AP Ground Game By Meg Kinnard - January 13, 2025 - As President Joe Biden prepares to leave office, he remains insistent that his one-term presidency has made strides in restoring American credibility on the world stage and has proven the U.S. remains an indispensable global partner.

 

By Meg Kinnard January 13, 2025

As President Joe Biden prepares to leave office, he remains insistent that his one-term presidency has made strides in restoring American credibility on the world stage and has proven the U.S. remains an indispensable global partner. That message will be at the center of an address he will deliver Monday afternoon on his foreign policy legacy.    Welcome to this week’s edition of AP Ground Game.  THE HEADLINES President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands after signing a security agreement on the sidelines of the G7, Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Savelletri, Italy. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)  Biden says he was the steady hand the world needed after Trump  After a turbulent four years around the globe, the Democratic administration argues that Biden provided the world a steady hand and left the United States and its allies on a stronger footing. But from the outset of his presidency, Biden was tested by war, calamity and miscalculation.    With the U.S. completing its 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, Biden fulfilled a campaign promise to wind down America’s longest war. The 20-year conflict came to an end in disquieting fashion: The U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed, a grisly bombing killed 13 U.S. troops and 170 others, and thousands of desperate Afghans descended on Kabul’s airport in search of a way out before the final U.S. aircraft departed over the Hindu Kush Mountains.     Biden rallied allies in Europe and beyond to provide Ukraine with billions in military and economic assistance, which allowed Kyiv to stay in the fight with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s vastly bigger and better-equipped military. But Biden has faced criticism that he's been too cautious about providing the Ukrainians with certain advanced lethal weaponry in a timely matter and setting restrictions on how they're used. Read more.

Of note: Biden's case for foreign policy achievements will be shadowed and shaped, at least in the near term, by the messy counterfactual that American voters are returning the country’s stewardship to President-elect Donald Trump and his protectionist worldview.

Related reads ➤  Biden speaks with relatives of Americans held by Taliban, but deal to bring them home still elusive  As Biden joins the former presidents club, here are some ideas for his retirement to-do list  ADVERTISEMENT Special counsel Jack Smith resigns  Smith resigned from the Justice Department after submitting his investigative report on Trump, an expected move that comes amid legal wrangling over how much of that document can be made public in the days ahead. The department disclosed Smith’s departure in a court filing Saturday, saying he had resigned one day earlier.    The resignation, just days before Trump is inaugurated, follows the conclusion of two unsuccessful criminal prosecutions against Trump that were withdrawn following Trump’s White House win in November.    At issue now is the fate of a two-volume report that Smith and his team had prepared about their twin investigations into Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of his 2020 election and his hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Read more.

Of note: The Justice Department had been expected to make the document public in the final days of the Biden administration, but the Trump-appointed judge who presided over the classified documents case granted a defense request to at least temporarily halt its release. Two of Trump’s co-defendants had argued that the release of the report would be unfairly prejudicial.

Related reads ➤  Appeals court denies bid to block public release of special counsel’s report on Trump Jan. 6 probe  Outgoing director: FBI must be independent and above the partisan fray  Hegseth could lead troops who'd face firing for actions he's done in the past  If Pete Hegseth were still in uniform, his extramarital affairs and a decision to flatly ignore a combat commander's directive would not just be drawing the attention of senators – they could have run afoul of military law.     That is raising questions among current and former defense leaders and veterans about whether Hegseth would be able to enforce discipline in the ranks if confirmed as Trump’s defense secretary. Hegseth would oversee more than 2 million troops who could be disciplined or kicked out of the service for the same behavior he has acknowledged or been accused of in the past.    The Army National Guard veteran and former “Fox & Friends” weekend host has acknowledged having multiple extramarital affairs – which occurred while he was in the military, according to divorce records – and has said he told his troops to ignore commands about when to fire on potential enemies. Both violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice and can get troops court-martialed and dishonorably discharged. Read more.

Of note: While it's very rare for a service member to be disciplined solely for a consensual affair, it's more likely to be done as part of a broader incident that affects the good order and discipline of a unit or their ability to lead – issues that are expected to come up Tuesday at Hegseth's Senate confirmation hearing.

Related reads ➤  Trump’s Cabinet picks are set for Senate hearings. Here’s the schedule  Trump is planning 100 executive orders starting Day 1 on border, deportations and other priorities  ADVERTISEMENT IN PHOTOS President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)  ON THE CALENDAR Trump is expected to be with his transition team in Florida until he heads to Washington for next week’s inauguration.  Biden on Monday delivers a foreign policy address at the State Department before receiving a briefing on the federal response to the California wildfires. He delivers a farewell address to the nation on Wednesday, attends a Department of Defense ceremony on Thursday, and speaks on Friday at the U.S. Conference of Mayors.  2024 COUNTDOWN OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON New in North Carolina: Democratic governor pledges to rebuild after Helene, work with GOP  Florida accusations: ACLU sues DeSantis for not calling special elections for state House and Senate seats  ADVERTISEMENT

That’s all from me for the day, thanks for reading Ground Game. Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. - Meg