National Security

National

Counterterrorism Expert Hopes Capitol Siege Is 'A Wake-Up Call'

5:34pm January 09, 2021

NPR's Michel Martin discusses domestic extremism and counterterrorism with Mary McCord, legal director at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University Law Center.

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Former Republican Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake Believes GOP Will Shed Trumpism

5:24pm January 09, 2021

NPR's Michel Martin discusses Republican support for President Trump and the future of the Republican Party with former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Pyongyang General Hospital on March 17, 2020.

Kim Jong Un Calls U.S. North Korea's 'Biggest Enemy,' Vows To Advance Nuclear Arsenal

7:25am January 09, 2021

by Anthony Kuhn

Kim's comments come just days ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. Biden has promised "principled diplomacy" with North Korea, implying a break with Trump's high-stakes summits.

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Lloyd Austin speaks last month in Wilmington, Del., after being nominated to be defense secretary.

Biden Poised To Enter Presidency With Fewest Cabinet Confirmations In Decades

4:24pm January 08, 2021

by Barbara Sprunt

Only one of Biden's Cabinet nominees, retired U.S. Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, has a confirmation hearing scheduled.

National

Why Capitol Police Failed To Prevent Attack On U.S. Capitol

4:08pm January 08, 2021

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with journalist Garrett Graff about his piece for Politico Magazine in which he argues that the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was a failure of Capitol Police leadership.

National

Ex-Homeland Security Secretary Johnson On Security Breaches At U.S. Capitol

7:37am January 08, 2021

NPR's Noel King talks to former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson about the security failures that led to pro-Trump extremists breaching the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

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National

Did Minimizing Far-Right's Threat Lead To The Breach Of U.S. Capitol?

6:06am January 08, 2021

by Hannah Allam

Five people died following the storming of the Capitol building, including a police officer. The attack renewed criticism over how officials are addressing the growing threat of far-right extremism.

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A pro-Trump protester resists arrest on Wednesday. There were few arrests in relation to the scope of the unrest as of Wednesday night.

Report Of U.S. Capitol Police Officer's Death Inaccurate

9:29pm January 07, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

The Capitol Police say some injured officers remain hospitalized but none has died. A federal prosecutor says dozens of criminal cases have been opened as the siege on the Capitol is investigated.

Fencing is placed around the exterior of the Capitol grounds on Thursday, the day after pro-Trump rioters stormed the building. Lawmakers from both parties have criticized the U.S. Capitol Police's response to the security breach.

Top Capitol Security Officials Resign After Insurrection Under Pressure From Lawmakers

9:20pm January 07, 2021

Lawmakers took aim at top Capitol security officials the day after a mob of pro-Trump extremists breached the building and forced evacuations. Now top Capitol security officials have quit.

Police hold back supporters of Donald Trump as they gather outside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC.

How The Storming Of The Capitol Was — And Wasn't — About Police

8:02pm January 07, 2021

by Leah Donnella

Alex Vitale, author of The End of Policing, says it's a mistake to boil Wednesday's events down to questions of police force. He argues we need a broader conversation about race, politics and justice.