President Joe Biden's five-decade-long tenure in public service comes to an end later this month,

spanning four years as president, eight as second in command, and many more serving his home state of Delaware in the U.S. Senate.

To examine the president's time in office and his legacy, I'm joined now by two reporters who have covered his career extensively. Dan Balls is

chief correspondent for the Washington Post and has covered Mr. Biden for decades, and Annie

Linsky covers the White House for the Wall Street Journal. Welcome to you both. Thanks for being

here. Dan, I want to start with you because Mr. Biden has spent 50 years over half his life

in public service. He was first elected to just 27 years over half his life in public service.

He was first elected to just 27 years old to a Delaware County Council seat.

Three years later became one of the youngest senators in U.S. history.

Clearly had big ambitions from the beginning.

But in those early years, how did he put his stamp on Washington?

You know, it's very interesting.

His career almost ended before it started because of the tragedy of his wife and daughter

being killed in an auto accident and his two sons being badly injured.

He thought about resigning even before he had been sworn in.

He was talked out of that by Mike Mansfield, who was the Senate Majority Leader at the time,

who kind of took him under his wing and guided him through that first very difficult year in the Senate.

And I think that made him kind of a creature of the Senate.

And over the years, he embedded himself on two very important committees, one, foreign relations, and second, the Judiciary Committee.

And this allowed him to develop expertise in obviously two very significant areas.

He was very active on Supreme Court nominations.

He was very active in the 1994 Crime Bill.

...