National Security

An employee delivers new passports at the main Baghdad Passport office in the Iraqi capital in 2015.

Trump Backers Want Ideology Test For Extreme Vetting

9:48am February 04, 2017

What could "extreme vetting" mean in practice? For some who've helped form President Trump's refugee policies, it's not about stricter security screening. It's about something else.

Ali Vayeghan (left), an Iranian citizen with a valid U.S. visa, arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday after initially being turned away. He was allowed to come back under a federal judge's order.

National

Federal Judge Stays Trump Travel Order, But Many Visas Already Revoked

10:46pm February 03, 2017

by Rebecca Hersher

Some 60,000 visas were canceled, says the State Department, a number higher than previous estimates of how many people had been barred from entering. The White House promised a quick legal response.

Eager to defend a counterterrorism raid that killed civilians and one U.S. Navy SEAL, the Pentagon found it was touting a decade-old video. But it insists the operation was still worth launching.

National

That 'Valuable Intel' From The Yemen Raid? It Was 10 Years Old

8:11pm February 03, 2017

by Philip Ewing

Eager to defend a counterterrorism raid that killed civilians and one U.S. sailor, the Pentagon found it was touting a decade-old video. But it insists the operation was still worth launching.

President Trump gives a thumbs up as he speaks on the phone in the Oval Office on Jan. 29.

Is Trump Tweeting From a 'Secure' Smartphone? The White House Won't Say

6:34pm February 03, 2017

by Sam Sanders

Cybersecurity experts agree that if President Trump is using his old Android smartphone, it poses a big risk. The same experts say there are ways for Trump to tweet securely.

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U.S. Imposes Sanctions On Iran In Response To Missile Test

6:34pm February 03, 2017

by Michele Kelemen

The Trump administration moved on Friday to impose sanctions on Iran in response to the country's recent ballistic missile test. The White House already said Iran was "on notice" following the test, though Trump's national security adviser didn't elaborate on possible actions the U.S. would take.

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Former Immigration Director Defends U.S. Record On Refugee Vetting

6:34pm February 03, 2017

by John Burnett

A fraction of people who seek refugee status in the U.S. are approved. Less than one-fourth of 1 percent of refugees on the planet are approved to come here. Leon Rodriguez, former head of Department of Homeland Security's Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency that vets refugees, says agents already do "extreme vetting."

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Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tuesday that Iran's missile program is purely defensive. The U.S. announced new sanctions on individuals and companies it says support Iran's ballistic missile program.

U.S. Treasury Department Announces New Sanctions On Iran

1:59pm February 03, 2017

by Rebecca Hersher

Less than a week after Iran tested a ballistic missile, the U.S. government expanded economic sanctions against the country. Iran insists its missile program is purely defensive.

Pictures of people who were incarcerated at Manzanar War Relocation Center are displayed alongside family tags at Manzanar National Historic Site near Independence, Calif., in 2015.

There's A Long, Ignominous Trail Of Bans, Registries And Forced Relocation

9:13pm February 02, 2017

by Jorge Encinas

The travel ban imposed by the president a week ago on people from seven Muslim-majority countries is only the latest executive order through the years grounded in race, ethnicity or country of origin.

The United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

House Votes To Overturn Obama Rule Restricting Gun Sales To the Severely Mentally Ill

9:05pm February 02, 2017

by Jessica Taylor

On Thursday the GOP-controlled House voted to overturn an Obama administration rule designed to keep firearms out of the hands of some people deemed mentally ill.

Navy SEALs participate in special operations urban combat training in 2012. The training exercise familiarizes special operators with urban environments and tactical maneuvering during night and day operations.

Yemen Aftermath: Trump's First Military Raid Continues To Raise Questions

8:01pm February 02, 2017

Witnesses tell NPR about the raid, the military's first under President Trump. It resulted in deaths of a Navy SEAL and civilians. A CENTCOM investigation is underway, but similar raids could follow.