National Security

Tom Manger, a veteran police chief of departments in the Washington, D.C., region, is seen Friday as he takes over the United States Capitol Police.

New Capitol Police Chief Defends The Agency In The Wake Of The Jan. 6 Riot

6:14pm July 23, 2021

The new chief, Tom Manger, said the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection should not define the department and that necessary changes to its procedures have been made in the months since.

National

In A Major Step For Chicago Police Reform, Civilians Gain Oversight Of Department

4:27pm July 23, 2021

by Claudia Morell

The Chicago City Council approved a plan to give civilians oversight of the city's police department: the result of a years-long effort to allow residents a role in how their communities are policed.

National

The Afghan Government Retains Significant Military Capabilities, CIA Chief Says

7:41am July 23, 2021

In an exclusive NPR interview, CIA Director William Burns addresses Taliban advances in Afghanistan, and what U.S. intelligence can do once the U.S. military leaves the country.

News Brief: CIA's Afghan Operations, Moïse's Funeral, Tokyo Olympics

6:14am July 23, 2021

As the security situation devolves, the CIA will remain in Afghanistan to gather intelligence. There's a funeral mass for Haiti's assassinated president. Also on Friday, the Olympics officially begin.

CIA Director William Burns says he has appointed a senior officer who led the hunt for Osama bin Laden to head the investigation into ailments that have afflicted U.S. officials around the world.

CIA Director Says He Is Escalating Efforts To Solve 'Havana Syndrome' Mystery

6:41pm July 22, 2021

In an NPR interview, William Burns says he has appointed a senior officer who led the hunt for Osama bin Laden to head the investigation into ailments that has afflicted U.S. officials worldwide.

CIA Director William J. Burns in his office in Langley, Va.

National

Transcript: NPR's Full Conversation With CIA Director William Burns

5:20pm July 22, 2021

William Burns gives his first sit-down interview since assuming the post as CIA head. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly asks him about his priorities as well as the origins of Havana Syndrome and COVID-19.

National

An Increase In Violent Crimes Is Complicating A Push To Defund The Minneapolis Police

4:58pm July 22, 2021

by Martin Kaste

One year after the George Floyd protests, the future of Minneapolis Police Department is still unclear, as the Defund movement collides with the reality of increasing violent crime.

National

How The Pegasus Spyware Worked

4:58pm July 22, 2021

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell about the investigation into how spyware infected the devices of international government officials, activists and journalists.

A federal indictment includes startling detail of the months-long efforts prosecutors say an Ohio man took to plan a mass shooting and to purchase weapons and other equipment to fulfill that goal.

National

Police Foiled An Ohio Incel's Plot To Kill Women In A Mass Shooting, Prosecutors Say

11:29am July 22, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

Tres Genco, 21, is charged with attempting a hate crime involving a plot to kill women, as well as charges of illegally possessing a machine gun.

Wildfires Are Roaring In The West — But Not All Of Them Are Bad

4:48pm July 21, 2021

by Nathan Rott

Another large fire season is casting smoke across the country, with conditions ripe for major devastation. But not all fires are bad, and the widespread burning also brings long-term benefits.