shoud veterans go to private hospital for medical care. historic announcement in the middle east. what might the pope have said to palestinian and israeli leaders to have them take an unprecedented step. happy screams there. we'll take you live to one of america's hottest and busiest spots for the season. hello, everyone. it's high noon here in the east. welcome to weekends with alex witt. we have breaking news. president obama has arrived at bagram air base in afghanistan for a memorial day visit with the troops there. we'll take you to the white house in a couple of minutes and get the details. this just into nbc news. we have chilling new details about the suspect who went on

that violent stabbing and shooting spree through a california college town. elliot roger killed six people and injured 13 others friday night. deputies found three semi-automatic handguns along with more than 400 rounds of ammunition inside his black bmw. >> with the assistance of the bureau of alcohol and tabacco we have determined they were legally purchased and registered to the suspect. sdp we know the identities of the three of the victims. 22-year-old kathryn cooper, 19-year-old veronica weiss and christopher michael martinez. all three were uc santa barbara students. thousands held a candle light vigil to honor them and attempt to cope. >> this is beautiful. this is such a powerful moment

for our community and it's truly amazing to see all of these faces out here together. >> grief counselling services have been made available for students, faculty and staff in the area. jennifer, with sunday morning good to you. what more are we learning today? >> reporter: i just spoke with the sheriff here in santa barbara county and he says they do as thorough an investigation every shell casing, everything, every piece of evidence is gathered and collected from 12 different crime scenes. that do as thorough an investigation as if they were prosecuting a suspect. he says they owe that to the families who are looking this morning for answers. >> was really loved by a lot of people. >> reporter: heartbreak as a father loses his son. >> i talked to him about 45 minutes before he died.

>> reporter: richard martinez's son christopher was in the deli getting something to eat when he was caught in a shower of gunfire. >> multiple gunshot victims. >> reporter: a chaotic night as bullets sprayed from a black bmw. the driver twice engaging in a gun battle with deputies. the suspected gunman, 22-year-old elliot roger, son of a assistant hollywood director. >> we're experiencing the most inconceivable pain and our hearts go out to everybody involved. >> reporter: hours before the shooting started, a video was posted on youtube. >> this is my last video. it all has to come to this. >> reporter: weeks before the shooting his family called the sheriff's deputies concerned by the videos roger was posting. >> the deputies contacted the suspect at the time. found him to be powe lite and court yous. >> reporter: he killed his three roommates and knocking on the

door of the a sorority. when no one answered he shot and killed two women across the street. >> i don't care who you are. i don't care where you live, it's going to happen to you and your family. >> reporter: it did happen to the martinez family and five others who now can only ask why. of those injured in the hospital p still we're told two are still in serious condition. alex. >> jennifer, may i ask are details going to be released on the first three victims in this tragedy? >> reporter: that's a good question. there are a lot of questions surrounding that. those three roommates who were stabbed inside the apartment that they shared with this suspect. how he was able to overpower and

stab all three is a question. that was actually brought up in his manifesto. they are pouring over all the information in that manifesto that he says that's exactly what he was going to do. if they had that a few days earlier, maybe this could have been prevented. >> okay. thank you very much. again, our breaking news we announced at the top of the hour that president obama has made an unannounced visit in afghanistan. we're going to kristin for the latest on that. he slipped away in the cover of darkness. there you go. >> reporter: he did. the president does that for security reasons. this is a surprise visit to afghanistan. president obama thanking the troops who are serving there as we approach memorial day. i am told that he will appeared in an event with 32,000 troops serving in afghanistan. all of this comes as he's trying

to decide what the troop levels will be in afghanistan after 2014. it also comes as this administration is dealing with the mounting va scandal, which of course, the reports as many as 40 veterans may have died in phoenix while waiting for care and there may have been other types of similar instances of mistreating veterans across the country. that's what the obama administration is dealing with as president obama makes this surprise visit to afghanistan. i'm told that rob nabors just got back. he's launching his own review into what went wrong with the va facilities across the country and the president is expecting that report by the end of the month. president obama thanking the troops in afghanistan on this memorial day. >> are there any plans to visit

with president karzai while he's there? >> reporter: we don't have any reports about that right now. as you know the obama administration's relationship with president karzai has been quite strained because karzai has refused to sign the security agreement which would essentially have set those troop levels. the administration is hoping the next president who takes over in afghanistan will do that. there's no reports president obama is planning to meet with president karzai, but i wouldn't rule this out. he just landed in afghanistan. the white house has to keep these types of things under wraps because of the president's security, of course, that being of the utmost concern. this is something we have seen this president do in the past and president george w. bush visited with troops in afghanistan. made a surprise visit.

you'll recall several times. this is something that presidents do infrequently but it always has to be kept secret. >> wednesday he will be delivering the commencement address at the u.s. academy there at west point. that much we do no. thank you so much. let's go to the holy land where pope francis is hoping to reignite the mideast peace process. the pope continues his mideast pilgrimage in jerusalem. in terms of the status here, how monumental is this pope's offer? do you think it's symbolic or can it be productive? >> reporter: it can certainly be productive because it will take place in neutral ground.

what's more neutral than the vatican? it will be productive in the view that everything else seems to have failed. the u.s. led peace talks failed a month ago. the prospect that will include in the palestinian authority. hamas was not received well. this is what they need, a prayer. >> the pope went out of his way to show his support to the palestinians. how is he planning to keep the balance when he visits jerusalem on this trip? >> reporter: tomorrow pope francis will visit all the usual religious symbols of israel and the jewish.

it will be the memorial in jerusalem and the wailing wall. at the end of the day he will make some concessions. a very strong symbol especially because it comes 110 years after pope refused the question by theodore hurzel. >> all right. thank you very much for that live report. we're going to bring you more on the president's unannounced, though confirmed visit now. he'll be visiting with the troops on this memorial day weekend. we'll get the latest on that. it could be a lifeline for some veterans who have been waiting a long time for medical help. the new turn in the va scandal, today. when you sat down to dinner with anticipation, not hesitation.

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let's get a little more from the white house on president obama's unannounced trip from afghanistan which kristin and i just learned about 15, 20 minutes ago. let's get the latest. >> reporter: we're getting some more details. president obama landed at 11:46 eastern time. he's traveling with his nsa add visor susan rice and top adviso advisors. this is his fourth visit to afghanistan. his first since may of 2012. you'll recall he delivered that speech at the presidential palace during that visit. of course, as we have been reporting the reason for the secrecy has to do with

protecting the president's safety. the center peace of this visit is going to be rally with 32,000 americans who are currently serving in afghanistan and country music singer brad paisley who traveled on air force one with president obama will perform at that event. this comes with mounting scandal of the va here at home. he dispatched one of his to be advisors to the va hospital in arizona where it's reported as many as 40 veterans may have died while waiting for care there. rob spent the day there talking to facilities trying to get to the bottom of what went wrong and how it can be prevented moving forward. that's the backdrop as president obama marks this memorial day. one more point is that he is

deciding what the troop levels will be after 2014. that remains a big question mark. we don't anticipate that we're going to hear a lengthy statement from president obama while in afghanistan. a lot of moving parts. this is a surprise to you, me. we are monitoring these developments as they happen in realtime. >> i love getting this information as i'm being miked up. and the desk behind me says here is something you need to know. >> reporter: little nugget. >> thank you so much. joining me know democratic congressman john from california. with a welcome to you. nice to see you again on the broadcast. i'm going to ask you to talk about your thoughts and spending time with the troops. how much good will does that buy? what is that like for the troops? >> by all accounts whether it's this president or any of the former presidents it means a great deal to them. they know commander in chief,

the president is with them concern eed about them and will provide them with whatever they need. and congress the same way. we need to look out for the troops and make sure thaw get what they need. that is the major issue as you've already discussed. >> which we're going to discuss further at this moment. with regard to what's happening with the va scandal. talk about where we stand with this and how long you think it's going to get to figure this one out an get it fixed. >> we're going to be at this for the next 40 years. this is not just one day issue. we have at least two million men and women coming back from two very, very lengthy wars. many of them with illnesses we have not seen or diagnosed previously. it's going to be a long time and

for the rest of their lives in one way or another. we owe it to them to provide whatever they may need in the way of medical services, jobs as well as mental health services because they have served us so very, very well during these two very lengthy, very complex and dangerous wars. >> the prospect of sending veterans to private care faci facilities if they can't get what they need, you're talking about a 40-year resolution to get this thing straight eened o. people can't wait that long. >> we're not suggesting they wait 40 years. >> no, but going to the private care. >> i think it's always an option. the veterans hospitals will be overwhelmed. we have many but we don't have enough beds to take care all of the potential illnesses. we ought to be looking at contracting out with various facilities private, other public

facilities all of which could and should be able to provide quality care and do away with the waiting periods are going to be inevitable as the veterans begin to take the service that they are justified and necessary. >> the president waited nearly four weeks to speak out about this topic. do you think that was a mistake? >> i don't know. you have to look at that from the political context of an election year and everything is political. i think the real issue is where -- what happened? can it be prevented in the future, and how are we going to deal with the known problems and the extraordinary workload that the veterans administration is going to have. there are some management issues. we have a management issue here in the oakland center. it's been an ongoing issue. this isn't for services that were known. these are just people trying to sign up and get the services that they need. i know my colleagues in congress

have been after the oakland center for three years that i know of that i've been in congress. they're ongoing management issues. there's also a surge of veterans that are loading the system and in some cases overloading the system. that requires congress to provide the necessary services. it provides the kinds of services and changes to the veterans administration. perhaps one will be to utilize private or other pub lek hospitals to provide the services that the veterans need. we have to provide, they're going to live out their lives with the effects of these two wars. it's our responsibility, all of america, every single one of us and the government to make sure they have the services that they need to make their lives whole. let's not forget about the jobs.

the job is really one of the more important things. >> may i ask you quickly, i want to change gears and talk about some comments that came from california governor jerry brown. he made them on monday about the shifting climate. he said california is right at the epicenter of climate change. the average temperature is changing. it's easy for forest fires to erupt and spread. do you share the theory that the wildfires and extreme heat are a sign it could be a ground zero for climate change? >> well, california certainly is. we knew this. this was in the mid 19990s that california was going to be severely effected by climate change. we've seen the biggest reservoir, the sierra snows less

and less. that smnow is moving up the mountains. we're seeing perhaps as much as a 40% decline in the snow pack. the other things the governor talked about are absolutely true. sea levels rising. otherwise it's going be somewhere else. probably floating in the ocean somewhere. we've got some real serious charges here. it's also nationwide. this is not just a california problem. the drought is found in california, arizona, new mexico, colorado, oregon, texas and even in georgia. this is an ongoing problem for this nation and frankl lyfranklt understand why the congress of the united states, my republican colleagues are deniers of the fact that we have to address this. >> let's hope some wiser heads p prevail and it does get addressed. nice to see you. we're going to be joined on the phone by andrea mitchell.

i'd like you to put into perspective the breaking news with the president having arrived to visit with the servicemen and women there. put this in perspective. what all this means to people and the kind of good will that it can bolster. >> it's symbolic. it's important for him to be with the troops on the surprise visit leaving the white house on saturday night flying overnight. 32,000 troops remain. whether a residual force is left in hafrg, it's now going to be negotiated with the new leadership. most likely the new president. first round showing someone with strong western ties. it's to imprint upon the troops and on the afghan people continuing u.s. commitment but nato forces are withdrawing. with this draw down, the taliban has had significant victories

with surprise strikes throughout the country and in the heart of kabul. there's real big challenges remaining. this is to rally the troops and signify the support he brought with him, brad paisley. there will be a big concert. this big political ageneral d a. the commencement speech will be his opportunity to outline his foreign party which has been under criticism from both parties from being uncertain and ineffective. we see the disaster in syria and the challenges in ukraine but the challenges with russia's assertiveness and the difficulty in rallying allies. china and russia in the recent energy agreement last week. he does seem surrounded in all five. on this trip he said his foreign policy is singles and he hit

some doubles. even today, the president is under criticism or at least u.s. policy is, by pope francis in the middle east. fighting symbolic leader from paris and the palestinian leader to come to the vatican and taking a strong stand against those on the syrian forces and a stand by going to the wall that divides israel and the west bank. there's a lot in play here. >> that information about the vatican, that was meant with some extraordinary responses here in the newsroom. i want to let you know if you're not in front of the television

we're giving everybody a live look at brad paisley. may i ask you, the president as we understand does not have plans to meet with president karzai. there's has been a rocky relationship. would there be chance he would meet or would that be premature in. >> that might be premature. that would go to great lengths. that could billion in play. i don't know that at this hour. the important thing is hands on with the troops. the other issue is the va scandal and the fact this is way of embracing u.s. troops in field even as the president in his message yesterday acknowledged the failures of the va and the va announced they're

going to start permitting veterans to go to other hospitals if they are trapped in that backlog. there are a lot of important messages to the military. many people believe the va mess is potentially a bigger problem for this white house than the arguments over benghazi. >> interestingly, we thank you for this. you may have heard the congressman, he thinks this va hospital situation will take up to 40 years to repair in the long term. let's hope that is not so but it's a big issue to say the at least. we appreciate your insights. we're going to take a short break and be back on the other side. we'll get more on the president's unannounced visit.

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first prescription free at mybreo.com we're going to get some more from the white house on president obama's unannounced trip to afghanistan. we go to kristin welker. the kind of information you've been able to get in the past 35 minutes. >> reporter: we're getting more information by the minute. we're also getting that still picture of president obama arriving at bagram airfield. he was greeted by james cunningham, the u.s. ambassador to afghanistan and general joseph dunford. right now he is getting briefed at the joint ops center by both of those men. briefed on that situation in afghanistan. you just heard andrea talk about the fact there's been an increase in taliban attack. that will be part of the conversation. president obama is trying to

determine the troop level after 2014. this will be a central part of that conversation. once the briefing finishes, we got a bit of video, president will head to that concert which you just had a little bit of video of brad paisley performing for 32,000 american troop who is are serving in afghanistan. president obama will join that in progress and i'm told he will make remarks. i don't anticipate those remarks will be heavily weighted in the policy arena. i think president obama will focus on thanking the troops for their service as we approach this memorial day. that's the tenure we're expecting, the tone of the president's remarks. then he will head to a hospital where he will visit with wounded and hand out medals of honor there. that's part of the tick tock of the president's day. he'll leave before the end of

the day and come back to the white house. president obama getting briefed about the situation on the ground. >> thank you very much. we appreciate that. i'm joined by one of the democrats in congress, adam shift. you're reaction to the president and the news he was heading overseas. you did not know he was going despite being on the intelligence committee. >> i didn't but i'm glad he's there. i had chance to visit the troops two weeks ago. it mean a lot to sit down with them. i had one petty officer says she has three young children and her 5-year-old was so determined to keep her from leaving that he glued all of her shoes together. a very moving antedotes that the troops shared with us and the president. it's wonderful he can be there.

>> we're glad to be able to provide some live pictures. brad paisley is in the back still performing. we did book you to talk about the oversielght committee to whh you have been appointed to there. do you think there are more questions to be answered. you said you don't think it's needed so you have no questions at all about what happened that day? >> you know, i had questions the first time we began an investigation. it's one of the reasons i wanted to be on the intelligence committee to get to the bottom of the things like this. eight investigations later it's hard to figure out what's left to uncover. i don't think that's the motivation anymore. i think the motivation is simply to go after the administration and to try to embarrass the

administration and go after someone who may be our next nominee. that's what's really driving this. it's to motivate the base kind of an operation. the speaker was really resistant to doing this. at a certain point you have to move on. i think they felt compelled to do this for their base and unfortunately, it's putting the congress and the country through this extra taxpayer expense. >> we've heard secretary kerry will be testifying on benghazi but it will not be testifying before your select committee. any concern about a turf war. >> there's concern about this. they don't have much control over darrell issa. they're not coordinating the investigations. you have issa releasing

documents that are at odds with their theory of the case and now you have this situation where in order to preempt this he is competing secretary kerry. the secretary is saying i'm happy to come in but there's no reason for me to come in more than once since a lot of the same people are on that oversight committee. unless they really want do harass the secretary or grand stand, there really isn't any point in bringing him in at all. he was in the senate at the time of benghazi. if they're going to do it, doing it more than once would be quite preposterous. >> former cia director who has been targeted says he welcomes the investigation. would that be a better approach for the white house. >> it's been their position.

i wish i could agree with mr. morel. there's a desire to get to the bottom of this or areas to be cleared. we have been over and over again in these talking points. i was hopi i'm afraid that's probably not where this is headed. i think it's very interesting that the republicans have decided to have mike morel, the target here rather than general petraeus who he was the head of the cia at the time and gave us the same briefing as mike morel. i think they are picking and choosing their targets. maybe they don't want to go after someone of general petraeus stature but it isn't consistent given we got the same information from both. >> all right. i want to switch gears and talk about the nsa bill that the house passed on thursday which

has been considered a gutted bill because it makes no changes. is it purely symbolic? >> no, it isn't. it ends the program. that's a very significant step. it goes to a model that i've been advocating for quite some time. it requires the government to go to the courts to get approval. those are very substantial reforms. there are other things i've been pushing if that i was not able to get in the bell and that others would like to see to. i would put at the top of that list, a privacy advocate and independent process. we don't have that yet. that dupts mean we're not going to get it. i would urge the senate to try to include it but if it's not a part of this bill, this bill will not be the end all. we're going to keep at this and i know there will be others as

well. >> i want to ask you about the laudatory statement that you issued after the passage of the bill. has he has a positive impact on this country? >> i statement made no mention of snowden and i wouldn't use the word laudatory in his connection. i think it's true he sparked a very public debate and that's led to reform. that public debate could have formed in many ways. many were pushing in the absence and prior to mr. snowden. it's true he sparked a debate that's resulted in this reform. >> all right. thank youinsights as always. that's brad paisley performing

live for the troops. the president will also be addressing the troops. we'll be following that for you and bring that do you as well when it happens. we're taking a short break. we'll be back with colonel jack jacobs. cars are driven by people. they're why we innovate. they're who we protect. they're why we make life less complicated. it's about people. we are volvo of sweden.

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confident retirement approach. now you and your ameripise advisor can get the real answers you need. well, knowing gives you confidence. start building your confident retirement today. we got word less than an hour ago that the president has landed in bagram field in afghanistan. he's brought with him country music star brad paisley to help get the job done. we've been bringing you live reports of that. there's another picture of brad. i'm joined by colonel jack jacobs. what does this do when the president comes unannounced? is it unannounced for the troops or do they know? >> this troops don't know but this has been planned for a little while. he just doesn't pick up and so

someplace. the timing couldn't be better because the white house has been taking a great deal of flak over the va mess. this may demonstrate to the troops that the chain of command really cares about them and their contribution. this has been under planning for at least a little while before he went over. >> talk about that. put this in perspective, jack. i had on california representative john garamendi. he said you have the president and he's there and bringing up the morale of the troops serving, but you've got 40 years of looking at dealing with issues of the va system. those seem to be -- and charlie juxtaposed those two concepts right there. >> we had large percentage of

the american public and during the second world war we had more than 20 million veterans. the whole system of taking care of veterans resonated before every household had participated. it's a very small number of american who is are serving and at the time we're drawing down. kid sometimes may feel they are being forgotten. eventually almost nobody there in afghanistan but the whole idea about keeping faith with our soldiers, they're not going to forget them once they will have left the service of this country and require assistance. that's got to be taken seriously and we have to do a much better job of taking care of our people

in uniform. >> you have called for radical changes altogether but can you weigh in on the prospect of private care being offered to veterans who are unable to get the care they need in a timely fashion and taking it outside in the private care. >> it's starting to sound like i'm not the only one talking about making sure troops get the right care and if it means getting into the private sphere. we can't have troops who need care once they're out of service an the va is supposed to be taken care of them not being taken care of and if they have to get taken care of by the private sector, then that's what they have to do. >> okay. good to talk with you. thank you. >> you're welcome. we have new information from the santa barbara county sheriff

department about the suspect in friday's deadly shooti ining an stabbing spree. he's 22-year-old elliot rodger. he wrote a 140-page manifesto where he laid out his murderous intention and blamed constant feelings of rejection for the attack. >> it's very apparent of the severe extent of how disturbed mr. rodger was and the fact that he had been and was continuing to be seen by a variety of different health care professionals. >> jennifer, we heard from the sheriff there in that press conference. what are you learning? >> reporter: alex, we're learning that if we had had that

information sooner than just a few hours before these attack, that manifesto and the video that was posted on youtube where he laid out what he wanted to do pen possibly there would have been chance to prevent this. three weeks ago some sheriff deputies made a welfare check. the sheriff told me a few minutes ago that that's a common thing. they do that all the time. you just can't know from talking to a person for a short amount of time if they're going to crack like this guy did. they didn't have that additional information. here is what he had to say. >> at the time that they contacted him he was found to be very shy, timid. he was courteous to them. he told them that he was having some social problems and some school issues and he probably was not going to continue in school. he told them it was all a

misunderstanding and his relative and this other person had taken things the wrong way an he wasn't going to hurt anybody or himself. he was able to convince the deputies he was not danger to himself or other people. they ended up advising him of resources that were available to him if he was depressed or having issues. there wasn't enough criteria there for them to actually put in motion the process of taking him against his will to evaluate him. >> reporter: the sheriff continued onto say he was able to not only convince the deputies he was fine but also everyone around him. they had to inkling about what going on till right prior to the attacks and when the video was posted that really got no attention at all. >> thank you very much for that. i want to take you back to

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the president will be taking to a podium shortly in bagram airfield. he arrived about an hour ago and brought with him that guy, brad paisley. i'm joined right now by the national correspondent, i want to ask you before we get so some discussion your reaction to the president and i'm sure you didn't know, but the reaction -- >> no. >> nobody knew, which is all good. put this into context the president doing this in terms of

dealing with the troops overseas and yet all in the midst of this va scandal. >> the timing is quite remarkable given the va scandal. on friday the president made remarks directly addressing the va scandal and saying he doesn't believe the va secretary should resign but we need to hold those atable who did fudge the numbers and anyone who did anything wrong within the va. this kind of visual ahead of memorial day is quite striking. >> absolutely. once the president takes to the podium we'll take you there as well. i want to talk about benghazi. i spoke with representative adam shift who first pushed to a boycott. he's now one of the five democrats who agreed to serve on this select committee. what do you think democrats are trying to get from this? >> i mean really this was a discussion that was raging

within the democratic conference and it really didn't cut across idealogical lines. people were saying we shouldn't be in the room. by being in the room they are hoping they will be able to serve as a counter way to the questioning that republicans will be leading. it's also interesting members of of hillary clinton's political camp are pushing and wanting democrats to participate. eventually, they had to make a decision. democrats were worried if they did participate it would give credibility to this. what's also striking is the ranking member on this committee will be elijah cummings. he serves as the democrat response to darrell issa. we saw trey gowdy talking with

elijah and sitting down. that's really quite a contrast to issa and cummings relationship. >> how political is the timing of this review? it's been about 20 months since the take on the consulate. >> it's been an issue. republicans do have to be careful. they can't make this seem too political and already they've been accused and criticized for there's been some republican groups and the republican national congressional committee has been fund raising off of this. they have to tow a fine line. if it does come off as overtly political it could backfire. >> okay. thank you very much for talking with me. it's a bit shorter than we anticipated but will you do when the president heads over to afghanistan and not let us know.

thank you very much. brad paisley right now talking or singing with troops. the president will be talking with the troops shortly. that's a wrap of this edition of the show. we are taking the hill with patrick murphy and take you to the president live when it happens. i'm k-a-t-e and i have copd, but i don't want my breathing problems to get in the way my volunteering. 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

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i'm patrick murphy. thank you for joining us. in a surprise visit, president obama just landed in afghanistan where he's meeting with his military commanders and will be addressing our troops. he also brought along the gift for the troops. a concert for brad paisley. alex. >> that's a very big gift for those troops. thank you so much. the president will not meet with afghan president karzai today. for more on the tripl let's tur

to kristin welker. do we expect to hear from the president? >> reporter: we do expect to hear from him later today. he's getting briefed about the situation on the ground in afghanistan. i'm going to read you some of the people in that meeting right now. joined by the president ambassador cunningham, general dunford. susan rice as well as john pedesta who is a counselor to the president. he has a son who is serving in afghanistan as well as ben rhodes and other top officials. once that briefing wraps up then president obama is going to head to that concert that you're looking at right now with brad paisley where he's performing and he's going to speak to the troops. he's going to thank them for their service. i'm told it's not going to be a policy-heavy speech. it's going to be focused on thanking them for their service,

some 32,000 american who is are serving in afghanistan. a very serious briefing under way. we expect we'll get vid greo fr that briefing and the key topic is there's been an increase in taliban attacks as well as what to do about troop levels after 2014. that's the big question that president obama is facing. that's what this administration hopes to determine in the coming months. there will be a new president of afghanistan and it looks like at this point and time. that's something the white house and someone in the white house thinks they can work with as they try to determine these new troop levels. the relationship between the obama administration and the karzai administration has been quite strained. as you pointed out at the top, i don't anticipate that president obama will meet with hamad harr

karzai or with any of the potential presidential candidates. this trip is really aimed at focusing on the troops, aimed at thanking them for their service. alex, this comes against the backdrop of this administration dealing with the ongoing scandal with the va. the revelations that as many as 40 vets may have died white waiting for care. rob nabors was dispatched to that area to investigate. he will put together a report for the president. that's due at the end of the month. that's the backdrop as president obama thanks the troops. he's going to visit wounded w warriors who are at a hospital. >> we are going to keep you updated on the president's trip as we get more information fp

when the president takes to that microphone stand or where ever he may be we'll take to that live. >> my cousin lieutenant geno is at the concert now. joining us now is sergeant verna jones and colonel jack jacobs. what do you think this means for the troops there in bagram afghanistan? >> any time they get a visit they will love it. it's more significant because it's a draw down. it's an expectation we'll have very few troops left. you know you're being deployed you're far away from home. it's a good morale builder.

>> ten years ago for thanksgiving the president made a surprise visit and it meant a lot. sergeant joan jones, what do you think the troops want to hear him say? >> that's a wonderful surprise for them. i think with all the things going on with the va right now and the troops are hearing that. i think they want to hear the president tell them when they get home there will be confident va health care system waiting for them and they'll be able to receive good, timely health care and receive their earned benefits in a timely manner. >> do you think there's some good will pr the president amid the va scandal. sg any time the president takes

time out of his busy schedule to visit the troops, the troops will appreciate that. >> colonel jack, this wednesday president obama will give the commencement address at west point. you and i have taught there. what do you think he'll say this wednesday? >> it's an expectation he's going to make a significant policy address. it's not just going be the platitudes and thanks for jour service. these are tough times and we're really relying downand thanks for wearing the uniform and all that kind of stuff. he's going to say some things of substance. it would be an interesting time to do that since he's just will have just returned from afghanistan because there's a great deal of discussion just about everywhere about what we're going to do about that area of the world. it's not just a question of whether we'll have 5,000 or 10,000, probably not going to have a whole lot more than that, but what they're actually going

to do. there's some expectation that now that we can work with the government we think we can work with the government once karzai's left that our troops, special forces, special operations forces, trainers, will be able to make a difference in giving the afghans an opportunity to defend themselves. that's a long, long road. no matter what the president says in this regard, i think it's going to be taken with a grain of salt. the other thing he's probably going to address is what's going on in the other parts of the world. lots and lots of challenges. >> let me switch gears about the va scandal and let me go to sergeant jones. you're american legion commander

called on him the resign on may 5th. he said the secretary was taking the proper steps in the scandal. what was the turning point? >> there's been a long mismanagement. i think phoenix was the turning point. it's about all the mismanagement of veterans dying while set up to a system made for them. sh they should feel safe going to the v asa and that wasn't happening. >> should the secretary resign in. >> i don't think he should resign. he's done a lot of good there.

i've known the general for a long, long time. he's not the kind of person who will quit. if he announces he's leaving it's because the president has told him to resign and his time is up. i expect at some juncture he is going to leave. probably not before the end of the results that come from the inspector's generals report. at the end of the day i don't think the didn't is structured the take care of our veterans, give them timely, first class medical care when they need it which is some reason why people other that i have been calling

for the slack to be taken up by the private sector. >> allow some other veterans to use non-va or private care if they're not seen within the standard which was 14 days. the government will pay for it. we want the united states of to take care of our veterans. i believe that's the direction we're going to go. >> sergeant jones, do you agree with colonel jacobs? >> privatization of va health care, they talked about that in the past. we developed in 2003 our saving task force because we believe

the va health care system is a system worth saving. the veterans should have a va facility and a whole system set up to handle the unique need of veterans. i think when they can't see them in a timely manner they have a fee basis program. we're okay with them feeing out certain veterans for medical attention when the va can't see them but not privatization of the va health care system. the veterans deserve the health care system and they deserve it to be a good competent and healthy system for them. >> thank you. memorial day weekend is a time to remember our fallen soldiers. president obama is honoring those today with a surprise visit to afghanistan. more on that after the break. moe way to get your fiber. moe try phillips fiber good gummies. they're delicious, and an excellent source of fiber to help support regularity. wife: mmmm husband: these are good! marge: the tasty side of fiber. from phillips.

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this week i spoke about the va scandal with former senator max clelan. he's an army vet who was wounded in the vietnam war. >> the vaig is investigating 26 facilitie facilities. you wrote in an op-ed. >> it should not be on general sh shinsheki. ting target should be on the new director of the va health care

program. that director resigned an it was accepted. now there's two massive investigations going on. one is the va internal investigation. the other is the white house investigation and to the phoenix hospital to find out what was going on. i got call this week from the white house asking me if i knew some names of people who understood the inner workings of the va that want to be part of a study. this is real. the invis gags of the white house is real. there's no doubt in any mind that what both investigation reveal those are accountable for lying or cooking the books in

terms of waiting lists of the va. >> thanks so much for senator max cleland for taking the time to talk with us. we're waiting for the president to speak in afghanistan as we makes a surprise visit. i'll talk to a veteran about his experience in the iraq war. you're watching taking the hill on msnbc. (growls) (man) that's a good look for you. (woman) that was fun. (man) yeah. (man) let me help you out with the.. (woman)...oh no, i got it. (man) you sure? (woman) just pop the trunk. (man vo) i may not know where the road will lead, but... i'm sure my subaru will get me there. (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. c'mon, you want heartburn? when your favorite food starts a fight, fight back fast, with tums. heartburn relief that neutralizes acid on contact.

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"hashtag love dad" when you think aarp, then you don't know "aarp". our aarp tek program helps people find better ways to better connect with each other. find more real possibilities at aarp.org/possibilities with welcome back. tomorrow is memorial day. in the past 13 years of war nearly 7,000 americans have died in iraq and afghanistan. we celebrate them on memorial day but we remember them every day. we feel guilt too. guilt that we made it home and they did not.

joining me now is shawn barney, retired marine who was injured eight years ago. the president came to a surprise visit to afghanistan. what do you think that means to the troops over there? >> it's very important thing he's doing and the right thing. you want to know the people at home are thinking about you. they know what you're doing. they know what you're going through and they haven't forgotten about you. that's exactly what he's doing. >> you didn't follow the path to military. you went to yale, harvard. what inspired you to join the military? >> when 9/11 occurred i was 26 years old. i was an advisor to one of our senators in delaware. i loved my job and felt like i was the luckiest guy in the world to have that job. when you see a turtle sitting on a fence post, you know it didn't

get there by itself. my country has done wonderful things for me in the way of giving me opportunity and felt like i had to get back. >> you were injured. can you tell us what happened? >> we were conducting a counter mission. we got into an engagement with the enemy and i was shot through the neck. i'm alived because i got fortunate and because those i was serving with were remarkable. the bullet severed my cartoid artery which should have killed me. they made every bit of use of that time. they got any in re a street corner in the center of the city to a surgical center in less than 15 minutes and they saved my life. that's ma that's a miracle. >> do you still keep in touch

with them? they're all in it together when it comes to serving the public. a lot of soldiers and troops come back and have survivor's guilt. do you? >> i do. i'm not the only one in many platoon. i have a friend with feelings of guilt that he was standing where i was standing just moments before it happened. he says it should have been him. i tell him he shouldn't feel that way but i know what it is to feel that way. i feel that way about my friend. he was killed on any birthday. he have shot in his abdomen and i was shot in the neck. you think the odds is he would be here today and i wouldn't be. when he needed it the most, he didn't get the breaks i got. >> one of my favorite movies is saving private ryan and they say

about making it count. we all try to make it count. what are you doing? >> it means fighting for making america worth fighting for and that's the promise of america which is equal opportunity for all. that promise is threatened today. i'm running for treasurer in delaware. i'm running to create a system of child savings account for every child in delaware so that they know what it is to save and prepare for their future and we communicate to them that opportunity is not beyond their reach. we won't let it be beyond their reach. >> is it surprising to know that most veterans or folks who serve in congress it's the least amount of veterans in our nation ease history. it's only about 20%. 40 years ago it was about 78%. do you feel the same way, i know you're running for state treasurer in delaware. is it the same way in delaware as well? >> it's happening at all levels. it's something to be concerned about. one of the things that debate

over the iraq is work for the war but he broke down in tears on the floor of the house because he was a vietnam veteran. he believes in the cause of the war but he knew what he was voting for. he knew what the cost would be long before the american public focused on it. we need more servants like that. >> you guys are stepping up to the plate. i want to salute you for your service. i'm going to think about it and i know i'll personally pull for you. thank you for joining us today. >> thank you for having me and honoring our veterans. >> we're waiting president obama's speech in afghanistan. he made a surprise visit there today and here is a live picture at the bagram airfield where he will speak shortly. first, we hear the story of

niko gill. he served multiple tours in iraq at the height of the insurgency. >> having warriors who are steeped in the macho culture and the system that discourages acknowledgement of mental illness for career progression on and those sorts of things. i think we have done a much better job talking to our warriors and getting them to the point of saying i know i'm dealing with this. finding the help is the challenge.

here we are. iraq. vehicle trying to sneak up on us. keep going. it's the euphrates river. a lot of dead bodies. this is our building that we live in. it gets bombed a lot. last night was crazy. like the 4th of july. a bomb went off a few minutes ago. we were shaving. that's more important. trying to kill us and [ bleep ]. i'm just trying to go home to chris. i'm not a bad dude. stop shooting at me. these are ips.

we train them. they keep us alive. we keep them alive. over there is the river. that's where they shoot at us. i'm talking about like walking with no gear. you die, you die. so what. that's a big explosion. i'm tired. dead tired of this [ bleep ] war. the last three days i've gotten maybe an hour of sleep. fire fights left and right. explosions left and right. you enjoy your freedom. >> i joined the military in 2002, i wasn't 18. i was like 17, turning 18. i didn't have the money for college. to me it was about what am going to do with my life that will mean something. i always had to do something

that meant something. i was a new yorker. new york got hit. i just walked right into a recruiter station and i was in basic training like three weeks later. i had two deployments. to this day i don't know how to feel about them. maybe i never will. when i say we got mortared every night that's an understatement. we were hit five times in the first week with iuds. we all try to be so strong and we laugh about it. i used to stand on top of the hatch and start cursing at the snipers. [ bleep ] you. that's all you got. it was all a show. i was scared. we didn't have chance to process it. it was just bodies everywhere. blown in half. the worst thing wasn't the

casualties. it was seeing some of my squad members lose it. i remember some battle hardened guys just crying at nighttime. some sergeants just screaming in their sleep. never talked about it. i remember coming up on a big old dump truck pulled over and he detonates 20 meters in front of me. massive, massive education motion and just covered in the flames and time stopped. i remember the sergeant yelling gill's dead. gill's dead. i had shrapnel to my head and face. after that me, as i person, i was out. i couldn't control my hands anymore. they would shake really bad. all the emotions that i hid and

swallowed for all the previous engagements just i couldn't hold them no more. i used to get paralyzed and i would lock up in my bed and i would see myself burning alive. i'd be trying to call out for help but i just couldn't. now i know through mris that i had a level four traumatic brain injury. i didn't want to be the one injured. i didn't want to be weak or let my guys down. you try to think it's all in your head and you can fight through it and out think it and out run it and it turns out to be real, very real. when i got discharged i was in frankfurt. they gave me a ticket home and i never got on the flight. i spent two years in germany just walking, anywhere.

just trying to find peace. trying to find something. there's something really, really wrong. i was so scared going home but finally i decided to come back to new york to face things. it's just what i feared. i feel so out of place. the city seems too fast for me. i went in 17 and came out, you're still 17. i learned about war. i didn't learn about life. my family didn't know how to act around me. how do you tell someone that your bed turns on fire at night. for a lot of veterans it's no secret that sleep is something we just wish it weren't. just sleep. this place is car alarms, garbage trucks at 1:00 in the

morning and when you're sleeping it sounds like you got hit by a mortar. everybody expect a hero to come back. it's just me. i was just trying to survive. i thought i was going crazy. i thought i was losing control of everything. sometimes i'll just try for days. i started having really, really bad anxiety attacks. throwing up all the time. my hands were shaking. i was depressed. i was drinking. i was violent at times. i just remember thinking i'm never going to fit in. there's no life after the military. i let it defeat me. i just try to end it. i was drinking my second bottle of whiskey and i just decided to

take every med medication i could find in the house. i tried to end it. i just wake up in the va hospital in a lot of pain. i was the lucky one. a lot of guys took their lives when they came back. sitting here now i can tell you there's so much left in life. >> one of the biggest challenges in suicide prevention is not knowing what the root cause is. we can make speculation it's connected to loss, to grief, to the traumatic stress that they're going through but a lot of times the reason is unknown. one of the primary goal s to make sure the warrior never feels alone.

knows that he has the support of his family and his community. as we see 1.2 service members transition home in the next four years, this is going to be coming increasingly important. >> i don't want to lose a finger. >> they're too thick. >> just means you have to cook them longer. did i do that bad of a job? >> no. you only did one potato. excuses. excuses. >> we went to high school together. he was a good guy. very intelligent. we had a connection. we were just friends. we kept in contact during his second tour in iraq. years later i found out that him going to the army base to contact me through the computer was a life and death situation every time. he tried to write me at least

once a week. he was traveling by himself, drinking lot. i told him why don't you come stay with me for a little bit. we hasn't seen each other face-to-face from high school. from the minute i saw him i knew that that was my husband. we did everything backwards. out of nowhere, me the person that never thought i would get married, i looked at him and i was like we should get married. >> i was so lucky. i have an angel watching over me. i'm strong enough to know a miracle when i see one. she loved me enough to try to help me get through the demons i was battling. it was a lot to put on her plate. >> it's scary. having ptsd, you just don't know how that person will react. once day he would be happy and

the next day he's crying and depressed and there was nothing i could do. every time that i leave the house, how do i know what he's going to do at home alone. >> my wife told me how it is. she's like you got to face it or you're never going to live. i knew that if i don't try to get better, i'll lose her. >> after the break, nico finds soul in getting back to nature. join the conversation with hashtag, taking the hill. we're watching this scene from bagram air force base. president obama is there on a surprised unannounced visit. keep it tuned right here on msnbc. from coffee to snacks and drinks. everything... mom! except permission to use the garage. thousands of products added every day to staples.com. even safety cones.

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president obama is speaking in afghanistan. he made a surprise visit there today. here is a live picture at bagram. we have some pictures of him arriving hours ago. first, in part two of wounded the battle back home, nico is finding strength in his fellow veterans and the quiet simplicity of casting a fly and he's looking forward to the future. >> i still wasn't moving. i was treading water. just enough to stay alive. i wasn't moving. i was floating in the same spot. i couldn't truthfully answer what passions i had or what i

wanted. the wounded warrior project got in contact with me. hey, brother, let's go fishing. then i meet bob. >> first time i met nico he was in really bad place. a lot of things he was saying is just where i was at one point. you get out into nature and you're away from people, you're away from what modern day society is about. you realize how small you really are. world is still going to go around and things that you did or seen that were really negative are just a small piece of a very large puzzle. i learned early the community has to take care of the community. you have to do it from the inside. as a veteran, i'm inside the community. let's fix it from the inside. >> the wounded warrior project is like i want to go to alaska.

i was like whoa. i'll do anything. >> it was a group of warriors and it's five days of sailing, fishing, trolling out on the sea. it's an opportunity for the guys to go out and get to meet each other and have those conversations because if you're on a boat, where you going to go. >> i had a blast. i wasn't even about the fishing. it was about i met other veterans and the more i started to meet them, the more and more i realized you're feel like this too. it wasn't just me. that trip for me was the ice breaker of this is what it's like to be comfortable again. >> a few years ago we spent five days together. we stayed in contact with each other through facebook and e-mail and we just batted around the idea of what about a reunion trip. when we came back together it was like we didn't even skip a

beat. >> you're working with dogs now. >> i retired an left my job. i was having some issues. i have a purpose now. >> getting the va rehab trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. some days i'm winning. some days i'm losing pm some days make we want to run and jump off that balcony and take off. some days i'm still sitting here. >> the ptsd is the hard one. people look at me and it's like you're a big guy, there's nothing wrong with you. i'm fighting war inside my head all the time. >> so many of us are coming home with ptsd, it's pretty normal. you're a normal person having a normal reaction to a very abnormal situation. it's not something wrong with

you. it's just something with you. >> good afternoon. i'm alex witt here at msnbc world headquarters. there we take you to bagram air force base. you see the president just having been introduced there. this was a surprise visit. the president landed about two hours ago. we'll take a listen to him addressing the troops. >> first of all, i want everybody to give a huge round of applause to your commander, general joe dunford. give him an outstanding, rousing, acknowledgement. i am grateful to him for his leadership of our coalition here in afghanistan and for his lifetime of distinguished service to the marine corp. and to america.

can everybody please give it up to brad paisley. [ cheers and applause ] i want to say this about brad. first of all, he's a great supporter of our troops. a great supporter of your families. two years ago we had him at the white house to perform for troops and military families during the 4th of july. him coming here today was not easy. he had just started a tour. he had to juggle a lot of stuff. his wife and two young sons and daughters and agents and without going to the details this was a big sacrifice for him.

i'm so grateful to him. i want to make clear i will not be singing. i want to say to brad thank you so much for doing this. gym cunningham is here with his lovely wife. they are also making sacrifices away from their families. oft oftentimes themselves at risk as they serve. i know those you have in uniform couldn't do your jobs without these americans as your partner. we salute the dedicated service of those here led by jim cunningham. give them a round of applause.

[ applause ] i guess i always should mention we have a few folks here as part of the tenth mountain division. [ cheers and applause ] climb to glory. we have the 455th air wing in the house. the task force mule skinners [ cheers and applause ] task force thunder [ cheers and applause ] task force rugged. [ cheers and applause ] to all of you i'm here on a single mission and that's to thank you for your extraordinary service. i thank you as your commander in chief because you inspire me. your willingness to serve, to step forward at a time of war

and say send me is the reason the united states stays strong and free. of all the honors that i have as serving as president nothing matches serving as your commander in chief. i'm also here representing 300 million americans who want to say thank you as well. i know sometimes when you're over here away from home, away from family you may not truly absorb how much the folks back home are thinking about you. when it comes to supporting you and your families the american people, we support you. we are proud you have. we stand in awe of your service. you can see it in american

actions every single day. you see it in the kids across america who send you all those care packages and those girl scout cookies. those arepopular, huh? you like those cookies, huh? all right. i'll bet you get some more now. and you can see it in the coworkers who help to volunteer to help your husbands and wives and sons and daughters at school and on their sports teams. you can see it at the airports when you return stateside, and all of the folks standing up applauding, lining up to shake your hand and welcoming you home. you can see it when entire stadiums get to their feet to salute the troops and our veterans. just the other day, i welcomed the super bowl champion seattle

seahawk seahawks -- listen, i'm a bears' fan, but i -- but the one thing that i saw and i have seen it in every sports team that comes to the white house is the work that they do visiting walter reed, bethesda, doing work with military families. in fact, to help announce their draft picks this month, the seattle seahawks selected jeff baker who is a seahawks' fan, but a veteran of iraq and afghanistan and a proud sergeant in the u.s. army to help make that draft pick, because they want to send a signal that we love our sports, and we love our football, and that is fun and games, but this is the competition that count, and these are the real heroes.

you see in america, we bestow that honor upon an individual, but every time we bestow that medal, every time, the recipient says he accepts it on behalf of the whole team, and everybody who wears the uniform of the american armed forces, and when those citations are read, americans all across the country stop and they listen. they are stirred by the sacrifices that you render for each other, and for all of us. so i'm here to say thank you. i'm here to say how proud i am of you. and i'm here to say how proud of your families i am. because in some ways, in ways large and small, they are sacrifices just like you are, but i am also here because after

more than a decade of war, we are at apy toll moment. last year marked a major milestone and for the first time afghanistan forces took the lead to secure their own country. and today, you are in a support role helping to attain and assist afghan forces. for many of you, this is going to be the last tour in afghanistan. and by the end of this year, the transition will be complete, and afghans will take full responsibilities for their security and our combat mission will be over. america's war in afghanistan will come to a responsible end. [ applause ]

that progress is because of you and the more than half a million americans, military and civilian, who have served here in afghanistan. i don't want you to ever forget why you are here or how vital your mission is to the national security. some of you may know that i was recently in new york state, and i was there to dedicate the 9/11 museum, and i had time to spend with the survivors and the families who lost loved ones and to the first responders who rushed to the scene and had a chance to ponder the portraits and the biographies of of the thousands killed that day, and to think about those who were killed in pennsylvania and at

the pentagon. and once again, we resolve to never forget what happened on that september day, and to do everything in our power to prevent something like that from ever happening again, and that is why you are here. that is why you are here. i notice that some of you don't remember, because as i was getting a briefing while brad was singing, i saw a picture of the twin towers, in the operation room nearby, and so i nknow that you don't forget. and four years ago on my first visit to bagram as president, i laid out the mission, and general dunford and am bbassado cunningham gave me a briefing of the progress, and today, every single one of you and everybody who has served here and all of the members of the coalition can be proud, because you are completing the mission. you are completing the mission. we said that we were going to deny al qaeda safe haven and

since then we have decimated the safe havens, and bagham has been a central role to support the counter terrorism mission, including those who escaped protecting osama bin laden. al qaeda is on the heels in this part of the world, and that is because of you. we said that we were going the reverse the taliban's momentum. and so you went on the offensive driving the taliban out of the strongholds. look, everybody knows that afghanistan is still a very dangerous place, and insurgents still launch cowardly attacks against the innocent civilians, but look at the progress that you have made possible. afghans reclaim iing their communities and girls returning to school, and dramatic

improvements in health care and life expectancy and that is what you did. more afghans have hope for their future today, and so much of that is because of you. we said that we would strengthen the capacity of the afghan force forces so that they could take more responsibility for the security, and so you have been training and building up the afghan forces up, and we know they have a long ways to go, but for nearly a year, they have been in the lead, and they have taken enormous casualties, and you look at that. they are willing to fight. the afghan forces are growing stronger, and afghans are strong to defend their own can country, and again, so much of that is because of you. think of last month's election, and despite all of the threats from the taliban, the afghan people refused to be terrorized and they registered to vote. afghan security forces secured

thousands of polling places, and yet billions of afghans lined up to cast their ballot, and next month's runoff is going to be another step towards the first democratic transfer of power in the history of this nation. that is a tribute to the can courage and determination of the people of afghanistan, but it is also a tribute to you and the sacrifices of so many americans and our coalition partners, everything that you have done over the years. we we know that this progress has come at a heavy price. tomorrow's memorial day. and the bases here at afghanistan and the towns across america, we will pause and we will pay tribute to the all those who have laid down their lives for our free doom. -- freedom dom, and that includes nearly 2,200 american patriots who made the last sacrifice of full devotion right

here in afghanistan. i know you have stood in front of the battle crosses, and many of you carry the memories of your fallen comrades in your heart today, and we will honor every single one of them not just tomorrow, but forever. i want you to nknow that our gratitude is shared by the afghan people. one of afghan's leading women, a member of parliament recently wrote an open letter, and i don't know if many of you had a chance to see it, but she described all of the changes that had taken place here, and including the millions of girls going to school to pursue her dreams, and she wrote this and i want you to listen to this. she wrote, it has been a difficult journey marked by blood and violence, but we have made significant gains and achievements which would not have been possible without the generous support of the international community, especially the american people.

es pe especially the american people. she is talking about all of you. she is talking about your families. she is talking about those who we have lost. that's the difference and the legacy that you can be proud of. now even as our combat mission ends later this year, i want everybody to know in this country and across the e region that america's commitment to the people of afghanistan will endure. with our strategic partnership, we will continue to stand with afghans as they strengthen their institutions and build the economy and improve their lives, men and women and boys and girls, and i have made it clear that we are prepared to continue cooperating with the afghan partners on two security missions, training and equipping afghan forces and targeting counter terrorism targets against al qaeda, and once afghanistan ha