Russian surveillance of military facilities under the Open Skies Treaty is problematic for the security of U.S. nuclear forces, a U.S. Air Force general told Congress last year. No, it is not, a U.S. Navy admiral said. Those two disparate views were offered in response to a question for the record from Rep. Mike Coffman […]
How does the European Union work? Does the EU Have a foreign policy? What is the Schengen Area? I don’t know, but Kristin Archick of the Congressional Research Service does. See her newly updated report on The European Union: Questions and Answers, updated February 21, 2017. Other noteworthy new or updated publications from the Congressional […]
U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch is the author of more than 800 legal opinions. “This provides an enormous–and perhaps unwieldy–body of law for those interested in learning about Judge Gorsuch’s approach to judging,” the Congressional Research Service says. To make it easier to assess that record, CRS has produced a listing of notable […]
Withdrawing from international agreements, as President Trump has proposed to do in certain cases, can be a complicated as well as a controversial step, a new report from the Congressional Research Service indicates. Aside from the wisdom of any such move, withdrawal raises distinct legal issues under both national and international law. “The legal regime governing […]
“What is Manufacturing?” is not the title of a lost work of Heidegger, but of a new report from the Congressional Research Service. The CRS report delves into the shifting meaning of “manufacturing” and the implications for economic analysis. “Changes in the structure of manufacturing make it difficult to design government policies that support manufacturing-related […]
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has modified its classification policies in favor of heightened secrecy, withholding budget records that were previously considered releasable and redesignating certain unclassified budget information as classified. NRO is the U.S. intelligence agency that builds and operates the nation’s intelligence satellites. Since 2006, and for most of the past decade, the […]
“Predicting how a nominee to the Supreme Court could affect the Court’s jurisprudence is notably difficult,” according to the Congressional Research Service. But see Neil Gorsuch’s Nomination to the Supreme Court: Initial Observations, CRS Legal Sidebar, February 1, 2017. Other new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following. Supreme Court Appointment […]
“The Office of Naval Research is conducting groundbreaking research into the dangers of working for prolonged periods of time in extreme high and low pressure environments.” Why? In part, it reflects “the increased operational focus being placed on undersea clandestine operations,” said Rear Adm. Mathias W. Winter in newly published answers to questions for the […]
The Law Library of Congress last year prepared a survey of legal frameworks affecting refugees and asylum seekers in twenty-two countries around the world. The survey covers “laws and regulations governing the admission of refugees and handling refugee claims; processes for handling refugees arriving at the border; procedures for evaluating whether an applicant is entitled […]
National security directives are among the most important tools the President has for managing his administration and for conducting U.S. policy on national defense, foreign relations, intelligence, nuclear weapons and other matters of consequence. At the end of last week, President Trump publicly issued his first three national security directives, designated National Security Presidential Memoranda […]
Last month, outgoing Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper issued new guidance on how the U.S. intelligence community should pivot in response to a crisis. A “crisis” is defined here as “An event or situation, as determined by the DNI, that threatens U.S. national security interests and requires an expedited shift in national intelligence […]
Presidential authority to seek modifications to NAFTA independent of Congress was addressed by the Congressional Research Service last week in Renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): What Actions Do Not Require Congressional Approval?, CRS Legal Sidebar, January 26, 2017. Jordan’s King Abdullah II is visiting Washington today. See Jordan: Background and U.S. […]