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Biden says he will not pass war in Afghanistan to a fifth president

14 April 2021
 Dan Ackermann

President Biden will say in a speech Wednesday that it's "time to end America’s longest war," as he sets out plans to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, according to prepared remarks.

Driving the news: "I am now the fourth American president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility to a fifth," Biden will say. "It is time for American troops to come home."

The big picture: Biden's decision to delay the May 1 Afghanistan withdrawal date negotiated by the Trump administration and the Taliban last year reflects a desire to balance two goals that have eluded the past few presidents — bring troops home while ensuring a precipitous withdrawal does not erase the work the U.S. military has done over the last 20 years.

  • Biden's planned withdrawal will ultimately not be conditions-based.
  • "We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan hoping to create the ideal conditions for our withdrawal, expecting a different result," he will say.
Data: CRS, Library of Congress and National Archives. Chart: Axios Visuals

What they're saying: "While we will not stay involved in Afghanistan militarily, our diplomatic and humanitarian work will continue," Biden will say. "We will keep providing assistance to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. Along with our partners, we are training and equipping nearly 300,000 personnel."

The state of play: About 3,000 American troops and 7,000 NATO troops remain in Afghanistan.

  • The White House has insisted that the Taliban in Afghanistan cannot be defeated through military force and that the al-Qaeda terrorist network no longer has the resources required to execute an attack on the U.S.
  • "Rather than return to war with the Taliban, we have to focus on the challenges that will determine our standing and reach today and into the years to come," Biden will say.

The bottom line: "We went to Afghanistan because of a horrific attack that happened 20 years ago," Biden will conclude. "That cannot explain why we should remain there in 2021."

Go deeper: Taliban to boycott peace talks until U.S. leaves Afghanistan

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.