Greg Myre

At age 9, Dr. Salk was one of the first to get the polio vaccine in the 1950s that was invented by his father. Salk, now 76, says he's hugely impressed by the rapid development of the COVID vaccine.

How should the U.S. respond to the massive computer hack into government networks and private companies? This has been a recurring question in the cyber age, and there is still no clear playbook.

Microsoft says it has identified 40 government agencies, companies and think tanks that have been infiltrated. Most are in the U.S., but the breaches stretch around the globe.

FireEye was the first to sound the alarm bell on Dec. 8 after it noticed an anomaly. "Right now there's absolutely an escalation in cyberspace," says Kevin Mandia, the company's CEO.

The massive computer hack didn't just target U.S. government systems. Many private companies were also hit, and the hackers have picked on tech companies in particular.

After several days of relative silence, the U.S. cybersecurity agency now says a major computer hack poses a "grave risk", extending throughout federal, state and local government.

President Trump keeps repeating baseless claims that his opponents broke into election systems. But he hasn't commented on the suspected Russian hack of U.S. government agencies.

Russian government hackers have breached email systems at federal agencies. It's being called the largest and most sophisticated hack in the past five years.

The California-based company is often called by governments and companies around the world to protect against hacks and respond to breaches. FireEye acknowledged that some valuable tools were stolen.

The study by the National Academies of Sciences comes after dozens of U.S. diplomats in Cuba and China complained of migraines, dizziness and memory loss.

The former military officers are strong supporters of the president and have backed some of the most outlandish election conspiracy theories and, for some, calls for martial law.

Avril Haines, the first woman nominated to the top intelligence post, took a strange path to this job. She studied judo in Japan, physics in college, and rebuilt a plane that she later crash-landed.

Iran says that it will retaliate for the killing of its top nuclear scientist, and it suspects Israel. How will this complicate the already volatile relationship among Iran, Israel and the U.S.?

The president has taken a series of abrupt moves, firing the defense secretary and announcing troop cutbacks in Afghanistan and Iraq. Critics say these actions have no clear strategic goal.

President Trump has been talking tough on Iran throughout his presidency. Will he take any action? NPR confirmed possible moves were discussed at a White House meeting last week.

President Trump has not accepted the election results, and his administration has not yet authorized Biden and his team to start receiving government resources — including intelligence briefings.

President Trump's "America First" foreign policy meant a reduced U.S. role in the world. Joe Biden wants the U.S. to show more global leadership, and his focus will be rebuilding alliances.

President Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday — replacing him with Christopher C. Miller, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center. What does the timing of this mean?

This election season has brought a series of computer hacks and disinformation efforts. How do we distinguish between a real threat and a minor distraction?

Days away from the general election, NPR reporters discuss real and perceived election threats.