President Obama called the opening of the Taliban’s office in Qatar a first step toward Afghan reconciliation. The US has withdrawn the precondition that the Taliban sever ties with al Qaeda, and will begin peace talks with the Taliban on June 20. The US transferred primary security responsibility for all of Afghanistan to Afghan forces. The head of the NSA said he would provide Congress with details of 50 cases of terrorist activity thwarted by means of the NSA’s electronic records program, including an al Qaeda-linked plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange.
