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Tuesday

Bonus: The Deep History of Dune
Ian West/PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images

Throughline

Bonus: The Deep History of Dune

Rund and Ramtin speak to sci-fi writer and Princeton historian, Haris Durrani, about why the lore of Dune still proves so relevant and the ways in which the 2021 film succeeds and fails to convey its messages.

Bonus: The Deep History of Dune

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Thursday

A Symphony of Resistance

An anti-government protester is carried on shoulders before a speech by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Tahrir Square February 10, 2011 in Cairo, Egypt. Chris Hondros/Getty Images hide caption

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Chris Hondros/Getty Images

Throughline

A Symphony of Resistance

The Arab Spring erupted ten years ago when a wave of "pro-democracy" protests spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The effects of the uprisings reverberated around the world as regimes fell in some countries, and civil war began in others. This week, we remember the years leading up to the Arab Spring, and its lasting impact on three people who lived through it.

A Symphony of Resistance

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Monday

Thursday

UAE, Israel Move To Normalize Relations As Israel Halts Planned West Bank Annexations

President Trump speaks during a Oval Office meeting Thursday with representatives of Israel and the United Arab Emirates, announcing an agreement to establish diplomatic ties between the two countries. Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images hide caption

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Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images

World

UAE, Israel Move To Normalize Relations As Israel Halts Planned West Bank Annexations

President Trump brokers the historic agreement. The United Arab Emirates and Israel will move toward bilateral diplomatic relations, and Israel will suspend plans to annex portions of the West Bank.

Thursday

Thursday

CBP Chief Admits Officers 'Overzealous'; Critics Say Iranians And Others Targeted

Acting Customs and Border Protection director Mark Morgan speaks with reporters in the briefing room at the White House, on Nov. 14, 2019. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

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Alex Brandon/AP

National

CBP Chief Admits Officers 'Overzealous'; Critics Say Iranians And Others Targeted

The head of CBP says the Seattle field office was "corrected" after it questioned hundreds of Iranian-American citizens at a border crossing. But advocates fear this wasn't an isolated mistake.

CBP Chief Admits Officers 'Overzealous'; Critics Say Iranians And Others Targeted

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Monday

Turkey, Syria Trade Deadly Strikes As Russia Watches Uneasily

A Turkish military convoy passes through the Syrian town of Dana, in Idlib province near the Turkish-Syrian border, on Sunday. It is there, in northwestern Syria, that friction between the country and neighboring Turkey has flared into direct violence. Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East

Turkey, Syria Trade Deadly Strikes As Russia Watches Uneasily

Half a dozen Turkish troops and at least 13 Syrians died Monday in the Syrian border province of Idlib. The spasm of violence between the bitter neighbors also threatens to ensnare Syrian ally Russia.

Monday

Saturday

Omani Sultan Qaboos, Who Ruled Oman For Half A Century, Dies At 79

Omani Sultan Qaboos bin Said, seen during a 2010 ceremony in Muscat, died at the age of 79 after suffering for years from an undisclosed illness. After a half-century reign, he has been succeeded by Haitham bin Tariq Al Said. Chris Jackson/Getty Images hide caption

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Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Middle East

Omani Sultan Qaboos, Who Ruled Oman For Half A Century, Dies At 79

The long-serving monarch named his successor, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, who was sworn in as sultan Saturday. Under Qaboos, the tiny Middle Eastern state took on an outsize role in regional diplomacy.

Thursday

Transcript: NPR's Full Interview With NSC Adviser Robert O'Brien

At the White House on Wednesday, national security adviser Robert O'Brien hears President Trump address the nation on the ballistic missile strike that Iran launched against Iraqi air bases housing U.S. troops. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

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Alex Brandon/AP

Politics

Transcript: NPR's Full Interview With NSC Adviser Robert O'Brien

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with national security adviser Robert O'Brien about tensions with Iran and the future of the U.S. presence in the Middle East.

Friday

How The World Is Reacting To The U.S. Assassination Of Iran's Qassem Soleimani

Iranian demonstrators hold posters of slain Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani (center) and the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a rally Friday in the capital, Tehran. The U.S. strike on the military leader in Baghdad has elicited warnings of retaliation from Iran. Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East

How The World Is Reacting To The U.S. Assassination Of Iran's Qassem Soleimani

The prominent general's killing, carried out in an airstrike in Iraq, has elicited a wide range of responses — from vows of revenge to enthusiastic words of support. Here's a look at the fallout.

Tuesday

Rockets Rain On Gaza And Israel After Airstrike Kills Militant Leader

A vehicle burns outside a factory that was apparently hit with rocket fire Tuesday in the southern Israeli town of Sderot. Israel's military announced it had killed a commander of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in an early morning strike on his home in the Gaza Strip, prompting retaliatory barrages from Gaza. Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East

Rockets Rain On Gaza And Israel After Airstrike Kills Militant Leader

"He was a ticking bomb," Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu said of Bahaa Abu el-Atta, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader killed Tuesday. Militants in Gaza have responded with rocket attacks of their own.

Thursday

Sunday

British Oil Tanker Seized By Iran Will Be Released Soon, Iranian Official Says

Speedboats from Iran's Revolutionary Guard circle the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero on Sunday, July 21 in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, after it was seized in the Strait of Hormuz two days earlier. Morteza Akhoondi/AP hide caption

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Morteza Akhoondi/AP

Middle East

British Oil Tanker Seized By Iran Will Be Released Soon, Iranian Official Says

The Stena Impero was detained by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the Strait of Hormuz on July 19 for alleged marine violations. Iranian maritime officials have given no set date for its release.