Islamic State: Frequently Asked Questions, & More from CRS
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that were issued last week — but withheld from public release — include the following.
The Islamic State — Frequently Asked Questions: Threats, Global Implications, and U.S. Policy Responses, November 19, 2015
The “Islamic State” and U.S. Policy, updated November 18, 2015 (and still using the quotation marks that have now been dropped in the titles of other CRS reports)
Coalition Contributions to Countering the Islamic State, updated November 18, 2015
Syrian Refugee Admissions and Resettlement in the United States: In Brief, November 19, 2015
Can States and Localities Bar the Resettlement of Syrian Refugees Within Their Jurisdictions?, CRS Legal Sidebar, November 18, 2015
Immigration: Visa Security Policies, updated November 18, 2015
Paris Attacks and “Going Dark”: Intelligence-Related Issues to Consider, CRS Insight, November 19, 2015
France: Efforts to Counter Islamist Terrorism and Radicalization, CRS Insight, updated November 18, 2015
The recent decision to deploy “fewer than 50” U.S. special operations personnel to Syria is addressed in the latest update of U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress, November 19, 2015.
Over time, five countries have actually been removed from the lists of designated sponsors of terrorism, CRS noted in State Sponsors of Acts of International Terrorism–Legislative Parameters: In Brief, updated November 19, 2015.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): In Brief, November 19, 2015
U.S. Agent Orange/Dioxin Assistance to Vietnam, November 13, 2015
Puerto Rico and Health Care Finance: Frequently Asked Questions, November 18, 2015
Malaysia: Background and U.S. Relations, updated November 19, 2015
Air travelers should not expect to catch direct flights between the United States and Iran any time soon, CRS said in Iran-U.S. Air Service Not Imminent, CRS Insight, November 18, 2015.
As humans expand our geographic reach, encroach on untouched natural territories, and interact more with animal populations, we will encounter novel zoonotic diseases that threaten the human body. The sooner we act to address these risks, the better.
This report serves as a landscape assessment and toolbox from which local governments can negotiate an informed position when it comes to the levers available to them and includes a first-of-its kind analysis of eight executed community benefits agreements.
When a hurricane hits, it’s all hands on deck – that goes for federal data, too. Pulling back from our investments in timely, accurate, and accessible public data will only make us less prepared and put us all at greater risk.
This is bigger than a singular elimination of race and ethnicity questions. It could accelerate the second wave of widespread reductions to demographic data, leaving public health officials with even less information to deliver better health outcomes for all Americans.