National Security

Summer 2012 Reading List

Washington Week

Looking for some good summer reading? Check out the books Gwen and the Washington Week panelists recommend for the beach, the car, the plane or the pool. From fiction to politics, history to biography, there is something for everybody. The smartest reporters in Washington, D.C. bring you their suggestions for the summer's best reads. Continue

Report: White House Takes Command of Drone Debate

FRONTLINE

Changes put in place over the last several weeks places White House counterterror chief John Brennan in the lead over the vetting of both military and CIA targets. Continue

After NATO Leaves, Will Afghan Forces Be Ready?

PBS NewsHour

Judy Woodruff speaks with former Ambassador to the European Union James Dobbins and retired Col. David Lamm about NATO's exit plans coming out of this week's summit in Chicago and whether Afghan forces are ready to absorb security responsibilities once most foreign troops leave in 2014. Continue

Suicide Attack Suggests an Intensifying War in Yemen

FRONTLINE

Experts warns that today's suicide attack during a Yemeni military parade rehearsal suggests an intensifying war between Al Qaeda-affiliated forces and and the Yemeni and U.S. governments. Continue

NATO Summit Struggles

PBS NewsHour

President Obama sought continued military and monetary support for the mission in Afghanistan at the NATO summit in Chicago in May 2012, as protesters sparred with police outside the site. Continue

Loans on the line

Need To Know

Stacey Tisdale travels to Missouri, where activists are collecting signatures for a ballot initiative that would cap payday loan rates at 36 per cent. Continue

5 Things to Look for at Upcoming NATO and G8 Summits

PBS NewsHour

When world leaders gather this weekend at the NATO and Group of Eight summits, they have two major items on the table -- wrapping up the Afghan war and handling Europe's financial crisis. So what are the signs that they will make any progress? Continue

Key Psychiatric Doctor Rejects Name Change for PTSD

PBS NewsHour

A leader in the psychiatric community has rejected the idea of changing the last word of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to "Injury." The move effectively blocks growing efforts by a small group of psychiatrists and military brass concerned about reducing patient stigma. Continue

Al-Qaida Bomb Plot: How Alarmed Should U.S. Be?

PBS NewsHour

A day after news broke that the CIA foiled a new al-Qaida plot to bomb an airliner, the official responses were low key on Tuesday. Margaret Warner, former National Counterterrorism Center director Michael Leiter and former FBI supervisory special agent Ali Soufan assess the current reach of the terror network. Continue

Latest Bomb Plot Shows al-Qaida Affiliate Making...

PBS NewsHour

Although the latest attempt to take down an aircraft using a bomb hidden in underwear failed, the plot still shows al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is making "big inroads" as the most active affiliate of the terrorist network, said Michael Leiter, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Continue

The Daily Frame

PBS NewsHour

President Obama receives a painting of Air Force One during the U.S. Air Force Academy's graduation ceremony in Colorado Springs on Wednesday. Continue

Can "Friends of Yemen" Help Solve Deeply-Rooted Problems?

FRONTLINE

Led by the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, a block of 20 countries and intergovernmental organizations dubbed the "Friends of Yemen" met in Riyadh today to pledge $4 billion in assistance to the Arab world's poorest country to help fight terrorism and develop its economy. Continue

Obama Stresses Afghan Stability and Exit Plan

PBS NewsHour

At the NATO Summit Monday, President Obama emphasized the importance of a stable Afghanistan, and of phasing out most foreign forces by the 2014 deadline. Judy Woodruff reports. Continue

NATO Tensions: Inside and Outside

PBS NewsHour

As world leaders struggle to work out details of an exit strategy from Afghanistan, police pushed back hundreds of protesters who were trying to reach the site of the NATO summit in Chicago this week. Continue

May 18, 2012

To The Contrary

For the first time in U.S. history, white newborns are outnumbered by babies of color; the U.S. Army recently made history by officially opening jobs in combat battalions to women, but direct ground combat roles are still exclusive to men; To The Contrary travels to China to explore the role the U.S. Foreign Service plays in diplomacy overseas. Continue

Obama's Border Fence

NOW on PBS

NOW travels to Texas to meet border families who fear losing their property, their safety, and their way of life. Many question if the U.S.-Mexico border fence can keep people from sneaking in at all. An even greater worry may be the virtual fence the Obama administration is planning for the remaining 1,300 miles of border, at an estimated cost of nearly $7 billion. Continue

Endgame

FRONTLINE

From the day we got in, the plan was to get out as soon as possible. Four years later, we're still looking for an exit strategy. Continue

Drone demo

Need To Know

At the first international drone summit in Washington D.C., a drone demo shows how these unmanned aerial vehicles are used abroad by the U.S. Military. Continue

FBI Studying Device From al-Qaida Plane Bomb Plot

PBS NewsHour

"Our adversaries are very creative, and they are very determined, and they are very persistent," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday in the wake of the CIA thwarting another al-Qaida plot to attack an airliner. The FBI is now studying the explosive device. Gwen Ifill has the latest. Continue

9/11 Mastermind in Court

PBS NewsHour

Saturday's arraignment at Guantanamo Bay marked the first court appearance in more than three years for the self-professed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, and his alleged conspirators. Margaret Warner reports. Continue

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