In a speech at the White House Monday, President Biden forcefully defended his decision to withdrawal from Afghanistan — rebuking the Afghan government for being unwilling to fight the Taliban and emphasizing that spending more time and money in the country would not, in his view, have changed the outcome.

The president devoted very little of the speech to criticism he has faced over how the withdrawal was conducted. He took no questions from reporters.

It remains to be seen how many of tens of thousands of Afghans who aided the American war effort will be successfully evacuated. 

This episode: congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

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Biden: Americans Shouldn't Die In A War That Afghans Aren't Willing To Fight

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Speaker Mike Johnson has split apart the foreign military aid package sent over by the Senate into separate bills, focused on Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan respectively. He's also moving forward on border legislation and other red-meat Republican policy issues in an apparent effort to appease hardliners and protect his own job.

This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, national security correspondent Greg Myre and congressional reporter Barbara Sprunt.

This podcast was produced by Kelli Wessinger and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. 

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Will Mike Johnson Survive His Own Israel, Ukraine Aid Pitch?

More than 300 defendants have been charged with obstructing or attempting to obstruct an official congressional proceeding in connection to the Jan. 6 insurrection. But, so far, federal judges have disagreed about whether the statute was  meant to apply only to the destruction of documents and records, not events like those on Jan 6. If the Supreme Court finds in favor of the rioters, many could see their jail sentences substantially reduced.

This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

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Was Jan. 6 An Obstruction Of Congress? SCOTUS Will Decide

Trump faces 34 felony counts alleging that he falsified New York business records in order to conceal damaging information to influence the 2016 presidential election. This is the first time in U.S. history a former president will be tried on criminal charges.

This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson.

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Donald Trump's First Criminal Trial Begins In New York

The Biden administration unveiled new, targeted student debt forgiveness and new regulations on gun sales this week. The maneuvers appear targeted to boost the president's standing among young voters, who express lower levels of support for Biden compared to older age groups.

This episode: voting correspondent Ashley Lopez, political reporter Elena Moore, and political correspondent Susan Davis.

This podcast was produced by Kelli Wessinger and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. 

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Weekly Roundup: Biden Actions On Guns, Student Loans

Erie, Pa., supported Barack Obama in the 2008 and 2012 elections, Donald Trump in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020. What makes the county such a reliable bellwether? And how are campaign operatives there feeling about this year's race?

This episode: voting correspondent Ashley Lopez, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and national political correspondent Don Gonyea.

This podcast was produced by Kelli Wessinger and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. 

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Biden: Americans Shouldn't Die In A War That Afghans Aren't Willing To Fight

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