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The Washington Post’s Lillian Cunningham journeys through the messy past and uncertain future of America’s national parks. In trips through five iconic landscapes, she ventures off the marked trail and beyond the parks’ borders to better understand the most urgent stories playing out in these places today. Along the way, she meets the people fighting to help these parks evolve – and survive.

Introducing “Field Trip”

Journey through the messy past and uncertain future of America’s national parks. The Washington Post’s Lillian Cunningham ventures off the marked trail to better understand the most urgent stories playing out in five iconic landscapes today.

Yosemite National Park

Lillian begins her journey in the place that helped inspire the national parks. As wildfires threaten Yosemite’s giant sequoias, she asks what it will take to correct past mistakes and ensure the survival of these ancient trees.

Glacier National Park

Lillian experiences the rush of Glacier’s Going-to-the-Sun Road, but her most illuminating stops happen on the Blackfeet reservation. As Native people push for a greater hand in managing national park lands, Lillian asks whether that could ever happen.

Everglades National Park

Lillian slogs through the marsh and steps back in time to explore how past mistakes devastated the “River of Grass.” What will it take to restore this unique landscape of water and sky? Along the way, the park’s wildlife has a thing or two to say.

White Sands National Park

Lillian climbs the dunes for a view of a park imprinted with ancient human history and the beginnings of the Atomic Age. In doing so, she tries to understand why America’s deserts have been both safeguarded and sacrificed.

Gates of the Arctic National Park

Lillian journeys above the Arctic Circle to one of the most remote and least visited National Parks. In our series finale, she confronts the question facing its future: whether a portion of this untouched wilderness will soon include a path for industry.

Introducing “The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop”

Grenada’s revolutionary leader was executed in a coup in 1983, with seven others. The whereabouts of their remains are unknown. Now, The Washington Post’s Martine Powers uncovers new answers about how the U.S. fits into this 40-year-old Caribbean mystery.

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Lillian journeys above the Arctic Circle to one of the most remote and least visited National Parks. In our series finale, she confronts the question facing its future: whether a portion of this untouched wilderness will soon include a path for industry.

Established in 1980, Gates of the Arctic marked a radically different way of thinking about what a national park should be. Compared to previously established parks, it’s hard for the public to access. This park is truly undeveloped — there are no roads or infrastructure. And it’s immense. You could fit Yosemite, Glacier, Everglades, White Sands, Death Valley and the Grand Canyon all within its borders and still have room to spare.

But even here, in one of the most remote and least visited of the national parks, the outside world is finding its way in. 

Ten miles west of the park, mining companies are drilling for copper. The metal is necessary for a number of green technologies, including electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines. The mines could support President Biden’s goals to reduce the use of fossil fuels and beef up domestic sources of critical minerals. 

To access these mines, the state has proposed an access road that would cut through 211 miles of Arctic tundra. Twenty-six miles of the road would cross through Gates of the Arctic. Biden has pledged to conserve nearly a third of U.S. land and water by 2030, and his administration has stopped similar mining projects . Environmentalists and some Native groups are also fighting to have the wilderness preserved.

In this episode of “Field Trip,” Washington post reporter Lillian Cunningham travels north of the Arctic Circle to ask: Is the dent these metals would put in climate change worth the harm to the surrounding wilderness? 

We have incredible photos for this series. You can see them and find more on the National Parks here . 

“Field Trip” would not have been possible without the support of Washington Post subscribers. If you’re not yet a subscriber, you can unlock a special deal as a listener to this series. Your first four weeks are free when you sign up here .

White Sands National Park

Lillian climbs the dunes for a view of a park imprinted with ancient human history and the beginnings of the Atomic Age. In doing so, she tries to understand why America’s deserts have been both safeguarded and sacrificed.

Introducing “The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop”

Grenada’s revolutionary leader was executed in a coup in 1983, with seven others. The whereabouts of their remains are unknown. Now, The Washington Post’s Martine Powers uncovers new answers about how the U.S. fits into this 40-year-old Caribbean mystery.

More podcasts

Journey through the messy past and uncertain future of America’s national parks. The Washington Post’s Lillian Cunningham ventures off the marked trail to better understand the most urgent stories playing out in five iconic landscapes today.

“Field Trip” is a new podcast series that will transport you to five national parks: Yosemite, Everglades, Glacier, White Sands and Gates of the Arctic. Follow the show wherever you listen.

A sneak peek from Lillian

Exclusively for listeners of “Presidential,” Lillian Cunningham shares news about her new podcast. You don’t want to miss this.

Listen to the first episode of “Field Trip”: Yosemite National Park

Lillian Cunningham begins her journey in the place that helped inspire the national parks. As wildfires threaten Yosemite’s giant sequoias, she asks how to ensure the survival of these ancient trees. Follow "Field Trip" to hear the whole series.

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Ukraine unleashes attacks on Russian airfields amid Kursk offensive

Ukraine’s military mounted its largest drone attack on Russian airfields since the 2022 invasion, targeting four key sites deep inside Russian territory with dozens of drones overnight, as its forces continued their advance in the Kursk region of southern Russia.

After rushing reinforcements to Kursk and announcing a “counterterrorism” operation led by top commanders, Russian forces have failed to halt the nine-day incursion, despite daily announcements from military officials that Ukrainian forces had been stopped.

A Ukrainian intelligence official said that Kyiv attacked an air base in Savasleyka, more than 400 miles from the Ukrainian border, near Nizhny Novgorod. The base houses MiG-31 warplanes that launch Kinzhal missiles, among Russia’s most advanced weapons. About 10 explosions were reported at the base, according to Russian independent media, quoting locals.

Air raid alerts sound in Kyiv and across Ukraine — sometimes numerous times in one day — each time an MiG-31 takes off, as Kinzhal missiles have the capability of striking locations throughout the country.

“We are waiting for satellite photos with destroyed Russian fighters and warehouses,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

Nizhny Novgorod governor Gleb Nikitin said on the social media site Telegram that Russian air defenses were working to suppress the attack and “minimize the consequences.” He said no casualties had been reported.

Video aired on Russian Telegram channels showed a distant fiery blast, followed by the sound of a large explosion. Another showed a drone flying overhead.

Ukraine has had success destroying Russian warplanes with drone attacks on airfields deep inside Russian territory, but is barred by its Western partners from using Western weapons, such as long-range missiles, to do so.

In addition to Savasleyka, the official said there were attacks on airfields in Voronezh, Borisoglebsk and Kursk, targeting bases for warplanes that fire the heavy glide bombs, locally known as KABs , that have devastated Ukrainian defenses over the past year.

The official described the airfield attacks as “a specially planned operation so that the enemy could not use these airfields for KAB strikes on the front line and Ukrainian cities.”

On Wednesday, Ukraine’s General Staff said in a post on X that its forces had shot down a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber overnight. “The work to eliminate the occupiers, their equipment and weapons continues unceasingly,” the post said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed large-scale drone attacks in various parts of Russia and said 147 drones had been shot down.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian attack on the Kursk region continues, with the commander of the military, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, telling President Volodymyr Zelensky that his forces had advanced an additional one to two kilometers (up to 1.2 miles) in the Kursk region in the past 24 hours.

Zelensky appeared to signal that Kyiv’s forces may be there for some time, announcing the creation of military command posts “if necessary,” after a meeting to discuss securing the area and distributing humanitarian aid to Russian civilians.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russia’s southern region of Belgorod, which is adjacent to the Kursk region, announced a state of emergency throughout the region because of Ukrainian attacks.

“The situation in our Belgorod region continues to be extremely difficult and tense,” he said in a Telegram address. “Daily shelling by the Ukrainian armed forces. Destroyed houses, wounded and killed civilians.”

He called for a federal state of emergency to step up assistance to the regions impacted by the Ukrainian attacks. The incursion has left tens of thousands of Russians feeling shocked and betrayed by the lack of a strong response from Moscow in the immediate aftermath of the Ukrainian assault.

More than 130,000 people have been evacuated from Kursk and Belgorod since last week.

Ukraine’s surprise incursion last week, taking advantage of Russia’s thin defenses in the Kursk region, has boosted flagging Ukrainian morale and altered calculations in the slow, grinding war of attrition that has seen massive casualties on both sides.

Ukraine’s attack has tested President Vladimir Putin and humiliated Russian military officials, with nationalist military bloggers calling for the dismissal of the commanders who were responsible.

But it has not altered the fundamental balance in a war in which Kyiv remains outmanned and outgunned by a far larger enemy, with Western military aid dribbling in too slowly to enable a Ukrainian victory.

On Tuesday, Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas told Zelensky in a meeting in Kyiv that Russia had begun to redeploy forces from the Kaliningrad region — a Russian area that lies west of Lithuania on the Baltic Sea — to Kursk.

Kasciunas said he told Lithuanians to “look at how the Ukrainians are fighting for you [and] because of their struggle, Russia needs to withdraw its troops from Kaliningrad.”

Ukrainian officials have not outlined their plans in Kursk, but as their forces push deeper into Russian territory, the risks will grow along with the potential for losses, according to military analysts.

“Ukraine protects itself and the lives of its people in border communities and takes active actions on Russian territory,” Zelensky said in a post on Telegram on Wednesday. “Our forces strictly comply with the requirements of international conventions and international humanitarian law.”

Syrsky reported that Ukrainian forces were in control of the town of Sudzha in Kursk, a claim contested Wednesday by Apti Alaudinov, the Russian commander of the Akhmat special forces in the region.

However, a Ukrainian television crew reporting from Sudzha filmed a team of Ukrainian soldiers removing the Russian flag from a building in the town. Traffic was flowing and there was no sign of a Russian presence in the area, according to the video.

The report said that Ukrainian forces were distributing food to Russians who were emerging from their basements after a week of airstrikes.

“We are advancing in the Kursk region, one to two kilometers in various areas since the beginning of the day,” Zelensky said in a separate post on X. “We have captured more than 100 Russian servicemen during this period. I am grateful to everyone involved; this will accelerate the return of our guys and girls home.”

On Tuesday, he said that hundreds of Russian soldiers had surrendered earlier.

The Kursk incursion has stretched Russian forces, preventing Moscow from deploying additional troops to Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, where Russia has steadily advanced in recent months while taking huge casualties.

Zelensky said he was “not forgetting our eastern front for a second. I have instructed the commander in chief to strengthen this direction using the equipment and supplies currently provided by our partners.”

The common thread in the Kursk attacks and the drone strikes on Russian airfields is Kyiv’s message to Moscow that Russian planes, bombs and missiles nestled inside its territory are not protected from Ukrainian attacks.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in a post on X on Wednesday that the war in Ukraine was viewed by many global observers as “a laboratory where the next big geopolitical conflict is being simulated.”

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said that U.S. officials had been in “direct” and “constant” contact with their Ukrainian counterparts during the Kursk operations. “It’s creating a real dilemma for Putin,” Biden said.

Kostiantyn Khudov in Kyiv contributed to this report.

Journey through the messy past and uncertain future of America’s national parks. The Washington Post’s Lillian Cunningham ventures off the marked trail to better understand the most urgent stories playing out in five iconic landscapes today.

“Field Trip” is a new podcast series that will transport you to five national parks: Yosemite, Everglades, Glacier, White Sands and Gates of the Arctic. Follow the show wherever you listen.

Check out "The 7"

On The Post’s new podcast, "The 7," host Jeff Pierre takes you through the seven most important and interesting stories of the day. It's a way to get caught up in just a few minutes. It comes out every weekday at 7 a.m. Check it out today, then find and follow "The 7" so you're set for tomorrow.

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Sen. Rand Paul goes to Moscow and invites Russians to Washington in unofficial bid to boost ties

MOSCOW — Sen. Rand Paul, one of President Trump’s more eager defenders on Russia, jetted into Moscow on Monday in a bid to increase engagement with the country.

Paul (R-Ky.) met with several Russian senators, including Sergey Kislyak, Russia’s former envoy to Washington and a key player at the heart of the election interference scandal that continues to rock relations between the United States and Russia. 

In a meeting at Russia’s upper house of parliament, Paul also invited Russian lawmakers to meet with U.S. Congress members, in Washington or elsewhere, the Interfax news agency reported him as saying. “I think this is in­cred­ibly important,” Paul said after the high-profile sit-down.

That meeting could take place as soon as this fall, said Konstantin Kosachev, head of the foreign relations committee in the upper house.

Monday’s whirlwind visit to Moscow, however, was not official diplomacy. “Sen. Rand Paul is visiting Russia as part of a private group,” said a spokesman from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. 

The senator, who was once a foe of the president, has emerged as a unique and somewhat renegade voice, coming as both Republicans and Democrats criticize the president for not taking a tougher stance against Russia. The relationship between the two countries has sunk to lows not seen since the Cold War as they spar over a range of issues from election interference to the crises in Syria and Ukraine.

Paul was accompanied by Don Huffines, a Republican member of the Texas state Senate; and Peter Goettler, president and chief executive of the libertarian Cato Institute. The group also planned to visit St. Petersburg , Russia’s second-largest city and President Vladi­mir Putin’s hometown, Russian state-run media reported. 

Onetime political foe Rand Paul, Trump’s fiercest defender on Russia

His visit comes just weeks after a delegation of Republican lawmakers visited Moscow for meetings with the Russian parliament, as well as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the first time the two sides had had direct contact in years. That largely conciliatory meeting , held over the July 4 holiday, was met with bipartisan scorn at home.

Paul is a backer of Trump’s controversial interactions with Putin, heralding the two leaders’ Helsinki summit last month as exactly the sort of action Washington should be taking to mend ties between the two.

The summit drew sharp criticism at home after Trump suggested he was inclined to believe Putin’s version of events regarding the 2016 U.S. presidential election — that is, Russia’s denial of interference — over the conclusions of the U.S. intelligence community.

Paul has questioned the extent of Russian interference. Kosachev, meanwhile, echoed the Kremlin’s claims that it had no role in election interference in 2016.

“And it will certainly not happen during the ongoing election campaign, either,” Kosachev told reporters after meeting with Paul, referring to the U.S. midterms, Interfax reported.