I want to begin tonight by showing a moment from this weeks cpac conference, that says a lot about where we are as a country, in the ongoing a danger of the current conservative movement. Now, i will confess, and you might be thinking the same, i was under the impression there was already a cpac this year. Apparently, republicans really wanted to have another one. You know, covid happen every once in a cpac mood. Then there was one in dallas, featuring the usual subjects, republicans with it was all what you would expect, falsehoods being spoken about, the big lie. One woman in particular, honestly it almost made my Heart Stump when i saw it, its this moment that speaks to something very, very dark. And darkness at the core of this political movement right now. The persons speaking was alan barrons in. Hes a former New York times reporter. Hes become a Fox News Celebrity for pandemic truth, and his doubts that masks work, or america could ever see half 1 Million people die from covid. No way. He was dubbed by the atlantic, the pandemic strongest man. Which is stiff competition, but he has earned it. He was of course an honored guest at cpac this weekend, where he earned applause from the crowd, when he highlighted the fact that the biden administration came up short of its own Vaccination Goals. Clearly, they were hoping, the government was hoping, that they could sort of Sucker 90 of the population to getting vaccinated. It isnt happening, right . [applause] younger people are well aware of what the risks are. This is someone who is against masks, and against lockdowns, and like all the other people in that part of the ideological sphere, ends up being objectively pro covid. The crowd is cheering for the idea that people are not getting vaccinated. Even though some of the people who do not, will almost certainly get sick, or spread the virus to people around them. There will be some count Double Number of deaths that flow from this. To the extent you can get your arms around with the ideological core is here, it just feels like a movement thats embarrassing kind of Dark Mayhem and destruction, and death, and the Work Thing worse things get the better. In one of those bizarre, self aware moments, kind of, trump made a joke about that himself this weekend, and got cheers after criticizing former attorney general Bill Barr for catering to democrats who are threatening nothing to impeach him, acknowledging his own continued decline. We want to impeach him, we will impeach Bill Barr. I understand that. I dont become different, i got impeached twice. I became worse. [applause] i became worse. Its kind of a funny comedic line, darkly. You did get worse. Things to get worse in the last part of his presidency. For the last month or so, theres been one crazy report after another about just how bad it got, during his final year in office. Its all stemming in a book from Michael Bender who will join me in just a moment. Like how trump would laugh at rudy giuliani, one of his most vocal supporters, telling him he stopped. Or time on a visit to europe when he said quote, hitler did a lot of good things. He was saying, by no means, you have got to hand it to him. In his book frankly, we did win this election, the inside story of how trump lost, bender describes a Scene Following brenda describes a time he wanted the military to beat the fout of the just shoot them, inside the Oval Office. He also talks about boiling over after Hit A Bunker out of protests from the White House. When they said its not surprising, but shocking, as most stuff is. What if people said yes . That is the question to keep asking. Keep trying to open doors, then eventually you get to open one, you go through. Thats the Game Plan here. They are still trying to open the doors. There is a sense that even though Donald Trump was this, obviously ridiculous, cool cruel, figure he was channeling an ideal situation with american. Writes the more Populist Wing that one with the Paul Ryan Chain of republicanism, even represented by Mike Pence. There really was something to this. It is true, they informed wars, monopoly, capitalism, Big Tech, there are these populist impulses that Bubble Gum that trump created. Those issues played a role and some of the victories republican has seen among the base, take a second to step back though and look at where we are, this Year Craziness of it all. Joe biden, of all people, within his first few months is actually getting us out of afghanistan. He actually decided to take the job seriously and not tweet stuff about the deep state. They are trying to take on Big Tech with an ftc commissioner, they loathe it, they are terrified of. It democrats proposing some of the key features of the agenda that was the heart of some new republicanism, that was trumpism, and theyre being implemented and pursued by democrats and this democratic administration in front of our eyes. They are cheering Vaccination Goals and passing around laminated cards about how they would get Donald Trump the speaker of the house in order to restore presidency. Whatever ideological tendencies that swirl around trump, a vortex of cruelty, Nihilistic Destruction is at the center of it. Its on full display right now. It itsMichael Bender is a senior White House hes the author of frankly, we did win the election. The inside story of how trump lost. It will be available everywhere. Michael, welcome to the show. Was the darkness of a lot of it, in the book, that there are times in which the president of the united states is saying things that if taken seriously by the people around him, would lead to some Breaking Point in american democracy, and basically enough people ignored him, luckily. I think thats what this Book Shows. One of the things the Book Shows us how close we got to that point, repeatedly. And we know well the story of the chaos of this administration thats been told on this network, other networks, by my newspaper and others. This book differs because not the chaos, but the danger of how it was in the west wing, for the people right around this president. A lot of people tell me for the first time that they feared for the safety of the country, and future of the country, because they thought this president was dangerous for the nation. I want to talk about this sort of back and forth thats documented in several places about the protests last summer, and the desire to have troops be deployed, and the attempt to essentially strong arm 1 Million okaying that and then to have american troops opened fire on protesters. As i think the protests the president told protesters to do, what were those meetings, like how did we end up dodging that . I think what was happening there, was that the president was out of boiling point. That he was seeing his administration slip away from out from under him. He planned to spend 2020 running on a message of the economy, and seconds right there. In the first couple of months, its hard to remember now, but that looks like a winning message. He survived impeachment, he was thriving, he was at his High Point in the polls, and the economy was red hot. Then the pandemic hit. Then these protests it. Then George Floyd was killed, and the protests followed. He took all of this very personally, and was struggling to find a message to respond to all of it. He lashed out, his response was to lash out at the people around him, and wanting a show of force, he was really flowing back to a lot of his Law And Order messages from 2016. It fell to the top general, in the worlds most powerful military, to stop the president in a lot of these instances. Tell me more about that. An american president ordering a top general to deploy american troops against u. S. Protesters, and to shoot them. That would just be an Atrocity And War crime if it were to be undertaken, or just a crime, right . Right. That doesnt happen, because everybody says the guy is blowing his top, there is no legal authority. That is an obstruction given by the authority to the top general of the united states. There are multiple instances of this in the book, yes. Will comes through for the first time is mark milley, general milley, hes a fascinating character here. He is an Ivy League educated, who is rising in the ranks of the Military And Roll boma. Hes also kind of a boston sports guy, a new had a mix It Up with trump. Hes able to work with both administrations, and we see him in multiple scenes in this book, walking trump, basically talking trump, down right . Explaining, or trying to explain to him, that the national guard is specifically trained, as quasilaw enforcement, to handle public protests, among other things. The difference with the military troops that he wanted to send into major american cities, like the 81st airborne, these are 20, to 25 year old men and women, who are trained to kill, and take land. Its an inherently dangerous situation to send those troops into, what are mostly, peaceful protests. One of the most resonating spots in the book, for me, is in one of those meetings. And again, its trump in the Oval Office with milley, a slew of defense officials, White House aides, and trump is screaming about wanting to crack skulls, and shoot protesters in the legs. Milley stops him, points to a portrait of Abraham Lincoln over the president shoulder, and says, that guy had an Insurrection Mister President , what we have is a protest. Did you come away from the Experience And Reporting of writing this book those two ways to go through some of what we saw, all right . There is the well, the car that was careening all over the road, and the guardrails more or less k kept it on the road. And the other is, we got lucky. We kept playing essentialy aversion of russian roulette with american democracy, unlike, and never came up with the wrong chamber. How do you take away your reporting from this one . I think a lot of people in the administration, you know, i talked to dozens of administration officials, campaign aides, friends of trump, and they all had versions of how they were not a, lot im sorry. A lot of them head ideas of how they were Truth Tellers to trump. Soccer is the kernel of truth in there, but its hard for people in any administration, before and after trump, to speak truth to power. To be that close to the most powerful person, political person, in the world. Its a tough thing to tell that person they are wrong. Right . They all try different versions of it, and the problem was time and again, they saw themselves as Truth Tellers, but what really and ended up being is, speed bumps. They can slow trump down here and there, but, trump used their answers, and heard what he wanted as well. When Mike Pence tells him, in the run Up To january six, that he doesnt think that he has the legal authority to overturn the election results, but he will look at whatever legal analysis the president gives him, the president here is the second part, and when i talk to the president about that, he told me pence never told him no. Again, the Speed Bump Metaphor is useful. The car still in motion, which is why it is evident. If you get Michael Benders book wherever it sold. Thank you. Breaking News Tonight in texas, democratic lawmakers haves Flood Restriction lawlessly fly from austin, washington d. C. , we will talk to one of them love tonight. Were also gonna speak to washington d. C. Police officer michael funyun. He answered the call on january six, Michael Fanone, he was beaten and tased, leaving him badly hurt. Whos forced to live with that reality every day even though republicans shuddering write the history of the attack. My top with Michael Fanone into the incident that threatened his life, and left others dead. We others dead we for Bathroom Odors that linger try febreze small spaces. Just press firmly and it continuously eliminates odors in the air and on soft surfaces. For 45 days. Flowers are fighters. Thats why the alzheimers Association Walk to end alzheimers is full of them. Because flowers find a way to break through. Just like we will. Join the fight at alz. Org walk here are the two battling to the Line And Allyson felix. Simone manuels above her trying to fight on, and above simone. Getting an opportunity to show her stuff. Nonstop, displayed at the highest performance level. Finding something and the us takes Gold Dream on Dream On Dream On Dream On yes Ahhhhhhh Dream until your Dreams Come True Day By day, before as republicans rightwing media are tempted to write the history to turn Ashli Babbitt who was fatally tragically shot into a martyr. Just hours after her death this reporter tweeted a Picture Of coopted the language of the black lives matter movement. Now the effort to make her murder slowly built into something more intense. Paul go start said in a hearing that babbitt was, quote, executed. They appear to be hiding, lying in wait. Tucker carlson said the russian Vladimir Putin was asking for questions about Babbitt Skilling when he sees jested that her death was an assassination. Yesterday, Donald Trump was on Fox News and the two of them took a dark new alternative reality. Who shot Ashley Babbitt . Why are they keeping that secret . Who is being protected . Who shot an innocent and wonderful and incredible woman . A military woman right in the head, and there is no repercussions. If that were on the other side, it would be the biggest story in this country. Who shot Ashli Babbitt . People want to know and why. Well, thats right. And i want to talk about that because Ashley Babbitt, a wonderful woman, fatally shot on January 6th as she tried to climb out of a broken window. What can you tell us in terms of who shot Ashli Babbitt . What do you know, mr. President . I will tell, you they know who shot Ashley Babbitt. Theyre protecting that person. Now, babbitt was shot in the shoulder, not the head as trump lied and she was climbing in through a broken window, not out of a broken window as Maria Border Amount claimed. Its sort of a major distinction, but it is lies like those which attempt to frame Ashli Babbitt as a martyr and they are officer that sharper as a villain. Even though the investigation of the u. S. Department has cleared the officer of any criminal charges. Two things are happening here. First, trump and the rightwing want this Officers Name released. Not in the interest of transparency, which i think is a fair justified request for the information to be made public. But the reason they want to public is obviously so they can make this individuals life hell, which they certainly would. Second of all, this is one of those very rare cases where theres really not a lot of mystery about what happened to Ashley Babbitt because we have the entire thing on video so just to reset here, and remember, the closest the violent mob got to setting members of congress to beating them or kidnapping them or killing them was the moment that Ashli Babbitt got shot. As the New York times clearly laid out in their investigation in january six, Ashli Babbitt was one of the first people to arrive at the door to the speakers lobby right after the House Chamber while a number of House Members were still inside. Remember, there she is right there. Riders started to beat down the door and you can see just a few Police Officers standing there without right there. When they step aside because youre getting reinforcements and that brief moment, nobody starting the doors and that moment, the writer start smashing the glass. Theres only one Police Officer behind that glass. What happens next is graphic. An officer behind the door draws his gun. And moments later, babbitt climbs into a broken window and the officer fires a single shot. Ashley babbitt, with a backpack, was the first want to try to climb through those doors. The doors that had been broken but The Mob. If she had gone through, the chances are high that an entire violent mob that had already injured several Police Officers, doesnt, wouldve reached members of congress and what do you think would have happened then . If theres any doubt about the nature of this crowd, but wouldve happened. If they made it through those doors. The Body Cam Video of what happened to Police Officers engaged in literal hand to Hand Combat wisdom abe. Officers like d. C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who suffered a Heart Attack after being dragged down the capitol stomachs, beaten unconscious and tasers by The Mob. Officer fun own has since tried to get republican lawmakers to publicly denounced the lies about the deadly attack, to get them to try to stop rewriting and defending the events of january six because he knows as well as anyone the terrible risk of allowing those lies to stand. And Officer Fanone will join me next. In m next one and six months after insurrectionist stormed the capitol, those who are there, are still recovering from horrors of that day in particular, the Police Officers to defend the capital. With the New York times points out some of the personal trauma of some officers, his footage of how violent it was. There are capital Police Officers who are still going to work there every day. Many of the people they are protecting our outright sympathetic to The Mob that attacked them. Michael fanone is not a capitol Police Officer, hes the member of the d. C. Metropolitan police department. He is one of the number of members of the police who and when the rioters reached the capital. Fanone its still out on medical leave after being brutally attacked the, day and hes been spending time on Capitol Hill in a new rule of sorts, trying to get members of Capital Congress trying to stop denying what happened that day. Michael fanone joins me now. Good to have you on the program. I want to start and ask you how you are doing, generally, six months after this physically, mentally, how you are holding up . I mean, im doing a heck of a lot better than i was a few months ago. I went through a pretty dark period, i would say, maybe the first for five months immediately after the january insurrection. I have had a lot of help and support. Generally speaking, im doing much better than i was. You used the word insurrection, which i think itself has been contested by a lot of people, including members of congress on Capitol Hill and in herrings. What do you think when you hear people say it was not an insurrection . I think its bush it. Im just a simple Police Officer, and i look at things and i go off of simple definitions, things like, violence for political purposes which is exactly what the event occurred at the capitol on January 6th was. I was there, i witnessed it firsthand. It was a politically violated a violent attack on the u. S. Capital. I have been watching a lot of footage and i want to ask you another officers this, d. C. Has a lot of experience with crowd control, and a lot of experience of protests. Ive covered attended protests, attended marches that have been on the mall, and the capital. There is always a massive Police Presence and a proactive approach to it to try and keep people in place and make sure the cops have the authority and its so bizarre that you can see the Coal Pleat Absence of that on that day. How do you think about how that happened, what happened, in that respect on that day . I mean, its like that way outside of my wheel house. Despite 20 years of law enforcement experience, you know, my role within the department, primarily involved narcotics, and violent crime investigations, as well as firearm related crimes. I want to include running narcotics and running undercover operations itself. So, yeah, i mean i have seen those types of events, obviously i, have been a Police Officer for quite some time, and i would describe them like at their worst, as controlled chaos. This was just chaos. There was nothing like i had ever experienced, and many of my coworkers, again, many of whom served much longer within the department than i have, and they have never experienced anything like that. You have been to Capitol Hill, to lobby, to speak to elected members about some kind of commission investigation. One of you learn from that experience . Its not that something i think youve ever done before. One has been surprising to you, and has anything changed your mom about the way American Politics work . I was always a political person. I supported Donald Trump in 2016, but prior to that, i had voted for candidates on both sides of the political aisle. I dont think any particular party necessarily represents me completely, i guess in that respect, i would fall more to a category of an independent. However, what i have learned on Capitol Hill is that, we have a lot of elected officials that care much more about their own political future, and their own careers, than they do about The Americans that they are supposed to be representing. One of you been told when you bring this up . When you say they care more about their political future, do you think that they are lying . What did they say to your face when you look them in the eyes and say, this happened, this happened to me, we need to investigate it . Its not even a political thing. Yeah, i mean, its very inconvenient. Unfortunately, thats the reaction i get, or least those are my feelings based on those personal conversations. I get a lot of sympathy, privately, and then publicly and they continue to make statements either downplaying, or dismissing the issues of january six. At least, in my mind, its not politically advantageous and the concerns are more about the political success of their party in 2022, or 2024 rather than addressing the republican leader at the time. I want to play you a little bit of said leader just becomes it is for all of us surreal to the history being written realtime. We all saw, there were cameras there. It must be particular true for you. I wanna just play the clip and for you to take a listen. You have people with no guns, that walk down and the police in many cases have many hours of tape, they are not releasing the tape. They ought to release the tape to see what really happened. There was also a Love Fest between the police, the capital police, and the people that walk down to the capitol. What do you think that love this. Again thats a lie. Donald trumps description of january six pretty much every portion of that statement is a lie. That was not when i experienced. When i experienced was incredibly brutal, and to Hand Combat, again, just speaking about my firsthand account when i fought in the west terrace tunnel, i fought with the other officers by members of the crowd, i was beaten. I was tased numerous times at the base of my skull, and as a result of that assault, i sustained a Heart Attack, dramatic brain injury, and now suffer from ptsd thats a reality. Those are facts. This all that occurred to me was documented, memorialized in my body, more Camera Footage than in hundreds of hours of video footage, im not just my assault, but the assault of other officers. So again, im not sure what Donald Trump is referring to, but it certainly wasnt the events that day at the capital. Thats a lie. You are not a capitol Police Officer, you dont work there, but youve been to the capital. I just wonder what its like to go back and imagine how it must be to go there to work every day. If you had to go back to work there every day, what that would be like . I have no idea, to be completely honest with you, how those officers continue to show up for work every day, other than the fact that they swore an oath, and thats what Police Officers do. We go to Work Day in and day out, but you know, for me, i have had a lot of interactions after January 6th with harry dunn. You know, a hell of a guy he, hes been incredibly supportive of me. I gave him all the respect in the world going back up there in continuing to do his job after what he experienced on the sixth. Then also to have to pass these individuals in the hallway, that Go On Television and talk about that day as being another Tourist Day at the capitol, i mean, i couldnt imagine what thats like. There is this increasing thing coming from quarters to release the name of the officer that was shot, i think there is a question about Government Transparency and i wonder if just giving you experience being in the public eye, what you would imagine being on the Receiving End of that would be like, should it be disclosed. I mean, i will not speculate on those things but, i dont think anyone thats watching this program, or understands the way this rhetoric is being utilized, i mean. Its no stretch of the imagination as to what that particular officer could be potentially in for, when his name, or her name, be released. When i listen to those statements, congressman goes are, and the Donald Trump, its just insane. Absolute insanity. What happened to Ashli Babbitt was a tragedy, anytime Someones Life is taken violently, it is a tragedy. The reality is that she was participating in a violent insurrection, at the u. S. Capital, and that officer had a responsibility, and an oath to uphold, and he did so as the Justice Department stated, fulfill that oath by protecting his own life, and other members of congress is life. And to hear that event be politicized, its inhumane. I know youve been on leave, do you miss being on the force . You have ptsd, and obviously have sustained incredible injuries. I wonder if the last six months, how its changed how you fix feel about yourself in the Work Field . I love being a Police Officer. You know, i have been a Police Officer in the bettered par of my adult life. Its really the only career i have ever had. I join the fourth shortly after 9 11, and have forged some lifelong friendships in the law enforcement community. It doesnt change how i feel about my job, or my responsibility. I see what i am doing now, as kind of an extension to my service on January 6th. While most of my coworkers have returned to work, and continued to go in day in and day out, this is my work. Its to get people to recognize whatsapp and on january six, in the hopes that maybe we can reevaluate why it was that we felt the need, or part of our country felt the need, to participate in a violent event like that. Officer Michael Fanone of the Metropolitan Police department in washington d. C. I really enjoyed talking to you. I appreciate you taking the time to do it. Thank you so much. Thank you, sir. Hi appreciate it. The good. All right, we will be right back. Stick around. Stick around anymore. Wow. So sudden. Um, were not about to have the we need Life Insurance Conversation again, are we . No, were having the were getting coverage so we dont have to worry about it conversation. So youre calling about the 9. 95 a Month Plan from Colonial Penn . I am. We put it off long enough. We are getting that 9. 95 plan, today. jonathan is it time for you to call about the 9. 95 plan . Im jonathan from Colonial Penn Life Insurance company. Sometimes we just need a reminder not to take today for granted. If youre age 50 to 85, you can get guaranteed acceptance whole Life Insurance starting at just 9. 95 a month. There are no Health Questions so you cant be turned down for any health reason. The 9. 95 plan is colonial Penns Number one most popular whole life plan. Options start at just 9. 95 a month. Thats less than 35 cents a day. Your rate can never go up. Its locked in for life. Call today for free information. And youll also get this free beneficiary planner, so call now. Soft Music were tracking Breaking News hello, Colonial Penn . Out of texas tonight, where more than 50 State House democrats have fled the state to stop the latest republican attempt to restrict voter rights. The move essentially paralyzes the Special Session of Texas Legislature where republicans and she just a pair of bills last week. The fire among other things, i. T. For Mailin Voting and power for Poll Watchers and Ban Drivethrough and overnight options for early voting which are used very successfully in the last election. Now, this is the second time in his many months that democrats have flood the legislature to stop Voter Suppression bills. Tonight, texas democrats landed in washington d. C. On the eve of the president s major address On Voting Rights tomorrow. Im joined now by one of the leaders of the walkout. Texas State Representative Jasmine crockett. Youve done it. Getting 50 legislators can to do anything can be hard. How did you guys come together to take this very dramatic action. Man, listen. First of all, thanks for having me. And youre absolutely right getting that many people to do anything feels impossible but when democracy is on the line i think those who truly understand what we are supposed to be in this country, we dont compromise and so for so long the republicans the have been pushing us around the Texas Legislature because they have the numbers but when it comes to democracy, Thats Something that was not difficult especially the second time because the governor called a Special Session and put a lot of nonsense on the call and there was nothing on the call for the texas people and our great wasnt on that call so there wasnt really anything to keep us there. So im so proud of my colleagues and im so thankful to the good lord above that we all made it out and everybody has arrived in d. C. Safely and we dont have to worry about dealing with going to the floor tomorrow. So why d. C. . You want from texas to d. C. Youre talking from d. C. Tonight. Why d. C. . Yeah, absolutely. I, mean wet other place can we go that we can actually seek some relief. Were still working on behalf of the people of the state of texas. And this isnt a vacation and wear away from our families and our jobs but were here to do the bidding of the state of texas and our various districts. And so the only thing that we can do the full Court Press to the senate. When we came last time there were only a few of us and the bill was dead. We didnt know where to go from there. We now have two very live bills and we know that our legislature is going to keep pushing. And so we have a democratically controlled house, a democratically controlled u. S. Senate, and a democratically controlled White House. And in texas were doing everything we can to push through and so were asking that everyone in charge in d. C. , the democratic leadership, pushed through to something is good. Not just for the state of texas. This is a crisis that we are suffering from in this country. Your last guess, officer just told you youre lying. And theyre still lying and its sad to see that now the only game that the republicans have to play is to lie and cheat we dont want to be cheated in this country. We want to representation to look like the people choosing our representation, not our representatives choosing who theyre gonna represent. Texas State Representative Jasmine crockett, along with 49 of her colleagues. Thanks so much for joining tonight. Thank you so much the. Next, americas longest war is finally coming to an end. Why now . Who is getting left behind . Right after this. Ght after this sell your policy, even a term policy, for an immediate cash payment. Call Coventry Direct to learn more. We thought we had planned carefully for our retirement. But we quickly realized that we needed a way to supplement our income. Our friends sold their policy to help pay for their medical bills and that got me thinking. 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Finding something and the us takes Gold Dream on Dream On Dream On Dream On yes Ahhhhhhh Dream until your Dreams Come True its been nearly 20 years and yet somehow, amazingly, it looks like the u. S. Is almost finally out of afghanistan. Award doesnt officially end until the end of august and the symbolic end of the conflict, the leader of the troops and afghanistan step down today. The team makes up a few of The Americans the storm on the country. Over 90 of all u. S. Troops and military is already out of the country. The infamous Bagram Airfield is now deserted, left in the hands of the afghan army. The taliban is once again reclaiming territory across the country. This war has been limping on for nearly 20 years, two decades. It started writing about it in covering it when i first started becoming a reporter. Its surreal at this moment to realize were basically out. And it seems to be the same situation as if wed left ten or even 15 years ago. Ryan covers this story where she broke the news that President Biden was planning to withdraw from afghanistan back in april. And she joins me now. You know, missy, i would say that if you asked me back in early 2020 during the president ial primary if i thought that if Joe Biden were elected, he would withdraw essentially all u. S. Personnel from afghanistan, all u. S. Troops in the first six months i wouldve been very surprised about where the case. I would have been skeptical. How did this come about . So, President Biden has had this well developed sense of Sex Skepticism and the value of the military in afghanistan for at least a decade at this point. As you recall, when he was Vice President , he was very passionate voice of caution arguing that President Obama should as he put it at the time, champ by the generals who are arguing for a big surge in afghanistan. Ultimately, the military went out and there wasnt a surge. And as you say, the outcome of those additional ten years is really questionable at this point. The afghan forces have had a lot of time to get trained up and get their equipment. But at the same time, what were seeing right now is the taliban really sweep across much of the country as the result of fighting. As the result of plant practical retreat. As the result of deals that have been made in the village at district levels. And as general Scott Austin Miller completed his mission there today in this transfer of command ceremony, it really marked the symbolic and the u. S. Military mission. And it raises a question what have we accomplished . And the Big Question of the future is what can we expect from the afghan state at this stage despite everything the united states has tried to do in afghanistan . You referred to that phrase, jams by the generals, and i think weve seen multiple times throughout the course of this war, particularly in the last ten years where there was clearly resistance to exiting from top military officials who really did try to kind of, you know, jam the leadership of the country. Did that same dynamic arise this time around . No. I think that the attitude from the pentagon was different and everyone was cognizant of the lessons of the 2009 to thousand intent debate. And whats the overall conclusions were, given how it turned out on the ground. And i think most importantly, people came into this knowing that biden was very skeptical of the Militarys Role in washington. He said on the Campaign Trail that he hoped that the vast majority of the troops, and i think the most important factor that distinguishes this time from last time was the fact that everyone had another decade to conclude that this war was never going to be one on the battlefield. And even the most argument supporters and the powers of military force, if you want to put it that way, had concluded that it wasnt going to happen in afghanistan. And everyone realized that there would be a negotiated outcome. All right, Missy Ryan has been doing great reporting on this topic. Thank you so much. Thank you. That is all in on this monday night. The Rachel Maddow Show starts right now. Good evening rachel. Good evening chris, thank you my friend. Much appreciated. And thanks to you at home for joining us this hour. Happy to have you here. So the planes just landed. Late today, a few dozen democratic members of the texas State House of representatives met here at a local plumbers union building. Texas all together. Heres how the Texas Tribune E headlines their trip, ip quote, Texas House Democrats flee the state in a move that could block voting Restrictions Bill and bring the legislature to a halt. This is a dramatic thing that has been under way this afternoon and into tonight, and a crucial part of it is happening right now as we speak