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National Security

Cubans Rush To U.S. Ahead Of Potential Changes To Immigration Policy

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to Marc Rosenblum, deputy director of U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute, about why the U.S. policy for Cuban migrants is different from others.

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Middle East

Secretary Kerry Highlights Diplomacy In Freeing U.S. Sailors Held By Iran

Secretary of State John Kerry addressed relations with Iran on Wednesday after the release of 10 U.S. sailors who were held for several hours when they drifted into Iranian waters.

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Latin America

El Salvador Opens Borders For Cuban Migrants On Way To U.S.

Thousands of Cubans, fearing the U.S. will cease to grant them automatic residency, have fled the island. Long stuck in Costa Rica, they have now flown to El Salvador on the journey northward.

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Rescuers search through the rubble of the U.S. Marine barracks Oct. 23, 1983, in Beirut, Lebanon, after a suicide truck bombing. The blast — the single deadliest attack on U.S. forces abroad since World War II — killed 241 American service members. The Supreme Court is deciding whether Congress can pass a law compensating the victims, and those of other attacks, using Iranian government funds.

Rescuers search through the rubble of the U.S. Marine barracks Oct. 23, 1983, in Beirut, Lebanon, after a suicide truck bombing. The blast — the single deadliest attack on U.S. forces abroad since World War II — killed 241 American service members. The Supreme Court is deciding whether Congress can pass a law compensating the victims, and those of other attacks, using Iranian government funds. Jim Bourdier/AP hide caption

toggle caption Jim Bourdier/AP

Law

In Iranian Funds Case, Justices Ponder Extent Of Congressional Influence

The Supreme Court is considering whether legislators can give away Iranian government funds the U.S. controls, providing legal compensation to victims of specific terrorist attacks sponsored by Iran.

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Religion

Division Over Social Issues Threatens Global Split Among Anglican Churches

The Archbishop of Canterbury has called the leaders of the Anglican "provinces" to England to discuss the division over social issues, including homosexuality, same-sex marriage and female bishops.

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This 2011 photo shows the heavy water nuclear facility near Arak. International sanctions relief will be triggered when Iran follows through on commitments to reduce its nuclear program.

This 2011 photo shows the heavy water nuclear facility near Arak. International sanctions relief will be triggered when Iran follows through on commitments to reduce its nuclear program. Hamid Foroutan/AP hide caption

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The Two-Way

Iran Tells Kerry It Is Dismantling, Destroying A Key Nuclear Component

It would be a big step toward reducing Iran's nuclear program and triggering sanctions relief. Relations forged in nuclear talks may have helped get U.S. sailors released after Iran detained them.

A Jan. 2 sonar image, released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau on Wednesday, shows a shipwreck on the ocean floor off the coast of Australia. The undersea search for the Malaysian airliner that vanished almost two years ago came across the wreckage deep in the Indian Ocean off the coast of western Australia, officials said.

A Jan. 2 sonar image, released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau on Wednesday, shows a shipwreck on the ocean floor off the coast of Australia. The undersea search for the Malaysian airliner that vanished almost two years ago came across the wreckage deep in the Indian Ocean off the coast of western Australia, officials said. ATSB/AP hide caption

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The Two-Way

Extended Search For Missing Jet Finds A 19th-Century Shipwreck

There's no sign yet of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, which is believed to have crashed far off the coast of Australia in 2014. But sonar did locate another lost vessel: likely an iron or steel ship.

A South Korean soldier stands next to loudspeakers near the border with North Korea on Jan. 8. South Korea responded to the North's latest nuclear test by resuming the broadcasts that include news, criticism of the North Korean regime and pop music.

A South Korean soldier stands next to loudspeakers near the border with North Korea on Jan. 8. South Korea responded to the North's latest nuclear test by resuming the broadcasts that include news, criticism of the North Korean regime and pop music. Lim Tae-hoon/AP hide caption

toggle caption Lim Tae-hoon/AP

Parallels

Responding To Nuclear Test, S. Korea Cranks Up The K-Pop

South Korea is again blaring news, music and propaganda from banks of loudspeakers along the border. At a minimum, it seems to annoy North Korea.

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FIFA has dismissed Jérôme Valcke as its secretary general. Valcke, along with suspended President Sepp Blatter, has been the subject of a corruption inquiry.

FIFA has dismissed Jérôme Valcke as its secretary general. Valcke, along with suspended President Sepp Blatter, has been the subject of a corruption inquiry. Laurence Griffiths/FIFA via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption Laurence Griffiths/FIFA via Getty Images

The Two-Way

FIFA Fires Blatter Ally From Secretary General Post

FIFA had previously banned both Jérôme Valcke, its secretary general, and Sepp Blatter, its president, for 90 days, citing an inquiry into allegations of improper payments and mismanagement of funds.

Middle East

Aid Convoy Reaches Starving Syrians In Southern City Of Madaya

The aid convoy finally reached Madaya after months under siege by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad. David Greene talks to Pawel Krzysiek of the International Committee Of the Red Cross.

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Latin America

U.S. Journey Stalled, Cubans Stuck In Costa Rica Finally Fly To El Salvador

The first of thousands of Cubans stranded in Costa Rica flew to El Salvador on their way north to the U.S. Cuban emigration is surging amid fears the U.S. will soon cease to offer automatic residency.

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Europe

European Commission May Strip Poland Of Its Vote Among EU Nations

The ruling Law and Justice party in Poland has moved swiftly to control the Polish media and curtail the powers of the country's constitutional court. The actions are alarming Polish critics.

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Former U.S. Marine Daniel Torres stands outside the Deported Veteran Support House, known as the The Bunker, in eastern Tijuana.

Former U.S. Marine Daniel Torres stands outside the Deported Veteran Support House, known as the The Bunker, in eastern Tijuana. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption

toggle caption David Gilkey/NPR

U.S.

Service Members, Not Citizens: Meet The Veterans Who Have Been Deported

Military service does not guarantee U.S. citizenship, which has meant a group of veterans has wound up together just over the border in Tijuana, Mexico, at a refuge they've dubbed "The Bunker."

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National Security

U.S. Navy Sailors Detained By Iran Ahead Of State Of The Union Address

Ten U.S. Navy sailors are being detained by Iran after Tehran said they drifted into Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf. The reports came ahead of President Obama's final State of the Union address.

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