National

CIA Director William J. Burns, seen here in his office in Langley, Va., met Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday, according to a U.S. official.

CIA Chief And Taliban Leader Meet As Taliban Demand Aug. 31 U.S. Withdrawal

6:15pm August 24, 2021

by Greg Myre

The talks between CIA Director William Burns and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar come as an Aug. 31 deadline looms for the end of the U.S. airlift and withdrawal of U.S. forces.

In this March photo, pharmacy technician Hollie Maloney loads a syringe with Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine at the Portland Expo in Portland, Maine. The U.S. gave full approval to Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine on Monday.

It's Pronounced Koe-mir'-na-tee. How The Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine's Name Came To Be

6:05pm August 24, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine has been given full approval by the Food and Drug Administration. Along with that approval process is the companies' new brand name for the vaccine: Comirnaty.

Students listen to their teacher during their first day of transitional kindergarten this month at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, Calif.

A Vaccine For Children Is Not Likely To Be Approved Until The End Of Year

5:52pm August 24, 2021

by Cory Turner

The director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins, says that after vaccine companies submit their trial data, the FDA will have to review it, which could take time.

Vice President Harris (center) speaks with U.S. personnel as she departs Tuesday from Singapore on her way to Vietnam.

VP Harris' Flight Delayed After Possible 'Havana Syndrome' Incident In Hanoi

5:40pm August 24, 2021

Harris' trip from Singapore to the Vietnamese capital was delayed by roughly three hours. The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi reported "a recent possible anomalous health incident" that affected embassy staff.

Scientists Are Working To Make Sense Of 'Long COVID' And Its 203 Possible Symptoms

5:32pm August 24, 2021

by Will Stone

It's not clear why some people who get COVID-19 are plagued with symptoms for many months after being infected, but scientists are investigating what's behind these "long haul" cases.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is a defendant in a new lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union along with a number of disability rights groups and parents of children with disabilities.

The ACLU Sues Over South Carolina's Ban On School Mask Mandates

5:24pm August 24, 2021

by Clare Lombardo

The lawsuit claims the mask mandate ban "illegally forces parents of children with underlying conditions to choose between their child's education and their child's health and safety."

For Biden, The Pressure Is On As The Deadline To Withdraw From Afghanistan Nears

4:47pm August 24, 2021

by Scott Detrow

With a week left before his Aug. 31 deadline to get Americans and allies out of Afghanistan, President Biden is under intense pressure at home and from G7 partners.

Former U.N. Diplomat Argues U.S. Strategy In Afghanistan Was Deeply Flawed

4:47pm August 24, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Peter Galbraith, a former United Nations diplomat for Afghanistan, about U.S. military and political missteps during the last 20 years.

National

Despite The Focus On Fighting Climate Change, U.S. Demand For Coal Surged This Summer

4:47pm August 24, 2021

by Jeff Brady

The U.S. is expected to burn more coal to generate electricity this year. High natural gas prices and electricity demand are boosting coal for now, but the industry will likely start to decline.

National

New Doc Looks At How Real The Liberty City Seven's Threat Actually Was

4:47pm August 24, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with director Dan Reed about his new movie In the Shadow of 9/11, which re-examines the case against seven men in Miami who were indicted for an alleged al-Qaida plot.