mr. 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

mr. 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.

mr. 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

mr. karzai told reporters, was an easy source of petty cash and some of it was used to pay off members of the political elite and a group dominated by warlords. this past sunday an article in the raleigh north carolina paper titled c.i.a. cash help to refill al qaeda's covers. according to the art erikle the c.i.a. contributes to al qaeda bottom line was another in a long list of examples of how the united states largely because of poor oversight and loose financial controls has sometimes inadvertently financed the very militants who have been killing american soldiers. finally, the article stated, the cash flow has slowed since a new afghan president, mr. beganny, assumed office in september. afghan officials said, but they added the cash was still coming in. for at least five years, it has been reported that cash from the united states has been funneled to the afghan government through the c.i.a. as a sort of slush fund and some of that money has made its way to al qaeda. this is only one example of the waste, fraud, and abuse in afghanistan. yet the current administration has obligated

mr. rosenberg ghani offers hope for the u.s. president it says in the editor. >> he doesn't need all the chitchat he's not like dye who karzai who was often moody and belligerent. ghani runs an incredibly weak government. john kerry had to go there and personally negotiate the deal in which ghani was the president but abdalla business political rival, has created an office called the ceo. they do not get along. 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 infrastr

mr. ghani is more cooperative and more consistent than his predecessor hamid karzai inskin on things the. thought they had agreed. that he disagreed with. live for us from kabul, nick paton walsh. thank you. >>> we'll take a short break, coming up on "cnn newsroom," more on the crash of flight 9525. we will tell you about the airline german germanwings, the planes they fly and their reputation for safety. >>> plus we're learning more about those who lost their lives on the flight including these two acclaimed opera singers. now with the xfinity tv go app, you can watch live tv anytime. it's never been easier with so many networks all in one place. get live tv whenever you want. the xfinity tv go app. now with live tv on the go. enjoy over wifi or on verizon wireless 4g lte. plus enjoy special savings when you purchase any new verizon wireless smartphone or tablet from comcast. visit comcast.com/wireless to learn more. >>> welcome back. are you watching "cnn newsroom." i'm rosemary church. >> i'm errol barnett. let's check the headlines for you this hour. rain and snow could complicate se

mr. president, how different is your relationship now with the u.s. than president hamid karzai's was.t was tense toward the end. and 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 drug

mr. ghani met at camp david with secretary of state john kerry and others. both sides are trying to improve relations now that ghani has succeeded hamid karzai, who had a testyionship with washington. one plan now being talked about is for the u.s. to provide funding for an afghan security force. >>> senator ted cruz will be looking for money today. craig boswell tells us he is starting a fundraising tour now after he announced he is running for president. >> 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'm 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 obamacare. >> imagine in 2017 a new president signing legislation repealing every word of obamacare! [ applause and cheers ] >> reporter: senator cruz gave national attention in 2013 leading a 16-day government shutdown's urged congress to cut off moni

karzai. he's been thanking the president, taxpayers, congress. both sides eager to hear mr.a warm reception. this comes against what happened with president obama announcing he'll keep 9,800 troops in afghanistan for the foreseeable future. the drawdown was supposed to be down to 5,500. that elicited a response from john boehner, a good idea keeps the situation on the ground secure in afghanistan. republicans like him for pushing the president to keep troops on the ground there, and the president heeding his advice. >> and kristen, a lot going on at the white house when the two presidents met. what were the headlines? >> luke touched on one of them. i'm delve into that more deeply in a moment. the big headline the first time president obama was meeting with the president of afghanistan here at white house and made that specific announcement he would slow the pace of troop withdrawal. something that was anticipated but the fact that he made it official yesterday certainly significant. again, he initially been planning to announce the drawdown of 9,800 troops to half that. yes

karzai says he was assured c.i.a. will continue to deliver bags of cash. mr. speaker, this squandering of billions of u.s. taxpayer dollars by the afghan government is one small aspect of the rampant waste, fraud and abuse in afghanistan. the house is looking to vote on the budget produced by the republican majority this week which contains billions of dollars the military deserves. but the billions of dollars going to afghanistan are a waste. the republican budget also provides billions of dollars for emergency war funding to get around sequestration. why do we have sequestration in the first place? because congress has not passed an honest budget in years. a couple of weeks ago, the house armed services committee had a hearing on u.s. policy in afghanistan where i asked general john campbell, u.s. army commander of international security assistance, forces and united states forces in afghanistan if he will ever have a successor who will be honest with congress and the american people about the fact that we have done as much as we can do in afghanistan. he did not give me a direct answer, but his respons

mr. campbell: first off, sir with president ghani and dr. abdullah, the senior -- the c.e.o., it is a new dynamic. 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 onl

mr. campbell: first off, sir with president ghani and dr. abdullah, the senior -- the c.e.o., it is a new dynamic. 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, no

mr. campbell: first off, sir, with president ghani and dr. abdullah the senior -- the c.e.o. it is a new dynamic. 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 iraqis visited military hospitals, he en-- sites he's visited military hospitals. i eand attend 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 forcesr where it would not be without the help of