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Friday

A sailor has been acquitted of setting a fire that destroyed a massive ship

US Navy sailor Ryan Sawyer Mays walks past reporters at Naval Base San Diego before entering a Navy courtroom, Aug. 17, 2022, in San Diego. Julie Watson/AP hide caption

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Julie Watson/AP

National

A sailor has been acquitted of setting a fire that destroyed a massive ship

A military judge on Friday acquitted a sailor of arson in a fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard, a blow to the Navy as it faces allegations of improper training and maintenance of the ship.

Putin illegally annexes territories in Ukraine, in spite of global opposition

Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a speech during a ceremony formally annexing four regions of Ukraine Russian troops occupy, at the Kremlin in Moscow on Friday. Gavriil Grigorov/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Gavriil Grigorov/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine invasion — explained

Putin illegally annexes territories in Ukraine, in spite of global opposition

The Russian president signed what he calls "accession treaties" that world powers refuse to recognize. It's his latest attempt to redraw the map of Europe at Ukraine's expense.

Thursday

Migrant deaths at the U.S.-Mexico border hit a record high, in part due to drownings

Migrants waiting to be picked up by the U.S. Border Patrol under an international bridge in Eagle Pass, Texas, earlier this month. Verónica G. Cárdenas for NPR hide caption

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Verónica G. Cárdenas for NPR

National

Migrant deaths at the U.S.-Mexico border hit a record high, in part due to drownings

This has been the deadliest year ever for migrants trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. Hundreds have drowned in the Rio Grande or perished from extreme heat in failed smuggling attempts.

Migrant deaths at the U.S.-Mexico border hit a record high, in part due to drownings

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Wednesday

Wrongful detentions of Americans by foreign powers are fast rising, a new study says

Brittney Griner waits for the verdict during a hearing outside Moscow on Aug. 4. The WNBA star is one of more than five dozen Americans being held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad, according to the James. W. Foley Legacy Foundation. Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool photo/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool photo/AFP via Getty Images

Wrongful detentions of Americans by foreign powers are fast rising, a new study says

The report finds a dramatic rise in the number of Americans who are being wrongfully held, as a growing number of countries embrace the practice as a way to gain leverage over the U.S.

Calls grow for a tougher legal approach to white nationalist group Patriot Front

A police officer holds one of a group of men, among 31 arrested for conspiracy to riot and affiliated with the white nationalist group Patriot Front, after they were found in the rear of a U-Haul van in the vicinity of a North Idaho Pride Alliance LGBTQ event in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on June 11, 2022. John Rudoff/Reuters hide caption

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John Rudoff/Reuters

Calls grow for a tougher legal approach to white nationalist group Patriot Front

Trials began this week in Idaho for 31 members of a far-right group accused of conspiring to riot at an LGBTQ event. But calls are growing for federal involvement to bring greater accountability.

Tuesday

A Navy nuclear engineer and his wife enter new guilty pleas in submarine-secrets case

Diana Toebbe (left) and Jonathan Toebbe entered new guilty pleas on Tuesday in a case involving an alleged plot to sell secrets about nuclear-powered warships. West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority via AP, File hide caption

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West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority via AP, File

A Navy nuclear engineer and his wife enter new guilty pleas in submarine-secrets case

Jonathan and Diana Toebbe entered new guilty pleas in a case involving an alleged plot to sell secrets about nuclear-powered warships, a month after their previous plea agreements were rejected.

Monday

Marking 75 years, the CIA opens a new museum and launches a podcast

The entrance to the newly renovated CIA museum at the agency headquarters in Langley, Va. The ceiling features a variety of spy codes. This one is in Morse Code. The CIA plans to put them all online to see if they can be broken. Courtesy of CIA hide caption

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Courtesy of CIA

Marking 75 years, the CIA opens a new museum and launches a podcast

The CIA rarely seeks publicity, but has opened up a bit as it marks its anniversary. Director William Burns told the inaugural podcast that he wanted to "demystify" some of the agency's work.

Marking 75 years, the CIA opens a new museum and launches a podcast

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Thursday

'Fat Leonard,' a fugitive in a massive Navy bribery case, has been caught in Venezuela

Leonard Francis, a Malaysian defense contractor nicknamed "Fat Leonard," who orchestrated one of the largest bribery scandals in U.S. military history, has been arrested in Venezuela after fleeing before his sentencing, authorities said. U.S. Marshals Service via AP, File hide caption

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U.S. Marshals Service via AP, File

The Americas

'Fat Leonard,' a fugitive in a massive Navy bribery case, has been caught in Venezuela

Leonard Francis, a Malaysian defense contractor nicknamed "Fat Leonard" who orchestrated one of the largest bribery scandals in U.S. military history, had fled house arrest prior to his sentencing.

Wednesday

Putin is mobilizing hundreds of thousands of Russian reservists to fight in Ukraine

In this image made from video released by the Russian Presidential Press Service, Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation in Moscow, Russia, Sept. 21, 2022. AP hide caption

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AP

Ukraine invasion — explained

Putin is mobilizing hundreds of thousands of Russian reservists to fight in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Wednesday what he called a "partial mobilization" in Russia as the war in Ukraine reaches nearly seven months and Moscow loses ground on the battlefield.

Putin is mobilizing hundreds of thousands of Russian reservists to fight in Ukraine

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Tuesday

What to expect at this week's U.N. General Assembly

The 77th session of U.N. General Assembly opened at the United Nations headquarters on Sept. 13 in New York City. The session's high-level debate begins on Tuesday. Liao Pan/China News Service via Getty Images hide caption

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Liao Pan/China News Service via Getty Images

World

What to expect at this week's U.N. General Assembly

As leaders gather for the first all-in-person General Assembly since the pandemic, the war in Ukraine is a major focus. Secretary-General António Guterres has warned this is a time of "great peril."

Monday

Tuesday

Thursday

Secretary of State Blinken offers big aid package on unannounced visit to Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks with Marina, 6, from Ukraine's Kherson region, during his visit to a children's hospital in Kyiv on Thursday. Genya Savilov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Genya Savilov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine invasion — explained

Secretary of State Blinken offers big aid package on unannounced visit to Ukraine

Antony Blinken is on a trip to Kyiv, where he visited a children's hospital and met with U.S. Embassy staff. The U.S. announced nearly $3 billion in aid and weapons for Ukraine and other countries.

A hacker bought a voting machine on eBay. Michigan officials are now investigating

Harri Hursti told NPR he's been instructed not to open the box containing the Dominion ImageCast X machine that he bought on eBay for $1,200. Harri Hursti hide caption

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Harri Hursti

A hacker bought a voting machine on eBay. Michigan officials are now investigating

Harri Hursti bought the Dominion machine to uncover its vulnerabilities, something he often does for state election officials. But authorities are trying to find out how the machine ended up online.