National Security

Taliban political office spokesman Muhammad Naeem Wardak spoke with NPR in Doha, Qatar, on Dec. 11.

What the Taliban really want from the world, in their own words

6:28pm December 15, 2021

"We want to prove to everyone forever that we respect humanity," Taliban spokesman Muhammad Naeem Wardak told NPR in Doha, Qatar. He also said women "must have the right to education and to work."

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President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy ride in the car in a motorcade in Dallas.

The Archives has released nearly 1,500 new documents on JFK's assassination

4:55pm December 15, 2021

by Brian Naylor

They contain memos from meetings with informants, mostly of interest to historians and researchers. No evidence is expected that would put in doubt that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman.

House recommends criminal contempt of Congress charges against Mark Meadows

5:00pm December 14, 2021

by Carrie Johnson

The House voted to refer former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on criminal contempt of Congress charges. The Justice Department will now decide whether he could face criminal charges.

National

Washington, D.C., attorney general files 1st civil suit over Jan. 6 Capitol attack

4:23pm December 14, 2021

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Karl Racine, attorney general of the District of Columbia, about the civil lawsuit he's filed over the Jan. 6 insurrection.

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President Joe Biden speaks as he meets virtually via a secure video conference with Putin from the Situation Room at the White House on Dec. 7. Putin urged the West to make a legal pledge not to deploy forces and weapons to Ukraine.

Tensions over Ukraine come as relations between Russia and NATO are at an all-time low

7:30am December 14, 2021

by The Associated Press

Russian President Vladimir Putin once floated the prospect of his country joining NATO.

Air Force discharges 27 for refusing to get COVID vaccine

4:49am December 14, 2021

by The Associated Press

The Pentagon earlier this year required the vaccine for all members of the military, including active duty, National Guard and the Reserves.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with President Biden about the tensions over Ukraine via a videoconference on Dec. 7. Russia has massed some 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine. As Russia's leader, Putin has sent Russian forces on multiple

In times of crisis — or to create one — Russia's Putin turns to his military

7:12pm December 13, 2021

by Greg Myre

When Vladimir Putin assumed power in 1999, he immediately sent the Russian military into Chechnya. For more than 20 years, Putin has repeatedly looked to the military to strengthen his rule.

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"The secretary's not approving or calling for additional accountability measures," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters at a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on Monday.

National

No U.S. troops behind a drone strike that killed Afghan civilians will be punished

7:01pm December 13, 2021

by Vanessa Romo

Defense Secretary Austin approved recommendations aimed at preventing similar future tragedies. But the troops involved in the strike that killed 10 people, including 7 children, are off the hook.

Jan. 6 panel report shows Mark Meadows' role in trying to overturn election

6:48pm December 13, 2021

by Claudia Grisales

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection is moving forward to hold former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress after he stopped cooperating with them.

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Migrants head toward a border checkpoint on the Belarusian-Polish border on Nov. 15. U.S. officials have accused Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of taking advantage of desperate migrants.

Authoritarians are using migrants as weapons. The White House frets it's on the rise

5:57pm December 13, 2021

by Franco Ordoñez

The White House is concerned migrants will be increasingly used as a geopolitical tool as migration increases because of instability and climate change.

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