In Afghanistan, peace talks with the Taliban have already broken down. We explore the idea of talking to your enemy and whether the Afghan government should engage in talks with the Taliban. Bilal Sarwary, reporter for the BBC; Kristen Rouse, a three-tour veteran of Afghanistan; and Kurt Volker, former U.S. permanent representative to NATO, weigh in on these developments.

Today President Obama meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping far outside the beltway, in sunny Palm Springs, California. The two leaders have much to discuss, from North Korea to cyberattacks to recent reports of Chinese espionage in American institutions. Peter Narvarro is a professor of economics and public policy at the University of California, Irvine. He recently directed a film entitled “Death By China.”

Jonathan Alter, columnist for Bloomberg View, analyst for NBC News and MSNBC and the author of The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies (Simon & Schuster, 2013), offers analysis of the news and looks back at the 2012 presidential election.

New Jerseyans protesting Chris Christie's climate change policies greeted the Governor as he appeared with President Barack Obama at the Asbury Park Convention Center Monday.

David Sanger, chief Washington correspondent at the New York Times, and the author of (now in paperback) Confront and Conceal: Obama's Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power (Broadway, 2013) talks about the use of cyberattacks in the conflict with Iran.

This week, three major scandals have picked up steam in Washington: the I.R.S. unfairly targeting conservative groups, the Department of Justice's subpoena of journalists' phone numbers and last year's attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich shares the latest on the series of firestorms in Washington.

Today marks the 37th time the House has attempted to repeal the health care law. Is there any possibility of the law finally being overturned, and if not, why do Republican leaders persist in attempting to do so? The Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich explains.

President Obama says the United States will not intervene in Syria unless there is clear evidence that chemical weapons have been used by the Assad regime. But with already 70,000 people dead in this conflict, are we splitting hairs over the techniques used to kill people? Does it really matter how people are being killed?

President Obama is visiting Mexico Thursday. Shannon O'Neil, senior fellow for Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of Two Nations Indivisible: Mexico, the United States, and the Road Ahead, talks about what to expect from the trip and the relationship between Obama and President Pena Nieto.

Fred Kaplan, War Stories columnist for Slate and author of The Insurgents: David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War, wrote last week: "One thing that [President] Obama has made very clear in his approach to war and peace: He abhors the prospect of uncontrolled escalation." Today, he talks about the Obama administration's "red line" when it comes to Syria, and the calculation of conflict.

Yesterday, the senate voted down a plan to expand background checks on firearm sales, as well as several other amendments gun control advocates said would help prevent gun violence. Glenn Thrush, Senior White House Reporter for POLITICO, discusses the vote, President Obama's impassioned reaction to the defeat, and what comes next.

Decoding Dreams in New Research | Obama's Budget to Be Announced Wednesday