Dirty War Documents, Directed Energy Weapons, More
Last week, Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) asked President Obama to expedite the declassification of U.S. intelligence documents pertaining to Argentina’s so-called “dirty war” during the military dictatorship that lasted from 1976 to the mid-1980s. “The substantial backlog at the National Archives and Records Administration and history of unwillingness to declassify by U.S. intelligence agencies has led me to believe that systematic declassification is not a suitable solution,” Rep. Hinchey wrote on November 2, explaining his request for Presidential intervention.
A new U.S. Air Force policy directive on “Directed Energy Weapons” specifies that whenever such a weapon is developed within a tightly-secured Special Access Program, a legal review of the classified weapon will be conducted by the Air Force General Counsel to “ensure… that any such weapon complies with domestic and international law.”
A new report from the Congressional Research Service considers the use and abuse of synthetic drugs. See “Synthetic Drugs: Overview and Issues for Congress,” October 28, 2011.
Improving public awareness of FDA Advisory Committees would improve public trust and deter misinformation related to the approval of medical products.
FAS has been a leading voice for action on this topic, and has developed a compendium of 150+ heat-related federal policy recommendations.
Proposed bills advance research ecosystems, economic development, and education access and move now to the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote
The absence of consistent voting privileges for patient representatives on Advisory Committees hinders representatives from providing an voice on behalf of the community they represent.