National Security

President Trump Continues Effort To Name Whistleblower

5:57pm October 31, 2019

by Greg Myre

Efforts continue to name the whistleblower whose complaint led to the impeachment inquiry of President Trump. Some Republicans are seeking to surface the name, and Trump wants to face his accuser.

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The late ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in an undated picture released this week by the Pentagon.

ISIS Confirms Baghdadi's Death And Names His Successor

5:54pm October 31, 2019

by Brakkton Booker

The Islamic State named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi as its new leader days after ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed himself during a U.S. raid on his compound in northwest Syria.

Human Rights Watch says one of the deadly raids happened in the Rodat district of Afghanistan's Nangarhar province in late October 2018. Residents gathered there two days later.

CIA-Backed Afghan Forces Committed Atrocities, Human Rights Group Says

4:12pm October 31, 2019

by Merrit Kennedy

The paramilitary forces have "unlawfully targeted civilians because of mistaken identity, poor intelligence, or political rivalries in the locality," according to Human Rights Watch.

Former President Barack Obama speaks to guests at the Obama Foundation Summit on Tuesday in Chicago.

Obama Says Democrats Don't Always Need To Be 'Politically Woke'

7:56am October 31, 2019

by Juana Summers

Obama said he worries that some Democrats are too worried about ideological "purity" and that social media callouts are not activism.

Tim Morrison, a key aide on the White House's National Security Council, is expected to leave his post imminently.

Trump's Russia Director To Leave National Security Council Amid Impeachment Inquiry

11:37pm October 30, 2019

by Franco Ordoñez

Tim Morrison, a White House official asked to testify Thursday in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump, is expected to leave the National Security Council imminently, three sources told NPR.

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Leo Lech stands on a pile of wood in his neighbor's yard, which overlooks the back of his former home in Greenwood Village, Colo. In 2015, the home was destroyed by the police during a standoff with a gunman and has since been razed and rebuilt. On Tuesda

National

Police Owe Nothing To Man Whose Home They Blew Up, Appeals Court Says

9:52pm October 30, 2019

by Bobby Allyn

A federal appeals court ruled this week that a Colorado man whose house suffered significant damage in a police operation in 2015 isn't entitled to any money. He says he's now $400,000 in debt.

Identification information on Baghdadi is displayed by McKenzie at the Pentagon.

National

Head Of U.S. Central Command Says ISIS Leader Baghdadi Buried At Sea

6:33pm October 30, 2019

by Richard Gonzales

Gen. Frank McKenzie says even without an apparent leader ISIS may be disjointed, but "they will be dangerous."

Lawmakers from the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees are eager to hear from President Trump's third national security adviser, John Bolton.

Bolton Asked To Testify In Impeachment Probe But Likely Won't Unless Courts Make Him

6:25pm October 30, 2019

by Tim Mak

The deposition notice, obtained by NPR, requests a "voluntary appearance" from the former national security adviser next week. But the invitation may not be enough to compel him to testify.

Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday for his confirmation hearing to be the new U.S. ambassador to Russia.

Democrats Grill Trump's Nominee For Russia Ambassador Over Ukraine

4:55pm October 30, 2019

by Merrit Kennedy

John Sullivan's confirmation hearing was a window into discussions at the State Department over Ukraine relations — as impeachment testimony hearings are happening behind closed doors.

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.