either. >> today a house committee will take up a bill that exempts school districts from federal rules that require healthier school lunches, critics, including first lady michelle obama say it's bad for our nation's kids. >> we're now seeing efforts in congress to roll back these new standards. this is unacceptable. >> a new study reveals an alarming rise in obesity and u.s. topping the list with 87 million americans considered obese, about 13% of the world's total. >> secretary shinseki -- >> the va secretary is on thin ice. >> some possible cases of civil and criminal violations. >> somebody has got to get in and make sure they understand they answer to the american people. >> people are going to find it hard to believe that president putin hasn't taken a run at you or what you know. >> once i agree with john kerry that edward snowden is a traitor. >> i took nothing to russia so i

can give them nothing. >> there's a food fight on capitol hill today, not literally, although would it surprise you with those guys? as with all food fights one mom is not happy. this morning the house appropriations committee has passed part of a bill that would exempt some schools from federal rules requiring more grains and vegetables and fruits in school lunches. first lady michelle obama whose championed the fight against childhood obesity wrote a fiery op-ed in today's new york times. unfortunately we're now seeing attempts in congress to undo so much of what we've accomplished on behalf of our children. the bottom line is very simple. as parents we always put our children's interests first. we wake up every morning and go to bed every night worrying about their well being and their futures leaders in washington should do the same. she wants congress to know she's not letting this one go so

easily. >> we're now seeing efforts in congress to roll back these standards and undo the hard work that all of us have done on behalf of our kids. and you know, this is unacceptable. it's unacceptable to me not just as first lady but as a mother. it is up to us to hold them accountable. it's up to us to let them know we're going to follow what's going on in washington and we expect them to act based on our children's best interest. >> it's a new level of policy engagement for michelle obama and it summons up an age-old question, how engaged should a first lady be? there was eleanor roosevelt who broke precedent by calling weekly press conferences with women correspondents. she also gave lectures and radio broadcasts and wrote a frank as i understand indicated daily newspaper column, my day. here's first lady betty ford holding a letter written to her husband by a 6-year-old child

asking why women couldn't be equal. she didn't hesitate to wade in issues she strongly supported. as hillary clinton was never one to shy from policy, she became chair of the president's task force on national health care reform in 1993 and was a leading and controversial advocate for expanding health coverage. issue as divisive then as it is now. >> you know, the other thing that's interesting about this health care debate, is that if congress can figure out a way to fund health care for themselves, don't you think they can figure out a way to fund health care for you and your children and every other american? >> listen to those boos. tough gig. how far is too far? how far is michelle obama going to go? joining me is karen finney, host

of "disrupt" here on msnbc and robert trayhnum, michelle obama is getting blow back from this and they released a statement that was quite strong. what's the rationale behind the waiver against providing these healthier more expensive foods? >> well, ronan, i think you hit the nail on the head. it's a temporary waiver for school districts out there who have said we are having some financial difficulty here and b we cannot comply right now from a financial standpoint with the first ladies and laws initiatives. they are asking for a temporary waiver to have a little bit of reprieve here. i find it slightly offensive, i'm not a parent but for the first lady or anyone to say that the congress is not looking out for children, that suggests that members of congress are not parents themselves and also to suggest that congress does not have the right to hold the administration accountable. to go back to your question,

it's a temporary waiver and thus -- >> to blunt the financial impact. >> that's correct. >> if making sure kids have good nutrition is a priority and it's working and we're seeing obesity rates go home. robert you shouldn't be offended, we're talking about kids, particularly in low income neighborhoods who don't have access to foods, to fresh fruits and vegetables. at school is the only place they get it. >> sometimes it is the best shot at nutrition they have. >> it should be a priority for this country. if it's not, republican congress can fund money for different ridiculous things, 52 times voting against health care reform. let's find the money. >> hold on, hold on -- >> we should be giving it to something related to education, shouldn't be to nutrition? >> we know when children have a nutritious meal they are better able to learn. >> robert, you had a burning thought on this? >> no, i just want everyone to

stop hyperventilating here, this is the school district saying we want to comply with the rules but we have other priorities right here. >> can't we help them meet -- >> if i can finish please, i didn't interrupt you, if you wouldn't mind interrupting me to make a point. >> oh, robert. >> let's be civil here. and secondly my second point, where is the parents in this conversation. i'm with you 1,000 points that kids should have the aaccess to good quality food here but again, the school district is speaking here and i think we need to have a little defer ens to the school district so they can have the flexibility to allocate funds the way they see at the local level. that's all. >> we've heard valid reasons in terms of cost, do you think this is in fact about being in the pocket of fast food and junk food? >> it sure feels like it. remember the other piece of this that robert is not talking about is the requirement to put

potatoes back into -- >> she talks about in her op-ed. just potatoes, nothing wrong with potatoes, but if the goal is to make sure children are having nutritious meals, i would simply put forward how about instead of making a cut, how about for once this republican congress try to say, we are going to help with the budget issues and give you a little extra because we think this is so important. >> if the impact of this very contentious, as we're hearing onset today, the debate is that we get more money to our schools across the board, that's not a bad thing. robert, this is a big shift for michelle obama in terms of her level of nitty-gritty policy engage. . she's avoided getting this hands on and calling politicians. do you think this signals a broader shift in her role as first lady? >> i think she's getting comfortable in her role. her husband is not up for re-election. you mentioned this a few moments ago with betty ford and it goes

back to edith wilson and nancy reagan when she weighed into the drug controversy with just say no. i think the first lady, whoever he or she may be, should wade into public policy as long as it drives a conversation in a positive way. just to go back to karen's point, it's okay to disagree. it's okay to have a different point of view and okay to have -- >> don't patronize me, that's not okay. >> we have civil discourse and like the disagreement and raise good points on both sides. this is a tough issue and the overarching issue is not enough resources in school. going back to the question of first ladies, karen, i've had such fierce debates with people about this, people saying we didn't vote her into office. that's not a real substantive position. my view is actually we did vote her into office, she was a visibility part of the campaign trail and they have heavily resourced staffs. they are ponying up taxpayer dollars to hire chief of staffs

and aides and security -- >> i can say as a former hillary clinton deputy press secretary, we did not make as much as the president's side but -- >> this is true. >> do you think going forward americans are more or less amenable to this type of hyper empowered first lady? >> when it's something that affects our national dialogue, we're talking about lowering obesity rates and children being healthy, i think the thing to remember as robert pointed out, this goes back very far. every woman or man figures out what is the right way for them to do this role? laura bush was involved and reading was her issue as with a barbara bush. while you're seeing michelle obama step in forcefully because she cares about and we're seeing actual progress. i think it's an issue -- the president agrees with her. i don't think you would ever see a president, first lady having a policy role or role in something where the president disagreed, i don't think you would see that. >> right, it can be controversial as long as you're beating up on the hill.

robert, do you think we'll ever see her run for office? will it be a hillary clinton like ascension? >> no, i think she has been very clear she does not like the public limelight if you will. i can see her being a strategic thought leader after she leaves the white house but public office, i don't see that. but i've been wrong before. >> i agree with him, how about that. >> see, peace and harmony here on "rf daily." appreciate you both being here. you can catch more of karen on "disrupt" every single weekend at 4:00 p.m. does the t in lgbt stand for "time" magazine, indeed it does this week. the editor is here to explain. nineteen years ago, we thought, "wow, how is there no way to tell the good from the bad?" so we gave people the power of the review. and now angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. you can easily buy and schedule services from top-rated providers.

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america is undergoing a transformation, and "time" magazine is following suit. trans gender actress laverne cox speaks out about being bullied and harassed as a child and the day she took a handful of pills intending to die. acourting to one national survey, 41% report attempting suicide. nearly 80% of trans individuals experience verbal or physical saults and 50% have been fired, not hired or denied a promotion based on their trans status. this is also a community at the turning point. there's a lot of promising things here. 17 states and washington, d.c. have laws banning gender discrimination, as do 143 cities and counties. "time" calls it a sea change for

the trans community but will it continue? joining me in the studio, nancy gibbs, managing editor of time and thank you both for being here. what prompted this cover? >> in a way it's been a long time coming, we've seen with laverne cox's role in orange is the new block and janet's memoir became a best seller and barney used trans models in their campaigns. we kept seeing this accumulation of laws and policies and debate about how to move this controversy about the nature of gender and gender identity more in the mainstream. we felt we reached a point, called it a tipping point where this is really happening now. >> it seems like it's changing so fast and it is a moment of responsibility for the media where how much we do or don't showcase that movement could change the conversation. "time" did face criticism when

you guys didn't include laverne cox on the "time" 100 list because i wouldn't have expected there to be a galvanized movement to levy that criticism. >> i don't know, i think laverne has certainly been an icon for the movement. we actually show cased the creator "orange is the new black", as a way of capturing the fact that this has been an important cultural moment, not the only way. >> and did feature her at the event. she was a part of the conversation. even that subtlety, she wasn't on the list got people -- >> she was very fervent followers and we're seeing this across the world of entertainment is one that often is on the cutting edge. but you have the defense secretary talking a week or two ago about continually evaluating whether trans gender people should be able to serve openly in the military. >> and coming out in the

affirmative, yes, we have to review the policy but anyone brave enough to serve the country should. >> yeah, you have a very conservative high school in california electing a trans student at their home coming queen. you would not have seen this a few years ago. we wanted to capture, why is this happening? what's the history and context? what are the issues this raises legal a and socially and every other way. >> teke, in your own life, have you felt the impact? do you think you're at that kind of moment? >> i think we're at the pivotal moment in culture. for 92% of americans, everything they know about transgender people is from the media. also, social media has been huge with galvanizing the community, thousands of trans people who don't have access to physical community but create communities online. they are supporting each other and sharing information and organizing, just the justice for jane campaign started as #add o

#advocac #advocacywork, a 14-year-old locked in a connecticut woman's prison in solitary confinement. >> a story we've been watching closely. >> hasn't been charge and trans individuals have it hard in the criminal justice system. >> three time more likely to experience police violence. monica jones base beiically wit manifestation to prostitute. they made it their priority to make sure these stories are told in the media. teke, what needs to change? there are a lot of states and cities and counties implementing new rules to protect trans individuals. is it time that this elevates to a federal level? >> absolutely. what we're seeing it's mirroring the marriage equality fight. marriage equality on a federal level, doma is unconstitutional and it's up to the state's

discretion and we're seeing it being implemented on a state level. houston is a quality rights ordinance, monica, a great journalist out of houston, texas, galvanized so many voices around that. >> a fairly conservative state? >> yeah, same thing of topeka, kansas, they passed an ininclusion on their nondiscrimination ordinance. the ball is going to keep rolling but it would great to see on a federal level. >> can the mainstream media have a role in impacting that fight? >> i think it's important that it be covered the way it has been. i don't know impacting it so much is helping people understand why it's an argument, what is complex about it. when you have about 12 states have now changed their policies to let students play on the sports team of the gender they identify with, that's something that parents and schools and parents are all going to be talking about and what that means, i think that debate is a

very important one and issue it raises is an important one to be covering. >> i know this cover is a big part of that conversation. you have it right there. i hope people look at that and other people in the media seriously consider showcasing this more. i do think the difference between this and the gay rights movement, there's let immediacy, many people don't have trans gender friends and family. the work of the organization makes a big difference. thank you to both of you. appreciate it. up ahead, edward snowden revealed its innermost thoughts to nbc's own brian williams and what shows he's bingeing on came up. please, please, let it be duck dynasty. ♪ [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer.

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can't be subject to surveillance and give away our privacy and give away our rights. we have to be an active party. we have to be an active part of our government and we have to say there are some things worth dying for. and i think the country is one of them. >> the words of a patriot or the words of a traitor? reaction to edward snowden's interview with brian williams last night was pretty wide and mixed with twitter in particular lighting up. references to #patriot spiked around 120 tweets per minute. while the traitor hash tag hit 18 a minute. jo sef feen tweeted, america's traitors are corporations not edward snowden. snowden and putin have our intelligence secrets and some are praising him #traitor.

take a listen. >> i have no relationship with the russian government at all. i've never met the russian president. i'm not supported by the russian government and not taking money from the russian government and not a spy, which is the real question. >> people are going to find it hard to believe that president putin hasn't taken a run at you or what you know. you can stake declare tifly that hasn't happened? >> yeah, i mean, the way -- the way to think about this is again, i already know how to deal with counterintelligence, beyond that, i took nothing to russia, so i could give them nothing. >> well, that's not at all clear. among the other revelations the explosive news that edward snowden does not care for season two of the wire, serious. all week we've been discussing the inexplicable failure to test a growing backlog of rape kits

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when you think of memphis, what comes to mind? maybe graceland or historic bustling beal street. but memphis is the epicenter of a increase will go i contentious national fight over rape cases. hundreds of thousands of rape kits, the evidence from those crimes are sitting untested,

each have potential unsolved case. memphis holds the distinction of having the largest known backlog in the country. 12,164 rape kits at last count. majority of which have yet to be even processed. now a number of memphis women are fighting back launching two lawsuits against officials. women like megan eboss whose rape kit sat untested for nine years. >> when you went through the invasive process, you went through it with an expectation. >> i did, of course. i don't think anyone would consent to a procedure done by law enforcement if you didn't have that expectation. why would i give you that evidence if i didn't think you were going to use it? >> we'll bring you more of megan's story, but today let's hear from the mayor of the city at the heart of this challenge. here exclusively is memphis mayor a.c. wharton. we talked and you told me moving forward the big problem here is

not having enough money to test these kids and backlog. what's the exclusive announcement you have. >> justice comes first and although we may be strapped for cash, we're going to find the funds for this. sometimes the worst brings out the best. in this case 12,00 plus rape kits and the fill an tlopist organization has stepped and said $750,000 as a challenge grant and put that with the 2 million plus and get the $6 million. that 750 million we're well on our way. >> it's a huge promising step and maybe a model other cities can have. how do you intend the $4 million gap? >> people know that justice has not been served here and justice comes first. we're going to get it done. we've been to the white house. we've been to the statehouse. we didn't get it this year but

there's legislation pending in congress and i hope viewers weigh in also. it has to be done. >> a lot of viewers signed a letter to the heads of the committee overseeing that bill. it goes to vote tomorrow. that appropriations bill that you're referring to in the u.s. congress has $46 million earmarked for ending this backlog around the country. how much would that help you? >> tremendously, just a small portion of that as i say, we're over 3 million -- we'll get the rest of it. we've met with folks in washington. this is a national -- this is not a memphis or detroit issue. sex offenders by their very nature wander around, go -- not like your local burglar who hits 40 homes over the course of his career. these folks move all around. this is a national problem. >> and how did this problem come to be? is this cities passing the buck and law enforcement not wanting to deal with complicated casing? >> it's all of the above. heretofore, sexual offense cases

there was always a doubt, why exhaust all of these resources, she may not show up tomorrow, girlfriend, boyfriend. >> a little bit of sexism. >> a little bit of sexism, like we have more pressing things like burglaries and for. >> in the case of megan, a female detective handled the case and one that was so dismissive of the claims. >> you can't just blame sexism knows no barriers. women can be sexists and males also. sexism institutional sexism, not individual sexism. >> you intend to put a stop to that in your city? >> we do. look, the question is always asked, who did this, who did that? the other day we were talking, we're saying let's deal with the victims first. you'll have plenty of time to go and point fingers and who did it and who done it and all of that. right now every day we waste pointing fingers or digging up

bones, there's a victim who's waiting. justice delayed is justice denied. >> a lot of victims we've been talking to are angry at that mindset, they feel accountability needs to happen now and they lost their lives while kits sitting in backlogs but everyone can get behind wanting to end the backlog and the work you're done is important. >> keep the victim first, you can point fingers later. >> another thing tennessee has been in the news for, reinstated the use of the electric chair in death penalty cases. what do you say to people who say it's too barbaric. >> it is barbaric, but as i said the other day, either we're going to have the death penalty or not going to have it. that's another form of torture for the victim. if john doe is going to die, john doe is going to die. what the tennessee government did, i'm not going to prolong the search for a new medicine or whatever. i don't support the death penalty, but if you're going to have it, it's on the books,

don't keep teasing the victims when you're going to execute somebody -- >> do it by any means necessary. >> if not, get it off the books. >> mayor wharton, thanks for your work on this rape kit issue. that's the subject of this week's call to action, add your signature to the chairs of house and senate appropriation committees urging them to assure the ip inclusion of $36 million in funding in the fiscal year to help clear that backlog of rape kits across the united states. you can find the letter on our website. that's also where you'll find a story just posted on how one san francisco rape survivor took the stage to get her rape kit tested. we're covering this story across all msnbc and nbc platforms. eric shinseki hears the call for his resignation and turns a deaf ear of sorts. we say go see a doctor, but you know, wait times. if you have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, like me,

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the wait continues. not in the waiting room of a va hospital, although that too, but to see how long veterans affairs secretary eric shinseki can hold out in his job. after a damaging new inspector general report found quote, systemic patient safety issues and possibly wrongful deaths at a phoenix va hospital. at least 1700 veterans waiting for primary care not on a waiting list and at risk of being forgotten or lost in red tape. inspectors are now looking at 42 medical facilities for possible manipulation and conceal. of waiting times. secretary shinseki responded calling the finding reprehencible but calls for resignation appear to be coming from both sides of the aisle. this is increasingly a campaign

issue. a scant few politicians are still sticking with a measured tone. listen to john boehner earlier today. >> i'm going to continue to reserve judgment on general shinseki. the question i ask myself is him resigning going to get us to the bottom of the problem? is it going to help us find out what's really going on? and the answer i keep getting is no. >> the political challenge for president obama is whether to force secretary shinseki out. it was just last week the president said this. >> i know that rick's attitude is if he does not think he cannot do a good job on this and thinks he let our veterans down, i'm sure he's not going to be interested in continuing to serve. >> and president obama's press secretary jay carney is briefing press right now on this issue. we're going to take a live listen to that for just a

moment. >> he's put his heart and soul into this thing and taking it very seriously, that's quoting the president. when it comes to the current situation, the inquires and investigations and some of the allegations, president wants to see the results of these reports and he, as you know, made clear he believes there ought to be accountability once we establish all the facts. >> does that leave open the question of whether secretary shinseki can continue to lead this department? >> i think that the president identified last week that he expected a preliminary report from secretary shinseki's internal audit, very soon and when he receives that, he'll be able to evaluate those findings along with what we've seen from the interim report from the inspector general and then assess where we are at that time. >> is it fair to say that the white house moved -- >> jay carney talking about the latest in the ferocious fight

over whether to oust secretary shinseki saying there ought to be accountability but there needs to be a wait for the full audit that shinseki is conducting. evidence that delaying medical care to veterans is systemic throughout the va health system, how much longer can this debate go on? how much longer can shinseki keep that job? administration official recently told nbc news, earlier today in fact, that shinseki is quote, on thin ice at this point. joining us now is john salts, who served as an army officer and founder of vote votes.org and sebastian younger who spent more than a year embedded with soldiers in afghanistan. speaker boehner said that having shinseki resign won't help get to the bottom of this problem. do you agree? >> i don't think him resigning helps us get to bottom of the problem, he's not the reason for the problem to start. the va has been underfundsed for

decades. the republicans had a chance to pass a transformative $21 billion bill in the senate and bernie sanders pushed it and they filibustered it almost two months ago now. i think we're in a political conversation here and the white house should be very aggressive about the fact that the va hasn't been treated well by republican congress and have not done this. is he on thin ice? yes because this debate now is largely political. there's only one veteran service organization that called for his removal, that's the american legion. when you have senators from colorado and montana and situations like some running for senate and calling for his resignation, if that hill support disappears, he's got a big republican. republican attack dog groups are attacking vulnerable democratic senators. this is no longer about vsos but averagely about politics. is general shinseki the man to lead us out of this mess.

he's not a very good public affairs officer, never has been. >> you mentioned vulnerable democrats, senator udaul on twitter became the eighth to ask for his resignation, not tip he canally regarded as one of those vulnerable politically exploitive individuals. >> i would say he is politically vulnerable. his poll numbers in colorado are sinking. >> you think this is political for him? >> absolutely. if you look at the list, they are all people running in very tough senate races, bruce braley is another one, it's an open seat in iowa. these are hard senate races and the republicans have spent a tremendous amount of money in the last two months in michigan, in colorado, and in iowa, trying to increase the map of what's in play in the 2014 cycle and they've been rather effective. democrats will have to fight there and this is all about 2014 in the senate right now. it's taking this debate

certainly away from the veteran service organizations and issue of veterans care. i think obviously, the senate leadership democratic senate leadership would be a part of the conversation at this point. >> it does seem to be mounting. that is senator udall, asking f for resignations. one of the interesting things about the ig report is that it points to problems way back under leadership of all kinds, in 2005 they cite reports there was some evidence of concealment. john, what do you think of that? >> of course, of course. look. in 2008 we found veterans in texas being denied ptsd diagnosis and give them a diagnosis of adjustment disorder so they didn't have to pay them. it was a different situation in 2005 and 2008, but there's problems with the va over multiple administrations, democrat and republican.

and i think one of the things that this president has done very well is he's opened up the va to a bunch of different types of claims. there's been problems there for a long time. >> sebastian, this issue isn't new, we've been talking about it going back to 2005 and long time before that dealing with what some say is an anty quaited system. you wrote an op-ed saying the health needs of this community aren't being met. do you think that something needs to change more urgently than is happening in the current process? >> absolutely. i haven't made a study of the va, thank god. that would be a tough month for anybody to become expert in. i know a lot of soldiers who have come home and hear from them high tough it is. one friend of mine, in a platoon i was with, he has carpal tunnel, can't work because he has carpal tunnel and he can't get it fixed because the --

obama care tells him he's a veteran has to go with the va but the va is so disorganized he has a one year waiting list. that's classic. right? here you have this amazing young man in limbo. >> one thing we have heard from veterans that we've talked to in are the reporting this story. the quality of health care that this ultimately do get is good, if they can get through wait times. >> they are so frustrated by the time they get there. i also should say and some same guy pointed out, it's the guys with the worst ptsd who have the hardest time navigating the bureaucracy if you're all freaked out from combat, a bureaucracy is the last thing you're able to deal with. the guys who need the help the most, actually are psychologically the least equipped to get what they need to get through. >> the people who put everything on the line to defend us and

give up everything and come back often in shape where they need our protection are up against a system that is often their enemy. >> this is a nation that figured out how to do d-day and we can't take care of our vets. >> john, thank you for your stance on this, sebastian, stick around, up next we're going to go inside one of the most dangerous places on earth with you and inside the lives of the most courageous people that we have on this earth. part of sebastian's new documentary and he's going to talk about it next. ♪

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that was fun shooting. >> is there anything you miss? >> the fire fights, you know, fire fights. but we miss the fire fights.

>> i think a lot of us miss the adrenaline. >> i don't personally talk to extremists. as soon as you hear the snap of a bullet go by your head, or hit your head -- there's nothing else like it. >> all right, we're getting engaged again because our guys are moving! >> we're having a blast. >> oh! >> your turn! >> i'm on fire! >> that was a clip from the new documentary "korengal" shot in the korengal valley in afghanistan. it describes how war affects our u.s. troops fighting there. sebastien, the director and

producer of "korengal." thank you for your work on this. i think it's really allowed non-veterans to connect with what the experience is like and what some of the challenges are. we saw some of the soldiers telling you what they'll miss about war. how do they deal with coming back and readjusting to the pace of life at home? >> they deal with it very poorly. you have to understand, in combat, there's a huge amount of adrenaline. obviously you can see from that clip that it's something they really got used to. but there's a lot of closeness. they're sleeping shoulder to shoulder on the ground for a year. they're never alone. i mean, imagine spending a year never alone. never more than ten minutes from another person, from other people, who you really love and you would be willing to die for. >> and no one back home is going to understand. >> that's right. you've got the twib drutwin dru of adrenaline and doesness. they're intoxicating. and they come back home and life

is very dull, and not very close. we live in an alienated society. child abuse and mad killings in our schools and they come home. and frankly, they say it's more dangerous in afghanistan, but it's a hell of a lot nicer, i wish i was back that there. >> the president just announced this reduction of forces in afghanistan. so we're going to be seeing a lot more people am doing home. there will be 9,800 troops left. how has that announcement been received amongst the veterans you're in touch with? >> i wish i in the last day could have done an ib formal poll of my friends, but i haven't. i can tell you what i think about it. i think if the president had left 100,000 troops there, he would be in trouble with the afghans and the u.s. if he pulled all of them out, i think the house of cards would collapse. i think it's a compromise of safeguarding our gains without risking too many soldiers.

civilians, the citizenry, they send troops to war. it's not the soldiers' war, it's our war. and these guys come home, and they have the feeling that the people back home don't think that it's our war. i mean, they sort of disconnect from it. i'm hoping that the film helps civilians understand how soldiers are changed by combat. they miss it a lot. a lot of them miss it. they're changed in bad ways, but also in very good ways. i think if the civilian population could understand those changes, they'll be able to bring these people home more successfully. >> with veterans so much at the forefront of the national conversation right now, i think this does a great service. thank you. >> my pleasure. >> available in theaters on friday, a limited release elsewhere on june 13th. this tweet just in. steve cohen saying that the bill has passed. he said my amendment would add $5 million more to end the rape

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general's report confirms the extended wait times and misconduct we heard about in recent weeks. plus, the latest push to stop potential killers from buying guns. we'll tell you what's happening from coast to coast, and in between. plus -- >> the feature between the relationship of black and white america. >> an author delves into america's troubling history and a controversial piece makes the case for reparations, creating a national conversation. but we start with the va scandal, and the growing calls for the dispass al of secretary shinseki, who tells nbc news, is on thin ice. republicans at a news conference with veterans seized on a new report about the allegations of cooked books and long wait times, demanding accountability from the va, but also from president obama. >> accountability for this ar