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Sources & Methods

Sources & Methods

By: NPR
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National security, unlocked. Each Thursday, host Mary Louise Kelly and a team of NPR correspondents discuss the biggest national security news of the week. With decades of reporting from battlefields and the halls of power, they bring you inside the Pentagon, State Department, and intelligence community to help you understand America's shifting role in the world, and how events in faraway places matter here at home. Additional episodes feature interviews with power players from the NatSec world -- current and former military officials, intelligence experts, diplomatic leaders, and more.


Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.org.

Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including archive access and sponsor-free listening for Sources & Methods.Copyright 2025-2026 NPR - For Personal Use Only Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • AI hacks are already here / U.S.-China race dynamics / Global guardrails

    AI hacks are already here / U.S.-China race dynamics / Global guardrails
    Sep 17 2026
    All a sudden everyone is talking about the risk of an AI catastrophe or, in the case of President Trump, an AI "hoax."

    Host Mary Louise Kelly talks with NPR Cybersecurity Correspondent Jenna McLaughlin about the risks cyber experts are worried about already. And NPR White House Correspondent Emily Feng explains why a global agreement on AI guardrails to protect against future existential risks looks elusive.

    Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.org

    Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include archive access and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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    27 mins
  • How Sept. 11 reshaped national security

    How Sept. 11 reshaped national security
    Sep 9 2026
    It’s been 25 years since al-Qaida attacked the United States by hijacking airplanes and crashing them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, with a fourth plane crashing into a field in Pennsylvania.

    Sept. 11 represented a new kind of national security threat, and a new national security architecture was created to confront it.

    Before a live audience at NPR, host Mary Louise Kelly discussed how that day changed the country and its spy agencies, with people who worked on the frontlines of government and intelligence.

    Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.org.

    NPR+ supporters hear every episode without sponsor messages and unlock access to our complete archive. Sign up at plus.npr.org.

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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Trump's oil deal / A year of boat strikes / Could Iran become a forever war?

    Trump's oil deal / A year of boat strikes / Could Iran become a forever war?
    Sep 3 2026
    The U.S. military is blowing up boats again. And it is taking a stake in the Venezuelan oil business. What is the administration trying to achieve in the Western Hemisphere?

    Guest host Scott Detrow talks with NPR National Security Correspondent Greg Myre and international reporter John Otis about how the Trump administration's "Donroe Doctrine" is playing out. They also discuss parallels between the Iran war and the post-9/11 conflicts that eventually became quagmires.

    Tune in for a live stream episode of our show next week.

    Click "Notify me" here to join the conversation on Wednesday, September 9 at 9:30am ET.

    Mary Louise Kelly will discuss how the events of 9/11 are still shaping global events, with former intelligence officials and policymakers who lived through it.

    Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.org

    Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include archive access and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    27 mins
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