WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10543) by senior research manager Michael J. Vassalotti: * * * Defense Primer: The Department of Defense The Department of Defense (DOD) was established after World War II by the 1947 National Security Act (P.L. 80-253). At the time, some policymakers, including former President Truman, took the view that the different components of the U.S. military had been insufficiently integrated to wage World War II effectively. Congress' more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- The Federal Reserve issued the following Fed Notes article: * * * Monetary Policy Stance and Commodity Cycles in Emerging Economies Emerging market economies, particularly those that depend heavily on commodity exports, have long been characterized by more volatile and disruptive business-cycle dynamics than their advanced-economy counterparts. A large literature has studied the drivers of these fluctuations, including total factor productivity shocks, world interest rate shocks, and terms-of-trade disturbances. Within  more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 (TNSLrpt) -- BEYOND RETURN: Child and Family Wellbeing among Refugee and IDP Returnees in Ukraine and Syria - A report from World Vision International, Monrovia, California - June 2026 (36 pages) Here are excerpts: * * * BACKGROUND Ukraine and Syria remain among the world's largest and most protracted displacement crises. Across both contexts, millions of children and families face the cumulative effects of years of conflict, repeated displacement, economic hardship, disrupted access to essential services and multiple pro more ST

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- The U.S. Department of State has launched a grant initiative aimed at bolstering investigative journalism in Ukraine through innovative applications of artificial intelligence. This program, titled Advancing Investigative Journalism in Ukraine through U.S. AI Innovation, is designed to enhance the capacity of Ukrainian journalists as they navigate a challenging media landscape. The awards for this initiative will range from $30,000 to $100,000, providing significant funding to projects that employ AI technology to facili more ST