the recovery, that's the hard part. >> that will certainly continue. a lot of news this morning for you. the latest on what happened with the bergdahl swap, what happened with the gm recall. they're investigating themselves. do you think they're getting the right answers. the "newsroom" has it all with ms. carol costello. >> we do have it all. have a great day. have a great day. "newsroom" starts now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com happening now in the "newsroom," not sold. >> i remain as deeply skeptical today as i did before this. >> i was not satisfied. >> that did not sell me at all. >> i learned nothing in this briefing, nor did i expect to learn anything in this briefing. >> capitol hill not convinced. the white house hoping to answer questions about the bowe bergdahl swap. >> the public needs to know more about what happened. >> backlash in bergdahl's hometown. >> it was supposed to be called the bowe is back event. >> worries of a showdown in the tiny town of 8,000 shuttering a

celebration. we asked how do we decide who gets rescued. >> i will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy. >> a military touchstone and now a cloud of questions. >> we don't leave americans behind. that's unequivocal. >> let's talk, live in the cnn "newsroom." good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining me. breaking news to tell you about at the top of the show. we're just learning this morning a second u.s. military jet has crashed. this time an atef super hornet plummeted into the waters of the california coast. keep in mind this is the second crash of a military jet in less than 24 hours. a hairier jet went down in a california neighborhood just yet. flames and black smoke rose from the wreckage on the streets in

the town of imperial, california. people had to run for safety. three homes were absolutely destroyed, but amazingly, no one on the ground was hurt and the pilot managed to eject. cnn's barbara starr and kyung lah are following the story. i want to start with you, barbara, on this latest crash. >> good morning, carol. to get to the obvious question, the military is investigating both incidents. no indication they are related. different types of aircraft, different types of accidents. the one we now know about, the new one is an f-18 hornet jet that the military put out a press release saying it impacted the water. it crashed into the water as the pilot was approaching to land on the deck of an aircraft carrier, the carl vincent that was operating in a routine mission off the coast of southern california. we've all seen these pictures as the jet approaches the carrier deck, they try and cash the wire

and land on the deck. apparently for some reason the pilot went into the water. the report is now that the pilot's jekted safely. he was recovered. he is now back -- the pilot is now back on the carl vincent. the jet itself not recovered after it, in the words of the military, impacted the water. >> i can only imagine. let's go to kyung lah now to talk about this crash in a neighborhood in california. tell us more. >> reporter: extraordinary, as you mentioned, carol, that no one was injured. this happened at 4:20 on a sunday afternoon. a lot of people in their homes, three homes destroyed and eight others that were damaged. i want you to take a look at the cell phone video because it really captures exactly what people were experiencing. there were some cell phone individual -- oh this cell phone video in particular, you see some of the people in the neighborhood rushing up to the pilot and trying to help the pilot.

he ejected out out of his aircraft. he has minor injuries. no one else on the ground was hurt. you could actually see plumes of smoke. you see a house on fire as this entire neighborhood was trying to sort exactly what happened. here is what we heard from an eyewitness. >> all of a sudden i see the cab pop off and a small burst of flames. i saw the pilot's jekt. i see the parachute open. then i see the plane wobbling and start plummeting down. at that point i said, man, this is not good. >> >> reporter: we did speak with public information officer at the marine corps air station. he said at this point there is still no cause as to what caused this crash. >> kyung lah, barbara starr, thanks to both of you. now to the unrelenting backlash over the bowe bergdahl prisoner swap. this morning bergdahl's hometown canceled the homecoming

celebration because of security concerns. emotion remains high on capitol hill. lawmakers were shown a classified so-called proof of life video intended to prove bergdahl's rescue was necessary because his health was many jeopardy. most lawmakers were not convinced. may's independent senator angus king says lawmakers need to dial it back. >> this firestorm of what looks to me like political criticism is pretty tiresome. let's take a deep breath, get the facts so we know what we're talking about and then assessment we'll have plenty of time to assess, a, what kind of soldier he was, and b, whether this was a reasonable deal. a year from now the president will look like a genius forgetting him home or he'll say those guys went back and got

back into the fight. would i have made the deal? i don't know. kant answer that because i don't know all the facts and i don't know what the other options are. there's one other very important point that needs to get out there. there's a reasonable legal argument that these five guys would have had to be released anyway within the next year under the law of war. they were being held in guantanamo as enemy combatants. under the law of wore when hostility ceased, enemy combatants have to be released. we could have argued we held them under other authority or civilian authority. there's a reasonable argument that this may have been the last chance to get bergdahl where these guys had true value to us as a negotiating tool. if they had to be released anyway, we would be in the same situation without bowe bergdahl ho home. >> it is likely president obama will be asked about it later this hour at a press conference.

cnn's jim acosta is with the president. >> reporter: the white house did expect this deal to free bergdahl would create controversy. what they didn't expect is that a p.o.w. would become a political football. the release of p.o.w. bowe bergdahl, the president saying while they expected some controversy, they've been shocked by what they describe as attacks on bergdahl and even his family in an apparent effort to damage the president. >> it's very interesting to me that they would be willing to release five extraordinarily dangerous taliban members in exchange for this soldier who apparently left his post. we don't know all the details. >> as john kerry threw his medals over the white house fence and turned his back on his vietnam brothers and sisters, that's what bergdahl did.

he walked away from his men and left them in a bad spot. people lost their lives and got hurt trying to find him. >> reporter: conservative critics have accused bergdahl's father of looking muslim. >> in saying that bergdahl looks like a muslim is he looks like a muslim. >> reporter: administration officials have tried to keep the focus on bergdahl. the administration calling the parents to reassure them as their son's care, the state department officials arguing prisoner swaps are nothing new. democrats point out gop lawmakers pushed the white house for months to step up efforts to rescue bergdahl, even if it means a prisoner exchange. >> i would support ways of bringing him home. if exchange was one of them, i think that would be something we should seriously consider. >> senator john mccain insists the deal that finally freed bergdahl is not what he had in mind. >> i learned nothing in this briefing, nor did i expect to learn anything in this briefing

except that i continue to maintain that this individual who we are glad that sergeant bergdahl is home, but the exchange of five hard core, hardest of the hard core al qaeda/taliban will pose a threat to the united states of america. >> for mr. obama, the bergdahl distraction comes at a critical time, just as he could come face-to-face with russian president vladimir putin since the invasion of ukraine. >> our three nations cannot be complacent in pursuit of the vision we share, a europe that is whole and free and at peace. >> reporter: now, as for that proof of life video as it's been called by the administration that prompted the concerns for bowe bergdahl's health and well-being, a senior official tells me, carol, they are reviewing whether or not they should release that video to the public as they did to lawmakers so people can judge for themselves and one other

administration officials cautions it's way too early to draw any conclusions about why bowe bergdahl was taken into custody by the taliban, how he fell into the taliban hands. they say it's way too early in the process to know anything for certain as to how bowe bergdahl became a captive in the first place. >> jim acosta reporting live from brussels this morning. politicizing bergdahl, it seems like we can't help it. there are serious questions surrounding the swap of the taliban prisoners. wouldn't it be great if we just waited for the facts to come out? there are now allegations republican political strategists are arranging interviews with bergdahl's platoon members who describe bergdahl as a traitor and deserter. one tweeted, quote, i want to thank richard grun nell for helping to get our story out. he's a former bush administration aid who worked for mitt romney. we'll talk to his partner, brad chase, a little later in the show. grun nell defended his work

saying it's not political, but others disagree. joining me is molly ball from the atlantic and michael crowley from "time" magazine. by the way, the cover story of this week's issue features bergdahl with the simple question "was he worth it?" michael, that's cold. >> well, we are just i think echoing a question that is being heard all across america. the story is open-ended. i do think there's a conversation happening across the country posing that question. did we give too much for this guy. the definitive facts are unknown, but there is a lot of reason to think that he wandered away, does not appear to have been captured in battle. we paid a high price. particularly as you say, as you just mentioned, conserving and

republicans on the war path. >> molly, i have to ask you, is the bergdahl mess being politicized or is it being fairly argued in the press? >> well, i like to think in the press we are always fair, but politics is politics. there are some critics of this deal that don't sound like they're motivated purely by a desire to get to the bottom of that, but by a desire to make the president look bad. absolutely anything that happens is going to feed into that narrative even if it contradicts things they've said before. you do have republicans who previously championed the bergdahl case as a failure of the administration that they hadn't brought him home and now they're criticizing the way he has been brought home. there are questions here. the administration has not been transparent in the way they've handled this and seem to have been caught flat-footed given how much criticism or doubt there was about this story long before he was brought home. these legitimate questions are being clouded by some of these

kri ticks that seem merely opportunistic or con spir torl based on the idea that the administration is deliberately hurting america or there's some islamic conspiracy. when republicans start to talk in those terms, i think they really lose people. >> it is mind-boggling that the president didn't consult with congress before his administration decided to release these five taliban prisoners. that's a legitimate question. when you start tieing bergdahl to benghazi to every other thing you have a problem with with president obama, the legitimate questions do get lost in the shuffle, don't they? >> that's ooh real risk for republicans. what you are seeing already is a white house message strategy that focuses on the republican origins of a lot of the criticism and the white house is trying to frame this now as a part san issue. it's an easier way for them to grapple with it. if they say republicans are pouncing on the latest piece of

chum in the water, they don't actually want the facts, they are just trying to tear down the president. they're not serious about national security, that's an argument that is much easier for the white house to have. and to answer some of these very complicated and nuanced questions having to do with whether the president did observe the law regarding notification of congress, he argues the law itself is unconstitutional and in his power as commander in chief he has the authority to essentially ignore it in the name of national security. there's an argument that the five detainees may have had to be released anyway after 2014 at the end of hostilities in afghanistan. these are nuanced complicated points as opposed to, hey, look, republican operatives are out to get us. this isn't about the facts. it's about politics. if republicans aren't careful, they will be doing a favor here. >> thanks to you both. i appreciate it. still to come in the

"newsroom," general motors ceo mary barra speaking about the results of a massive internal investigation revealing who knew what about a deadly ignition flaw and who is to blame. we'll talk about that next. you really love, what would you do?" ♪ [ woman ] i'd be a writer. [ man ] i'd be a baker. [ woman ] i wanna be a pie maker. [ man ] i wanna be a pilot. [ woman ] i'd be an architect. what if i told you someone could pay you and what if that person were you?

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happening right now, general motors ceo mary barra addressing the company in a town hall style meeting and releasing the results of a month's long internal investigation into how

the company could have known about a deadly ignition defect in small cars and did nothing about it. listen to what she said. >> i can tell you this report is extremely thorough, brutally tough and deeply troubling. for those of us who have dedicated our lives to this company, it is enormously painful to see our shortcomings laid out so vividly. as i read the report i was deeply saddened and disturbed, but this isn't about our feelings and it's not about our egos. this is about our responsibility to act with integrity, honor and be committed to excellence. with all of our colleagues around the world watching, i want it known that this recall issue isn't merely an engineering or a manufacturing or a legal problem. it represents a fundamental

failure to meet the basic needs of these customers. our job is clear, to build high quality, safe vehicles. in this case with these vehicles, we simply didn't do our job. we failed these customers and we must face up to it and we must learn from it. to that end and on behalf of gm, we pledge that we will use the findings and the recommendations from this report as a template to strengthen our company. what volucas found in this situation was a pattern of incompetence and neglect. >> wow, incompetence and neglect. joined by chief business correspondent christine romans. poppy harlow in michigan and lauren whose daughter was killed in a car crash in a car that was

recalled also joins us. >> poppy, there was more than just words involved here. what actions did mary barra take? >> reporter: those two words you reiterated stood out to me, carol, a pattern of incompetence and neglect at that giant automaker for 11 years. she said that never once did the fact that this ignition switch was deadly reach the highest levels of the company. she took action. she said they have dismissed 15 people at general motors that are tied to this ignition switch defect and the inability of this company or the unwillingness of this company to come forward, they have been let go because of, quote, either misconduct, incompetence or simply because they didn't do enough. they knew something was wrong and they didn't do anything about it. it cost lives. also, the company has taken disciplinary action against five other people. she also said numerous times

that the company will do the right thing for victims. and the question remains, we have not heard yet what that means, how much money is this company going to set aside to pay victims that died and were injured in these crashes. but again, they are let 15 people go. they are disciplining five others. what we now want to know and we'll ask her when we go inside to the press conference is who, who knew and how high did it go? >> laura, you lost your daughter in a car crash. what's your reaction to what we've just learned? >> i'm glad they're taking action. however, i'm rather dubious about a company that covered up these defects for so long in their own internal investigation. i'm also curious to see who exactly was let go. i'm even more looking forward to seeing what the department of justice finds in their own investigation. >> christine, what exactly do we know about how gm may distribute money to victims of the crash

linked to this ignition defect? >> reporter: carol, it's so interesting. mary barra said they didn't find a coverup. they found a lack of urgencurge. mary barra saying there wasn't a coverup here. in terms of compensation, there have been a lot of calls to set up a big trust fund for the victims and their families. kenneth feinberg, someone who has done this before for the 9/11 victims, also for the bp oil spill, he has been tasked to try to figure out how to determine how to compensate these victims. gm saying there are 13 victims here. as poppy knows, there are other families who feel they feel their loved ones were victims of this defect as well. they're going to have to figure out who exactly was harmed by this, how to compensate them, how much and what that's going to look like. >> laura, i'm curious, have you been contacted at all by ken feinberg or gm?

>> no, i have not but my attorney bob hilyard has. as to the universe of 13, we're kind of baffled how they came up with that number. my attorney represents i believe 70 families who have lost someone, and i've personally found over 100 and have looked at police reports. so i'm ear curious how they came up with 13. >> poppy, i'm sure when you go into that news conference you'll ask mary barra these questions. what do you know about them now, about how many victims there could be out there? >> we will. i think this brings up such an important issue. we know that gm is only counting 13 deaths to this point because they only count frontal collisions where the air bags did not deploy and people sitting in the driver or front passenger seat died as a result. there is a case, an accident where gm has on their list of deaths, the passenger in the front seat died. that's included in the ignition

switch defect death and the person sitting in the back seat who died is not included on that list. that's why there's so many questions. what gm is also not counting is side impact crashes. even if the car, for example, was shut off because of the ignition switch defects and it was crashed into by another vehicle or object on the side, that is not counted as well. we will ask that and talk to mary barra about that inside, that is why they're saying the number is 13. nhtsa is saying they believe the number is higher. >> all right. thanks to all of you. i'm back in a minute. hey. i'm ted and this is rudy.

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in bowe bergdahl's hometown, many have been celebrating the news of his release. a town-wide party has been called off because of security concerns. george howe is in haley, idaho. >> reporter: here in this town when you go down the streets and look at all the ribbons and balloons out there, you can tell there was a lot of excitement about this event scheduled for later this month. we now know the city canceled the event, saying this city of 8,000 people don't have the infrastructure to deal with all the people that could come here, given all the national media attention and opinions about what's happening here in the release of bowe bergdahl. as a matter of public safety, they decided to cancel the events. we know the bergdahls have not spoken about it. they did get a call from defense

secretary chuck hagel, a ten-minute call reassuring him that the defense department would be there when it comes to his reintegration, his health care. while the bergdahls are not talking, this community is. you hear from friend and supporters ready and excited to seeberg dal return home here. if you look at the local paper, you see this op ed saying "bring our soldier home and let him heal" and another that says "it's time to focus on a soldier's freedom." that's the sentiment coming from haley, idaho, ready to see bowe bergdahl return home. >> george howell reporting from idaho. the saga of bowe bergdahl has sparked a range of emotions from jubilation and praise to criticism. lawmakers are outraged over being left in the dark about the prisoner swap made for his release while some of his fellow soldiers are branding him a

traitor. those soldiers are caught in the controver controversy. with me, brad chase, a partner with capital partners and maria cardona, cnn political commentator and democratic strategist. welcome to both of you. >> thank you. >> you work with richard grunnell who has reportedly helped facilitate these media appearances by soldiers. one of the men who served with bergdahl tweeted this, quote, i want to thank richard grunnell for helping to get the story out. you're his partner, should the firm be helping to arrange these interviews with soldiers. it's not like any of us would refuse to let the soldiers tell their story. >> i am rick's business partner in capital media partners. i am not a republican. this started with a significant amount of misinformation that

originated an erroneous "new york times" story where they said gop strategists. these young brave soldiers were looking to find a voice and share with the world the fact of bergdahl's disappearance. they took to social media like a lot of people do, were hoping to find someone who would listen. rick was the first one to identify it. he helped facilitate the first couple things for them, passed it off to me and the rest of the firm. i'm an independent. i have voted on the presidential ticket for candidates from both parties. there's nothing partisan on either side. >> my only question, didn't mr. grenell realize how this might look? >> everyone here is not looking at the politics of it. there's two elements of this story, the prisoner swap and actually what he did. the second part is important to the soldiers. they don't want to talk about the swap. they feel it's critical for

everyone to know this man walked out of them five years ago. he's never really left their lives. he's been haunting them. josh, the medic on the team responsible for the health and welfare of everyone on that platoon, what happened? it's a heavy burden these guys have tried to face. they want to talk about what bergdahl did and what the government is going to do in response. >> maria, you can't disagree with what brad just said, right? >> no. and no one, carol, is begrudging these soldiers their chance to speak. they earned it. people have died for it, that's what makes this country great. the unfortunate part is that it has become political because it was richard grenell who started putting these soldiers in contact with the media. if richard was worth anything as a pr consultant, he should know when he becomes a story or his firm becomes the story, that is

not doing your client absolutely any good. if richard had really gotten this out, he would have turned this over to brad from the very first call to say, look, it's important to get their story out. but i am known in wide circles as a rubbing consultant. if i even make one call to a immediate outlet, they're going to think this is political. unfortunately this is exactly what happened. now this has the putrid stench of politics on it which is unfortunate for the soldiers who have the right to tell their story. >> brad, i think what frustrates people is everything in life seems to be politicized. we can't have a conversation without the politics. we can't wait to find out the facts before making up our minds. that's where the consternation is coming from. >> incredibly disappointing that this is how it's turned out that people want to talk about the politics of it.

we took this on pro bono, offering our services for free as they deal with the thousands of e-mails and hundreds of calls they're getting from all across the world. they have very simple, very important story to tell. you have factions on both sides, both the left and the right. even though rick may be a republican equally, you people choosing to fill their own agenda by trying to shape the narrative. >> i'm going to have to wrap this up. i'm very sorry, brad chase, maria cardona. the president is about to speak in brussels. i'll take a break and come back with much more in the "newsroom" including the president. you earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on everything you purchase. not just "everything at the hardware store." not "everything, until you hit your cash back limit." quicksilver can earn you unlimited 1.5% cash back on everything you could possibly imagine. say it with me -- everything. one more time, everything!

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cameron. >> -- syria, libya and iran as well as the process of ending our combat mission in afghanistan. we spoke about the deepening partnership that we have on issues like nigeria in support of our shared goal of safely returning the kidnapped girls to their families. what i want to focus on briefly before we take questions are two issues that dominated our discussion over the last two days. that's the situation in the ukraine and energy security. originally, of course, our summit was supposed to be in sochi. but after russia's actions in ukraine, our nations united quickly around a common strategy. we suspended russia from the g8 and canceled the sochi meeting, making this the first g7 held without russia in some 20 years. all seven of our nations have taken steps to impose costs on russia for its behavior. today in contrast to a growing

global economy, a lug gish russian economy is weaker because of the choices made by russia's leadership. meanwhile, our nations continue to stand united in our support and assistance to the ukrainian people, and the g7 summit was an occasion for me, david and our fellow leaders to ensure that we're in lockstep going forward. on ukraine, i shared the results of my meeting with president elect pour chen co-. like so many he wants to strengthen ties with europe and the united states but recognizing that ukraine will benefit from a -- he demonstrated a commitment to reach out to the east and pursue reforms. russia needs to seize that opportunity. russia needs to recognize that president elect poroshenko is the legitimately elected leader of ukraine and engage the

government in kiev. given its influence over the militants in ukraine, russia continues to have a responsibility to convince them to end their violence, lay down their weapons and enter into a dialogue with the ukrainian government. on the other hand, if russia's provocations continue, it's clear from our discussions here that the g7 nations are ready to impose additional costs on russia. i also briefed david on the new initiative i announced in warsaw to bolster the security of our nato allies, especially in central and eastern europe as well as our focus on counterterrorism capabilities across the middle east and north africa. david will be hosting the next nato summit in wales in september. and i appreciate him updating me on the preparations for that summit. we agree it's going to be an opportunity to make sure every ally is carrying their share and investing in the capabilities our alliance needs for the future.

the situation in ukraine has also highlighted the need for greater energy security. at the g-7 we agreed to help ukraine reduce its energy risks to include diversifying and supplies. we're going to help countries in central and eastern europe strengthen their energy security as well. i am following the review i called for in the united states earlier this year. every g7 country will conduct an energy assessment to identify the impact of any potential disruptions and to offer ways we can better prevent disruptions and recover from them more quickly. related to this we agreed at the g7 to continue to lead by example in the fight against climate change which poses a danger to our environment, our economies and our national security. i made it clear that the united states will continue to do our part, and earlier this week we took a major step in proposing new standards that for the first time would limit carbon pollution from our existing

power plants. it's one of the most ambitious steps any nation has taken to combat climate change. it would reduce carbon emissions from our electricity sector by 30%. it will help us meet the commitments we made when i first came into office at copenhagen and it will improve our public health. it's also going to be good for our economy by helping create more clean energy johns and ultimately lower electricity bills for americans. this builds on the steps we've taken over the past five years to invest more in renewables like solar and wind, raise fuel standards for our cars and trucks and make our homes and businesses more energy efficient. today we're holding our carbon emissions to levels not seen in nearly 20 years. we're making important progress with my action plan for climate change indicates we've got to keep at it and do more. i know it's a cause david is also passionate about. we agree every nation has to do its share, all the major economies including the g7 and

emerging markets like china need to show leadership as we work on a new global climate agreement. that includes putting forward by march of next year ambitious long-term targets for reducing emissions. so again i want to thank prime minister cameron and our fellow leaders for our work here together in brussels. david, i believe that whenever our two nations stand together, it can lead a world that is more secure and more prosperous and more just and we'll be reminded of that again tomorrow in normandy as we mark the 70th anniversary of d-day. on that day, like so many others, american and british troops stood together and fought valiantly alongside our allies. it didn't just help to win the war, they helped to turn the tide of human history and are the reason we can stand here today in a free europe and with the freedoms our nations enjoy. so there is the legacy our two nations and our great alliance

continue to hold. i'm grateful to have a fine partner in david in making that happen. thank you, david. >> thank you, and good afternoon. i'm delighted to be here with you today, barack. as we stand together in europe on the 70th anniversary of the d-day landings, we should remind the world of the strengths and steadfastness of the bond between the united kingdom and the united states. 70 years ago, as you just said, our countries stood like two rocks of freedom and democracy in the face of nazi tyranny. 70 years ago tonight, thousands of young british and american soldiers with their canadian and free french counterparts were preparing to cross the channel in the greatest liberation force that the world has ever known. those young men were united in purpose, to restore democracy and freedom to continental europe, to free by force of arms ancient european nations and to allow the nations and peoples of

europe to chart their destiny in the world. thousands of those young men paid the ultimate price, and we honor their memory today and tomorrow. shortly after d-day my own grandfather was wounded and came home. we will never forget what they did and the debt that we owe them for the peace and freedom that we enjoy on this continent. today in a new century aour two democracies continue to stand for and uphold the same values in the world, democracy, liberty and rule of law. day today we work together to uphold those values right across the globe. that approach has been at the heart of what we've discussed here in the g7 and in our bilateral meeting today. we talked about one of the greatest opportunities we have to turbo charge the global economy by concluding trade deals which would be the biggest of them all. the transatlantic investment partnership that would create growth in jobs, a deal that

could be worth up to 10 billion pounds a year for britain alone. it would help to security our long-term economic success and generate a better future for hard working families back at home. that is why i was so determined to launch those negotiations a year ago. since then we've made steady progress. we've got to keep our eyes on the huge prize and not get bogged down. we also discussed what i believe is the greatest threat that we face, how we counter extremist and the threat that terrorist groups operating elsewhere pose to the safety of our people, both at home and abroad. this year we will bring our troops home from afghanistan. they can be proud of what they've achieved over the last decade, deny terrorist it is safe haven for which to plot attacks against britain or the united states, but at the same time, as we've reduced the threat from that region so al qaeda franchises have grown in other parts of the world, many of these groups are focused on the countries where they operate, but they still pose a

risk to our people, our businesses and our interests. barack and i share the same view of how we tackle this threat in the fragile regions of the world where terrorist networks seek a foothold. as i've said before, our approach must be tough, patient, intelligent and based on strong international partnerships. so when it comes to syria, now the number one destination for jihadists anywhere in the world, we've agreed to intensify our efforts to address the threat of foreign fighters traveling to and from syria. we'll be introducing new measures in the uk to prosecute those who plan and train for terrorism aboard. here at the g7 we've agreed to do more to work with syria's neighbors to disrupt the terrorist financing that funds these jihadist training camps. in libya we want to help the government as it struggles to overcome the legacy of gadhafi's miss rule. barack and i have recently

appointed envoys working together to support efforts to reach a much-needed political settlement. we're fulfilling our commitment to train the libyan security forces with the first round to begin in the uk this month. in nigeria we're committed to supporting the nigerian government as they confront the scurge of boka haram. the kidnap of the girls was pure evil. and britain and the united states have provided immediate assistance in the search. we hope to help the nigerians and the region to strengthen their defense and security institutions and develop the expertise needed to counter these bar bark extremists. finally, as barack said, we had an important discussion on ukraine and relations with russia. from the outset of this crisis, the g-7 nations have stood united. clear in our support for the ukrainian people and their right to choose their own future and firm in our message to president putin that russia's actions are completely unacceptable and

totally at odds with the value of these group of democracies. that's rye russia no longer has a seat at the table with us. at this summit we will clear about three things. first, the status quo is unacceptable, the continuing destabilization of eastern ukraine must stop. second, there are a set of things that need to hatch. president putin must recognize the legitimate election of president poroshenko. he must stop arms crossing the border into ukraine and stop russian support for separatist groups. third, if these things don't happen, sectoral sanctions will follow. the next month will be vital in seeing if president putin is taking these steps. finally, we discuss the cancer eating away at the world's economic and political systems, core ru7gs. corruption is the arch enemy of democracy and development. the best way to fight corruption and to drive growth is through what i call the three ts,

greater transparency, fair tax systems and freer trade. that is at the heart of our agenda in lock hearn and today we hope to push for free trade and greater transparency, things that are hard wired into these international gatherings and many years to come. thank you. >> we've got a couple questions from each press delegation. we'll start with jeff mason at reuters. jeff. >> thank you, mr. president. you're going to france later this evening. since you last had french president hollande visit earlier this year, a lot of tensions have arisen in the relationship. the french say a potential multibillion dollar fine on the bank could affect global economy and trade talks. do you believe those concerns are valid? how do you expect to address them tonight and also u.s. concerns about the french selling warships to russia? to the prime minister, do you

feel isolated, sir, among your eu leaders about your position on jean-claude junner and who would you like see get uk and the eu. thank you. >> first of all, the relationship between the united states and france has never been stronger. on a whole range of issues, we're seeing intense cooperation. and i'm looking forward to seeing president hollande this evening to talk about a range of issue and continue some of the work that was done here in brussels. my answer on the banking case is short and simple. the tradition of the united states is that the president

does not meddle in prosecutions. we don't call the attorney general. i do not pick up the phone and tell the attorney general how to prosecute cases that have been brought. i do not push for settlements of cases that have been brought. those are decisions that are made by an independent department of justice. i've communicated that to president hollande. this is not a unique position on my part. perhaps it is a different tradition than exists in other countries, but it is designed to make sure that the rule of law is not in any way impacted by political expediency. and so this will be determined by u.s. attorneys, in discussion with representatives of the b k

bank. you know, i'll read about it in the newspapers just like everybody else. >> he says he's going to confront you about it tonight. >> you'll hear the same answer from me tonight as you just heard at this podium. i have expressed some concerns, and i don't think i'm alone in this, about continuing significant defense deals with russia at a time when they have violated basic international law, and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of their neighbors. so president hollande understands my position. i recognize that this is a big deal. i recognize that the jobs in france are important. i think it would have been

preferable to press the pause button. president hollande so far has made a different decision. and that does not negate the broader cooperation that we've had with france with respect to its willingness to work with us on sanctions to discourage president putin from engaging in further destabilizing actions and hopefully to encourage him to move in a more constructive direction. we are at a point where mr. putin has the chance to get back into a lane of international law. he has a president in porchenko who he can negotiate directly

with. having spoken with him yesterday morning, it's clear that he recognizes that ukraine needs to have a good relationship with russia, but also rightly affirms the right of ukraine to engage with the rest of the world. and the steps that david outlined earlier and that the g-7 unanimously agrees with, which is for mr. putin to take -- seize this moment, recognize porchenko as the legitimate leader of ukraine, cease the support of separatists and the flow of arms, work with ukraine to engage those in the east during this process of constitutional and economic reform. if mr. putin takes those steps, then it is possible for us to begin to rebuild trust between russia and its neighbors and europe. should he fail to do so, though,

there are going to be additional consequences. and one of the important things that came out of this meeting today was the recognition on the part of all of us that we can't simply allow drift. the mere fact that some of the russian soldiers have moved back off the border and that russia is now destabilizing ukraine through surrogates rather than overtly and explicitly does not mean that we can afford three months or four months or six months of continued violence and conflict in eastern ukraine. we will have a chance to see what mr. putin does over the next two, three, four weeks. and if he remains on the current course, then we've already indicated the kinds of actions that we're prepared to take. all right. >> you asked a couple of

questions about europe. it's worth setting the context, we've just had a set of european elections where, to take two countries at random, france and britain, and france, from national and openly anti-european party one and an anti-party country my party won. when these things happen, you can stick your head in the sand or you can have a strategy for addressing the concerns of the people that you represent in your country. i have a strategy to represent and understand and reflect those concerns. and that's why i think it's important that we have people running the institutions of europe who understand the need for change, the need for reform. and i would argue that that is a view that is quite widely shared amongst other heads of government and heads of state in the european union. as for britain's future, i'm very clear what i want to achieve is to secure britain's place in a reformed european union. and i have a strategy for delivering that. it's about renegotiating our position. it's about recovering some important powers. it's about making some significant changes. and then putting that decision

in a referendum to the british people. but very much recommending that we stay in a reformed european union. again, it's a strategy for dealing with an issue which i think if we just walked away from it, we'd see britain drift towards the exits, and i don't want that to happen. >> do you feel any pressure from the united states about that? >> no, we have good discussions about these issues as we discuss everything else. >> absolutely. >> let's have a question from the bbc. >> mr. president, even if you don't have a meeting scheduled face to face with vladimir putin yourself, are you going to end up talking with him face to face in france, and do you see real possibilities of opening up a way from crisis by you engaging with him? britain is potentially facing, mr. president, two major decisions, whether or not scotland stays part of the united kingdom and whether the united kingdom stays part of the european union. what do those decisions mean to you and to the people of the united states? prime minister, you'll be the first i think after the summit

to engage with vladimir putin face to face. despite everything you've said, is there something of an olive branch in your hand, after all, mr. putin has not actually denoupsed the denounced the new proce process? is there a way out and is that what you'll be exploring with him this evening? do you accept germany may not come to your aid and stop him from becoming commissioned president? will that actually potentially blow your entire strategy off course? do you think you may be able to negotiate a brilliant reform of european union, but if joean claude becomes president, will your credibility become so damaged that people will simply vote to leave the union? finally, who are you more afraid of? angela merkel or teresa may? >> that's a great question. right. do you want to go -- let me take this. first of all, my meeting with vladimir putin, i think it's just important to have this communication about some very important messages, about what's happening now is not acceptable,

about the changes that need to take place. i think as the president said, there is an opportunity for diplomacy to play a role and to chart a path because we've had these elections. the ukrainian people have chosen a president. he is a capable man. and it's quite possible that he could have a proper relationship with putin that could be a proper relationship between ukraine and russia, but change is needed in order for that to happen, and that's the message that i will be delivering this evening. in terms of your other questions, look, on this issue of who runs the european commission, the european institutions, what matters is people who understand the need for change, who understand the need for reform, who realize that if things go on as they have, this union is not going to work for its citizens. and that was the message that i think was loudly received in these european elections. as for who, as you put it, angela merkel or teresa may, look, i'm very fortunate in my life to work with some extremely

strong and came women of which they are undoubtedly, too. >> i have no doubt that i'll see mr. putin. and he and i have always had a businesslike relationship. and it is entirely appropriate that he's there to commemorate d-day, given the extraordinary sacrifices that were made by the people of the soviet union during world war ii. should we have the opportunity to talk, i will be repeating the same message that i've been delivering to him throughout this crisis. keep in mind that although we haven't had formal meetings, i've spoken to him by phone repeatedly from the outset of the protests. and my message has been very consistent. and that is that russia has a legitimate interest in what happens in ukraine, given that it's on its border and given its historical ties. but ultimately, it is up to the people of ukraine to make their own decisions.

that russian armed forces annexing pieces of a neighbor is illegal and violates international law. and the kinds of destabilizing activities that we now see funded and encouraged by russia are illegal. and are not constructive. and that there is a path in which russia has the capacity to engage directly with president porochenko now. he should take it. if he does not, if he continues a strategy of undermining the sovereignty of ukraine, then we have no choice but to respond. and perhaps he has been surprised by the degree of unity that's been displayed. i do think the fact that he did

not immediately denounce the outcome of the may 25th election, perhaps offers the prospect that he is moving in a new direction. but i think we have to see what he does and not what he says. with respect to the future of the united kingdom, obviously, ultimately this is up to the people of great britain, in the case of scotland, there is a referendum process in place, and it's up to the people of scotland. i would say that the united kingdom has been an extraordinary partner to us, from the outside, at least, it looks like things have worked pretty well. and we obviously have a deep interest in making sure that one of the closest allies that we will ever have remains strong,

robust, united and effective partner. but ultimately, these are decisions that will be made by the folks there. with respect to the eu, we share a strategic vision with great britain on a whole range of international issues. and so it's always encouraging for us to know that great britain has a seat at the table in the larger european project. i think in light of, you know, the events that we're going to be commemorating tomorrow, it's important to recall that it was the steadfastness of great britain that, in part, allows us to be here in brussels, in the seat of a unified and extraordinarily prosperous europe. and it's hard for me to imagine

that project going well in the absence of great britain, and i think it's also hard for me to imagine that it would be advantageous for great britain to be excluded from political decisions that have an enormous impact on its economic and political life. you know, this is why we have elections, and we'll see the arguments made, and i'm sure the people of great britain will make the right decision. steven collison. >> thank you, mr. president. have you been surprised by the backlash that's been whipped up by your decision to do a deal to free bowe bergdahl, and what do you think is motivating that? in retrospect, do you think you could have done more to consult with congress or announced the deal in a way that might have spared him and his family being caught up in the political cross fire? prime minister, how do you respond to criticism that your decision to meet vladimir putin

and his meetings with other key european leaders are actually devaluing the punishment that was meted out to russia by throwing it out of the g-8? and finally, should qatar be deprived of the right to host the world cup? and if so, is england willing to host it? >> i'm never surprised by controversies that are whipped up in washington. right? that's par for the course. but i'll repeat what i said two days ago. we have a basic principle. we do not leave anybody wearing the american uniform behind. we had a prisoner of war whose health had deteriorated, and we were deeply concerned about, and we saw an opportunity, and we seized it. and i make no apologies for that.

we had discussed with congress the possibility that something like this might occur, but because of the nature of the folks that we were dealing with and the fragile nature of these negotiations, we felt it was important to go ahead and do what we did. and we're now explaining to congress the details of how we moved forward. but this basic principle that we don't leave anybody behind and this basic recognition that that often means prisoner exchanges with enemies is not unique to my administration. it dates back to the beginning of our republic. and with respect to how we announced it, i think it was important for people to understand that this is not some obstruction. this is not a political football. you have a couple of parents

whose kid volunteered to fight in a distant land. who they hadn't seen in five years. and weren't sure whether they'd ever see again. and as commander in chief of the united states armed forces, i am responsible for those kids. and i got letters from parents who say if you are, in fact, sending my child into war, make sure that that child is being taken care of. and i write too many letters to folks who unfortunately don't see their children again after fighting a war. i make absolutely no apologies for making sure that we get back a young man to his parents and that the american people understand that this is somebody's child. and that we don't condition whether or not we make the effort to try to get them back.

did you have a second question? >> for the prime minister. >> okay. you can ask him about football. >> the issue -- first of all, on the issue of meeting putin, i think it's right to have this dialogue, particularly if you have a clear message and a clear point to make. i think there's a world of difference between having a dialogue with president putin and excluding someone from an institution as significant of the g-8 and of the g-7. i think it was right to exclude russia. i think i was one of the first leaders to make that point. and there's a world of difference between the meeting which we just held which did not include russia and having a bilateral meeting where we discussed these issues about ukraine. on the issue of football, we should let the investigation run its course. but, of course, england is the home of football, as it's the home and inventor of many sports, tennis, rugby, golf, skiing, table tennis, cricket. >> baseball, basketball. >> well, i'm not sure that it goes all the way --

>> i just want to be clear here. >> we're always happy to provide a home for these sports. >> you didn't invent the english language, though. >> you've made a few changes to it. they don't hold us back. the final question of itv, i think. >> itv news. you spoke about the importance for you and your allies to be in complete lockstep on the crisis in ukraine. if this crisis shows no sign of de-escalating, you say that the next step will be to sectoral sanctions. are you confident that you will be in lockstep with all of the european allies and g-7 allies because there will be costs and consequences for them and their economies as sanctions get widened? prime minister, my question to you, as you spoke forcefully about the threat of extremist ideology at home and abroad, described it as the greatest threat to britain and its allies, and even by your own

government's estimate, there are several hundred british citizens learning to fight and kill in syria. wth regard to extremist ideology at home, particularly in schools where there's been a lot of concern, don't you think it's not only unseemly but wrong for members of your own government to engage in an argument about whether priority should be protecting british children against extremist ideology? thank you. >> first of all, let me just say on the issue of sectoral sanctions -- and this issue of lockstep between the u.s. and countries of the european union -- i think it's been very striking actually over the last few months how we've been able to stay as unified as we have. and i pay tribute to barack for his understanding of how important it is for us to try and work together and deliver these messages together. and i think it's surprised people, and i hope it's surprised president putin. in terms of tackling extremism, i set up the uk extreme itch task force which i chaired

because i wanted to make sure the government was doing everything that it could to drive extremism out of schools, campuses, prisons in every part of national life. and i think it's very important that we recognize that you've got to deal not only with violent extremism but also the sync of extremism, tolerating views of which violence can grow. and the whole government is signed up to that agenda and is driving through changes to deliver that agenda. as for these issues for the last day or two, i will get to the bottom of who has said what and sort it out as i finish these important meetings i'm having here. >> i think what has been striking is the degree of solidarity between the united states and europe in dealing with the ukraine crisis. i think a lot of people anticipated very early on that

immediately the two sides would fly apart. and, in fact, there has been consistency in affirming the core values that have been at the heart of a united and prosperous europe. and that's despite the very real economic consequences that can arise by applying sanctions against russia. i think europeans understand that the reason we've seen such extraordinary growth and peace on this continent has to do with certain values and certain principles that have to be upheld. and when they are so blatantly disregarded, you know, the choice is clear. europeans have to stand up for, you know, those ideals and principles even if it creates

some economic inconvenience. now, having said that, sectoral sanctions are broader. they'd be more significant. our technical teams have been consulting with the european commission to identify sanctions that would maximize impact on russia and minimize adverse impacts on european countries. and that work is ongoing. my hope is is that we don't have to exercise them because mr. putin's made some better decisions. i think, by the way, it would also be better for russia because the russian economy is not in good shape right now. we've seen significant capital flight just from the sanctions that we've already applied. that could easily worsen. and if we have sectoral sanctions, i think it will inevitably hit russia a lot worse than it hits europe, which have much more diversified and resilient economies.

do i expect unanimity among the 28 eu members? i have now been president for 5 1/2 years. and i've learned a thing or two about the european union, the european commission, the european council. sometimes i get them mixed up. but -- >> welcome to the club. >> -- but the basic principle that if you've got 28 people sitting around a table, then not everybody's going to agree, i think we take that for granted. and i also think that if, in fact, we have to move to sectoral sanctions, it's important to take individual countries' sensitivities in mind and make sure that everybody is ponying up, that everybody is bearing their fair share. some people are going to be more concerned about defense relations. some people are going to be more concerned about the financial sector. others might be more concerned

about trade and basic goods and services. and so that's the technical work that is being done. again, my hope is is that we don't have to use it, but i've been hardened by the steadfastness of europe thus far. i think that people underestimate the degree to which given the history of this continent, certainly in the 20th century, that people are not interested in seeing any chinks in the armor, and they recognize that that's worth working for. all right? thank you very much, everybody. thank you, david. >> all right. so there they are, the two leaders, the british prime minister, the president of the united states wrapping up about 40 minutes of a news conference with opening statements, two major headlines emerging from my perspective. one on bowe bergdahl, the american sergeant, the prisoner

of war who was traded for five taliban detainees at guantanamo bay. and the president making it clear he will, in fact, have an opportunity to see the russian president, vladimir putin, tomorrow at d-day commemorations. the 70th anniversary of d-day. we've got a team of reporters and analysts standing by to assess what we've just heard. let's begin with our chief washington correspondent, jake tapper. jake, the president doubling down, insisting he was right. he's not apologizing at all for this trade, even though there is a huge controversy that has erupted here in washington in the united states, and the president saying i'm never surprised by controversies whipped up in washington. what was your analysis? >> well, there are a few controversies whipped up over the bergdahl case. first, you have the trade itself. one american prisoner of war for five mid to high-level taliban fighters. that's controversial in itself. there are democrats and republicans on capitol hill -- mainly republicans, though --

expressing concerns about the deals -- the terms of that. there is the question about whether or not the administration -- the white house adequately consulted with congress. of course, they did not consult with congress. they did not alert congress. even though it is the law they have to alert congress 30 days before the transfer of any prisoners from guantanamo. the administration defends that saying that bergdahl's health was deteriorating. they need to do act fast. democrats and republicans on capitol hill expressing concerns. and then the third controversy really has little to do with obama himself. it has to do with bowe bergdahl, and that's the concerns expressed by members of bergdahl's platoon and his squad saying they believe that he deserted his post. president obama, in one fell swoop, seemed to swat away all of those controversies, i think we have not seen the last of them. one other bit of news was i thought president obama expressing concern that the french are selling $1.6 billion worth of warships to the russians, wolf. as you know, this is a time that is fraught with tension with russia, even though president

obama said that they will be determining whether or not in the coming days and weeks if putin is willing to steer russia back into international -- the lane of international law, he said, whether or not there's going to be any more sanctions on russia because of actions in ukraine, there's already many cracks showing when it comes to how much europe is willing to go along with that. and here we see president obama saying he wished the french had pressed pause on that deal, but they went ahead and sold $1.6 billion worth of warships, wolf. >> yeah, and the french president is going to host a dinner tonight in paris in honor of the russian leader. kris c christiane amanpour, they'll host a separate dinner for president obama tonight as well. two different dinners. two separate dinners. although you heard the president say i have no doubt he would see putin. the french president's going to have a formal dinner in honor of

putin. the british prime minister, david cameron, will have a formal meeting with putin. the president of the united states might run into him. no formal meetings scheduled. what is going on here? >> well, i think, frankly, what they said, and that is that the core reality is that dinners or no dinners, russia is on the back foot and putin is on the back foot. no matter who you talk to including top russian officials, their economy is hurting and reeling to a certain extent from these sanctions, which are not massive but have had an exponential effect of making russia a deep risk for investment. and there's massive capital flight and some there are worried about even a recession, even international organizations have said that. so there's a real problem there. you also see that actually, europe and the united states is quite united on this, despite obviously the situation with the french and their military sales and the president is going to tell mr. hollande to please press the button, or i wish you had. but angela merkel, the german

chancellor, has been instrumental in shifting her stance to a much more robust one over these past few months against president putin, and that has been incredibly determinative in getting these sanctions and getting russia to basically suffer from what they've done in ukraine. the important thing really is to get russia to recognize officially the new president of ukraine to get russia to stop supporting surrogates in eastern ukraine. from there the news is that it is just really days or weeks away from a full-scale civil war in the east. and once it gets to that point, it's going to be incredibly difficult. you remember bosnia. you remember the balkans. it's going to be incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to pull that back. it has to happen now. and that's the big test of all of these leaders meeting with putin right now. >> yeah. i assume on the sidelines, as they say, there will be a little exchange between president obama and president putin. jim sciutto, you're just back from ukraine.

does it look at all, given the sanctions that already have been imposed, potentially a lot more could be imposed on various sectors of the russian economy, does it look at all as if putin already has blinked at least a little bit? >> well, it's interesting. i think that you have the west and the g-7 leaving wiggle room on next steps. the president with a two-sided message to the russians. on the one side saying that president putin has a path, a lane back into international law. saying, as you said, that he very well likely see him tomorrow at the d-day celebrations and may speak with him about this. and he also says that there's a chance to rebuild trust with russia, holding out that olive branch. he said on the other hand if russia does not recognize this new ukrainian government, if it does not stop backing these separatists that are causing the violence that christiane referred to and that i saw firsthand in eastern ukraine, then sectoral sanctions are on the way, and he says that the u.s. and the g-7 will be watching russia over the next

several weeks. but remember, before the election, the standard for new sectoral sanctions had been impeding the election that i was covering just about a week and a half ago. now, that election was impeded. certainly in the east. large sections of the eastern part of the country were not able to vote because of violence from pro-russian separatists, separatists that are backed by russia. the new standard now is if russia does not stop backing those separatists and does not recognize the government, then sanctions are on the way. but it leaves some wiggle room there, definition for when those sanctions will be imposed. the other point i would make is this. questions about the g-7 have lingered. what is its relevance today in 2014 in the 21st century? and here you have a reminder that it is relevant. it has the ukraine crisis facing it but also the crisis in syria. and that's where prime minister cameron said they are working together now to respond to this threat from jihadists emanating from syria. you and i have talked a lot about the threat as intelligence officials warning about this.

and there are americans there that we're concerned about, returning back to the u.s. and staging attacks. europe in particular facing this risk. britain, other members, european members of the g-7, there are thousands of europeans fighting now in syria. they're concerned about them coming home and staging attacks. so two very big challenges for the g-7 going forward. remember as both cameron and putin mentioned, it used to be the g-l8, but russia suspended because of its actions. >> russia will be participating in the d-day commemorations tomorrow. the number one training ground for potential terrorists in the world right now is the battlefields going on in syria. let's take a quick break. much more to assess. we're continuing our special coverage of president obama, the british prime minister, david cameron. they just wrapped up a 40-minute news conference. much more right after this. was getting him to wellness. ta, without angie's list, i don't know if we could have found all the services we needed for our riley.

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i'm wolf blitzer in washington. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. we're wrapping up the news conference just concluded by the president of the united states, president obama and the british prime minister, david cameron. president obama was asked specifically about the controversial decision he made to go ahead and win the freedom of an american soldier, a p.o.w., bowe bergdahl, held by the taliban, the haqqani network in afghanistan and pakistan in exchange for five taliban detainees held at the u.s. military prison at guantanamo bay in cuba. he doubled down.

he strongly defended his decision. listen to this. >> i'm never surprised by controversies that are bhwhippe up in washington, right? that's -- that's par for the course. but i'll repeat what i said two days ago. we have a basic principle. we do not leave anybody wearing the american uniform behind. we had a prisoner of war whose health had deteriorated. and we were deeply concerned about, and we saw an opportunity, and we seized it, and i make no apologies for that. we had discussed with congress the possibility that something like this might occur. but because of the nature of the folks that we were dealing with and the fragile nature of these negotiations, we felt it was important to go ahead and do

what we did. and we're now explaining to congress the details of how we moved forward. but this basic principle that we don't leave anybody behind and this basic recognition that that often means prisoner exchanges with enemies is not unique to my administration. it dates back to the beginning of our republic. >> let's go to our senior washington correspondent, joe johns, who's been monitoring the reaction up on capitol hill. a lot of criticism, as you know, joe, coming from republicans, but a lot of democrats aren't very happy with the way the white house dealt with this issue, didn't inform members of congress until after it was a done deal. >> reporter: i think the democrats feel as though they've been a bit blindsided by all of this. the president's comment there that he's not surprised about controversies that are whipped up in washington. well, the fact of the matter is the administration was clearly prepared for the controversy about the national security

elements of this. the five taliban fighters exchanged for one american. however, i think privately, some staffers at the white house were surprised about the extent and the ferocity of the criticism that was directed at bowe bergdahl and his family. and you saw the president there attempting to sort of humanize the bergdahls to some extent. so why has there been such ferocity? well, talking privately with some senators on capitol hill, it seems pretty clear that there's a sense of frustration here, a notion that there's really nothing they can do other than talk about this in a sort of public relations fashion, perhaps hold a hearing or two. but at the end of the day, this deal is done. and you can't take it back. and that, i think, is the big frustration on capitol hill, wolf. >> let's bring in our white house correspondent, jim acosta, who's traveling with the president. are you getting any sense at all, jim, that the president or his top advisers regret that decision saturday night to go into the rose garden with bowe

bergdahl's parents and make the announcement? obviously the president making the announcement that bowe bergdahl had been released and exchanged for these five taliban detainees? was that a smart move according to what you're hearing from officials traveling with the president? >> reporter: wolf, i think the president, i think his top advisers would do it all over again. i've been talking with several top white house officials over the last several days, and they do feel like it was a smart decision to have bowe bergdahl's parents there in the white house rose garden. they felt like it really sent the message home to families all across the country, military families that they think this is about bringing a soldier home, that you don't leave a soldier on the battlefield. and as joe was saying, i've also been hearing from white house officials, yes, they did expect this controversy. they knew that there would be a controversy when it came to swapping one p.o.w. for five taliban detainees. but they have been taken aback by some of the viciousness and

the attacks aimed at bowe bergdahl. but having said all of that you heard the president say during his remarks that sergeant bergdahl was in a deteriorating condition. as joe knows, he was up on capitol hill. senators were briefed on that proof of life video, shown that proof of life video. that administration officials say was the basis for their concern for bergdahl's health. and some of the senators, frankly, came out of that briefing not convinced, not seeing it in the video. and so that is why i'm hearing from a senior administration official, wolf, that the administration is now debating whether or not to make that video public, that "proof of life" video public so the rest of the country can see what bergdahl was going through. obviously, when you see him in that taliban video that was released yesterday, this is a man who has been in captivity, living like somebody who was a part of the taliban for five years and that this is going to take a long time for bowe bergdahl to get back to normal. but yes, talking to people at the white house, they do feel like that was the right decision to put the president out there with bergdahl's parents.

i think, you know, the other thing that was very interesting to hear, and jim sciutto talked about this, you talked about this with christiane, the president saying point blank he thinks he's going to be running into putin tomorrow at these d-day celebrations out in normandy. that is going to be fascinating to watch. as everybody has been saying for the last several minutes, and i just want to emphasize because i'm hearing the same thing from administration officials, they do see an opportunity here for russia to get back, if not in the good graces of the u.s. in these g-7 countries to start moving in that direction, and they feel like vladimir putin's actions after the may 25th election in ukraine is starting to move russia in that direction. not a done deal yet. there's still the possibility for new sanctions if there are new provocations, but the president saying during that news conference that russia now has a chance to get back into that lane of international law, wolf. >> it will be interesting to see how they choreograph that exchange, that encounter tomorrow at the d-day

commemorations between president putin and president obama. stand by. i want to bring in our intelligence and security analyst, bob beaaer. former diplomat chris hill who is joining us, the dean at the university of denver school of international studies. ambassador hill, you're a career diplomat. you spent your whole lifetime in diplomacy. do you ever remember a time when the united states has freed, released a prisoner who's wanted by the united nations for war crimes, one of these five detainees, as you know, was wanted by the united nations for ordering the slaughter of thousands of afghan shiite muslims in the 1990s? has the u.s. ever done that before? >> not to my knowledge. i mean, certainly the israelis have negotiated prisoner releases of ratios of 100-1. so the idea of the different ratio is hardly new. i think the question is, you know, you always go into a

negotiation hoping the other side will do something for nothing. but the other side never does something for nothing. in this case was a five for one. and these five taliban, that issue had been on the table for some time. so it did not surprise me, but i can't think of an immediate precedent for it. >> and can you think, bob baer, because you spent a career in the cia. you understand what's going on here, the stakes involved. the need obviously to bring an american soldier home, a p.o.w. on the other hand, the price was too high, that the u.s. was effectively doing what it says it never does, negotiates with terrorists. as you know, sergeant bergdahl was held by the haqqani network, which in 2012, which secretary of state hillary clinton was secretary of state, she declared the haqqani network a terrorist organization and put it on the state department list of terror organizations. was the united states effectively negotiating with terrorists for the release of bergdahl? >> yes, wolf, we were.

we've designated them terrorists, the taliban, and i suppose by definition we were. but on the other hand, this isn't the first time. remember iran-contra. we negotiated directly with the iranians on that. we knew that the iranians were in control of the hostages in n lebanon. in fact, we went so far as to trade arms. i think there have been worse cases. i think it's disinjgenuous that we don't negotiate with terrorists. whether it's the government of pakistan or iran or even russia. and it's just a fact of diplomacy. >> i raised the question because secretary of defense hagel the other day flatly said the u.s. was not negotiating with terrorists in order to free sergeant bergdahl. all right. a lot of questions remain to be answered. we're going to have extensive coverage obviously throughout the day. i'll be back 1:00 p.m. eastern later in "the situation room." in the meantime, our coverage will resume in a moment with carol costello.

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about what happened. >> backlash in bergdahl's hometown. >> it was supposed to be called the bowe is back event. >> worries of a showtime in a tiny town of 8,000 shuttering a celebration. and we ask, how do we decide who gets rescued? >> i will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of an enemy. >> we don't leave americans behind. that's unequivocal. >> let's talk live in the "cnn newsroom." and good morning. i'm carol costello. you've been watching coverage of president obama and david cameron's joint press conference in brussels. well, just a short time ago, the president, president obama, talked about the controversy surrounding his decision to swap five high-level taliban

terrorists for bowe bergdahl. he again strongly defended his decision. >> i think it was important for people to understand that this is not some obstruction. this is not a political football. you have a couple of parents whose kid volunteered to fight in a distant land. who they hadn't seen in five years. and weren't sure whether they'd ever see again. and as commander in chief of the united states armed forces, i am responsible for those kids. and i get letters from parents who say if you are, in fact, sending my child into war, make sure that that child is being taken care of. and i write too many letters to folks who unfortunately don't see their children again. after fighting a war. i make absolutely no apologies for making sure that we get back

a young man to his parents. >> the ever-growing criticism following the deal to free bergdahl comes as a surprise, though, even to white house aides. it's not just bergdahl himself who's coming under attack. it's aimed at bergdahl's family, too, for example. bill o'reilly focused his criticism right at bergdahl's father. >> as i said that robert bergdahl looked like a muslim is that he looks like a muslim. >> bergdahl's father went to great lengths to help his son, learning the language of his son's captors. he's actually studied arabic. he even, as you see, grew his hair and beard out. let's talk about that. joining me now, matthew farwell, former veteran and now a writer for "rolling stone." good morning. >> good morning. >> you know the bergdahl family. they say he sent suspicious tweets out and he deleted them and kind of looks like a muslim now. does he deserve this kind of criticism? >> no, absolutely not.

look, bill o'reilly, the most dangerous thing that guy's ever done is walk across the street in new york to buy a burger. you know? so any of this criticism going out at bob bergdahl is disgusting. i know the bergdahls. they're good people. his father was an all-american football player with ucla. he was the postman, the u.p.s. guy in sun valley, idaho, for 30 years. like they're the most american family you can have. and the guy's had his son be a captive of the taliban for the past five years. he's a father. he's going to do anything he can to get his kid back. >> why did he grow his beard out? >> so that he would have some sympathy with the people that were holding his kid hostage. >> and this was not really an attempt to become a member of the taliban. it was more to convince them

that, you know, hey, maybe i can see things your way so that my son will be released, but he didn't really mean that? is that the sort of thing that we're talking about? >> no, so that his son would be treated decently. i mean, remember, you're talking about a family that every night goes to sleep thinking their son might be tortured, every day. can you imagine what that must be like? i can't. and i've lost a brother in the war, and i fought in the war. and these people have been under so much pressure for the past five years that for the media to just blanketly attack them for a sound bite, it's disgusting. and it's un-american. >> there was this video shown to lawmakers on capitol hill. and it showed these lawmakers the condition that bowe bergdahl was in when he was held in captivity. most of the lawmakers say he didn't really look like he was in poor health. so they're questioning why the obama administration even went ahead with this deal. what do you make of that?

>> look, i mean, i'm not carrying any water for the administration. they could have done this deal two years ago. but hillary clinton and robert gates didn't want to do it. and so a big priority for them has been getting this kid home, as it should have been. he's an american soldier. he needs to come home and be in our jurisdiction no matter what. and so for these lawmakers on capitol hill to be second-guessing anything that the commander in chief does, you know, screw them. >> harsh words, matthew. >> well, you know, it's deserved. >> i guess my only question would be if i'm captured by the taliban, do i have to be dying for americans to come and rescue me? >> no absolutely not. i mean, like i've said and like me and michael hastings wrote two years ago, by the way, before the media even, like, came up to this story, we wrote

that he could have been freed ten days after he was captured, if the army had the guts to pull the trigger and make a deal. >> well, you know you're going to get criticized for that remark. i want to -- >> well, i don't care. i mean, i was in the army. i'll get criticized by a bunch of chicken hawks in the states? >> chicken hawks in the states? who are the chicken hawks in the states of which you speak? >> i don't know, i saw a bright bart thing where somehow they conflated me with al qaeda, so, you know. i'm happy to take any hits i need. i went over to afghanistan for 16 months, and i fought for my country. so i've earned the right to say whatever the hell i want. >> good for you, matthew. >> thank you, ma'am. >> a question about bowe bergdahl. it's becoming increasingly clear he really did walk away from his unit. we don't know what the intent was at this moment because we don't have his side of the story. and then you know, you hear

these things about bowe bergdahl's background. he just didn't seem like the ideal person to be in the military. from your perspective, was he? >> you know, i mean, i was an infantryman in the same area he was in two years prior. i know the area that he walked away from. it was a bad area. and we reported two years ago that he walked away. so it's not developing news. it's just old news that the media has conveniently decided to ignore. but was he the ideal person to be in the military? i don't know. who's the ideal person to be in the military? >> i don't know. you just seemed like, you know, he's been described as a romantic and a dreamer, and he was writing stories and books that, you know, in which he was the star. he just didn't seem like your stereotypical soldier to me. >> well, i mean, he didn't fit into his platoon. he didn't seem to really get

along with his platoon mates. he didn't have a bond with them. but other than that, they said he was, up until the moment he walked away, a good soldier. he knew his weapons systems. he studied manuals, and that platoon was pretty disorganized and didn't really have an idea of what they were doing. >> well, it is a surprise nobody in his platoon is stepping up to stand up for him. we just hear members of his platoon criticizing him. why is that? >> well, look. they were under a gag order from either the pentagon or some other area higher than that for five years. they've not been allowed to talk about their deployment for five years. and war is a traumatic experience for anybody. it certainly was for me. and so to not be able to talk about that, i mean, i had a hard time when i was talking with these guys two years ago when me and michael hastings reported

this for "rolling stone." i had a hard time getting people to talk. and they opened up to me because they knew i was in the same area. they knew that i knew the situation. and they knew that i had, you know, shot at bad guys, too. so they're angry right now because they've not been allowed to talk. and a lot of that anger is directed at bergdahl. i mean, hell, it's their right to talk. >> it is. matthew farwell from "rolling stone" magazine, thanks so much for sharing your insight. i appreciate it. >> thank you, ma'am. still to come in the "newsroom," gm ceo mary barra said the automakers failed its customers in that botched recall, and now 15 employees are out of a job. we'll talk about that. [ male announcer ] this one goes out to all the congestion sufferers who feel like there's a brick on their face.

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a pattern of incompetence and neglect combined with a history of failures. general motors' ceo mary barra not mincing words this morning as she described the months-long international investigation into the company's lack of action over a deadly ignition flaw. >> i can tell you this report is extremely thorough, brutally tough, and deeply troubling. for those of us who have dedicated our lives to this company, it is enormously painful to see our shortcomings laid out so vividly. as i read the report, i was deeply saddened and disturbed. what they found in this situation was a pattern of incompetence and neglect. repeatedly, individuals failed to disclose critical pieces of information that could have

fundamentally changed the lives of those impacted by the faulty ignition switch. if this information had been disclosed -- and i believe this in my heart -- the company would have dealt with this situation much differently and appropriately. furthermore, numerous individuals did not take the responsibility to drive the organization to understand what was truly happening. the report highlights a company that operated in silos, with a number of individuals seemingly looking for reasons to not act instead of finding ways to protect our customers. let me be clear. this should have never happened. it is unacceptable. our customers need to know that they can count on our cars, our trucks and most importantly, our word. because of the actions of a few people and the willingness of others to condone bureaucratic

processes that avoided accountability, we let these customers down. >> tough words. poppy harlow joins us now. she's in warren, michigan, where this morning's news conference was held, and our business correspondent, christine romans, is in new york. how did the comments go over? >> reporter: well, it was sitting in a room of employees, and the media wasn't allowed in the room, so we haven't had a chance to hear from any of them. then she came and addressed the media for about an hour, taking pretty much all of our questions. one thing that we kept asking over and over that we felt didn't get addressed in the town hall was the number of victims. we talked about it earlier on your show, but gm said 13 people died as a result of this ignition switch defect. but nitsa thinks it's more and a lot of families we spoke to think it's more because their loved ones who died are not counted on that list. i asked them numerous times.

mary barra, also the president of general motors who sat next to her in the press conference, you know, is that number going to stay at 13? and they said yes, it is. they're only counting the front-end crashes. not side-impact crashes. they said it's going to remain at 13. but then carol, they went into saying we're going to compensate people and do the right thing. so ken feinberg is going to be in charge of determining if there are indeed more people who should be compensated. i asked, well, are we going to know that number? are we going to know the names? they did not say if that's ever going to become public. that's still one huge remaining question. >> you've got that right. and christine, of course, mary barra also announced that more than a dozen people would be fired because of this. but as poppy said, that compensation thing is hanging out there. >> it is. >> ken feinberg's good at doing things like that, but how good can you be in an instance like this? >> he has become the go-to guy when you have to put a price on

life. and it's a really sad commentary about business. he did this, of course, for bp, for the deepwater horizon, for 9/11, putting a value on lives lost. now he's going to have to put a value on lives lost because of the steering column ignition defect. and here's the thing. how is he going to decide who qualifies for compensation? how many people will it be? will it be 13? the number that gm has? will it be a bigger number? nitsa say they think the number is bigger and how much will they be compensated? his office issued a statement saying he's already begun this process. he'll be meeting privately with gm and with everyone involved, trying to get their feedback on his early ideas he has on paper. but the company would like to start taking claims by august 1st, so there's a lot of work to do this summer. >> poppy harlow and christine romans, many thanks. a u.s. navy pilot is in stable condition. the pilot was on approach to an aircraft carrier when the plane

went down last night. this crash happened just hours after another military jet slammed into a california neighborhood. flames and black smoke rose from the wreckage in the street. three homes were destroyed. another eight had to be evacuated. amazingly enough, no one on the ground was hurt and the pilot survived. he ejected safely, was taken to a hospital where he was treated for minor injuries. a witness described what happened just before impact. >> all of a sudden, i see the cab pop off of a small burst of flames. and i saw the pilot eject. i see the parachute open. then i see the plane kind of wobbling and it started plundering down. at that point, i said, man, this is not good. >> and it wasn't good. the avab harrier jet was based at the marine corps air station in yuma, arizona, 60 miles away from the crash site. checking some other top stories, residents of the canadian city of monkton, new

brunswick, remain locked in their homes with a gunman still believed to be somewhere in the area. listen to that. police are warning the 24-year-old justin bore -- you're going to see him in a minute -- there he is, shown here in a photo tweeted by authorities should be considered armed and dangerous after he the rampage yesterday. you heard it there, killing three police officers and wounding two others. a motive for the attacks has not yet been disclosed. banned nba owner donald sterling has given up his fight to keep the l.a. clippers. sterling has agreed to the sale of the team to former microsoft ceo steve ballmer for $2 billion. attorneys for sterling say his lawsuit against the nba will likely be withdrawn later this week. nba owners must still approve the sale, but that's sort of considered a slam dunk at this moment. acting v.a. secretary sloan gibson today visits the phoenix hospital where 1,700 veterans were intentionally left off a waiting list for medical care. the department of veterans affairs says nearly all of those

veterans have now been contacted. and a senate bill to help vets get more immediate care is likely to go to a vote today. that's because a dozen senators are leaving for france for tomorrow's d-day anniversary. it's hard to think of baseball without dawn zimmon zit now we have to. he died yesterday. he was 83. 66 of those years he spent in professional baseball. he married his wife at home plate of a minor league park and was joe torre's bench coach. he had been in a florida hospital since heart surgery in april and he was still a consultant with the tampa bay rays. they were actually hoping he would return. aww, we'll miss him. thank you for joining me today. i'm carol costello. "@this hour with berman and michaela" starts now. the president fires back at those criticizing his decision to swap five taliban leaders for

army sergeant bowe bergdahl. does the vow to leave no soldier behind trump all else? >> oh, my god! [ bleep ] >> a terrifying shootout with police on the shoots of a quiet canadian town leaves three police officers dead and a community locked in their homes. the gunman is still on the loose. so they kind of seemed to get along before, vladimir putin and hillary clint be, but wait until you hear what the russian president is saying about her now. how do you say sexist in russian? how do you say sexist in russian? >> hello, everyone, i'm john berman. >> i'm glad we don't know that word in english or in russian. i'm michaela pereira. it's 8:00 a.m. bright and early out west. those stories and so much more right now "@this hour." we just heard from