Podcast
Sources & Methods
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.
- Politics chart
- #102
- Episodes
- 8
- Releases
- Weekly
- Typical length
- 28 min
- On air since
- 2025
- Latest episode
- 5 days ago
Episodes
8 episodes, newest first
-
25 min
Israel deadlocked / Trump, Iran and the midterms
Show notes
A majority of Israeli voters went against sitting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc, but he may not have to cede his office. It's not clear the opposition will be able to form a governing coalition.
Guest host Scott Detrow talks with NPR International Correspondent Daniel Estrin and NPR National Security Correspondent Greg Myre about how the election could affect Netanyahu's calculus on the war in Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump said that he and Netanyahu "have to finish the job that we started!" And Netanyahu campaigned on a renewed bombing campaign.
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 http://plus.npr.org/.
See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
-
20 min
France on fire / Protests engulf Europe / Is Ukraine running out of time?
Show notes
France has been rocked by protests and riots. The far-right is on the rise across Europe. All while, the United States is backing away from Ukraine. President Trump has been trying to obliterate the post-WWII order since his first term … is he finally succeeding?
Host Scott Detrow speaks with NPR Paris Correspondent Eleanor Beardsley and Pentagon Correspondent Tom Bowman about what's happening in Europe: while leaders of European countries are turning inwards, is anyone looking out for Ukraine?
Plus, what does the current state of world affairs mean for the alliances that have held Europe and the United States together for the last 80 years?
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 http://plus.npr.org/.
See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
-
30 min
Key comms cut-off in Ukraine / Zelenskyy sit-down / Russian diesel
Show notes
A crucial military communication system was disrupted in Ukraine this week, as Russian attacks pounded energy sites.
Host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with NPR Ukraine Correspondent Joanna Kakissis about what’s happening in Kyiv, and her long-awaited interview with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. NPR National Security Correspondent Greg Myre joined too, to explain President Trump’s announcement of an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine – which came as a surprise and hasn’t quite materialized.
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 http://plus.npr.org/.
See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
-
28 min
German spymaster / U.K. drone fears / Musk on Pentagon project?
Show notes
A German spy chief is arrested for treasonous espionage. What exactly is he accused of doing? Also, two tech billionaires are leading the Pentagon’s future of war project. Is that a problem?
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Esme Nicholson in Berlin about the case against August Hanning, and with NPR's Tom Bowman about how bases housing U.S. troops around the world could be vulnerable to drones.
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 http://plus.npr.org/.
See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
-
32 min
Iraq withdrawal / America's Mideast footprint / Hegseth's Pentagon overhaul
Show notes
For the second time since the 2003 invasion, the last American troops have left Iraq.
Host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with NPR International Correspondent Jane Arraf who is in Baghdad to see how Iraqis are greeting the moment. And NPR Pentagon Correspondent Tom Bowman explains how this withdrawal and the ongoing war with Iran are changing the U.S. footprint in the region. He also discusses Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's "State of the Force" address.
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 http://plus.npr.org/.
See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
-
58 min
Europe on edge from threats of Russia's growing escalation. Can NATO defend itself?
Show notes
Russia threatens attacks beyond Ukraine's border and rattles Europe. Is it ready?
This month Poland Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned about intelligence assessments suggesting that Russia is planning drone and missile strikes against countries that support Ukraine, including Poland and Romania.
How serious is that threat? And if that happens, is NATO ready to defend itself?
Would the U.S. honor its NATO collective defense commitments and jump in to help?
Those are some questions host Mary Louise Kelly put to Romania's Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia ?oiu and Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.
The conversation took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly before a live audience at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York City.
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 http://plus.npr.org/.
See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
-
25 min
Trump harangues the U.N. / Xi in D.C. / White House press ban fallout
Show notes
President Trump used his speech at the United Nations General Assembly to attack the principles the organization is built on. Does the U.N. stand a chance in a new era of great power rivalry?
Host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with NPR Diplomatic Correspondent Michele Kelemen about what happened this week when leaders from around the world came to New York at a precarious moment for the U.N. And NPR White House reporter Emily Feng explains what to look for during the diplomatic event that overshadowed the U.N. meeting this week: Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit in Washington.
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 http://plus.npr.org/.
See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
-
2 min
Introducing Sources & Methods Trailer
Show notes
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.
NPR+ supporters hear every episode sponsor-free and can access our complete archive. Learn more and support public media at https://plus.npr.org/.
See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
Politics lists
More Politics shows picked out from the charts
More in Politics
Placed highest on Apple Podcasts' Politics chart right now