Afghanistan

Twenty veterans a day die by suicide. The president needs to guarantee the men and women of our forces are taken care of, both during and after their service.

Christian McCoy, a retired Green Beret working for CACI International, was killed Monday.

"Al Qaeda attacked us on 9/11. That's why I and so many other people joined the military, to go after Al Qaeda. Not the Taliban," Gabbard explained.

Afghanistan will likely never become an American-style democracy. But the U.S. must ensure its peace agreement with the Taliban allows no return to the status quo ante.

The Pentagon is reportedly preparing to present plans to send 10,000 more troops to the region.

Alexander Bortnikov, head of the Federal Security Service, warned that 5,000 fighters from ISIS had been deployed in northern Afghanistan.

While not uncommon, the request comes at a moment of high tension in Washington as Democrats grow increasingly frustrated by what they view as the Trump administration's obstruction of their oversight responsibilities.

"We have not begun any peace talks with the Afghan government at all," retired four-star General Jack Keane said. "That is going to be very, very complicated, and we've got a long road in front of us."

The Pentagon identified three U.S. Marines killed in Afghanistan on Monday after their convoy was attacked by a Taliban militant driving a car rigged with explosives.

The three American service members died after their military convoy was struck by a suicide bomber.

The U.S. military, as capable and professional as it is, is but one tool in America's extensive foreign policy toolkit.  

"I'm sad that I'm losing track of all the people I know who have been killed in action. I'm sad and angry," said a former U.S. Army EOD soldier. "I'm sad that he's gone and angry that I can't switch places with him."

The operation that resulted in the two deaths is under investigation, the NATO Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan said.

After nearly 18 years of continuous war, formal peace is now on the agenda, but so is meltdown.

At the 75th Annual Congressional dinner of the Washington Press Club Foundation, the Republican Congressman also joked journalists should be grateful for the stream of news the president provides.

"American troops have been in Afghanistan for nearly 18 years, Iraq since 2003 and in Syria since 2015," Senator Bernie Sanders said.

"They want us to kill guys compassionately and only under the rules of engagement that they say to," Representative Duncan Hunter complained.

"We have a base in Iraq, and the base is a fantastic edifice. I mean, I was there recently, and I couldn't believe the money that was spent on these massive runways," the president said.

Several Democrats, however, voted against the amendment, calling for an end to the U.S. military presence in the Middle East.

"Power over foreign policy has shifted to the executive branch over the last 30 years. Many of us in the Senate want to start taking it back," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.

"With Murders up 33% in Mexico, a record, why wouldn't any sane person want to build a Wall!" President Donald Trump said.

By hosting direct talks with the Taliban, a former U.S. ambassador to Kabul said, "We have ourselves delegitimized the government we claim to support."

International Criminal Court judge Christoph Flügge said that the U.S. "wished death on the international criminal court" after being accused of war crimes in Afghanistan.

The drafted framework is tentative but appears to be the closest the parties have come to reaching an agreement to end a 17-year war that has killed tens of thousands.

On Wednesday, the Pentagon identified the second American to be killed in Afghanistan since President Donald Trump ordered a withdrawal of roughly 7,000 American forces from the region.

Wayne Blass is suing the Britain's Ministry of Defense over claims he contracted the disease from sheep feces.

Melania Trump will reportedly spend the Martin Luther King holiday weekend at Mar-a-Lago.

U.S. Army Sergeant Cameron A. Meddock, whose wife was expecting their first child, was on his second deployment to Afghanistan.

Pelosi's deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, said the security of the trip has been compromised due to "grave threats caused by the President's action."

"One sophomoric response does not deserve another," Graham said of Trump's rebuke to Pelosi.