Updated below Core practices of open government are eroding in the Trump Administration, with new limitations on the ability of the press to effectively question officials on U.S. foreign policy. The problem is starkly illustrated by comparing the press briefing schedules of the State Department for May 2016 and May 2017. In May 2016, the […]
New and updated publications from the Congressional Research Service include the following. Net Neutrality: Back to the Future, CRS Legal Sidebar, May 30, 2017 East Asia’s Foreign Exchange Rate Policies, updated May 26, 2017 U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions Trends and Projections: Role of the Clean Power Plan and Other Factors, updated May 31, 2017 Respirable […]
Synthetic biology, a set of technologies related to the design and fabrication of biological systems, poses an emerging hazard but also provides the tools to mitigate that hazard, according to a new DoD report to Congress on defense against chemical and biological (CB) weapons. The new report “assesses DoD’s overall readiness to fight and win in […]
Individuals have a broad right to refuse to testify before Congress by invoking the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, the Congressional Research Service explained last week. “Even a witness who denies any criminal wrongdoing can refuse to answer questions on the basis that he might be ‘ensnared by ambiguous circumstances’.” On the other hand, the […]
“There is no basis” for suggesting that President Trump’s disclosure of classified intelligence to Russian officials was illegal, wrote Morton Halperin this week. To the contrary, “senior U.S. government officials in conversations with foreign officials decide on a daily basis to provide them with information that is properly classified and that will remain classified,” wrote […]
The fact that a particular nuclear weapon has (or does not have) a “dial-a-yield capability” enabling the selection of a desired explosive yield was declassified earlier this year, in a joint decision of the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy. Last year, the Department of Energy also declassified the thickness of the “getter […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following. Science and Technology Issues in the 115th Congress, updated May 23, 2017 U.S.-South Korea Relations, updated May 23, 2017 Australia, CRS In Focus, May 12, 2017 The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), updated May 24, 2017 Paid Family Leave in the United […]
In 1959, physicists Hans Bethe, J. Robert Oppenheimer and Edward Teller were candidates to receive the Enrico Fermi Award for contributions to the development of atomic energy. In a newly discovered letter written in June 1959, Los Alamos physicist Norris Bradbury provided his evaluation of the achievements of each of the three eminent scientists. His […]
By Hans M. Kristensen The venerable B-52H Stratofortress long-range bomber is no longer listed by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) with a capability to deliver nuclear gravity bombs. US Strategic Command (STRATCOM) apparently has not been assigning nuclear gravity bombs to B-52 bombers since at least 2010. Today, only the 20 B-2 stealth-bombers are […]
The possibility that more U.S. troops will be deployed to Afghanistan, a move that is reportedly under consideration by the Trump Administration, was critically examined by the Congressional Research Service in a new report. One source of uncertainty concerns the shifting U.S. strategy in the region. “Since the post-9/11 invasion of Afghanistan, the United States […]
Jeremy J. Stone was president of the Federation of American Scientists from 1970 to 2000, and an influential figure in the history of arms control, human rights, and public interest advocacy. Jeremy was remembered by colleagues and friends at a gathering in Washington, DC on April 30, 2017. Speakers included: Obituaries Catalytic Diplomacy Following his […]
When President Trump disclosed classified intelligence information to Russian officials last week, did he commit a crime? Considering that the President is the author of the national security classification system, and that he is empowered to determine who gets access to classified information, it seems obvious that the answer is No. His action might have […]