Intro

A New York Times investigation has revealed evidence of a secret Russian operation to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan — and of the failure of the Trump administration to act on that intelligence. As lawmakers from both parties react with fury, one of the journalists who first reported the story tells us what has come to light so far.

Guest: Eric Schmitt, who covers terrorism and national security for The New York Times.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily

Background reading:

• The Times reported on Monday that President Trump was provided a written briefing on the intelligence about the suspected Russian plot in late February.
• “If it does come out as true, obviously the heartache would be terrible,” said the father of a Marine who died in a 2019 car bombing in Afghanistan, which is reportedly the focus of investigators’ work.

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