Sources & Methods

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Europe on edge from threats of Russia's growing escalation. Can NATO defend itself? Sep 29, 2026

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Russia threatens attacks beyond Ukraine's border and rattles Europe. Is it ready?
This month Poland Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned about intelligence assessments suggesting that Russia is planning drone and missile strikes against countries that support Ukraine, including Poland and Romania.
How serious is that threat? And if that happens, is NATO ready to defend itself?
Would the U.S. honor its NATO collective defense commitments and jump in to help?
Those are some questions host Mary Louise Kelly put to Romania's Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia ?oiu and Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.
The conversation took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly before a live audience at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York City.
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Trump harangues the U.N. / Xi in D.C. / White House press ban fallout Sep 24, 2026

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President Trump used his speech at the United Nations General Assembly to attack the principles the organization is built on. Does the U.N. stand a chance in a new era of great power rivalry?
Host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with NPR Diplomatic Correspondent Michele Kelemen about what happened this week when leaders from around the world came to New York at a precarious moment for the U.N. And NPR White House reporter Emily Feng explains what to look for during the diplomatic event that overshadowed the U.N. meeting this week: Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit in Washington.
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AI hacks are already here / U.S.-China race dynamics / Global guardrails Sep 17, 2026

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All a sudden everyone is talking about the risk of an AI catastrophe or, in the case of President Trump, an AI "hoax."
Host Mary Louise Kelly talks with NPR Cybersecurity Correspondent Jenna McLaughlin about the risks cyber experts are worried about already. And NPR White House Correspondent Emily Feng explains why a global agreement on AI guardrails to protect against future existential risks looks elusive.
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How Sept. 11 reshaped national security Sep 09, 2026

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It’s been 25 years since al-Qaida attacked the United States by hijacking airplanes and crashing them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, with a fourth plane crashing into a field in Pennsylvania.
Sept. 11 represented a new kind of national security threat, and a new national security architecture was created to confront it.
Before a live audience at NPR, host Mary Louise Kelly discussed how that day changed the country and its spy agencies, with people who worked on the frontlines of government and intelligence.
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Trump's oil deal / A year of boat strikes / Could Iran become a forever war? Sep 03, 2026

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The U.S. military is blowing up boats again. And it is taking a stake in the Venezuelan oil business. What is the administration trying to achieve in the Western Hemisphere?
Guest host Scott Detrow talks with NPR National Security Correspondent Greg Myre and international reporter John Otis about how the Trump administration's "Donroe Doctrine" is playing out. They also discuss parallels between the Iran war and the post-9/11 conflicts that eventually became quagmires.
Tune in for a live stream episode of our show next week.
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Mary Louise Kelly will discuss how the events of 9/11 are still shaping global events, with former intelligence officials and policymakers who lived through it.
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Six months of Iran war / Gains and losses / CIA Chief in Moscow Aug 27, 2026

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It’s been six months since the U.S. andIsrael went to war with Iran.
Is anyone winning?
On the one-year anniversary of this podcast, Host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with NPR National Security Correspondent Greg Myre and two of NPR’s International Correspondents: Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv and Hadeel Al-Shalchi in Istanbul. They discuss where the war stands – economically, diplomatically and militarily – and who has scored wins during the conflict.
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Introducing Sources & Methods Aug 25, 2025

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National security, unlocked. Each Thursday, host Mary Louise Kelly and a team of NPR correspondents discuss the biggest national security news of the week.
With decades of reporting from battlefields and the halls of power, they bring you inside the Pentagon, State Department, and intelligence community to help you understand America's shifting role in the world, and how events in faraway places matter here at home. Additional episodes feature interviews with power players from the NatSec world -- current and former military officials, intelligence experts, diplomatic leaders, and more.
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NPR+ supporters hear every episode sponsor-free and can access our complete archive. Learn more and support public media at plus.npr.org.
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