logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2021
12m 54s

Military Officials Recommended Trump, Bi...

NPR
About this episode
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee today about the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Each said that, before the Taliban's swift takeover and subsequent evacuation of Americans and allies from Afghanistan, they recommended American troops remain in the country. They also said they were caught by surprise at the speed with which the Afghan government collapsed.

This episode: White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

Connect:
Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here.
Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org
Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group.
Listen to our playlist The NPR Politics Daily Workout.
Subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter.
Find and support your local public radio station.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Aug 22
How Openly Partisan Gerrymandering Is Becoming Normalized
President Trump called on Texas Republicans to redraw their state's congressional maps to favor Republican candidates. In response, California voters will get a chance to approve a plan to redraw their state's maps to favor Democratic candidates. We look at how partisan gerrymand ... Show More
21m 2s
Aug 21
How The Trump Admin Uses Immigration Policy To Show Force
As a candidate, Donald Trump campaigned on carrying out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history. As president, he's used immigration policy as a backdrop for other shows of force. We explore how he uses immigration as a political issue.This episode: senior White House corres ... Show More
14m 49s
Aug 20
Trump Falsely Claims Mail Ballots Are "Corrupt," Calls For Their Prohibition
The president also called for changing how ballots are tallied in elections. We unpack the president's claims, and discuss how presidential power is limited when it comes to election administration. This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and voting correspon ... Show More
11m 20s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2021
A Conversation With an Afghan General
This episode contains strong language.Brig. Gen. Khoshal Sadat, a former Afghan deputy minister for security, has held some of the highest ranks in the Afghan security forces and government. From the moment Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, the United States has put much of the bl ... Show More
46m 24s
Aug 2021
America’s Miscalculations, Afghanistan’s Collapse
The last few days in Afghanistan have been chaotic as the Taliban retake control of the country.The debacle can be traced to a number of assumptions that guided the execution of the U.S. withdrawal from the country after two decades of war.How could those assumptions have proved ... Show More
23m 58s
Jun 2024
US immigration: Could Biden's border policy decide the election?
President Biden has announced executive action to reduce the number of people crossing unlawfully into the US. American voters often cite immigration as among the most important issues on their mind ahead of the election in November. Many have been waiting to see how the presiden ... Show More
26m 44s
Jan 2024
6 PM ET: Pivotal NH primary, CBS newsman dies, Sweden’s NATO bid & more
The US conducted airstrikes on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. We’re hearing from voters in New Hampshire’s GOP presidential showdown between former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Meanwhile, a federal appeals court is letting Trump’s gag order ... Show More
6m 25s
Mar 2024
Trump’s Plan to Take Away Biden’s Biggest Advantage
Over the past week, Donald J. Trump has burned down and rebuilt the Republican National Committee, gutting the leadership and much of the staff.Shane Goldmacher, a national political correspondent for The Times, explains why the former president is trying to reinvent such a cruci ... Show More
27m 29s
Mar 2024
Swamp Notes: Is Maga good for Biden?
Democrats have honed in on a novel campaign strategy over the past few election cycles: elevate Trump-backed candidates in GOP primaries, and then blow past them in general elections. So far, the strategy has mostly paid off, but will this risky gamble work in 2024? The FT’s depu ... Show More
13m 16s