Military Action Against the Islamic State, and More from CRS
A new report from the Congressional Research Service considers the legal underpinning of U.S. military action against the so-called Islamic State, including the sources and limits of presidential authority, and the relevance of past Authorizations for Use of Military Force. See U.S. Military Action Against the Islamic State: Answers to Frequently Asked Legal Questions, September 9, 2014.
See also Considerations for Possible Authorization for Use of Military Force Against the Islamic State, CRS Insights, September 9, 2014, and The “Islamic State” Crisis and U.S. Policy, September 10, 2014.
Other new or newly updated CRS products include the following.
Judicial Activity Concerning Enemy Combatant Detainees: Major Court Rulings, updated September 9, 2014
U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: Recent Trends and FY2015 Appropriations, September 10, 2014
Export-Import Bank Reauthorization: Frequently Asked Questions, updated September 10, 2014
DOJ & Bank of America Enter Biggest Civil Settlement in U.S. History, CRS Legal Sidebar, September 10, 2014
Freedom of Speech and Press: Exceptions to the First Amendment, updated September 8, 2014
Investing in interventions behind the walls is not just a matter of improving conditions for incarcerated individuals—it is a public safety and economic imperative. By reducing recidivism through education and family contact, we can improve reentry outcomes and save billions in taxpayer dollars.
The U.S. government should establish a public-private National Exposome Project (NEP) to generate benchmark human exposure levels for the ~80,000 chemicals to which Americans are regularly exposed.
The federal government spends billions every year on wildfire suppression and recovery. Despite this, the size and intensity of fires continues to grow, increasing costs to human health, property, and the economy as a whole.
To respond and maintain U.S. global leadership, USAID should transition to heavily favor a Fixed-Price model to enhance the United States’ ability to compete globally and deliver impact at scale.