Politics & Government

Vice President Harris, seen here in the White House Rose Garden earlier this month, will visit Singapore and Vietnam, her second foreign trip while in office.

Vice President Harris Heads To Vietnam As The Shadow Of Afghanistan Looms

8:21am August 20, 2021

by Ayesha Rascoe

The long-planned trip is now complicated by the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which is drawing comparisons to the fall of Saigon in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.

Voting Rights Stalemate Ends In Texas As Democrats Return To The State Capitol

7:21am August 20, 2021

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Associated Press reporter Paul Weber about the Texas House achieving a quorum after some of the Democrats who left Texas to block a GOP voting bill returned to Austin.

News Brief: Latest On Afghanistan, Texas Voting Bill, Alabama's COVID Surge

5:36am August 20, 2021

The Biden administration has a warning about what could come next in Afghanistan. A political standoff in Texas is over. Doctors in Alabama say they're exhausted by a crisis that was preventable.

Politics & Government

Kennedy To Continue Housing Work After Leaving Greensboro Council For City Post

6:33pm August 19, 2021

by Paul Garber

Former Greensboro Council Member Michelle Kennedy has been hired to lead the city's Neighborhood Development Department.

A pickup is parked Thursday on the sidewalk in front of the Library of Congress' Thomas Jefferson Building, as seen from a window of the U.S. Capitol. A man sitting in the truck told police he had a bomb. He later surrendered.

Politics & Government

Man Who Claimed To Have A Bomb Near The U.S. Capitol Surrenders

5:42pm August 19, 2021

by Brian Naylor

A North Carolina man who claimed to have a bomb in his truck in front of the Library of Congress gave up after an hours-long standoff with police and is now in custody. No bomb was found in the truck.

How The U.S. Withdrawal From Afghanistan Has Affected Its Relationship With The U.K.

5:23pm August 19, 2021

NPR's Mary Louise talks with British Ambassador to the U.S. Karen Pierce about how the pullout from Afghanistan has impacted the so-called "special relationship" between the U.S. and the U.K.

The Taliban Could Soon Face A Cash Crunch As Countries Cut Off Funding To Afghanistan

4:56pm August 19, 2021

by Scott Horsley

The Taliban could soon be facing a cash crunch. The U.S. and other countries have taken steps to cut off the international financing which Afghanistan has relied on for much of the last two decades.

Few Aid Groups In Afghanistan Believe The Taliban's Assurances, So They're Staying

4:56pm August 19, 2021

by Michele Kelemen

UN agencies and other aid groups say they're staying in Afghanistan. There are concerns about the safety of Afghans working for international organizations, since few believe the Taliban's assurances.

In 1991, Soviet Citizens Saw Swans On The TV... And Knew It Meant Turmoil

4:56pm August 19, 2021

by Charles Maynes

On August 19, 1991, Russians awoke to looping videos of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake on Soviet state TV — a sure sign something seismic was up.

Chaos Continues In The Kabul Airport As A Humanitarian Crisis Brews In Afghanistan

4:36pm August 19, 2021

by Jackie Northam

There have been more protests in parts of Afghanistan against Taliban rule. The militant group is already having challenges governing. With a humanitarian crisis brewing, thousands are trying to flee.