ghani has been different than karzai karzai, how he dealt with abdullah abdullah made a difference. >pressioned but stuck by the fact he appeared in coat anti. every time you saw karzai he was in tribal attire with traditional afghan attire. this was -- this is ash raf ghani giving them the afghanistan they want to see. he is worried a precipitous withdrawal will create a vacuum. isis is trying to fill the vacuum left by american disengagement in afghanistan. he is trying to thank us but also trying to give us a picture of what we want. >> steve clemons, luke russert, thanks so much for being with me. before i go a developing note out of the supreme court. justices sent out 6-3 ruling sent the case of a fired pregnant worker back to lower courts for review. this is a victory for the plaintiff, peggy young, giving her another chance to argue the case. she's the ups driver fired after her pregnancy limited her to only be able to perform some duties. justices writing she must prove she belongs to a protected class of minority citizens and that her employer ups didn't accommodate her like

our relationship can karzai became unimaginable fblet he was unwilling to take and accept the help we thought was necessary to make this transition. gani, of course, immediately signs the new status of forces agreement. the president announced he will keep additional forces through the end of the year, something i support. i think we're in a better position than we have been to repel the taliban and the threats in afghanistan. but i would be lie fg i stood -- lying if i stood here today and said i'm confident we will get to where we need to get to over the next year or so. >> will it take more than 8,900 troops staying in afghanistan only until the end of this year to with stand the great threat? >> i think that's going to be sufficient for military purposes. but we're going to have to have a corresponding commitment when it comes to funding. the reality is government is standing on top of massive u.s. and international aid and should that aid withdraw over the course of the next several years, support for that government will completely fall apart. so we have to be economic partners

>> the president as we know what beyond frustrated with hamid karzai. he was unreliable. the word continually used this week was partnership. this was a partnership between afghanistan and a desire to build even on diplomatic and international, financial, economic and develop a role and that was just not something that the administration talked about. the other thing about president ghani that was interesting is he very much seemed to know the west. he sort of talks the talk, colloquial -- gwen: he went to colombia. nancy: he's an anthropologist, lives in the united states went to columbia, shares that with the president. they communed over the fact the president's mother was an anthropologist and they seemed -- he seems to have the knack, politician's knack of bonding over a common cause. one of the other things president ghani said that seemed to go over well and made headlines was he changed the american taxpayers, that's the way he put it, i want to thank the american taxpayers, we afghanistan want to thank the taxpayers and talked about the sacrifice the united state

ambassador were looking forward to the departure of president hamid karzai at the end of his tenure, the relationship between me and the united states was prickly. the u.s. officials are talking about a rejuvenated relationship between the two countries, a reinvigorated relationship, between ashraf ghani and president obama had had at least three video calls which president ashraf ghani said to me on saturday were productive. i think they were looking forward to a fruitful relationship and a different relationship. i think ashraf ghani, i think they were looking for a partnership. they depend on the united states for aid and security, but doesn't want to be a burden. his goal is to make afghan self-sufficient. >> i don't want to channelling race how well the ghani government got started. it's had some rough times. >> that's right. he's ruling in a coalition along with the chief executive officer. it's the first time this type of government has been tried. and we were six months in, six months since president ashraf ghani was inaugurated. they don't have a cabinet. eight of 25 have be

ashraf ghani replaced karzai as the afghan leader last year. he is scheduled to meet with president barack obama. it is expected that ghani will ask washington for flexibly on the pace of troop recall in afghanistan. reporter: a new tactic in the often troubled relationship. the afghans of the president 's message to the united states -- president ghani: we are not going to be a burden. we do not now ask what the united states can do for us, if i can play a president entity. we want to understand what it will do for itself and for the world. -- if i can play on president kennedy. we want to understand what it will do for itself and for the world. reporter: he spent monday talking with the secretaries of state and defense at camp david. on the agenda -- a new cooperation scheme. ghani wants the u.s. to slow down pullout of troops from afghanistan. obama is expected to respond. they are excited to keep more soldiers than playing while reducing troops to 1000 by the end of 2016 full stop it is also provided the afghan military with billions of dol

karzai was doing. they both have a common problem, which is there are a limited number of options they can choose from. it's not as if he can wave a magic wand and turn things around dramatically. the underlying geopolitical reality -- realities are hardwired into the system. he has to navigate them just as mr. karzai faced them as well. mark: during his joint press conference, he said "tragedy brought us together, interests unitas." -- interests unitas." how are they going forward? >> it is primarily a security interest, that afghanistan does not fall back into a playground for jihadist groups. that remains at the core. the way he phrased it was he was referring to the 9/11 tragedy but the underlying reality or the purpose for which the united states and its allies went into afghanistan in the first place, they continue to exist. although not at that level perhaps. mark: the american military challenge has come from the taliban. with islamic state president obama has retreated from plans to slash u.s.

the karzai recipient kept on a short leash.ink it's possible we did not do that. >> i thought it was interesting that bin laden seems to discuss that he thought there could be poison or radiation on the physical money itself. >> if only we were that good. >> and we're learning so much from these documents that we have not access to. and we're learning much more. ambassador, thank you so much. >>> a man charged in the shooting of two police officers in ferguson. the investigation is far from over. the suspect says he wasn't aimed at those injured officers and what he's telling investigators about his actual target. >>> and we'll go inside political as some of the biggest republicans hopefuls for 2016 get up behind that all-important podium. ♪ ah, push it. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ push it. ♪ ♪ p...push it real good! ♪ ♪ ow! ♪ ♪ oooh baby baby...baby baby. ♪ if you're salt-n-pepa, you tell people to push it. ♪ push it real good. ♪ it's what you do. ♪ ah. push it. ♪ if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance you switch to geico. i

that's something that karzai never did. president karzai the previous president, often criticizing u.s. troops and their mission there. it led to some obviously very sour feelings. ashraf ghani knows that is not what he wants for the next couple years. he wants as much help as he can get from the pentagon. wolf? >> barbara starr at the pentagon. i want to bring in retired lieutenant colonel rick francone to get his analysis. a lot of military analysts i've spoken to say when all is said and done it doesn't make any difference if the u.s. pulls out this year next year or early 2017. afghanistan's going to be a disaster for the time being given the taliban there, al qaeda there, now isis moving in. the historic tensions that have been going on for decades, maybe for centuries. if the u.s. completely pulls out at some point, afghanistan is going to wind up like iraq is right now. your analysis? >> that could be the case. however, i think it's important that the u.s. troops stay there as long as they need to. i'm very disturbed

karzai was doing. have a common problem which is there are a limited number of options they can choose from. it's not like he can wave a magic wand and turn things around dramatically. the underlying geopolitical realities are hardwired into the system. he has to navigate them just as mr. karzai faced them as well. >> we are swimming in crude in the u.s. there's a lot of dynamics today. a very volatile market. some things have caused prices to bounce rather than react. we have a weaker dollar, gasoline is strong, the crude grades on the gulf coast are strong. you have things like yemen. anytime you see headlines, the saudi's are massing troops on the border, something like that -- that gets the market twitchy. >> there are winners and losers. the countries that depend a lot on oil revenue and political issues like russia and venezuela. there are a lot of countries in latin america, there tend to be big commodity exporters. there is a lot of political issues in several countries. you are seeing capital

mark: talk about the switch in tone from president ghani and his predecessor karzai.eter: you can tell the body language. total breath of fresh air. a very different tone. very appreciative of the help to afghanistan over the years especially the sacrifice of u.s. troops. more than 2000 u.s. troops have died in afghanistan since 2001. undoubtedly, we will hear president ghani again very appreciative. won reason why the president would be willing to slow down the troop withdrawal, somewhat maybe as a gesture of good faith. mark: how much political pushback would president obama get for slowing down the withdrawal of u.s. forces? peter: this was a pledge he made as president and as a candidate, that he would wind down the u.s. wars in iraq and afghanistan. for him to reverse course in any sort of way would be significant. but there is a big cloud hanging over things and that is what has happened in iraq with the rise of the islamic state and the fact that u.s. troops withdrew from iraq. we have seen what has happened in the wake of that. that has colored the debate over

karzai for all its corruption did have a unified government. that deep commitment isn't there and that's a deep worry for the u.s. >> the relationship is slightly better. the priorities, mr. lyons afghanistan is still struggling. >> general campbell saying we've got to slow down the redeployment back to the united states. he went to afghanistan early last year, took over the job was vice chief of staff of the army, took over the army with the foresite that knowing pulling out by 2016 was too early. >> do you think it very well could happen? >> if ghani wants u.s. forces there, then our president could say welt look, this is what this president wants to do. taking afl the troops, you are removing half the fracture infrastructure, half the capability. >> if we don't stay past 2016, mr. rosenberg, how secure are the forces? >> if you say go deal with it on your own they're not ready. feeding supplying their own troops isth credibly difficult. big unit miefers on a whole lot of things they're not there yet. a lot to overcome, a lot of their deficit

hamid karzai's government for all its corruption, was basically unified. everything that was not taliban was unified. that commitment was not there. that's a worry for the u.s. >> the relationship is slightly better. priorities is the same. afghanistan is struggling. >> no question. >> violence is on the rise. that's why you have the general saying that possibly we need to slow down the deployment to the united states. he went to afghanistan early, taking over the job, was the vice chief of staff of the army. took over the job. knowing that trying to pull out by 2016 would not be a good idea. we are setting the stage to see u.s. forces beyond 2016. >> a lot of it has to do with what president ashraf ghani wants, if he wants u.s. forces there. the president can say this is what the president wants to do. by taking half the troops out, you are removing the infrastructure and capability. they are concerned about the summer and about it deteriorating. >> if we don't stay past 2016 how ready are afghan security forces? >> i mean at this point if you gave them t

. >> this woman, heath minister under president hamid karzai. in last year's election they chose his successor. women cast more than a third of the votes. that sent a message. >> the message was we are a force. we are citizens responsible and citizens who believe in democracy. the new president promised there would be four women in the cabinet. there are none. the three nominated were rejected. >> discrimination is common. they want to ensure progress is reverse said. >> they are participationing the government making sure women have a place on the councils. >> we believe that being a woman from the grass root level, giving them an opportunity to engage in political discussions, bringing women's voices is important. >> a lot guaranteed 25% of parliamentary seats was revoked. afghan women argue that they represent 50% of the population. >> now, the computer game industry is big business and it's undergoing a bigger transformation. games are played on consoles. smartphone games are popular. >> reporter: in the early games of computer games you had

the money to buy officials in the karzai regimen to free this man.ghan officials who had difficult raising cash for a $5 million ransom apparently dipped into that cia fund. cnn intelligence analyst and former cia operative bob bair explains how this could happen. >> has not surprised me. this is the problem with covert action. it's neither covert nor action. the money gets misspent. just how it works in the afghan world. >> while the cash payments have slowed since a new president was elected, this err continuing. the cia declined to comment on that report. >>> to iraq now. isis suicide bombers carried out a deadly attack in ramadi. two member of the iraqi special operations forces are dead and five wounded. as cnn reports, this is the latest in a series of recent attacks on the city. >> reporter: according to senior officials in anbar province, at least two sued bombers attacked a building used by the iraqi security forces in the city of ramadi. according to the deputy head of the council in anbar he describes the building as strategic and security

number one, it's such a better relationship than with karzai, so that's good. he appears at least to understand some of the things that we have to hear in order to stay in. but really, the truth is going to be in the telling. frankly, i think that we should be leaving faster rather than slower. and i think that we really -- it's got to be up to the president to see whether afghanistan can essentially step up to the battle. >> congressman, thank you very much for joining us tonight. >> thank you. >>> coming up, the push to make hillary clinton sound like elizabeth warren. and we are finally getting a look at the video of what happened the fight secret service agents were suspected of drunk driving at the white house. we can help guide your retirement savings. our experience is one reason 100% of our retirement funds beat their 10-year lipper averages. so wherever your long-term goals take you we can help you feel confident. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before inves

karzai's administration was spent chiding for the casualties but expanding differences between his approach the american approach. and that hobbled so much of american policy here certainly in washington's eyes. ghani spent much time during the speech talking about the time spent in washington. a creature of the jungle. but also somebody who very open to the u.s. presence here is very keen. he was yesterday certainly to emphasize the sacrifice american troops have made here, talking about how he met veterans and spoken to the families of those who lost their lives here. keen to assure american that their sacrifice will not be in vain. i think also facing phenomenal difficulties domestically here. he doesn't have a minister of defense at this stage. he's sharing the government with a man he fought an election against. that's far from an ideal information when they're trying to manage the myriad of problems afghanistan has now. one small victory yesterday in the white house -- that's the extra troops. still, the problems here mounting rather than receiving. rosemary? >> mr. begany to speak be

number one, it's such a better relationship than with karzai so that's good.pears at least to understand some of the things that we have to hear in order to stay in. but really the truth is going to be in the telling. frankly, i think that we should be leaving faster rather than slower. and i think that we really -- it's got to be up to the president to see whether afghanistan can essentially step up to the battle. >> congressman, thank you very much for joining us tonight. >> thank you. >>> coming up the push to make hillary clinton sound like elizabeth warren. and we are finally getting a look at the video of what happened the fight secret service agents were suspected of drunk driving at the white house. most of the products we all buy are transported on container ships. before a truck delivers it to your store, a container ship delivered it to that truck. here in san diego, we're building the first one ever to run on natural gas. ships this big running this clean will be much better for the environment. we're proud to be a part of that. i will take beauty

than president hamid karzai's was. that was tense toward the end. president obama eluded to that today. how has that changed? >> it has changed fundamentally because we believe in a revitalized partnership. we're not engaging in a blame game. we are engaged in common understanding in common actionment part of this, of course is also that the combat role of the united states has ended, as agreed between our two governments, and the trade, advise, assist mission that u.s. forces are currently engaged in, that's not involved in combat roles. we have common interests. we're facing common threats and need to engage in an enduring partnership, and that is our key goal. i hope that this trip is consolidated and revitalized this vital relationship for us. >> >> ifill: ashraf ghani, the president of afghanistan, thank you so much for joining us. >> pleasure to be with you. >> woodruff: executions by firing squad are back on the books in utah. governor gary herbert signed a law that authorizes the method if lethal injection drugs are unavailable. the move com

is the new president of afghanistan a better ally than hamid karzai was? >> reporter: well, thus par the add -- far the administration has been saying so. even president obama has said so. there was really little love lost between the two leaders of the two nations toward the end of that tenure, when it came to securing a status of forces agreement, all the tension that was had. as soon as ashraf ghani takes over, he signs the status of forces agreement, ghani comes here today, there was a meeting at camp david yesterday with u.s. officials, paid his respects at arlington national cemetery and will address congress, all of these things, you know, really putting on a good face, thanking the american taxpayer for this and the ability to work out a security agreement laid out today, about 10,000 troops remaining til the end of this year and with the goal by the end of 2016, the end of president obama's term, to have only a security force there to secure the u.s. embassy compound for about a thousand troops there. of course, republicans are already pushing bac

he's not hamid karzai.become particularly in his second term very difficult to work with for the u.s. he was a hurdle to a lot of things. ghani takes a more sober approach to the problems in afghanistan. he's asking for greater help. the obama administration has already responded positively and so far that's gotten bipartisan support in congress. so i think he will get a good reception. he will say things that congress likes to hear. i think he'll say that he's grateful for american support and say it's important. >> that's a big deal. he said that before. he said that. they thanked america for its help in afghanistan and that goes a long way. >> it certainly does particularly this time when you're asking for more help and asking for money. he's also been very smart. it's not just about military support. he's also said for instance that aid from the united states should be linked to reforms to actual achievements from his government. his government is suggesting this which is a positive step which conveys a

hamid karzai did so in 2004.dent ghani's remarks come a day after his talks with president obama who announced u.s. would not cut troop levels in afghanistan in half in 2015 despite previous pledge to do so. >> president ghani requested some flexibility on draw down timelines. i consulted with general campbell in afghanistan, my national security team and decided to maintain the current posture of 9800 troops through the end of this year. we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to help afghan security forces succeed so we don't have to go back. >> nbc's foreign correspondent ayman mohyeldin joins us now. good to see you. the president says it is a necessary response in anticipation of springtime resurgence of taliban there. >> yes, this is on a few different levels. one to make sure in springtime when there's resurgence of taliban activity and attacks, there's a strong secure afghan presence on the ground backed by the u.s. and international force, but more importantly i think this is a political

laura: it is so different from the days of hamid karzai.ark: very different, and it shows that who is in these jobs matters. they came to the united states and part of their message was thank you, we appreciate it. we understand the sacrifice you've made and that provides was worthwhile and has made a big difference in attitude on the american side, and also the afghan side. laura: and there is a thread on the ground from the taliban, and also those trying to face the i s. mark: it allows president obama to look at the american public and say, we can leave our forces there for a little bit longer. why? because there is a new president of afghanistan who is interested in self-reliance and afghan security forces are fighting and we ought to help them. laura: how much of a problem do you think it really is, the threats that the afghan forces are facing their? mark: they are enormous threats. the taliban is prepared to fight for stop this very day we are fighting taliban forces in afghanistan. what's important is afghani session on they are pre

meanwhile former afghan president hamid karzai said the use of force will not resolve the situation in yemen. he spoke to cnbc. i hope this whole unfortunate situation in yemen will be resolved through talk and negotiations rather than. we've seen it in afghanistan, we've seen it in other parts of the world. military rarely rarely brings about solutions. especially where there are people involved in a country and there are sentiments on both sides. we have the example in-- some western countries have called war on terrorism for the last so many years. eventually it is taking negotiations to take things to settle. that's what i'm hoping for in yemen. >> the new president of afghanistan, mr. ghani, was recently in the united states as you know it was almost a revelation when he said that is islamic state is starting to make incursions into your country, afghanistan. they're sending forward troops or forces. what can you tell us about the situation now with regard to is in afghanistan? because you're six months out of office but obviously you're on top of the situation there. >> terrorism

serving as health minister for five years under president karzai, this last year, women cast more than a third of the votes. she says that sent a message. >> the message was we're a partner. the message was, we are citizens who are responsible, and we are citizens who believe in democracy. >> the new president, ashraf ghani, promised four women in his cabinet. so far, there are none. the three he nominated were rejected. >> women want to ensure that progress isn't reversed. >> they're petitioning the new government to ensure women have a place on district councils. they want 25% of seats to be reserved for women in the next election. >> we believe being a woman in the grassroots level and participating in political discussions and adding women's vices is important. >> a law that guaranteed women 25% of power playry seats was rejected last year. it was reinstated with a 20% south dakota he at a. afghan women argue they represent more than 50% of the population and deserve a place in politics. al jazeera kabul. >> thousands remained stranded in nay pal the international airport closed si

president obama and his team were at odds with former president hamid karzai. they've been buoyed by the election of ashraf ghani and buoyed by the tone he's setting. again and again on this visit he's expressed gratitude to the u.s. for its support, and to american forces for their sacrifices. >> our army corps have changed fundamentally as a result of contracting with you. >> reporter: ghani has also outlined the challenges his unity government faces from corruption to widespread poverty to gender disparities. case in point, the fatal beating of a woman last week by a mob of men in kabul, following false allegations she burned a copy of the koran. then there's security. the taliban remains a threat even as u.s. and afghan officials try to work out a framework for peace talks. more bloodshed is expected with the arrival of spring known as the fighting season. the islamic state group is a problem, too. it spread its tentacles from syria and iraq to afghanistan. still, despite the hurdles ahead, u.s. secretary of state john kerry spoke of the progress that's bee

they are trying to improve relations now that hamid karzai is out of office. one plan is for the u.s. to provide funding for the afghan security force. >>> ted cruz will start a fundraising tour now that he is the first major candidate to declare run for president. craig boswell reports. >> reporter: texas senator ted cruz says conservative christians should rise up and restore the promise of america. >> that is why today, i am announcing that i am running for president of the united states. [ applause and cheers ] >> reporter: he made the formal announcement at liberty university an evangelical christian college. the 44-year-old republican laid out his vision for the next administration calling for a flat tax, securing the borders and ending president obama's healthcare law. >> imagine in 2017 a new president signing legislation repealing every word of obamacare! [ applause and cheers ] >> reporter: senator cruz gained national attention in 2013 leading a 16-day government shutdown as he urged congress to cut off money for the healthcare law. cruz, a tea part

his predecessor, hamid karzai did not. now he wants american military support, including air power to fight off the taliban and other insurgents. >>> top u.s. and iranian officials are talking about progress in reaching a nuclear deal by the end of the month. secretary of state john kerry has been shuttling all across europe. he's cautioning leaders, though that gaps remain in the negotiations with iran. iran's supreme leader has warned that even a done deal may not end the chill between the nation -- between his nation and the united states. >>> rebels are now in control of yemen's third largest city and its airports. this all comes as the u.n. security council is preparing for an emergency neating ingmeeting to discuss the violence there. meanwhile, the u.s. removed 100 special forces. >>> first lady michelle obama is heading home from asia. she wrapped up a five-day trip today after visiting the cambodian prime minister's wife and education minister. she was overseas to promote the u.s.-led education initiative, let gir

relations that were strained between president obama and former afghan president ahmed karzai. president obama said the u.s. will leave its 9800 troops in afghanistan in place. autria: federal investigators launched a probe into the safety of lumber liquidators laminate flooring. the u.s. products safety commission is investigating the company's chinese made laminate flooring. it's now facing at least five class action lawsuits. lumber liquidators insist the flooring is safe. the i-team sent a sample of the flooring to a lab to be tested. we're waiting on those results. coming up here on abc 7 news at noon, a wake-up call. what a new study reveals about teens behind the wheel. mike: i'm mike conneen live in southeast washington where mayor muriel bowser has formally kicked off pothole palooza 2017. how you can report a pothole. jummy: cutting down on capital parties. the new request by capital police. autria: and warmer weather and storms heading our way tomorrow. doug is timing it all out for us next. we're counting down to the first pitch of the nats' new season now just 11 d

his interaction with all the security forces is completely different than under president karzai. their morale has gone way up knowing they have welfare. they visit their wanted in the hospitals and talking to them about changing the authority for corps commanders. he has video teleconferences several times since i've been with him with the senior leadership great he has a national security council meeting every week that he brings in the senior leadership from the police and the army. they are thankful that they do have the commander-in-chief that is taken not only their own welfare but also their families welfare as they look at different ways to about ways to about wanted warriors and those kinds of things. it is quite good. >> with that in mind since they have not been in office very long do you anticipate, the question has come up a couple of times about the deserters. do you anticipate that rate will slow down as a result hopefully? >> president ghani what he has tried to do is put leadership and that can make a difference so he has taken a hard look at all of those generals

a different discussion than president obama would have had with president karzai.livia: what is the mood in washington? what is the appetite for keeping u.s. troops in the region? is there a rethinking going on in washington about the value of keeping american forces in afghanistan? peter: the iraq experience has had an impact on members of congress on the fence or inclined to bring troops home. some want all troops out of afghanistan and some want to bolster the number of troops in afghanistan. the fence-sitters believe it would make some sense to leave a bigger number during the fighting season that is about to kick off and do everything possible to help their president as he begins his efforts as president. his appearance in front of a joint session of congress will make a big impact, but because of iraq, lawmakers are more inclined to keep u.s. troops in afghanistan than they were a few months ago. brendan: there is an economic relationship with afghanistan. the world bank is worried about what happens to afghanistan. is that part of the talks? peter: it is. th

has moved on from president karzai.rratic and more of a challenge than anything else. they do see a real change in tone from president ghani. he knows the u.s. really well and lived here for 10 years and worked at the bank in bethesda, maryland. he knows u.s. politics and has really gone out of his way to reach out to the u.s. officials here in particular, the u.s. troops who have served in afghanistan. really in every single turn he has thank them and will do so again tomorrow when he's things in a joint session of congress. matt: thank you so much. either way, we've got lots more coverage coming up later today. tune in this afternoon at 5:00 p.m. eastern with "all due respect to come he will speak with the first -- "all due respect." they will speak to ted cruz and former governor rick perry. i've not sure if john is down there, but mark flew down late last night or early this morning to do the interviews, so i'm excited to watch that. of course, you can catch it all online at bloomberg politics.com to get that and a

i've had to deal with president karzai when i first got there. i think the american people, all the people need to understand that every time president ghani or dr. abdullah address a crowd, they thank the international community, they thank the u.s. in particular they pick the u.s. out. they thank them for their support. they thank the families for the sacrifices of their sons and daughters. you never would have heard that before. it is a completely different atmosphere. i think the president will talk to all of you about that. i think he's quite proud of that. he's quite proud that he's taken on his leadership role as a commander in chief. he's visited training sites, he's visited military hospitals. i attended their national security conferences. i'm able to talk to him about different security issues at any time. but i think he'll really talk about where afghanistan has come over the last 13 years where its security forces where it would not be without the help of the great coalition and the u.s. in particular, not only for the men and women

they have not had any retirements under president karzai. they have had about 60 plus. that is infusing knew blood looking hard at the people he puts into those positions trying to interview everyone of his general officers based upon merit which is very good. leadership we will change the attrition peace. combat casualties are only a small peace. desertion if you look at why people desert it went dormant for a while. but when you take a hard look, it is leadership having a soldier assigned. all he knows is combat after combat after combat. they go through and can take leave. they are just now starting to have that cyclic force generation. once they get that into place you will see the desertion go way down. you get you get down and there is no future. the personal management is not right. he 11 way up north and it takes you days to get back or you may never get back. once you do you may go past your 20 days of leave and are considered a deserter. it we will make a difference >> those sound like logical things to address. what percentage of the medical care being given

this is something ever since czar karzai left and ghani took over he has been saying please leave people behind or we are going to be in trouble. he said come on to dc and we will talk about it. he did come to dc and here we are with this announcement. >> peter doocy, live. thank you. >> sticking with dc for a moment. the handling of a bomb threat being bung eled by the secret service. it shows what is called a botched response after a woman drofed off a package at the white house claiming it was a bomb. it takes 11 minutes for them to notify the metro pd bomb squad about the threat. two agents are seen driving into a security barrier and within feet of the would be bomb. secret service director joseph clancy says the department of homeland security inspector general is investigating the incident. >> senator ted cruz some of the media they are already writing him off. >> the headlines new york times, why cruz is such a long shot. overseas the guardian saying he's a presidential hopeful we can write off. on tv the words even stronger. >> i think he's scary. i think he's dangerous. >> i ha

strategic input that's been provided continues through this fighting season in part so that president karzai, who has taken on the mantle of commander in chief in the way we have not seen in the past from an afghan president, can do a serious review. and can assess here's where our strengths are, here's where our weaknesses are and we can proceed with more effecty -- effective joint planning going forward. the bottom line is our men and women in uniform make enormous sacrifices. their families do, too. they serve alongside them. this will mean that there are going to be some of our folks who are in afghanistan under the new schedule who would have been home, but it is important to keep in perspective first of all that we've gone down from 100 ,000 down to under 10,000. that they are not on the frontlines because they are not in a combat role. we are doing all that we can do to make sure that force protection is a priority for those who are in afghanistan. and the date for us to have completed our drawdown will not change. but it is my judgment it's the judgment of general campbell and others

we have cooperated with this country before, they helped produce karzai and afghanistan for better ororse, but we were part of that, but the third part of this, we're assuring another civil war inside iraq by letting iran put boots on the ground. we're convincing sunnis throughout that region in saudi arabia and elsewhere, but also in northern iraq, that we are giving iraq to iran, and they won't bide by that. >> didn't they do that in 2002? >> we're doing it again. >> it seems like we turned over that government to shia, who we hated in the hostage crisis, and now we give them the government of iraq and now we are surprised they have it. >> the problem here is different things we're doing is running at cross-purposes. the fundamental problem is that iraq doesn't even really exist anymore as a state, as we commonly understand them. to the extend we're trying to bring together sunni and shia, we're alienating iran, but in order to take on isis we're working with iran, and working with iran alien yates the sunnis. >> in isis quit tomorrow, if they just put their hands in the air and wal

i've had to deal with president karzai when i first got there. i think the american people, all the people need to understand that every time president ghani or dr. abdullah address a crowd, they thank the international community, they thank the u.s. in particular, they pick the u.s. out. they thank them for their support. they thank the families for the sacrifices of their sons and daughters. you never would have heard that before. it is a completely different atmosphere. i think the president will talk to all of you about that. i think he's quite proud of that. he's quite proud that he's taken on his leadership role as a commander in chief. he's visited training sites, he's visited military hospitals. i attended their national security conferences. i'm able to talk to him about different security issues at any time. but i think he'll really talk about where afghanistan has come over the last 13 years where its security forces are where it would not be without the help of the great coalition and the u.s. in particular, not only for the men and w

he is much different than president karzai. he is coming to the u.s.ay to thank americans for all of their help. he is also going to make the case that isis is a big problem. inside of afghanistan. now that is significant because that message appeals to president obama and conservatives on the hill. i think he will get a lot of, a lot of support from that. i betcha that is coming from ash carter who is helping him formulate the message how you get more troops to stay in afghanistan. melissa: judy real quick, is it a new day with this new leader? >> definitely it is. it is such relief to hear an after gan president thank american soldiers for protecting his country and the american tax payer to keep his country afloat. afghanistan's economy is stag than the. huge unemployment. melissa: the president is about to step out with the leader of afghanistan. why our soldiers may be about to spend a lot more time in the middle east. >>> turning up uninvited. reports out that israel has been keeping very close tabs on our iranian nuke talks. do you ever have too

as you know hamid karzai the former president and president obama did not have a great relationship. seeing what we see over the past couple of days and the warmth we see between the two presidents today, will there be a new phase in u.s.-afghanistan relations, and how significant will that be? >> i think the significance is already it displayed in the gestures and tangible outcome from the talks both in camp david and in the white house. and i am sure this will continue and the momentum will pick up. >> you managed to form a national unity government. it was a divisive process. six months later you are struggling to form a cabinet. and you have a vice president, an important one. the vice president who is an apparent warlord. said to be fuming on the sidelines. can the government keep the factions that exist in afghanistan united. >> the formation of national unity government was a necessity that came out of the ashes of war and the structure in this country. everybody realised that the leadership and perseverance of president ghani, and his ability to read all the accurate lines th

this is a remarkedly different tone than we would have had with hamid karzai. >> how much easier doest make it for the obama administration to yes to so what ashraf ghani is asking for? >> i think it is really going to help. and i think we'll so this request for 352,000 troops for funding for that to be sustained and maintained. it's expected that secretary of defense ash carter has introduced that, the president would be the one to approve it and i think it will happen. the request from ashraf ghani to not go forward with the troop drawndown that was expected this year, from 10,000 down to 5,000, i think we'll see that also delayed. these things really matter. the delaying of the closing of the military bases, hugely important. kandahar for the afghan air force, jalalabad because that is the base that goes up against the taliban. this is profoundly important to the future of afghanistan. i think we're seeing a different footing, and there's a recognition that things aren't over in afghanistan. that isis has emerged as a threat. the taliban is a powerful and resilient insurgency. and

karzai refused to sign a security agreement that would have determined troop levels after 2014. he has adopted a row the west stand. he came to power six months ago after allegations market by allegations of fraud. questions remain whether it can keep the country safe without heavy u.s. involvement. they also announced a hundred million dollar economic assist its program that is tied to the implementation of certain afghan reforms. he also pledged additional support for a reintegration program for former combatants. cincinnati, democratic caller. what do you? caller: i agree with the president decision. if you feel over there and start these war and if right away we have to a for them after we are gone. families police can have our eye on how the any of the that we shall have to inject into the economy. i think the president of afghanistan is willing to work with us. that is an asset within itself. all these other countries before us like russia left and did not leave no additional troops. we are trying to do in the most of my way that we possibly can. everybody can always comme

like this woman, who served as health minister for five years under president hamid karzai.e last election women cast more than a third of the votes. >> the message was we're a partner. the message was we are citizens who are responsible and believe with democracy. >> reporter: the new president promised there would be four women ministers in his cabinet, but so far there are none. the three he nominated were rejected. discrimination is still common for afghan women, despite the progress they have made. they are petitioning the new government to ensure women have a place on direct councils they want 25% of council seats to be reserved for women in the next elections. >> we believe bringing woman from the very grassroots level and given the opportunity to engage in political discussions, and making sure they are hearing other women's voices is very important. >> reporter: a law that guaranteed women 25% of parliamentary seats was revoked last year, it was reinstated but with a 20% quota. >>> time for another short break. when we come back we're going to mexico where the war o

serving as health minister for five years under president karzai, this afternoon year, women cast more than a third of the votes. she says that sent a message. >> the message was we're a partner. the message was we are citizens who are responsible and we are citizens who believe in democracy. >> the new president ashraf ghani promised four women in his cabinet. so far there are none. the three he nominated were rejected. >> women want to ensure that progress isn't reversed. >> they're petitioning the new government to ensure women have a place on district councils. they want 25% of seats to be reserved for with emin the next election. >> >> women's voices are very important. >> a law that guaranteed 25% of parliamentary seats was revoked last year. it was reinstated with a 20% quota. afghan women represent more than 50% of the population and say they deserve a place in politics. >> the murder of an american bangladeshi blogger highlights a disturbing trend in bangladesh, becoming increasingly dangerous to speak out about their views. the space for free speech seems to be diminishing. w

quite a different sort of personality than the previous president, hamid karzai, who is often confrontational. ghani wants the american troops there. he wants to keep those 10,000 or so u.s. troops there. they will now stay there through the end of this year and the plan now is to reassess, if you will, what happens in 2016. u.s. troops out ultimately by 2017. ones that are staying no longer in a direct combat role except for counterterrorism missions. much more in the role of advising and assisting afghan forces because that now is the bottom line for afghan security to get their troops out in front and get them taking care of their security business. there is a lot of concern as the spring fighting season approaches. the taliban will be back out in the field and even some concerned in southern afghanistan some of those fighters now branding themselves as isis claiming to be isis trying to recruit more and stage new levels of attacks. ghani moving to try to get those u.s. troops to stay put for as long as he can. john? >> you can see the warm welcome he's getting in the u.s. congress as he a