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Wednesday

For Iranian-Americans, A Minefield

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks while Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner looks on during a Nov. 21 news conference about new sanctions against Iran. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP hide caption

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Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Middle East

For Iranian-Americans, A Minefield

Members of the Iranian-American community maintain contacts with friends and family in Iran. But that means negotiating the confusing array of sanctions the U.S. government has imposed on Iran for more than three decades. One recent legal case highlights the issue.

U.S. Weighs Sanctions Targeting Iran's Central Bank

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad waves in Pakdasht, southeast of Tehran, Nov. 23. Ahmadinejad on Wednesday said he was surprised at European moves to isolate Tehran's central bank. HO/Reuters/Landov hide caption

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HO/Reuters/Landov

World

U.S. Weighs Sanctions Targeting Iran's Central Bank

Iran may soon face economic measures tougher than anything it has encountered before: The U.S. Congress is considering sanctions against the central bank of Iran, with the likely effect of limiting Iran's oil exports. But some analysts say the move could lead to a dangerous spike in oil prices.

U.S. Weighs Sanctions Targeting Iran's Central Bank

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Tuesday

Drone Pilots: The Future Of Aerial Warfare

Unmanned aerial vehicles, like this Predator (shown here in 2009 during training at Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs, Nev.), make up the fastest growing segment of the U.S. Air Force. Ethan Miller/Getty Images hide caption

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Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Drone Pilots: The Future Of Aerial Warfare

The U.S. Air Force says it will train more drone pilots in 2011 than fighter and bomber pilots combined. The distance between the pilot and the remotely controlled vehicle he flies is redefining what it means to be a pilot and creating some friction within the Air Force.

Drone Pilots: The Future Of Aerial Warfare

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Monday

Military's Brain-Testing Program A Debacle

Dr. Alex Dromerick co-directs the Brain Research Center at the National Rehabilitation Hospital. Here he observes Stephen Jones, a policeman who was involved in a motorcycle accident. Becky Lettenberger/NPR hide caption

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Becky Lettenberger/NPR

Brain Wars: How The Military Is Failing Its Wounded

Military's Brain-Testing Program A Debacle

The U.S. military is spending tens of millions of dollars to test every service member's brain to find out who suffered a traumatic brain injury during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. But an investigation by NPR and ProPublica has found that military leaders are refusing to carry out the testing program.

Military's Brain-Testing Program A Debacle

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Saturday

War By Remote Control: Drones Make It Easy

The Predator drones flying over Afghanistan and Pakistan are variants of this MQ-9 Reaper. Lt. Col.. Leslie Pratt/U.S. Air Force via AP hide caption

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Lt. Col.. Leslie Pratt/U.S. Air Force via AP

Technology

War By Remote Control: Drones Make It Easy

This year, the Air Force says it will recruit more pilots to fly unmanned aircraft than manned fighters and bombers combined. Here's what that shift means for the military, for potential pilots, and the way we think — or don't think — about war.

War By Remote Control: Drones Make It Easy

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Thursday

U.S. Easing Out Of Nation-Building Business

A U.S. Marine pushes a child on a swing in southern Afghanistan on March 4. After a decade of nation-building in Afghanistan, and nearly as long in Iraq, the U.S. appears to be losing it appetite for such efforts. Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images

U.S. Easing Out Of Nation-Building Business

The difficulty and expense associated with nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan has made the notion of nation-building unpopular with Democrats and Republicans alike. But throughout U.S. history, the idea has always staged a comeback.

Wednesday

TSA Nears Goal: Letting You Keep Your Shoes On

A passenger removes his shoes at the TSA security checkpoint at John F. Kennedy International Airport — a task that may not be required in the near future, says Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. Michael Nagle/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Nagle/Getty Images

National

TSA Nears Goal: Letting You Keep Your Shoes On

Nearly 3.5 million holiday travelers are expected to board planes this Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Hoping to improve their experience, the Transportation Security Administration is considering devices that would let passengers keep their shoes on through security checks.

TSA Nears Goal: Letting You Keep Your Shoes On

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Defense Workers Lobby To Prevent Cuts

U.S. Army mine-resistant armored vehicles (MRAPs) and Afghan National Army vehicles pass through a village during a joint patrol in the Jalrez Valley in Afghanistan's Wardak province. On Monday, factory workers who produce MRAPs in York, Pa., rallied to protect the Pentagon budget against the automatic budget cuts that will take effect in 2013. Maya Alleruzzo/AP hide caption

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Maya Alleruzzo/AP

The Impact of War

Defense Workers Lobby To Prevent Cuts

Even as Congress' deficit-reduction supercommittee ran into a dead end this week, the resulting mandatory spending cuts were immediately targeted by interest groups and sympathetic lawmakers. No interest group stands to lose more than the defense industry.

Defense Workers Lobby To Prevent Cuts

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Donilon Says Iran Nukes Program Is 'Undeniable'

The U.S. and its allies announced coordinated sanctions against Iran on Monday. In a speech at the Brookings Institution Tuesday, White House national security adviser Tom Donilon argued that it is "undeniable" that Iran is developing a nuclear weapons capability, and that sanctions are working.

Donilon Says Iran Nukes Program Is 'Undeniable'

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Tuesday

Calling Home For The Holidays, Via Video From Iraq

Lindsey, Natalie and Paul Santana (seen via webcam), the day after Natalie's birth. "The hospital staff was so incredible to arrange for the Internet connection to make that possible," Lindsey says. She calls their Skype chat that day "such a great memory for us." Lindsey Santana hide caption

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Lindsey Santana

National

Calling Home For The Holidays, Via Video From Iraq

For Lindsey Santana and her young family, video Web chats via Skype are an integral part of their lives. Her husband, Capt. Paul Santana, is a helicopter pilot serving in Iraq. And their video chats have helped them make the best of things this Thanksgiving.

Calling Home For The Holidays, Via Video From Iraq

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'Darkhorse' Battalion And The Afghan War

The 'Darkhorse' Battalion And Wartime Sacrifice

The Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment, known as the "Darkhorse" Battalion, have suffered the worst casualty rate of any Marine unit in the Afghan war. During a seven-month tour, they lost 25 men; nearly 200 were wounded. Still, the Marines in the unit agree it was worth it.

The 'Darkhorse' Battalion And Wartime Sacrifice

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Does Supercommittee Failure Imperil Pentagon?

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta testifies on Capitol Hill on Nov. 15. He said the proposed cuts to the Pentagon budget would lead to a hollow force. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

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Evan Vucci/AP

Does Supercommittee Failure Imperil Pentagon?

The Pentagon already plans to cut about $500 billion from its budget over 10 years. Now, it faces another $500 billion in cuts. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warns that it would lead to a hollow force. Although the cuts would be large, they aren't as steep as what the military has absorbed in the past.

Does Supercommittee Failure Imperil Pentagon?

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Monday

The American Behind The 2008 Attack On Mumbai

On Nov. 29, 2008, an Indian soldier takes cover as the Taj Mahal hotel burns during a gun battle between Indian military and militants inside the Mumbai hotel. David Guttenfelder/AP hide caption

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David Guttenfelder/AP

The American Behind The 2008 Attack On Mumbai

Fresh Air

David Coleman Headley was one of the leaders of the 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai. A new Frontline documentary chronicles how the son of a Pakistani father and an American mother became a radicalized Islamic militant while working as an informant for the U.S. government.

The American Behind The 2008 Attack On Mumbai

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Sunday

Suspect In New York City Bomb Plots Arrested

Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks to the media at a City Hall press conference Sunday in New York. Bloomberg said Jose Pimentel, pictured at right, who plotted to bomb police and post offices in New York City as well as U.S. troops returning home has been arrested on numerous terrorism-related charges. Louis Lanzano/AP hide caption

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Louis Lanzano/AP

Suspect In New York City Bomb Plots Arrested

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that 27-year-old Jose Pimentel was "plotting to bomb police patrol cars and also postal facilities as well as targeted members of our armed services returning from abroad." But authorities have no evidence the suspect was working with anyone else, the mayor said.

Saturday

Where Defense Cuts Could Be Aimed

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta testifies on Capitol Hill on Nov. 15. Debate over Pentagon spending cuts is heating up as a bipartisan congressional panel tries to come up with a plan to cut the federal deficit. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

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Evan Vucci/AP

Politics

Where Defense Cuts Could Be Aimed

The Pentagon and its growing budget is on the supercommittee's radar as it looks to reduce the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion. At half the federal government's budget, it's not hard to see why, so which cuts might bleed the least?

Where Defense Cuts Could Be Aimed

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