine Labbe (Transatlantic Forum member) and Emmanuel Saint Martin of French Morning. On April 9 one of my favorite (don’t tell the others) alumni Karin Tanabe (Young Leader '18) will host a webinar to launch her new book with the French-American Foundation. What a privilege!

We have other projects we are working on, safely from our homes. Follow our newsletter where we share news from around the globe, both on coronavirus and on other subjects, as well as initiatives, podcasts, and live concerts that can help us through these difficult times.

Again, I am tremendously grateful for the support of our community. We are innovating and moving forward, because a strong transatlantic relationship is more important now than ever.

A bientôt,

Emeline
Webinar: COVID-19 & Geopolitics
Our digital events will take place over the video conference platform Zoom and feature guest speakers to discuss their topics of expertise for those who would like to listen. You do not need a Zoom account to join. This week, we have:

CEO of the Center for a New American Security
Young Leader 2015
  • Topic: How the Coronavirus Pandemic Will Change Geopolitics
  • Date & Time: Thursday, March 26 at 1pm ET
  • RSVP: Click HERE to sign up. Registered guests will receive a link to join in the days leading up to the event.
In the News
  • "After months of internal discussions and mounting pressure from nations and athletes across the world, the International Olympic Committee will postpone the Tokyo Games that had been scheduled to begin in late July, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan said Tuesday..."

  • "Paris the French capital is now the country's coronavirus capital too. Up until March 16, the City of Light was well behind the worst hit Grand Est region of northeastern France in terms of coronavirus cases. That situation has swung around dramatically in the past week, with Greater Paris including Paris and its suburbs, emerging as France’s new COVID-19 epicentre..."

  • "After a week of Congress members and the Trump administration proposing various plans to get cash into the hands of Americans to help them weather the coronavirus crisis, Senate Republicans appear to have landed on a plan. While details are still being negotiated, it appears likely that what changes to the cash measures will be made will change how the cash is delivered, not how much and to whom..."

  • "As the coronavirus pandemic upends the presidential campaign, states and territories around the country are postponing primary elections and expanding vote by mail options..."
Coronavirus Misinformation Tracking Center
Chine Labbe, member of the Transatlantic Forum and Senior Editor at NewsGuard Technologies, shares her organization's new platform to detect fake news. Chine is speaking at our Zoom webinar series on April 1 (details to come shortly).

NewsGuard has temporarily removed its paywall so that visitors can access its anti-misinformation tool.

  • "Listed below are all the news and information sites in the US, the UK, France, Italy, and Germany that we have identified — 138 so far — as publishing materially false information about the virus. You’ll find websites that are notorious for publishing false health content, and political sites whose embrace of conspiracy theories extends well beyond politics. Among the hoaxes these sites publish are that swallowing bleach or colloidal silver will prevent the coronavirus — when in fact these “treatments” can be harmful. Troublingly, you’ll also see some sites that generally stick to the facts but in this case have published unvetted, poorly sourced stories that turned out to be false..."
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