a scathing review. a new report from the white house about problems at veterans hospitals and some of the findings might surprise you. close call. a new look at drones in the skies across the u.s. and the dangers they pose, even to commercial airlines. >> alive and kicking. the u.s. survives the group of death. a former world cup player weighs in. everything you need to know about the holiday before you start your fourth of july festivities. good morning, everyone. welcome to "weekends with alex

witt". here's what's happening out there. today in iraq, drones over baghdad. the u.s. is flying armed drones over the iraqi capital, to protect u.s. military advisers on the ground. and a large swath of isis, american fighter jets are patrolling. and an amphibious assault ship is carrying 1,000 marines. it could be used to evacuate u.s. citizens from baghdad if needed. chief foreign correspondent richard engel. good morning to you. what's been the reaction over there to people about the drones and the u.s. fighter jets once again in the iraqi skies. >> reporter: the iraqi people haven't been reacting very strongly. we have been speaking to military officials and government officials. they want american air strikes. they want these drones and aircraft not to be here

protecting american advisers. they want them to be joining in the government in the military's fight against isis. right now the iraqi government today in fact, is using some of its own helicopters to head to mosul tikrit. but the iraqi military is not very strong. they are only able to carry out one, two, three helicopter assaults against isis targets a day. and at that rate they're not boeing to be able to make very much progress. as they attack a building in mosul, the militants move into another province. much in the same way when u.s. troops were fighting against militants years ago it was always a game of whack-a-mole. you would hit one territory, and they would move to another. if iraqis had such little fire

power, they are not making much product. they would like to see these drones join the fight. >> i would like to be clear, richard, the mission of the drones and the fighter jets are truly surveillance, right? they cannot fire at this point. >> reporter: no, they can fire. technically, they can fire. not surveillance. they are also armed. they are a last resort weapon in case the american advisers, up to 300 american advisers, many of whom were already here, while they are moving around, if they suddenly come under attack and their lives are in danger, they could be called into action to repel enemy assault and to get the american personnel out of danger. is the primary is protection. but they are armed. what i was saying is the iraqis want these to continue to do

surveillance, continue to protect the american advisers, but also drop some of their bombs and missiles on to isis targets and to give the iraqi government a boost in the fight. >> speaking of the government very quickly, tuesday the parliament will be convening there. talk about the likelihood of nuri al maliki stepping down. >> it's very difficult to predict iraqi politics right now. we have been speaking to many different members of the opposition, political analysts. there is pressure on maliki to step down. but maliki also has the constitution in his favor and the democratic process in his favor. his coalition won the most seats in the last election. and he feels he has the right to not only form a new government but to be the next prime minister. there are meetings going on, closed door meetings to try to

perhaps convince maliki to step aside and allow someone else from his coalition to take over. but it's unclear if maliki personally hosni interest in stepping aside. that the could be a major obstacle. we could see much hesitation to get more involved here. they don't want to just become the air force for a sectarian and increasingly unpopular government. >> all right. richard engel in baghdad. thank you, richard. a scathing new report on the troubles at veterans hospitals. it was commissioned by the white house, delivered late yesterday. so exactly what is so alarm something kristin welker is at the white house. with a good morning, what does this reveal? >> reporter: you're right. this is a strongly worded report. president obama directed one of his top advisers, rob neighbors to conduct this report.

mr. neighbors identified that there are big problems. among the key finders, the 14-day scheduling period is arbitrary and has helped to fuel the misconduct, that the entire va needs to be restructured and reformed in large part because it lacks transparency and accountability. and finally, alex, the technology is really outdated. it calls for serious upgrades in technology. among the other solutions, the department needs to strengthen its management and reporting structures and that it needs to increase accountability and transparency. this final one i'll mentioned, alex, the tone at the top needs to change. the culture in the va needs to change and needs to encourage employees to point out and to talk about the problems they identify so it doesn't get to this crisis situation we have been reporting on for so long.

the reaction to this report was swift with. bernie sanders, who is the the chairman of the senate veterans affairs committee released a statement saying the communication and decision-making between the central office and regional offices must be radically restructured. the va much do a far better job understanding what's taking place on the ground and regional offices can no longer hide serious problems with had they exist. that speaks to the transparency, alex. finally, i'll read you this reaction from representative jeff miller, republican, on veterans affairs. not surprisingly he said sit unfortunate president obama did not heed our warnings about the problems in the va health care problems sooner, we stand ready to work inside and outside the administration to institute va reforms to present services to americans. and the one final point i'll make, alex, president obama has yet to name a new va secretary.

i anticipate that is something that will happen in the coming weeks, at least in the near future. we know he is wittling his choices >> a gustnado on friday. for a weak short-lived tornado like a vortex. it is a tornado light if you will. the storm accompanied by driving winds and hail. to give you a live look at wichita, kansas where more storms are affected. in wisconsin, a tornado touched down, downing trees and power lines there. a state of emergency remains in effect in st. paul, mississippi after the mississippi river crested friday. and katie has more. >> reporter: more waters than the rivers and lakes can handle. a lot of them overflowing their banks. the mississippi river in st. paul, crested 20.13 feet.

the high waters forced gusto cancel all of his boat tours. >> we have kids that are relying on a job and a paycheck so they can pay to go to school. a great group of kids. >> the business has already lost $125,000. and he could dip deeper in the red as the river is expected to stay at major flood stage through the fourth of july or longer. prompting the national weather service to issue flood warnings and watches from montana to illinois. flooding hit alaska's denali national park, stranding 100 people at a lodge. and a viewer shot this of one creek flowing into another, the current wiping out everything in its path. extreme summer storms slammed texas where a tornado tore

through galveston, destroying this rv. >> it was right there. stuff flying through the air. it had me scared. >> reporter: it was a twister like this one in pilger, nebraska last week. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: the massive ef-4 destroyed 75% of the town. and there's more to come. >> some of these areas that have had severe weather and extreme rainfall will have it again. in some cases two or three days the. nebraska, iowa, wisconsin, minnesota. we will see more flooding problems into this beingend in addition to our severe weather threat. >> the mayor of st. paul said he expects to the see $2 million in damage from the flooding. a new push to ban smoking in state parks and beaches in new jersey. that just passed the state legislature. if approved, the law would be the most sweeping anti-smoking legislation in the country, barring cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco in other spaces.

those caught lighting up would face $250 fine for the first, $500 for the second and $1,000 for the third. . and a maryland mom finds a bag of marijuana in her sonic order. >> i believe she was going to give it to her children. >> the worker thought she had tossed in a pack of ketchup. that employee was fired. no charges have been filed yet. and cleveland-born bobby womack has died. nicknamed "the preacher" for his soulful voice, his influence was felt by a range of artists from keith richards to stevie wonder. he had overcome drug addiction and prostate cancer. he died last night. bobby womack was 70 years old >> ahead, the supreme court sharply divided. but this week three, count them

three, unanimous decisions. what these rules are telling us about the the court. lice, guard. lice, guard. but who looks after us online, where we spend more than 200 billion dollars a year. american express can help protect you. with intelligent security that learns your spending patterns, and can alert you instantly to an unusual charge. so you can be a member of a more secure world. this is what membership is. this is what membership does. [ male announcer ] it has been said that beauty is found within... that what's on the inside is what really counts. agreed. ♪ this is the jeep® grand cherokee. ♪ the most awarded suv ever. well-qualified lessees can lease the 2014 grand cherokee laredo 4x4 for $359 a month.

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bring on belgium. the u.s. team preparing for its next big match in the world cup. the team survived the group of death thursday after their loss against germany. they play belgium tuesday, a team they have not beaten in some 84 years. bill neely is joining me. bill, with a hello to you, there's some hope the u.s. can beat belgium, isn't there? >> reporter: oh, yes. there's a lot of hope. who would have believed we would be at this stage? they survived the so-called group of death. they are alive and kicking. remember the teams sitting at home right now. spain, the world champions. portugal ranked 4. italy and england, former world

champions and russia. all eyes are in. they played belgium twice in the last three years and lost both games. let's look at belgium for a moment. an immensely talented group of players. they were many people's dark horses at the beginning of the world cup. they haven't played terribly well. yey, they have won all of their games. but in belgium, they are hammering this team. they have won their games narrowly and in the last few minutes. this is not performing at the height of its powers. in the u.s. many people would say are doing pretty well and coming along quite nicely. yesterday coach jurgen klinsmann told the players i was there at the practice session watching him say this to them. he said, look, you can be proud. be proud for a few seconds of what you have achieved.

but now forget the group of death. this is the knockout stage. this is do or die. now go out and prove yourself. he said you are over 30. this is your last chance at a world cup. indeed, for many of the younger players it may be their last chance for a world cup. klinsmann is not allowing them to rest on their laurels. there isn't a single player to look at what say you have performed 100%. so he is gearing them up. they are practicing for penalties. because if the game is still tied at the end of normal time and extra time it will go to sudden death penalties. so he is trying to get the players even mentally acclimated for that. so this is a coach and this is a team that are very much on message. and on the day, and it is, you know, 90 minutes. maybe 120 maximum. it could be the u.s. rather than the fancy dark horse team belgium. >> here's hoping, that's for sure.

bill neely, thank you very much for that round-up and what's happening in sao paulo. appreciate it. the gop is work to go distract americans from the real issues as congressional republicans investigate the administration on several fronts, including allegations that the irs targeted conservative groups. >> sometimes the news coming off -- these are just washington fights. they are fabricated issues. they are phonies, scandals that are generated. it's all geared towards the next election or ginning up a base. it's not on the level. >> joining me now of the sun times lynn sweet and reporter for the -- you are in washington today. i thought you weren't for a second. aaron blake. thank you guys both for being here. let's talk about the phony scandals. what specifically is the president talking about, lynn?

>> he is frustrated with the ongoing gop-led investigations of the internal revenue service. these past days there have been several. in the white house point of view, it's never ending. that's the reality of having these investigative committees led by republicans who are very aggressive. where i think the white house did send over the white house counsel to testify. she was seen as a non-cooperating innocence is what one of the house chairman called her. so i don't think this is a fabricated issue. there is a need to get to the bottom of what happened. the disagreement is when does the investigation end. the latest over the lost hard drive of former irs official lois with learner helps keep this story going. but i think obama went a little too far. the president went too far in

making it look like the whole thing is fabricated about there are still issues to be learned more about. >> in other words, there are legitimate questions to be asked here? >> yeah. >> aaron, given the irs story, has it given republicans ammunition to attack them? and has this gained any traction with the deposit because we are talking about the irs? >> you know, i think the irs is obviously kind of a villain for a lot of americans. this is a very good investigation for the republicans to being pursued right now. and i think lynn made a good point, the e-mails missing before 2011 breathed new life into this in the same way that the delayed documents in the benghazi breathed life into that. any time it looks like not all the information is coming out. any time there is a whiff of a cover up, people are going to be

a little more suspicious. and i think that particularly in the case of the irs, people are less willing to give that institution the benefit of the doubt. >> okay. let's switch gears here. lynn, as you know, you are waiting on a supreme court decision on hobby lobby decision the. but the high court handed down three unanimous decisions. search warrants for cell phones after an arrest. and the third has to do with the abortion clinic buffer zones. what do you think is going on here? what does that tell you about this court? >> not as much as may think. out of 16 decisions 12 had been m unanimous. you will finds as always, there

are divisions within the court. so i don't think you would take this moment in history, this particularly last batch of unanimous decisions. it's interesting but it might not foreshadow union anymority between this this court which is most often divided. but you can't deny we have had these decisions. but it is so interesting because justices are coming to the same conclusions through different legal paths. so of course justice roberts has been the one trying to avoid a sharply divided court. so in some ways he is trying to bring these unanimous decisions for the big count in the end. but he cannot erase these divides that still exist. >> but were you surprised by the unanimous decision on the abortion ruling, on that one basically upholding free speech thereby endangering the people who want to go into the clinics

by removing the buffer zone for the most part? that generated a lot of talk in the newsroom, that's for sure. >> yeah. and i think it is important to note it was actually a pretty narrow decision. there were four justices on the conservative side on the supreme court, not including the chief justice who said in that case these buffer zones should not be allowed in general. five other justices narrowed the decision by saying while massachusetts's buffer zones are too restrictive, other ones could in fact, be fine. the supreme court upheld similar zones in colorado. it was not a far-reaching opinion. it is generally acknowledged that the buffer zones that exist in massachusetts are more restrictive than a lot of states. it will be more of a feeling-out process for these states and trying to figure out what is essential to the supreme court as far as restricting protests outside the doors of abortion clinics. >> okay. aaron blake, lynn sweet, good to

see you both. thanks, guys. >> thank you. so irs dust up, partisan politics, a real scandal. my handle is @alexwitt. red, white and boom. how much will you spend for the holiday? the detroit boy missing for 11 days and found safe in his father's basement. we're going to have the latest. but first, when's the last time you heard of a hollywood star flying coach? actress amy adams is winning more fans this week after she gave up her first class seat to a united states soldier. the oscar nominee swapped her seat with the soldier after swatting him at the gate. here she is in a selfie with her lucky new seat mate. talk about a first class act. honey nut. but... chocolate is my other favorite... oh yeah, and frosted! what's your most favorite of all? hmm...the kind i have with you. me too.

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travel and time, feasting on the fourth and having a blast. usa on treubgtor regina lewis. with a good morning to you, we're starting with traveling time. what's it all about? >> 41 million americans expected to travel more than 50 miles. 5 million more people traveling on memorial day. the single biggest traveling event of the summer. 80% done by car. that despite the highest gas prices since 2008. so very interesting to see that. airline travel up. rental car business way up. because people need the cars when they land. they are selling out. get in on that quickly. sometimes people renting them so they don't put piles on their own vehicle for road trips. they might move but you can't keep them home on the weekend. millenials expect to go take advantage of the three-day

weekend. gas prices. 70% of people say it will not curb their spending. what are they spending it on? food. it is a $6.2 billion food event in this country. that averages to $68 per household. why? 64% of people will attend, this is far and away the favorite activity, some sort of picnic or barbecue. according to the hot dog and sausage council, on independence day we will consume $150 million hot dogs. >> and a bunch at that nathan's contest at coney island. and fireworks. >> despite a down economy, fireworks sales has increased over the years. that happens to be with the loosening of restrictions on purchasing. very con done gentlemen on the weather. in each town or city, it's a big

easement. it's the last thing you want to cut if you're the mayor of a town. the small town spends $3,000 on their fireworks. bigger is $50,000. macy's is an extravaganza. it will be streamed line. >> that never gets old. it's fantastic. thanks so much. happy fourth to you on friday. >> thanks. are your neighbors spying on you with drones? is it legal? lgbt pride kicks off. here's more with the significance of this year's celebrations. wouldn't it be great if hiring plumbers, carpenters shopping online is as easy as it gets. and even piano tuners were just as simple? thanks to angie's list, now it is. we've made hiring anyone from a handyman

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defense officials say the u.s. is flying predator drone thes over the iraqi capital. the drones are not meant to hunt military forces, only to protect american advisers if they come under fire. they are flying f-18 fighter jets over the area controlled isis militants. retired general jacobs. always glad to see you, sir. as you know, the u.s. said it is not going to send it in combat troops. but this is a definite escalation, right? >> it sort of is. we have to remember that the 300 advisers on the ground are really combat troops. they're not civilians or anything. they are special forces troops, seasoned special forces troops who are going to be with iraqi soldiers. they are combat troops. i was an adviser in vietnam. i saw plenty of combat. we also have lots and lots of civilian contractors.

most of them, though not all of them in baghdad. we also have the george h.w. bush carrier strike group in the area. those are combat troops too. so we really do have lots of combat troops in the region. >> the defense official emphasized that the president still has not authorized air strikes. will there be more pressure now since the equipment is there? >> well, that's an interesting concept. if you've got it, maybe you are supposed to use it. the thing to remember is that a lot of those forces there are there to protect the americans who are still there. and you can bet that there's a great political component to this just sending the people there in the first place as a political component. because we can't do nothing. we can't send troops on the ground. this sort of satisfies the

inside, the beltway requirement to do something politically to do something. at some juncture, these will be used. we will strike at isis forces when we find formations on the ground. so you can bet there will be some shooting at some juncture. and they are also there to protect any american evacuation if that becomes necessary. >> you witnessed mission creep in vietnam. anything here bringing the same way? >> well, it start of looks like that a bit. the thing to remember is this president is not going to commit large scale forces on the ground. there's no imperative to do it from the congress. so i don't think we're going to see too much creep, particularly on the ground here. >> okay. colonel jacobs, always a pleasure. thank you, sir. two big developments when it comes to drones in this country. faa told amazon.com, delivering packages with drones for a fee will remain illegal for now. a year-long investigation by the

"washington post" found hundreds of large military drones have malfunctioned and crashed into homes, farms, highways around the world since 2001 >> here at home, faa estimates 7,000 drones in the air next year. many are saying it is raising big problems for your privacy. >> get off of me. >> you are assaulting me! >> police say this teenager in connecticut was assaulted by a woman after his drone was spotted flying over beachgoers there. then in los angeles, the hockey fans knocked this drone right out of the sky. look at that. they crushed it when it hit the grouped, in fact. and this seattle woman snapped a picture of a drone she feared was taking pictures of her through her window. >> i do feel violated. and i am concerned about how this sort of thing will change our world. >> well, joining me now is technology editor patrick

tucker. patrick, with a welcome to you. let's talk about the real estate contractor who later apologized to this woman saying the drone was just shooting property. of course she was worried he was going to catch pictures of her changing and the like. with all the new drones in the air, how will our privacy and our air be affected? >> we're not quite sure yet. there are laws that prohibit peeping tom activity as we understand using tellscopic lens and things like that. but drones increase the ability to take pictures. it's what they are for. the faa has said the use of drones for commercial photography is prohibited. it hasn't distinguished the difference between a drone and model plane. and it doesn't regulate the use of toy planes. this has become a big issue. in 2011, ralph parker was fined by the faa for taking pictures under contract. and very recently, a couple months ago in march, the

national transportation safety board threw out the fine and said hey, faa, you don't know the difference between a model plane and drone so you can't bar ralph parker taking pictures for money. in terms of taking pictures with the drone for a hobbyist reason or purposes, there's not a lot of legislation that guides how or when pictures can be taken with them. >> okay. if you haven't established the real criteria between those that are personally being used and commercially being used, how will that affect amazon and their plan for using drones. >> amazon is not quite sure. they said the recent faa announcement is probably not going to affect their ability to deliver packages with their flying drone platform. they are nowhere near technologically ready. faa would disagree and say commercial drone delivery is still something that's highly regulated. in order to use one commercially you have to have a pilot's

license. you have to have a drone we have certified. a wide number of issues we don't have nailed down yet. you will see more lawsuits like ralph parker where people are just figuring out what's a drone, what's a toy, what's commercial and what isn't. >> that's privacy. what about safety? there have been 15 reported near-miss incidents around airports, laguardia and lax just the the last couple of years. >> this is increasingly urgent issue for the faa. this is part of the reason why they have been mandated to come out with new rules guiding how drones fit into civilian airspace by september of 2015. they are probably not going to make it. recently the faa came out with some new guidance saying drones have to be about 5 to 8 miles away from airports as long as they are above 55 pounds. and that's going to help keep these, you know, model aircraft and drones away from commercial

aircraft. but there have been a lot of near misses. it is becoming an increasing concern. >> if there are laws that get enacted, patrick, how will they enforce them? >> i think little bit by little bit. there are laws that restrict how drones are used. in almost all of hem, the laws only affect how law enforcement uses drones to collect evidence or for legal purposes. only in texas are there laws that prohibit how civilians use them for taking pictures. it is sort of the out liar. and i think the texas legislation is potentially model legislation for other parts of the country affecting how civilians use drone toss take pictures. and texas legislation carves out a lot of area for law enforcement to use them for collection of evidence. everywhere else in the united states where there are state drone laws they are mostly

prohibiting evidence by law enforcement. >> thanks, patrick. >> thank you. >> nasa hopes to launch an unmanned flying saucer off the coast of hawaii. it will be sent to the edge of space by balloon to test technology to be used in a mission to mars. nasa is sending the disk-shaped saucer. his son was found in his basement after an 11-day disappearance. now this detroit dad could be facing charges. that's next. the fact is, it comes standard with an engine that's been called the benchmark of its class. really, guys, i thought... it also has more rear legroom than other midsize sedans. and the volkswagen passat has a lower starting price than... much better. vo: hurry in and lease the 2014 passat s for $199 a month. visit vwdealer.com today.

chances are we're already there. be or what you want to do, 12 brands. more hotels than anyone else in the world. like super 8, where every destination is super. save up to 15 percent and earn bonus points when you book at wyndhamrewards.com a motorist in texas is recovering from minor injuries after a small plane hit his pickup truck. that plane was making an emergency landing yesterday on a highway ramp. a piece from the wing is smashed through the windshield. the pilot, who was unhurt, said he had to land because he lost oil pressure. new questions in the case of a missing michigan boy found in his own basement 11 days after

he vanished. the boy's father is expect to go face criminal charges. his lawyer said the father did nothing wrong. good morning to you, ron. what is the latest in this just weird story? >> reporter: very strange story, alex. good morning to you. lots of twists and turns the last 48 hours or so. as you mentioned, the father is essentially waiting to be charged. the stepmom struggled to get out of jail on an unrelated charge. charlie is safe and sound at home with his mother. >> no comment. i'm sorry. >>reporter: bracing for possible criminal charges in connection with his 12-year-old son's disappearance and odd discovery. >> what are your concerns going forward about getting your family together? >> charlie, we're getting reports that your son has been found in your basement.

>> i have -- i have no idea. >> he might face arrest here. >> we're very concerned. >>reporter: his attorney fielded a myriad of questions over the case, before sitting down with us one on one. >> my client has been charged yet, although we fully anticipate some charges. we're prepared to defend any allegations, any complaints. >> he he was seek to go regain custody of his two younger children when the stepmother was arrested on an unrelated probation violation charge. she was given $5,000 bond and ordered with a tracking device. the stepmom, who got police involved in the search for charlie, is also represented by the same attorney. >> they could have said, all right, we filed a missing persons report and lay low. but they did way more than that. >>reporter: meantime, prors say they have not received a warrant package from police, detailing evidence that could support filing criminal charges.

charlie was found crouch anything a small area in the basement of his father's home where he also lived, an area previously searched by authorities. the attorney said charles both el pushed his son to lose weight when he moved in with his family two years ago, but he did not tie a lack of exercise to punishment. officials are investigating whether charlie suffered physical and emotional abuse at home. >> based on what i have seen and what i have been told, the father loved this the child more than anything. >> we previously reported charlie may have been afraid of being punished for not finishing his daily exercise chore. he had the father told his son he would have to go back to public school or a military academy after being home-schooled and he did not take that news lightly. >> his stepmother was arrested. has she reacted to this publicly? >> reporter: that side of the family, alex, has not spoken at

all. they have not confirmed any of this. they won't even confirm he's staying at the house really. but that's where the state released him into the care of his mother. they have not spoken. we are all obviously looking forward to talking to the biological mother. the parents had been split for some time. the mother, as we understand it, sent charlie back over to live with his dad a few years ago because he had been developing some issues there in her home. the father, as we have learned from the attorney, was essentially trying to get her son and his son in a healthier state. he came here a couple of years ago overweight. he's a registered nurse, the father. and had homeschooled him. and recently told him that because he was starting a new business he wasn't going to be able to home school him and that the kid was going to have to go back into the public school system or military academy and did not like that at all, alex. >> thank you so much for that detailed background. appreciate that.

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that's a live look and the u.s. has a chance to go all the way as soccer fans get ready for the next round of the world cup and that begins today. >> usa! usa! >> it's a popular chant all over the place but the u.s. coach is not taking anything for granted as he prepares his team for tuesday's contest against belgium. >> want to be one day in the top ten, top 12 in the world, if you want to be there one day, this is now the moment to prove it and show it. >> we have someone who knows what he's talking about here. former soccer fall of famer bruce murray. >> nice to be here. >> i'm glad to have you, i'm curious about the phenomenon

where everybody is going crazy, people gathering around the tv sets and talking about it. then there's the falloff afterwards, what's going to prevebt that from happening? >> we have a great league domestic league here, attendance is up. tv ratings are off the chart. >> through the roof, right? what about the difference between world cup play and league play? you've played in both clearly. how much more pressure is there during world cup? >> there's a lot more pressure, you're representing your country and also playing best players in the world. every player you're playing against is the best in the world. if you don't get it right, you're going home. >> you've scored goals in leagues clearly but you've also scored a world cup goal. does it feel differently? >> it does feel differently because you have that forever and you look at the books and read the record books and see your name in there. it's pretty cool. >> talking about the assessment

on world soccer. >> he made bold decisions and left donovan off the team and -- >> that was not something -- >> not a popular move but said we can't win the world cup. i think what you're seeing is the team is galvanizing behind the statement and saying we believe we can win. that's the mantra and being chanted at the viewing parties and whatever. that's based off of that statement. >> does that mean -- you hear coaches and they are always supposed to say we can do it. is there something about this guy and is his approach working? >> i think his proapproach is working and players have gotten around it and they have a chance. >> i know you played overseas for years, right? >> yes. >> talk about the difference playing there versus here. >> it used to be a very difficult here because there wasn't a fan base or whatever.

now it's changed a bit. overseas it's a passion, people are loyal, tattoo with the team's name and everything. it's a big deal. >> what is it that you think inspires that. that's the way it's always been. do you equate that to our football here or bigger? >> same as our football here. their kind of nfl and soccer is getting a toe hold in the country. ratings bear it out. there's a reason espn and nbc are doing all of these games. >> it's turning out to be profitable because we're all watching them. >> what about the chances bens belgium? >> a very talented team and good players, perhaps the best roster in the world cup on paper. they are also very young. if we get past belgium, it sets up for argentina. argentina is the all time let down team in the world cup.

they can't get get over the hump. i think the u.s. is positioned in a very good spot to get to the final four. >> it is different going forward now because you lose, you're out. >> it's a knockout round. the way the team is set up, attack mode and outside backs are pushing forward, putting prerk you are on other teams. i'm as tonnished how well we're playing. >> nice to be here, thank you. >> that's a wrap of this hour. be sure to join me for a two-hour edition of the show today. up ahead quts up with steve kornacki. you used to sleep like a champ - then boom...

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morning and thanks for getting us with today. a lot going on this weekend and a lot of stories everyone will be talking about all weekend long. we want to get through as many as we can. let's start with this. president obama calling out