NPR News: 07-20-2026 9PM EDT

Ryland Barton· Host0:00

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. The White House says the newest plane to serve as Air Force One will soon go out of service for upgrades. NPR's Joel Rose reports aviation experts question whether one month is enough time for significant changes.

Joel Rose0:16

The White House says the newest Air Force One will be out of service for about a month in the fall while it receives, quote, "upgrades and enhancements." The Boeing luxury jet was donated by Qatar last year. It was retrofitted so quickly that some aerospace experts say it is not as secure as other Air Force One jets. Richard Aboulafia with Aerodynamic Advisory says one month isn't enough time to change that.

Richard Aboulafia· Soundbite0:38

The idea that anything meaningful could be accomplished in this limited amount of time is somewhat ridiculous. I mean, this is a multi-year process.

Joel Rose0:46

Aboulafia and others say they were surprised to see the president fly in this plane to a meeting in Turkey earlier this month. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington.

Ryland Barton· Host0:54

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Cuba is the leading sponsor of what he calls radical leftism in the US, and he's naming organizations that he says have been working with Cuban intelligence. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports.

Michelle Kellerman1:07

Just days after Secretary Rubio hosted a conference on what he describes as a resurgence of left-wing political violence, he's issuing a 70-page report detailing what he sees as Cuba's history of an ideological battle against the United States starting in the 1960s. He says Cuba's, quote, "Marxist project not only survived the collapse