the good stuff. >> i like running, because it's one of the times i get to run as fast as i can. it's so exciting, running the the bases, hitting it, knocking it over. there's nothing bad about it. >> at the end of the day, that's what it's all about, the kids are having fun, getting to go all out and it's safe for them. awesome enough to be "the good stuff" on this friday. a lot of news as well. let's get you over to the "newsroom" with ms. carol costello. >> thanks so much. you have a great weekend. "newsroom" starts now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com happening now in the "newsroom," breaking overnight. bergdahl back in america. >> arriving just hours ago at brook army medical center in san antonio, texas. >> the army sergeant starting to heal. >> he's going to need time to reassimilate. tinderbox. terrorists marching to bagdad

taking control of key cities, what was once unthinkable about this anti iraq war president. >> i'll be a president who ends this war in iraq and finally brings our troops home. >> as we come this -- >> i don't rule out anything. >> they come here and find a relief. >> a tiny shelter in texas home to families from foreign countries trying to get into america. >> you look into these people's eyes, especially the children. what do you see? >> fear. they're scared. >> we'll take you live to the border border. >> that's one for you changed your mind? >> i have to say, i think you are being persistent -- >> the hillary npr interview. same-sex marriage and a quip pi clinton. >> i'm trying to clarify so you can understand. >> no, i don't think you are trying to clarify. >> what happened? let's talk. live in the cnn "newsroom."

good morning. i'm care costello. thank you for joining me. we begin with bowe bergdahl's return. today for the first time in five years, the former p.o.w. is on american soil. this is the plane landing in san antonio overnight. on board, bowe bergdahl and a host of people to help make the transition back to a normal life more easy. a physician, psychiatrist and officer in what's called a personal recovery specialist are on board that plane with bergdahl. bergdahl is now in brook army medical center. his room is ready. he's getting an entire part of the building devoted just to him and his recovery. at his side, attorneys, a khabibulin, security financial analysts. most importantly of all, his family. that meeting according to experts will be the most stressful. cnn's martin savidge outside the

hospital to tell us more. good morning, martin. >> reporter: good morning, carol. as you pointed out, it was the middle of the night when sergeant bergdahl returned to the united states of america. there was no fanfare, no special greeting, and there was none ever intended. this, the military says and what comes next will all be strictly by the book. after five years in taliban captivity, u.s. army sergeant bowe bergdahl is back only american soil, touching down overnight, bergdahl arrived at lackland air force base in san antonio and was transported to a military medical facility with a room prepped for his ar looifl and a support team standing by along with his family. >> just came out of five years of captivity. we'll get a chance to find out what was in his head there that day when he was taken captive. >> "the daily beast" obtained letters purportedly written by bergdahl to his family while in cap captivity.

they may give a glimpse into his disappearance that night in 2009. writing "leadership was lacking if not non-existent. the conditions were bad and looked to be getting worse for the men that were actually the ones risking their lives. penned in two different writing styles, one in cursive, the other in block print. the bergdahl family purportedly confirmed the authenticity of the letters revealed by sources in contact with the taliban. >> i'm please asking for help rrp held hostage for nearly a year, american roy hallums can relate. >> when i did mine, they set a piece of paper in front of me and gave me a pen. pun person sat on each side of me telling me exactly what words they wanted me to write. they wanted me to print it because they couldn't read english in script. >> reporter: at times bergdahl's thoughts seemed to wander touching on mathematics, god and the universe. several portions of the letter blocked out. it's unclear by whom.

words in letters oddly misspelled. in 2013 he wrote, if this letter makes it to the usa, tell those involved in the investigation that there are more sides to the situation. carol, i've just gotten word from the military. there's a press conference scheduled for 4:00 eastern time. participating in that will be a brigadier general from the army, also a psychiatrist and a doctor, both of whom are part of sergeant bowe bergdahl's medical team who are treating him right now. one last thing, the reunion, that's what everyone here is focused upon. when will they see his family? we've not been told a specific timeline. dwoe know from the past in previous reunions, this is a difficult and emotional, albeit, very joyful time. the first meeting likely to only last a few minutes, carol. >> martin savidge reporting live from san antonio. i want to focus in on letters allegedly written by bowe

bergdahl and sent to his parents. joining me is kimberly dozier, a contributing writer for "the daily beast" who obtained those letters. welcome. >> good to be here. >> senator john mccain said earlier on "new day" that we shouldn't put much stock in these letters because they probably really weren't written by bergdahl. in your mind were they? >> that's one of the first things i asked myself when i looked at these. the letter writing doesn't 34567. while they say the kinds of things that you think someone in captivity would want to tell their parents, i'm okay, i'm being fed, they also go off on tangents. i had to show them to a number of u.s. and western officials before i had confidence that these really were at least delivered from the taliban to the red cross and purported to be written by bergdahl. bergdahl's family also saw things in them like the way bergdahl signed the first one in 2012 with a little paw print. they say that's something that

he did with his other letters from the field, so they believe that they were real. they go on to say things like, in the second letter, he's aware of the investigation into his disappearance, and he wants to tell his parents why he walked off the base. he says that there was a high disconcern for troopers in the field, a lack of clear, logical and common sense thinking at the top, and that the situation was going from bad to a nightmare in the field. so was he writing this in case he never came back and he wanted to defend himself? or another possibility is, the taliban had to be watching his every move, monitoring everything he wrote and approving it before it got sent off. perhaps this was the kind of message that they wanted to send to tear down the morale of u.s. troops in the field. look, one of your own walked off because he had no confidence in his commanders and things were

really bad there. >> interesting. as you mentioned, there are a lot of spelling errors in the letter. this is one example, to all my friends and family in regards to the circumstance -- if you see how he spelled the word circumstance, that's way off. in "the washington post" they released excerpts from his journal. he misspelled a lot of things in his journal, too. some of the things he put into code. what do you make of those misspellings ain the letters? >> i read through the bergdahl family letters back to bowe. we haven't released those. they're about things happening at home, births, marriages, et cetera. a lot of misspellings in those letters as well. it seems that while this is a family that's very creative. they talk a lot about god, philosophy, but grammar and how letters are spelled, not really their high point. >> strong suit. >> strong suit, yes. >> you said you chose not to release letters from the

bergdahls to bowe in captivity including a photo of jani bergdahl and bob with his beard. did you deliberately not want to release that particular photo just because of privacy issues, or was there more to it? >> privacy issues but also jani is veiled, she wears the same kind of veil that i wear when i'm in the field in kabul or especially in the countryside where you might come across someone who holds very fundamentalist beliefs. i also did that partly to show respect for their culture, but also so i didn't endanger the troops or the officials i was with by being a westerner who was offending local custom. i understand from the people who delivered the letters to me that they were advising the bergdahl family how to communicate with

the taliban to make sure those letters, or to better ensure that those letters would actually reach their son. so they did things that were respectful of the local culture, and that might be seen in a very different context back here in the states. >> understood. kimberly dozier, thanks for sharing the information. we do appreciate it. >> thank you. still to come in the "newsroom," militants march toward bagdad, but what happens if they succeed in capturing iraq? would it be anarchy, or would an actual government be put into place? we'll talk to a man who helped rebuild iraq's leadership from the inside. i'm m-a-r-y and i have copd. i'm j-e-f-f and i have copd. i'm l-i-s-a and i have copd, but i don't want my breathing problems to get in the way of hosting my book club. that's why i asked my doctor about b-r-e-o. once-daily breo ellipta helps increase airflow from the lungs

for a full 24 hours. and breo helps reduce symptom flare-ups that last several days and require oral steroids, antibiotics, or hospital stay. breo is not for asthma. breo contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death in people with asthma. it is not known if this risk is increased in copd. breo won't replace rescue inhalers for sudden copd symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. breo may increase your risk of pneumonia, thrush, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking breo. ask your doctor about b-r-e-o for copd. first prescription free at mybreo.com lactaid® is 100% real milk? right. real milk. but it won't cause me discomfort. exactly, no discomfort, because it's milk without the lactose. and it tastes? it's real milk! come on, would i lie about this? [ female announcer ] lactaid®. 100% real milk. no discomfort.

and for more 100% real dairy treats you'll 100% enjoy look for lactaid® ice cream and lactaid® cottage cheese. [ male announcer ] it has been said that beauty is found within... that what's on the inside is what really counts. agreed. ♪ this is the jeep® grand cherokee. ♪ the most awarded suv ever. well-qualified lessees can lease the 2014 grand cherokee laredo 4x4 for $359 a month. the porter was so incredibly... careful... careless... with our bags. and the room they gave us -- it was... beautiful. a broom closet. but the best part but the worst part was the shower. my wife drying herself with the... egyptian cotton towels... shower curtain... defined that whole vacation for her.

don't just visit new york. visit tripadvisor new york. [ male announcer ] with millions of reviews, a visit to tripadvisor makes any destination better.

this morning president obama has already met with his national security team to discuss the crumbling situation in iraq. a senior administration official tells us a decision on what action, if any, could come as early as this weekend. terrorist fighters continue to parade through the captured towns. itn reporter jonathan rugman was at a checkpoint in keerp cook as fighting broke out and iraqi military abandoned their posts. >> reporter: outside kirkuk, iraqi troops from the 12th division were filmed trying to halt the islamist advance. it seems they didn't try for long. somebody filmed the iraqi soldiers fleeing, many in civilian clothing. apparently leaving behind this military base as a playground for jihadists from the islamic state of iraq and el sham.

some playground, from this footage we could count 14 abandoned tanks. and so it was that kurdish fighters moved in to occupy kirkuk, they said to stop it from falling. kirkuk, the city the curds have long claimed as thais their historical capital. the kurdish fighters argue they are the only force for stability in this region because so many of the iraqi army has collapsed but the temptation for the curds is to hold on to kirkuk come what may, not just because of its oil wealth but because they've always wanted it as part of a future kurdish state. the kurdish state is what might eventually happen here if iraq does indeed collapse. >> it's like deja vu all over again, isn't it? iraq's embattled government says its troops have recaptured tikr

tikrit. this video shows iraqis boarding vehicles to fight the militants. president obama says he does not rule out any option in helping iraq stop the terrorist advance. possibilities include air strikes but not boots on the ground. last hour we heard from a leading critic of the obama administration and its handling of iraq through the years. >> the iraqis rejected our troop retention plan, they didn't want to sign it. the american people wanted us out of there. the president won the election in large part by promising to end the war. weren't those all circumstances that demanded we get out of there. it's not our fight. >> well, it's interesting, that narrative. but the fact is we could have negotiated a residual force just as we could have in afghanistan. by the way, you'll see the same thing happen in afghanistan that's happening in iraq if the president goes through with total withdrawal. >> senator john mccain. joining me by phone, a man who

saw iraq's broken system from the inside and tried to fix it, david tafury tried to help rebuild the legal system in 2006 and 2007. he's nouf in the iraqi city of erbil. welcome. >> hi, how are you. >> you're within country. tell us what the situation is from your perspective. >> the situation is very fluid right now. it's changed a lot in the last week. there are parts of iraq that are under control by isis soldiers who invaded this part of northern iraq. there's no surprise that tikrit were attacked by isis troops. i'm surprised it fell so quickly and the iraqi army surrendered so quickly. there are a number of questions now, will the iraqi army be reinforced by prime minister

maliki? will he send more troops and weapons to confront the fighters? what will the person ma do, protecting the border? there are questions about if any other country also get involved. will the u.s. help? the u.s. spent a lot of time here trying to rebuild iraq, did a lot of training for the iraqi army and will the u.s. come in to assist? >> the united states did a lot to train the iraqi army. we're seeing pictures of them simply giving up the fight. that's got to be disturbing to you. >> it is. it's rather embarrassing for u.s. foreign policy. we spent a lot of time and a lot of money here, and it's an unfortunate result. so i don't think it's a complete surprise that the iraqi army is not as strong as it was when the

u.s. military pulled out. it was clear that prime minister maliki was not doing what he needed to do. he made a number of mistakes including sunni arabs -- not including sunni arabs in the military. the iraqi army clearly isn't as loyal to him adds it was a few years ago and he needs to be to be an effective fighting force. >> in your mind since the united states was in iraq a long time, and if you look at things now, you can probably say it didn't accomplish its goals to say the least. so should america get involved again? >> well, it's going to be a difficult decision for america. but we have important strategic interests here in iraq. we certainly cannot let large parts of iraq fall to sunni militants who are extremists and will certainly do harm to the u.s. and u.s. interests in the

region and around the world. so there are important reasons why the u.s. needs to pay attention and really needs to do something. it doesn't necessarily mean that the u.s. needs to put troops on the ground. the u.s. along with its allies need to make sure sunni extremists don't continue to control populated areas of iraq. >> david tafuri, thank you so much for providing your insight. we really appreciate it. let's talk about the possibility of u.s. air strikes, because that's not an easy proposition. officials tell cnn that president obama has not yet decided to launch strikes as the military is pointing out, a number of concerns. that news just coming into cnn. pentagon correspondent barbara starr has more now. good morning. >> good morning, carol. i think it's absolutely right what you just said, the president has made no decision about air strikes and there are

always other options he could decide upon. intelligence sharing morks weapons shipments to iraq. let's say it was air strikes. what we're now being told is there are a number of challenges to develop a target set against these fighters, these so-called isis fighters. u.s. officials are telling us it starts with the basic concept that the targeting problem is a lack of intelligence, the lack of credible, specific u.s. intelligence on the ground. who are these people? where are they located? how do you target them? if you don't have the intelligence on the ground, you can't go against them. they have no fixed position. you see it from the video. a lot of them are just riding around in trucks. there's no command in control, no air defense sites, no radars, no military bases to strike. so who and what do you really go after? if you start dropping bombs, the risk of civilian casualties may be significant.

again, when you look at all the video coming out of iraq, these people are largely moving not far from civilian populations. so people then say why not drones, just use drones and fire missiles at them. these are people, fighters on the move. you don't know who is in the vehicle. you don't know exactly where they're going to be. it's very hard to determine from the air who exactly is on the ground and what you want to target? that may be the challenge the white house is looking at right now in trying to develop a target set. >> barbara, on the intelligence angle of this story, you said we lack good intelligence. we've been in iraq such a long time, you would think we have those resources on the ground. >> let's remember, the u.s. left at the end of 2011. this isis organization, this militant group has really surprised everybody with their speed, rapidity and strength and

the numbers of fighters and what they've been able to accomplish in a very short period of time. so they are on the move. is there a broad understanding of who they are, who their commanders are, what their goals are? sure, absolutely. i think the u.s. intelligence community is looking at that around the clock. but if you want to fly u.s. military aircraft, u.s. drones and strike targets, you have to have that very fine granular intelligence, who exactly is on the ground, where are they? are there any civilians near them? are you going to cause civilian casualties, are you going to hit houses? this is the kind of realtime minute-by-minute intelligence. and the u.s. right now has nobody on the ground to give that kind of information, carol. >> barbara starr reporting from the pentagon. many thanks. still to come on the "newsroom," thousands of unaccompanied children are illegally crossing the border into united states. we'll talk to a teenager who

tried to turn himself in to immigration authorities, but instead found shelter in a church. i heard about progressive's "name your price" tool? i guess you can tell them how much you want to pay and it gives you a range of options to choose from. huh? i'm looking at it right now. oh, yeah? yeah. what's the... guest room situation? the "name your price" tool, making the world a little more progressive. means keeping seven billion ctransactions flowing.g, and when weather hits, it's data mayhem. but airlines running hp end-to-end solutions are always calm during a storm. so if your business deals with the unexpected, hp big data and cloud solutions

make sure you always know what's coming - and are ready for it. make it matter. tried to turn himself in to

arizona governor jan brewer is outraged over the massive influx of unaccompanied children crossing the border every day and is in part blaming the white house for not helping deal with the problem, opting to move the children to temporary medical or military facilities. if a letter to the house and senate she writes "it has become clear ha the administration has

encouraged this massive influx intends to continue ig norg the state's impulse to end the policy." they warn children are coming over the border every day, some so young it's heartbreaking. >> i've seen them personally as young as 4. i've heard of them out there as young as 2. >> 4 years old, uncompanied. >> yes. >> cnn's martin savidge joined an agent tracking small footprints in south texas. here is what they found. >> it looks like maybe a family unit, juveniles amongst them, maybe some adults. they'll come back here and be loaded inside. from what we understand, they're from honduras, many of the children really young. the adults may be related to the children or may be only traveling with them. it's past of the puzzle agents have to solve. >> federal officials say 60,000 unaccompanied children will illegally cross the border this year alone.

cnn's sandoval is on the border with the story of one teenager, good morning. >> reporter: carol, good morning. the debate rages on thousands of miles away. in order to see the face of the issue yorks view to travel to this corner of the country in south texas. we found the story of a young boy who crossed this river after a treacherous journey. this sister's makeshift shelter offers more than food, clothing and a few creature comforts for the hundreds of undocumented immigrants who pass through the doors. it's also a spiritual sanctuary from the pain so many suffered on their journey north. >> they come here and find a relief, a sense of peace, a sense of goodness that we have for one another. >> reporter: this shelter in dock town mccallum, texas, is staffed by a army of volunteers, frequently a first stop for families after being released by

u.s. customs. you look into these people's eyes, especially the children, what do you see? >> fear. they're scared. they're lost, wondering whether this was the right choice for them. >> reporter: they're usually families, mostly women and children, but 16-year-old juan has only himself. we're protecting his identity because he's a minor, one of the estimated tens of thousands of unaccompanied children pouring across the rio grande. he says it wasn't easy leaving his parents and four siblings behind in his native el salvador. >> somebody fell in the water. >> reporter: like the people seen in this video, he put his life in the hands of a smuggler. he became sick from a makeshift diet of milk and canal water, juan had enough. he tried turning himself into a

u.s. resident, and instead of the authorities, he was told to go to this church. that's where he would find refuge. now rested and feeling better, juan faces another difficult decision. i asked what's next for him? his answer, turn myself in to immigration. juan says a sense of love and hope that the sister and the shelter the providing him, has motivated him to go through the proper channels and get processed by u.s. customs. he says unlike so many others, he will make his court appearance and he hopes that will eventually set him on a path to u.s. citizenship. >> as you might imagine, there are still hundreds of children just like b juan in centers here in south texas and, of course, many, many more just north of here. here on the ground you'll find mixed reaction. you have members of the community, members of the public like the sister who see this as a humanitarian issue.

they want to lend a helping hand for people that cross the river every day. at the same time you also have the men and women who patrol this stretch of land and they have a job to do. at the same time they see the faces of these young children. of course, the hardest part of their job is seeing these children day after day after enduring what they do. >> polo sandoval, many thanks to you. while juan is hoping to stay in the united states, thousands of other undocumented children face deportation back to their own countries. we'll take you live to honduras for that story in the next hour of "newsroom." whatever business you're in, that's the business we're in. with premium service like one of the best on-time delivery records and a low claims ratio, we do whatever it takes to make your business our business. od. helping the world keep promises.

i got more advice than i knew what to do with. what i needed was information i could trust on how to take care of me and my baby. luckily, unitedhealthcare has a simple program that helps moms stay on track with their doctors and get the right care and guidance-before and after the baby is born. simple is good right now. (anncr vo) innovations that work for you. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare.

the clean air act stops polluters from... poisoning his air with arsenic, lead and mercury. now the loop hole that lets them pump unlimited carbon... pollution into his air is closing too. if polluters and their friends in washington don't interfere. don't let polluters weaken our clean air protections. [ male announcer ] momentum has a way of quietly exploding onto the scene. ♪ the new ram 1500 ecodiesel. with 28 highway miles per gallon, 420 pound-feet of torque. ♪ guts. glory. ram.

♪ the average person will probably eat something or drink something that is acidic on a daily basis. those acids made over time wear the enamel. a lot of patients will not realize what's happening to the enamel. once it's gone, it's gone away for good. i recommend pronamel. it's designed specifically to help strengthen the teeth. pronamel will actually help to defend the enamel from the acids in our diet. if you know that there is something out there that can help, why not start today? you could be hanging ten. what are you waiting for? seize the summer with up to 40% off hotels from travelocity.

this just in to cnn. we've been telling you that bowe bergdahl is back on american soil. he was flown from the german military hospital to san antonio overnight, actually around 3:30 eastern this morning. he is now in a medical facility in san antonio, texas. his parents have released a statement through the military and i just want to read it to you right now. they say on behalf of the bergdahl family, while the bergdahls are overjoyed their son has returned to the united states, mr. and mrs. bergdahl don't intend to make any travel plans public. they ask for continued privacy as they concentrate on their son's reintegration. there is a host of people standing by to care for bowe bergdahl in this san antonio facility. in fact he has a highly specialized team that's been awaiting his arrival. they have trained for this moment every six months since bergdahl was captured by the taliban back in june of 2009,

even using stand-ins for his family. so let's talk about that with david rud, the president of the university of memphis, a psychologist and expert in veterans mental health. welcome, sir. >> hi, how are you? good to join you. >> we're glad to have you here. most people would think that bowe bergdahl would be eager to see his family. yet, psychologists have prepared him even using stand-ins for his family. why will that be the most difficult thing for him? >> well, the reintegration phase after a period of being a prisoner of war is certainly complicated. the separation from family, the distance, the lack of contact, the lack of communication, but also the circumstances that surrounded his departure, the questions i think complicate that reintegration a little bit more. there just are a range of issues in terms of making contact with

family after five years and five years during wartime is a very difficult process. explain to us how difficult that process is, because even during congressional hearings one lawmaker questioned why bowe bergdahl needed such prolonged ca care. >> if you think about trauma in war, it's unique, unlike any other trauma a that individuals face. it's unlike trauma in terms of a motor vehicle accident, an assault. combat trauma is complicated. i would tell you prisoner of war trauma is unique from a number of different perspectives, one being the daily trauma. not only is it that the trauma of war, but daily contact with his captors, daily exposure, daily isolation, abuse. the context is very unique when you're a prisoner of war? it's not just the severity, but the chronicity of it that

complicates it. >> stand by, david. i want to go briefly to san antonio and check in with martin savidge. as i told our viewers a little earlier, the bergdahl family did release a statement through the military. what more can you tell us, marty? >> reporter: carol, it appears that things obviously are changing when it comes to the reunion. i spent a lot of time here in the run-up to sergeant bergdahl's arrival, weeks, as a matter of fact. the plan had always been that the bergdahl family would show up in advance. in other words, they'd probably get here about 24 hours before he was transferred from germany. the plan then was that he would live on base, in part because of security. also close proximity. you want access back and forth without any problems. they're also very important to this whole reintegration process. they are part of that team we talk about. clearly his mother and father would have a personal bond. but they're also there to help their son come back, in other words. so things are changing. we don't know why.

it could be that perhaps the psychiatrists and the medical team and perhaps their son has said he's not quite ready. you know what? it can change in a heartbeat. the family may be making plans. they may not be making them public. they could get here quickly and i'm sure the military would assist if they need to. >> you're talking about the part of the statement where mr. and mrs. bergdahl don't intend on making any travel plans public. just to clarify, martin, are they in san antonio, the bergdahl family? >> i have been told that they are not, that they are not on base and that they are not in town. but again, you can change that with a simple flight. what we have now isn't necessarily where we'll be at the end of the day. it could be that they give him 24 hours and believe that he would be ready to travel -- be ready to go through this reunion tomorrow. maybe after that flight, after who knows what, there may need more time. it was expected they would arrive first. that clearly didn't happen.

this is irregular. >> david, what do you make of that? >> well, i think you have to look at the complexity of his current situation. we have to ask questions about whether or not he's struggling with post trauma symptoms, whether or not he's struggling with depression, psychological injury is a normal consequence of combat exposure, wartime exposure, and certainly as a result of being a prisoner of war. and the severity of the symptoms are issues we would raise and question about his ability just to function early in this process. we heard he was having difficulty returning to english as a core language. so there are -- there is some evidence to suggest that perhaps the symptoms themselves in terms of his adjustment, possible psychological injuries, psychological consequences could be complicating the situation in making it more difficult to reintegrate, to have contact with his family. >> on this team at this san antonio medical center, there are attorneys, a khabibulin, there are financial specialists,

psychologists, medical doctors, there are public affairs people. some might say for one man? because they have so many people standing by to help bowe bergdahl, is it possible he'll never recover? >> well, i would suggest that the recovery from these sorts of difficulties, and certainly the kind of psychological disorders, illnesses, struggles that he would have, that the recovery rates are remarkably high. the evidence would suggest that he can recover, he can reintegrate, but also suggest this needs to happen in a measured and in a longer duration way than we might expect. it's going to take a little longer than many of us might anticipate to fully reintegrate. five years as a prisoner of war, totally isolated, detached from his familiar lirks detached from our culture, his friends is a very difficult transition back. >> david rudd, martin savidge, thanks to both of you. i'll be right back.

not that one. that one. the one who seems like he's already got the job 'cause he studied all the right courses from the get-go. and that's an accountant, a mom, a university of phoenix scholarship recipient, who used our unique --scratch that-- awesome career-planning tool. and that's a student, working late, with a day job, taking courses aligned with the industry he's aiming to be in. ready to build an education around the career that you want? let's get to work. help keep teeth clean and breath fresh. with beneful healthy smile snacks. with soft meaty centers and teeth cleaning texture,it's dental that tastes so good. beneful healthy smile food and snacks.

but with med-care, i don't have to! waiting to get my diabetic supplies is such a hassle . they deliver everything i need right to my door! with free shipping! plus, med-care takes private policies, medicaid, even my medicare! now we have the time to do the things we love. med-care. we deliver a better life. bulldog: i can't wait to get to imattress discounters because the tempur-pedic bonus event

ends sunday. i'll have first pick from the huge selection of tempur-pedic mattresses. then, i'll get to choose $300 in pillows, sheets, and other free gifts. on top of that, up to 48 months interest-free financing. hurry! mattress discounters' tempur-pedic bonus event ends sunday. mmm, some alarm clock you turned out to be. ♪ mattress discounters a senior administration official tells cnn that

president obama could decide what action to take in iraq apz early as this weekend. already this morning the president has met with his national security team. president obama has said he's not ruling anything out. >> iraq is going to need more help. it's going to need more help from us and from the international community. my team is working around the clock to identify how we can provide the most effective assistance to them. i don't rule out anything because we do have a stake in making sure that these jihadists are not getting a permanent foothold in either iraq or syria, for ma that matter. >> let's dig deeper on this. jim acosta is at the white house and our senior international correspondent nic robertson is in amman, jordan. jim, the white house has had a rocky relationship with prime

minister maliki and now he's being asked to come to the rescue. how is that being handled behind closed doors. >> you can lay irony on top of irony here. this is a president who xwaned on a promise of ending the iraq war. he did that nearly three years ago. now he is on the precipice of making a critical decision as to whether or not to reengage the united states militarily in that country. it's a big critical moment for this president. there's no other way to put it. keep in mind, carol, i've talked to senior administration officials all morning. they say the president has not made a decision yet on whether to proceed with some sort of air strikes over iraq, targeting isis militants. i have been told that the president may decide on a route to proceed this weekend and that route may include air strikes. so we're just going to have to wait and see how they proceed on this. another senior administration official says the white house is working this, quote, on an urgent basis.

time is of the essence and nic robertson can talk about that based on what's being seen on the ground. you talk about nuri al maliki, this white house is very frustrated with him, they believe he's failed to reconcile and make gestures to the sunni population that is starting to rally behind these militants and isis which is a frightening prospect. they blame a big part of this mess on nuri al maliki. at this point the decision becomes weighing a lot of bad options, meaning air strikes being one of them. but at the same time letting bagdad fall into the hands of these militants, that is a very serious problem that i think this white house does not want to face at this point. i think that's why the president is at this point. >> got you. nic robertson, is there any way iraq can get out of this on its own? >> reporter: there's a potential for it, but it's going to be a negotiated solution. there's new details that i've just learned from an intelligence source and we've learned here as well from a few

other folks here on the ground in jordan. the sunni tribes in iraq have supported by pre agreement with isis to go on this offensive. and that does include elements of saddam hussein's former army, army generals who were forced out of the army when it was disbanded after the united states entered iraq. so this is a very coordinated effort with the sunni transcribes which is why isis has been annual to advance so quickly. i'm told they're very confident about their gains they've made, even pushing to the east of iraq and taking towns close to the iranian border, that they are confident that they can keep pushing towards the outskirts of bagdad because they have the support of the tribes. there's no way they could have made these advances without that support. we've seen that manifested in some of the videos that isis has put out, its own propaganda people on the streets really giving them support, rather than

running away from them. where does this go in terms of how does this end? what we understand at the moment is that the sunni groups looking to change the political landscape of iraq only are not interested in this sort they would like to surround baghdad and negotiate for different political future in the country but at the moment they are fully intent on going all of the way to baghdad. what we understand from the intelligence sources that the way it's being read is potentially what's happening now because the sunni tribes are onboard and we're talking about large swaths of the north and the west of iraq that this absolutely changes the political map on the ground in iraq. something that's not going to be changed back any time soon. one other interesting detail as we talk about what president obama might do and how the united states plays into this. many of these sunni tribal leaders are the same tribal

leaders who worked with u.s. marines in the west of iraq to force out al qaeda several years ago. there are many ironies here. many, many ironies. >> you're not kidding. jim, i understand there's some word from secretary of state john kerry. what is it? >> he was in london making comments earlier this morning, carol. he said, "given the gravity of the situation i would anticipate timely decisions from the president regarding this challenge." lots of hints here that we're sort of hitting a critical stage with respect to a decision that the president may make here. one thing we should also point out just as a scheduling matter, the president is still due to depart from the white house here in a couple of hours to go out west. he's heading to north dakota to visit native american groups and then he's going to head to california after that. so we're told that he's scheduled to give the commencement speech at the university of california irvine. what happens after that with the president's schedule? we just don't know at this point. so we're waiting to find out about that.

if you listen to what secretary of state said earlier this morning, that's a pretty big indication that we're heading into a critical stage for this white house. >> we'll let you go to gather more information. many thanks to both of you. i'm back in a minute. we asked people a question, how much money do you think you'll need when you retire? then we gave each person a ribbon to show how many years that amount might last. i was trying to, like, pull it a little further. [ woman ] got me to 70 years old. i'm going to have to rethink this thing. it's hard to imagine how much we'll need for a retirement that could last 30 years or more.

so maybe we need to approach things differently, if we want to be ready for a longer retirement. ♪

as i arrived to work this morning, this sight greeted me. a car smashed into the cnn's building. no one was hurt. the driver had marijuana on him and admitted smoking it earlier. that is not him. the man who was driving the car was arrested and booked on possession and dui charges. >> all right. let's talk politics. hillary clinton versus mpr? word is clinton got testy with an anchor over same-sex marriage

or did she? after ten questions, clinton bit back. >> that's one for you changed your mind. >> i have to say, i think you are being very persistent but you are playing with my words and playing with what is such an important issue. >> i'm trying to clarify so i can understand. >> i don't think you are trying to clarify. i think you are saying i used to be opposed and now i'm in favor and i did it for political reasons. that's just flat wrong. >> clinton was responding to her evolution on the issue. hillary snaps at host for questions about gay marriage evolution. hillary clinton lashes out at npr host. some suggest that hillary clinton's response and comments to abc about being dead broke or

having multiple homes show that she may not be ready for a return to politics. but "time" magazine had a different take. in an article, no, hillary clinton didn't lose her cool on npr some take it as a sign that hillary has gotten rusty. she was bold enough to push back shows she's more than ready than in 2008. welcome, gentlemen. >> thank you. >> brian, i want to start with you, media man. how would you characterize clinton's response? >> i'm a little hesitant to use the word testy because of the gender context that word sometimes has. i love it when a guest, when an interview subject challenges the interviewer, when they get into a conversation the way that she did. if you think a question is off base and you think it's wrong, you should pushback if you're in

the hot seat. i love however that terry gross kept going and asking it for seven minutes and we learned about hillary clinton through that exchange. >> how would you characterize hillary clinton's tone, john avalon? >> you know, we criticize politicians a lot for being plastic and inauthentic. one of the reasons this made news is in her pushback, you got a glimpse of authenticity from hillary clinton. when terry gross, phenomenal reporter, asked a question ten times, it's going to get under your skin particularly the implication that a civil rights evolution, which i think is a fair term, is done for purely political calculation. hillary clinton got criticized for being liberal in the 1990s and she came late to this issue. as she pointed out in the interview, a sea change in this nation over the last 20 years and hillary clinton was part of that sea change. slightly ahead of the curve but not at the front of the parade and that's the liberal criticism of her position. >> i don't know how you could

argue that politics doesn't play into decisions that politicians make because they have to. >> i think we saw that in this exchange. clearly terry gross wasn't buying what hillary clinton was selling and that's what made it such an important exchange. >> to those who say she's rusty and doesn't know how to handle the media, this is a woman who has been first lady, a u.s. senator, secretary of state, she's run for president. how can anyone say that, john? >> i mean, again, i think because she's so unruffleable and so professional and presenting herself as our version of the iron lady in some respects, that because we got a really authentic pushback is one of the things that made news. it's also fair to say that for the last four years she's focused on foreign policy. she's above the domestic political fray and with this book tour we're seeing those

domestic issues that come up in presidential campaigns intrude and she doesn't have her full judo back on that sort of footing. >> perhaps this is what we can expect from clinton in the future. remember, hillary clinton told abc's diane sawyer, i'm done trying to please everyone and with npr, that seems to be -- >> journalists heard that quote. we were going to get more interesting answers and as journalists she should want things that are honest answers. i think hillary was happy not to be asked about benghazi again. >> it was a 44-minute interview in total. maybe she was. >> that's true. that's true. it was this exchange whether testy or not that did make all of the news. >> brian stelter, john avalon, many thanks. i appreciate it. should i promote "reliable sources" this weekend?

>> john avalon will be on. we'll talk in a couple days here. >> i look forward to it. the next hour of "newsroom" starts now. >> happening now in the "newsroom," breaking overnight. bergdahl back in america. >> arriving just hours ago at brook army medical center? san antonio, texas. >> the army sergeant started to heal after five years of taliban captivity. >> he's going to need time to resemilate. >> tinder box. terrorists marching to baghdad taking control of key cities. what was once unthinkable for this anti-iraq war president. >> i'll be a president who ends this war in iraq and finally brings our troops home. >> as become this -- >> i don't rule out anything. >> they come here and they find a relief. >> a tiny shelter in texas home to families from foreign countries trying to get into

america. >> we look into these people's eyes, especially the children, what do you see? >> fear. they're scared. >> we'll take you live to the border on the trail of children some as young as four crossing the rio grande. >> so that's one for you changed your mind. >> i have to say, i think you are being very persistent. >> the hillary npr interview. >> i'm trying to clarify. >> what happened. let's talk live in the "cnn newsroom." good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you for joining me. we begin this hour with bowe bergdahl's return. today for the first time in five years, the former p.o.w. is on american soil. this is the plane landing in san antonio overnight. onboard bowe bergdahl and a host

of people trained to help transition him back to a more normal life. a physician, psychiatrist and personal recovery specialist. not there is the bergdahl family. this statement was released moments ago on their behalf. "while the bergdahls are overjoyed that their son has returned to the united states, mr. and mrs. bergdahl don't intend to make any travel plans public. they ask for continued privacy as they concentrate on their son's reintegration. martin savidge live outside of the army hospital in san antonio. is it a surprise that the bergdahls aren't there? >> reporter: i think it is. i'll have to preface it by saying i have two sources that tell me that they're not on base and they're not in san antonio. i have been told in the two weeks i was here in the buildup to this that the family would arrive, would arrive early and that might have been the first tip that bergdahl himself was on his way. so something has changed. the question is why. could be medical staff.

could be bergdahl himself saying i'm not ready. it could be the family could be here at a moment's notice when the time is right. remember, they've had threats that have been made against them themselves. right now when it comes to bergdahl's treatment, the army says they're going by the book. after five years in taliban captivity, army sergeant bowe bergdahl is back on american soil touching down overnight bergdahl arrived in san antonio and was transported to a military medical facility with a room prepped for his arrival and a support team standing by along with his family. >> he just came out five years of captivity. we'll get a chance to find out what was in his head that day when he was taken captive. >> reporter: letters were purportedly written about sergeant bergdahl to his family while in captivity may give a glimpse into disappearance from his base that night in 2009.

writing leadership was lacking. conditions were bad and looked to be getting worse for the men that were actually the ones risking their lives from attack. the letters are dated 2012 and 2013, penned in different writing styles. one in cursive and other in block print. the bergdahl family confirmed the letters revealed by sources in contact with the taliban. >> i'm please asking for help. >> reporter: held hostage in iraq for nearly a year, roy can relate. >> they set a piece of paper in front of me and gave me a pen and one person sat on each side of me and told me exactly what words to write and they wanted me to print it and not write it in script because they couldn't read english in script. >> reporter: at times bergdahl's thoughts seemed to waonder. several portions of the letters blocked out. words in letters oddly misspelled. in 2013 he wrote, if this letter

makes it to the usa, tell those involved in the investigation that there are more sides to the cittuwation." we know there will be a press conference announced by the military at 4:00 eastern time. among those participating will be a doctor and a psychiatrist. both of whom are on the sergeant's reintegration team. that's how they refer to. there's also going to be a general from the army there. a lot of questions. we'll have to see how many answers we truly get. >> martin savidge reporting live from san antonio. already this morning president obama has met with his national security team to discuss the siege on iraq. mr. obama could decide what action to take in iraq as early as this weekend. the situation is growing more urgent as american contractors are forced to evacuate and militants continue their march

toward baghdad. jonathan rugman was at a checkpoint in kirkuk as fighting broke out and iraq's military abandoned their post. >> reporter: outside kirkuk, iraqi troops from the 12th division were filled trying to hold the islamist advance but it seems they didn't try for long. somebody filmed the iraqi soldiers fleeing. many of them in civilian clothing. and apparently leaving behind this military base as a playground for jihadist from as la the islamic camp. we could count 14 abandoned tanks. so it was that kurdish fighters moved in to occupy kirkuk. they said to stop it from falling. kirkuk, the city the kurds have long claimed as their historical capital. the kurdish fighters here argue

that they are the only force for stability in this region because so much of the iraqi army has collapsed. but the temptation for the kurds is to hold onto kirkuk. not because of its oil wealth but because they've always wanted it as part of a future kurdish state and a kurdish state is what might happen here if iraq does indeed collapse. >> all right. so let's take a quick look at the range of options for the united states should the united states decide to take military action. they include manned air strikes and unmanned air strikes using drone aircraft. the white house is not considering boots on the ground. several sources tell us that the u.s. military has not finalized a proposed set of targets and secretary of state john kerry just spoke moments ago about this. let's listen. >> i saw it as a fundamental basic terrorist structure that seeks to do everything outside of any rule of law and structure

in order to dominate any territory location where it is. it's frankly the enemy of civility, the enemy of rule of law, the enemy of pluralism, the enemy of decency and we need to make it crystal clear as we have the united states views it as a threat to our interest as well as the interest of our friends and allies in the region. >> let's bring in pentagon correspondent barbara starr. so read between the lines for us, barbara. >> look, carol, i think straight up it is absolutely clear the white house is saying that the president has not made a decision about how to proceed. there are things other than air strikes. he could announce more armed sales. he could announce intelligence sharing. if it does come down to air strikes, what we hear at the

pentagon is there will be a number of military challenges and it basically starts with what do you strike? are you going to use manned aircraft? are you going to use drones? if you go with manned aircraft or drones, the u.s. right now lacks the specific military intelligence on the ground. it does not have personnel on the ground. it has very little credible accurate information about where these fighters are and who they are and how they are moving around. these militant fighters don't have military bases, radar sites, air defense, installations. they're dispersed. they're on the roads. they're in cities. they're mix ed in with civilian populations. very tough to target. before you launch a bomb, you have to know who you are hitting and who the people are. there is a great risk of civilian casualties and civilian destruction and that puts the u.s. back into a political

dilemma of being the country that causes destruction inside of iraq. the president hasn't made up his mind. >> barbara starr reporting live from the pentagon. all of these developments a reversal from overjoyed iraqi civilians toppling a statue of saddam hussein and the country celebrates ally forces that ousted their oppressor but it came at a terrible price. 4,500 americans were killed during the iraq war and 32,000 were wounded and many are left with a lifetime of suffering ahead. christopher served two tours of duty in iraq and joins us live now from washington. welcome. >> thank you, carol. >> thanks for being here. i know you lost two friends in combat. how painful is it to watch iraq teeter like this? >> you can't really let yourself become overwhelmed by emotion based off what's going on and personal experiences and what's

going on in iraq right now. you have to focus on what will happen next on how iraq will take care of itself because that was what we aimed to do toward the end of our occupation there. >> so many ironies there. nic robertson reporting that saddam hussein's old generals are now in cahoots with these terrorists. that has to make you a little crazy. >> well, whenever you have civilian government that we tried to put in place and then obviously with things trying to build itself from when we left, you'll have issues with individuals cohorting with the enemy and you'll have to step back and see what happens. you can't really judge based off the small instances happen even though a lot of northern iraq has been overtaken by the terrorist group. >> you now serve in the army reserve. can you envision a day that you would have to go back to iraq? >> it's hard but at the same time that's what you're trained to do. you're ever ready and ever vigilant. if my country needs me to

redeploy to iraq based on a new conflict, i'll gladly serve my country and do that mission. >> was it worth it and if you have to go again, will it be worth it? >> it was worth it. i did an interview yesterday with a local news team. when you give a child a soccer ball or treat someone's home with respect while conducting a search, it gives you that instance that you are treating someone as another human being and you feel that pride that you were able to conduct that respectfully. >> so you do get the sense that some iraqis like and respect americans? >> without a doubt. i mean, unconfirmed reports there are 30,000 iraqis in baghdad right now willing to fight for their country even though there was a rebellion from the iraqi army retreating from their posts. >> thank you for your service. we appreciate it. still to come in the "newsroom," a wave of unaccompanied child immigrants deported back to their home

countries. rosa flores is at a processing center in honduras. >> reporter: this country is expecting hundreds, if not thousands of children who are going to be deported from the united states and some of them will be housed in the building that you see behind me but the big question is why? why are these children making the dangerous trek? the answer after the break. ppy . that's why i'm so excited about these new milk-bone brushing chews. whoa, i'm not the only one. it's a brilliant new way to take care of his teeth. clinically proven as effective as brushing. ok, here you go. have you ever seen a dog brush his own teeth? the twist and nub design cleans all the way down to the gum line, even reaching the back teeth. they taste like a treat, but they clean like a toothbrush. nothing says you care like a milk-bone brushing chew. [ barks ]

nothing says you care like a milk-bone brushing chew. wouldn't it be great if hiring plumbers, carpenters shopping online is as easy as it gets. and even piano tuners were just as simple?

thanks to angie's list, now it is. we've made hiring anyone from a handyman to a dog walker as simple as a few clicks. buy their services directly at angieslist.com no more calling around. no more hassles. start shopping from a list of top-rated providers today. angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. visit angieslist.com today. humans. we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back, offering exclusive products like optional better car replacement, where if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask an insurance expert about all our benefits today, like our 24/7 support and service, because at liberty mutual insurance,

we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, so we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. plus, you could save hundreds when you switch, up to $423. call... today. liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? the hundreds of unaccompanied children now daily entering the united states illegally may have dreams of a better life but after being

detained, they can be held in cramped barron spaces and they can be deported. many trying to cross again despite those poor conditions that may be waiting for them. this video just into us from the texas department of public safety shows immigrants crossing borders and rivers. you see them there. cnn's rosa flores joins us from honduras where deported children are being bussed today. those children made their way into the united states but now they're being deported back to their home country. rosa, tell us more. >> reporter: you know, carol, here is the irony. so mexico is deporting children as well. if we think that the u.s. is overwhelmed, imagine this. hundreds, if not thousands of children, reach only to mexico only to be detained by mexican authorities and then bussed here to this facility where i am right now. we are expecting six buses today and they are all going to be

processed in the building that you see behind me. these are unaccompanied minors. some of them will be claimed by their parents, others will not be claimed. hundreds of hondurans are deported from the united states every week arriving here to a processing center dubbed the world's murder capital with only a few belongings in hand. sometimes minors arrive too like this boy who is 17. he says he was mistaken by u.s. authorities for an adult. and he's not the only child trying to make it to the u.s. advocate organizations estimate that at least 60,000 unaccompanied minors are expected to flock to the u.s. border this year. this man saw dozens of them. some as young as five while he

was detained in arizona. he says while cells are separate, adults and children are held in the same facilities and while u.s. officials have consistently defended their detention facilities, this man says the kids call them iceboxes because of the cold and dire conditions. >> it's freezing the whole night and the whole day. i think they just do it on purpose so people can get twisted and sign the petition and leave. >> reporter: quite a different picture at child shelters waiting for them in honduras. authorities there are preparing for a massive influx of deported children as early as next week. some immigration workers say the system could become overwhelmed. saying this does not tackle the root of the problem. if what adults are doing is a guide, children will try again.

now, the big question is why. why are these children making the dangerous trek to the united states and we see a common theme here. first of all, family. a lot of these kids want to reunite with their family in the united states. the second theme is violence. i want you to look around me closely. you can see businesses have barbed wire on their fences. if you look closely, you'll see an armed guard that is guarding a business. the violence in this city and in this country is at an all-time high and then there's economics, carol, because of the poverty. there's so much poverty in this country that a lot of these kids feel that they have nothing to lose. >> rosa flores, thanks so much. holding centers in texas no longer able to accommodate the huge number of immigrant children, the federal government is being forced to open other facilities. one is in arizona where pictures of unaccompanied children lying on the floor of a large barron

space has raised concerns of a humanitarian crisis. joining us to address those concerns is the mayor of that city. welcome. thank you for being here. you visited this facility. what did you see? >> i visited on monday. i saw what border patrol had done to their facility to turn it into a processing center and they actually divided the big warehouse that they have, close to 100,000 square feet, and they divided to a medical section where kids are being checked and possibly even vaccinated. they also divided two sections for girls and boys under 12. and then two sections for older boys 12 and up and girls. two sections for eating and cafeteria and they have outside

are portable showers connected to the building and also laundromat connected to the building. logistically it's a task for border patrol and i think they're doing a great job. >> you think children are safe here. they're not in areas where there are adults and there's enough medical care for these kids, et cetera, et cetera. >> yes. there are no adults in the facility and the processing center. only children anywhere from 4 years old to 17 years old. >> look, this problem doesn't appear -- it doesn't appear this problem will end any time soon. the governor of your state has written to the obama administration and also to lawmakers to say, hey, do something about this. do something about immigration control. do you join her in her pleas? >> there's got to be something done about immigration and it's sad that they are not doing anything in washington. congress and the senators over there don't want to remove the political ads to decide what

they're going to do about immigration. this something that will be ongoing but the children and processing is going to go through the summer, at least to september. depends on how many children texas is going to be sending to be processed in the state of arizona. we have to do something about it. it has to be addressed. we need to address this and not only here but also at the point of origin. what's happening over there that is causing this influx of children only. is it a planned problem, point of origin to come here. i don't know. these are questions that i need to ask. my concern right now and citizens of nogales and our city, we want to make sure these children are in good hands and i know that border patrol is doing a great job. >> who's to blame for this? >> actually, i don't think the u.s. is to blame for it.

this comes from honduras and el salvad salvador. once it reaches our borders, are we to blame for it? i don't think so. we need to talk about immigration like i've said many times for the past three years. we had a gang of eight, four of them visited for a photo shop. this is not a location to do that. this is a place to come and see what's happening and address issues from washington d.c. we have to work at this. you're putting a stress on border patrol by having them work this type of process on processing children. border patrol are here to take care of our borders and we have to look at that and washington needs to help border patrol so they can at least while this is happening, this can be solved. washington is the one that has to work on this. >> mayor, thank you so much for being with me.

i appreciate it. >> thank you very much for having me. you're welcome. still to come in the "newsroom," the nba reality show takes another intriguing turn. donald sterling digging in and looking to dig up some dirt on his fellow owners. due to menopausal changes. the problem isn't likely to go away... ...on its own. so it's time we do something about it. and there's help. premarin vaginal cream. a prescription that does what no over-the-counter product was designed to do. it provides estrogens to help rebuild vaginal tissue and make intercourse more comfortable. premarin vaginal cream treats vaginal changes due to menopause and moderate-to-severe painful intercourse caused by these changes. don't use premarin vaginal cream if you've had unusual bleeding, breast or uterine cancer, blood clots, liver problems, stroke or heart attack, are allergic to any of its ingredients or think you're pregnant. side effects may include headache,

pelvic pain, breast pain, vaginal bleeding and vaginitis. estrogen may increase your chances of getting cancer of the uterus, strokes, blood clots or dementia, so use it for the shortest time based on goals and risks. estrogen should not be used to prevent heart disease, heart attack, stroke or dementia. ask your doctor about premarin vaginal cream. and go to premarinvaginalcream.com this is worth talking about.

is it donald sterling's mull court press? he has his legal team working with private investigators trying to dig up dirt on former and current nba commissioners and team owners. top targets are said to be the former commissioner david stern

and current nba chief adam silver. earlier this week rachel nichols sat down with silver who predicted that sterling would not go away quietly. >> it's not done. donald sterling still has a billion dollar lawsuit filed against the league, against me personally. i'm not so worried about that because i can't afford it. there's still a last issue to resolve and that is donald dropping his lawsuit and resolving his former issues with his wife. >> are you in i will believe it when i see it mode? >> i have been there with him before. he's almost sold his club over the years. he was right there at a closing and at the last minute decided not to sell. until he signs that document, we still have a pending litigation with him. >> cnn legal analyst joins me now from new york. welcome. >> thank you for having me. >> this is a new tactic by donald sterling, could it be effective? >> it serves two purposes hiring

this team of investigators. first, it collects facts for the underlying legal case. those facts will go directly to the issue of whether or not donald sterling is being treated arbitrarily. in other words, if other nba owners were doing the same thing, if this atmosphere of racism was pervasive within the league, then donald sterling would argue he was treated arbitrarily. but more than that, part two is not legal. it's social pressure. the other nba owners have to be thinking we didn't bargain for this. they had nothing to gain from a sale of the clippers but now they have everything to lose if a team of high priced investigators is looking up every skeleton in their locker. given that the nba is looking just to get rid of sterling, the other owners had nothing that would come of that bargain. i think the owners in this situation have to be the most concerned, more so than commissioner silver. >> so what about sterling's wife

and the deal she's already made to sell the team and how does that play into this? >> there's as separate probate court action where donald sterling is now challenging shelly sterling's ability to even have been involved in the sale of the team in the first place. shelly sterling based her attempted sale of the team on a medical determination that donald sterling allegedly was unfit. and because of language in the trust that owns the team, that was a provision that would have allowed shelly sterling to take over the team. donald sterling is fighting that right now as we speak. we have multiple battles being fought on multiple fronts here and there's a real chance of mutually assured destruction. donald sterling has made it clear that if i'm going down, everyone else is coming down with me. that's what the hiring of these

investigators heralds for everybody. >> maybe he's not suffering for demanimensiementi dementia? >> that's well outside of my pay grade. he seems to have some element of strategy at least and his advisers do too. >> danny, many thanks to you. i appreciate it. still to come in the "newsroom," as the white house weighs options on the crisis in iraq, lawmakers in capitol hill put blame for rising tensions squarelily on the shoulders of president obama. we'll talk about that next. ow j] ♪ yeah, girl ♪ you know, i've been thinking about us ♪ ♪ and, uh, i just can't fight it anymore ♪ ♪ it's bundle time ♪ bundle ♪ mm, feel those savings, baby and that's how a home and auto bundle is made. better he learns it here than on the streets. the miracle of bundling -- now, that's progressive. ♪

♪fame, makes a man take things over♪ ♪fame, lets him loose, hard to swallow♪ ♪fame, puts you there where things are hollow♪ the evolution of luxury continues. the next generation 2015 escalade. ♪fame

how much money do you think you'll need when you retire? then we gave each person a ribbon to show how many years that amount might last. i was trying to, like, pull it a little further. [ woman ] got me to 70 years old. i'm going to have to rethink this thing. it's hard to imagine how much we'll need for a retirement that could last 30 years or more. so maybe we need to approach things differently, if we want to be ready for a longer retirement. ♪ if we want to be ready for a longer retirement.

crestor lowered bad cholesterol in it's a fact. high-risk patients more than lipitor. bad cholesterol... you're going down! yeah! lowering cholesterol is a big deal, especially if you have high cholesterol plus any of these risk factors, because you could be at increased risk for plaque buildup in your arteries over time. so, when diet and exercise aren't enough to lower cholesterol, adding crestor can help. i'm down with crestor! crestor is not right for everyone, like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. tell your doctor about other medicines you're taking. call your doctor right away if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired; have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine or yellowing of skin or eyes. these could be signs of rare but serious side effects. are you down with crestor!? ask your doctor if crestor could help you. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help.

good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you for joining me. on capitol hill, the crisis in iraq is sparking strong reaction among lawmakers as the obama administration says its weighing a range of options. here's how republican senator lindsey graham of south carolina responded after a briefing by the pentagon. >> i don't know what the president is being told but what i heard today scared the hell out of me. the worst is yet to come and this place is completely falling apart. >> graham's colleague missouri senator roy blunt not mincing words saying it appears the chickens are coming home to roost for the president's policy to not leave anyone there as a stabilizing force. cnn's chief congressional

correspondent dana bash joins me now. ouch. >> reporter: a lot of i told you sos going on in the republican caucus. they didn't want the president to pull out all u.s. troops and this is what happens when you do. on the other side of the aisle you have democrats like nancy pelosi that took over control of the house and she became speaker in large part because of opposition to the iraq war and does not want to go back in at all. listen to what she said. >> it's a real danger to the region and has global implications but i don't know what our going in does about that. are we going to refight the war that we just got out of where we were for almost a decade? >> reporter: so certainly a lot of discussion over the past 48 hours or so over what to do about how dire the situation is. one thing i want to point out which our producer who watched

all of the hagel hearing on bergdahl a couple days ago, this was the armed services committee in the house. they had the defense secretary in the chair for five hours. nobody asked about this. there are a lot of people asking questions now but congress has a lot of work to do with regard to making sure that they know what's going on over there. >> let's talk about air strikes. the president can order air strikes on his own, can't he? >> reporter: there seems to be bipartisan agreement the answer to that is yes. the use of force military agreement that congress passed, that the president signed into law, does likely cover any decision that he would make to use any kind of air strikes. again, we have a source who is with the democrat, the head of the armed services committee in the house, nobody really needs to dispute that at this point. having said that, if the president does decide to do that given all of the ramifications

of not telling congress about bergdahl, you would think he would likely pick up the phone and give them a heads-up. probably that would happen. no decisions have been made. i should point out that john kerry, the secretary of state just this morning, didn't go there on the idea of air strikes but did take off a lot of things that the u.s. is already doing right now with regard to military support with regard to military aid and aerial help above the region. >> dana bash reporting live from washington. thanks so much. i want to dig deeper now with me now will cain, cnn political commentator also writes for "the blaze" and maria is with us as well. welcome to both of you. >> so, will, i'll start with you. senator mccain for example keeps saying as many republicans do, i told you so. then he called on mr. obama to fire his entire national security team. shouldn't he be offering solutions instead of doing the happy dance? >> you know, i think focusing on

senator mccain might be a mistake. first, we have to understand this is a bigger problem than iraq. this a regional conflict that stretches from turkey through syria, lebanon and into iraq. most importantly, syria. that's where issa gathered strength before marching through iraq. senator mccain said we should have left a residual force in iraq. that wouldn't have solved your problem in syria. do you need a force in syria as well? i don't want that. clearly president obama didn't want that. i don't think the american people wanted that. as you go further back on the decision tree, you have to ask yourself where will you place american troops and better yet, where won't you? the point about senator mccain is he's the one guy who said, yeah, action everywhere. iraq, syria, we can be in all of those places. say what you will about senator mccain and he is consistent. >> listen to what senator mccain said when chris cuomo pressed him on this issue. >> i had called for firing of

donald rumsfeld because of our failure prior to the surge and advocated the surge and so this isn't the first time i've asked for a national security people to be fired. and we had it won. we needed to have residual force. we had literally no casualties there in iraq during the last period after the surge was over. by leaving a vacuum, then that was obviously failed. >> in other words, he's saying he's not playing partisan politics here because he has not admired donald rumsfeld either. does he have a point? he's saying we should bring back general petraeus, a man who knows how to deal with iraq. why not do that? >> you know what's interesting about senator mccain's comments, i agree with will he's consistent. he's consistent on calling for the firing of the national security folks in both administrations. good to him. here's where he's not consistent, carol. he talked about how he has the one to call for troops having

been left behind in iraq and let's remember, the president tried to negotiate this with maliki and he said no. iraq is a sovereign nation. we can't be there if they don't want us to be there. also, mccain is not now call in saying that we don't want troops there now. why doesn't he then sit down with the president, sit down with democrats and republicans in congress to figure out how to move forward. to will's point, this is a big, big problem. bigger than iraq. we need to figure out how it doesn't hurt and continue to become a humanitarian crisis and end up hurting american interests in the region. >> i don't know. it's the same old thing. instead of coming together in a time of crisis, our politicians

don't. what if god forbid there was another attack on united states. how would they handle it this time? would we just be throwing darts at each other? >> you know what's interesting, carol. maria is right. iraqis didn't want us to remain in iraq any longer. the more interesting question is about the american people. war is inherently a political question. there's as question of whether or not our leaders like president obama should guide us and influence us toward decisions that his moral compass says is right or respond to the public's will at that time. the point is war is inherently political. senator mccain mentioned residual forces in germany and japan. i don't know if the american people were ready to have a residual force in that region to maintain that. that's a political question that, you know, you say we should come together. that's the one that has to be debated. the answer to that question i bet you does not break clearly on r & d and red and blue and left and right.

>> i think you're right. the problem is the american people is a very war weary people because we've been there for so long and so, yes, the american people don't want us to be involved. they don't want us to be the police of the entire global community. that is attention that we have to deal with because at the same time we have to make sure we are part of the global community and leaders of that global community. that's a tension. let's also remember that senator mccain and president obama back when he was senator were always on different sides of this. senator mccain wanted to go into iraq. president obama won his election because he thought that was the wrong choice. the american people agreed with him. >> all right. i'm going to have to leave it there. many thanks. i appreciate it. still to come in the "newsroom," california clears the way to kick out teachers who do not make the grade and arne duncan is cheering the decision.

we'll hear from him next. ♪ turn around, barry ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ [ female announcer ] fiber one. (vo)cars for crash survival,ning subaru has developed ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ our most revolutionary feature yet. a car that can see trouble... ...and stop itself to avoid it. when the insurance institute for highway safety tested front crash prevention nobody beat subaru models with eyesight. not honda. not ford or any other brand. subaru eyesight. an extra set of eyes, every time you drive. ♪ hooking up the country whelping 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 ♪ ♪ norfolk southern how's that function? ♪

bulldog: i can't wait to get to imattress discounters because the tempur-pedic bonus event ends sunday. i'll have first pick from the huge selection of tempur-pedic mattresses. then, i'll get to choose $300 in pillows, sheets, and other free gifts. on top of that, up to 48 months interest-free financing. hurry! mattress discounters' tempur-pedic bonus event ends sunday. mmm, some alarm clock you turned out to be. ♪ mattress discounters

it was a ground breaking decision. this week a california judge ruled that state's tenure law is unconstitutional keeping bad teachers in the classroom and forcing out good ones. christine romans spoke with arne duncan about the tenure ruling. >> i believe in tenure and due process. we have to have supports in there. having said that, having teachers give tenures there in 18 months or two years were not a meaningful bar, that doesn't make sense to me. an inability to remove grossly ineffective teachers, teachers just by any measure not working and we know where those teachers

end up. the big thing for me is whether in l.a. or california or across the country, the lack of incentives to find the hardest working and most committed teachers and most successful principals and place them in the neighborhoods where the children need the most help. >> do you think teachers should be paid based on merit and shouldn't have life-long jobs because they've been in the jobs for as long as they ahave. >> these are complex issues. we should be rewarding excellence and encouraging teachers to work in the most underserved communities. no teacher ever goes into education to make a million dollars. i've been very public. i think starting teacher salary should be much higher. a great teacher should pick a number. 120, 130, 150,000. >> let's talk about student loans. this week talking about making available some income based repayment and pay as you earn plans for people who are really struggling with big student loans. we are driving a beater of a car

and not going on vacation and saving money like crazy. someone who borrows too much, they're going to get loan relieved after ten years, is that fair? >> we just want to relieve some of the huge amount of debt and just paying that debt back if those people are starting jobs, starting business, buying homes, buying cars, that's good for the economy. we think this is absolutely the right thing to do. this is part of larger national conversation the amount of debt out there is over a trillion dollars. it's huge. the amount of angst this is causing and stress causing on young people and families and parents is huge. as a nation going to college is the most important thing folks can do to enter the middle class. going to college has never been more important but sadly it's never been more expensive. we have to address the massive cost of going to college. >> catch the rest of christine's interview with education secretary arne duncan on

cnnmoney tomorrow. a coach is giving no shot at all to win the world cup. ...and a choice take 6 tylenol in a day which is 2 aleve for... ...all day relief. hmm. [bell ring] "roll sound!" "action!" you wouldn't have it she any other way.our toes. but your erectile dysfunction - it could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours.

if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about experiencing cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial. ...i got lots of advice, but i needed information i could trust. unitedhealthcare's innovative, simple program helps moms stay on track with their doctors to get the right care and guidance. (anncr vo) that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. are the largest targets in the world, for every hacker, crook and nuisance in the world. but systems policed by hp's cyber security team are constantly monitored for threats. outside and in. that's why hp reports and helps neutralize more intrusions than anyone... in the world. if hp security solutions can help keep the world's largest organizations safe, they can keep yours safe, too.

make it matter. live in the same communities that we serve. people here know that our operations have an impact locally. we're using more natural gas vehicles than ever before. the trucks are reliable, that's good for business. but they also reduce emissions, and that's good for everyone. it makes me feel very good about the future of our company. ♪

a coach is not backing down and that has many american soccer fans steamed. the coach told "the new york times," we cannot win this world cup because we're not at that level yet.

he repeated that to reporters on wednesday. what? rachel nichols joins us now. wow. i would love him as my coach cheering me onto a win. >> right. absolutely. he's german and lived in america for quite sometime. he's definitely german. we have to look at the national character there. this is not a culture that promotes people thinking of candy coated visions and candy clouds dancing in the sky. when he uses the language that it's not realistic for the u.s. team to win a world cup this year, you know, he's probably right. here's the thing. he may be german, but he's coaching an american team and it's our national character as americans to believe in the impossible and to reach for things we probably can't quite reach and in fact it's so built into this country -- i don't know if you looked out a plane

window when crossing the rocky mountains any of you. if someone told me i had to go in a covered wagon to cross that to go to california, i would tell you it's not realistic i would make it without food but people did it. they accomplished it. and there are so much about american culture based on reaching for things. i think it's misapprehension on his part to not understand why people are so upset about this. yes, he may be technically correct. it is not how we do things and frankly that's not how we believe you accomplish things that you might not quite be capable of yet. >> what are his players -- they're probably not saying anything about it. what might they feel about this? >> you know, they obviously won't say because they work for him right now. you know, we're hearing them fall in line. it is interesting. landon donovan, a former player not pickeded for this team and admits he has an ax to grind against the coach but says i've been in that locker room as recently as just a couple months

ago and i would tell you for me that would not be inspiring. we can only assume the rest of the guys -- >> i can understand that. rachel nichols, many thinks. rachel will have more on team usa's chances on today's edition of "unguarded" at 10:30 eastern here on cnn. thank you for joining me today. i'm carol costello. "@ this hour" with berman and michaela after a break. humans. even when we cross our "ts" and dot our "i's", we still run into problems. that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness with our auto policies. if you qualify, your rates won't go up due to your first accident. because making mistakes is only human, and so are we. we also offer new car replacement, so if you total your new car,

we'll give you the money for a new one. call liberty mutual insurance at... and ask us all about our auto features, like guaranteed repairs, where if you get into an accident and use one of our certified repair shops, the repairs are guaranteed for life. so call... to talk with an insurance expert about everything that comes standard with our base auto policy. and if you switch, you could save up to $423. liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? [ jackhammer pounding, horns honking ] [ siren wailing ] visit tripadvisor miami. [ bird chirping ] with millions of reviews, tripadvisor makes any destination better.

yeah, citi mobile. pay the dog sitter? with millions of reviews, and deposit that check? citi mobile. pack your bathing suit? wearing it. niiice bank from almost anywhere with the citi mobile app. i can't wait to get to mattress discounters because the tempur-pedic bonus event ends sunday. choose $300 in free gifts, and, get up to 48 months interest-free financing with any tempur-pedic mattress. ♪ mattress discounters

"@ this hour," bowe bergdahl's return to life in the united states going into its final phase. the investigation into why he disappeared in afghanistan, well, that's just beginning. and on the brink near baghdad. militants on the march as president obama urgently weighs options on how to stop them in their tracks, if he can. is the u.s. preparing to go back into iraq? hello, everyone. i'm john berman. michaela pereira is off today and let's get straight to what could be