next on "meet the press," the nightmare is over for america's last prisoner of the afghanistan war. bowe bergdahl, he's a free man after nearly five years in taliban captivity. but despite the obvious good news, there are concerns over the fact he was released in exchange for five taliban prisoners from the prison at guantanamo bay. has a dangerous precedent been set? i'll ask defense secretary chuck hagel who joins me exclusively from afghanistan. and following his exclusive interview with brian williams, edward snowden has been called a traitor and a coward by secretary of state john kerry, but after hearing him speak, does the american public agree? we'll bring you the results of a brand new nbc news poll. plus, recording the reality of war. ahead of the 70th anniversary of d-day our tom brokaw is with us

and he will have a fascinating report on how the battlefield experience shaped the vision of one of hollywood's most iconic directors. from nbc news in washington "meet the press" with david gregory. >> good morning. on a particularly busy sunday morning, bowe bergdahl was transferred immediately from afghanistan to a u.s. medical center in germany. earlier i was joined exclusively from afghanistan by defense secretary chuck hagel, but first our chief pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski has the remarkable story of sergeant bergdahl's capture, detention, and release. >> reporter: in the white house rose garden with president obama late saturday, bowe bergdahl's parents sounded totally overwhelmed by the news. >> we will continue to stay strong for bowe while he recovers. thank you. >> thank you so much. we just can't communicate the

words this morning when we heard from the president. >> reporter: five years ago in june 2009, private bowe bergdahl walked away from his combat outpost in afghanistan and was taken captive by the taliban. >> what's your name? >> my name is bowe bergdahl. >> reporter: three weeks later his captors released the first of five hostage videos. >> i am scared, scared i won't be able to go home. >> reporter: by christmas, the taliban was using bergdahl as a propaganda tool, apparently under duress, he spoke out against the u.s. military mission in afghanistan. >> i'm afraid to tell you that this war -- >> reporter: it took two years for the first sign of a breakthrough. the taliban offered to free bergdahl in exchange for the release of five taliban leaders held at guantanamo bay, cuba. but u.s. defense and intelligence officials at the time considered the five among the most dangerous at

guantanamo, and in secret pentagon documents obtained by wikileaks, the five detainees were all described as mid to senior level taliban, high risk, likely threat to the u.s., and recommended for continued detention. but with the u.s. war in afghanistan winding down, there was increasing pressure on the white house and pentagon to get bergdahl released before most american military pulled out of the country. so five years after he was taken captive, bowe bergdahl was freed this weekend. only six hours later, the five taliban detainees were on a u.s. military transport plane to qatar in the persian gulf. jim miklaszewski, nbc news, the pentagon. >> earlier i spoke exclusively, as i say, with secretary of defense chuck hagel. he was at bagram air base near kabul in afghanistan. i began by asking him about those reports that the timing of this operation was prompted by concerns about bergdahl's health. >> well, david, as you know, he

has been held for five years, and that's five years of very difficult living, and we don't know yet all the specifics and details. he is in landstuhl, germany, at our medical facility there. our health care professionals are now with him, and they will be giving him complete checkups. we will be giving him exactly what he needs, and until we get those evaluations, we just don't know much more. although he did walk to the extraction helicopter. he did perform the basic duties and responsibilities when that process took place, but beyond that i wouldn't want to speculate. >> can you take us inside what happened? how you were actually able to get him? how these negotiations proceeded

with the taliban? >> well, first, i want to congratulate, again, all who had something to do with this, but also to thank the mayor of qatar, the qatari government, and all the people in qatar who helped make this occur. the transaction really was done by the qatar government and the emir's commitment to getting that accomplished. we facilitated that in different ways, but in the interest of our own intelligence and procedures, i don't want to go much further than that. >> but this is potentially a good sign if you think about the future of afghanistan. if bergdahl was held by the most hardened taliban fighters who operate out of pakistan, does this pave the way for perhaps a new round of negotiations with the taliban directly between the united states and the taliban

about the taliban's future in running afghanistan? >> well, it could, it might, and we hope it will present an opening. as you know, we have strongly supported an afghan-led effort to come to an agreement with the taliban. as you know, we had engaged with the taliban up until 2012. they broke off those negotiations. we've had no formal relationship since then. so maybe this will be a new opening that can produce an agreement. >> there is some blowback to what is being treated as very good news, the release of the prisoner. some in the united states, members of congress have said, look, congress is supposed to be consulted before there's any prisoner exchange, especially prisoners from guantanamo bay, hardened taliban fighters who have been linked to killing americans in a theater of war in

afghanistan. the chairman of the intelligence committee, republican mike rogers, issued a statement saying this fundamental shift in u.s. policy signals to terrorists around the world a greater incentive to take u.s. hostages. further, he said, i have little confidence in the security assurances regarding the movement and activities of the now-released taliban leaders and i have even less confidence in the administration's willingness to ensure that they are enforced. are these prisoners being released from guantanamo a national security threat to the united states or our allies? >> well, david, let's slow down for a minute and back up and look at the facts here. sergeant bergdahl is a member of the united states army. this was a prisoner exchange. after five years he's been a prisoner of war. as to notification of congress, yes, there is a 30-day notification. i notified the appropriate committee leadership, different committee leadership yesterday.

that's part of the responsibility i have as the secretary of defense, and we did this under the time line we did for the very reason that i explained when you asked me the first question. this was -- this essentially in your opinion to save the life of sergeant bergdahl. as i said before, we had information that his health could be deteriorating rapidly. there was a question about his safety. we found an opportunity. we took that opportunity. i'll stand by that decision. i signed off on the decision. the president made the ultimate decision. we did spend time looking at this. as to guantanamo, the president has made very clear he wants to close guantanamo. we do have responsibilities that we don't let anyone out of guantanamo, and i will not sign

off on any detainee coming out of guantanamo unless i am assured, unless our government is assured, our country can be assured that we can sufficiently mitigate any risk to america's security. >> do you worry about a precedent here, mr. secretary? the prospect that prisoners at guantanamo could be sought after by the taliban or other terrorist groups, that other troops could be vulnerable now, other americans could be vulnerable because the government could be accused here in effect of negotiating with terrorists? >> well, first of all, we didn't negotiate with terrorists. as i said and explained before, sergeant bergdahl is a prisoner of war. that's a normal process in getting your prisoners back. that's first. second, as to your bigger question, we are dealing with terrorism and hostage taking all the time everywhere. i think america's record is pretty clear on going after terrorists, especially those who

take hostages, and i don't think what we did in getting our prisoner of war released in any way would somehow encourage terrorists to take our american service men prisoner or hostage. in war things are always dangerous, and there are vulnerabilities as there are around the world, but our record, the united states of america in dealing with terrorists, in finding and hunting down those terrorists, is pretty good, david. >> i want to ask you one more about this. what about an investigation into what happened here? as we have reported, this was five years ago when sergeant bergdahl essentially left his command post.

there are questions about why that happened. that was mysterious. his father was saying that he was having some difficulty speaking english upon his release. what questions will drive an investigation for you? >> well, first of all, we are focused on, as we have done -- accomplished in the last few hours, the safe return of sergeant bergdahl. he is a member of the united states armed forces. second, our priority now is to give him all the care he needs so that he can be integrated back into society, and, third, is at the same time the reunification with his family. that's our focus now, and that's going to continue to be our focus. >> but is there anything that concerns you that has raised a red flag to you that you would like to get to the bottom of concerning his original disappearance and captivity,

particularly the questions as to why he was struggling to speak english now? >> well, david, he's been held by the taliban. we don't know where. we don't know under what circumstances for five years. as far as we know, he was not held with any other americans or any english-speaking people. we don't know that yet. i'm not surprised that there are still questions, and until we get the facts exactly what the condition of sergeant bergdahl is, we can't go much further in speculating. but, you know, this is a guy who probably went through hell the last five years, and let's focus on getting him well and getting him back with his family. >> do you specifically believe that he was tortured? >> i don't know.

again, david, i don't know until we can work this through, but, again, the first issue is his health, and then we'll get into all the other parts as to what his conditions were like and the follow-on questions to his captivity. >> mr. secretary, i just want to touch on the other big story this week, of course, and that is secretary of the veterans affairs administration shinseki resigning amid this scandal within the va. there are questions about the care that veterans are getting today and the lack of service that they have gotten as the internal audit has found. you have got some 22,000 veterans from afghanistan, where you are, who will be returning home. how does this get fixed going forward? >> well, it must be fixed. that's first. let me, first, address general shinseki. as president obama said in thanking him for his service to our country over an entire career, we owe shinseki that

debt of gratitude for his service. now, the bigger issue, which you have just asked me about, there are problems. we know from the va's inspector general's early and initial investigation that they are probably systemic. we need more facts. but the fact is, as president obama said, we are going to act now. we must act now to fix whatever is wrong. i'm committed to do that as secretary of defense, to continue to help veterans administration leaders. we do that now. we work very closely with the veterans administration. we'll continue to do that. we'll continue to offer everything we can offer in order to assist them, but we have no higher responsibility in our country than to take care of these men and women whose selfless service we depended on

and continue to depend on to this day, and we'll fix it. >> for more reaction to that interview, i'm joined by michael lighter, nbc security analyst for nbc news. former director of the national counterterrorism center. michael, i want to focus on these guantanamo prisoners who were released. the five detainees were on the obama administration's list to be held indefinitely without charges. how big of a risk to release these detainees to qatar. >> this is significant, david. there's always a range of people in guantanamo, the low level fighters up to the other al qaeda operatives. these guys are very close to the khalid sheikh mohammeds. they are serious leaders. the deputy defense leader of the taliban, a key governor. these are people who helped lead taliban's relationship with al qaeda pre-9/11, helped fight against u.s. interests post-2001, and they will be in

the coming years once they finally are released from qatar, they will be key in the future of the taliban. >> and they could be back in afghanistan. you're a terrorism expert. part of your job in the government was to protect america or our forces in the field in war against terrorists. what's changed that would make the administration think, okay, it's okay to take this risk now. we wouldn't have done it a couple years ago. >> one key change, the war is coming to an end. the president's announcement, it's coincidental that this release happened the same week as the 9,800 troops now, no troops by 2016, but the fact is we are winding things down. we are leaving afghanistan. during a period where we had 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 troops in afghanistan, you couldn't let people like this out. this is an exclamation point on the fact that we are withdrawing and this is now for the afghans. >> what about guantanamo bay and these other prisoners? i mean, are they in effect bargaining chips on the international scene? >> this is a very difficult

position, and i think actually getting more of them out will be harder now because of congressional reaction to the president's release in this case. there are still many people there who we cannot let go. >> michael, thanks so much for your expertise. i'm joined by paul rieckhoff and founder and ceo of iraq and afghanistan veterans. and adam kinzinger, republican congressman from illinois. he's an iraq and afghanistan veteran, still serves as a pilot in the air national guard. i have you both here to talk about the fallout from the va scandal, shinseki's resignation. congressman, let me start with you, though, on the key point of the release of the taliban prisoners. as a member of congress, a republican, do you oppose what you just heard from secretary hagel and his rationale for releasing them. >> let me say this, welcome home, bowe. there are a lot of questions about why he got captured. as you tried to get an answer to, that you did not get an answer to, in terms of abandoning his post. so i'm going to celebrate him coming home. the release of five mid to high level taliban is shocking to me,

especially without coming to congress. it says in the law you have to notify congress, and then putting five people potentially back on the battlefield. even though our troops are out in 2016, which i think is shocking that the president once again went along with the timeline like he did in iraq, you now are going to have five people potentially on the ground targeting american troops, afghan troops, and the afghan people. there are a lot of questions that need to be asked. this whole exchange is shocking to me and i'm very disappointed. >> paul, any veteran has to celebrate this moment when a comrade comes home. the question though about what happened here, walking off his post, the questions now about what happened to him in captivity, difficulty speaking english. what questions would you want to know more about? >> we just want to welcome him home. we have to underscore that point. this guy has been in captivity for five years. most of america forgot his name or never knew it to begin with. the military community has been tracking on this. an important message has been sent, we will come for you.

i was taught that in basic training. if you are captured, america will come for you. that's an important message to send to our troops and forever. >> let me get right to the va scandal. here is what the president said, shinseki is out. we got to make sure the veterans who are not getting the care one by one get the care, but there are needs. what specific needs are there right now that the government has to address? >> well, first of all, we have to clean house. the va has a systemic problem. so we need a total turnaround. we cannot middle around the edge. it has to be a national call to action. it's a defining moment for the president. who we name now will be key. it's unfortunate we didn't have somebody ready given the scandal took four weeks. >> how is it that shinseki didn't know? how did this bad news not get to him? >> i don't know. we've been trying to tell him, there have been congressional -- we have been trying to warn him, trying to warn the president. the ig report has been supported. by dozens of other ig reports, va reports.

they didn't listen. now so the time to turn the corner. listen to the veterans, listen to the needs, and let's turn this around. it's dogged our country for decades. >> congressman, i want to know the answer to that question, which is shinseki apparently didn't know and that enraged him as the president said the other day, but how didn't he know? that's the key part of this that you have to be wondering about as well. >> yeah. i think that is the key. i mean, a good leader knows what his subordinates are doing and if he doesn't have control over his subordinates, he really gets in there and figures it out. look, i don't want to impugn the reputation of general shinseki, he was a great guy, but i thought it was time for him to go to get new blood in there and the new person whoever long-term it ends up being, i want to see people fired. i want to see people prosecuted by the law for those that created this secret waiting list. that's what we have to do next. clean house, as paul said. we need to say, hey, those in the backlog, you can go to a private doctor, get some things taken care of. we have to get dead serious of this. this is the beginning of taking control. >> there has been so much information. i want to put a graphic on the screen.

to remind our viewers about some of the key points about the wait for care. this is what the inspector general found. 1,700 veterans not even on a wait list. an average wait of 115 days for first appointment. hospital leadership, quote, significantly understated time veterans waited for first appointment. paul, your experience with veterans, is this a fair statement? they're happy with the care once they get it. >> quality care is generally good but access to care has been horrible and continues to be horrible, and this is not an isolated situation. >> and the needs are greater and they're growing. this is not an isolated situation. the ig is investigating 41 other cities. so this scandal is very far from over. we need folks to know that now the fact that shinseki is gone is a good step but the new person has to be in place. we need oversight, accountability, influx of talent and energy. we need america to stay focused. we're going to need -- >> focus and this is a key question for congress, congressman, which is are you prepared not just to see people fired and prosecuted.

are you prepared to vote to spend more money to give the va more doctors, more resources to deal with this growing need? >> well, look, the va budget is much higher than it was ten years ago. it's going to continue to increase and i think you will see congress -- we've always put our military and our veterans above almost anything we do. it's so very important. so you will see a willing congress. you have seen the chairman of the va, chairman jeff miller, he's been very big on this talking about access to care. but the answer is not just throwing more money at a problem. the key is holding people responsible that aren't having outcomes, getting to the bottom of what the problems are, and ensuring that they have the best quality of care. so we'll spend what we need to, but the answer isn't just to spend more money on a problem. the answer is to get real outcomes and i think we can do that, and hopefully the new secretary and the president himself will take a keen interest in this and we can see some results finally. >> congressman kinzinger, thanks so much, paul rieckhoff, great to have you here. we wanted to get some more reaction on this scandal in the va. our kevin tibbles visited one of the largest military bases in

the country and found grave concerns, as you might imagine, about the future of the u.s. military and how we care for our troops at home. it is today's "meeting america." >> reporter: fayetteville, north carolina, is army through and through. it's neighbor fort bragg is home to more soldiers than any other base in the country and today people are reeling from the resignation of the secretary of the va and what they see as the mistreatment of this nation's veterans. and at grandson's where folks flock to chow down and chat, they are steaming. >> i think it's just a message that we don't care. you know, we understand you went over there, you served our country, you done your job, but, you know, now that you're back home, we don't care. >> reporter: richelle james' husband was deployed a year in iraq. she says the va is overwhelmed, understaffed, and that the

departure of general shinseki solves little. >> i think he's just a figurehead. i don't think he's the actual problem. >> reporter: and as the longest wars in our nation's history slowly wind down, they ask, isn't that when soldiers need the va most? jane bell's son is in the navy. >> if they understood what military families go through since iraq and afghanistan and honestly truly cared what they go through, we wouldn't even be talking about this. >> we owe them everything we can give them. >> reporter: jerry hall wore the green beret in vietnam. >> it's very upsetting. it's individuals who are concerned about greed and getting their bonus over the welfare of our veterans, and that is criminal. >> reporter: jerry has come to the airborne and special operations museum to remember those who fought alongside him. >> i think our foreign policy right now is weak.

it's ambiguous, we're not sure, you know, exactly what we want to do, and our potential adversaries, they see that, and they take advantage of it. >> we have way too many deployments, and families are literally being torn apart. we don't belong policing everyone anymore. >> reporter: some question how america can claim to be all-powerful when it leaves those who serve it powerless. >> as a nation, i think it says we are looking more for power instead of being compassionate. we want to be on top all the time. you can't be on top all the time and still take care of home. >> reporter: they want veterans to get the care they have earned and are convinced the va needs more than simply a shake-up at the very top. for "meet the press," kevin tibbles. >> thanks so much, kevin. coming up next here, hillary clinton at war with her critics over benghazi. a round table debate to see if her latest strike in her book is

helping or hurting her presidential cause. and traitor or patriot? following his exclusive interview with brian williams, what does the public think of edward snowden and how did views change? we'll bring you the results of an exclusive new nbc news poll. "meet the press" is brought to you by -- boeing, where the drive to build something better inspires us every day. 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. 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?

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big week of politics big week of politics in the round table, i'm joined by jane harmon, former democratic congresswoman of california and now president and ceo of the woodrow wilson center. newt gingrich, house speaker between '95hand 99. rona fruhar assistant managing editor for "time" magazine and our own chuck todd. i want to talk about edward snowden. it's been such an interesting conversation for the country. and we wanted to know just about how his own words speaking to the public might have changed views, and, chuck, you did some new polling around this to gauge people's attitudes. let's look at some of the findings that you put together. >> yeah, let's do. new polling we conducted before and after snowden's interview that we are revealing for the first time here shows at least

for now his appearance does not seem to have changed many minds. more americans disagree with snowden's decision to leak nsa documents than agree. that number essentially unchanged from a january 2014 nbc news/"wall street journal" poll. when it comes to snowden himself, 27% of those surveyed have an unfavorable opinion of him, while only 13% view him positively, but note the age gap. when it was limited to 18 to 34-year-olds, the numbers nearly flip. 32% view snowden positively, 20% negatively. and that younger support may be reflective in the shift of the conversation online. thousands of tweets poured in and tracking data from nbc news shows responses to the #patriotortraitor were neck and neck up to the interview but once you started talking, patriot won out by almost 20 points. what's next for snowden? what's clear from the interview, he wants a deal. >> whether amnesty or clemency ever becomes a possible, is not for me to say.

that's a debate for the public and the government to decide but if i could go anywhere in the world, that place is home. >> that's what critics and government officials say he should do. >> as far as i'm concerned, he needs to come to the united states. he needs to face justice. >> famed whistle-blower and leaker of the pentagon papers daniel ellsberg disagrees. >> he knows he could not get a fair trial. he could only inform the public and reporters about the significance of the information he's given to them when he's outside the country. >> interesting, chuck, that views did not change. america seems pretty entrenched on this debate about traitor/patriot, good thing/bad thing that he did. >> on snowden it really has been in threes. there's a third that really do -- are hyper traitor, hyper patriot. and a third of the country shrug their shoulders. they're disappointed the president didn't have a conversation with the country about this wasn't fully honest, but at the same time seize the upside securitywise of some of

the surveillance tactics. that's what bails the administration out here because public opinion i think him personally, if you had 20 million, 30 million, 40 million people viewing him, i think public opinion would flip on him bigger. >> newt gingrich, some people i have talked to this week have -- they've been struggling with this. in other words, struggling with the idea that basically who is he to decide, right, what secrets to reveal but also struggling with the very nature of the program still and the fact that he is quite eloquent in his description of what he did and forceful in his own defense. can you understand people being uncomfortable with -- >> i understand being uncomfortable, but the fact is christa and i went about a week ago and visited the national 9/11 museum, and i would just

urge people to go and visit the national 9/11 museum. what right does any single american have to decide that more than the president, more than the congress they're going to leak our secrets? this is the act of a traitor. you can decide that's too strong of language. he may be a patriotic traitor, he may think he did the right thing. this is treason. this is extraordinary dangerous to the country and if he gets to decide, what about the next person and then the person after that? we are in a war with people who want to destroy us. they're very clear about it, and he ended up aiding and abetting the enemy. >> i just -- i want to offer the other side for a point of discussion, jane, which is one thing he gets at is that this country did not have a real debate about all of these measures, and so there was a security apparatus that was put in place that got beyond the debate of the american public and congress failed to really keep that debate going. >> well, i was there, and we did have a debate once it was disclosed by the bush administration in its first term that the authority used for the program was the president's

commander in chief authority and it didn't go through congress and it didn't comply with the foreign intelligence surveillance act. congress remanded fisa in 2008 and we had a debate. i wish more people had listened in -- >> seven years later we had a debate. >> well, yeah, but four of them were in secret. we had a debate. we tried to amend it earlier, it took a while, congress doesn't move very fast, especially since newt left but can i just finish my thought. we should have had a better debate. labeling this guy a traitor before he's convicted i don't think is fair, but i think what he did was, one, he wasn't a whistle-blower, and, two, it's not just that he leaked information about so-called spying on americans, he leaked our technology playbook, and that really compromises us. >> what about what he says which is you can't prove there was any real damage done? >> look -- >> how does he know that is an obvious follow-up? >> i think both sides have some credibility problems. the administration has been evasive and has lied about its espionage tactics, but on the other hand, i would have more faith in snowden if he wasn't a

guest of vladimir putin. younger people have a more favorable impression because they're less worried about how their data is used. there's an interesting juxtaposition. >> they're used to it. on the one hand we're used to the world being that way. the way young folks relate to snowden goes to this idea mill len yells, i'll take it into my own hands, i can do it. there's a part of snowden that represents more of a culture. of the millenniums. >> newt, here is secretary hagel this morning when i asked him to respond to what snowden himself said which is, hey, the government can't prove their claim that my disclosures actually harmed anybody. this is what secretary hagel said. >> david, his disclosures have damaged the security of this country, and i'm not going to get into a point-by-point

inventory of the specifics of how he's done that. i think it's been very clear, every responsible position in our government who has had any responsibility for security or intelligence from nsa, from cyber command, the defense department, from the state department have said the same thing. let me assure you, there is plenty of evidence. he did damage to the security of this country. >> the first time there's a major attack on the united states, all the millennials are going to decide do they really want the government to protect them? the core idea here that one person has the right to judge very complex issues more than the commander in chief, more than the congress, more than the secretary of defense is an act of such extraordinary arrogance that it threatens the very fabric of our national security. people need to understand, this is a big deal and this guy is dangerous and the precedent he sets if we decide it's okay to be a snowden, then we are really going to have dramatically crippled -- >> where does it go then, jane?

what is the future for him? he's unlikely to get any sort of clemency. i'm sure he wants to come home and cut some deal. he's not inclined to serve a long prison sentence. >> let's go through this. he goes to hawaii where we have the least secure facilities. he then arranges in advance to have the journalists and the filmmaker before he goes to china. he then goes to russia. he claims neither country has exploited his information. he has every right to try to cut a deal. i'm sure that deal won't be enormously favorable to him, but he should cut a deal. he should come back. he should serve prison time, and i think that's where it should come out and the lesson to other kids ought to be that watch out here, this is very dangerous. >> i want to move on and talk a couple minutes about hillary clinton, the issue of benghazi which is going to be a hot political issue here going forward.

as her new book "hard choices" is coming out and an excerpt released to politico on friday. here is a portion, i will not be part of a political slugfest on the backs of dead americans. it's just plain wrong, it's unworthy of our great country. those who insist on politicizing the tragedy will have to do so without me. she wants to take this on. >> and get it out of the way. >> clear the deck she said this week. >> this is what she's up to, and it's a very concerted effort. you have to be looking at it just as a press rollout. you have to be impressed with what they did. we know that benghazi chapter will be all the news and we don't want to be the news the first time the book comes out. >> it looks like she's running. >> we'll leak it early. second thing we're going to do, we're going to go on fox news. we know that they have been covering benghazi more than anybody else and we're going to be able to say, bret baier was able to ask me all these questions, it's old news in 2015. you can tell this is -- >> is it though? >> -- a campaign game plan. >> what's the key question she has to face next? >> the key question i'd like to

see answered in this book is why she was not front and center, why susan rice was the one on the under shows. i think that's an issue i haven't seen answered. there's a lot of legalese. her tally of the events is pretty accurate. i don't think there was anything venial going on but it's interesting she wasn't the front person. >> to you both? >> i think boko haram will come back and bite her much more than benghazi. she rejected naming them as a terrorist group and it's a trait of the state department that goes back, frankly, into the bush administration, and she did nothing to correct it, and this whole -- which is why, by the way, the cairo riots and the benghazi riots were wrong because the state department's first inclination is it can't be that they hate it. the secretary of defense talking about finding moderate taliban. >> west africa is going to continue to be an issue. >> hillary clinton is on it. she's taken full responsibility for benghazi. she appointed a review board. as for sunday's show, she said it's not the same thing as jury duty.

some of us like being on your show, david, and take the red eye back to be on your show. >> thank you. >> i think this congressional committee will reveal what most of us know. >> what is america's responsibility in a place of chaos whether it's taliban -- excuse me, whether it's afghanistan post or withdrawal, whether it's libya post some kind of invasion? what is our sense of responsibility? >> we have to protect our people in the field. we have to protect our embassies and consulates and we didn't go a good enough job. >> we chose to go into libya though. >> and that's when -- >> when you choose to do this and we tried to do this, the infamous leading from behind, but this is to me what the policy debate should be about is what was the policy? >> let me do this -- >> which is why benghazi was so dangerous. >> we're coming back later. we'll come back also with this story. ahead of the 70th anniversary of d-day and the landings, our tom

brokaw will join me with a unique look at how one of hollywood's greatest directors captured the war in vivid details. >> i said, my god, that's d-day. >> "meet the press" is brought to you by -- morgan stanley. i make a lot of purchases for my business. and i get a lot in return with ink plus from chase 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.

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we are back. next friday president obama and other world leaders will gather in northern france to mark the 70th anniversary of d-day. our special correspondent tom brokaw will be there for nbc and he joins me now. tom, good morning. >> good morning, david. you know, in world war ii it was all in, and in afghanistan and iraq, we've been fighting the two longest wars in our nation's history with less than 1% of our population. but 70 years ago clark gable was in uniform, jimmy stewart was in uniform, and what we've just learned recently is the prominent role of five of the most excellent directors you could possibly imagine in the history of film, george stevens, jr., william wyler, john huston, john ford, and frank capra. these men went to war. they not only went to war, it changed their lives and it changed the way that we see movies. >> reporter: five of hollywood's finest directors all at the top

of their game. john ford, john huston, william wyler, frank capra, and george stevens. >> these guys were artists, so they wanted to make great movies. they were patriots, so they wanted to serve their country, and just as men, they wanted to tell the truth. >> reporter: filmmaker george stevens, jr. remembers when his father signed up to serve. >> he saw the triumph of the will, the film about nuremberg. and the next day he arranged to go in the army. >> reporter: but it was a discovery that stevens made in his father's archive almost 40 years ago that would change forever how we view d-day and the war in europe. some old rolls of film perfectly preserved. >> went and sat by myself in the screening room and up on the screen came this blue sky, ships, barrage balloons in the sky, and i said, my god, that's

d-day. >> reporter: a war that was in black and white in our collective memory. >> the full drama of the fateful hour. >> reporter: suddenly in vibrant, startling color. >> you see along the roads going through france, they'd see dead german bodies, and you see the picture, and there's just something so personal to see it in color, and the festiveness of the liberation of paris. you know, the girls in their summer dresses. august 25th, 1944, my father and his friends had the greatest day of their lives. >> reporter: stevens recorded some of the most joyous moments of the war as when they met on the elba river to seal the defeat and some of the most sinister, discovering the depths of nazi depravity. >> stevens said he could never direct a comedy again.

after what he had seen at dachau. >> reporter: they succeeded in telling one great truth about those who answered their nation's call seven decades ago. >> this was a war fought by human-scale people. we see their heroism as larger than life. they were human beings who became larger than life. they didn't start that way. >> i think the war was at the center of their life. as they approached 40, they go to war and see something else and they come back and they have a different attitude toward making films. >> tom, amazing images, just to see them in color, and it also strikes me, as you will be there, 70 years after d-day at a moment when the u.s. is pulling back from war in afghanistan, the president is talking a lot about american power in the world, how to wield it, and it's not always by going to war. it's a striking irony now of where we are today. >> it's a different world now, david, and gratefully it's a different world. we'll never see the likes of d-day again. there had never been anything

like it before and there won't be again in our future, but at the same time d-day will be a reminder of what can be accomplished when allies work together and when everyone understands what's at stake, every citizen, all the way from the best directors and the biggest stars in hollywood down to some kid living on a dairy farm who signs up and nine months later is piloting a four-engine bomber. so it was a unique time, and the interest in it seems to grow i think in part because of the magnitude of it. so much was at stake and we're just now beginning to understand that, david. >> tom brokaw for us. thank you so much. we really appreciate it. >> my pleasure. >> we'll take a break. coming up here, the isla vista, california, shooting rampage took place despite california having some of the toughest gun laws in the country. i'll have exclusive reaction from former new york city mayor and anti-gun campaigner michael bloomberg who speaks out for the first time. >> the parents of this kid knew he had a problem, knew he had done something. cops couldn't do anything.

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we're back. last weekend's horrific mass shooting in isla vista, california, once again focused attention on the nation's gun laws and raised concerns about the mental health system in america. mayor michael bloomberg is spending $50 million of his own money to take on the national rifle association.

and push for more controls on gun ownership. i sat down with him in new york for his first reaction to this tragedy. let me start by asking you about guns. this rampage in santa barbara, as heart wrenching as it is, is there any reason to think that it gives new momentum to the debate for more gun restrictions? >> well, you certainly hope so. we've had shootings on campus and at the same time some states are passing laws to explicitly let people carry guns on campuses. i don't know what you were like when you were in college, but my recollection of college 50 years ago is kids just should not have guns on campus. the real problem here is we have too many guns in the hands of criminals, people with psychiatric problems as this guy obviously did, and minors, and we've got to find some ways to stop that. we're making a lot of progress. some things are one forward, two back, but the public understands what's happening here. >> more specifically about

mental illness. this is where you may have some agreement with the likes of the national rifle association. how do you make it more difficult for somebody like this young man with some signs of mental illness to get a weapon? >> well, you always have to have due process, and you can't just go incarcerate people, and psychiatrists will tell you they can't predict which people with mental illness will get a gun and start killing people, but you want to have laws that let you get a temporary restraining order. the parents of this kid knew he had a problem, knew he'd done something. the cops couldn't do anything. now, you don't want cops to be able to go and grab somebody off the street and institutionalize them. there should be a process and long term that's what most of these laws allow, but we don't have that thing that a cop could use right away. maybe you'd have to go before a judge and make a case but you can solve that problem and also the states don't populate the database of who is mentally ill. it's hard to do because if some people go to their private doctor and how do you find out about it? nobody says any law is going to solve all the problems.

what we do know is a lot of people with mental illness do things that are destructive to themselves and to others. we also know that there's an enormous problem with domestic violence around this country, and in the 16-odd states that have background checks for gun show sales and internet sales, just to make it a little bit harder, one step harder, not perfect, but a little harder to buy a gun, domestic violence in those cases is down like 40%, shootings of cops is down like 40%, suicide rates with guns is down 50%. it works. it's not perfect, but it gets you there. >> you have made it very clear you want to take on the nra politically. >> no, i want to make sure that the public gets together, tells the congress and their state legislatures we want reasonable background checks. we don't want to end the second amendment. it has nothing to do with gun control. it's about just making sure that three groups that 80% or 90% of the public think don't have guns, don't get guns.

>> it isn't a political reality that a lot of folks who believe in greater restrictions don't vote on that issue when those who believe in protecting their gun rights absolutely vote on that issue and that's what gives the nra a political advantage. >> maybe i'm too cynical but i think it's all driven by the politics of election and re-election. if those people that vote think that the public wants one thing and that it will influence their re-electability, they'll go that way, and if they think there's another single issue advocacy group that's not supported by the vast bulk of the public but has an enormous clout at the polling booth where you get people to come and you fund ads and that sort of thing, they'll vote the other way. and so what we're trying to do is make sure that people that really care tell their congressman that this -- i think every one of those in the federal government and legislature, the senate and the house, should watch the video of this father the other day saying no more.

>> mayor bloomberg thanks, as always. >> you're welcome. all the best. >> and coming up here, our images to remember this week. a special tribute to the late maya angelou. >> time now for cnbc's executive edge week ahead brought to you by comcast business, built for business. >> investors are watching a very big gathering this week in the technology world. going to find out what's next for apple at its always popular developer's conference. chatter about an updated operating system, perhaps even a smart watch. on friday the big event, the monthly jobs report. last month the unemployment rate dropped adding 288,000 jobs. we'll see where we land this week. get all your latest business news on cnbc and cnbc.com. you use tide pods?

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in our images to remember. we've been monitoring the conversation online in response to our chuck hagel interview. a lot of reaction, including this question, what's the future of guantanamo bay. chuck, you tweeted this. chuck hagel calls bergdahl release a prisoner exchange, refers to bergdahl as p.o.w. the u.s. government does not classify gitmo as p.o.w.s. the future of gitmo important here? >> got to close it to win the argument with would-be terrorists in the future. >> these are enemy combatants. >> we haven't called them that. >> they worry about defeating our civilization and they couldn't care less what we do. >> right, but this conversation continues. >> i agree with jane. i think he's got to close it. i think this whole situation sets an interesting precedent about when you trade prisoners and when you don't. that's got big implications. >> this debate will continue. thank you. that is all for today. we're not here next week because of nbc's sports coverage because of the french open sports final.

we'll be back in two weeks. if it's sunday, it's "meet the press." right now, we're following two breaking news stories on the left side of your screen, we're expecting an update from the ntsb any moment on a deadly plane crash in massachusetts. seven people were killed saturday night, including the co-owner of a major newspaper. on the right side of your screen, we're expecting to hear from sergeant bowe bergdahl's parents, any moment now, they're expected to talk to reporters in idaho. i'm craig melvin. it's been about 27 hours we learned sergeant bergdahl had been released in afghanistan. we now know that right now he is at a u.s. hospital in germany, getting treatment. he's being debriefed by military officials as well from there, we are told that he's going to go

to brook army medical center in san antonio, texas. there's a growing debate in this country over the agreement to trade sergeant bergdahl for those five taliban prisoners. >> there was a question about his safety. we found an opportunity, we took that opportunity, i'll stand by that decision. i signed off on the decision, the president made the ultimate decision. we did spend time looking at this. >> i think the big issue here is what's going to happen to these five individuals. if they re-enter the fight, it's going to put american lives at risk and none of us want that to happen. not secretary hagel or anybody. but if they're able to have after a year in kwat tore do whatever they want to, do there's no doubt they'll re-enter the fight. other ones have been released from guantanamo and re-entered the fight. >> we will bring you bob and janie bergdahl live as soon as

they come to the microphones. kristen wilker is standing by at the white house. we saw the parents yesterday in the rose garden with president obama. i understand at this point they still had not spoken with their son. when might they see him. do we know at this point? >> that's the big question, craig that everyone wants to know. and the reality is it just depends. right now he's being eveil waited at that medical center in germany. medical officials trying to get a sense of his emotional state, his physical state. we were told yesterday of course that he was in good condition. that he could walk to the helicopter by himself. so that is all good news. having said that, they want to make sure that he is in the right shape to travel back to the united states. and that's really just going to depend on him. it could be a matter of days, i'm told. it could be a matter of weeks. the goal is to get him home to get him reunited with his parents as quickly as possible.

craig in. >> let's talk about the criticisms that we heard this morning on the sunday shows, the administration on the defense now. critics, some of them saying that because sergeant bergdahl was traded for five taliban prisoners, it sets a dangerous precedent for trading for prisoners. and other critics saying the president may have broken the law because of no consultation with congress. what's the white house saying this afternoon about those criticisms. >> i'll take those two criticisms separately. to the first point, negotiating with terrorists. white house officials are pushing back against that claim. they say look, u.s. officials never negotiated with the taliban directly. instead, the qataris served as intermediaries. they make the point that it is u.s. policy not to leave a soldier on the battlefield. they're calling bergdahl a prisoner of war. they are saying that time was of the essence. they believe that his health was dwindling so they felt as though

it was necessary to make this deal, to get him back on to u.s. soil. and again they stress the fact that there were direct negotiations between the united states and the taliban. to the second point, did they violate the law that says that the administration needs to give congress 30 days notice? they acknowledge that they did. they didn't have 30 days. defense secretary chuck hagel making the point. saying that time was of the essence, for a little bit of background, craig, these negotiations have been going on since 2011. there have been stops and starts and the administration says there was a real opening about a week ago and given the fragility of bergdahl's health and the situation that he was in. having been held cath i have for five years, they felt it was the right deal to make and they insist they got assurances from the qatari government, the

qatari government said to the u.s. that it would take steps to protect u.s. national security interests. the big question becomes -- what happens after a year? the five detainees will be held in qatar for a year. what happens after that? how can qatar guarantee that the u.s. national security interests will be secured beyond that year? that is, craig, what i anticipate will be the focus of the debate moving forward from here. craig? >> kristen welker at the white house. we're waiting on bob and janie bergdahl to take to the microphones in idaho. when that happens, we'll bring it to you live. i want to turn to "reuters" investigative journalist, david roud. he was kidnapped and held by the taliban for nine months before he managed to escape in 2009. brian schweitzer is here with us, former democratic governor of montana. let me start with you, we know that there's going to be this, this reintegration process for

bowe bergdahl when he manages to reunite with his family. what's that going to be like for him? >> i spent seven months with the taliban new york city where near the time the five years he's been with them. i think he's elated. the story from the back of the helicopter, when it's confirmed that he's with american special forces, he breaks into tears. he's thrilled. i get this question all the time. he's going to have struggles, but he'll live a full and rich and wonderful life. >> for folks who might not be familiar with the circumstances surrounding capture and detainment, it was a bit jarring. yesterday we heard in the rose garden or in some of the coverage afterwards, that he's having trouble speaking english now. why might that be? >> he was alone. he was with no other americans, i was kidnapped with two afghans, one was a journalist and translator.

so he's been around local taliban fighters who speak the local language, pashto. i don't want to blame bowe bergdahl this kid kept himself for life five years all alone in taliban captivity. we are not able, he was held in pakistan. we should be blaming the pakistani military. why weren't they able to rest tu him for the last five years? this has been a problem -- >> were they even trying for the last five years. >> correct, i was held in the same place. there's lots of other people to blame than this one soldier. >> as you saw this morning of the several republicans have been highly critical of the decision to swap bergdahl for these five detainees. this is something that congressman mike rodgers said this morning. take a listen. >> across northern africa, the number one way that al qaeda raises money is by ransom. kidnapping and ransom. we have now set a price. so we have a changing footprint in afghanistan. which would put our soldiers at

risk for this notion that if i can get one, i can get five taliban released. >> so then the administration brought on national security adviser, susan rice to defend the prisoner exchange. this is what she said on abc's "this week." >> those assurances relating to the movement, the activities, the monitoring of those detainees give us confidence that they cannot and in all likelihood will not pose a significant risk to the united states. and it is in our national interests that this transfer had been made. >> criticism of the administration over this is it fair at all? >> let's start with, during the history of the united states, we've had exchanges of prisoners of war, how many times? every war. we're winding this war down. and so, when they say that they had passed some kind of legislation that instructed the president that he could only release people from guantanamo bay under certain circumstances, he signed that bill. but he had a signing statement that said -- i will do this as

long as it doesn't violate my constitutional capabilities, as the chief executive. >> so he's made a decision to protect this man, by the way, bowe, you're welcome. come to my ranch in montana, we'll catch some fish, do some gopher hunting and he only lives about 150 miles from me. come on up to my ranch and we'll be all right. >> let's talk about this notion of negotiating with terrorists. the administration maintains it did not directly negotiate with the taliban. when in fact, if the cateris are there, and the taliban is there, i'm talking to you and you're talking -- you're negotiating -- why not just say yes, we did in fact negotiate with terrorists this time. here's why we did it. >> it's a definition of terms. al qaeda are terrorists, they were functioning in afghanistan. the taliban, they are in afghanistan, remember, we invaded their country. they are warriors in their own country. we fighting a war with them.

they're soldiers and we're soldiers. >> we're leaving afghanistan. if the taliban are terrorists, why aren't the same lawmakers saying we should be sending more troops in afghanistan. we're trying to have our cake and eat it, too, as a country. these are terrorists, they shouldn't be released, but we're walking away from afghanistan. the taliban are very active there. if they're a threat to the u.s., let's send in more troops. >> i want to talk specifically about the five detainees released from guantanamo. we have to take break and we're waiting for bob and jamie bergdahl to take to the podium in boise, idaho. it's going to half in five minutes, a quick break, we'll come back and continue the conversation on msnbc. possibile reality. with centurylink as your trusted partner, our visionary cloud infrastructure and global broadband network free you to focus on what matters. with custom communications solutions and responsive, dedicated support, we constantly evolve to meet your needs.

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bob and jamie bergdahl are expected to take to the podium in boise, idaho any moment now. again sergeant bowe bergdahl

released from taliban custody. roughly 28 hours ago now. when that news conference starts in idaho, we will bring it to you live. i do want to bring back "reuters" investigative journal ist david road and nbc reporter kristen welker at the white house. we've gotten a statement from omar, taliban leader, he's released this rare statement. hailing the release of the five gitmo prisoners for bergdahl. he calls it quote, a big victory. i think we have a picture of the, of the five men who were released. who were released from gitmo yesterday in exchange. i extend my heartfelt congratulations to the entire afghan muslim nation. for this big victory regarding the release of five taliban leaders from guantanamo prison.

i thank the government of qatar, especially its amir, who made sincere efforts for release of these leaders and for their mediation and for hosting them. the five men who were released, the chief criticism this morning and it started yesterday, is that these five men will return to the battleground. a direct threat to the united states and its allies. can we dispute that? >> no, these are major figures, fasil is a sort of feared commander. back to this basic point. we're leaving afghanistan, the president announced this week -- >> should we be concerned about potential terrorists? >> that's the question, we're thrilled we're leaving afghanistan. yet at the same time we're saying there are terrorists that are threatening the united states. are we serious about securing afghanistan and helping the afghans that are going to fight the taliban? that's the broader issue. >> isn't it semantics?

we called them, the americans called them freedom fighters when the same men were fighting russia. we invaded afghanistan to try to capture the al qaeda people living in this failed nation. then the taliban, we're fighting with the taliban. so they were freedom fighters, when they were fighting the invading russians, and they're terrorists when we invade their country. these are semantics, these are soldiers and we're in a war. >> kristen quickly, we're expecting the parents to take the podium any moment. it would seem to me the administration is in a tough spot. if sergeant bergdahl had died in custody and it later surfaced, there had been an opportunity to rescue him to trade for his safe release, the administration would have been damned then as well, correct? >> i think that is certainly a good point, craig. and the broader point going back do what david was saying is this

is part of president obama's shift when it comes to foreign policy. the fact that he is drawing down the wars in iraq and afghanistan. little bit of background here, craig, part of the initial negotiations that started years ago, were that the united states was demanding that these five detainees be held in qatar indefinite indefinitely. these negotiations have been going on for years. and in fits and starts. have stopped, started up again. i think the united states saw this moment as being a pivotal one because it came at the very point that the u.s. was making this announcement about its new troop levels at the end of this year. it comes just after president obama announced just last week there would be 9800 troops in afghanistan at the end of this year. ultimately, they would draw down completely by 2016. i think that it really is

emblematic of the shift that you're seeing in terms of the u.s. foreign policy. one other point i'll make, craig is that u.s. officials are telling me they are hoping that this will be a part of the reconciliation process. that needs to happen now that the u.s. is finally drawing down its last troops there. >> when you say, when you say reconciliation process, are they, are they saying, is the administration saying that they hope that this prisoner exchange, is the news conference starting? okay. that the prisoner exchange -- okay. let's, let's listen. to the news conference here again. this is bob and jamie bergdahl. boise, idaho parents of bowe bergdahl. we heard a bit from them yesterday in the rose garden as they stood with president obama. we're going to initially hear from colonel tim mersano from the idaho national guard.

>> i've been assisting them for years with matters large and small. i'd like to say that it's been one of the great honors of my own career do assist this soldier's family during their time of need. i know major hickey and doc pop lin feel the same way. we welcome the media who have supported the p.o.w./mia cause. i know bob and jana have some more words on that those of us who serve in the uniform have grieved with the families of our brothers and sister who is made the ultimate sacrifice and we share the agony of those who come back from our wars with physical and mental scars. our thoughts are with them always. but today we have the opportunity to share in the joy of one family whose son is coming home to them. the bergdahls have been through an ordeal the rest of us can only imagine and we're glad for their happy outcome. ladies and gentlemen, please

welcome bob and jana bergdahl. [ applause ] >> thank you so much. please forgive me if i do end up reading this. i'm going to try not to. but i probably will. today i'm going to address my son. i love you, bowe, i'm so very proud of you and of course all of your very large family would also like me to tell thaw they love you, also. and are also very proud of you. we've been working very, very hard for your release these last five years, along with the whole of our government, even other governments and most especially, of course, qatar. never losing hope in you or for

you. right now, so many people are in place to assist you. in all of aspects of your recovery. to full health trust them, it's okay and give yourself all of the time you need to recover. and decompress. there is no hurry. you have your life ahead of you. we continue in our minute-by-minute prayers for you as you go through this healing process and we praise god for your freedom. i think you may be very surprised at the number of people who have gathered you into their hearts at home in the valley, here ol oliver, idaho across the country and around the world. you have a very amazing support sim among all of these people. i'm so looking forward to seeing your face after the last five and a half years. long, long years. and to give you a great, big bear hug and holding you in my arms again, never wanting to let you go.

our family, your family is strong in faith and hope, you are from a strong tribe, you are even stronger now. five years is a seemingly endless long time. but you've made it. i imagine you are more patient and compassionate than ever, you are free, freedom is yours. i will see you soon, my beloved son. i love you, bowe. [ applause ] i'd like to start in the back row and just go name by name by name of all of the people who have supported us from the beginning of this. and then we can go across the country and then across the world and that would be appropriate. so unfortunately, we don't have the time or the music will start playing and we have to leave.

we're talking like this because we haven't talked to bowe yet. we haven't called him on the phone. although you all know we have the capability to do that. with satellite technology. there's reason for that. and that's because bowe has been gone so long, that it's going to be very difficult to come back. it's like a diver going deep on a dive and has to stage back up through recompression to get the nitrogen bubbles out of his system. if he comes up too fast, it could kill him. we're pretty resilient, danny has pointed out, bowe is resilient, he's passed through all the checkpoints with flying colors. but this is very well organized. as you can see by the gentleman on the end of the row there.

doc poppin. he's our seer psychologists, he's one of the men running this recovery. and reintegration. and we've known doc for how long? five? the first year. the first summer, i think. so going all the way back there. we've had this kind of support behind us. >> we're proud of that. we're always content with that it's so big and includes so many people. that there's no way we can thank them all. if we did, we would miss people and then we'd feel guilty. and we don't want to do that bowe, let me say to you, let me start over again, now that i've explained the context of this. bowe, i love you. i'm your father, i've written to

you over and over. [ speaking foreign language ] >> can you speak english still? i would write him. now i hope when you hear this, and when you're ready to hear this and when you see this, i hope your english is coming back. and i want you to know that i love you. i'm proud of you, i'm so proud of your character. i'm so proud of your patience. and your perseverance. i'm so proud of your cultural abilities to adapt. your language skills. your desire and your action to serve this country. in a very difficult, long war. but most of all, i'm proud of how much you wanted to help the

afghan people. and what you were willing to do to go to that length. i'll say it again. i'm so proud of how far were you willing to go to help the afghan people. and i think you have succeeded. your ability to adapt in the harsh conditions for five years is an amazing testimony of human endurance. and is hope for the loved ones of people who still have captive loved ones all over the world. fatah, syria, nigeria, egypt, pakistan, so we as a family now

we feel guilty because bowe is safe and he's coming home and you're still suffering. but we haven't forgotten you. this is going to be the slowest press conference in history, because i'm going to pick through these notes that i just wrote coming in on the airplane. the ethos here, no one left behind. in general dempsey, thank you for your comment the other day. because typically he nailed it. >> the ethos is true -- bowe, you were not left behind. i told you you wouldn't be left behind. but that wasn't easy. you'll never know. how complicated this was, in such a complicated area of

responsibility. we will never meet most of the people that were involved in this. the ones we have met, we are extremely thankful and we are even more thankful to people we will never meet. and they like it that way. that's what they do. like the guys in the helicopters the other day. bowe, when you hear this, and eventually you will hear this, you have a very devoted team around you. right now in germany, listen to their instructions. we sent them. these are hand-picked people. we're on first-name basis with these people. they are true, they know what

they're doing. they're here to help you. and they have our great gratitude. to especially to the, to the recovery, the recovery community and the seer community. let me just thank every single one of you. we're so proud of the way this was carried out. again, too many people to thank. bowe's supporters, starting with the back row or the middle row there all you guys, the biker dudes and dudettes around america. >> we do know some of you don't ride bikes and it's okay.

>> aka, the biker dudes and dudettes. when you rode into haley that day and conveyed that we were not alone, that was really good for our souls. and we'll never be able to thank you enough. just amazing. and your day will come when we can do that for bowe as well. we're just all going to have to be patient. so beginning with that group, that day, the people in haley, the wood river valley. this littletown in idaho that was suddenly on the map. and then expanding from that, in the magic valley and the treasure valley and all of idaho. just amazing.

and we're, we're so much like afghanistan, i wish i could write a book about that. our character is a lot alike. the mountain, desert environment breeds tough people. people who know how to farm here and make a living. and it's hard. but it makes you tough. if it doesn't kill you, it makes you tougher. and we're just so appreciative of people in idaho. and throughout america, huge support and bowe's actually got, he's actually got millions of people around the world who are supporting him. my twitter friends, my intelligence network, my analysis network. my language specialists.

the people who fed me stuff i would otherwise miss, i hope i get to meet some of you, it's a virtual community. it was so important to me. it kept me informed. on stuff beyond my wildest dreams, once it started to kick in. so thank you. i don't want to go into the big thank yous of you know, every agency and department of the american government. we've tried to do that. in the appropriate places. but you, as the american people should know, that should this ever happen to you, you will see parts of your government that you never knew. were there. and you'll be so thankful for people like doc poppin and and

these people that come to your side. particularly for our family, major kevin hickey, in the middle here, who is our casualty assistance officer. basically, our right arm, he's our travel agent, our personal secretary. our personal anti bureaucrat machine. the officer that had the skills and capabilities to, to take on what we call the colossus eventually. because we were just overwhelmed with, with the scope of this. and the long ter went, the harder it got. so major hickey, i don't know what we would have done without you. colonel marseno came to our side and helped us understand what was happening.

in the media. and how news cycles worked. and just gave us an understanding of what to do. we, you don't know what to do you're overwhelmed. so colonel marseno, thank you. the idaho national guard. the facilities that we had to travel to for secure briefings and the fact that you were there and so graciously willing to help. being led by governor otter at the top and general sailor. they're here, right? general goodgooddale, thanks, g we felt like we were family.

we didn't have to travel to washington every time we needed a briefing. we could come here. governor butch otter their personal support was from the top coming from the governor's office, they were there and we knew they were there. and we knew if we needed anything, they would continue to be there. it was unwavering support. now i want to talk about the future. starting right now. so the recovery and reintegration of bowe bergdahl is a work in progress. i want to really convey that because it isn't over for us. and in many ways, it's just beginning for jana and i and our family. there's a long process here.

so i'm asking our friends and our community, and the media. to be patient and to be respectful. please recognize that we are still on a mission. we're still on recovery mode ourselves. let alone concern about how bowe is going to come back and what we need to work on. reintegration after this long must be carefully planned. much of it is dependant on our family. being unrestricted and focused on bowe's recovery. some day, some day there will be a time for interviews and books and whatever. i have a lot to say about this i know bowe's going to have a lot to say about this.

but that's still, that's still a distant future thing. and i won't let things get in the way of bowe's recovery. that's about all we want to say. i've seen some of your questions from the media. once we go down that road. we might as well have a two-hour press conference. but we're going to move onto the next phase. we're going to go get some sleep. we're going do rally our families. and we're going to check with our people. and we're going to do the next step of the phase. so this is the way it's done. there's nothing wrong here. this is the way it works. and we appreciate you being here, we appreciate being back in idaho.

and we look forward to more interaction in the future so thank you very much. bob and jamie bergdahl in boise, idaho. thankful, proud parents, spending a great deal of the news conference talking directly to their son. sergeant bowe bergdahl, the 28-year-old army sergeant who right now is at landstuhl regional medical center in germany. from there he'll come back to texas. at this point we don't know when he'll be reunited with his family. we do know it's going to happen within the next few days. i want to bring in former governor schweitzer, former governor of montana and david rohde, a contributor writer for the atlantlan atlantic, kidnappd by the taliban for some seven months. what stood out to me and we

talked about it before the news conference, he's been gone so long. it's going to be difficult to come back and then after that he spoke to his son, in pashtun. you recognized the dialect. what was he saying to his son and why was he speaking pashtun. >> i want people to understand that he's been completely alone for five years with, no other americans, no other english speakers. i was held for seven months and as i said earlier. i had one afghan english speaker. he talked to his guards, i talked to my guards. i lenard a little bit of pashto. it's sort of normal what they're describing, he probably can't believe this is real. i couldn't believe this is real. i said this yesterday, he probably woke up this morning and i woke up my first morning of freedom and i looked around the room and i couldn't believe, if it was a dream or not. so the father is right to take this slowly. it's completely normal if he's struggling with english. it's an incredible testament to

this young man that he survived five years alone. vietnam there were other p.o.w.s around from the united states. prison camps in world war ii. this is a very extreme situation that he survived. >> you know the bergdahl family? >> they're amazing people. you can see how sort of strong and resilient they are and how they're just typical americans. this came out of nowhere. they live in this beautiful corner of idaho. they have listened to the government, they didn't talk to the press at times and they talked to the press sometimes. because they thought that would help. they constantly were talking to me and others about what do we do to help bowe. in the end, there wasn't anything they could do. this was, up to the u.s. government. up to the taliban. >> it's important to understand, hostages, they -- they torture

them. they use brain games or do they just lock them up and say look, you're going to be here for a while? >> i think it probably changed over time. one major thing, we're talking about guantanamo. the afghans that were released, they were there for 13 years. there's still 150 prisoners in guantanamo. most of whom have been held for 13 years or more. more than anything, there's nothing wrong with you know, speaking the language and surviving mentally. human contact around you. >> were his parents, did they really -- this is the tribal

areas of pakistan. there's an american captive there right now. named warren weinstein, an aid worker who will turn 73 in july and he is barely hanging on. there was a canadian captive, when i was there. she died in captivity due to health problems and back to a broader question, why is pakistan allowing them to have this safe haven? an amazingly strong family, an amazingly strong soldier. >> governor schweitzer as you watched the news conference i looked at you a few times and you appeared to be getting a bit emotional. >> those were the moms and dads of children all over america, there isn't a mom or dad that watched this just now who didn't have a tear in their eye, including myself. one tough family. he said something that made a lot of sense. they're from a place that looks a lot like afghanistan. i've spent a lot of time in

idaho and i've been to afghanistan. and along those mountains on the pakistani side and the afghan side, that could be montana, it could be idaho. and they raise tough kids. this bowe, the food that he had to have eaten and water that he was drinking and the difficult times that he was placed with and where he was sleeping and what he was eating and the long periods of not knowing what was next. this mother, and this father, uniquely raised this child. to be in this situation. >> not to you know, not to say that, that this other circumstance would be different, but you've got to wonder, if you are a prisoner who has been taken captive and there's at least one other person with you or two other people with you. you've got to think that at least that makes it slightly more bearable, perhaps, here's a guy who, bestky gather, did not have that luxury. it was just him and his

captain captainors, the recovery and reintegration process, david rohde, how long do you think it will take? >> months or years in a way. don't forget about this anecdote about him breaking down in tears when he realized these were american special forces soldiers. let him have some time but let's not question him in the time he needs. >> he's still young. 28 years old. >> yes. and i'm just personally and this is one of the reasons i met his family was to say i'm back, i'm okay. it was only seven months, but i'm fine. i'm back to reporting and i'm an investigating reporter. my wife is pregnant with our second child. both of these kids have come since i returned home. bowe will marry, have have children, have a full life. i'm so amazed he got through this. i want to turn to kay bailey hutchison. senator kay bailey hutchison standing by for me as well. in texas. senator, it's always good to see

you, thanks so much for being with me as well. did you see any of the news conference there? yes i did i heard it, i was in the chair, craig and i did hear it. i saw the press conference yesterday with the president and the parents. i will say that i was so just so proud of those parents. and when i learned that the father had said he wasn't going to shave until his son came home, and he kept that word and he learned the culture. i was so impressed with them. it seemed as if he immersed himself in the culture. learning the language and producing one or two youtube videos, where he was speak together captors in their dialect. >> i was saying to them, as a family, i ask you to protect my son. based on your local traditions and beliefs.

he was hoping it would work, but it didn't work. he did everything he could to understand who had taken his son captive and what it would take to bring him home. >> you were not here for the early part of the broadcast when we talked about some of the criticism that the administrations are starting to take about the republicans. the criticism being vocalized on the sunday shows. the administration coming under fire for exchanging these five, these five taliban fighters, alleged taliban fighters, releasing them from guantanamo bay in exchange for sergeant bergdahl. where do you fall on this particular side of the debate. >> i'll tell you, it tears you apart. because you know what he has been through. this young man this sergeant. and you realize that it's just an unspeakable joy that he's back and that he could be with us. but-day think that the concerns that have been raised by some of the military people, as well as

others, about take the kind of negotiation that would bring five known terrorist leaders from guantanamo, the concerns raise reasonable doubt legitimate concerns. it's not a criticism. i don't criticize the president for keeping this under wraps so that there wouldn't be leaks. i think tough do some things like that when you're in this kind of situation. i am concerned about the long-range impact of of a negotiation like this. that might endanger others of our troops, which we also have to protect that they might now be kidnapped or taken hostage in order to negotiate for release of certain people and the ones being negotiated for are clearly

leaders that they wanted back. >> governor schweitzer, i assume you do not agree with her. >> it's war. if taliban or al qaeda on the field of battle if they thought they could take a hostage. they're trying to kill them if they can take them hostage, they will do that, that's what war is about. this is not a unique war. i understand what the senator is saying, that it makes them targets. they're targets because they're there. and they're targets because we're in a war. this suggestion because this deal was made, it empowers these people? no chance. they were empowered to try to grab hostages all along and they'll do it again if they can. and they did it in the past, if they could whether they thought there was going to be a deal or not. >> we have to take a quick break, thank you. senator kay bailey hutchison, thanks as always, quick break, when we come back we're going to update you on the plane crash in

massachusetts as well. seven people dead, among the dead, the co-owner of a prominent newspaper in this country. a former owner of a number of sports teams as well. msnbc, we'll be right back.

right now, some brand-new details in the deadly plane crash near bedford, massachusetts which left seven people dead. a national transportation safety board official just a few moments ago gave some new information. take a listen. >> it's our understanding from a witness that reported that the aircraft never became airborne. >> wheels never left the ground. >> that's our understanding. most of it is consumed by fire and there's fragmented portions also located in the gully. >> among the dead was lewis katz, co-owner of the philadelphia enquirer, also former co-owner of the new jersey nets and new jersey devils as well, a pro hockey team. the jets, a pro basketball team. that private jet was beginning its trip back to atlantic city, new jersey when it crashed. as you a heard there, burst into flames last night around 9:40. we'll continue to follow this

story and update you as new developments surface. we'll be right back. ♪

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let's update you now on the breaking news we've been following this afternoon here on msnbc. the parents of army sergeant bowe bergdahl just wrapped up a news conference in boise, idaho a few moments ago. they talked about the release of their son after five years in captivity. >> we will never meet most of the people that were involved in this. the ones we have met we are extremely thankful and we were even more thankful for the people that we will never meet. >> bob bergdahl and his wife, jenny, there in boise, idaho just a few moments ago. they spent much of the news conference speaking directly to their son who they said they have not spoken to yet by phone.

bowe bergdahl at the medical facility, then it is expected he will be reunited with his family. my clearing karen finney will pick up our coverage on the other side of the break. see you back here next saturday. [ male announcer ] if you're taking multiple medications,

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did it hurt? when you fell from heaven (awkward laugh) ...a little.. (laughs) im sorry, i have to go. at&t is building you a better network. thanks for disrupting your afternoon. i'm karen finney. the parents of newly-freed sergeant bowe bergdahl have just wrapped up an emotional press conference and a plea for time to let beau heal. others have turned it into a political football. >> the united states of america does not ever leave our men and women in uniform behind. five years after taken captive, bowe bergdahl was freed this weekend. it's wonderful bergdahl's been freed but this was a badly misguided policy. >> sergeant bergdahl wasn't simply a hostage, he was an american prisoner of war captured on the battlefield. >> this was essentiall