Analysis

A U.S. military vehicle drives past an oil pump jack in the countryside of Syria's northeastern city of Qamishli. President Trump is leaving some U.S. troops in Syria, with the goal of controlling Syria's oil fields. But legal experts say exploiting the o

If U.S. Takes Syrian Oil, It May Violate International Laws Against Pillage

3:41pm October 30, 2019

by David Welna

President Trump is leaving some U.S. troops in Syria, with the goal of controlling Syria's oil fields. But legal experts say exploiting the oil could amount to pillaging — a war crime.

Democratic Presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders greets supporters during a rally in Queens, N.Y., earlier this month.

Politics & Government

Bernie Sanders Won't Yet Explain Details Of How To Pay For Medicare For All

5:35pm October 29, 2019

by Danielle Kurtzleben

"You're asking me to come up with an exact detailed plan of ... how much you're going to pay more in taxes, how much I'm going to pay," Sanders said. "I don't think I have to do that right now."

A skull door knocker and cobweb decorations on the day before Halloween in Philadelphia.

Arts

The Code Switch Guide To Halloween

4:59pm October 28, 2019

by Angela Vang

Halloween each year brings a cauldron of unpleasantness for people of color — and a surge of questions to our inbox. To get through it all, we put together the official Code Switch Guide to Halloween.

World News

Landmark U.S. Raid In Syria Killed ISIS Leader In Northwest Syria

7:30am October 28, 2019

NPR's David Greene talks to Brett McGurk, the former U.S. Special Envoy for the coalition to defeat ISIS, about the operation that killed the organization's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

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World News

Examining What Leader's Death Means To ISIS' Future

5:33am October 28, 2019

NPR'S Steve Inskeep talks to Nicholas Rasmussen, ex-director of the National Counterterrorism Center, about the raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and entrepreneur Andrew Yang talk during a break in the Democratic presidential primary debate hosted by CNN/New York Times.

FACT CHECK: Do Robots Or Trade Threaten American Workers More?

10:49am October 24, 2019

by Danielle Kurtzleben

Democratic presidential candidates have divergent world views on whether automation or trade policy is to blame for lost jobs.

Democratic presidential candidates (from left): Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg during a Democratic presidential debate.

Politics & Government

Democrats Can Calm Their 2020 Election Anxiety By Accepting That There's No One Else

10:25am October 24, 2019

by Domenico Montanaro

Democratic donors and activists worry that the party is going to nominate someone who can't win next year, and they're musing about who else could be out there. Newsflash: This is probably it.

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Russian President Putin Is Looking For Weak Spots, Ex-Ambassador Says

7:26am October 23, 2019

NPR's David Greene talks to former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer about how Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to gain influence and is making strategic moves to accomplish that goal.

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World News

How Does Turkey's Offensive In Syria Fit Into Its Broader Agenda?

11:44am October 22, 2019

NPR's Noel King talks to Douglas Silliman, former deputy chief of mission in Turkey, about Turkey's strategy against Kurdish forces in northern Syria. NPR's Tom Bowman weighs in on the issue.

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World News

Kurds Leave Northern Syria As Truce With Turkey Is Set To Expire

7:27am October 21, 2019

NPR's Noel King talks to Mona Yacoubian, formerly with the State Department and now with the U.S. Institute of Peace, about the pause in hostilities in northern Syria.

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