National Security

Pedestrians walk past Mexico's Consulate General in Los Angeles in October, shortly after ex-Mexican Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda's arrest at Los Angeles International Airport at the DEA's request. Charges were later dropped.

U.S.-Mexico Efforts Targeting Drug Cartels Have Unraveled, Top DEA Official Says

9:51pm May 03, 2021

by Brian Mann

A diplomatic row has frozen U.S.-Mexican efforts to target drug cartels. American officials say illicit fentanyl from labs in Mexico is driving a surge in overdose deaths.

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President Biden, here at the White House on April 15, announced Monday that his administration is lifting the ceiling on the number of refugees who can be admitted into the country this fiscal year.

Biden Raises Refugee Cap To 62,500 After Earlier Criticism

5:51pm May 03, 2021

by Dana Farrington

The new ceiling for refugee admissions will be 62,500 — far above former President Donald Trump's cap of 15,000. Advocates had been concerned Biden was not moving fast enough on a campaign promise.

National

Homeland Security Secretary On Reuniting Families

5:46pm May 03, 2021

NPR's Audie Cornish talk with the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about the DHS announcement to reunite four migrant families separated under the Trump administration.

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3 People Dead After Boat Carrying Migrants Capsized Off The Coast Of San Diego

5:46pm May 03, 2021

Multiple people are dead after a boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized and broke up off the coast of San Diego Sunday. Incidents like this are on the rise since construction of the border wall.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech in Pyongyang on April 8. On Sunday, the North Korean government said President Biden made a "big blunder" last week when he called North Korea's and Iran's nuclear programs a security threat.

North Korea Warns U.S. Over Biden's 'Big Blunder'

1:15pm May 02, 2021

by Jackie Northam

Citing President Biden's speech to Congress, North Korea says the United States will face a grave situation if it continues to pursue its "hostile policy" toward the country's nuclear program.

Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, says an upcoming executive order will strengthen U.S. cybersecurity, from setting up new ways to investigate cyberattacks to developing standards for software.

National

Biden Order Will Require New Cybersecurity Standards In Response To SolarWinds Attack

9:08pm April 29, 2021

by Dina Temple-Raston

Six months after one of the largest cyberattacks in history, the White House will set up formal cyber investigations, require companies to report breaches and set software development standards.

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Former ATF Agent, Now A Gun Control Advocate, Is Biden's Nominee To Lead The Agency

4:53pm April 29, 2021

by Ryan Lucas

President Biden has vowed to tackle gun violence in the U.S., tapping David Chipman, a former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent turned gun control advocate, to lead the ATF.

National

New Multi-Agency Effort Will Target Smugglers Bringing Migrants Into The U.S.

4:27pm April 29, 2021

by Angela Kocherga

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has announced a new multi-agency effort targeting international organizations that smuggle migrants into the U.S. and have been operating briskly lately.

Washington, D.C., Police Chief Robert Contee addresses reporters in January. The police department has acknowledged that its computer network has been breached by attackers seeking a ransom. Such attacks against local governments, hospitals and corporatio

National

In The Ransomware Battle, Cybercriminals Have The Upper Hand

12:23pm April 29, 2021

by Greg Myre

Hackers say they've seized computer records from the Washington, D.C., police and are demanding ransom. As ransomware groups keep getting more sophisticated, law enforcement is struggling to keep up.

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Gen. Sami Sadat salutes Afghani troops in April 2021. "The Afghan military is one of the more advanced militaries that learned from the best, from the U.S. forces," he tells NPR's All Things Considered. "To be honest, for the past one year, the Afghan for

Afghan General Says Army Will Survive U.S. Troop Withdrawal

10:51am April 29, 2021

Gen. Sami Sadat spoke with NPR about day-to-day life in Afghanistan, how the army will operate without U.S. support and what he's learned over the years during the war.

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