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Using Virtual Reality To Make Nuclear Reality Safer

Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico are using video-game technology to enhance training for the inspectors who monitor civilian nuclear activities around the world. The goal is to use virtual models of nuclear facilities to provide more realistic training.

Using Virtual Reality To Make Nuclear Reality Safer

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A Plan To Derail Iran's Nuclear Program

Many analysts argue it's only a matter of time before Iran gets its hands on the materials and the know-how to create a nuclear bomb. Zbigniew Brzezinski, White House national security adviser during the 1979 Iranian Revolution, proposes a plan to derail Iran's underground nuclear program.

A Plan To Derail Iran's Nuclear Program

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Workers Fear End Of Boeing's C-17 Cargo Plane

Dover Air Force Base's first Boeing C-17 cargo plane, made in Long Beach, Calif., arrived at the base in 2007. Today, the production of the C-17 is in peril, but Boeing is fighting to keep it alive. U.S. Air Force/AP hide caption

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U.S. Air Force/AP

Business

Workers Fear End Of Boeing's C-17 Cargo Plane

The sprawling plant in Long Beach, Calif., that makes the plane provides 5,000 jobs. But Obama has cited it as a prime example of wasteful defense spending, and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has said he wants the program to end. To keep the assembly line going, Boeing is moving aggressively to export the plane.

Workers Fear End Of Boeing's C-17 Cargo Plane

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As Support Fades, Al-Qaida Shows Signs Of Decline

Obama administration officials have been saying for weeks that its drone attacks over the past year have got al-Qaida on the run. But experts say it's not just drone attacks that are weakening al-Qaida — the group is defeating itself.

As Support Fades, Al-Qaida Shows Signs Of Decline

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Friday

Prosecuting Pirates May Not Be Easy

A suspected pirate from Somalia looks around as he is escorted into federal court by U.S. marshals in Norfolk, Va., on Friday. A group of 11 suspected pirates were due to be arraigned and tried in the Norfolk federal court. Steve Helber/AP hide caption

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Steve Helber/AP

World

Prosecuting Pirates May Not Be Easy

The U.S. has decided to try suspected Somali pirates in American courts. Experts say that's a necessary move, but it will be expensive, complicated and difficult to try a very old crime in modern courts.

Thursday

Iraq Credited With Deaths Of Al-Qaida Figures

Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki displays photographs of a man identified by the Iraqi government as al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Omar al-Baghdadi. Maliki announced the deaths of Baghdadi and another al-Qaida leader, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, on Monday. Iraqi Prime Minister office/Getty Images hide caption

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Iraqi Prime Minister office/Getty Images

World

Iraq Credited With Deaths Of Al-Qaida Figures

The U.S. says the Iraqi military took the lead in the mission that killed two top leaders of the insurgent group this week. But analysts say regardless of who was in charge, al-Qaida in Iraq may not be finished yet. The group has a demonstrated ability to regroup after losing its leaders.

Iraq Credited With Deaths Of Al-Qaida Figures

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Wednesday

At Los Alamos, Working Against Their Own Creation

A view inside Los Alamos National Laboratory as researchers work on a nuclear testing project in 1974. Atomic Energy Commission/Getty Images hide caption

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Atomic Energy Commission/Getty Images

At Los Alamos, Working Against Their Own Creation

America's first atomic bomb was made at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. But quietly, for years, some at Los Alamos have puzzled over ways to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

At Los Alamos, Working Against Their Own Creation

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Monday

Richard Clarke On The Growing 'Cyberwar' Threat

Clarke says he would like to see a separate government Internet network that would be constantly monitored for signs of attack. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Author Interviews

Richard Clarke On The Growing 'Cyberwar' Threat

Fresh Air

Richard Clarke, the former anti-terrorism czar, has now turned his attention to a new national security threat: cyberwar. In a new book, Clarke details what a full-scale cyberattack could look like, how the United States is particularly vulnerable, and what measures can be taken to ensure our networks remain safe.

Richard Clarke On The Growing 'Cyberwar' Threat

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Thursday

Law

Former NSA Executive Accused Of Leaks

The Justice Department has charged a former senior official at the National Security Agency with lying, obstruction of justice and retention of classified information. The indictment alleges that Thomas Drake was the unnamed source for a series of newspaper articles about the NSA's cyber security operations and that he provided copies of classified documents to a reporter. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Robert Siegel about the case.

Former NSA Executive Accused Of Leaks

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Vets' Stories Preserve Memory Of Holocaust Victims

Susumu Ito, now 90, was part of an all-Japanese unit in World War II that was segregated from other American soldiers. Coburn Dukehart/NPR hide caption

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Coburn Dukehart/NPR

National

Vets' Stories Preserve Memory Of Holocaust Victims

Veterans who helped liberate the Nazi concentration camps gathered at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., to mark the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II. The museum's curators say this week's gathering is the one of the last chances they'll have to hear these veterans' stories -- and to thank them.

Vets' Stories Preserve Memory Of Holocaust Victims

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Wednesday

Tuesday

America's New Kinder, Gentler Militia

Mike Lackomar, a spokesman for the umbrella Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia, says the public perception of militia groups as racist and paranoid is wrong. Dina Temple-Raston/NPR hide caption

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Dina Temple-Raston/NPR

Investigations

America's New Kinder, Gentler Militia

Although Michigan volunteer militias are still big on gun rights and wary of Washington, they aren't necessarily violent. The groups are now more interested in living off the land, survivalism and gun practice.

America's New Kinder, Gentler Militia

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