compliant. not him. marcy runs home flustered, but safe. her mom had only gratitude that he was there to save the day. >> we call him our little hero. yes. he was very, very -- we were blessed that he was there. >> they are safe, he is gorgeous and he is a hero. good for him. you're "the good stuff," my man. appreciate you doing the right thing at the right time. a lot of news this morning. over to carol costello in the "newsroom." >> thanks a lot. have a great day. "newsroom" starts now. happening now, in the "newsroom," a p.o.w. and a president. >> you make sure that you try to get your folks back. and that's the right thing to do. >> the law. >> did president obama break the law? >> yes. >> this morning, brand new information. a new timeline, and new questions about what should happen to bowe bergdahl. also, fatal flaw.

the death toll from those faulty gm ignition switches, may be five times higher than previously thought. >> gm acted differently, some of this tragedy might have been averted. plus, coming clean on concussions. hall of famer dan marino now joining 14 other players and suing the nfl. did the nfl mislead players about the risks? and maximum wage. [ cheers ] seattle, washington, making history. $15 an hour for workers. >> that leaves me with abouts 3ds 00 to $400 for food and everything else. >> but not everyone is onboard. >> seems to be arbitrary and discriminatory. >> let's talk. live in the "cnn newsroom." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com ? >> good morning. i'm carol costello. thanks for joining me. president obama firing back at

critics saying the never have mo return beowe bergdahl. >> regardless of the circumstances, whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an american soldier back if he's held in captivity. period. full stop. we don't condition that. and that's what every mom and dad who sees a, a son or daughter sent over into war theater should expect from not just their commander in chief, but the united states of america. the release of the taliban who were being held in guantanamo was conditioned on the qataris

keeping eyes on them, and creating a structure in which we can monitor their activities. we will be keeping eyes on them. is there the possibility of some of them trying to return to activities that are detrimental to us? absolutely. that's been true of all the prisoners that were released from guantanamo. there is a certain recidivism rate that takes place. i wouldn't be doing it if i thought that it was contrary to american national security, and we have confidence that we will be in a position to go after them if, in fact, they are engaging activities that threaten our defenses. but this is what happens at the end of wars. that was true for george washington. that was true for abraham lincoln. that was true for fdr. that's been true every combat

situation, that at some point you make sure that you try to get your folks back, and that's the right thing to do. >> the president's statements come as allegations of desertion saying bergdahl voluntarily left his post in afghanistan. they held off on making final conclusions until bergdahl is able to defend himself. jim accost tao is traveling with the president. >> reporter: carol, this morning here in wausau president obama defended his decision to secure the release of bowe bergdahl in exchange for five taliban fighters freed from the detention center at guantanamo. the president saying notwithstanding the circumstances that led to the initial capture, that the u.s. does not leave any soldier behind in a foreign country and the president went on to say there's also a legal case for circumventing congress and making this decision to free

bowe bergdahl without that notification to key members up on capitol hill. the president saying that there was a limited window of opportunity to free bergdahl from his taliban captors. administration officials, meanwhile, are also trying to bolster the president's case saying that notification to congress could have compromised bowe bergdahl's safety. meantime, all of these questions about the president's decision with respect to bowe bergdahl are overshadowing this foreign trip intended to bolster this with nato allies, ed president here reassuring those worried about russian aggression in ukraine. the president saying during that news conference here in poland there is a possibility for repaired relations with russia. the president saying at one point in russian president vladimir putin can urge the separatists in eastern ukraine to stand down and continue to pulls f forces away from the

border, better relations with the u.s. are possible down the road. the president remarked 59 one point during the news conference he may have the chance to have an exchange with president putin later on this week as both men will be in france for the 70th anniversary of the d-day invasion at normandy. carol? >> jim acosta joining me. thanks. and the director of the university of virginia center for politics is with us. and welcome. larry. >> good morning. >> where are you there? >> right here. >> i hear you, but i don't see you. we'll just move on. larry, actually, listen to this. president obama says you can't leave any american behind, that it's just not done. but some of this fiercest critics among them arizona senator john mccain are questioning what they say was a high cost to secure bergdahl's freedom. let's listen. >> 30% of those who have already been released from guantanamo have re-entered the fight, and this is the top. these are the people that have

blood of thousands on their hands, at least in one case, and so you have to understand what was done in exchange for the release of sergeant bergdahl. >> so larry, will the president's argument soothe kearns of mccain's and others, do you think? >> in this present age, carol, it will soothe some democratic concerns. hello? >> larry, can you hear me? i'm so sorry. we're having a little technical dit difficulties. let's switch over to barbara. you've didn't reporting on the timeline of bowe bergdahl. let's talk about that why we get the shot from the university of virginia settled. evidence is mounting, barbara, bergdahl willingly left base. soldiers from his unit are furious saying he came off guard duty, left base leaving his gun behind. listen. >> he's at best a deserter, and

at worst a traitor. as soon as he is able and as soon as he is fit i do believe he needs to be questioned and basically tried, if necessary. any of us would have died for him while he was with us, and then for him to just leave us like that, it was a ery big betrayal. >> keep in mind, when bergdahl left them in afghanistan he left his gun behind. he took no supplies with him. are we rushing to judgment here, barbara? >> reporter: well, you know, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, the top military officer in this country put out a statement earlier today saying innocent until proven guilty. basically suggesting that everybody take a deep breath. here's how it going to work. when bergdahl is able to talk, the army will talk to him. they will get his side of the story. under the military justice system, there will be the very specific commander's discretion. the commander of his unit will get leeway in deciding how to

proceed. look, they could do nothing. they could simply dismiss him from military service. they could give him administrative punishment. a letter of reprimand if they found enough evidence in talking to him, in reopening any investigation, if that's what they decide to do, if they found enough evidence, could they bring charges against him? yes, perhaps they could. the point here is, none of that is decided yet. what the pentagon is adamant about is, they want to follow procedure. they want to hear from bowe bergdahl himself. what happened that night? where did he wind up? how did he get there? why did he get there? we have a lot of people talking, but the man who can speak and defend himself hasn't yet spoken, carol. >> absolutely. larry, as barbara said, joint chiefs chairman put out a statement on his facebook page and said like any american bergdahl is innocent until proven guilty. our army's leaders will not look away from his conduct in it

occurred. that's a quote from general dempsey. the question is bergdahl spent five years in captivity. a lot of vitriol out there. does the army have to invoke some kind of punishment now? >> well, depends on what the facts are. i'm a political person, carol, and the way i look at this is, is it a controversy that will increase the temperature of this ongoing political campaign in the midterms? i think absolutely, because just about everybody has questions about part of it. there are four or five controversies connected to bergdahl's release. and so the odds are, it's going to raise the temperature of the stew, as it's being stirred. what's really hurting the administration right now is that servicemen from bergdahl's unit are speaking out and claiming that he's a deserter. if thatship in true, well, we'll have to eat a lot of our words. but if they're right, i think this stays a controversy probably through to election

day. >> is there anything, larry, that the president can say to calm things down? >> well, they could release more information about how they're going to keep track of the five terrorists, five very senior terrorists. who were released and are supposedly under supervision for at least a year. if people felt better that they would be clearly supervised and would not be returning to the fight, maybe that would help. but it's also true they probably can't give those guarantees. >> barbara starr, larry, thanks for your insight this morning. still to come in the "newsroom," a scary internet game you're going to want to know about. take a look. it's called "slender man." what police say it inspired. it inspired two preteens to allegedly commit murder. rosa flores is on the story this morning. good morning. >> reporter: carol, good morning. these preteens were very open with investigators telling them, now, this is according to

police, these preteens planned the stabbing of their friend for months, all to impress a fictitious character on the internet. how their plot unfolded, next. i'm m-a-r-y and i have copd. i'm j-e-f-f and i have copd. i'm l-i-s-a and i have copd, but i don't want my breathing problems to get in the way of hosting my book club. that's why i asked my doctor about b-r-e-o. once-daily breo ellipta helps increase airflow from the lungs for a full 24 hours. and breo helps reduce symptom flare-ups that last several days and require oral steroids, antibiotics, or hospital stay. breo is not for asthma. breo contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death in people with asthma. it is not known if this risk is increased in copd. breo won't replace rescue inhalers for sudden copd symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. breo may increase your risk of pneumonia, thrush, osteoporosis,

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was, looked at me and said, help. i figured there's a manhunt, surely this guy is getting out of the city. i didn't imagine him running down to the beach. >> right now chamberlain is being questioned by police. reports say donald sterling is the target of a lawsuit by a woman claims she worked for him, but was fired after refusing to have sex with him. she says she was in a romantic relationship with sterling from 2005 to 2011, and that sterling repeatedly made racist and sexist remarks in her presence. the lawsuit also claims that sterling agreed last year to pay her $10,000 a month to be his personal assistant, but only if she would have sex with him. a judge in a florida courtroom challenged a public defender to a fight, and then apparently delivered. >> this is an emergency created by the -- >> if i had a rock i would throw it at you right now. stop pissing me off. just sit down. i don't need your help, sit down. >> i'm the public defender and i

have a right to be here. >> i said, sit down. if you want to fight, let's go out back and i'll just. >> let go [ bleep ]. >> all right, then. the attorney says he went into the hallway and the judge grabbed him by the collar and started hitting him. deputies had to break up the fight. the attorney was reassigned. no one was arrested, and so far no charges have been filed. an incredibly disturbing story out of suburban wisconsin. two 12-year-olds girls accused 6 luring a froenda froend a parie stabbing her. rosa flores that the story. >> reporter: nothing about this case makes sense. imagine this. so allegedly these preteens became obsessed with a fictitious character on the internet that's associated with horror stories. next thing you know, according to police, they're plotting and planning to stab their friend to

impress this fictitious character. the details play out like the plot of a horror film. >> in the morning the suspects went to the park and lured the victim into the woods near big ben road south of rivera drive to play a game. >> reporter: two 12-year-old girls accused of inviting their friend to play hide-and-seek after a sleepover, but police say they had much darker intentions. >> once there, one suspect held the victim down while the other suspect stabbed her 19 times, in the arms, legs, and torso. >> reporter: suspects morgan geyser and annicea weir, middle school students who appeared in court monday, allegedly spent months planning the attack on their friend. the suspects' fascination with "slender man," a fictional internet character that often appears in horror story, and videos led to the attempted murder plot, ard coulding to

police. the website known at creepypastawiki, portrays slender man as its leader. to climb up to his realm, a user must commit murder. one of the young suspects told authorities. severely wounded, the victim managed to crawl out of the wounds where she was found by a bicyclist. according to court documents, she was 1 millimeter away from certain death. >> many of the stab wounds struck major organs but incredibly and thankfully the victim survived this brutal assault. >> reporter: the suspects are facing attempted first-degree murder charges and will be treated as adults. >> i recognize the young age, but it's still unbelievable. >> reporter: the parents of the young suspects, in shock about the brutal attack. >> morgan's parents are very sad about what has happened. they're horrified, and our condolences to everyone.

>> reporter: now, the girls were arrested hours after the incident. bail is set at $500,000. now, cnn has been trying to tuk their attorneys and we have not been successful yet, and we should add, carol, that the victim this morning is in stable condition. >> amazing. thank goodness. rosa flores reporting live. still to come in the "newsroom," a possible game changer surrounding nfl concussions. hall of famer dan marino now joining more than a dozen other players suing the league. andy scholes is on the story. >> carol, dan marino definitely adds star player to the former players' concussion lawsuit. it could be a game-changer. it could be a game-changer. more after the break. at od, whatever business you're in, that's the business we're in with premium service like one of the best

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hall of fame quarterback dan marino says he suffers from symptoms of brain injury. marino is now joining 14 other former nfl players in the latest concussion lawsuit against the league. >> yeah. basically this boils down to the former players, they're not happy with the previous settlement and the fact it's still held up in the court system and want the nfl to compensate them for what they say are lifelong injuries and now have one of the greatest players ever to play the game helping to lead the fight. hall of fame quarterback dan marino is now suing the nfl. former miami dolphin joining 14 other players in a lawsuit taking on the league, claiming the nfl knew about the long-term dangers of concussions and purposely misled players about the risks.

the complaint didn't specify marino's injuries or his condition, burt did say he suffers symptoms of brain injury caused by the repetitive traumatic subconcussive impacts sustained during nfl games and/or practices. marino is not the first to file suit. more than 4,500 other players are currently suing the nfl as part of a class access, but the hall of famer is one of the more prominent names. about two weeks ago another lawsuit was filed claiming players were given painkillers and marnarcotics to keep them playing even while hurt. the players say that did long-term damage to their health. >> nobody ever in my entire life ever spoke about the issues with my kidneys because i played a game of tackle football. >> reporter: a judge rejected a settlement for nfl players claiming injuries in january saying she didn't believe there was enough money to cover up to

20,000 retired players. all of this just as the issue has gone all the way to the top. president obama last week calling together a concussion summit and proposing $30 million in funding for concussion-related research. >> concussions are not just a football issue. they don't just affect grown men who choose to accept some risk to play a game that they love and that they excel at. >> reporter: you know, the ball is definitely in the nfl's court and don't want a guy like dan marino against the league about concussions. he's not one of the quarterbacks we think of. we think steve young, troy aikman. an interesting story about dan marino. he left a game in the fourth quarter with a con kaotian. didn't know where he was, went back in in the game and threw a game-winning pass. he's been there before. interesting to see the next step considering the settlement already rejected and where we go with the nfl. they don't want to keep it going into another season. >> got that.

many thanks. still to come in the "newsroom," captured by the taliban. how will u.s. soldier bowe bergdahl transition back into everyday life? what it's like to be kidnapped, next. i had no idea i had shingles. there was like an eruption on my skin. red and puffy and itchy and burning. i'd lift my arm and the pain back here was excruciating. i couldn't lift my arms to drum or to dance. when i was drumming and moving my rib cage and my arms like this it hurt across here. when i went to the doctor and said what's happening to me his first question was "did you have chickenpox?" i didn't even really know what shingles was. i thought it was something that, you know, old people got.

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good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining me. growing controversy this morning over reports of how sergeant bowe bergdahl was captured by the taliban back in 2009. cnn has learned the army actually looked at the possibility that bergdahl voluntarily left his base in afghanistan. but the army report held off on making any final conclusions until bergdahl was able to defend himself. some soldiers who served with bergdahl say he did willingly leave base. they say he's a deserter. >> the facts on the ground were he left his weapon and his equipment, took minimal supplies and walked off to either join the taliban or do something else. only he can answer that question. >> looking at the evidence that i've seen and that has been presented over the years and really in the immediate first couple of days, there's no reason why after being relieved from his guard shift he would have left the perimeter of that outpost. particularly having left behind

his weapon, his body armor, helmet, all his gear, but having intentionally taken his compass, his digital camera and diary. the evidence seemed to mount that based on the guys who knew him personally, you know, seen him on a day-to-day basis, there wasn't any other explanation, that he must have intentionally left the guys in his unit behind and wandered off. deserter is a strong word, because it doesn't get thrown around often. in the absence of orders, one leaving with the intention of not um canning back, that is dezers. >> that is desertion. >> president obama says the u.s. military stands bipy a commitme to leave no man behind. >> regardless of the circumstances, whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an american soldier back if he's held in captivity. period. full stop. we don't condition that.

>> right now officials say bergdahl is in stable condition but it's unclear when exactly he'll return to the united states. bring in cnn senior international correspondent matthew chance. good morning, matthew. >> reporter: carol, good morning. that's right. we're here at the regional medical facility in northern germany at landstuhl will bowe bergdahl is currently being treated for certain medical issues. nobody's talking about whether or not he deserted. the focus very much on his medical needs. because of patient confidentiality, they're not going into detail about what those medical needs are but say are there are certain conditions that required hospitalization. remember, he was in captivity for nearly five years, and so the doctors and the medical experts that have been examining him saying that there were certain dietary and nutritional needs that had to be tackled, and that's what we're in the process of now.

looking at those physical needs. there's also the psychological expertise that's being brought to bear at moment. he's in a phase of reintegration here at this regional medical facility that will try and prevent him from being too much of in shock when he finally gets his homecoming and is finally reintegrated properly into society. psychological assessments as well as the assessments as well. that's the situation now. what we're not getting from the experts or medical teams inside this landstuhl medical facility is any idea about how long this is going to take. they're saying it will be a slow, deliberate process. to make sure that the patient is not overwhelmed by his integration. whether that will be a couple days or a week from now, it's not clear, carol. >> something i don't understand. why isn't bergdahl's family in germany? >> reporter: that's not clear to us either, and we've just been in contact with the sort of press officers in this landstuhl

facility to talk about what contact that bergdahl has had with his family since he emerged from captivity, in that controversial prisoner swap, and it seems that as far as we're aware, there hasn't been contact between sergeant bergdahl and his family so far. whether that's because he's not deemed to be psychologically prepared for that, whether that would be too overwhelming for him in the eyes of the medical specialists or whether he's still being debriefed to see if there's any actionable intelligence or see what circumstances there were in his capture. remember, there have been preliminary investigations conducted by the u.s. military into the circumstances of his capture by these afghan militants, affiliates of the taliban, but there's no conclusion reached, because they haven't, up until now, been able to speak to bergdahl themselves. this is that first opportunity for investigators to get a grip and a handle on what really happened nearly five years ago. >> matthew chance reporting live from germany this morning.

let's talk more about this. shall we? joining us, former war correspondent mike boettcher. good morning, mike. >> reporter: good morning, carol. >> nice to see you again. blad you're with us. you were kidnapped back in 1985 by armed gunman while on assignment in el salvador. before we get into that compelling story, i'd like to ask you what you make of bowe bergdahl. >> well, i was in the region, in kazakhstan, during that period, when they were looking for him. and every soldier who was out there, every mission we on at that point, everyone was keeping an eye out for bowe bergdahl, although everyone was pretty sure he was across the border in north waziristan held by the haqqani network. but everyone i encountered that at point set the soldier said, the word on the street, not confirmed at that point, was that he had walked off the base, but there was really no, you

know, griping by the soldiers about going out there and trying to find him during that period, during 9-10 and 2011. >> are you surprised so many soldiers are coming out and condemning bergdahl? >> no, i'm not. i mean, that was there in the undercurrent as soldiers, and i'd been getting e-mails from soldiers that i covered throughout that period who were in that area. you know, it was one of those things where the main objective of the soldiers on the ground there was to somehow get him back, no matter what the circumstances were. and -- but now that he's free, it does not surprise me that this -- this sort of attitude is emerging. >> that doesn't make sense to you? that someone would grow disenfranchised with the war, which supposedly bergdahl would, he would wander off in the

middle of the night, not taking his gun or body armor with him? does it make sense to you? >> no. it's very -- no. it doesn't. i mean, it's very strange. you know, those bases out there were very, very isolated. they were literally at the edge of the empire, and, for example, one combat outpost i was based at called spira, which at the time was the most attacked base in afghanistan, as we were filming our documentary, "the hornet's nest," it was attacked constantly, and you feel like you are out there very much alone, and in that area, as we say in oklahoma here, you could throw a dead cat and hit the taliban. they were everywhere there, because that was the center of the tall bap taliban smuggling lines came from pakistan into afghanistan and work they're way

up towards the kabul area. you were on your compound, constantly attacked and just across the border in pakistan where a bunch of taliban and al qaeda who literally had pretty much free movement across the border there. >> okay. let's talk about being held in captivity, because i know that you were in the course of your job held in captivity. it's difficult i think for people to understand why bowe bergdahl isn't with his family right now. why didn't military officials invite the family to germany? >> because this is something, at least the initial stages, you have to work out on your own. you know, believe me, i don't want to compare what i went through with what he did for five years. but it is a lonely existence. you were on your own, in captivity, using all the means at your disposal, which aren't much, to try to stay alive. making friends with your

captors, and you are not in control of your life during that period of time. someone else is. you lose control. it takes a while to build your way back to trusting the people around you. and certainly it did for me. it actually took me years and years and years. >> even with your own family? >> well, you grow more distant. my family was there and my family's been with me as i've been through other traumatic things over the years, but i think initially -- you know, the army has a plan for everything. i mean literally everything. and this has been well set out in protocol, and i think that they want to, you know, make sure that he has his head on as straight as it can be at this period in his life before he deals with the emotions of seeing his family. you have to deal with one

emotion at a time. and move forward. and it's a progression, and the army has a well set out plan in dealing with this. >> and last question for you, because of all of this controversy surrounding, swirling around bergdahl, because of these allegations of desertion, how difficult will it be for him to reassimilate? >> it's going to be really tough. it really will be. you know, it's that thing -- and he's not even aware, probably, that initially, you know, he was treated as a hero, coming out, and now he's being attacked from some quarters as walking off the base. it's going to be difficult for him. and especially after five years. held that long and having trouble speaking your own mother tongue. this is going to be a long process. you know, i covered, in the early days of cnn, i covered the

robert garwood trial, the u.s. marine who emerged from the jungles of vietnam after we had left. and certainly robert garwood had a very, very difficult time, and i'm not equating robert garwood with bowe bergdahl, but i'm just saying when you're gone for that long, and you're away from your network, and you used your wits to try to survive, try to make friends with those who held you captive, because you totally lost control, it is a tough re-entry. >> mike boettcher, thanks for sharing your insight this morning. appreciate it. >> you're welcome. we'll be right back. i'm m-a-r-y and i have copd. i'm j-e-f-f and i have copd. i'm l-i-s-a and i have copd, but i don't want my breathing problems to get in the way of hosting my book club. that's why i asked my doctor about b-r-e-o.

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this just in to cnn, and it

kind of makes no sense at all. despite all its recall issue, gm monthly sales are the best in nearly six years. christine romans is live in new york to explain it all. good morning. >> good morning. the recall headlines, not having effect on the traffic and the purchasing in those dealerships, carol. these numbers show strong demand for gm cars in the month of may, carol. what i can tell you is sales increased 12.6%. there were have 17 vehicle lines that saw double digit sales increases. it was the best month since august 2008 and the best may in seven years. how does that compare with the other automakers? we're hearing from them as well. chrysler sales up 17% in may. showing the american consumer is confident enough to purchase a car and is reaching into their pocket and starting to spend money. ford sales up 3%. a less dramatic increase for ford. carol, this gm number, really

interesting as well, because there was a big memorial day recall of three very popular crossover suv-type cars. the buick enclave, gmc acadia, chevy traverse. somebody who went into that important weekend wanting to buy something, there were stop sale orders on some of the popular models. even with that, strong performance in the month for general motor. carol? >> it's interesting, because reuters is reported it found at least 74 people have died in gm cars, in accidents quite similar to those connected with those faulty ignition switches. what do you know about that? >> we've talked to general motors about that reporting, and they are sticking by, general motors, sticking by its 13 -- 13 fatal accidents, because of the ignition switch recall, and says that it is continuing to monitor all the claims as they're made aware in the recall population, but reuters looked at something called the fatality rosting system.

y -- reporting still. the front-end crashes, no deployment of an air bag, 74 fatalities. there's been dispute about this number, something that's been very, very painful for em families who lost somebody in a gm accident. the national transportation safety agency said they expect a higher number than 13. carol, an internal report from gm next month that we're expecting to have much more clarity on exactly what the extent of the recall problem in those crashes, carol? >> christine romans reporting live. i'm back in a minute. it starts with little things. tiny changes in the brain.

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it is a huge win for those fighting for a higher minimum wage. today the city of seattle will double it raising minimum wages to 15 bucks an hour for a full-time worker that's $31,000 a year. seattle's new minimum wage is the highest in the nation and while it's a big win for workers, critics say it's a risky move for business owners. seattle mayor ed murray joins us now. good morning, mr. mayor. >> good morning. thanks for having me on. >> thanks for being here. i appreciate it. you've gone where no city has gone before. why?

>> you know, income inequality is a growing crisis in this country. it's decimating the middle class. it threatens the american concept of opportunity and somewhere somehow we need to start acting and seattle, like many cities, we see income inequality grow and grow and need to act and need to set an example to show leadership is something that seattle is known for. >> we look at the list of the other cities and states that have raised the minimum wage. no one has gone to 15 bucks an hour. i guess a good reason for that would be economists haven't tested this. they don't know exactly how it will affect the economy. does that bother you? >> there are two things. we went to 15 but we're going to 15 smart. we're phasing it in over seven years. we're very sensitive to the fact that seattle has some of the most innovative small and large businesses. it gives us a chance. it gives them chance to adjust their business model. i think we've been able to do

something that helps business and helps employees. i think the studies show again and again where you have a higher minimum wage, you actually see a fairly vibrant economy. >> some might argue that seattle's economy is much better than in other cities across the nation. that at some point because of the particular business in seattle, there will be a bust and you'll be sorry for doing this. >> you know, i don't believe that will be the case. again, i think we have done this in a way that's smart. i think we've done it in a way that phases it in so business can adjust. i think what is hurting the economy, what is hurting seattle, what's hurting cities and states around this nation is the issue of income inequality. when you have a large middle class that can go out and buy tvs and buy the next house, a car, those are things that stimulate an economy. when you have a small number of

people at the very top who buy a yacht, that's not how you stimulate an economy. so we're putting money into people's pockets that will go right back into the economy. >> there are other people that say, including business owners in seattle, who say this will really hurt them. they're going to have to lay off workers because of this. >> well, again, we have to look at studies around the nation where the minimum wage has been higher than seattle and indication is that is not what happens. the other thing though that we have to realize is even at $15 an hour, most people making lower wages don't work a 40-hour week. even $15 an hour in a city as expensive as seattle, it is very, very hard for that worker to actually live in this city. again, that is a huge problem for small businesses and large businesses. >> seattle mayor ed murray, thank you so much for joining

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happening now in the "newsroom," a pow and a president. >> you make sure that you try to get your folks back. that's the right thing to do. >> the law. >> did president obama break the law? >> yes. >> this morning brand new information. a new time line and new questions about what should happen to bowe bergdahl. also, fatal flaw. the death toll from those faulty gm ignition switches may be five times higher than previously thought. >> gm acted differently, some of this tragedy might have been averted. plus, coming clean on concussions. hall of famer dan marino now joining 14 other players in suing the nfl. did the nfl mislead players

about the risks? and maximum wage. >> nine in favor. none opposed. >> seattle, washington, making history 15 bucks an hour for workers. >> that leaves me with about $300 to $400 a month for food and everything else. >> not everyone is onboard. >> it seems to be arbitrary and discriminator discriminatory. >> let's talk in the "cnn newsroom." good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining me. president obama firing back at critics who say the united states should never have made a deal to free sergeant bowe bergdahl in exchange for five taliban leaders. this morning the president who was in poland for a summit with nato allies hammered home his stance, the military does not leave its people behind. >> regardless of the circumstances, whatever those

circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an american soldier back if he's held in ca captivity. period. full stop. we don't condition that. that's what every mom and dad who sees a son or daughter sent over into war theater should expect from not just their commander in chief, but the united states of america. the release of the taliban who were being held in guantanamo was conditioned on keeping eyes on them and creating a structure in which we can monitor their activities. we'll keep eyes on them. is there the possibility of some of them trying to return to activities that are detrimental

to us? absolutely. that's true of all prisoners released from guantanamo. there's a certain amount of that takes place. we have confidence that we will be in a position to go after them if in fact they are engaging in activities that threaten our defenses. this is what happens at the end of wars. that was true for george washington. that was true for abraham lincoln. that was true for fdr. that's been true in every combat situation. at some point you make sure you try to get your folks back. that's the right thing to do. >> president's statements comes as allegations of desertion continue to swirl around

bergdahl. critics of the deal, which include senator john mccain, a former pow himself, believe bergdahl's release came at too high a price. >> there's overwhelming evidence and testimony coming forward that sergeant bergdahl left of his own free will and that will be the subject of investigation. that does not mean he shouldn't have been brought home. the problem that i have and many others have is what we paid for that release and that is releasing five of the most hardened anti-american killers if the past proves true they'll be back in the battlefield putting lives of americans in jeopardy. >> tell us more of what the president said, jim. >> reporter: carol, as you heard

earlier this rmorning, the president is making no apology about the prisoner exchange that secured the release of bowe bergdahl and the president as you heard in those comments he just played is upfront. there's a potential risk in freeing taliban commanders from detention in guantanamo but the president said and i also heard from administration officials who are also saying this, that this is what happens when you release detainees from guantanamo. there is a certain recidivism rate that does occur and this is not a risk-free environment when they put these terror detainees back into their countries of origin or in this case under the supervision of the qatarees. i spoke to one official who says they got assurances from the qatary government that these former detainees, taliban commanders, will be watched and they feel reasonably assured they took a good calculated risk here. the administration is trying to back fill some of the

president's comments with other legal justifications for what they did. they are saying the reason why the president did not notify congress as he was required to before launching into this prisoner exchange is because notifying congress might have put bowe bergdahl's life in jeopardy. they say at this point it wasn't something they could do. the other thing we should point out is white house is putting out a statement from chairman of joint chiefs saying that, look, bowe bergdahl's case will be investigated. they want to find out what the circumstances were that led to his capture but at this point he is innocent until proven guilty. martin dempsey saying in that statement, just like any other american might be. >> jim accosta reporting live from poland this morning. as president obama pushes back against critics, we learn about details in the final moments before bergdahl was turned over to american forces. american forces communicatedd

directly with the taliban to coordinate the exchange. it happened near the border where u.s. commanders would come face to face with 18 armed members of the taliban. let's bring in cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr to tell us more. good morning, barbara. >> reporter: good morning, carol. the transfer happened without a shot being fired. the firestorm back at home now, the military says it needs to hear from bowe bergdahl about the circumstances of his disappearance and then they'll decide how and if to proceed with any further investigation, any discipline against him, but for now they are just thankful they got him back. after five years, a taliban captive -- >> release me. please. i'm begging you. bring me home. >> reporter: sergeant bowe bergdahl is finally heading home. cnn learned details of the secret core og rhoreographore h

bergdahl that was worked out between the u.s. and the taliban. in the final hours, an extraordinary move. a u.s. official tells cnn the taliban communicated directly with the american special operations forces team, the coordinates, where they could pick bergdahl up. they would release him after being assured five taliban at guantanamo bay were being turned over to qatari custody there. in the end with helicopter gun ships flying nearby, one u.s. helicopter landed. the armed americans faced 18 armed taliban and bergdahl. he walked to them. they searched him for weapons and explosives and quickly got him on the chopper. once on the noisy helicopter, bergdahl wrote down the letters sf and a question mark on a paper plate asking the men if they were special forces? over the noise of the rotors,

they yelled back, yes, we've been looking for you for a long time. at that point bergdahl broke down crying. hours later, the five taliban prisoners released from gitmo arrived in qatar seen this this video welcomed as heroes. they include a senior taliban commander directly allegedly associated with osama bin laden. a man u.s. intelligence says was second in command in the taliban's intelligence service also with ties to al qaeda. and another taliban official wanted by the united nations in connection with the massacre of thousands of afghan shiites. the same men that director of national intelligence james clapper has warned congress about. >> nobody harbors illusions about these five taliban members and what they might do if they were transferred.

>> reporter: there was an initial fact finding investigation by the army five years ago when bergdahl first disappeared. but even the commander at the time said that he couldn't finalize the whole investigation until somebody heard from bergdahl himself. now, they hope that is what will happen. carol? >> barbara starr reporting live from the pentagon this morning. also this morning, some fellow soldiers who served with bergdahl are speaking out. they say bergdahl is no hero. and they're not mincing words. >> he's at best a deserter and at worst a traitor. as soon as he is able and fit, i do believe that he needs to be questioned and basically tried if necessary. any of us would have died for him while he was with us. and then for him to just leave us like that, it was a very big betrayal. >> that was former army sergeant josh korder who served with sergeant bergdahl in

afghanistan. he'll join us live later this hour. the nationwide manhunt for a california man police considered armed and dangerous is finally over. ryan chamberlain was taking into custody near the golden gate bridge last night. you're looking at a live picture from san francisco where things are back to normal. police were looking for this guy since this weekend. they raided his apartment and found explosive materials and used a robot to search his car. he allegedly left a suicide note on his facebook page titled good-bye and spoke about his battle with depression for as long as he could recall. dan simon live in san francisco to tell us more. good morning, dan. >> reporter: good morning, carol. the arrest took place here at a popular place for tourists and locals alive. why chamberlain came here isn't clear. it's not known what his motives were for allegedly possessing

those explosives but there's growing evidence he was only intending to harm himself. a three-day manhunt over. fugitive ryan chamberlain captured near the golden gate bridge in san francisco after being spotted in a local bar earlier monday. >> he put up resistance. there were so many officers, he didn't stand a chance. i didn't see he was armed with guns or explosive. >> reporter: the 42-year-old arrested for allegedly possessing explosive materials in his home. the bomb squad using a robot to search his car before going in. he worked for gavin newsom in 2003. those who worked with the political operative are in disbelief. >> out of character for anything that i know about ryan. >> reporter: but now a note titled good-bye may offer an explanation.

he writes about his lifetime bottle with depression and the loss of a marketing company he says was sold for over $1 million but he saw none of it. and a struggle with relationships including this passage i met the one. everything was perfect and then she just stopped. the three-page letter ending simply, thank you. i'm sorry. i love you. on monday prior to his arrest, chamberlain's alleged latest tweet denies all charges. a panicked update to my letter that should have posted by now, he allegedly wrote. nothing they're reporting is true. no stashes. not armed. a u.s. law enforcement official says investigators cannot definitively say the posting was made by chamberlain. so was this just a distraught and troubled man that wanted to kill himself or something more sinister at play? hopefully we'll get more answers.

in an hour we're expecting to hear from the fbi and san francisco police department at a press conference here in the city. >> dan simon reporting live from san francisco this morning. still to come in the "newsroom," nfl concussion discussion taken to a whole new level. dan marino because the biggest thing yet to sue the league.

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de>>who's got twond rhooves and just got ae. claim status update from geico? this guy, that's who. sfx: bing. and i just got a...oh no, that's mom. sorry. claim status updates. just a tap away on the geico app. dan marino is one of the nfl's greatest quarterbacks ever. a household name even among nonsports fans. he's claiming he suffers

symptoms of brain injury. that's what he claims in a lawsuit brought by 15 former players against the nfl. let's talk about that with david cornwell and andy. let's talk about this lawsuit. >> it's a new lawsuit that dan marino and 14 other players are filing. they claim they have brain injuries coming from football playing days and nfl knew these injuries were happening and just turned the other way. looked the other way. interesting to see what will happen with this lawsuit. of course they want damages and they want medical treatment. the judge said it wasn't going to be sufficient to take care of all of the retired players. that's where we stand now. where do we go from here? i don't know. >> the curious thing about this is i don't remember dan marino having concussion problems. >> there's two things that go on

on the football field. one is the obvious concussion and other is subconcussive brain injury that may not show until years after you're done with play. on the $665 million settlement, if it went through, $252 million of that would have gone to attorney's fees. the time is now for us to look at a different approach. the nfl pa with new leadership needs to sit down with the nfl and figure out a way that all of this money goes to treatment, care and research because at the end of the day, the people that are going to get rich on these lawsuits are lawyers and it won't be about treatment and care. >> when this all originally happened, the first lawsuit, the players reportedly wanted $2 billion. the nfl said we're giving you zero. then they eventually settled on the nfl saying we'll give you 765 and the lawyers agreed to it and apparently a lot of former

players weren't onboard with that decision. >> you make the point. this is what happens in lawsuits. you ask for a lot of damages. the defendant says i'm not guilty. i'm not liable. so you end up having a fight over an issue as opposed to a negotiation over a way to provide treatment and care for retired players, research to ensure that today and future players aren't facing the same challenges with regard to brain injury. >> might star power that dan marino has behind his name push your idea forward? >> i think it can. there's another downside to dan marino being part of these lawsuits though. now parents are going to remember dan marino and question whether they want their sons to play the game. we have to figure out a way to make the game safe. treat the retired players instead of paying lawyers. >> i heard the nfl is coming up with all sorts of programs for mothers of kids who want to play football and that sort of thing. is that working? >> it's hard to tell. this is a trickle down effect. we don't know if the teaching of

not leading with your head anymore and that stuff at the peewee level will translate. you watched nfl. we still see 15-yard penalties left and right because players are trained if the guy is coming over the middle, you lay him out and make the play. we haven't seen it trickle down yet. who knows in years down the line we will. >> i spent the weekend with the nfl folks and with the chairman of the competition committee. they have really made an investment not only in the players and the game but also as you say, to the public with heads-up program. i do believe it's going to make a difference because it's just about teaching a different technique on tackling and frankly it's a technique i learned growing up. i don't think it will be that difficult for folks to go back to tackle that way. >> run into torn acls every other week. >> many thanks. coming up, despite gm recall issues, it's monthly sales are

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despite millions of gm cards being recalled in recent months, the monthly sales are the best in nearly six years. zain asher is in new york to explain why. >> reporter: there are a couple of reasons for this. we just got those car sales numbers for the month of may up 13% year over year. when gm announces a recall, a massive recall like this, they

are in effect luring thousands of customers into their dealerships for repairs. sales teams jump on that chance to encourage those customers to buy new cars. some customers get loaner cars and buy those loaner cars and you have to remember that recalls happen so frequently this year in general that customers have sort of grown immune to it. people sort of seem to be numb to it. it doesn't affect how they make their purchases. people tend to purchase based on brand loyalty. also you have to remember that two of the models most impacted by the ignition switch recall don't exist anymore. one thing i will say is even though car sales have not been impacted and gm share prices down 3% since february, what has been impacted is gm's profit. first quarter profit down 85%. it cost the car company $1.7 billion because of those recall issues. sales doing pretty well but profit not so much. >> recalls may not be over yet

because reuters is reporting this morning that at least 74 people died in gm cars because of these faulty ignition switches. >> right. we actually got a response from gm about that number. gm is sticking to their guns on this one. they say despite what reuters is reporting, as far as they are concerned the number of deaths linked to the ignition switch recall stand at 13. people are taking issue with the way reuters calculated their number and they went through a data base looking at car accidents that occurred under similar circumstances to the car accidents that led to those 13 deaths. for gm right now, it really is all about transparency. they have to prove the old gm, which is all about cost cutting, and new gm are vastly different. it's about stepping out in front of recalls and issuing recalls before waiting for fatalities to come to them. >> zain asher reporting live from new york. thanks so much. still to come in the "newsroom," the tea party trying to get back on track after a bruising round of elections but

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good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining me. from coast to coast, politics is taking center stage today as eight states hold primaries on everything from the governor's mansion to who will represent those states on capitol hill. in iowa, the party looking to flip that senate seat from blue to red with retirement of tom harkin, and front runner getting support from two factions usually at odds, the tea party and the establishment. and in mississippi, a controversy ensnares a tea party challenger after photos of his bed ridden wife who suffers from dementia are posted online by a supporter. let's talk about these primaries. welcome, gentlemen. >> good morning, carol. >> good morning. john, how important are these

primaries to the tea party? >> these are -- the tea party faced a shutout last round of primaries here and the big fights between the club for growth and chamber of commerce, the establishment wing has been winning in these recent fights but this mississippi race in particular is high stakes because the tea party candidate could unseat potentially looking tight and could lead to a runoff, a six-term incumbent and republicans are privately concerned that if that's the case, it could put mississippi in play. these are high stakes primary today and tea party is looking to land one more knock on the jaw after a rough series of primaries in the past couple months. >> so let's concentrate on mississippi because it has been a strange race. allegations of tea party candidate supporters sneaked into a nursing home to take pictures of 76-year-old's wife who has dementia. i'm not sure why. it was all ugly. it doesn't appear to be fatal for the tea party candidate or am i wrong, larry?

>> well, right now the polls show that one very close and private sounding suggest that it's very close. if senator cochran manages a narrow renomination victory, i think we can attribute it to that all of incident involving the blogger and those photos. it turned off chris mcdaniel supporters but don't underestimate how conservative the mississippi electricate is in this race. >> let's switch to iowa if only to show the pig castration commercial. she sort of did her primary campaign thing up in style. let's watch. >> i grew up castrating hogs on a iowa farm so when i get to washington, i'll know how to cut pork. >> i don't know.

that makes me laugh every time i see it. in addition to that interesting ad, she has support from establishment and tea party factions. both mitt romney and sarah palin campaigned for her. is she the perfect modern day republican? >> i don't know if a pig castra castrateor is a great candidate. she's ignited desperate wings of the party. if she gets backing of mitt romney and sarah palin shows promise. the democrat is a real player here for the liberal line of the senate seat. this is very unique in that these factions aren't fighting but actually igniting in iowa. >> it is intriguing. support from both factions of the party. you don't hear that very often. >> there's a reason. she's played that campaign very, very well.

look, it is tough for a woman to get elected in iowa. in fact, iowa is one of only two states, carol, never to have elected a woman to either the house of representatives or the u.s. senate. guess what the other one is? mississippi on the ballot today. what ernst has done is run a tough as nails campaign. it's the first time in american history that hog castration may be the deciding issue in a senate race. i think it's because she's trying to demonstrate to iowans and republicans in iowa that she is tough enough to be in the u.s. senate. >> okay. i'm going to ask you both if you really believe that republicans will take control of the senate, i mean, is it looking that way once these -- is it looking that way, john? >> look, this is going to be a tight fight. we are still months out. but when other side can flip a

seat in a state like iowa, a classic swing state, it puts things in play. it's far too early to say this is done. it's a tough fight. southern democrats are doing better in polls than people expected. there are x factors. the coal epa carbon emission advancement by the administration could have implications in states like west virginia and kentucky. so the republicans have a real shot at taking the senate and having unified control over capitol hill. that's a game changer in the life of washington. a week is a long time in politics. a couple months is an eternity. >> we'll see. larry and john, thank you for your insight. i appreciate it. still to come in the news. >> referee:, the nra slams gun right advocates calling demonstrations downright weird. we'll talk about that next. the was a truly amazing day.

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the national rifle association is sending a stern message to gun lovers. check your weapons at the door. these are a few pictures of gun rights advocates who in recent wee weeks entering popular restaurant chains with guns in hand as part of an open carry movement and the nra is speaking out. the nra says it's downright weird. let's bring in the public relations director for the group behind many of these demonstrations. good morning. >> thanks for having me. >> thanks for being here. a lot of people have trouble understanding why your members carry military assault rifles into family restaurants. can you explain? >> as a group, as open carry texas, we came together with three other major open carry

organizations in texas weeks ago and came up with a new solution and a new game plan to achieve open carry legislation in texas. so i was a little taken aback by the national rifle association's response in their statement being that we've already made these changes. the way i see it is national rifle association is a natural ally with us to work with a common goal of open carry legislation. it seems like we should opening up dialogue and not release statements at all and coming together and figuring out how to push legislation pass the finish line. >> the nra came out because so many people are upset because there are people walking into restaurants with guns. in a jack in the box in ft. worth, texas, employees thought they were being robbed and ran to the back of the store. can you understand why people are upset by people carrying

guns into restaurants? >> the jack in the box story is incorrect. the truth of what happened that day actually has come out in a different release. there was no employees hiding inside the freezer. actually jack in the box head of security came out and confirmed that in a public statement. with that being said going back to my original point, our methods in which we look to achieve open carry legislation has changed since those events. >> but the nra put out a statement yesterday. i want to read you part of it. they say while unlicensed open carry of gun laws is typically legal in most places, it is a rare sight to see someone saddle up next to you in line for lunch with a 7.62 rifle slung across his chest much less people with similar arms. let's not mince words. not only is it rare, it's downright weird and not a practical way to go about your business while being prepared to

defend yourself. why would nra put this out if you changed your rules suddenly? >> i don't know. our statement has been public. it's made the rounds in the media. the national rifle association should be aware of our method for achieving open carry legislation. >> what is your new method? >> what we decided to do is it really is kind of a mirror of what we've done in the past. any time we go into a restaurant in the past, it's with the blessing of the manager or the owner of the business. we don't just invite ourselves in. we feel as if private property rights are as important as our right to keep and bear arms. it's our inherent right. we always respect the rights of private property owners. if they don't want our business, we're happy to take our money elsewhere. that's always been the case. >> so before you demonstrate, you're going to go into the restaurant and ask the manager is it okay if we bring our guns

in your restaurant and that's how it will work? >> absolutely. that's how it works. we have had certain businesses say, i don't think that's something i want in my business and we happily move onto the next business. we never had an issue with that. >> what about the patrons? i must say if i'm eating in chipotle and someone sat down next to me with a gun, i would be uncomfortable. i'll be honest with you. i would be uncomfortable. >> well, on the simple thing on that is it is already open carry in 44 states and in most states we already have some form of conceal carry as well. so whether people -- this is a cosmetic issue. people are seeing a firearm even though technically around you in your daily lives there are people both armed legally and illegally unfortunately illegally. there are people already armed. this is a matter of a situation where people are seeing the firearm and being concerned. >> you say it's a cosmetic

issue. if i'm with my child and a group of people come in and i see guns on them, i am nervous. i am so nervous it might hurt your own cause to try to convince people that this is somehow normal. >> once again, this goes back to my original point to you. we actually have made these changes so we're kind of talking about something that happened prior versus what's going on today. >> i'm talking about patrons. you'll ask business owners if it's okay to bring guns in but patrons eat in those restaurants probably will feel uncomfortable. >> that's generally not the case. with that being said, once again -- >> you think that's not the case? >> this is something we actually did before. we have an entirely new method of what we're doing now. a different story. a different game plan. >> would you go in and ask the manager if it's okay to bring in guns but you won't ask every patron in the restaurant if it's

okay if you bring in your gun. >> i said that was the method we did before. we have entirely new game plan which is we haven't made eating as part of our events. what it's been in the past is it was never about actually going to eat and making it part of what you call a demonstration. what we call a walk. that was the fact that sometimes these walks were going on for hours and then of course naturally you get hungry. we were just going to eat after these events. >> so in retrospect, did you think that your group made mistakes? >> i could definitely say along the way we've been learning. that goes with any movement or any organization. you're constantly evolving and constantly learning and changing the methods in which your organization works. we're no different. we're doing the same. >> tov henderson, thank you for speaking with me. i appreciate it. a former comrade calls bowe

bergdahl a deserter at best and traitor at worst. we'll talk to that army veteran next. ♪ here's a good one seattle... what did geico say to the mariner? we could save you a boatload! ♪ foghorn sounds loudly ♪ what's seattle's favorite noise? the puget sound! ♪ foghorn sounds loudly ♪ all right, never mind doesn't matter. this is a classic. what does an alien seamstress sew with? a space needle! ♪ foghorn sounds loudly continuously ♪ oh come off it captain! geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

>> we saw an opportunity. we were concerned about sergeant bergdahl's health. we had the cooperation of the

kw others. >> bergdahl is no hero and accuse him of being a deserter. josh korder served with bergdahl in afghanistan and said, "at best he's a deserter. at worst a traitor." welcome. josh, are you there? >> hello. >> you are there. you can hear me. this is carol costello. >> i'm having trouble hearing you. >> you call bowe bergdahl a trader. i wonder why you said those words. >> we are having technical gremlins this morning. we'll take a break and come back. any projects on my home.

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after all of the hype, there weren't new iphones or ipads unveiled at apple's annual developers conference. the tech giant had plenty of big announcement to tell us about including the company's big step into the future and into our homes with a platform called home kit. you can tell your smart device that you're going to bed and your home's doors will lock, the lights will dim, the garage door will close or better yet it could start brewing your morning cup of jo when you wake up in the morning. brett larson joins me now with more. were you psyched by this? >> i was. i'm with everyone else here. i was really hoping for a wristband or a new iphone or some sort of thing. i think control over our homes

with siri should be interesting. i can only imagine the myriad of things that can go wrong and you say i'm going to bed and she says i'm afraid i can't do that for those that remember 2001. nerd humor there. i think the peek they gave us under the hood and stuff they're doing now with smartphones is kind of great. home kit is a great idea that's been needed for a decade. all these companies make these devices that turn our lights on and off and let our coffee brew and unlock doors and open garage doors. nice to see one of the larger tech companies take that in and make it work under the tent. google is trying to do that with nest home automation devices, thermostat control and fire alarm. that will be some definite competition there.

>> i like to keep track of how i'm doing. explain that to us. >> this is the hidden gem in everything they announced yesterday afternoon. apple health. there is all these devices that keep tabs on vitals. i wear a heart rate monitor when i ride on my bike. it knows where i've gone and how hard my heart was founding during the entire process. until now that's lived inside of an app. what they want to do is open all of those apps up to let them talk to one another. you can have your heart rate monitor talk to health kit and have your diabetes testing talk to health kit and have a blood pressure monitor talk to health kit. suddenly this smartphone in the hands of the right people is really becoming a medical device. i think where this is going to be really great is in elder care and as our parents get older, you can give them these smartphones that they'll be great for communicating but also for keeping tabs on their health and it may let you skip those sort of check ins with the

doctor because you are constantly being monitored. >> brett larson, thank you so much. from tech fanatics that keep gadgets attached to their hips to a bride that attached her baby to her wedding gown. some call this disturbing and even cute. jeanne moos has more for you. >> reporter: here comes the bride. >> omg. >> here comes the bride and baby attached to the bride's wedding dress. >> horrible. is that a real baby? >> reporter: even some of the guests looked like they couldn't believe their eyes as she walked down the aisle with her 1-month-old baby girl fastened to her wedding train. >> you can't do that to baby. that's disturbing. >> was it padded? >> reporter: we don't know details of how baby aubrey was attached but we know it caused

internet insults to be showered like rice upon the tennessee couple. why not tie it to the bumper with some cans and old shoes? poor kid. >> that's so ridiculous and embarrassing too. >> reporter: not everyone thought it was outrageous. >> i think it's cute. >> another defender posted when i was a kid i loved when my friends and i would drag each other around the house on a blanket. i'm sure the baby had fun riding on her mom's wedding dress. >> that's a real baby? >> jesus. >> reporter: the bride wrote on her facebook page we do what we want when we want as long as jesus is on our side everything worked out fine. our 1-month-old was awake and well secured on my train. >> she shouldn't be a mother. >> reporter: how did the baby behave on her trip down the aisle? only thing we have to go on is a comment from an apparent wedding guest on the bride's facebook page. i thought it was unique.

all i wanted to know was how she stayed so calm. lol. >> that's stupid idea. >> reporter: the bride didn't respond to cnn's request for comment. but she e-mailed buzz feed saying everyone entitled to their own opinion so all i have to say is god bless you. could it launch baby trains as a wedding trend? jokester's photo shop and others equipped no child left behind. we asked jerome about the special lady in his life. if she said to you, honey, i want to get married and put the baby on my wedding train. >> that's not going to happen. not on my watch. >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> there you have it. a quick programming note before i go. on tuesday, june 17th, cnn's christiane amanpour will monitor a live town hall with former

secretary of state hillary r rodham clinton. she'll take questions from you. no subject is off-limits. that's tuesday, june 17th, 5:00 p.m. eastern time. thank you for joining me. i'm carol costello. "@ this hour" with berman and michaela starts now. >> controversy following the president overseas. the decision to trade terrorist subjects for bowe bergdahl amid new questions about how and why bergdahl was captured, the president now makes his case. the battle between former players and the nfl might never be the same after this. a new high profile plaintiff is suing over brain injuries. >> if you want to fight, let's go out back and i'll just -- [ bleep ]. >> after that, it was on. the public defender versus the