National Security

National

When Americans Head To Syria, How Much Of A Threat Do They Pose?

7:38pm December 17, 2014

by Dina Temple-Raston

In recent cases, teenage Americans were caught en route to Syria. They seem to be more naive than actual threats. U.S. law enforcement is trying to decide how to deal with them.

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Prisoner Exchange With Cuba Led To Freedom For Top U.S. Intelligence Agent

2:22pm December 17, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

President Obama called the unnamed man "one of the most important intelligence agents that the United States has ever had in Cuba." The agent spent nearly two decades in a Cuban prison.

President George W. Bush speaks to Vice President Dick Cheney by phone aboard Air Force One after departing Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska on Sept. 11, 2001.

National

'Torture Report': A Closer Look At When And What President Bush Knew

5:13pm December 16, 2014

by Eyder Peralta

A Senate investigation says President George W. Bush was not briefed on the specifics of how the CIA interrogated terrorism suspects until four years into the program. Bush denies that.

National

Yale Law Professor: Torture Is Never Justified

10:27pm December 14, 2014

Whether or not the CIA's interrogation techniques produced viable intelligence, they were still morally wrong, says Bloomberg View columnist Stephen Carter. He tells NPR's Scott Simon why.

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To Fight ISIS, You Have To Understand Its Ideology

10:11pm December 14, 2014

by Kelly McEvers

When we talk about the militant group that calls itself the Islamic State, we often hear officials and pundits say they un-Islamic. But religious and regional experts say the group does have an ideology that appeals to Muslim grievances, and if the U.S. fails to understand that ideology, it will fail in its fight to neutralize the group.

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National

NYT Reporter: Brutal Interrogations Rose In CIA's Post-9/11 Chaos

4:21pm December 14, 2014

NPR's Scott Simon talks with New York Times reporter Mark Mazzetti about the evolution of the CIA's approach to counter-terrorism, from interrogations to drone attacks.

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Cheney On Harsh Interrogation: 'I'd Do It Again In A Minute'

3:51pm December 14, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The former vice president doubled down on his defense of the Bush administration's use of such techniques, calling the Senate's recent report "seriously flawed."

National

Holder Won't Force NYT Journalist To Reveal Source

2:21pm December 13, 2014

The Justice Department has decided not to make journalist James Risen reveal a source. Correspondent David Folkenflik tells NPR's Scott Simon about a case that became a flashpoint for press freedom.

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National

'Unknowable' If CIA Methods Elicited Useful Information, Agency's Chief Says

7:57am December 12, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

John Brennan's comments come two days after the Senate intelligence committee released the executive summary of its report on the CIA's interrogation practices.

National

Talking Point Or Proof Of Value: CIA Tactics And The 'Second Wave' Plot

2:15pm December 11, 2014

by Steve Inskeep

The CIA and its defenders disagree with the Senate Intelligence Committee report on whether enhanced interrogations prevented a group of 17 Pakistanis from attacking the U.S. just after Sept. 11.

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