Trump reveals few details on "extreme vetting" of immigrants

Trump, who had previously called for an unprecedented temporary ban on immigration by Muslims, vowed Monday to overhaul the country's screening process and block those who sympathize with extremist groups or don't embrace American values.

The GOP presidential nominee has made stricter immigration measures a central part of his proposals for defeating the Islamic State — a battle he said Monday is akin to the struggle against communism during the Cold War.

[...] he didn't say which countries or regions would be subject to the "extreme" vetting, and his announcement that government agencies would create the list suggested that would not happen before the election in November.

The candidate's aides said federal agencies would use questionnaires, social media, interviews with family and friends or other means to vet applicants' stances on issues including religious freedom, gender equality and gay rights.

Clinton has seized on Republican concerns about Trump, highlighting the steady stream of GOP national security experts who've said their party's nominee is unfit to serve as commander in chief.

[...] he directly blamed the president and Clinton, who served as Obama's secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, for backing policies that "unleashed" the group, including withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq in late 2011.