National Security

National

News Brief: U.S. Backs Cease-Fire, Roe V. Wade Challenge, Insurrection Intelligence

5:55am May 18, 2021

The U.S. calls for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. The Supreme Court agrees to consider a major rollback of abortion rights. NPR obtains a report on why violence wasn't anticipated on Jan. 6.

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A laptop displays a message after being infected by ransomware in 2017. Thousands of institutions in the U.S. fall victim to ransomware attacks each year.

'You Can't Just Concede.' How One Expert Explains Negotiating With Cybercriminals

5:06am May 18, 2021

Bill Siegel works with companies that fall victim to the same type of ransomware attack that disrupted fuel supplies across large parts of the South and East Coast last week.

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Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service by Carol Leonnig

National

Some Agents Fear Underfunded And Overworked Secret Service 'Relying On Luck'

5:21pm May 17, 2021

by Dave Davies

Carol Leonnig spoke to a number of Secret Service agents for her new book, Zero Fail. "They strongly believed that it was a matter of time before a president was shot on their watch," she says.

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U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (center) reviews an honor guard at Afghanistan's presidential palace in Kabul on March 21. President Biden says all U.S. troops will leave Afghanistan by September, though the Americans will still assist from "over the

The U.S. Looks To Support The Afghan Military From 'Over The Horizon'

4:50pm May 17, 2021

by Greg Myre

President Biden and the Pentagon say that after U.S. forces leave Afghanistan they will still assist that country from afar. But what precisely does that mean and can it be effective?

Expert Doubts Jan. 6 Commission Will Produce A Fair Accounting

1:09pm May 17, 2021

NPR's Steven Inskeep talks to ex-CIA officer John Sipher about his skepticism that a bipartisan commission put together by lawmakers will produce a full accounting of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

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A Black Hawk helicopter of the U.S. Air Force flies over Kabul in April.

Some Afghans Dread The Departure Of Foreign Forces. Others See It As Liberation

4:48pm May 14, 2021

Some Kabul residents fear a Taliban takeover. Others are eager for the departure of troops they see as foreign intruders. "Afghans will have to come together and listen to each other," says a cleric.

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National

Seeking Hate Crime Charges Can Be Harder With Asian Victims

4:30pm May 14, 2021

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Thien Ho of the Sacramento County district attorney's office about the unique challenges of prosecuting those who commit hate crimes against members of the AAPI community.

Israeli-Palestinian Violence Continues As U.S. Envoy Arrives

4:30pm May 14, 2021

by Daniel Estrin

Israel added artillery to its assault on the Gaza Strip as Palestinian casualties increased and some rocket fire from militants continued into Israel.

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National

Former NSA Chief Assess U.S. Vulnerability To Cyberattacks

7:26am May 14, 2021

NPR's Noel King talks to Keith Alexander, former director of the National Security Agency, about the risk of cyberattacks on the country's infrastructure, following the Colonial Pipeline shutdown.

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National

Biden Adviser On Cyber Threats And The New Executive Order To Combat Them

6:10pm May 13, 2021

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser focused on cybersecurity, about the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack and a new executive order on cyberdefenses.

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