er. bill: thank you and good morning. resign or getted fired. that's the call more and more as the heat is on the va secretary eric shinseki after a nationwide breakdown of our va system. martha: i'm martha maccallum. this new report comes right before a rare evening hearing that happened on capitol hill. veterans affairs grilled va officials for four hours. they demanded answers on what they say is a pervasive

mistreatment of our veterans. >> these secret waiting lists could be. >> the each of our facility. >> how did you not find them, you were there. >> i did find them. >> we have responded to over 100,000 requests for information. >> veterans died. give us the answers, please. >> what i don't understand is as a veteran, as a doctor, as a practitioner, how you can stand in a mirror and look at yourself in the mirror and shave in the morning and not throw up. >> until va understands that we are deadly serious, you can expect us to be over your shoulder every single day. bill: what now? are lawmakers buying they were hearing last night?

>> reporter: no, they said they were not believing what they were hearing from those three witnesses that ended late last night after four hours. they kept talking to the three va officials and couldn't believe the answers they were getting. they seemed stunned by the lack of emotion and. they could not believe what was going on at the phoenix facility and facilities around the country. law makers said you should be acting like this is a five-alarm fire and should be rushing to the scene. that's why lawmakers are calling for a major house cleaning at the va. bill: what was in that inspector general's report? >> it broke late in the day yesterday and caught a lot of people off guard and confirmed the secret waiting lists. 1,700 veterans were placed on a

secret waiting list in phoenix alone and there were concerns they could get lost or forgotten. average veterans were there 115 days waiting for an appointment. the acting inspector general concluded inappropriate scheduling practices are systemic throughout. so when you hear the word systemic that says a lot more than just phoenix. there was some thought there was 26 facet. now we are hearing 42 facility. but va officials will be asked about all the fat silt under their leadership. -- about all the facilities under their leadership. martha: this has broken the dam wide open and sparked a tidal wave of calls for eric shinseki to step down. >> it's time for secretary

shinseki to step down. if he does not step down voluntarily i call on the president of the use the to relieve him of his duties, to fire him. martha: senator mark udahl leading in the a wave of democrats saying it's over. shinseki put out an op-ed. the latest word from the white house is they are standing by him. are they dug in or is that something that could change on a dime? >> what you are seeing out of the white house is what we always see out of the white house. the president doesn't want to feel returned into firing somebody. the issue is will the rapidly

lost confidence in shinseki across all lines change the white house position here and will the president be compelled to act in a very sort of overt public way by saying i'm going to go in here and take out the current leadership and do something aboutificking it. how personally involved and engaged is the president going to be in this in light of the aig report? martha: would the report be something the white house would have been able to eyeball before it was released? would the president be able to say i have seen this, i'm very unhappy and general shinseki must go? >> i'm not sure of the intern workings of how and when a president can look at a report. but one has to think that in this branch of government and

the veterans affairs administration is in the executive branch, he will have some purview if he wants it. this is clearly something where ultimately he will be held responsible. some the hesitancy with shinseki, he's not just a random bureaucrat. he's a decorated vietnam veteran, a former general and a part of the military and the people he's serving. nobody wants to rush to judgment especially because he wants to fix the problem. but if congress is not going to have confidence in his apull it to do the job you will see the trickle down to the american people saying if the problem is this widespread why can't anybody acting. they don't feel anybody is acting. what is the president going to do is the question. martha: exactly. what is the president going to do. that's been the question since the president brought this up

way back on the campaign trail when he talked to veterans groups when he said he would make sure these hospitals and entities would be held accountable. this is not a new story. when you look at the shock we are hearing congress, you have top ask where was the shock and disgust years ago, months ago? >> this is something that has been reported in the past year. my colleagues at the examiner were uncovering issues like this. it burst out into the open. everybody is aware of it, if you want to see where this is going to go with the va secretary, watch democratic leaders on capitol hill, not just democrat up for reelect in 2014. if they bail, then i think it's going to be tough for him to stay. on the other hand the president has shown that he's not into

making what he would deem a rash firing that's not going to solve the problem even when there is a lot of initial pressure to do so. sometime the pressure recede. so his feeling about not moving too quickly is deemed as something that was the right move politically. martha: we saw you a he acted with kathleen sebelius. we'll see what happens. bill: how do we solve the va issue? you can send us a tweet @billhemmer or @marthamaccallum. month whoifics this problem. martha: a lot of people say general or no, he has been on the job for five years and hasn't made any demonstrative changes. we'll see what happens.

it's a big day. bill: a new court hearing is set for the u.s. marine held in a mexican jail. edward tahmooressi has been held in a mexican jail for months since making a wrong turn into that country with three registered weapons. legal in the u.s. but not legal in mexico. he talked with gretta van susteren saying mexican police didn't want to hear his side of the story. >> he didn't seem to care anything that i had to say or my story. it was like a math equation in his head. three guns, man equal prison. >> reporter: back with us today, it's not off yet to the american sergeant * is it? >> reporter: no, it's not.

he moved to san diego for ptsd treatment after two tours in afghanistan. he had been in tijuanas, he came home, got confused and ended up back in mexico. he claims he told mexican customs officials he made the wrong turn, he had guns in the car. after an hour they were prepared to escort him back to the up s. until the mexican military heard on the radio begun were involved. >> he got on the walkie-talkie and was communicating what was going on. i think what he said was we have got a guy down here with three guns. in came the military officer, you know, marching and like he was a man on a anything to, you know, get the job done, and then

heout took control from there. >> reporter: he faces 5-20 years in prison for possession of an assault rifle. it will be up to the judge to decide if the events leading in the up to it are enough to exonerate the charges. bill: what happens now that he fired his lawyer? >> reporter: we were supposed to hear from the customs officials and tahmooressi but it didn't happen because he fired his lawyer. tahmooressi that night that he was arrested, his mother found a lawyer on the website of the u.s. consulate. and he visited tahmooressi and allegedly instructed him to file a false statement saying he had never been to tijuana which is not true.

there is an email from the lawyer to his mother saying if andrew admitted he had been to tijuana in the past it would make his story less believable. when confronted the lawyer said it wasn't a lie, but a strategy. >> i don't want to get into that. we had our differences about how things happened. >> reporter: the bottom line changing the lawyer in mid stream will leave him in the jail longer. but it seem mexico is going to let a judge decide this case on its merits. martha: you can catch gretta's entire interview with tahmooressi with "on the record." bill: a massive case of cyber spying by iran. we'll tell you who in the u.s. was under attack.

martha: the white house outs its own top spy in afghanistan and managed to escape questions for four days. when jay carney faces the press corp how will he explain what happened. bill: the former vice president dick cheney says our president is one of the weakest to ever hold the office in washington. >> i think his speech was literally pointless. he didn't have a point. it was an answer to the chorus of criticism even from his side of the aisle that it's been a weak, leaderless, rudderless foreign policy. with diabetes, it's tough to keep life balanced. i don't always have time to eat like i should. that's why i like glucerna shakes.

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martha: there are new claims of cyber spying. hackers in iran aniewngs three-year plan to gather intelligence against economic sanctions. though mowed as a news organization to gain access to facebook andlinged in *. it's still in play since 2007. bill: president obama getting blasted by critics from all side for his foreign policy speech at west point.

>> he's a very, very weak president. probably the weakest, certainly in may lifetime. i know from my own experience on a recent trip to the middle east. talking to folks i dealt with all the way back to desert storm, they are absolutely convinced the american capacity to lead and influence events in that part of the world has been dramatically reduced by this president. when have a problem of weakness centered in the white house. steven hayes, strong, strong language, what did you make of that, steve? >> i haven't been around for as long as dick cheney has. but president obama is the weakest president in my lifetime. compared to jimmy carter who most people regarded as the weakest president particularly overseas, president obama doesn't compare favorably to

jimmy carder. bill: he says he wasn't even around when 9/11 happened. that was a direct reference to afghanistan. >> he he we don't face a serious threat in al qaeda in the ways we did leading in the up to 9/11. oh suggested the threat of a mass casualty attack from al qaeda is if not gone, significantly diminished. i just think you talk to intelligence officials at the cia and the intelligence community, many of them have a didn't view, while the threat from al qaeda while dispersed remains significant. they are not just focused on local problems and local issued. but they are trying to find ways to strike here in the homeland.

>> glowing some parts of the world. a lot of people will find out very soon about that growth process there. march pennsylvanimara lirks asou last night, is the policy sharing something that was new? >> very few people can articulate what the obama doctrine is. knock can say here is what the obama doctrine is. yesterday was by the president, an attempt to elucidate that concept. i don't think it worked. what he was trying to do was retroactively impose a framework on what has been a series of ad hoc decisions, inconsistent

leadership and i think often incoherent policy guidance the president has offered. bill: even the "new york times" said it was a missed opportunity. 21 past. martha: the first rule of nightclub, do not attack brad pitt on the red carpet. but one guy was not listening. wait until you see what happened. bill: our mystery millionaire is striking again. the cashville scavenger hunt is paying off. >> i followed twitter and i went around the block. i was here in probably 5 minutes and he already had it.

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bill: there is a helicopter story. the chopper was being used as a crop-duster when a 71-year-old pilot lost control. he was airlifted to an area hospital in critical condition. we do not know why the chopper went down. martha: a fox news alert. the fighting is intensifying in ukraine. fox news confirming 14 ukrainian soldiers including a general were killed when their helicopter was shot down. gregg palkot is streaming live from ukraine? >> reporter: it's a big blow to ukraine. the chopper was hit by rebels using a shoulder-launch missile. this shows the sophistication of

the rebels. this wouldn't be the first time they brought down a government chopper. this is from slovyansk where we have spent some time. as we have seen up close and personal in the city of donetsk this week. >> martha: we understand there is also some infighting reported between these rebel imriewps among them. what's that all about? >> reporter: it's happening a couple blocks from where we are. it's happening at the headquarters. there is an armed standoff going on. we heard shooting inside the building and there are guys with guns outside. finally we are at the board today in donetsk where rebels killed in fighting with ukrainian military monday were taken. the claim made to us today more

than 50 rebels were killed and of those 33 came from russia. we have been told there are brutal chechen fighters in the range. you have to take all of this carefully. for one thing we have seen videos of grisly scenes of victims of that crash. bill: new numbers showing the economy is going the wrong way. we are stuck in reverse, folks. stuart varney with the dismal numbers on the recovery. >> reporter: the scathing report on the va shows problems nationwide affecting dozens of facilities out there. not just phoenix. thousands of our veterans affected. we'll get reaction on that from a republican who has worn our country's uniform in the battlefield. that report had the va officials

taking serious heat at last night's big hearing. >> the tragedy here is that the impression you give, all three of you today is that you are here to serve yourselves and not the men and women that made extraordinary sacrifices. what if a photo were more than a memory?

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the u.s. economy actually shrank 1%. stuart varney host of varney and company on the fox business network. you are an optimist, but even the pest mists weren't predicting this number. >> reporter: the economy is shrinking at the annual rate of 1% and not even the pessimists thought it would be this bad. there is an inclination to blame the weather but you can't blame the weather. you have to look further than that. lack of jobs, lack of income coming into the economy and the threat of obamacare coming down the pipe which is terrible five years after the recovery was supposed to start. bill: it was 1.1% by was bad enough. now they revised it and said it is minus 1.1%.

it means you are not going to get 3% growth for the entire calendar year. for four years in a row we had a hope we would get to 3% growth. four years in a row those hopes have been dashed and the chances of this year, 2014 getting to 3% are slim and none. bill: wasn't the fed saying we'll get to 3% to 4 per by the even of this year? >> maybe there will be a quarter but you average out the full year you have got 3%. bill: i don't know if you are buying the theory on bad weather. it seems like we are always falling back on some sort of excuse. answer this question. what is the policy coming out of washington to lead us out of this ditch. >> reporter: a direct opposite between the administration and the republican opposition. the president wants to raise taxes some more and spend the money on infrastructure spending. that's his plan. tax more and spend a lot more. the republican plan is to cut

tax rates and stimulate the private sector that way. direct opposite plan of how to get out of this mess. see you then, mr. optimist. stuart varney. martha: let's get back to our top story. the scathing new i.g. report that has revealed systemic problems at the va hospitals across our nation. look at these numbers. 42 medical centers are under investigation as we learn that the phoenix, arizona hospital that sparked this probe, 1,700 veterans were waiting to see a doctor there and were never scheduled for an appointment and were never put on a wait his. can you imagine if that was a member of your family how enraged you would be. 1,40 who vets on a wait his never got an appointment to see

a doctor. and veds had to wait an average of 115 days to see a doctor. adam kissen ever served in the fashionle guard. these are grim numbers we learned in this report. >> it's terrible. the worse case about it is it's not just what we are finding out and the fact that veterans had to wait and the fact that the va tried to cover that up. it's one they can to come forward and say this is a single pair system. this is bad. but to hide it to say we are more interested in protecting our bonuses and jobs is a huge issue. it'sing that has to change at

the top from president obama down to secretary shinseki. martha: here is an editorial he just put out. let's hear what he's saying. it sounds like he's digging in. he says we are doing everything we can to accelerate care. i challenge our leadership that we are doing everything we can to schedule veterans. is that enough for you? >> if he had just been appointed to that position a year ago that would be a enough. but he has been there for sick times. the entire president obama has been there he has been the head of the va. it's natural to have attrition in the cabinet and have changed. for him to say he's going to figure this when he had 6 years to do this. he's a great american, he's done a lot of great things for this country, but i think the va need somebody like a hospital

administrator, somebody who understands healthcare, not just the military. this is a healthcare organization that serves military people, it's not a military organize. martha: why are people crying for this to be privatized. it says it smacks ofnwide health understand that's not work. >> this is single pair healthcare. this is what ultimately the democrats want to go to. i think it's important to explore the private zaig for the backlog. to the tent people are getting bad care and have that backlog that need to be an option available to them. whatever we do has to go through the lens of what's the best thing we doctor veterans. we owe it to them. with a volunteer military asking young men and women to put their lives on the line voluntarily,

we owe it to them. martha: what do you expect from president obama on this? >> i had a lot of expectations from president obama, none of which he has filled. he's decisively indie sighsive. i think we'll continue to see him indie sighsive on the va. i -- he's indecisive. if shinseki is not willing to step down i think the president should take the lead but i haven't seen leadership from the president in years. bill: the red carpet stalker got pretty close to his target brad pitt. martha: the white house will face the music on what is widely being called a rookie mistake in

the outing of cia operatives wondering how they will explain what happened in afghanistan. >> colossally stupid but i think it was an error and eight was really up to i'd. the white house said they will to an investigation and they will find someone who is really embarrassed. alone. so you can breathe and sleep. shut your mouth and sleep right. breathe right. captain: and here's a tip. bellman: thanks, captain obvious. when you save money on hotel rooms, it's just like saving money on anything else that costs money. like shoes, textiles, foreign investments, spatulas, bounty hunters, javelins...

martha: one of the most vivid sunsets known to man and you can only see it twice a year. it's named manhattan herks nge. when the sun perfectly aligns with manhattan's cross streets. you can see the phenomenon in other cities like chicago and toronto in late october. you actually took that picture, didn't you? bill: you stand on 42nd street and look west. then when the sunset comes down you get to see that beautiful light. it's a good thing it didn't happen last night it was cloudy and cold. we don't know how the white house blew the cover of the station chief in afghanistan. doug schoen, former adviser to

president clinton and monica crow live. both are fox news contributors and both are in separate cities. valerie plame tweeting astonishing, white house mistakenly identifies cia chief in afghanistan. is astonishing the word you would use? >> i would use a number of word. i think six years into this administration the fact that this white house committed such an egregious, dangerous, reckless and irresponsible mistake, there is no excuse for it. this is not an isolated incident. this happened in 2001. we had a similar exposure incident with a station chief in pakistan who had to be removed. this is not in isolation. i think the broader picture on this story is that it feed into a growing narrative that this white house is not only grossly

income tent but particularly immature and has can work priorities that come with that immaturity and incompetence. the problem is it has a gross and dangerous effect on our national security. >> i don't know the word you would use, astonishing or more. >> i would start within entrepreneur and gstart with --m there. how can we use the word station chief. we didn't even have this diplomatic cover in the email that went to 5,000 to,000 people. i tie this into a foreign policy that's not work. the speech has been roundly criticized from the left center and right. i say what is this nation about? we were supposed to be the nation that was the shining city on the hill providing

leadership, now we are retrenching and saying we can't take military action and in the most sensitive places around the world we are releasing the names of our most sensitive and serious operatives. bill: it's really embarrassing. monica you said it look like a rookie mistake but it's in year 6 of the administration. you don't slip like this. how do they explain this? can they? >> i think they will for once say they made a mistake and it was an oversight. you have layers and layers of bureaucracy and oversight built into vets hiss like this before they go to reporters, before they become public. so the idea that after all these years of this presidency that

this still happened is outrageous. valerie plame at the time her name was exposed. there was word her name had been exposed long before that particular exposure by state department officials. she had a desk job. she wasn't in a war zone unlike the current station chief in afghanistan who was exposed in the middle of a war. so what happened here was about -- i mean a gazillion times worse than what happened with valerie plame and no real he can explanation from the white house. bill: how do you explain it? >> you explain it by incompetence. it wasn't even our government that figured it out. it was a "washington post" reporter scott wilson who called it to the white house's attention. i just think to monica's point we need a thorough going internal investigation of how something like this could

happen. >> can they just defer if that's the case? it's under investigation. we'll put it off. several months down the road and people get about incidents like this. >> we need some independence to do this in a way that is both immediate, credible and done in realtime. >> remember, bill, the excuse of well it's under investigation has been chronically used by this white house, whether it's on the obamacare website other irs scandal or fast and furious or benghazi. we can't comment on that and give you any details. we can't respond to subpoenas and give you document because it's under investigation. we'll hear the same line from the white house on this. bill: appreciate your time. far rrp patriotic firefighters getting quite a surprise. the military mom who paid the bill to honor those first

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bill: a man jumped over the barricades and hit brad pitt in the face. there was contact, people.

the suspect arrested for misdemeanor battery. police say the many the same cat who dove under the actress america for rasp dress and kissed will smith. >> it sounds like science fiction but google is pushing to make the driveless car a reality. the company is building prototypes. the tech giant says it could be a game change. but will it be safe to just get in your car and not have to drive it? good to have you here. you and i had a conversation in the break about the implycation of this. will google be the manufacture of these cars?

>> google is developing the technology. they are trying to get in the dashboard with the navigation systems. that's important because google is a software company and the software is key to this. a lot of this technology is available. you have the radars, the lasers and the cameras are. up drove a volvo. it can identify pedestrians and cyclists. so they are just taking that, shoving that information through their computer system and figuring out how to drive it yourself. that's the important part. these cars will be able to think. they will have to follow a set of rules but those rules will have to cover a vast number of circumstances. a company like google developing the data and developing the programs could be available to manufactures down the road. >> martha: what happens when the telling goes bad. >> i'm sure it will happen but your car already has a lot of

computers in it. it won't be able to get on the road legally until it's ready for prime time. they converted regular cars that they have driven hundreds of thousands of miles without getting into accidents and they found those cars were too plight. now when they come to a four-way stop sign they nudge their way in and programmed them so they will speak on the highway if thr than the speed limit. it's a electric vehicle type thing. it's got foam and a plastic windshield in case you bump into something. there is a lot of bad drivers. distracted driving. and where you kind of accepted that. you could do something to make that not happen. so if this is even as good as an

average driver people are going to say, this is all right. >> they will have to really crack down, do something about distracted driving. but i think you will continue the text and do everything in your car so you won't be driving it anymore. >> a lot of these cars have crash aviddans telling so we are fighting the battle. martha: implications in this. it's a whole new world. bill: you have got a whole new excuse for the officer. >> you could be drinking and driving. >> the scandal of the va in a new level. bret baier will analyze the scandal with the va. martha: an 345eur can in an mexican jail apparently beaten and chained to a bed.

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>> fox news alert. the va scandal is exploding today with the white house under fire after the report confirmed there is extensive misconduct and systemic problems in the va nationwide. we wait to hear from the republicans as the critics fire back at obama for not firing eric shinseki. i am martha maccallum. >> i am bill. a dozen democrats have joined for eric shinseki's resigning. here is eric cantor. >> the promise we have made to them after their service to us

is what this is about. the recent report exposing the horrible mismanagement and treating sick veterans the way they have is not acceptable. we have to get to the bottom of it. eric shinseki reports to the president. it is time for the president to take ownership in the problem >> how does the problem does doing something about this? bret baier is here. good morning. >> good morning. >> did the president look at the ig report before it came out? he is in a position where he is going to be reactive in any case. >> you saw people talking about it after the briefing of the press even from the democrats. now you have the initial fin

findings that are eye opening. phoenix is 115 days and 1700 veter veterans not on the list and the finding in the report that it is a system problem which is why you had the democrats calling for the va secretary to step down. you had the colorado, the montana and then al franken prom minnesota. you can expect the days are number for the secretary of veteran's affairs. >> we will see. so far the word from the white house is they stand by him. he put out on opt-ed talking about things he wants to do

which raises questions why he d d did didn't enact them sooner. the president is accused of being disengaged and this is another situation it is going to come back to him. >> the white house said he was briefed on this and the president quote found the findings extremally troubling. this wasn't a surprise to anyone. there has been an dotal statements throughout the va for years. we know when he was a presidential candidate and every year up until now he has talked about the wait times. so i don't think the investigation talk and the first effort he made in front of reporters at the white house

briefing room sat well with anyone, republicans or democrats. >> i think americans would expect there is a plan in the work and people are considered to replace eric shinseki. there is going to be questions about it at the briefing today. >> i am sure and i think before the end of the day you will see more democrats calling for eric shinseki to step down. it is a big issue heading into the fall. >> funny how that brings things to the front. >> we have heard from the politicians. what are the veterans saying? pete from concerned veterans of america is here. good morning. what are they saying? >> they are saying we have been seeing these plumes of smoke on the horizon and what everyone

knew was inside: a raging fire. it has been affected and we have known about this for months. this is literally the va lying and veterans dieing because of it. it is time for heads to roll. no more investigations or hearings. we know what the problems are, the president knows and the top leader knows. there is legislation that will give senators the opportunity to do something about this. >> hearing from the vfw: quote there are no second chances when you deal with people's lives and that includes everyone in senior leadership but should have known but didn't or knew but didn't care. if there was will ful negligent

is in there. >> that is what it is. the va hasn't called for eric shinseki to step down or signed on to the accountability issues. the american legion has jumped on this. this is indifference. the va was saying the veterans were waiting 24 and in reality 115 days. four months for a basic appointment. 1700 veterans, real people, were deleted from the list and their appointment never happened. this investigation started with one in phoenix and now they are investigating 42 facilities across the united states about falsifying the reports. >> fire eric shinseki but what comes after him?

you have to change the system. >> you do. you have to change a culture. you have to get at accountability and there has to be transparency and you have to have choice. if a veteran is waiting 115 days to get a basic colonoscopy why can't they go next door where there is no wait list? choice so they have to complete. hustle for the veterans. >> andy harris a republican from maryland is strongly in favor of pushing that idea. listen the president said if it was systemic he will take action. what do you think happens now? >> i hope he steps up. but getting rid of the secretary

doesn't change the problem. it is a good first step but we have to look at who he replaces him with and are they a true reformer and does that secretary have the tools to cut through the calcification. >> what do you think at home? how do we solve this va issue? send us a tweet at bill hemmer or martha maccallum. a lot of people think this should be privatize the system which is the opposite of the other system. fox news alert on the united states economy. new data showing fewer americans seeking fewer unemployment

benefits. applications for employment dropped by 27,000 in a week. 300,000 is the number. gdp number was pathetic for the 1st quarter of 2014. it was about what? three weeks ago we had a .1% number and that is now revised to a negative 1%. >> that is not growth. that is declining. with friends like these, president obama may not need enemies. the president is being slammed for his speech at west point. this is coming after the wa washington post did the same thing. >> a california congressman has been trashed and why police say this isn't a random act. >> and new details on the treatment of a u.s. marine stuck

in a mexican jails. loo dobbs on why mexico needs to step up. >> why thought he had ptsd before imagine living through this. being stripped naked and chained to a bed. a piece of me is in mexico now and i will not rest until home. and i will not rest until home. than tums smoothies assorted fruit. mmm. amazing. yeah, i get that a lot. alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. enjoy the relief.

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there has been a break in the office of congressional

candidate carl de mayo after their campaign head quarters have been trashed. he is openly gay and running for the 55th district and 5-6 days before the primary it appears to be no random act. >> almost every cord in the office, power card and communication cords, have been cut to silence his positive message of reform. >> so they are going door to door instead of making phone calls. new details about how the mexican government is treating a jailed routine. andrew tahmooress was arrested all because he had three guns in

his trunk and took a wrong turn on the border and his friend is describing the horrible conditions he is enduring. >> he was chained to his bed that at the end of being realized he was crippled from joint pain and not able to fire the stuff in the body. this is like prisonor of war stuff. this is disgraceful. he has done nothing violent or stolen or hurt anything. and they are treating him like a prisoner of war. >> this is the kind of treatment that -- this is not even

conceivable. mexico reports to want to be a partner of the united states and canada in nafta and is at a certainly level. but to go to the next level they have to act responsible and maturely and this is the behavior of a third rate nation. i just talk today congressman duncan hunter and he is on the lead representing the family of the sergeant and the sergeant himself. he believes fully in the sergeant's story. his office has gone through everything and believe what he is telling the people of america. the state department is involved

finley. duncan hunter told me he noticed the obama administration didn't move on this until fox started reporting the story. it took fox, again, to motivate the state department or secretary of state who took it off were the first time. -- up -- the council right now is updating the family, the mexican consultant and the united states. >> is anyone on the phone with them saying if you want to hold him, hold him. if you mistreat this u.s. marine and there is evidence from his friend who gave him an eye witness account and gretta last night and john kerry was in mexico and how is it we are not hearing a forceful message on this?

or is it happening behind the scenes? >> he cannot speak to what is happening behind the scenes. but for almost two months, as of june 1st it is two months of torture and beaten for most of the time and denied basic rights even under the mexican mindframe. the administration isn't taking duty to make sure the marine isn't taken care of and showing the administration cannot do this again. >> there is a ton of travel and tourism that goes to mexico.

and as his friend said let's skip the trip to cancun this year. >> and the war with the drug carte cartels. this isn't the cartels beating and stripping a man of his dignity. this is the mexican government and that is something i think that is going to be difficult to overcome. i will, if i may quickly, say the headline from congressman duncan hunter, he is very optimistic that the next week's hearing will produce positive results and i think it is clear that is mexican government understands the time for drama ends on june 4th. >> i hope they do the right thing. >> let's hope and pray. can you name the latest

billion dollar health care blunder courtesy of your government? >> and how a military wife decided she is going to make these firefighters day.

>> shifts in aircrafts using water canons to battle fire on a japanese oil tanker. 7-8 crew members have been confirmed alive. no word on the whereabouts of the 64-year-old captain of the

shift. it has finished unloading its crude oil when it exploded. one of the workers was using a grinder to remove point and that could have triggered the blast. medicare paid out close to $7 billion for money it didn't need to get away. wi willis is here with me. how are you doing? >> i am good but not happy. >> improperly coded and lacking documentation. explain this. >> some is fraud, some is mistake. billing errors. this is part of medicare. this isn't the total budget. this is evaluation and management. this is testing at the doctors

office and hospital. the money is being wasted. but this report to the inspector general goes to medicare service and they will not do anything about it because they said it isn't cost effective. >> the report says 56% of the claims went to physicians that appeared to have overcharged in their favor. >> yes. let me give you an example. three doctors in connecticut decide they are going to get 24,000 drug tests to 145 patients and at that rate each patient was being drug tested every other day. >> 42% wrong code, 19% of the

claims had incorrect documentation and you say nothing about this? >> no, we would rather waste $6.7 billion. >> i don't know get it. >> i wish i could say there is a logic at work. >> what do you think happens with obamacare coming into play? >> this problem. obamacare. and now the va problems. we cannot run our simple programs to help the veterans and the elderly. >> that would seem to suggest a basic lack of trust in your government to do something effective. >> people are concerned/worried, what i see in my e-mail and twitter about the spending and

now accountability. people are frustrated. they are vets and can't get care. medicare isn't getting what they want. >> seems like two weeks ago we were talking about the waste in medicare. >> gerry willis, nice to see you. the president setting a new course for the commencement speech at west point. the editors of the new york times and the washington post are not impressed. >> edward snowden want to come home soon. how would you treat him, america? as a hero or a zero? >> to the king of england, the founding fathers, were traders. they broke his laws in order to found a new country here. when you do that and you succeed you are a hero.

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>> a lot of focus on the fact that john boehner hasn't called for eric shinseki to resign but he is calling for the president to take more of a leadership role. >> the real issue the

president is the one who should be held accountability. we sent a letter going back to early 2013 talking about the goa report and asking were its recommendations to be implemented and for the president to say he didn't know anything about it is shocking. the president is going to have to step up and show real leadership. >> and we talked to adam kingser early and he said if the leadership goes against eric shinseki that would be significant but that not what we are seeing so far from john boehner. we will keep an eye on. >> here is my bottom line: america must always lead on the world stage. if we don't, no one else will. the military that you have joined is and always will be the backbone of that leadership >> the president defending his

foreign policy and getting blasted by the new york city times saying he missed a big opportunity. the address wasn't inspiring and lacked strategic speech and is unlikely to quite the detractors on the right or left. dennis ross is here. good to have you back on the program. >> thank you. >> what do you think of that? times hit him hard. did he take us anywhere in that speech? >> well, i do think the speech was hyped in advance so there would be a lot of attention paid to it. and the problem with any speech unless there are clear steps taken and you can see the action it is hard to match the hype. the good news is it made it clear he is engaged internationally and he is not with drawing from the world

stage and understands when we don't lead vacuums are created. the questions will remain how is this vision of american engagement going to express itself? will we use hard power when it needs to be applied and will country leaders like putin see the united states is prepared to compete? the more they see that, and that does require boots on the ground, it more they recognize there has to be limits. >> let's go back to iran in a middle. the new york times said quote he provided little insight into how he plans to lead in the next two years and many doubt the leverage he has even in a changed world falling back on statements like america is the

indispensable nation told us little. >> part of the purpose of the speech was to answer those that feel the united states is being passive and others are taking advantage of that. so this speech was an effort to say we understand we are the indispensable nation and we have to be engaged. part of the problem is talking in advance and raising the expectations it is hard to meet the bar. if we are going to do more are syria, that would be a good thing and demonstrate we are tried to prepare to change the balance on the ground. that doesn't require united states boots on the ground. but does require does to effect

what is going on the ground. >> but you allow moscow and bejing to fill that. so it is a contradiction. with regard to iran, someone is suggesting iran is lurking in a quite and the defense of the american policy is said to be we are on the right path to make sure they are not going nuclear wi without action. what is going on with iran? >> there is a negotiation going on and if it proceeds, which they want to roll back the sanctions and woe want to roll back their nuclear program, if we can get that through through

diplomacy that is a good outcome. at the same time, we negotiate but they continue to be active throughout the region. they provide arms and material. their radical militia fund and train and guide. they are very active there. the shock troops within syria are active. so you see iran prepared to negotiate and change the balance. we want to send the message we will compete. one way would have been to in r intercept the arms they were passing to the country. new numbers that deal with

teen pregnancy in this country and according to the cdc to worth rate among high school girl fell 13% and reached its lowest level in record. laura ingle is live. >> the numbers are significant. the centers for disease control and prevention showing that births between 15-17 years old dropped 13% to 12.3 births per 1,000 women and that is a record low since 1991 since the numbers started increasing. 72, 234 babies born to high school age moms which is down from 86, 423 in 2012. teen births have been declining for decades in the united states.

and tracking teen birth rates has been going on since the early 1960's and these new numbers so the birth rate for teens has fallen 68% since 1991 and down 50%. some experts say young childbearing is being less and less accepted and contributes this to a broader shift from having children later on. american women are having fewer children and having them later in life. a researcher says america is ranking high among developed countries in that black and hispanic teens have higher rates than white teens indicating we have a long way to go but this is an indication things are going to the right way.

edward snowden trader or patriots? >> we will debate that fair and balanced. and see what happens when a dozen predators swim along a beach people are swimming in. >> you know what we need? a bigger boat, kid. with diabetes, it's tough to keep life balanced. i don't always have time to eat like i should. that's why i like glucerna shakes. a

>> what to-do if you are swimming in a shark capital of the world and see a shiver of sharks? this guy is floating off the east coast and grabs the camera and shoots below the surface and sees a dozen more. there were seven shark attacks near the very area and three off the same beach. he has a very cool picture. >> very cool. edward snowden saying there has never been any doubt he would like to return to the united states. speaking to brian williams heeds this: >> i don't think there is any question i would like to go home. i said i am doing this do serve my country. i am still working for the

government. whether amnesty is a possibility is not for me to say. that is for the public and government to say. if i could go anywhere in the world, it would be home. >> jessica and lars are here with us to discuss this. he went on to say that and let's look full screen from the secretary of state who had an answer for edward snowden. he said if mr. snowden wants to come back he will have him on a flight today. a patriot wouldn't run way. >> i think where he is incorrect is this isn't up to the public a to the government. he is a young fugitive. >> he said the united states revoked my passport and that is why i cannot come home.

but the secretary of state has offered him an invitation to come home any time they would like >> he was planning to go through cuba and on to latin america. he was still on the run. you are right. i agree with jessica. he should be put on trial and should be convicted and then he should be executed as the former head of the cia suggested. this man has done so much damage to the capabilities and not just tapping into cell phones or meta data. he knew he was doing that. he claims he has no ties to the russians now. he deserves to be shot. >> there is talk about whether or not brian williams asked him

the toughest questions he could. peteer king raised that comment as well saying he didn't think he was tough enough. >> i didn't see the whole interview but i think what is is going on is snowden is trying to have his day in the aapublic an it disturbs me when people have that pulpit. it is up to a court of law to ask those questions not brian williams. he has done a lot of damage and there is a lot of questions that need to be answered. i think he needs to come back and answer questions about the government. there is questions about how deep this went and to what

extent. >> so much of the program was reve revealed in 2006 so there is question about how much he revealed. i don't know if the government want him to come back. do they want to have a trial and watch it play out? >> this would be a politicalp politicalpub -- political problem for the presidency -- if the president will take whatever political advantage he can get so i am sure he would love something to distract everyone from all of the other scandals like benghazi and the irs and the nsa and the va. the president might welcome this but he is figure out the calculus and granting anything

to a trader. >> he wants to be known as a low profile james bond. >> "happening now" rolling your way. how are you doing, jenna? >> the calls are growing louder for the va to step down and we will get you caught up. and a man who warned lawmakers first about boko haram. his thoughts on the latest. and updates you on a murderer in new hampshire that ecos the amanda knox. and t shirts at a whole new level. is this worth it? you could be wearing it now. we would have no idea. >> we will watch that. see you later. top of the hour. a military wife paying it forward to fire man who dropped everything to respond to an emergency. find out the ripple effect of

kindness she created >> the note said thank you for all you do. have a good day. and was signed by an air force wife. wife. of odor causing bacteria and helps dissolve stains. that's why i recommend polident. [ male announcer ] cleaner, fresher, brighter every day. but the savings continueeaner, all month long! so, if you're looking to buy a car, now is the time and truecar is the way. just go to truecar.com to lock in guaranteed savings without negotiation. thank you! visit truecar.com!

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trwith secure wifie for your business. it also comes with public wifi for your customers. not so with internet from the phone company. i would email the phone company to inquire as to why they have shortchanged these customers.

but that would require wifi. switch to comcast business internet and get two wifi networks included. comcast business built for business. >> firefighters in california were buying groceries for a memorial day cookout when they had an emergency call and responded and when they returned the groceries were paid for with a note attached saying thanks for being there with us. signed a military wife. cool stories. how did you react when you saw the receipt? >> they were overwhelmed.

they never expect anything. this kind of act of kindness to happen. they started to share it with the rest of the crews on duty. >> you get a lot of praise and waves on the sidewalks but this was generous and this woman wanted to send you a message of thanks. but your guys did something nice. what did they do? >> immediately they said let's take the money we were going to spend for dinner and pay it forward. there was a senior citizen buying flowers and memorial day and they purchased the flowers for them. they paid it forward and picked that up for them. >> nice! that is really, really cool. >> but you guys are doing

special things wearing pink shirts to support breast cancer and you have a camo shirt on supporting the military. tell me about the culture in the fire department and why it is so positive? >> it is very similar to most fire departments i see throughout the united states. we give back to community that support us. the pink shirt for cancer, the camo shirts to support the military that we put into play this year to support the military during the memorial day. we have had benefits that we were at a restaurant this week raising money to give back to the military as well. >> you represent your group very well, sir, and i want to say thank you for sharing your story and what you do around northern california. give the fellows and the ladies

a big thank you from us. john jensen. deputy chief there. >> well the va scandal is blowing wide open today with a scathing ig report fueling new calls for this man, secretary eric shinseki, to step down. mike emanual reports live at the top of the hour.

bill: is a bit earlier how we asked you how you would handle the va scandal. a lot of comments on twitter. not the problem with eric shinseki. the veterans health administration and phoenix va and its leadership. martha: mr. shinseki a retired general should be held accountable to the same standards of conduct the armed forces are. bill: my va is the greatest. butler va in pennsylvania. shoutout. martha: give all the vets the same health plan as congress. shut down the va and savings pays for vets health care.

a lot of interesting ideas out there. we'll see what the president has in mind. we'll get some indication at the briefing we hope coming up soon. bill: good to have you with us today. see you tomorrow. martha: "happening now" starts right about now jon: good morning to you,. an angry showdown on capitol hill as lawmakers demand action on the scandal rocking the veterans affairs department. good morning i'm jon scott. >> hi, everybody, i'm jenna lee. great to see you today. there are growing calls for eric shinseki to resign after an inspector general report confirmed there were secret waiting lists for veterans trying to get medical care at the phoenix va hospital. gop lawmakers stepping up their calls for answers. >> they have known about it. they ignored it just as they ignored the jobs bill sitting in the senate. this is opportunity for one to get this done right, how we treat our veterans is direct correlation what we think as americans.