tv Weekends With Alex Witt MSNBC May 31, 2014 4:00am-5:01am PDT
4:00 am
i agree with michael bloomberg said at harvard at a commencement speech the other day. let the speakers speak, let the protesters speak. if someone wants to advocate 17 ounce coke, let them yell to the high heavens but don't let speakers not speak because a blogger complains. let 1,000 flowers bloom. that's why i love the 60s. and i still do. that's it for "hardball." alex witt picks up our coverage now on msnbc. we will hear from one former marine who says he has the and. more fallout. edward snowden with new reaction to some of the u.s. claims about him. and was he really a trained spy? reaction ahead. a new report suggests the fbi may be looking into popular pro golfer mill mickelson. why him? plus. >> yo!
4:01 am
and counting. sudden and remarkable fund-raising effort to bring back reading rainbow. what is the number at this hour? it is eye pop. wo we're going to show you the figure. ♪ good morning, everyone. welcome to "weekend with alex witt." troubling details from a null released veteran affairs audit. the audit says problems went far beyond complaints from the phoenix facility with v.a. schedulers being pressured to use bad practices to make waiting times for appointments look more favorable. that audit found appointments at more than 60% of the divisions had been changed at least once. and 13% of the scheduling staffers indicate they got directs and instructions to enter a different date from the one requested by the patient. nbc kristen welker is at the
4:02 am
white house with us. we had eric shinseki giving the audit to the president before submitting his resignation yesterday. what more does this audit reveal and what happens next? >> good question, alex. >> reporter: one of the other troubling findings of that audit is that 78% of scheduling staffers used alternative methods than the electronic scheduling system and that occurred in about 64% of v.a. facilities nationwide so that just gives you a snapshot of how widespread this misconduct was. now you'll recall that president obama continued to express confidence in secretary shinseki really up until this week when, on wednesday, we got that preliminary ig report which also showed that there had been widespread misconduct and my sources here tell me that was really the key question for president obama. he wanted to know whether what we were seeing in the phoenix, the misconduct there, whether that was isolated or indicative
4:03 am
of a more systemic problem. the preliminary reports showed it was indicative of a more systemic problem. due to, that the president, and the secretary, himself, decided it was time for him to resign. as you also know, alex, there were mounting calls for him to do so prior to the president's announcement on friday. more than a hundred lawmakers calling for shinseki to step down. what is interesting after the president's announcement almost all of the lawmakers who responded not only did they think it was the right decision but they praised eric shinseki's service to the country. he is retired four-star general and take a listen to the reaction on friday. >> i don't know all of the circumstances surrounding it but everything i could say ian i think it was the right decision. he made a decision based upon his, i understand it, what was best for the v.a. >> you can blame him. the guy on top has got to take the hit for these things. but there are a lot of people underneath him, i think, who are not doing what they should have
4:04 am
been doing. >> reporter: so the question of what happens next, alex, obviously, a big job to fix this. it's not going to be fixed simply with a resignation of eric shinseki. president obama announced that the deputy secretary sloan gibson will serve as the interim secretary. he has served in the army and worked in the banking industry 20 years. only been on the job three months so some questions about whether he is up to taking on such a monumental task. he will be helped, by the way, by the deputy chief of staff rod nabors who president obama pointed to get to the bottom of exactly what is wrong here and how it can be fixed. >> very quickly. i understand not just eric shinseki but the man with whom you cross paths with near daily will be stepping down as well? >> reporter: that's right. it wasn't surprising to hear that jay carney was stepping down but certainly the timing was interesting, alex. we call friday document dump
4:05 am
day. so it was a little bit of a departure dump day, if you will. about an hour after we learned about shinseki's resignation jay carney came out for his daily briefing and president obama came in the room as a surprise and announced after years on the job jay carney decided to step down and spend more time with his family. it's not unusual. the white house press secretary is one of the most grueling in the white house. he is 49 and has two kids and wanting to spend more time with his family, especially this summer. 29-year-old josh ernest will take over and hails from kansas and has a very close relationship with the president. >> kristin, thank you for that update. ed, good morning to you. let's talk about shinseki's resignation and where the focus turns to now. >> i think really what it will
4:06 am
be is the focus will shift to congress in a sense and question get an idea of whether or not the house and the senate can work out some agreement on several different legislative proposals make it easy for the v.a. secretary whoever that person becomes, to get rid of people who are found to be involved in these accusations of mismanagement of poor care and delayed care. there's an understanding in the senate they will try to move very quickly on at least one bill that would make it easier for the secretary to get rid of senior officials who are found to be involved in these cases. beyond that a large senate proposal that would have provided more money for health care, for education, for unemployed veterans rejected by the senate molly republicans earlier this year. have to see if democrats have the political will to push that as well. >> yeah. i want to play part of "hardball" host chris matthews reaction to shinseki's resignation on friday. >> we all feel for general shinseki but what about that guy
4:07 am
right now waiting for a doctor, waiting three or four months who may have lost a limb or may have an infection and need help with something. that is the concern. like the catholic church, my church. they waited and worried about the priests and the cardinals and bishops and should have worried about the altar boys. i think the president acted today. better to react today than tomorrow or monday but it would have been better two days ago. >> do you think take the prevailing sense, ed? do we have a sense now of the scope of these problems? >> yeah, it is the prevailing sense. i think the fact that you saw it come so swiftly from so many democrats and those facing difficult reelections this year is the reason the white house, while they didn't ask shinseki to go and they say shinseki offered the resignation they weren't allowing him to hang out too long. the best from tammy duckworth who lost both of her legs in a helicopter accident during the iraq war and called me friday morning and said, ed, it's time for him to go.
4:08 am
the reason she said is because he has become too much of a distraction. that department, what he does is supposed to be all about the veterans and not about whether or not he gets to keep his job. >> which is why he said he wanted to resign in part as well. he didn't want to be a part of the distraction there. can i ask you about the new report in the "the washington post"? how the v.a. developed its culture of cover-ups. how did it get to this point, ed? >> it's been this way really since the start. it began as a sort of scandal-plagued agency back many years ago and it's just ballooned into an incredible bureaucracy that they are still trying to unwind. i talked to one of shinseki's former aides yesterday who said this is a guy who understood that bureaucracies take a long time to change because of the nature of how big they are and certainly that is the problem he ran into here. that this is a place that employs 300,000 people, operates more than 1,000 hospitals and clinics across the country.
4:09 am
buries more than 300 war veterans every day. and more than 100 big cemeteries across the country. it's an expansive agency full of probs o problems and whoever is in charge next faces a big problem ahead of them. stick around, ed. we will get a new report on edward snowden and i want your reaction what he said and whether any concrete evidence he was trained as a spy. now to weather. a flash flood warning in boulder, colorado. the runoff of snow melt and recent thunderstorms created them to bring out the sandbags. the north platte river began flooding. volunteers are creating barricades along that river's edges. the l.a. clippers are one step closer to having a new boss. a record setting deal is in place for former microsoft ceo steve ballmer to take the team over for $2 billion but donald sterling will nt go down without
4:10 am
a fight. we have more on the clippers future. >> reporter: it's the record-setting deal that has everyone talking. >> now the one thing that was diminishing the brand is out. that is donald sterling. >> reporter: a $2 billion agreement to sell the l.a. clippers to this man. the former ceo of microsoft steve ballmer. the blockbuster deal still needs nba approval and intend to do everything in my power take assure the clippers continue to win and win big in los angeles. michael thompson played in the nba. >> it's great for the clippers. they have got a fresh, new start under a guy who has deep pockets who can treat his employees and players in first class fashion. >> reporter: the potential sale come after donald sterling's racist comments. the nba banned him for life and fined him and force him out of the league. with the nba awaiting sale
4:11 am
documents donald sterling is suing the league for $1 billion in damages. sterling estranged wife shelly says she is now acti inin ining sole trustee. i am excited we are telling the team to steve who will be a terrific owner. they bought the team 12 years ago for $5 million. >> he has a reputation that is destroyed when his obituary is written. this will be the lead. >> reporter: the stage is set for ballmer to take over the clippers. a new owner with a fresh start and plenty of enthusiasm. >> our thanks to miguel for that report. a suicide bombing in syria is traced to an american from florida. the attack is believed to be the first involving an american since the syrian civil war began. he was in his early 20s and he traveled to syria late last year. the bombing happened earlier this week and killed 15 people.
4:12 am
a "wall street journal" report that phil mickelson is what the newspaper calls a, quote, major inside trader probe that involves carl icahn and whether or not he shared nonpublic information about his stocks and clorox to sports better billy walters who then may have passed it on to mickelson. investigators want to know if that knowledge was used to improperly trade the stock. a lawyer for michelson said phil is not the target of any investigation, period. nbc news reached out to the s.e.c. and fbi and the s.e.c. c cannot confirm. a record high close. the dow closed at 16,717 and three points above its previous high. s&p 500 finishing at a high record. the nasdaq dropping five points. in the big easy, a public gathering and a big one of republican leaders. a who's who of republican leaders on tap to give a talk today. you'll hear from one of its
4:13 am
featured speakers a relate tv star. new bickering between edward snowden and american officials. he says the u.s. is hiding some critical notes that he sent. with priority mail flat rate shipping. our priority has always been saving the day. because our priority... amazing! ...is you! the amazing spider-man 2 delivered by the united states postal service. [female announcer] we grow big celebrations,o. and personal victories. we grow new beginnings, and better endings. grand gestures, happier happy hours. so let's gro something greater with miracle-gro. what will you grow? they're about 10 times softer and may have surface pores where bacteria can multiply. polident kills 99.99%
4:14 am
of odor causing bacteria and helps dissolve stains. that's why i recommend polident. [ male announcer ] cleaner, fresher, brighter every day. [ male announcer ] cleaner, new business owner, it would be one thing i've learned is my philosophy is real simple american express open forum is an on-line community, that helps our members connect and share ideas to make smart business decisions. if you mess up, fess up. be your partners best partner. we built it for our members, but it's open for everyone. there's not one way to do something. no details too small.
4:16 am
house speaker john boehner says eric shinseki's resignation changes nothing in fixing problems with the v.a. >> general shinseki has dedicated his life to our country and we thank him for his service. his resignation, though, does not absolve the president of his responsibility to step in and make things right for our veterans. business as usual cannot continue. >> nbc kelly o'donnell is joining us from washington. good morning to you, kelly. how about the president and where does he go from here? >> this is a really complicated
4:17 am
problem and it is part political and part managerial. one of the political steps was to deal with the secretary at the v.a. i was with eric shinseki in the morning when he was addressing homeless veterans. he had two standing ovations because on that particular issue, dealing with homeless veterans, he had a lot of support. on the bigger issue of what has been uncovered at the v.a., obviously, became political untenable. so we saw the resignation. that is one step. but so many lawmakers and veterans we have talked to are asking the question about what comes next? how can they root out misconduct inside v.a. hospitals? >> we could go ahead and fix it. >> reporter: for president obama, the pressure is still on. >> we don't have time for distractions. we need to fix the problem. >> reporter: late friday, the white house released this photo marking the end of eric shinseki's four deck 80s of public service. >> i want to reiterate, he is a very good man. >> reporter: the former
4:18 am
four-star general's last public act was to express his regret over the v.a.'s systemic failures that left veterans waiting for care. >> i extended an apology to the people whom i care most deeply about and that is the veterans of this great country. >> reporter: veterans in phoenix were the scandal first broke say this change is a good first step. >> if we get some changes at the very top of the system, it's going to filter all the way down. >> they have to fix it from the inside. just getting in the hospital isn't the problem. >> reporter: investigators found that v.a. staffers falsified the records to hide long waiting times. the president was told friday that improper scheduling has happened at 64% of v.a. hospitals. lawmakers say one top resignation is not enough. >> we need to get to the roots of this which is why we have to have a criminal investigation of
4:19 am
the v.a. >> people have to understand they are going to be held accountable for the things that they do. >> reporter: short term, the president asked sloan gibson to take over and speaker john boehner says the president must fix the v.a. >> our veterans deserve better. we will hold the president accountable until he makes things right. >> reporter: and one of the things that both veterans and lawmakers talked about with me is they don't want to see just this event. the changing of who is running the department be a reason to sort of move on. they want to keep the pressure on both the white house and the system to make these changes. one of the things that eric shinseki did right before his resignation is to eliminate bonuses for senior v.a. hospital administrators. that is considered one of the possible motives that the way this system had worked it actually incentivized hiding numbers so their performance would look better to their bosses in washington to get
4:20 am
bonuses. that revealed through the i.g. report and whistle-blowers we talked to. that is one small step. how do they fix the deeply rooted problems at so many hospitals? that will take a long time. and as the president pointed out, while sloan gibson will fill in temporarily, there is a search on for a permanent new secretary of veterans affairs. >> i remember speaking with one member of congress last weekend on the broadcast who said he thought it would take about 40 years to get the whole thing fixed and i just did this and it was rather shocking to think it might take that long and we hope that is not the case. kelly, thank you very much. big name republicans are taking the stage later today in new orleans at the republican leadership conference. today's speakers include senator ted cruz and michelle bachmann and herman cain and the main speaker on friday, duck dynasty star, phil robertson. >> i'll tell you something else! it's biblical. one man, one woman for life. i'm always about this close to
4:21 am
fire power. my college professors told me we call that the ocean. i heard that bunk. we endow by our creator with certain unalienable rights to live, i can guarantee you in the womb or out of is what thomas jefferson meant. to be free and pursue happiness. >> the three-day conference wraps up today. bringing back reading rainbow. the remarkable fund-raising effort that continues to grow. ♪ with my friends, we'll do almost anything. out for drinks, eats. i have very well fitting dentures. i like to eat a lot of fruits. love them all. the seal i get with the super poligrip free keeps the seeds from getting up underneath. even well-fitting dentures let in food particles. super poligrip is zinc free. with just a few dabs, it's clinically proven to seal out more food particles
4:22 am
so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. a lot of things going on in my life and the last thing i want to be thinking about is my dentures. [ charlie ] try zinc free super poligrip. is my dentures. hey, buddy? oh, hey, flo. you want to see something cool? snapshot, from progressive. my insurance company told me not to talk to people like you. you always do what they tell you? no... try it, and see what your good driving can save you. you don't even have to switch. unless you're scared. i'm not scared, it's... you know we can still see you. no, you can't. pretty sure we can... try snapshot today -- no pressure. wake it up with olay regenerist. formulated with a skin energizing complex, it penetrates 10 layers of the skin's surface. because energized skin is younger looking skin. ♪ is younger looking skin. intercourse that's painfulit...
4:23 am
due to menopausal changes. the problem isn't likely to go away... ...on its own. so it's time we do something about it. and there's help. premarin vaginal cream. a prescription that does what no over-the-counter product was designed to do. it provides estrogens to help rebuild vaginal tissue and make intercourse more comfortable. premarin vaginal cream treats vaginal changes due to menopause and moderate-to-severe painful intercourse caused by these changes. don't use premarin vaginal cream if you've had unusual bleeding, breast or uterine cancer, blood clots, liver problems, stroke or heart attack, are allergic to any of its ingredients or think you're pregnant. side effects may include headache, pelvic pain, breast pain, vaginal bleeding and vaginitis. estrogen may increase your chances of getting cancer of the uterus, strokes, blood clots or dementia, so use it for the shortest time based on goals and risks. estrogen should not be used to prevent heart disease, heart attack,
4:24 am
stroke or dementia. ask your doctor about premarin vaginal cream. and go to premarinvaginalcream.com this is worth talking about. and i get a lot in return with ink plus from chase i make a lot of purchases for my business. like 60,000 bonus points when i spent $5,000 in the first 3 months after i opened my account. and i earn 5 times the rewards on internet, phone services and at office supply stores. with ink plus i can choose how to redeem my points. travel, gift cards even cash back. and my rewards points won't expire. so you can make owning business even more rewarding. ink from chase. so you can. in this this morning's three big money headlines energy boost a bit more and a rainbow connection so joining me to break it down it "usa today" contributor regina lewis.
4:25 am
what can you tell me? >> solar installation is up 80% year over year. pretty big number. importantly driven by residential installations versus just commercial. in fact, residential surpassed commercial for the first time since 2002 and it was really interesting when you look at where this action is occurring, of course, sunny areas like arizona and nevada and california but not necessarily with tax incentives from the state in the form of tax credits or grants. so that really indicates consumer intent meaning people are going to do this incentive or not. >> pretty cool. let's go to a bit more. a bit more of what, may i ask? >> bitcoin. they now become the largest company to do so. they don't accept bitcoins. they go through an exchange where they are converted. probably a pr move to them to seem progressive but for the t bitcoin movement. you need more than one big-time ticket payment.
4:26 am
i'm going to buy my ticket to space. you need satellite bills and mortgage payments and car payments. so significant in that regard. >> interesting. the rainbow connections is bringing back a lot of memories for a couple of generations. >> yeah, for sure. it started in 1983 the show "rain reading." levar burton who was the host said i want to bring it back and i'm going to go to the site kickstarter.com which is crowd source funding to get your help. he was shooting for a million dollars and it took 11 hours, alex, for him to get there. here is a tape of what happened when he hit the mark. >> yea! yo! woo! >> $1 million! >> i am overwhelmed. thank you so much! this is going to enable us to really, really, really do a lot of good. >> so since this, alex, it's now over $3 million. he is shooting for 5 but you
4:27 am
raised an interesting point when you said people who grew with up with this show. if you grew up with it that would make you in the late 20s and early 30s. the people you can say help me. the contribution can be as low as a dollar and poured in and added up. >> the show has been off the air for almost eight years. so quite remarkable. >> good for him. >> thanks, regina. was edward snowden a trained spy with a fake name? how we get reaction to this week's bombshell interview. first an urgent warning from the cdc as measles cases surge to a 20-year high in the united states. here is the story by the numbers with now this news. ♪ ♪
4:28 am
[ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪ it's not for colds, it's not for pain, it's just for sleep. because sleep is a beautiful thing™. ♪ zzzquil. the non-habit forming sleep aid from the makers of nyquil®. the non-habit forming sleep aid (meowright on cue. it's more than just a meal, it's meow mix mealtime. with wholesome ingredients and irresistible taste, it's the only one cats ask for by name.
4:31 am
welcome back to weekends with alex witt. new reaction from nsa leaker edward snowden following his exclusive interview with nbc brian williams. snowden is firing back after the nsa publicly released an e-mail he sent to the agency and andrea mitchell has the new details. >> reporter: edward snowden is standing by what he told nbc's brian williams that he is a whistle-blower not a traitor. >> now i have raised these complaints not just officially, in write, through e-mail, to these offices and these individuals, but to my supervisors, to my colleagues. >> reporter: the nsa said thursday it found only one e-mail from snowden asking for clarification on a legal issue, not whistle blowing. as to comments snowden responded to nbc friday, calling the nsa release incomplete saying the nsa's new discovery of written contact between me and its lawyers after more than a year of denying any such contact
4:32 am
existed raises serious concerns. still the white house is challenging snowden's credibility. >> he was not trained as a spy? we have no idea where that assertion comes from. >> reporter: john kerry's comments to chuck to do this week. >> go back to the pentagon papers and dan elsberg and others who stood and went to the court system of america and made their case. edward snowden is a coward. he is a traitor. and he has betrayed his country. >> reporter: daniel elsberg the whistle-blower leaped to snowden's defense. >> secretary of state kerry's characterization of snowden was actually despicable. he knows he could not get a fairly trial and i fully agree with him. >> reporter: snowden seemed hopeful writing in his e-mail response writing the following. but as for coming home to, quote, face the music, snowden
4:33 am
says the music is not an open court affair trial. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. joining me again is ed o'keefe of "the washington post." you heard there secretary kerry and ambassador rice but you do not hear such direct and biting comments and usually couched in diplo speak. >> i think secretary kerry's comments really encapsuled best of all. you guys had a great thing going you were asking people to talk about whether he is a traitor or a patriot. i think in kerry's estimate at least patriot airs his grievances or willing to go to court if they broke the law. thinking back to the vietnam era. i think there is sort of a generational divide here, in addition to being concerned about the fact he did all of this and then fled the country and was thinkinging out hanging out in places like cuba and
4:34 am
ecuador instead of staying in the united states and facing justice. not only from the administration standpoint but also on capitol hill among members of both parties. there may be some who feel he has raised important points and done things lawmakers themselves couldn't do but they all agree he broke the law and has to face the music at some point if he expects to come back to the united states. >> reporter: the spy factor. here is what he said to being a spy in the brian williams interview. take a listen to that. >> i was trained as a spy in sort of the traditional sense of the word in that i lived and worked undercover overseas pretending to work in a job that i'm not. and even being assigned a name that was not mine. >> reporter: is this the first we are hearing, ed, of him being trained as a spy? and what is the read on that statement? is it plausible? >> well, yeah. this is pretty much the first that he is saying he was trained as a traditional spy. but he does point out rightly that a lot of spying now does happen sort of digitally. the problem for the administration, remember, they
4:35 am
have to speak to three distinct audienc audiences. the world and the revelations that snowden has pushed forth. the nation and sort of the political atmosphere. i think most critically in this case, based on what snowden said this week, is the federal work force, you know, people who work in the system right now, to begin confirming all of the details of snowden might cause other people who are thinking similarly or, you know, are concerned about the fate of whistle-blowers that, gosh, maybe the government will throw me under the bus or confirm sensitive things of the work i've done on behalf of the government. there is a legal aspect here and if they begin confirming details of snowden's employment history when he was working in such a sensitive field. so, you know, this remains a really difficult thing for the white house. i think nothing short of snowden coming home in handcuffs either to go directly to jail or at least face trial will be acceptable to capitol hill at least and then i think that remains the sticking point of
4:36 am
why snowden, at least so far, has been unwilling to come home. >> ed o'keefe, thank you for filling in. appreciate it. >> take care. let's get more on the v.a. scandal. veterans administration secretary eric shinseki has stepped down but he publicly apologized to all vets for what happened at the phoenix facility. >> that breach of integrity is irresponsible. it is indefensible and unacceptable. but i can take responsibility, responsibility for it. and i do. >> he does not want to be a distraction because his priority is to fix the problem and make sure our vets are getting the care that any need. >> for that to happen, many in congress are calling for the fbi to investigate the case. nbc justice responsibility pete williams hat latest from our washington bureau. good morning, pete! >> reporter: alex, good morning. more calls for the justice department to investigate. what shapg so fis happening is investigation is held by the inspector general of the v.a. but the v.a. has been supplying
4:37 am
information to federal prosecutors when the folks at the v.a. think they may have something that could involve criminal conduct. the justice department is gathering this information and if the federal prosecutors decide there is evidence of potential criminal violations, then the justice department will launch a criminal investigation but senior officials tell us it hasn't happened yet. it's certainly gathering information but merely because things were screwed up at the v.a. medical centers if things were mishandled it's not necessarily a crime and could be bad management or stupidity or it could be a lot of things. until they see evidence of a crime, fraud somebody changing the records to get more money or something like that, then they will hold off until they see evidence of a crime. so they tell us that is where the status is right now. it certainly wouldn't surprise anyone if the justice department does eventually open a criminal investigation but we are told it's a technical matter that has not yet happened. alex? >> pete, thank you for that from d.c. joining me now is iraq war
4:38 am
veteran patrick murphy and host of msnbc "taking the hill." and marine who served two tours in iraq and leadership fellow for the afghanistan veterans of america. thank you for joining me, fellows. >> thank you. >> patrick, we heard from pete on the possible criminal charges. you're a lawyer. do you believe there were criminal actions here? >> there might be, alex opinion a -- and i wouldn't be surprised if they were. bloom bloom bloomenthal has called for an investigation. we know cooking the books and falsifying data up the chain of command but if they knowingly did that to get a bonus, that is frauding the government. so, quite frankly, there could be. now, again, we need to have an investigation and need to see but a different type of investigation with the ig is doing right now within the v.a.
4:39 am
it is a separate department of justice fbi investigation that folks like senatthe senator is calling for. >> do you think the right decision for shinseki to resign? >> i served under general shinseki and will tell you he is a man of integrity. he served over five decades in this country in uniform and out of it and he served with integrity. it was his call and he offered to resign. did it break president obama's heart a little bit because they are both from hawaii and they are a very good relationship? i think so. but i trust general shinseki's judgment. and i trust his leadership. he thought it was a distraction. i didn't think he had to. i was on the network saying he didn't have to, but i trust his judgment and i think it's time, you know, for a new generation here to get in that v.a. to make sure they are doing right.
4:40 am
we are at a crossroads right now on how we treat the american veteran, alex. with great challenges, come great opportunities. the opportunity to lead, to let those soldiers know we need to take care of you when you come home, we leave no one behind and the fact we have 22 veterans committing suicide every day is appalling. >> yes, absolutely. t ty reek, i'm curious about your reaction about the veterans you speci speak with. >> first, thank you for having me. i think the general stepping down is a welcome change. we need accountable and, you know, right now, we need president obama to take the lead on this and show some leadership here, and get someone that is going to bring changes that our veterans need. myself, i've benefited tremendously from my local v.a. i haven't experienced some of the problems that's been out there, however, we know that is not the case with this interim ig report.
4:41 am
this is an opportunity for the president to get in and get in and handle the situation and get it under control. and we definitely, you know, welcome a new leader, but let us not forget this is not about one person. this is about a system, a system that this interim report has shown has major systemic issues and we need -- we need new leadership to get this under control. >> interesting, montell williams was in the marine corps and navy before starting his talk show. let's take a listen to his proposal for president obama. >> he could allow every single one of those veterans in a waiting list allow them to go to an active duty military hospital or clinic. he could ask each branch of the service to augment those clinics today in temporary active duty with person who just left the service to come and help clear -- >> give them other options? >> right now. right now.
4:42 am
>> those bases are overwhelmed very often and not bases have a surge of doctors. >> easy. guess what? we do a search. he can call upon right now veterans who just came up active duty who are still in the reserves, he can bring them back on active duty in something called tem act. the budget is there for tem act. >> do you think that could work? tyreak, you first. >> it's thinking outside the box and these are the things that we actually, you know, need and we need, you know, new people to come in and show some bold leadership here on making those necessary changes. i don't know this is a situation that will necessarily work but it's something that can be looked at. among other things. and we also have the v.a. accountability act. when a new secretary is brought in they need to have the power to get rid of bad directors across the va.
4:43 am
>> patrick, can doctors handle the special care so many vets need? >> for the routine stuff, absolutely, alex. right now, 10% of the v.a. care is through private doctors and nonv.a. care. right now, 10%. there is this new initiative 26 billion dollar initiative just launched by the v.a. a few months ago to allow veterans to use what is called patient center community care. montell was right. we need a surge of doctors. there is a national shortage in doctors and mental health care professionals specifically and the v.a. is bearing a brunt of that national shortage but we need folks to go and be patriots and take care of these heroes when they come home. >> gentlemen, thank you both for weighing in. appreciate that. >> thanks. >> thank you for having me. one week after that california rampage, the santa barbara county sheriff's department is launching an internal investigation. should deputies have been able to prevent what happened? clint van zandt is next. is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol.
4:44 am
i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills. ♪ yup. another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. ♪ [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap. ♪ you need to see this. show 'em the curve. ♪ do you know what this means?
4:45 am
the greater the curvature, the bigger the difference. [sci-fi tractor beam sound] ...sucked me right in... it's beautiful. gotta admit one thing... ...can't beat the view. ♪ introducing the world's first curved ultra high definition television from samsung. if you have a business idea, we have a personalized legal solution that's right for you. with easy step-by-step guidance, we're here to help you turn your dream into a reality. start your business today with legalzoom. but when we put something in the ground, feed it, and care for it, don't we grow something more? we grow big celebrations, and personal victories. we grow new beginnings, and better endings. grand gestures, and perfect quiet. we grow escape, bragging rights, happier happy hours. so let's gro something greater
4:46 am
with miracle-gro. what will you grow? share your story at miraclegro.com. what will you grow? ameriprise asked people a simple question: in retirement, will you outlive your money? uhhh. no, that can't happen. that's the thing, you don't know how long it has to last. everyone has retirement questions. so ameriprise created the exclusive.. 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. they're about 10 times softer and may have surface pores where bacteria can multiply. polident kills 99.99% of odor causing bacteria and helps dissolve stains. that's why i recommend polident. [ male announcer ] cleaner, fresher, brighter every day. two new pieces of criminal
4:47 am
information about the events leading up to last friday's deadly rampage year the university of california-santa barbara. deputies did know about the suspect's disturbing online videos but they didn't watch them until after he fatally stabbed and shot six people. clint van zandt. welcome to you, clint. >> hi. >> does it seem like the investigators dropped the ball? >> i don't know about drop the ball. i think it's time for a review of protocol. you know, two different cases, alex. i call the sheriff's office and say my son is a junior in college, he hasn't answered his phone in two days, will you go check on him? that is a big difference than calling and saying my son has mental health problems, he posted videos where perhaps he is talking about hurting himself or other people. if you hear something like the latter, i think then it's time
4:48 am
to check police records, check firearms records, before you go and talk to the individual. i mean, it's an easy question. i'm sitting down and doing a wellness check. do you have any guns? what do you use them for? that is not infringing on his rights to ask that question. as a deputy, i'd sure like to know the answer before i went through the door if i thought this guy had mental health issues. >> right. which brings to mind. considering the ease with which people can guy gbuy guns. he bought three guns earlier this year. why didn't they just check a registry? what would prevent them from doing that? >> it would have been the easiest as saying they probably will say do you have any idea how many wellness chex we do every day and every year? i would say, that is fine but for the safety of the officers and for the safety of the community, it would seem that it would be a relatively quick check. have we encountersed this guy in
4:49 am
the criminal justice system before is in the answer it would have been yes. there was an assault case. he made a citizens arrest himself. does he have guns registered? those deputies before they went to the door and realized two of them had encountered him in the community in the past. that is why they roll to the call. they should have had that information. would it have changed things? i don't know. but it would have given them other lines of questioning to try to delve into this guy and see. does he present a threat to himself or others? >> here is the thing. i know i'm coming down hard and saying they dropped the ball. >> sure. >> but they knew about these online videos and they didn't even look at this them. you don't go with that kind of information? >> and the question do we have time for patrol officers, deputies to sit down and review it? the answer may be no, but in this particular case, it came from somebody in the family to a mental health worker to the police department. somewhere in that chain, those deputies may not have had the time to sit down, but somebody
4:50 am
should have said, what threatening videos? let me see the videos so i know what i'm sending my deputies to. i think, alex, this is going to cause a review of protocol on these type of checks. or walk away feeling this guy doesn't present a threat to himself when unbe knownst to us. i missed you, too.ou. hi buddy. mom! awesome! dad!! i missed you. ♪ oh... daddy. chevrolet and its dealers proudly
4:51 am
support military appreciation month. with the industry's best military purchase program, for all that have served. say "hi" rudy. [ barks ] [ chuckles ] i'd do anything to keep this guy happy and healthy. that's why i'm so excited about these new milk-bone brushing chews. whoa, i'm not the only one. it's a brilliant new way to take care of his teeth. clinically proven as effective as brushing. ok, here you go. have you ever seen a dog brush his own teeth? the twist and nub design cleans all the way down to the gum line, even reaching the back teeth. they taste like a treat, but they clean like a toothbrush. nothing says you care like a milk-bone brushing chew. [ barks ] i'm a messy person. i don't like cleaning. i love my son, but he never cleans up. always leaves a trail of crumbs behind. you're going to have a problem with getting a wife. uh, yeah, i guess. [ laughs ] this is ridiculous. christopher glenn! [ doorbell rings ] what is that? swiffer sweep & trap. i think i can use this. it picks up everything.
4:52 am
4:53 am
4:54 am
diverse,less attached to institutions, less trusting, loaded with debt yet optimistic about the future. joining me is paul taylor, author of "the next america." you say these changes are happening in this country, young and old. can you explain? >> you touched on a lot of them. this is a fascinating generation. the oldest of the len y'alls are in their 30s. in addition to what you pointed out, they are the first generation in american history to be doing less well economically than their parents generation. some of this has to do with student loan debt. but if you look at the folks really in trouble in this generation, it's the kids that didn't go to college to begin with. we know that the changing kbloebl economy is killing a lot
4:55 am
of jobs that high school graduates used to be able to get. 25 to 33-year-olds, unemployment rate is about 4% with a b.a. degree. without a degree, it's about 12%. you go to school and wind up with $30,000 in debt. you don't go to college, you have trouble finding a job. >> surveys find there's no sign of a generation war. >> it's fascinating. it has to do with changing cultural norms. i'm a baby boomer. my cohort came of age in the '60s. these kids kr gotten a worse deal economically from their parents and grandparents, but they don't feel a sense of generational anger. a lot of them are at home living with mom and dad which is a good place to hang out if you can't find a job. that's a happy sign. there's a lot of rebalancing we need to do in our social safety net. they are going to have to work
4:56 am
that out and at least in their family lives they get along well. >> they are less attached marriage, religion? >> they are skeptical, wary and they have the thing called a smart phone. we all have them but they use them more veraciously and build their own networks. they don't need institutions to attach themselves to. they can create their own institutions and somebody called them the preka purn can with the vices the universe can revolve around them. they place their sell selfies out there and it's the way they navigate the world. the old institutions don't matter much. >> are they going to stay optimistic? >> every generation tends to be optimistic. they tend to think it's all
4:57 am
going to work out just fine. that's part of the glory of youth. and then life happens and you see optimism fade as folks get into middle age. that may happen with this generation. we don't know yet. >> paul taylor, thank you so much. that's a wrap of this hour of the show. join me again at noon eastern. straight ahead "up" with steve kornacki. what if a photo were more than a memory? what if it were more than something to share? what if a photo could build that shelf you've always wanted? or fix a leaky faucet?
4:58 am
or even give you your saturday back? the new snapfix app revolutionizes local service. just snap a photo and angie's list coordinates a top-rated provider to do the work on your schedule. the app makes it easy. the power of angie's list makes it work. download snapfix for free. in pampers cruisers. they adapt at the waist, legs and bottom, with up to 12 hours of protection for all the freedom to just play. pampers.
4:59 am
then you'll know how uncomfortable it can be. [ crickets chirping ] but did you know that the lack of saliva can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath? [ exhales deeply ] [ male announcer ] well there is biotene. specially formulated with moisturizers and lubricants, biotene can provide soothing relief and it helps keep your mouth healthy, too. [ applause ] biotene -- for people who suffer from dry mouth. [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪
5:00 am
eric shin seki is gone. what took so long. thanks for getting up with us this saturday morning. the last full day of may. it's been a busy 24 hours of news. we want to get to as much of it as we can. we're going to begin with the unscheduled appearance president obama made. it came right after he met with eric shinseki. >> a few minutes
110 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
MSNBC West Television Archive The Chin Grimes TV News Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on