the switch ignition problem, a flaw that was linked to 13 deaths and maybe even more, by gm's own admission. follow me @jaketapper. the full story on bowe bergdahl. that's it for "the lead." i'm jake tapper. i turn you over to wolf blitzer in "the situation room." mr. blitzer? >> jake, thanks very much. happening now, a courthouse attack a gunman armed with explosives and a rifle launches an assault on a georgia court building. how a deputy may have prevented a slaughter. bergdahl kept in a cage. we're getting dramatic new details on physical and psychological abuse that the young sergeant suffered during the years of his captivity. and kim jong-un is holding another tourist who reportedly left a bible in a hotel room. what kind of fate can he expect? i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room."

there is breaking news. a no fly zone is in effect. georgia authorities are all on the scene right now amid concerns the home of a suspect killed just a few hours ago in a shootout with police may be booby-trapped. one deputy was shot in the leg when a man wearing a gas mask attempted to run his car into a courthouse armed with grenades and an assault rifle. if it weren't for that deputy, this could have been a major catastrophe. we'll go live to nick valencia. let's go to our justice correspondent pamela brown. what are you learning? >> wolf, a still very active scene there on the ground in georgia as police try to figure out what dennis marx went to that courthouse this morning armed to cause a catastrophe and they say one deputy in

particular prevented a major catastrophe and they also say that dennis marx was a former tsa agent for at least a year. the hail of gunfire began ringing out just before 10:00 a.m., sending passerbies fleeing and leaving the atlanta suburb under lockdown. this man, dennis marx, arrived at the courthouse wearing body armor intent on launching a vicious assault. after trying to run over a deputy, he began throwing homemade spikes to slow deputy response. marx began firing through his windshield eventually shooting a deputy that was trying to stop him. after a minute and a half shootout, police say deputies killed marx. police say marx was armed for a

full frontal assault and was carrying plastic ties in case he made it inside. >> the officer was shot in the leg and he's still in the hospital. police are on the scene trying to figure out a motive in this case. >> pamela, stand by. nick valencia, our reporter is on the ground. what's the latest from where you are? >> reporter: wolf, right now we know that authorities, including the atf and georgia bureau of investigation are at dennis marx home but they are being very cou cautious because they have not yet entered because of what the suspect had on, body armor, flex cuffs, ammunition, police believe that he intended to take over the courthouse and we know according to police he has not lived there for at least ten days. it's booby-trapped with explosives with the intent of responding officers.

so far, no motive has been uncovered. police say that dennis marx was familiar to him and they know who he was but they will not expand on how or why. >> are they with any political organizations that this guy may have had? any information on that that we are getting? >> reporter: no. they wouldn't expand into the suspect. they highlighted the heroic actions of that deputy outside the courthouse, though, wolf. they mentioned that they would not release his name but he was a 25-year veteran. they say his actions saved lives today and stopped a major catastrophy. they went on to say that they have been training for a scenario like this for a year and a half, an active shooter situation. they say that training was instrumental in saving lives today. >> alan neil is a situation to this harrowing ordeal. he's joining us live from the scene in georgia. so alan, walk us through what

you actually saw. >> sorry, wolf, what did you say in. >> i said, walk us through what you saw. you were there when this was going down. >> yes. i was actually at an intersection at the front of the courthouse and could not see the object so i wasn't sure what was going on but i noticed that several people were staring over in that area and getting behind trees and i saw a bunch of deputies running up and around that time a police car pulled in front of me so i realized i wasn't going anywhere and heard a couple of pops and right after that you started seeing all of the deputies focusing in on something right in front of the courthouse and just firing lots of shots all at once. >> when you heard those pops, you did you immediately know that was gunfire? >> considering the deputies

coming up and police cars pulling up real fast, i started to get the picture of what was going on. i was really concerned about the people in the courthouse, not knowing if the problem was happening outside or inside. >> so did you duck for cover or were you scared? what did it feel like? i was actually watching most of the time. you know, i guess i looked over to the side and saw some other people taking cover and i thought, you know, i should probably get down myself. but it was -- at that point the sheriff were focused on whatever the subject was and didn't really feel a sense of danger. >> the police say that the shooter in this particular case was wearing a gas mask. did you actually see him? >> i never saw the shooter. where i was at, you could not see the car or the shooter. i could only tell that they were focused on that area. >> are you shaken up now?

are you okay, alan? >> you know, i was a little shaken up when i left thinking there could have been a stray bullet or something like that but it was -- it definitely hit me a few minutes after. >> i'm sure it did. alan neal, thanks for that eyewitness account. i want to play for our viewers some of the standard scanner traffic, some of the audio. listen to this. >> shots fired! tear gas has been deployed! >> joining us on the phone is director of the forsythe county. first of all, the house where this shooter lived, i take it you're worried about it being booby-trapped explosives? what are your findings so far? >> that's correct, wolf. we're in the process of having

deputies and fbi agents entering that house. it's going to be a long pain-staking process because we're finding that there are bobby taps. so we do expect that to take several hours. >> what are the indications that it could be booby-trapped? >> just that it's going to be a slower process than they thought. >> what do you know about this shooter, about this guy? >> all i know is everything that has been reported so far. we are familiar with him in fors forsyth county. nothing that would indicate this

type of oaction. >> we've been reporting a former tsa employee. do you have any information on that in. >> no, i'm not familiar with that information. >> all right. so you can't confirm that part whether there was a note or statement that you know of why he would want to do something like this, ran right into the courthouse there? >> not that we have at this point. he did have an 8:30 court date this morning that he missed, i would assume intentionally, and did report up as reported at 9:57. you can see smoke bombs at the scene were all deployed by them, none by our deputies. so that scene that he created or the diversion that he was trying to create was a clear

indication. >> what was the court date for? what was he supposed to show up in court for? >> it was for sales of marijuana, felony drug possession. >> which is a felony in georgia right now. as far as a history of political activity or organizations he may have belonged to, do you know anything along those lines? >> we don't have anything confirmed but we are digging deep into his background and any of his associates or anybody who knows of this individual and we have several individuals who are tracking those leads down now. >> walk us through those 90 seconds when the incident took place between when he shows up and starts shooting and throwing these gas grenades and the whole thing is over with when he's shot by a law enforcement officer. walk through how that was unfolded. >> we have our normal security protocols in place and our

deputies have done an outstanding job following those protocols. the deputy that was shot immediately saw this individual and he threw what would be considered some spike strips across the street to prevent deputies from getting to the scene quickly. and that deputy reacted with a heroism and was able to distract the shooter and by that time he was able to call out on the radio that shots were being fired and in less than 35, 40 seconds, we had probably 30 deputies on scene. we have eight that are involved in the shooting that have exchanged gunfire with the individual but the situation, as you reported, was controlled in less than 90 seconds. >> 90 seconds. what kind of damage potentially could this guy have done, given the explosives, the assault

rifle, the grenades, the ammunition that he had? >> he had that along with several rounds of ammunition and water and zip ties is a strong indication that he was looking to take over the courthouse. >> and the courthouse, how secure is that courthouse? i take it you've been bracing for this kind of activity in. >> yes. it's a very security courthouse. in the last several weeks we have been training form scenarios similar to this and in fact two days ago i was in a training with the deputy who just went through this and we do ak v active shooter scenarios and this was what i would consider a textbook assault and stream the video and watching the scene unfold, there wasn't a deputy who did not respond the way they were trained to respond and there's no doubt in my mind it

prevented definitely more deaths. >> no doubt about that. finally, on this booby-trapped house, the suspected booby trap house, you say this could go on for hours? you have s.w.a.t. teams and explosive experts on the scene wanting to make sure that are no explosives there but if there are, you have to be very careful and precise. give us an update. how long do you think this is going to take? >> i would say several hours before we actually could get in and clear the house which would then allow our investigators to go in and start looking through all of the information in the house and process that scene. >> major rick doyle of the forsyth county sheriff's office, please update us on the potentially booby-trapped home. we'll hope for the best. thank you for joining us. good luck. >> thank you, sir. >> we'll stay on top of this story. up next, an american soldier

kept in a cage by his captors. we have more information about the physical abuse suffered by sergeant bowe bergdahl. and i'll speak with a republican critic who says he doesn't need to know more about bergdahl's health. and an american tourist held by north korea for allegedly leaving behind a bible in a hotel room. and there's already a little bit of buzz about michelle obama's future. ♪

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over the deal of the freedom. one fierce republican is standing by along with our panel of experts. let's turn to our pentagon correspondent barbara starr for the very latest. barbara? >> wolf, bowe bergdahl is likely to remain in the hospital in germany for at least a few more days but the army is finding out a lot more about what may have happened to him. army sergeant bowe bergdahl was physically abused during his time in captivity. after an escape attempt, he was held in a very small area described as a cage or box. a classified video of bergdahl made by the taliban last december included scenes where he's cradling his arm. bergdahl is also suffering from psychological traumas, the official tells cnn. bergdahl's captivity conditions

changed over time as the taliban loosened or tightened security around him. they also moved him frequently to avoid detection by the u.s. the top u.s. military commander in europe told christiane amanpour is not yet being formally questioned. >> i would not say that he's being debriefed yet. we're concentrating on hits health. he's been in a very tough place for a long time. >> with the army opening a new review into what happened, the pentagon is getting more cautious in its public statements. >> we really have to get a chance to talk to sergeant bergdahl before we can start to prejudge or speculate about the specifics of his captivity was like. >> reporter: since the vietnam p.o.w.s return, the military has run a program to evaluate the mental and physical effects of captivity on military personnel and found generally good news. >> they need to realize there is

life after p.o.w., that most people bounce back, that bouncing back is largely a choice. >> and that helicopter mission to get bergdahl, that was all done on one hours' notice, essentially, a u.s. official tells me that right up until the last minute, the u.s. command does were talking to the taliban trying to get the exact instructions, the exact place where to land the helicopter and get bergdahl. yes, indeed, the u.s. troops had a backup plan if trouble was to break out. >> they are not telling us what that backup plan was, are they, barbara? >> a u.s. official says that they were ready to engage in combat if they felt that they were walking into an ambush and there was plenty of backup fire

power. out of sight, no doubt. >> one tough critic of the deal says he doesn't need to know whether bergdahl was in poor health or not. joining us is republican congressman aaron shock. explain why you don't feel it's necessary to know more about his health? >> i think the overriding concern that people have is that we began a process of negotiating with terrorists. first of all, the president and administration broke the law. this is the national defense authorization law that he agreed to with congress that there would be a 30-day period which he should notify congress if and when they were thinking about releasing detainees from gitmo. senator dianne feinstein, has been briefed from the administration about potential transfers of these detainees and had not been convinced nor had

her colleagues. the idea that the administration was thinking about transferring these detainees for several years, they knew the answer they were going to get from congress. they knew the outrage from congress and the american people for swapping these folks. with regards to sergeant bergdahl's health, i would simply say, we have a couple right now being held by the taliban whose life is threatened and we should take those threats very seriously, whether it's a man or woman in uniform or whether it's an average american citizen being held by the taliban. but regardless of the threat against one's life, we have a history of a country of people who have been beaten, who have been tortured and yes sometimes killed by their captors and the american government has always said we're not going to get into negotiating with terrorists. and so i guess the question that begs is, if we trade five of some of the worst detainees we had at gitmo, mind you, the obama administration has released over 200 detainees in

the 5 1/2 years they have been there, if we're going to release these five for one man, what happens when they capture a group of tourists, when they capture a congressman? what will be the negotiating point? >> just to be precise, you don't really care if he was death -- on the verge of death during those five years of captivity, a united states army soldier? >> well, wolf, i think it's pretty clear that he was not on the verge of death. now, whether he was being beat, whether he was not as healthy, i don't know that. but what i'm suggesting to you is this. >> i asked the question because you said you don't want to know more about his health and that raised all sorts of questions. >> because i think -- right. because wolf, the point i'm making is that the deal is a bad deal. you don't negotiate with terrorists. and so what i'm suggesting to you is, if we're going to start releasing people from gitmo in exchange for someone's life who

is being threatened, look out, this is a dangerous precedent because now if i'm the taliban or if i'm anyone else who wants the wage war and get detainees released from any of our prisons, i'm going to start taking members of our military and americans hostage because now i know the american government will noirn ate. that's why i believe his health is not the issue here. >> you know that hundreds of these detainees were released by president bush during the bush administration from gitmo. you didn't have a problem with that either? >> no. and wolf, just as president bush, so did president obama follow the law up until this point. he has the authority to release any detainee they want from gitmo by notifying congress. they have to go through -- i believe it's four different proofs, if you will, of how the person will not be a threat to

national security, how releasing them does not put any of our armed men or women in uniform in harm but these five were not released because they were deemed some of the most hardened of the taliban in the upper echelon of leadership and up until this point the obama would not release them and it's why the congress refused over the last two years and the leadership of dianne feinstein did not sign off on a swap. >> here's the point that the white house made, the deputy national security adviser to the president. they only knew three days in advance where this would take place. they didn't know precisely until an hour before. barbara star said they feared going in there thinking that it could be an ambush and if word leaked -- >> it's all irrelevant, wolf. >> this sergeant could have been killed by the taliban. >> it's all irrelevant.

>> they didn't want him killed. >> telling us, gee, we didn't know when the swap was going to take, it's irrelevant. why are we negotiating with terrorists? since when do we open up the gates at gitmo and start releasing people? this is a dangerous, dangerous precedent. not only did they break the law, which is indisputable, but they set a very dangerous precedent which, number one, let me remind you, these five terrorists are now back on the arabian peninsula. this war on afghanistan was the honorable fight to fight, the war worth fighting and now as we are drawing down 20 thourn,000 from afghanistan, we're sending five of their worst leaders, the loved ones that have been killed by these five terrorists and now their headed back into their neighborhoods, into their

countries and it sends a very, very dangerous message to any of our enemies around the world that if and when they get a captor, we're willing to get into opening up the prison doors and letting people free. it's a dangerous precedent. >> representative schock, thank you for joining us. >> thank you, wolf, for having me on. we're learning new details about bowe bergdahl's attempts to escape his captors. and president obama and putin met face-to-face today. and an american tourist being held by north korea allegedly for leaving a bible in his hotel room. stay with us. you're in "the situation room." ♪ norfolk southern what's your function? ♪ ♪ hooking up the country helping business run ♪ ♪ trains! they haul everything, safely and on time. ♪ tracks! they connect the factories built along the lines. and that means jobs, lots of people, making lots and lots of things. let's get your business rolling now, everybody sing. ♪ norfolk southern what's your function? ♪ ♪ helping this big country move ahead as one ♪

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schock. what do you make of what he said, bob baer, that in effect he's saying that bowe bergdahl should have been left where he was rather than release the five taliban detainees? >> i think you're going to get an argument from the military that we leave people behind. it's sort of the creed of the military, whether he had psychological problems or whatever, he walked away from post, you do your best to get them back. as for negotiating with terrorists, i was involved on the sidelines of the iran-contra and specifically a colleague of mine had been taken in beirut and beaten and would die of pneumonia and reagan administration under enormous pressure talked to the iranians and they did.

>> do you agree with congressman schock that this american soldier should have been left behind? >> definitely given the circumstances. it borders on the strategically lame that you would trade a soldier, regardless of his rank and health and performance for five top commanders of the taliban who had an intimate association with al qaeda at times of war. there's no doubt that these individuals are going to go back and resume the field and they will make the institution even more lethal. >> why were these five not tried during their time at gitmo? if they were such horrible criminals, none of them faced a military tribunal? >> well, that's a good question and it gets back to the very complicated legal status that they had and as attorney general holder once said, if we were to try to holdees at guantanamo and

they were found innocent, we would not release them. >> kimberly, you've been doing excellent reporting and your a world class war correspondent and you were severely injured while covering the war in iraq, right? >> yes. >> so you understand the psychological pressure. a guy like bowe bergdahl might have gone through during his tour of duty in afghanistan. >> well, think about it. he, yes, may have walked away from his post but the officers that i've spoke with said it was our duty to get him back and then we figure out what caused him to do that original act. in terms of his psychological state in captivity, i've heard from some former afghan officials who were in touch with the taliban. they say after he escaped the second time, they did take tough measures in terms of locking him down. they put him in a cage at one point and had to keep moving him around.

this is also standard for high-level prisoners of the haqqani network. these are the conditions that anyone which was captured by them was held. >> this was an awful deal, sets a terrible precedent and, in effect, this guy should have been left behind. >> i could never agree to leaving anybody behind no matter what motivation they left. there are accusations that he wanted to join the taliban and none of those have been substantiated. i've served in the field and i'd hate for my government to say, bob baer, we didn't like him very much. let's leave him with the enemy. that's unconscienceable for anybody who serves in the field. >> i think the agency might have left bob behind. that's to bob's credit. but i would just add, this isn't -- that's not the issue. the issue is we're still at war and i'm hard-pressed to find a parallel to this where you actually release what are the

equivalent of five generals in the opposing army that is killing american soldiers, you release them in a time of war and let them go home. >> so when the israelis released 800 prisoners of war for one prisoner, you think the israelis made a mistake? >> yes, absolutely. it sounds very good at the synagogue on saturday but it's a serious mistake. these things really do matter and sets up a terrible precedent and it's lethal. i mean, you are going to make the taliban more lethal organization. if the war were over, if the taliban had broken or changed their spots, that would be an entirely different situation. >> kimberly, go ahead. >> several intelligent officers that i've spoke to said, let them go back. we didn't have the evidence that we needed to take them to trial. now let them commit another act of violence on the balance tell

where we can finally reach them. >> what do you say about the argument that the u.s. has done this, released five detainees for one american soldier? they are going to double up on their efforts to get more american soldiers because they can get what they want if they make future trades? >> i've heard that, wolf, since october 2001 they have been trying to grab american soldiers. our army is too good. they can try all they want but we know what we are doing and it's not going to make in any worse on the battlefield. >> thanks very much. when we come back, the first face-to-face meeting between president obama and vladimir putin since the escalating tensions over the ukraine crisis. is it a promising step in the right direction? and north korea's government says it has detained a third american. could there now be new implications since sergeant bergdahl's controversial release? plus, senator michelle obama? there's political buzz out there about what could be mention for

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calls with the kremlin. they hadn't met face-to-face until today. it was not formal but once again one that appeared serious in tone and with a firm message from president obama. it was the first face-to-face meeting between presidents obama and putin since the start of the ukraine crisis. coming at d-day ceremonies commemorating a time when the u.s. and russia were allies. speaking for 15 minutes at a lunch for heads of state, president obama demanded that russia recognize the new ukrainian president and its support for pro-russian militants and stop the flow of arms across the russian border. less than accommodating himself, mr. putin put the burden on kiev. >> translator: the operation must stop immediately. this is the obama way to create conditions to start a real negotiation. >> reporter: until they got to

talking, obama and putin were seated just six feet apart, though separated by two queens and the french president and it seems the weight of their disagreements. when the official television broadcast put the two leaders side-by-side, albeit on a split screen, the crowd cheered, though mr. putin looked less than thrilled. aside from his talk with mr. obama, he met with britain, france, germany, and the newly elected president of ukraine. susan rice told jim acosta that it was a consistent warning to back down or face new, broader economic sanctions. >> what the president has done over the course of this week in meeting with our g-7 colleagues is to come together around a mutual understanding of what our shared posture will be and has

been. >> at administration is offering president putin an opening but it's a finite one. russia has one month to call off pro-russian forces or face more sanctions. they say it's a test whether russia is serious, whether it's willing and able to end the violence and those are two questions there. whether it wants to and whether it can. because it's an open question whether it can control the militants now that they have been unleashed in ukraine. we've got more questions. don't go too far away. next, after meeting with president obama, what is vladimir putin's plan? julia ioffe will join us live. and could another first lady become a u.s. senator? there's some buzz out there about michelle obama's future. u. [ barks ] [ chuckles ] i'd do anything to keep this guy happy and healthy. that's why i'm so excited

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let's bring in julia iofe, senior editor at "the new republic" magazine, just back from ukraine. jim sciutto, chief national security correspondent is with us as well. what do you make of this informal 15 minute chat on the sidelines as they say between the president of the united states and president of russia? >> it's not unprecedented. it happened after the edward snowden fee yassiasco if you re. he talked to him on the sidelines of l the g-20 in st. petersburg in december i believe. this is not unpress debited. they're not talking really. they're trying to avoid appearing together. peter baker in "the new york

times" called it two divorced parents at a child's graduation, but, you know, they do have -- they do need to communicate at least somewhat, especially since putin is communicating with all these european leaders. >> what was your read? >> you know, it's a step between a complete snub and a formal bilateral. so, particularly when you have events like this, as you saw in our piece, they were six feet it's difficult to not run into each other. it's the way they started the dialogue, for instance, with the iranians, with the iranian president at the u.n. general assembly, a handshake at the margins, not a formal sit-down, and that spawned other conversations down the road. >> if i'm putin, i go to this, you know, have the state -- the french president, alone, has a formal state dinner for him. he has a private one-on-one with david cameron, the prime minister. he meets with angela merkel. he's meeting in these official meetings with all of these leaders and has a little 15 minute sideline chat, if you will, with the president of the -- he's still meeting with everybody. >> yeah, i mean, that's significant. i think the difference between his, the length of his meeting

with president obama, let's be honest, what could they discuss in 15 minutes? on the other hand, they don't need much more than 15 minutes. both sides pretty firmly set in their positions. russia still wants ukraine to federalize, to give a ton of autonomy to the east so it can control the east and for ukraine to completely write off the idea of ever even thinking about joining nato. >> they probably didn't discuss much. both of them could make a point, when you think about it, 15 minutes, it's really 7 1/2 because they have to have translators doing consecutive translation because putin doesn't speak english, the president doesn't speak russian. >> when you look at it, in effect you're seeing russia's exile ending pretty quickly, right? because it was only a short time ago when russia was kicked out of the g-8. now the g-7. but it's only a couple months later. they're at the d day event. have meetings with the significant players in the eu as well as a meeting with the president. you know, that wasn't a very long exile for putin after the annexation of crimea. >> are you getting a sense at

all, swrjulia, putin is beginni to blink a little bit, maybe he overreached in ukraine? >> i don't think he is. i thing he's stepping back and giving the appearance of blinking, but really the violence, the chaos, uncertainty in eastern ukraine continues. the flow of soldiers, be they officially employed by russia or just renegades and war junkies, is continuing over the border with ukraine. that's what he h wawants and wa to use this as leverage so that the eu and nato don't accept ukraine in there. >> i'll leave you guys a little clip. jimmy kimmel having some fun last night on tv about these two leaders. watch this. >> fitness experts have been criticizing the president's form. true. he's even taking it on the chin for foreign leaders. >> tired of wimpy workouts that leave you scrawny like little trig that's crushed beneath paws of the great bear? it's time to putin-cise.

the work quite that will make you strong like iron railroad track, lifting tiny little weights makes you weak like woman. no shame. before, after. before, after. before, after. get strong like rock. not weak like barack. putin-cise now. do it. >> do it. very funny stuff. we don't have to discuss. >> enough said. enough said. >> it speaks for itself. >> i think it does represent views of a lot of russians. >> putin-cise. >> there's truth to that. >> thanks very much. coming up, north korea says it's holding yet another american, a tourist who reportedly left a bible in a hotel room. what kind of fate can he expect from that ruthless regime? and we're taking you inside the veterans affairs investigation with the cnn correspondent who first turned spotlight on the scandal.

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hang . happening now, kim jong-il jails another american citizen. kept in a cage. horrifying new details emerging about bowe bergdahl's treatment while he was a prisoner. and president obama delivers a warning as he and vladimir putin come face to face. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." another american may now be facing a grim fate from one of the world's toughest regimes. north korea has detained another u.s. tourist accused of violating the law, reportedly for leave a bible in a hotel room. brian todd has been digging into the story for us. what are you learning, buy wrap? >> the north koreans view any independent religious activity as a threat to their regime and tonight as a result the volatile north korean leader kim jong-un has a third american in his hands. he relishes in saber rattling,

high-level threats and antagonizing the u.s. and tonight, kim jong-un is once again doing all three. his government says it's detained an american named jeffrey edward fowell. the regime says fowell reportedly in his 50s and from miamisburg, ohio, arrived as a tourist in late april. he was detained in mid-may. news of his detention was only revealed today making him the third american being held by north korea. the north korean government says he acted, quote, contrary to the purpose of tourism, but according to kyoto, his specific crime was leaving a bible in a hotel where he'd been staying. analysts say north korea pounces on even a hint of independent religious activity. >> they feel threatened by any outside contagion. any risk to the stability of the regime and they see religious proslitizing as a risk. >> if you go there as an american, break the laws though

they may not seem criminal to you because they're perfectly legal in the united states, that creates a huge problem. >> reporter: american kenneth bay, a missionary, was reported to have been engaged in activity when he was thrown into a north korean gulag. he's still there serving a 15-year sentence. the north koreans say they're holding a third american, miller matthew todd who they say sought asylum there. >> without blaming any americans who have been detained before, this should nonetheless be a warning to people to remember the kind of regime we're dealing with and the brutality and ruthlessness of the regime. >> reporter: it was just six months ago kim had his own uncle executed for allegedly trying to subvert the regime. analysts say the north koreans are are risking more isolation. if any of the americans in their custody dies. we have to say right now, americans are being held around the world by enemies of the u.s. in several places. kaitlyn coleman and her husband, joshua boyle, in afghanistan. alan gross in cuba. bob levinson by iran.

aid specialist warren weinstein by al qaeda in pakistan. there are others, wolf. it's all over the place now. >> as you know, in the past there have been some informal deals made to get americans out of these kinds of places and the aftermath of the bowe bergdahl swap, if you will, how is that impacted based on what you're hearing from experts, the possibility of getting these other americans who are being detained out? >> well, we have to say, these are all unique and very different situations, you know, from each other. some analysts we've spoken to say the bergdahl case could make some groups see the real potential here for exchanging their people being held. even if it's not by the united states or maybe trading an american hostage for some other concession. this is kind of people are talking about this more in some of the think tanks and other places where we're going for some analysis here. >> brian todd, thanks very much. very worrisome developments. north korea basically holding three americans as hostages. joining us now, professor charles armstrong, expert on korean studies at columbia university in new york.

what do you think? what's going on here? someone leaves a bible in a hotel room? he's detained. is that really the story here, professor? >> i think that's part of the story. the north korean regime is extremely sensitive about especially christianity. they don't want any sign of christian evangelizing coming into their country and leaving a bible, if, in fact, this is what this person did would certainly be seen as a serious offense. but more broadly, the current leader kim jong-un has been trying to show not least to a domestic audience that he's a tough leader, tougher than his father, kim jong-il. there were a few americans detad detained under his father's watch and released through interventions of bill clinton and other prominent americans. kim jong-un hasn't done that. kenneth has been in prison for 18 months and seems to want to show the world, his people and the u.s. that he's going to stick to his guns. >> kenneth was picked up, correct me if i'm wrong, supposedly for missionary,

christianity activities as well, right? >> that's correct. that's something that the regime is extremely leery of and don't want any sign of independent religious activity especially christian missionary work. >> tell us why. >> well, there's a long history of antagonism between north korea and the united states, obviously, and a long history of korean christians being very much supportive of the u.s. going back to the korean war. and the north koreans see christianity not just as a religious threat, but as a threat directly from the u.s. that christians in north korea are supporting the u.s. against north korea and want to bring down the regime. >> so, what to you think, americans should just stop going as tourists to north korea? it's too dangerous? >> i don't think americans should stop going but we have to be very careful of the kinds of things we do. we have to do very sensitive to the fact that north koreans are carefully monitoring the activities of americans and we should be extremely cautious about any kind of religious

literature or even talk about religion that americans engage in when they two to north korea. >> charles armstrong is a professor of korean studies at columbia university. professor, thanks very much. >> thank you. we're also learning painful new details about u.s. army sergeant bowe bergdahl's treatment during his five years as a captive of the taliban. our pentagon correspondent barbara starr has been working her sources. what have you learned, barbara? >> good evening, wolf. a senior u.s. official is telling me that bowe bergdahl was physically abused during his five years in captivity with the taliban. they believe most of it probably occurred after he made an escape attempt. they also say they have information that at one point presumably after the escape attempt he was then confined in a very small space, described to me as possibly a cage or a box. physical abuse for this american soldier. they also say he's recovering at

this hospital but obviously still suffering from psychological trauma and that is what they're working their way through with him. it may be some days before he leaves and makes the next step to travel to san antonio, texas, to a military hospital there to be reunited with his family. they are adamant at this point that they are going to take it slow with bowe bergdahl. he's not being interrogated. he's not being debriefed at this point. they continue to say their entire focus is helping this american soldier get his health back. >> we know yet for sure whether his parents have spoken to him on the phone? >> all the indications we're getting from all of the officials we're talking to is that he has not, that the team of psychologists has said he's cleared. he's stable enough. he could do it. he has not chosen to. we are told. but, you know, it's not entirely clear. this may be a very private

matter within the bergdahl family. >> barbara starr at the pentagon, thanks very much. meanwhile, there's been high-stakes drama playing out today between the united states and russia. played out behind the scenes as president obama, vladimir putin and other world leaders gathered in normandy to mark the 70th anniversary of d day. jim acosta is traveling with the president in france right now. tell us what happened, jim. >> reporter: wolf, on the same day president obama saluted the epic battle that began 70 years ago on d day he came face to face with an adversary of his own, vladimir putin. landing on the shores of normandy, president obama paid tribute to a sea of heroes. the fallen world war ii soldiers whose graves grace the sacred ground and the survivors in the twilight of their lives. >> gentlemen, we are truly humbled by your presence here today. >> reporter: the president seized on the lessons from this 70th anniversary of d day.

>> this was democracy's beach. and our victory in that war decided not just a century but shaped the security and wellbeing of all posterity. >> reporter: tieing the struggle for freedom from one generation to the sacrifices of another. >> this generation, this 9/11 generation of service members, they, too, felt something. they answered some call. they said, i will go. >> reporter: during world war ii, america and the soviet union were allies, but on this day the u.s. and russian leaders went toe to toe as rivals. as president obama and vladimir putin met on the sidelines of this historic gathering. the french government even released this short video of the two men hashing out their differences over the crisis in ukraine. >> is he letting the russian president off the hook here? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: national security adviser susan rice said the u.s. is demanding that russia control those separatists in eastern ukraine. the president telling putin to work with kiev's new government or risk further isolation. in an interview with cnn, rice

also tried to set the record straight on the president's decision to free former p.o.w. bowe bergdahl. >> we had reason to be concerned about his life. >> reporter: rice wanted to clarify comments she made last sunday when she defended the deal to release taliban fighters in exchange for bergdahl who was accused by some of his fellow soldiers of being a deserter. >> he served the united nations with honor and distinction. >> i realize there's been discussion and controversy around this, but what i was referring to is fact this was a young man who volunteered to serve his country in uniform at a time of war. that is, itself, a very honorable thing. >> reporter: was he a deserter? >> we don't have reason to come to that conclusion yet. obviously he needs to be debriefed. his side of the story matters, too. >> reporter: susan rice said the white house national security team was unanimous that it was the right decision to free bowe bergdahl. she said that that this point, bowe bergdahl's story needs to be told before they can draw any final conclusions. that a pentagon investigation

will do just that, wolf. >> she really didn't back away from what she said on the sunday shows last weekend, right? she explained what she meant, maybe tried to clarify a bit. she wasn't apologizing or anything like that, right? >> reporter: that's right, wolf. i think she juf wast wanted to clarify the comments. she said originally he served with honor and distinction and said, well, by serving during a time of war, that's an honorable thing to do. she is i think walking back the comments somewhat because they know the whole matter has to be investigated as to how he ended up in taliban hands. it is still not known at this time, wolf. >> the president heading back to the united states even as we speak, right? >> reporter: that's right. i asked susan rice, this was yet another foreign policy trip where his global approach was questioned. she said that even though the critics have been weighing in on his policies on ukraine and syria and calling them in some cases uninspiring, she said the

critics have been wrong, that the president's approach is right, wolf. >> jim acosta is traveling with the president, he's in france right now, in paris, thanks very much. let's dig a little bit deeper with our chief national security correspondent, jim sciutto. you were there in ukraine. you saw this exchange that the president had behind closed doors with putin. we don't know if anything positive came out of it. certainly we can hope something positive. the president had three basic points he wanted to deliver to putin. >> right. these are the requirements going forward. he wants putin to recognize the new government in ukraine. the new president elected just a couple weeks ago. >> poroshenko. he wants russia to stop supporting the pro-russian militants there and cut off the flow of arms coming across the russian border into eastern ukraine. the situation in eastern ukraine is extremely messy. it's what i saw there. you have a mix of local pro-russian separatists, volunteers who have come across the border from russia. a lot of them veterans, for instance, of russia's afghanistan war. and even volunteers from chechnya. basically, you know, a thin line

between them and terrorists really and they're wreaking a campaign of violence across the east. and they're very well armed. another case today of a ukrainian military plane shot down it's believed by a shoulder-fired missile. there have been helicopters shot down. that is a very messy mix. the question now is does russia have the commitment to pull them back? but also the wherewithal. because once these guys have been unleashed, it's difficult to bring them back and that's a real challenge. >> i was a little encouraged that putin had a chance not only to meet with the president 15 minutes informally but with other leaders, the european leaders. he met much more formally with them. he has met with poroshenko, newly ukrai ukraine. that's encouraging. >> that's true. he may meet that first condition with his recognizing that government. we're told poroshenko and putin had a relationship in the past. he did a lot of business in russia. they've spoken before. poroshenko, himself, said i can

work with putin. will putin follow through with the symbolic gestures? the real test, the one the administration has set out and given a month for russia to meet this test is controlling those militants, ending the violence. the bad sign today is when putin gave his own interview to journali journalists, he said the onus is on the government in kiev to stop what he calls a violent campaign against god-fearing pro-russian militants in the east. we'll see if he changes the tune in action as well as words. >> the real battle right now is in eastern ukraine. crimea, for all practical purposes, that's now a part of russia. >> when is the last time we heard an official mention crimea as a criteria for agreement? you're right. >> jim sciutto, helping us better understand the history of what's going on. still ahead, a gunman armed with explosives and a rifle launches an assault at a georgia courthouse building. we'll have the latest on that. plus, code word, secret sources, details you've never heard before from the cnn reporter who broke the story of

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there's breaking news out of georgia tonight where we're learning new details about a suspect killed just a few hours ago in a shootout with authorities after attempting to ram his car into a county courthouse armed with grenades and an assault rifle. fbi, atf, georgia authorities,

all on the scene this hour at the suspect's home amid deep concerns he booby trapped it before he left. authorities say if it wasn't for a deputy who was shot in the leg, stopping the suspect, this could have been a major catastrophe. cnn has team coverage of the breaking story. we'll go live to cnn's nick valencia on the ground in georgia in just a moment. let's bring in justice correspondent, pamela brown. you're working your sources and learning information about this suspect who's now dead. >> yeah, we just found out moments ago, wolf, according to a law enforcement source with firsthand knowledge of the situation down in georgia that the suspect, dennis marks, was part of this anti-government group. he was part of the sovereign citizens movement. and basically this is a subculture of people who reject authority and the government. according to information about this group. they're a group of people who believe that they get to decide what laws they obey and don't obey. it's not up to judges and law enforcement. and so that's what we're

learning. we believe he is associated with this sovereign citizens movement, wolf. and also we learned that he is a former tsa agent, but more than a decade ago, from 2002 to 2003, he worked for the tsa as a screener and that is all the information we have on that. obviously that was some time ago. but it is interesting to note that he has this anti-government -- he was part of this group with the anti-government sentiment, wolf. as we know this morning just before 10:00 a.m., he wanted to wreak havoc at that courthouse. we're told he came prepared, golf, with several hand grenades, came armed with an assault rifle. he was wearing a gas mask. he had body armor on and wanted to do serious damage inside that courthouse today according to officials, wolf. >> a local sheriff told me an hour ago or so he had hundreds of rounds of ammunition with him as well. nick, you're there on the ground. there's deep concern that sheriff told me that the house, he left it booby trapped with

explosi explosives, potentially. s.w.a.t. teams, explosive exp t experts are now on the scene. going to take hours and hours. they're carefully trying to make sure that it's going to be safe. what are you hearing about that? >> well, wolf, as you mentioned, they are being very cautious about entering that home because they have reason to believe that it is booby trapped. we know authorities including the atf, the georgia bureau of investigation, as well as the local forsythe county sheriffs office is on the scene there at the suspect's home. as pamela mentioned, this man came to do damage, body armor, flex cuffs, hand grenades. he had a homemade spike strip. every indication he planned to take over the courthouse and take hostages. getting back to the home, local officials tell us it's believed he had not lived in that home for as much as ten days. there's still no motive that they have uncovered. they are continuing to investigate dennis mark, the 48-year-old background. officials say he was known to them. they did know who he was. they tid not expand on how or

why, wolf. >> i was told by that sheriff a while ago, nick, that he was supposed to do a court appearance, but around 8:30 this morning, he apparently in connection with felony drug charges, selling marijuana, something along those lines. he didn't show up but showed up an hour later. this -- the local authorities, they were ready. they had been training for this kind of disaster. right? >> reporter: that was highlighted, in fact, wolf, during this press conference just about an hour ago. they said that for the last year and a half, there has been aggressive training here in forsythe for active shooting situations. they have put their deputies through this type of situation before. the gunfight lasted about three minutes. and they credit that short gunfight to the training that the deputies here outside the courthouse had. as pamela brown had reported, this suspect was engaged very quickly by a deputy who was doing his rounds outside.change

the suspect and that deputy. we're learns more about that deputy who's being called a hero here who saved countless lives, wolf. we know he's a 25-year veteran, that he worked mostly in court detention. he was injured in the leg, suffered a shot right below the kneecap. non life threatening injuries. he was in surgery a short time ago. we believe he's expected to survive his injuries, wolf. really the highlight here is the training, according to local officials, the training that the deputies received for a situation like this. they were prepared for something like this to go down. wolf? >> i'm glad they were prepared. i want you and pamela to stand by. because joining us on the phone right now, brian tam, county commissioner of forsythe county. commissioner, thanks very much for joining us. first of all, what can you tell us about this group, the sovereign citizens movement? pamela brown, our justice correspondent, tells us he apparently had been affiliated with this organization. what, if anything, do you know about it? >> i don't know anything about the affiliation that the shooter was affiliated with? i'm sorry. i had a hard time hearing you

there. >> supposedly the shooter, mr. marks, who's now deceased, he was shot and killed by a local law enforcement. supposedly belonged to what's called the sovereign citizens movement. didn't believe in government, supposedly. do you know anything about that? >> i don't know anything about that. i do know that we're very proud of our sheriffs department and the way they're reacting to the situation. and how quickly they responded. >> what can you tell us about the search of the home now, if in fact -- do we know for sure it has been booby trapped with explosives? >> i can't confirm nor deny that right now. i'm sorry. >> but there are local law enforcement s.w.a.t. teams, explosive experts. they're going through the home. is that right? >> i know that law enforcement is investigating all aspects of this case. >> so where do we go from here? what are the lessons learned from your perspective, mr. tam? >> well, i think the lessons learned, you know, we can't take security lightly.

we train our law enforcement people very well. we have a lot of long-tenured employees. and the sheriff and his administration just do a great job. we take health and safety very seriously here in forsythe county. >> brian tam is the commissioner of that county. thank you, mr. tam, very much for joining us. pamela, do you have any more information on this sovereign citizens movement? i personally have never heard of it. >> yes, i've just been reading up on it. fwa it's basically, wolf, the subculture of people who prejekt the government. they believe they should decide what laws they obey. they shouldn't be told by law enforcement. so there's the sort of anti-law enforcement sentiment in this group. and learning a little bit more about dennis marks, we know he faced 11 felony charges and was supposed to appear in court today for a drug charge and then we learned from authorities that he wanted to actually drive his truck right into the front of that courthouse. and, of course, as we've learned, that deputy, wolf,

prevented that from happening according to authorities. but, yeah, he apparently was part of this anti-government group and, of course, we're still trying to piece more together about what the motive is. we don't know exactly what was the actual tipping point that caused him to do what he did this morning. according to authorities. >> pamela, good reporting. nick valencia, there's some reports that over the suspect's house, there's a no-fly zone. what can you tell us about that? >> reporter: it's actually all around this area, wolf. we would very much like to show you at home, wherever you're watching, what is going on there. because of the urgency of this situation for local officials, again, being cautious about entering dennis mark's home because they have reason to believe it was booby trapped. they instituted here and implemented a no-fly zone around the area. there's lack of images and pictures emerging from the suspect's home. we do understand it's an active situation. wolf? >> nick valencia, thanks very much. pamela brown, thanks to you as well. other news we're following.

new acting secretary of the department of veterans affairs is promising the nation. we'll learn how many veterans have been taken off waiting lists or put on secret lists instead of receiving medical care. senior investigative correspondent drew griffin has been reporting on this. he, in fact, exposed this scandal. we all know what happened in recent days. drew, listen to what the acting secretary of the veterans, department of veterans affairs said today. >> i am setting the expectation that intimidation or retaliation, not just against whistleblowers, but anybody that raises their hands and says, i think we've got a problem here. or i think i know a better way to do this. or i think this is wrong. that is absolutely unacceptable. i will not tolerate it in the organization. and no matter where they happen to be, in the leadership chain of command, i will hold them accountable for that. >> it sounds, drew, like he was talking about your experience breaking this story. your reporting involved a lot of cloak and dagger activities.

walk us through how you managed to break this story, some of those activities. >> you know, it sounds exactly like it. when we started to look into this last year, we found six doctors who were so frightened to talk to us literally we had to meet them in alleys, seedy restaurants late at night. one doctor if we wanted to converse with him electronically made sure that by either text or by e-mail, that we would use a code word, tend eer vittles was the code word so he made sure it was us talk to him and not somebody in the government. this is because many, moo people in the veterans affairs department told us they legitimately fear retaliation. they were being threatened with possibly charged with crimes if they leaked any information about these wait lists. and to this day, wolf, many are still frightened, in fact, the office of special counsel says they have 37 allegations of employees of this department

fearing that they're going to be retaliated against just for speaking up. and this was speaking up internally, let alone to reporters. >> it's like a spy thriller, if you will. almost like, you know, watergate. did you have one source, one major source, a deep throat if you will? >> well, for a long time we had not so many deep throats. a lot of coughers. we had to put this together with bits and pieces of information. but when we got to phoenix, we did and we still have one deep throat, you might say. a person who has no intention of ever coming out. because of the fear, even after what sloan gibson said today, the fear of retaliation. but that person did provide us with direct knowledge of the secret list and did come forward to us, i must say, in a rather seedy location outside of phoenix, shall we say. >> seedy bars and restaurants

and all sorts of dramatic stuff. and i understand there was also what you would call a whisper campaign by other officials to try to discredit the sources. >> yeah, this is -- after dr. sam foote came forward publicly on our air, he was the retired va physician who came forward with allegations of that secret list that kind of backed up what our deep throat was saying. there was a whisper campaign. we believe it was emanating directly from the department of veteran ace fairs trying to call him a disgruntled employee, somebody was trying to retaliate because of past, you know, shmites he might have gotten on his record, thought he might even be out for cash. those whispers were getting back to us through back channels at cnn, i might add. all proven to be untrue, but there was a definite attempt to try to silence and discredit dr. foote in the midst of his very public airing. >> amazing reporting by drew.

amazing, indeed. many respects not only continuing, it may just be beginning. given the stakes involved. good work, drew. we really appreciate it. our viewers appreciate certainly the veterans and their families appreciate what you have done. thank you. just ahead, could another first lady one day become a u.s. senator? there's some buzz out there about michelle obama's future. plus, the nba best player collapses in pain. and the heat really do feel the heat. can lebron james and his team bounce back? rachel nichols standing by. there she is.

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the first delayed, michelle obama, has 2 1/2 more years in the white house, but there's already a little bit of speculation about what her next job could be. could it be united states senator? let's bring in tom foreman, he's been pursuing this story.

>> yeah. this is just speculation. it really is. here's the thing. the first lady has been making headlines by engaging in political fund-raising and partisan fights. whenever a big politico starts doing that in this town, people start asking what is she up to? >> well, hello, everyone. welcome. >> reporter: does the first laidlaid dy have eyes on elected office? listen to what she said at a white house event to a child's question. >> will you ever run for president? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: absolutely not. there you have it. no way. but now listen more carefully. seconds later, she says some people are good at politics. some people like politics. >> and for me, it's other stuff that is not being the president. right? so i probably won't run. >> reporter: and with that word, probably, she's left the door open to provocative headlines like this one from reuters.

"is michelle running for the senate?" certainly she's looking like a campaigner, traveling, taking on republicans talking about policy. >> the last thing we can afford to do right now is play politics with our kids' health. >> reporter: polls show the public is not impressed with barack obama's performance, 43% approving, 68% like the way the first lady is handling here job. that's not unusual. >> first ladies have the advantage of taking on issues, causes that are popular to the vast majority of the american people. >> reporter: a year and a half ago, the president told a d.c. radio station she definitely could be the president, but she'll never run for the presidency because she's got too much sense. ♪ can you believe it >> reporter: every opportunity she's thrown cold water on the idea of seeking any office. listen to her on "the view." >> i am not interested in politics, never have been. >> reporter: and yet once again, here comes the caveat. >> the one thing that is

certain, i will serve. i will serve in some capacity. >> reporter: some democrats like the idea of her returning to illinois to fight for a senate seat there, but the president has hinted he might like to move to new york. it's worth noting the last democratic president did just that with his first lady also suggesting she had had enough of politics. and we've seen how that worked out. so, if this is in the cards, if, maybe the clintons and obamas can arrange a house swap, wolf. >> between new york and the white house. >> the white house. a big one. yeah. >> new york i'm sensing would not necessarily be a great place for her to run. there are two democratic senators there already, right? >> yeah, there's no real reason for her to run there. if she wants to win, wants to run, go back to illinois. >> there's a republican senator, kirk in illinois. >> the political math says that's the better play in all of this. the official answer is no, no, no, no, no, no, no. the unofficial answer is maybe. >> see what happens once the two

daughters are in college, she's got free time. >> things change. time passes. >> thanks very much, tom foreman. still ahead, will the best player in basketball be ready for a rematch? and will the air-conditioning, yes, air-conditioning, really work? rachel nichols is standing by. huh...fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. mmmhmmm...everybody knows that. well, did you know that old macdonald was a really bad speller? your word is...cow. cow. cow. c...o...w... ...e...i...e...i...o. [buzzer] dangnabbit. geico. fifteen minutes could save you...well, you know. ♪

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with just minutes left in the first game of the nba championship series, the league's best player grabbed his leg and grimaced in pain. you see it there. lebron james was carried off the court, but it's his miami heat team which eventually collapsed losing to the san antonio spurs as an air-conditioning failure

sent the temperature soaring in the spurs arena. so was that a serious factor? let's bring in cnn's rachel nichols who was there. so was it a serious fact? what's your assessments, rachel? >> i'm still fanning myself. i'm not sure if i can answer you yet. i haven't recovered from the game. wolf, it was definitely a serious factor. they had a thermometer near the court and it was over 90 degrees which is not where you want to play professional basketball. the heat coach, erik spoelstra said it's like one of those hot yoga classes except everyone is running around playing at the level of a professional sport. lebron james, once again, most affected. we've seen this from him before. he cramped in the 2012 finals against the oklahoma city thunder. when in the heat's own arena, it was overly hot. he's had cramping problems both before and since then. they thought they had it under control, but over 90 degree temperatures kicked it right back in. >> what did lebron have to say about the heat in that game?

>> yeah, you know, he was obviously struggling. he said he was angry at the end of the game that his body had let him down. as i said, they knew he had these problems. in fact, he's had cramping problems in heated conditions since high school. he's seen doctors about it. after the incident in the 2012 finals they took difference precautions, hydrating him differently before games and during the game last night as the temperature in the building rose, because you stick 20,000 people in arena with a broken air-conditioning, well you know how that temperature is going up. they started giving him decramping pills. basically salt pills. he went through seven or eight of those. he was hydrating. bags of ice on his head and neck. extra time-outs. but in the end, it wasn't enough. he cramped up and it got so painful at the end he couldn't even walk. he's gotten criticism from that today, wolf. a lot of people saying, hey, put a band-aid on it, play through it. professional athletes across many sports on twitter, on tv today, have chimed in and said you can't just play through cramps. your body locks up and that's nothing you can do.

>> the players association, what did they say, it was amounted to unsafe working conditions, the temperature going up and up and up. was there ever any serious consideration given to postponing, delaying the game, if you will? >> you know, it doesn't seem like there was. neither team asked for the game to be delayed. or considered to have it postponed. chris bosh, one of lebron's teammates said today he was surprised nobody collapsed from heatstroke and they need to be more careful next time to take those precautions, maybe do delay the game or take a pause there. because if a player collapses on the floor, they don't want to wait until that happens. now, the nba, of course, saying today they would consider this an extreme anomaly. they don't expect it to happen again. certainly hasn't happened before. and the air conditioner, wolf, is fixed. at least that's what they say. so we'll see for game two on sunday night. hopefully it will be chilly in there. everybody will be healthy, be safe. >> a lot better. let's see what the outcome of the second game is going to be. rachel's got a special show, "unguarded with rachel nichols"

airs later tonight, 10:30 p.m. eastern. it's a really terrific show. rachel, i watch it every friday night. a lot of our viewers are looking forward to it. see you tonight, 10:30 p.m. eastern. just ahead, today's memorable gathering of world leaders, elderly warriors and those too young to remember a day of incredible heroism and sacrifice. first, this "impact your world" report. >> as a team, charice peters felt like she was trapped in a cycle of poverty and neglect. >> my mom, she was, like, very verbally, emotionally, and physically abusive. it was just, like, i'm always sorry but i don't know what i'm sorry for. i got engaged with this guy which i thought was the love of my life. >> reporter: she dropped out of high school her senior year and ran away with him. they spent about eight months living on the streets of new york city. >> you don't know who's who out there. if you eat out of the garbage, started dabbling in drugs because i got to know myself.

>> reporter: peters knew something had to change. she dumped her boyfriend and found refuge here. >> this is where the imagine inhappens. >> reporter: covenant house gives homeless youth a place to live across the u.s., canada, and latin america. >> covenant house is part of a movement to help kids dream big dreams and achieve those dreams. we're all about giving kids the skills that they need and we want them to build for themselves that very fulfilling love-filled home that is their destiny. >> reporter: peters is on her way to achieving that. she's training to be a nursing assistant. her goal is to get her ged and go to college. she's even reconnected with her mom. >> i feel revitalized. just, like, i got me back. she's still the one for you.

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all right. this just coming into "the situation room." president obama sticking to his guns on the controversial prisoner exchange with the taliban for sergeant bowe bergdahl. he spoke with nbc's brian williams. listen to this. >> we have a rule, a principle that when somebody wears our country's uniform and they're in a war theater, and they're captured, we're going to do everything we can to bring them home. and we saw an opportunity, and we took it. and i make no apologies for it. it was a unanimous decision among my principles in my government, and a view that was shared by the members of the joint chiefs of staff. and that is something i would do again.

>> this programing note for our viewers. 10:00 p.m. eastern later tonight, our own jake tapper has a special on bowe bergdahl, the cnn spotlight on this u.s. army sergeant who has now been freed. president obama and world leaders gathered in france to commemorate the 70th anniversary of d-day, a day of heroism that must never be forgotten. our white house correspondent michelle kosinski is traveling with the president. she went to the beaches of normandy. >> the magnitude of what happened right here on d-day is obvious. it's all around us. graves as far as we can see. but a large part of what today focused on was really the humanity of it. what the individual young men dealt with, their stories, their courage, and fear. and just seeing their faces, knowing many of them were teenagers at the time. i think that's when we started to imagine the almost unimaginable forces that clashed here and altered the course of history. [ "taps" playing ]

>> reporter: the solemn wait of honor. normally afforded world leaders, was extended today by them to the survivors, the victors. the ones who fought and made it through, quietly coming back today, a long journey to a hallowed battle ground once soured with blood, now set aside for memories as painful as they are proud. the weathered faces, wheelchairs, and canes, stoic looks still colored with medals back then were 16, 17-year-old boys many of them. and today their president warmly greeted them, tried to put words to those moments that changed their lives and the world. >> fresh-faced gis rubbed trinkets, kissed pictures of sweethearts, checked and rechecked their equipment.

god, asked one, give me guts. what more powerful manifestation of america's commitment to human freedom than the sight of wave after wave after wave of young men boarding those boats to liberate people they had never met. >> reporter: side by side with allied strangers. >> i'm overwhelmed with it all. that's all i can say. it makes me feel very humble. >> reporter: let us recognize your service once more. >> reporter: but perhaps the most rousing moment came when the president called those men to their feet, if they could, to feel the gratitude of all gathered here, families, leaders, and queens, now that these soldiers' rich life stories must enter their finals chapters. >> these men waged war so we might know peace. they sacrificed so we might be free. they fought in hopes of day when we no longer need to fight. we are grateful to them.

[ applause ] >> reporter: queen elizabeth is the only world leader here who served among them in her way, working as a mechanic and driving trucks for the wartime effort home in england. for others, the stories have lived and breathed through fathers, grandfathers, or even their own experiences fighting modern battles for others' freedom. how do you memorialize the hours and days, the intensity of that time that really none of us today can fully understand? the sounds, the movements, and colors of war now symbols, tempered with beauty and time to touch on that emotion and hope the world will never live it again. some of these normandy veterans that you talk to, the emotion is still right there at the surface. and some of them even say that what they feel now that they've had time to reflect on it, that the memories and emotions and

nightmares that they have are more powerful now than when they were in their 20s and 30s and just trying to feed their families and get on with their lives. wolf? >> michelle kosinski, what an important, important day this is. before we go, a major milestone for the u.s. economy. the jobs market is now back at its 2008 prerecession peak for the first time. according to the labor department, there are now more jobs in this country than ever before, with 217,000 new jobs added in may. the unemployment rate remains unchanged at 6.3%. that's significantly lower since the worst of the economic crisis. remember, you can always follow us on twitter. i love to read your tweets. tweet me @wolfblitzer. certainly you can tweet the show @cnnsitroom. monday in "the situation room," you can always watch us live, or if you can't watch us live, dvr the show should you won't miss a moment.

have a wonderful, wonderful weekend. that's it for me. thanks very much for watching. i'm wolf bitser in "the situation room." "erin burnett outfront" starts right now. next, breaking news. what we're just learning about sergeant bowe bergdahl's time in captivity. a u.s. official tells cnn he was forced to live in a cage. plus, cnn's exclusive interview with president obama's national security adviser susan rice. she says sergeant bergdahl served the u.s. with honor and distinction. does she stand by that? and the latest from last night's deadly rampage in seattle. what we're learning about the hero who brought the alleged gunman down. let's go "outfront." >> good evening, everyone. thank you for joining us. i'm don lemon in for erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, breaking news on sergeant bowe bergdahl and his time in