[Natalie Allen, Cnn Anchor:] A major drawdown: thousands of U.S. troops could soon be pulled from Afghanistan. U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham makes it clear he's not trying to be fair about Donald Trump's expected impeachment. Also, snow, ice and rain spreading coast to coast across the United States. Derek Van Dam will have that with us. It's all this hour. Welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world. Live to you from Atlanta, GA. I'm Natalie Allen. NEWSROOM starts right now.
[Allen:] Thank you for joining us. Our top story, new developments in America's longest war; thousands of U.S. troops are expected to be withdrawn from Afghanistan. That's coming to us from a senior Trump administration official. The move has been in the works for quite some time and is being welcomed by the Taliban as a good step. Here's White House correspondent Jeremy Diamond with more about it.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, the Trump administration is preparing to announce the withdrawal of about 4,000 troops from Afghanistan. That would take the total number of U.S. troops, which is currently estimated to be between 12,000 and 13,000, into the range of 8,600. That is the number that the president himself floated back in August, when he said that the U.S. was likely going to be drawing down the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. So this is something that has been in the works for quite some time. But now a senior administration official is indeed telling me that is the plan, to move forward with this troop withdrawal and that it could happen as early as next week. Of course, the timing, of course, is still very much in flux. That was the note of caution that I got from this senior administration official. All of this, of course, coming as the U.S. has restarted those peace talks with the Taliban following President Trump's visit to Afghanistan over the Thanksgiving holiday. That was the president's first visit to Afghanistan during his presidency. And while he was there, he suggested that the Taliban were now open to a cease-fire. That is not something that the Taliban leaders have so far admitted to and in fact they were quite caught off guard by President Trump's comments. The question, though, is, of course, how this will all play in the negotiations; the withdrawal of about 4,000 troops could be viewed as a unilateral concession by the United States and certainly will have an effect on those peace talks with the Taliban Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.
[Allen:] Let's talk more about this with Sam Kiley following developments from us from Abu Dhabi. First up, can you elaborate how the withdrawal may affect the peace talks?
[Sam Kiley, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, there are two different alternative scenarios. The first is they clearly could affect peace talks in a positive way as a sign of good faith coming from the United States, given that the Taliban's demands are that the United States withdraw entirely as part of any long-term settlement with the central government in Afghanistan, which, I stress, is not part yet of these talks. The flip side of that argument, as Jeremy was pointing out, this could be seen as a sign of weakness, a sign that the Americans want to get out after 18 years of an inconclusive and highly expensive deployment, come what may, and may be prepared to abandon the Afghan government. The truth probably lies between the two different alternatives, Natalie. I have been covering Afghanistan since 2001. There hasn't been a senior officer from NATO that I have spoken to them any time since 2008 who hasn't been firmly of the view that essentially it was pretty much a waste of blood and treasure to be there. The essence has been how to extract foreign forces from Afghanistan without causing the collapse of the central government, a worst-case scenario, or a civil war, which could easily follow if there isn't a coherent peace process. So this is very much at the early stages of what the Americans hope will be a way to extract themselves from this very costly engagement without leaving utter chaos behind themselves.
[Allen:] Of that potential utter chaos, the Taliban are popular in some parts of the country. The question is will they try to move into other areas?
[Kiley:] That would be an interesting strategic decision that the Taliban might face. They are popular, some would even argue almost dominant in the south and east of the country and indeed parts of the southwest down onto the Iranian border in Iraq. But elsewhere in the country, they are fulsomely loathed for their ideological and for their ethnic differences. But they would be aware that they have no natural constituency in the north of the country. There are also substantial government forces that have been relatively well-trained and equipped since they were able to topple the various warlords when they took over back in the day. So I think ultimately the Taliban would be pretty circumspect about the idea that they could take over the whole country but they could get themselves into position, which indeed they have, in which they are a serious contender for the power sharing in the future of Afghanistan. The nature of the power sharing, whether they would be prepared to subject themselves to democratic oversight, for example, remain a very distant issue in peace talks that are really in their infancy.
[Allen:] Sam Kiley with the latest, Sam, thank you. One of U.S. president Donald Trump's friends is pushing for a quick impeachment trial in the Senate. Republican Lindsey Graham said he will do everything in its power to ensure that it, quote, "dies quickly." This is what he told Becky Anderson at a conference in Qatar.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] I want this to end as quick as possible for the good of the Senate, for the good of the country and I think the best thing for America to do is get this behind us. We know how it's going to end. I have tried to give a pretty clear signal that I have made up my mind.
[Allen:] Well, we will have more of Becky Anderson's interview with Senator Graham later this hour. Before we get to a Senate trial, of course, the U.S. House of Representatives still has to vote on two articles of impeachment, obstruction of Congress and abuse of power. That vote likely to happen in the coming days. CNN's Lauren Fox reports from Washington.
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] Another big week in Washington as the House of Representatives is poised to vote to impeach President Donald Trump as soon as Wednesday. That's putting pressure on moderate Democrats, some of them who won in districts president Donald Trump won in 2016. One Democrat, Republican Van Drew, is expected to switch parties soon. That's according to one senior Democratic source, who said Van Drew has told fellow members that that is his plan moving forward. Van Drew already said he was not going to be supporting the articles of impeachment but it just shows the pressure that the Democrats are under. Another Democrat in a swing district, Tom Malinowski, held a town hall on Saturday where he heard from both supporters and opponents of President Trump. Here's what happened when he said he would support the two articles of impeachment.
[Rep. Tom Malinowski:] Based on the evidence that I have seen in the depositions, in the hearings, in the documents I have seen, I believe that, on the two counts of impeachment that have been put before us, that the vote should be yes. And I will be voting yes.
[Fox:] Meanwhile, plans are still developing in the Senate where majority leader Mitch McConnell has made no secret of the fact that he would prefer a shorter trial with no witnesses. Meanwhile, President Trump has been telling his allies privately that he would prefer a longer trial, more of a show to defend himself. Where that goes will be uncertain until Democrats and Republicans in the Senate return from their holiday break in January for CNN, Lauren Fox, Washington.
[Allen:] Much to talk about. Joining me now is the head of the U.S. and the Americas Programme at Chatham House international think tank. Leslie, good to see you.
[Leslie Vinjamuri, Chatham House:] Thank you.
[Allen:] Let's start with Lindsey Graham. He says he doesn't have to be a fair juror. And Mitch McConnell saying he will cooperate with the White House in the Senate trial. What do you think of their approach here?
[Vinjamuri:] Well, I think you have to remember the context. Lindsey Graham was at the Doha Forum, This is a major international conference with leaders and thought leaders from all over the world listening to this. So it's a very strong statement. And clearly Lindsey Graham is making it clear that he has no doubt which way this vote should go. But I guess what's also interesting here is that, you know, Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, as we have just seen, differ from the president, who might like to see witnesses called when this goes to the Senate, assuming this goes to the Senate. But Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, they want it short. It suggests perhaps they don't trust what might happen if there were a longer trial. But it's been intensely political the entire time. And I think it's it is surprising to see. Now there's norm when you talk about a trial of this kind, that you would have a fair trial, that it will be deliberative, that views would be aired, evidence would be aired, that it would be taken very seriously and those making a decision would not come out in advance of that kind of trial. But this is a different political situation. And I think what we have seen is the Republicans very much on the offensive when it comes to capturing and controlling that narrative because they know it has high stakes politically and in the public imagination.
[Allen:] Right. And to your point, Republicans call the impeachment inquiry from the House Democrats a sham. And it kind of seemed like they might be making the Senate trial the same because, when they took the oath, it was during an impeachment to be an impartial juror. It doesn't look like that's going to happen.
[Vinjamuri:] Well, and, of course, if you go back to the hearings in the House, of course, both sides had the opportunity to raise questions. If you keep a trial short that you restrict that ability of Democrats to speak, obviously of witnesses if you don't call them. So it's really very much about controlling the narrative. And what we are seeing right now, of course, senators and members of Congress are looking back to the public, to their constituents. That public remains very, very divided. But it also remains skewed on partisan lines, with well over 80 percent of Republicans opposing impeachment and the reverse on the Democratic side. So I think reading the tea leaves, they are wanting to move forward. Nobody wants this to have a very negative impact on their electoral prospects. But it is interesting that the president seems to have a different view on this.
[Allen:] Right. So this week, it is expected that he will be impeached. The headlines will be in bold print and italicized. This will be historic. Some Americans have been tuned out during the process. But what effect do you think might the official impeachment of a U.S. president have on the American psyche right now?
[Vinjamuri:] Well, again, it comes down a lot to how this plays out in the media, on social media. We have seen millions of dollars spent on Facebook ads that are anti-impeachment. There's a lot of money now being spent on ads in mainstream news. So part of it will come down to the influence of the campaigns that are being waged. But public attitudes, I think there is a sense in which people have their views. They're relatively fixed. And they would like to move forward. And that is what politicians are counting on. But when it comes time to go and vote, I think this is where we will see, you know, how people really feel. This is where it will play out.
[Allen:] Yes. I wanted to ask you, how might his impeachment affect the dynamic on the campaign trail for both Democrats and Republicans?
[Vinjamuri:] Well, we are clearly seeing a number of a few individuals who feel that pressure because, you know, as we have just seen, there are some Democrats in the House who are in constituencies that previously voted for Donald Trump and the Republican Party. There are some races where it might have a significant impact. But the American electorate remains very divided. Again, it hasn't shifted. In the very beginning, when the decision to impeach, the decision to hold hearings was announced, there was a spike. About a 9 percent spike in those who were really supportive of this. But since then that same change hasn't snowballed. So it's not clear how it will play out. It will depend in part on how this week is handled and the first couple of weeks, if a Senate trial really is that short, how it is handled.
[Allen:] Right. And how will it affect the presidential campaign trail, that is something that we'll be also waiting to see. Leslie, thank you so much for your insights.
[Vinjamuri:] Thank you.
[Allen:] Well, another sign of progress in resolving the U.S.-China trade war. China is stopping additional tariffs on U.S. goods that were set to kick in today. This follows the announcement that both countries had reached an interim trade deal. The U.S. also hit pause on tariffs on Chinese goods that were set to go into effect. Next here, a 13-year-old suspect is talking to police about the fatal stabbing of this young college student in New York. More about this tragedy coming up here. Also, in the U.S., winter storms, harsh winds. A look at which states are under a winter weather warning and how ice could play a dangerous role. That's also next from Derek Van Dam.