Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'intelligence'

Making Changes At The CIA

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:45:00 EST

The CIA under the Bush administration has been plagued by allegations of secret prisons, rendition and intelligence failures. Obama has selected someone without intelligence experience — Leon Panetta — as the agency's new head. Will an outsider be able change the CIA?

Sontag On Sontag: Journals Record A Writer's Birth

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:47:00 EST

In the first installment of her journals, Susan Sontag exhibits the fierce critical intelligence that distinguishes her work — along with a vulnerability that may surprise. The result is an absorbing chronicle of emotional and intellectual self-discovery.

Obama To Pick Intelligence Novice To Head CIA

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:00:00 EST

President-elect Barack Obama is expected to choose former congressman Leon Panetta to head the CIA. Panetta has relatively little experience in national security matters, although he did participate in daily intelligence briefings with President Bill Clinton when he served as Clinton's chief of staff between 1994 and 1997.

Obama Names Intel Picks

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST

President-elect Obama named former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta to head the CIA and retired Adm. Dennis Blair to be national intelligence director.

Obama Taps Panetta To Head CIA

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:46:00 EST

President-elect Barack Obama will bring former Clinton administration official and federal budget expert Leon Panetta, 71, back to Washington to head the Central Intelligence Agency. Obama plans to fill the other top intelligence post with a military man: retired Navy Adm. Dennis Blair.

Who Will Take The Final Intel Positions...

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST

President-elect Barack Obama has yet to fill key intelligence positions. We examine who may be filling these positions and the challenges Mr. Obama faces in making the appointments.

Talking To Terrorists: One Interrogator's Story

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:22:00 EST

Matthew Alexander (a pseudonym) led the interrogation team that gathered the intelligence necessary to capture terrorist al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. He says it was his team's subtle techniques — not torture or intimidation — that made them so successful.

Intelligence Positions May Be Difficult To Fill

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:00:00 EST

When President-elect Barack Obama introduced his national security team this week, he left two key positions unfilled: CIA Director and the Director of National Intelligence. That may be because it's hard to find people to fill the jobs who are NOT associated with the controversial intelligence policies of the Bush administration.

Some Say CIA Nominee Forced Out By Obama Team

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:45:00 EST

Former CIA official John Brennan, once considered the top choice to serve as CIA director in President-elect Barack Obama's administration, was pressured by the transition team to pull his name from consideration, according to friends and former intelligence associates.

Report: WMD Attack Likely By 2013

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:27:00 EST

A new intelligence report warns that without drastic new measures, the international community faces the real prospect of a nuclear or biological attack by 2013. The panel that issued the report has briefed vice president-elect Joe Biden on its contents.

Rice Stops In India To Defuse Mumbai Tensions

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 06:00:00 EST

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is New Delhi, where she's trying to calm tensions between India and Pakistan over the Mumbai attacks. The Indian government says the militants who carried out the attacks were linked with Pakistan. Ordinary Indians are upset over the failure of the country's intelligence services.

In Wake Of Mumbai Attacks, Bush Pledges Help

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:11:00 EST

The president has offered India the assistance of U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials as the country begins its investigation into a bloody three-day seige that killed nearly 200 people.

Examining Who May Be Behind Mumbai Attacks

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:59:00 EST

The scale and sophistication of the attacks in Mumbai, India, have taken many intelligence analysts by surprise. The only claim of responsibility so far is from a previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen. But analysts believe it took a well-established and organized group with plenty of resources and training to mount this type of attack.

Terrorists Strategically Picked Mumbai

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:00:00 EST

A group of suspected Muslim militants has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Mumbai, India. Reva Ballah is director of Geopolitical Analysis, at Stratfor, a private geopolitical intelligence company in Austin, Texas. She tells Steve Inskeep about the significance of the attacks.

Adviser Withdraws From Consideration As CIA Head

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 06:00:00 EST

A top candidate to serve as CIA director in the Obama Administration has asked that his name be withdrawn from consideration. John Brennan, a 25 year veteran of the agency, has been serving for months as Barack Obama's top adviser on intelligence issues.

Analysts: By 2025, U.S. Won't Be Top World Power

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:04:00 EST

Top U.S. intelligence analysts have released a report on what they think the world could look like in 2025, if current trends continue. They predict that the U.S. probably won't be the dominant world power. Countries will be fighting over food, water, energy and other scarce resources. But there's some good news: Terrorism may wane.

No Rest For Obama

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 08:00:00 EST

President-elect Obama got down to business in Chicago this week. He chose Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff, got his first classified intelligence briefings and faced reporters for the first time since the election.

Shining A Light On The NSA's 'Shadow Factory'

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:47:00 EDT

Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the National Security Agency stepped up its efforts to collect intelligence domestically by filtering millions of conversations and e-mail messages. In his new book, The Shadow Factor, journalist James Bamford reveals that the ultra-secret agency has half a million people on its watch lists.

Artificial Intelligence Prize Goes To Chatty Computer

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:18:00 EDT

In 1950, a mathematician asked, if a computer could think, how could we tell? His answer: it could hold a conversation. In this spirit, the annual Loebner Artificial Intelligence Prize goes to the most human-like computer. This year, to a program called Elbot. When asked, how's it going? Elbot responded: I feel terrible today. This morning I poured milk over my breakfast instead of oil, and it rusted before I could eat it.

Report: Iraq Situation Likely To Worsen

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:00:00 EDT

A report from top U.S. intelligence agencies says that the relative calm in Iraq could dissolve at any moment. Madeleine Brand talks to McClatchy Senior Correspondent Warren Strobel about what the report says and how it may change the presidential race.

Report: Taliban Gaining Strength In Afghanistan

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:07:00 EDT

A draft report from U.S. intelligence agencies says Afghanistan faces a "downward spiral" as Taliban fighters threaten stability in the region. They're conducting more sophisticated attacks, increasingly encroaching on government and working more closely with al-Qaida, it says.

Report: Afghanistan In Downward Spiral

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:00:00 EDT

A new report says Afghanistan is in danger of falling prey to Taliban influence yet again. The report, to be released by major U.S. intelligence agencies after the elecion, cites a breakdown in Afghani leadership and a steady increase in violence from militants as well as corruption.

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:23:00 EDT

David Cornwell, who goes by the pen name John Le CarrÃ©, is back with his latest spy novel A Most Wanted Man. In the thriller, Le CarrÃ© uses his experience as a British intelligence officer to write about his view on the war on terror.

North Korea Denies Leader's Health Is Failing

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:06:00 EDT

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is reported to be in failing health. North Korean officials denied the report, while a U.S. intelligence official told NPR that Kim may have suffered a stroke in recent weeks.

North Korea Leader's Absence Spurs Stroke Rumors

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:41:00 EDT

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has apparently suffered a stroke, according to U.S. intelligence officials. Kim didn't appear Tuesday at a military parade in Pyongyang on the 60th anniversary of North Korea's founding.