Steve Witkoff is the United States special envoy to the Middle East.
October 08, 2025
high
temporal
Official diplomatic role designation.
The H-1B visa is a U.S. nonimmigrant visa category for skilled workers employed in specialty occupations.
October 08, 2025
high
definition
Describes the purpose and classification of the H-1B visa.
The J-1 visa is a U.S. short-term cultural exchange visa that generally does not provide a direct pathway to permanent residency, whereas the H-1B visa can be used by employers as a pathway toward permanent residency.
October 08, 2025
high
definition
Contrast between J-1 and H-1B visa purposes and immigration pathways.
The J-1 visa is a U.S. nonimmigrant visa for short-term cultural exchange programs and generally does not provide a pathway to permanent residency.
October 08, 2025
high
definition
General description of the J-1 immigration category and its limitations relative to permanent residency
The American Medical Association projected in 2025 a shortage of approximately 87,000 physicians in the United States over the following decade.
October 08, 2025
high
statistic
AMA projection of future physician shortfall
The Posse Comitatus Act restricts the role of the U.S. military in enforcing domestic laws in the United States.
October 08, 2025
high
legal
Federal statute limiting use of military forces for domestic law enforcement operations.
The Insurrection Act authorizes the President of the United States to deploy active-duty military forces into a state to suppress insurrections or enforce federal law when state authorities are unable or unwilling to do so.
October 08, 2025
high
legal
Statutory exception to Posse Comitatus that permits federal military intervention in certain domestic situations.
A 2025 study by the Costs of War project at Brown University's Watson School of International and Public Affairs found that the United States provided at least $21.7 billion in military assistance to Israel between 2023-10-07 and 2025-10-07.
October 07, 2025
high
temporal
Estimate of U.S. military assistance to Israel over the two-year period following Oct. 7, 2023.
A 2025 report produced in conjunction with the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and the Costs of War project estimated that U.S. military assistance to Israel amounted to approximately $17.9 billion in the first year after 2023-10-07 and $3.8 billion in the second year.
October 07, 2025
high
temporal
Year-by-year breakdown of the two-year total U.S. military assistance to Israel following Oct. 7, 2023.
A 2025 Costs of War project report estimated U.S. spending on security aid and operations in the broader Middle East between 2023-10-07 and 2025-10-07 at between $9.65 billion and $12 billion, including an estimated $2.0 billion to $2.25 billion for attacks in Iran and associated costs in June 2025.
October 07, 2025
high
temporal
Range estimate of U.S. military and security-related expenditures in the broader Middle East over the two-year period after Oct. 7, 2023, with a sub-estimate for Iran-related actions.
As of 2025, Hamas was designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, and several other Western countries.
October 07, 2025
high
temporal
International designations of Hamas by major Western governments and organizations.
Rates of violent crime in the United States have been declining for decades, and in many U.S. cities, including Chicago, violent-crime levels are at or near record lows.
October 07, 2025
high
statistical
Long-term national trend in violent crime rates and city-level crime observations.
More than 77% of Canada's exports go to the United States.
October 07, 2025
high
temporal
Share of Canadian exports destined for the U.S. market.
The United States has applied Section 232 tariffs that include 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports applicable to Canadian shipments.
October 07, 2025
high
temporal
Sector-specific U.S. national-security tariffs affecting steel and aluminum trade with Canada.
About $2.5 billion worth of goods and services cross the Canada–United States border each day.
October 07, 2025
high
temporal
Daily value of bilateral cross-border goods and services trade between Canada and the United States.
The National Guard can be federalized to serve under federal command and be deployed to domestic locations within the United States.
October 07, 2025
high
institutional
Mechanism by which National Guard units transition from state to federal control for federal missions or domestic deployments.
A 2025 U.S. proposal for Gaza (commonly described as the 'Trump plan') called on Hamas to release all Israeli hostages, relinquish governance and arms in Gaza, and in return proposed that Israel end hostilities, release Palestinian prisoners, and place Gaza under interim international governance.
October 07, 2025
high
policy
Summary of the main policy elements attributed to the 2025 U.S. proposal for Gaza.
As of 2025, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank expressed deep distrust toward both Israel and the United States, driven by a prolonged two-year war, ongoing settler violence in the West Bank, and military restrictions.
October 07, 2025
high
societal
Broad, generalizable characterization of public sentiment among Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank in 2025.
Students in United States public schools are generally protected against discrimination by state, federal, and school district policies.
October 07, 2025
high
policy
Baseline legal protections applied to public school students in the U.S.
As of 2025, nearly half of U.S. states had enacted bans on therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity (commonly called conversion therapy).
October 06, 2025
high
statistical
Describes the nationwide legislative status of conversion-therapy bans.
A U.S. 20-point peace plan (2025) proposes that all hostages, dead and alive, be returned within 72 hours after Hamas agrees to the deal; the plan calls for Israeli military withdrawal, the complete disarmament of Hamas, amnesty for Hamas members in exchange for disarmament, and an option for disarmed members to leave Gaza for third-party countries willing to accept them.
October 06, 2025
high
temporal
Core provisions summarized from the U.S. 20-point peace blueprint referenced in 2025.
The Vaccines for Children Program provides vaccines free to about 40% of all U.S. children.
October 06, 2025
high
statistic
Baseline statistic about the scope of the Vaccines for Children Program.
Chicago is the third-largest city in the United States.
October 06, 2025
high
temporal
City size ranking by population.
U.S. congressional redistricting is conducted at the state level, with each state responsible for drawing or approving its own congressional district maps.
October 06, 2025
high
temporal
General process for how congressional district boundaries are determined in the United States.
As of 2025-10-06, there have been 10 tornadoes in the United States categorized as EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale since the scale's adoption in 2007.
October 06, 2025
high
temporal
Cumulative count of top-rated (EF5) tornadoes under the EF scale through the article date.
Each U.S. state maintains its own National Guard units, which are commonly identified by the state's name (for example, the Illinois National Guard).
October 05, 2025
high
temporal
Explanation of the state-based organization of National Guard forces referenced in discussion of federal activation of Guardsmen.
A 2025 U.S. peace plan specified that Hamas would release 48 remaining hostages, about 20 of whom were believed to be alive, within three days.
October 05, 2025
high
statistical
Key numerical terms outlined in the U.S. proposal for resolving the hostage issue.
A 2025 U.S. peace plan proposed that Hamas would give up power in Gaza and disarm as part of a settlement.
October 05, 2025
high
policy
Proposed governance and disarmament conditions included in the U.S. framework.
A 2025 U.S. peace plan linked a hostage release to a reciprocal exchange involving Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
October 05, 2025
high
policy
The proposed exchange mechanism connecting hostages and prisoners was a central element of the plan.
U.S. officials in 2025 described a two-phase approach to ceasefire negotiations in which an initial hostage release would be followed by an Israeli military pullback to a previously held boundary position, while decisions about Gaza's future governing structure could be negotiated concurrently.
October 05, 2025
high
diplomatic-process
Outlined sequencing and parallel negotiation topics presented by U.S. interlocutors as part of the proposed framework.
Israel has a longstanding dependency on the United States as its chief patron and primary security ally.
October 05, 2025
high
contextual
Describes the bilateral security and political relationship between Israel and the United States.
A 2025 peace proposal from President Donald Trump was structured as a 20-point plan aimed at ending the Gaza conflict and securing the release of hostages.
September 29, 2025
high
policy
Description of the overall goals and structure of the 2025 U.S.-brokered peace proposal for Gaza.
U.S. officials have raised concerns that the United States may be unable to control how weapons are used after they are sold to allied third-party countries (for example, NATO members) and then transferred onward to another country such as Ukraine.
September 26, 2025
high
temporal
Policy concern about post-transfer control of weapons sold to allies and subsequently re-transferred.
United States administrations deploy envoys and diplomatic channels to facilitate negotiations between Israel and Hamas, including efforts aimed at securing hostage releases and ceasefires.
September 07, 2025
high
political
U.S. diplomatic practice in managing or mediating aspects of the Israel–Hamas conflict.
Recent-year estimates indicate that drug-related deaths in the United States have exceeded 100,000 fatalities per year.
September 01, 2025
high
statistical
High annual counts of drug-related fatalities have been used in policy debates to characterize illicit drugs as a major national-security and public-health threat.
In 2024, China purchased $12.6 billion worth of soybeans from the United States, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
December 31, 2024
high
temporal
Annual value of U.S. soybean exports to China for calendar year 2024.
The Anti-Defamation League recorded 9,354 antisemitic instances of harassment, assault, and vandalism in the United States in 2024, a 5% increase from 8,873 incidents recorded in 2023 and a 344% increase over the five-year period ending in 2024.
December 31, 2024
high
statistical
Annual incident counts reported by the Anti-Defamation League measuring antisemitic harassment, assault, and vandalism.
The Anti-Defamation League reported 860 antisemitic acts at non-Jewish K-12 schools in the United States in 2024, a 26% decrease from 2023 but higher than the 494 acts reported in 2022.
December 31, 2024
high
temporal
Nationwide tracking of antisemitic incidents at K-12 schools by the Anti-Defamation League.
In 2024, an average of a violent crime occurred every 25.9 seconds in the United States.
January 01, 2024
high
temporal
This statistic is part of the FBI's crime data for the year 2024.
In 2024, the national violent crime rate decreased an estimated 4.5% compared to 2023.
January 01, 2024
high
temporal
Comparison of violent crime rates from 2023 to 2024.
In 2024, reported hate crime incidents in the United States decreased by 1.5% from 2023.
January 01, 2024
high
temporal
Statistical details about hate crimes reported by law enforcement.
Roughly 322,000 U.S. properties entered foreclosure in 2024.
January 01, 2024
high
temporal
Annual count of U.S. properties that went into foreclosure during 2024.
FBI data show anti-Jewish incidents reported in the United States increased by 5.8%, rising from 1,832 incidents in 2023 to 1,938 incidents in 2024.
January 01, 2024
high
temporal
Year-over-year comparison of FBI-reported anti-Jewish incidents.
In 2024, Jewish people were the target of roughly 70% of all religiously motivated hate crimes reported in the United States while comprising about 2% of the U.S. population.
January 01, 2024
high
temporal
Proportion of religiously motivated hate crime victims compared with estimated share of U.S. population.
Analyses reported in 2024 indicated that fatal drug overdose deaths declined steadily in many U.S. states beginning in 2021.
January 01, 2024
high
temporal
Trend synthesized from state, local, and federal overdose reports and related analyses reported in 2024.
NASA's activities contributed an estimated $75 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023 and supported approximately 300,000 jobs across all 50 states.
January 01, 2023
high
statistical
Economic impact of NASA activities reported for 2023.
A 2023 study published by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported that the average price for hair transplant procedures in the United States was upwards of $13,000.
January 01, 2023
high
temporal
Average cost of hair transplant procedures in the U.S. as reported by a professional society study.
The OECD's Education at a Glance 2023 reported that 51 percent of U.S. 25- to 34-year-olds had a postsecondary degree in 2022, a 13 percentage-point increase from 2000, compared with a 2022 OECD average of 47 percent.
January 01, 2022
high
temporal
National postsecondary attainment level and change over time as reported by OECD.
In the United States in 2021, average male life expectancy was about 76 years and average female life expectancy was about 81 years, a gap of approximately 5.8 years.
January 01, 2021
high
temporal
National life expectancy statistics
Existing available data indicate that between 13 and 27 unarmed Black men were killed by police in the United States in 2019, and adjusting for law enforcement agencies that had not provided data yields a higher estimated range of about 60 to 100 unarmed Black men killed by police in 2019.
January 01, 2019
high
temporal
Estimates reflect incompleteness of reporting across law enforcement agencies for fatal police shootings of unarmed Black men in 2019.
Available data indicate that 24.9% of people killed by police in the United States in 2019 were Black.
January 01, 2019
high
temporal
Share of people killed by police who were Black as indicated by compiled data for 2019.
Zohran Mamdani became a naturalized American citizen in 2018.
2018
high
biographical
Naturalization year listed in the subject's official biography.
The Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale has been used in the United States since 2007 to classify tornado intensity, and EF5 is the scale's strongest classification.
January 01, 2007
high
temporal
Tornado intensity classification system and top rating definition.
The strongest winds ever recorded in the United States were 321 mph (517 kph) during the Bridge Creek–Moore tornado in Oklahoma on May 3, 1999.
May 03, 1999
high
temporal
Record peak wind speed measured during a historic U.S. tornado.
A U.S.-crafted peace system in the Middle East, originating in the 1970s, has been described as a strategic framework intended to support regional stability.
January 01, 1970
medium
diplomatic-framework
Reference to longstanding U.S.-led diplomatic arrangements and frameworks in the Middle East dating from the 1970s.
UNESCO's anti-racist initiatives in the 1950s focused attention on problems in the United States and South Africa and only began to have a more global approach and impact around 1960.
January 01, 1960
high
temporal
Summarizes the geographic focus and temporal expansion of UNESCO's anti-racist work in the postwar decades.
The Espionage Act, a law used to prosecute individuals who disclose confidential government information, was enacted shortly after the United States entered World War I.
June 15, 1917
high
legal
The Espionage Act has been used historically to prosecute government officials who leaked classified information to journalists.
The Insurrection Act, enacted in 1807, authorizes the President of the United States to deploy U.S. military forces domestically to suppress insurrection or domestic unrest without requiring state approval.
January 01, 1807
high
legal
Description of the statutory authority provided by the Insurrection Act.
When the Insurrection Act is invoked, federal forces, including the National Guard when federalized, can be authorized to exercise law enforcement powers comparable to those of local police officers.
January 01, 1807
high
legal
Legal consequence of invoking the Insurrection Act as an exception to usual limits on military involvement in domestic law enforcement.
U.S. federal law generally prohibits using the military to enforce domestic laws.
high
legal
Describes a statutory limitation on the military's role in domestic law enforcement in the United States.
Forty-six U.S. states had laws mandating cellphone bans in public schools, and four additional U.S. states were considering legislation to mandate cellphone bans in public schools.
high
temporal
Reported counts of U.S. states with enacted or proposed legislation restricting student cellphone use in public K–12 schools.
United States legal and historical tradition emphasizes resistance to military intrusion into civil affairs and prioritizes constitutional law over the imposition of martial law.
high
legal
Reflects a broad, longstanding principle in U.S. law and history regarding civilian control and limits on military involvement in domestic governance.
China was previously the largest buyer of U.S. soybean exports.
high
trade
Historical pattern in U.S.-China agricultural trade
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas have been mediated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt.
high
general
Describes typical mediators involved in indirect Israel–Hamas negotiations.
At least 20 U.S. states have laws that prohibit mental health professionals from engaging in conversion therapy with minors.
high
statistic
Count of U.S. states with bans on conversion therapy for minors
Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel, and many other countries.
high
status
Designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization by multiple states is a durable status used in diplomatic and legal contexts.
International trade disputes that involve tariffs or other restrictions can reduce export markets for crops such as soybeans and cause significant financial harm to soybean farmers.
high
economic
Describes how international trade conflicts can affect commodity crop markets and farm incomes.
In the United States, operators of commercial motor vehicles are required to possess a commercial driver's license (CDL).
high
legal
CDLs are required for drivers operating large or commercial vehicles to ensure qualifications and safety standards.
Tariffs on imports can provoke retaliatory tariffs from affected trading partners.
high
trade-policy
General dynamic observed in international trade disputes where one country's tariffs prompt counter-tariffs.
China has been the largest buyer of U.S. agricultural exports.
high
trade
Relative importance of China as an export market for U.S. agricultural products.
Off-year election cycles in the United States tend to disadvantage the political party that holds the presidency.
high
temporal
General electoral trend about turnout and partisan performance in off-year (non-presidential) election cycles.
The United States imposed a 40% tariff on certain Brazilian exports covering sectors such as petroleum, soybeans, sugar, coffee, and iron and steel products.
high
statistical
Describes the magnitude and targeted sectors of a U.S. tariff measure on Brazilian exports.
Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 authorizes U.S. investigations into alleged unfair or discriminatory trade practices, and such investigations have historically been used as a prelude to imposing tariffs or broader economic sanctions.
high
legal
Explains the legal mechanism the U.S. can use to investigate and potentially respond to foreign trade practices.
Brazil is the United States' third-largest foreign supplier of meat, behind Australia and Canada.
high
statistical
Places Brazil's role in U.S. meat imports in a ranking context relative to other foreign suppliers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that seasonal influenza causes about 52,000 deaths, about 41 million illnesses, and about 710,000 hospitalizations annually in the United States.
high
statistical
These figures are recurring annual burden estimates for seasonal influenza in the U.S.
In the United States, individuals charged with crimes are entitled to appear in court and to due process, including the opportunity to present their case (commonly described as having a 'day in court').
high
legal
General principle of the U.S. criminal justice system regarding defendants' procedural rights.
Law enforcement agencies routinely conduct arrests at courthouses across the United States.
high
process
General description of typical law enforcement activity occurring at courthouses.
Zohran Mamdani was born in Uganda and moved to New York City in the United States when he was seven years old.
high
biographical
Biographical background of a U.S. politician.
Security guarantees issued by a U.S. president through executive orders are unilateral executive-branch actions that can be changed or reversed by subsequent presidents and do not have the same permanence as treaties that require Senate ratification.
high
temporal
Legal and institutional durability of U.S. executive agreements versus Senate-ratified treaties.
Ceasefire and conflict-resolution talks related to Gaza frequently involve multiple international mediators and participants, including regional states and their officials (for example Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt), international actors such as the United States, and negotiating teams representing both Israeli and Palestinian parties.
high
process
Describes the common composition of mediation efforts in Gaza-related negotiations.
A mitochondrial disease–causing mutation in a gene required for mitochondrial protein synthesis affects about 50,000 people across the United States, Europe, and Japan.
high
statistical
Reported prevalence of a relatively common mitochondrial disease–causing mutation across multiple regions.