they tried to forcibly take bergdahl away. bergdahl resisted.ey took off his military uniform, put on local clothes, even a local turban and then took him away. >> the military which had launched an internal investigation discovered another startling clue. before his disappearance, bergdahl had mailed his computer and some books back home to his family. and in a sign of how sensitive the situation was becoming, the army told bergdahl's fellow soldiers to sign nondisclosure agreements, making them promise not to talk about the circumstances of his disappearance. until and unless we hear from bowe bergdahl himself, we may never know how he ended up in the taliban's hands. >> behind the patrol when i was captured. >> with bergdahl officially a taliban hostage, the hunt intensified. >> it was 60 days or more, i remember just straight, we didn't -- all we did was look for bergdahl. all we were doing was going on leads. intel he was in a specific village or being moved from a village to another location and we would act on that intelligence. essential

they tried to forcibly take bergdahl away. bergdahl resisted.y beat him, they took off his military uniform, put on local clothes, even a local turban and then took him away. >> the military which had launched an internal investigation discovered another startling clue. before his disappearance, bergdahl had mailed hishe3 leads. intel he was in a specific village or being moved from a village to anation and we would act on that intelligence. ess but many of his comrades feel the events are directly tied to each other. >> bergdahl leaving changed the mission. >> if he wouldn't have deserted us, these soldiers very well could have been in a different place at a different time. >> it was a very big betrayal. >> the military has promised a comprehensive review. >> let's get the facts, but let's first focus on getting sergeant bergdahl well. >> until then, the mystery surrounding bowe bergdahl and what happened to him that fateful night remains. >> bergdahl's hometown of haley, idaho, has decided to cancel the celebration that is planned for him late

bergdahl refer to, this p.o.w. mm.i.a.roup, you heard them clapping for them as the bergdahls came in and out. dana, what i think i was struck by and i think for people who -- it's fascinating, i would travel the country and talk about having covered the story of bowe bergdahl. it's been fascinating over the last five years how few people actually knew that there was a soldier missing in afghanistan and in large part because the bergdahls shunned most interviews. they only did a handful of interviews over the last five years. so this is a story that kind of flew below the radar in many ways for five years, as crazy as that might seem to people. but i think when you heard bob bergdahl speaking today, i think you got a glimpse into his personality, the methodical nature by which he kind of studied the situation and learned more about it when you heard him talking about his network of language sources and intelligent sources. these were efforts that he did. he released a youtube video in hopes that that would spark a communic

the story of bowe bergdahl. his strange disappearance in afghanistan, his nearly five years in captivity, and the secret deal to secure his release a week ago today. it's got america talking and how. >> we saw an opportunity and we took it. i make no apologies for it. >> one of our values is we bring everybody home off the battle field the best we can. it doesn't matter how they ended up in a prisoner of war situation. >> as a prisoner of war, bowe bergdahl deserved, and we had the obligation and the commander-in-chief had the obligation to do what was necessary to bring him home. >> our first headline comes from abc news. what the u.s. gave up to get sergeant bergdahl back. the price was high. five so-called enemy combatants freed from guantanamo bay then greeted as heroes upon arrival in qatar. white house opponents say the president cut a bad deal. senator john mccain called the price incomprehensible. he's among those republicans who publicly challenged the president to bring bergdahl home and then criticize

bergdahl, and i'm a father also.ad been held captive in very difficult circumstances and he was being told that people were doing everything they could to get him released but he saw no progress or evidence of that. and so did he become frustrated with what he was being told officially? and did he try to take matters into his own hands? i think every father can understand that. i would not criticize him in any way. he impressed me with his love for his son and his desire to have his son freed. >> i really appreciate your expertise, thank you so much. >>> we're going to have more on the bowe bergdahl story in our next hour of "ac360" starting at 9:00. i hope you join us then. >>> up next, how would you like it if your morning workout was caught on video and then plaster ed on line for everybody to see. president obama, the secret service showing what he was doing when the camera was running, details ahead. ameriprise asked people a simple question: can you keep your lifestyle in retirement? i don't want to think about

bergdahl and sergeant bergdahl's mother and they clearly love him a lot.have suffered and it's great to see him back. >> do you think the deal should have been done as it was, the trade of five for one? >> well, the issue of numbers and all is something that is going to be thrashed out. i do think it's concerning, the whole concept of trading somebody who has been held by a group like the taliban and the message that it may send to others, the impact on them is hard to predict but the chance of being negative are pretty high. so i think there's a downside risk. on the other hand, as i mentioned, a little bit before, he was, in many ways, a pawn of issues beyond his control. really from almost the day he ended up in pakistan and, to me, the role of pakistan is something that people are not going to pay much attention to but it's been vital. the pakistani intelligence, the pakistani military, the people who rule the country have had a very long tie with the haqqanis, the group that we know has been holding him for five years and they never released any bit o

sergeant bowe bergdahl. the pentagon's initial investigation and the intelligence that prompted the obama administration to agree to a prisoner exchange to free him. there are multiple new angles we're following with our correspondent and our guests. let's begin with our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr. what's the latest you're picking up there, barbara? >> well, wolf, we've now been told that defense secretary chuck hagel telephoned sergeant bergdahl's parents in idaho earlier today to reassure them the department of defense would continue to support bergdahl and his medical recovery. the question of sergeant bergdahl's health is one that keeps swirling around. the first images of the actual bowe bergdahl swap emerging on the taliban's website. bergdahl dressed all in white. he appears to be nervous. blinking. shaking. then suddenly like a scene out of the movies the special forces blackhawk helicopter descends. two taliban militants immediately take bergdahl toward the chopper. waving a white flag. t

, but every single mission after bergdahl left was tilted towards finding bowe bergdahl.very single mission. >> josh, members of your unit, including you, have been speaking out since bergdahl was released and the administration has also been pushing back at some of the comments that you and your colleagues have made. here is a spokeswoman for the state department on some of the comments your unit has made. take a look. >> you spent all this time, five years, to determine whether he was a deserter or not. that's a long time. >> he has been in captivity, lucas. i think he is probably the persons that knows best what happened on that night. >> i think his squad mates have the best indication. >> i don't think that that's the case. >> i don't think that's the case. josh, your reaction to hearing somebody from the state department's podium say that, in effect, you guys don't know what went on and some on background have been tougher talking about smearing ber daul or swift boating bergdahl. >> i don't know what people want to -- or what certain people want to hear wrish was t

about bob bergdahl. let me go to that he's right now, just a -- let me go to that piece right now, just a clip. sean smith is talking not to bowe, but other soldiers who are talking here. >> these people just want to be left alone. thehey got dicked with from russians for 17 years, and now we are here. these people just want to be left alone. stuff like that.t tha >> a few weeks later, bowe bergdahl disappeared. the circumstances are unclear. >> that, report from "the guardian" from sean smith, embedded with bowe bergdahl's unit. according to your piece that you wrote with michael hastings in "rolling stone," bowe sent a final e-mail to his peers on june 20 7 am a -- june27, three days before he disappeared. he wrote -- he also saw a military vehicle rollover an afghan debut. matthew farwell? >> i think that pretty much speaks for itself. the guy was clearly not happy where he was, not happy with the people he was serving with. and, you know, that area is a bad, bad area he walked off from. it is just di

, was focused on finding bergdahl. maybe not every single mission was kicking down a door because we had intel that bergdahl was there, but we were finding people or locals saying they had information about where bergdahl was or maybe we were just trying to go and talk with the lolks to see if they knew anything about bowe bergdahl. but every single mission was tilted toward finding bowe bergdahl. every single mission. >> josh, members of your unit, including you, have been speaking out since bergdahl was released and the administration has also been pushing back at some of the comments that you and your colleagues have made. here is a spokeswoman for the state department on some of the comments your unit has made. take a look. >> we've all this year five years to determine whether he's a deserter or not. >> he's been in captivity. i think he is the best person who knows what what happened that night. >> his squad knows. i don't think that's the case. >> josh, your reaction to hearing somebody from the state department

bergdahl seen inside sitting in the back seat. bergdahl dressed all in white. he appears to be nervous, blinking, shaky. bergdahl seen talking with one of his alleged captors. at one point, the army sergeant even cracks what looks to be a wipes flying overhead, a twin-engine plane approaching the meeting point. and then suddenly like a scene out of the movies the special forces blackhawk helicopter. two taliban immediately escort bergdahl towards the chopper, waving a white flag. three u.s. special operations commandos approach, shaking hands with the taliban militants. they pat down bergdahl's back and immediately begin escorting him to the helicopter. in bergdahl's left hand, the plastic bag. the contents. wave back to the militants as they run towards the chopper. they pat bergdahl down again, this time in a deliberate and thorough fashion, presumably a swipe for explosives right before loading him in. this face-to-face exchange lasting less than ten seconds before they were off. a message later emerging, don't come back to afghanistan. ♪ another portion of

bergdahl where was where to be found. in the single-man tent he had been sleeping in we found his gun, ammo and plate carrier. patrols were kicked out to surrounding areas to look for bergdahl. according to some small children we spoke to, they had seen a single american matching bergdahl's description crawling low on the ground through the reeds earlier that day on their way to school. the story was also confirm bid clergy and a teacher who saw the same thing. a few days later we heard from our interpreter that the american that was walking around in the afghan village looking for somebody that spoke english and water also wanted to seek out the taliban. that was from the interpreter speaking directly to us. after bergdahl was found that he walked off, dusk one was called up, duty status and whereabouts unknown. every asset in afghanistan was pushed to his effort. after bergdahl shipping his items home, local accounts of seeing him crawling and asking for the taliban, the false stories he's e-mailed his father and odd qu

five taliban commanders were traded for bowe bergdahl. bergdahl is wearing a white robe and his head is shaved. he has a lot of ticks. the group of masked insurgents walks with sergeant bergdahl, the american forces give him a quick pat-down before the helicopter flies away. the videos released is fueling some republicans criticism that the prisoner trade is a taliban victory. military leaders defended the deal calling it the last best chance to get sergeant bergdahl out alive. the pentagon is also pushing back on a different controversy all together, whether sergeant bergdahl was a traitor who did not deserve to be saved. some of sergeant bergdahl's fellow soldiers said he deserted his post and walked away right into enemy hands but the defense secretary chuck hagel today vowed a complete review of sergeant bergdahl's conduct and caused we're only hearing one side of the story so far. >> certainly, i think a bit unfair to sergeant bergdahl's family and to him to presume anything. we don't do that in the united states. we rely on facts. >

did bergdahl dessert his post? >> the truth is, erin, we're not completely sure about the circumstances under which he disappeared and was held captive. as you know, the army investigated this right away, that investigation technically still open because the prime witness is somebody we haven't been able to talk to for five years. so we really don't know why he left that base, and under what circumstances. and of course i think over time, those kinds of facts and those kinds of details will come out. the army didn't classify him as a deserter, he was listed as missing and presumed captured and of course then we eventually found out that he was in fact captured. he remains a sergeant in the army of the united states on active duty, in fact he is scheduled for yet another promotion coming up very soon. and our focus right now is really on his health and well-being, getting him reintegrated back into the army, into his military family and of course eventually reuniting him with his family. >> it's impossible to imagin

special forces asked when they received bowe bergdahl, sergeant bergdahl, is what was his health like. they said tell us the truth, if he's not well, and the taliban fighter who's doing the narration said that we told them that he was fine and then they handed him over. that conflicts with what the u.s. medical teams here at landstuhl medical facility in southern germany say. they've got him inside the hospital behind me, giving him medical treatment for what they say are conditions that required hospitalization. the focus very much at this stage in terms of his medical condition is on his dietary needs, his nutritional needs after being held in captivity by sort of afghan militants, taliban militants, for nearly five years. but there's also a psychological dimension to it as well. obviously, a big trauma that this guy will have endured, being in captivity for so long. and so, it's a very slow, painstaking, psychological process of healing as well that he's just now starting out on, john. >> any sense of how much of this process will take place in germany, or is it possible he be rele

>>> covering the bowe bergdahl story. the full circumstances of his disappearance and the motivations if he walked away are left from his unit. remain murky. we have yet to receive a final determination from the pentagon let alone hear from bergdahl himself. some of his fellow troops have been speaking out including sergeant evan, his team leader the night he disappeared and the soldier was sikhing out the ene enemy. >> i was standing next to the radio when they heard that there was an american in a village about wo miles from where we were at. it's a village that has a very large presence of taliban. the american is in the village, looking for someone who speaks english so he can speak to the taliban. i heard it straight from the interpreter's lips as he heard it over the radio. at that point, it was like, this is kind of snowballing out of control. there's a lot more to this story than just a soldier walking away. >> that may understate the case. more from pamela brown now. >> reporter: soldiers who served with bowe ber

bergdahl went missing on june 30.ix soldiers that died died two months later and four separate missions. it is not clear to what extent those missions had anything to do with searching for bergdahl. they certainly were not rescue missions. one of those deaths involved an american soldier being killed supporting an afghan national security force mission. that is not a rescue mission. know why exactly the six soldiers died. they're all sort of things that could explain it. let's not forget summer season is fighting season in afghanistan. it could have been they died in late august and early september because it was late in the summer, right before the winter, and attacks always ramp up that time of year. it could also be explained by in 2009, the obama administration initiated this protected -- protracted insurgency campaign. there are all sorts of things that could explain why the soldiers died. i think it is unfair to assert that bergdahl went missing and therefore these soldiers died. another thing also, and bergdahl

bergdahl learned about ballet while he lived inha hailey. >> bergdahl really wanted to expand his knowledge ballet, he went for sword fighting and ballet. >> in 2008, he decided to enlist in the army, a move that surprised his parents, although they were later supportive. later, he was sold on the idea to go to afghanistan and help the locals rebuild their lives and communities. but later, bob bergdahl would say, we were given a fictitious picture of an artificial picture of what we were doing in afghanistan. he literally walked away from the army in a remote region of afghanistan. >> as i mentioned, the town of hailey is cancelling its welcome home celebration, i understand they're doing it out of safety concerns? >> reporter: well, anderson, yes, it is really a matter of public safety for these officials who are worried they're not ready to handle the number of people who could converge on this town. there is so much media and they cancelled it as a matter of public safety. still, the support is strong here. you do get a sense the people are staying out of the politics. they're waiting fo

army sergeant evan, sergeant bergdahl's team leader when he was there and when bergdahl vanished. thank you for joining us. >> yes, thank you for having me. >> so the night this happened, you were all at this small observation post. it consisting of two bunkers, you're in one of the bunkers and be bergdahl was supposed to be in a pup tent and how did you learn that he was gone? >> the first thing said to me was someone called up to the bunker which was called op-2, our call sign up there. they said op-2, is bergdahl up there? i got on the radio and said, no, he's not up here. they said anybody -- has anybody seen bergdahl? i'll never forget that line. we searched the whole op and the personnel who were there and that bergdahl liked to hang out with them and spoke with them a lot. they hadn't seen him. they didn't know where he was at and it didn't take long before it became pretty clear that he was gone. >> and he was supposed to have been on guard duty that night? >> yes. he was about to go on guard shift. someone woke him up for his shift and that's when they found out that he w

another quickly frisks bergdahl. the taliban narrators recounts a what he claims they said to each other. >> translator: they first asked us to told us to tell them the truth if he was not well. but we saw he was fine and told them that. >> the soldiers keeping his kbries locked on the taliban even as he walks backwards. bergdahl is stumbling. a nervous walk across rocky terrain. he is patted down once again, this time much for thoroughly. a precaution against a bomb or trap. the black hawk helicopter disappears into the sky. >> into the hills of the video are the unusual circumstances coming out. >> we're getting details on an investigation that the military did when he first disappeared and it corroborates some of the stories out there and knocks down others. it corroborates instant allegations from fellow soldiers that he had wandered out of that post more than once before. it knocks down another story that he left a note talking about leaving. as you referenced earlier on, painting something of a conflicting pict

congressman called sergeant bergdahl a national hero. but then, apparently, the memo went out that sergeant bergdahl is supposed to be attacked and not praised by politicians and him coming home is supposed to be a scandal and not a cause for celebration, and so now, whatever is sacred or not, when you go to the page on congressman terry's website that used to have that statement, and now just said, "sorry, there is no document by that reference here." the statement has been deleted. republican congressman mark amodei of nevada tweeted, "best news i've heard in a long time" and that got deleted the next day. jo jonieerness said, thoughts and prayers go out to sergeant bergdahl and his families. and she deleted that. no more thoughts and prayers going out to sergeant bergdahl and his family. did i say that? i didn't mean that. i'm no longer thinking or praying for you. senator thad cochran. welcome home, senator bowe bergdahl. a grateful america thanks you for your service. for three days. and then senator thad cochran deletes that sentim

off. >> i think it private bergdahl. lou: it is a statement of fact, being reported by media outlet after media outlet, at the same time for this administration to project at least, with the rose garden ceremony. i am almost inclineed to believe they thought they would get a slap on the back from the american people. for this colossal disaster. >> problem is, nobody in obama administration served in the military or know its value, they don't even understand the american people any more, i believe that obama and keep team obama thought that ceremony in rose garden, and the release of bergdahl would lead to more celebrations in the streets of washington. they got it aas lon awrong as ty could, now they are batoning down the patches, you heard spokeswoman harp, claimed she in washington, d.c., had a better idea of what bergdahl did in afghanistan than his platoon mates and company mates in afghanistan who lived with him, and fought with him, the arrogance is astonishing. at some points -- okay if obama administration cannot

bergdahl execution threat. as president obama defends the swap, they say he would have been killed by his captors if word of the deal had gotten out. bergdahl's captor speak. jubilant at the prisoner exchange and return of five hardcore leaders. but why did they give a gift to sergeant bergdahl? >>> plus, russia's leader offering billions of financial help to nuclear-armed north korea. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." we're getting stunning new evidence that bergdahl would be executed by the taliban. and while many were shocked, critics say the price was too high. president obama says the prisoner swap controversy was whipped up in washington and he's making no apologies for trading five taliban detainees for bergdahl. our correspondents are standing by. let's go to barbara starr. barbara? >> wolf, the pentagon's position is remaining the same. they leave no one behind on the battlefield but there are plenty of questions for sergeant bowe bergdahl. bowe bergdahl may have tried to escape his cap

army sergeant bowe bergdahl from the taliban.olice takes and excuses are both part of the mix of five days after bergdahl was freed and there's a key question, what were the motives for his release? the white house is getting a lot of backlash over the affair and a lot of politics involved as well from republicans and democrats. gloria borger is here, she writes about this in her latest column on cnn.com, an excellent column as well. speaking to some former national security advisers of this president. what do they say? >> i was told that secretary of defense bob gates was, quote, very uncomfortable with the idea of this guantanamo prisoner swap for bowe bergdahl when it was raised in 2011. this has been a topic of discussion for a couple of years. the fundamental discussion at that time, i'm told, was over the notion of whether you should negotiate with terrorists and hostage takers. and we now know that former cia director leon pa netter, former secretary of state hillary clinton and gates were part of a powerful triumvirate th

bergdahl's parent. i would like to ask if any of the people who served honorably and were killed in action were given the courtesy of a rose garden ceremony at the white house. the answer to that is probably no. either what the president did benefited the security of the united states or it did not. i believe it did not. this is something that the american people disagree with. many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are looking to run interference for the administration i blaming previous presidents. that does not cut it on this issue. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. >> idb sympathy to you and your family and to your wife behind you. there are not any words to express the terrible sense of loss you must experience. i have had friends who have had similar losses. my heart goes out to you. thank you for being here today. we are here to examine the decision to exchange sergeant bergdahl, a soldier held in captivity for five years, 45 prisoners in guantÁnamo. it is easy to

sergeant bowe bergdahl. >> the president is in brussels where the controversy over the bergdahl swap has in some ways overshadowed the g-7 summit. president obama insists the united states does not leave troops behind on the battlefield. >> i'm never surprised by controversies that are whipped up in washington. right? that's par for the course. but i'll repeat what i said two days ago. we have a basic principle. we do not leave anybody wearing the american uniform behind. we had a prisoner of war whose health had deteriorated. and we were deeply concerned about. and we saw an opportunity, and we seized it. and i make no apologies for that. >> i want to bring in our chief national security correspondent jim sciutto and joe johns. good to have you both with us. jim, starting with you, president obama is certainly standing firm on his decision to swap these five taliban prisoners for a u.s. soldier who apparently walked away from his unit in afghanistan. he goes on to say -- call bowe bergdahl a kid, essentially trying to humanize this soldier. how much of a difference, or if any, will

was bringing bowe bergdahl back to the u.s. worth the price this tweet yes or no using the #crossfire. we'll have the results right after the break. we also have the outrage of the day. i'm outraged at officials in daytona, florida, who are fining a couple for doing exactly what the bible says they should do. okay, movie night.everyone wins. how do i win? because we're streaming the movie that you love. well, how do i win? because we ordered that weird thing that you love from the pizza place. how do you win, dad? because i used the citi thankyou card and got two times the points on alllllll of this. well, and spending time with you guys of course. that was a better answer. the citi thankyou preferred card. earn two times the thankyou points on entertainment and dining out all with no annual fee. to apply, go to citi.com/thankyoucards. the clean air act stops polluters from... poisoning his air with arsenic, lead and mercury. now the loop hole that lets them pump unlimited carbon... pollution into his air is closing too. if pol

sergeant, bowe bergdahl. captured by the taliban in exchange for five taliban detainees that the u.s. had been holding at the guantanamo bay, cuba, prison facility. the president announced the swap on saturday, one week ago, flanked by bergdahl's parents, but this week the tone of that ceremony changed abruptly to a defensive tone on the part of the white house. according to the "new york times" account this week, five years ago in june 2009, bergdahl walked away from his unit which was stationed at a remote military outpost in afghanistan. again, according to the "new york times," bergdahl left behind a note saying that he had become disillusioned with the u.s. mission in afghanistan. in hostile territory and without weapons. bergdahl was then seized by the taliban. reportedly search missions were mobilized to find the missing soldier. this week, members of bergdahl's former platoon are voicing bitterness. they see bergdahl as a traitor. >> it's desertion. it's walking away from the bond of brotherhood that

served with sergeant bergdahl. i'm bill raleigh, please remember the spin stops here because we are definitely working out for you. >>> breaking tonight, we are learning exclusive and dramatic new details about sergeant bowe bergdahl's time in captivity. including reports that he became a muslim and at one point declared himself a worrier for islam. welcome to the "kelly file", everyone. i'm megyn kelly. hours ago, fox news was able to report on secret documents we have obtained detailing sergeant bergdahl's movements and his relationship with his captors. during this broadcast, we will investigate whether the white house knew about his alleged conversion to islam and his decoloration, that he was now jihad. we will get analysis and information from two connected generals digging into this on their own and in a world exclusive, we have gathered together six members of sergeant bergdahl's platoon. this is the first time these guys have been together since they served in afghanistan and have some fascinating insights

bowe bergdahl later on this morning. he'll have a news conference with the british prime minister, david cameron, after some of these g-7 meetings wrap up here in brussels. one thing i can tell you from talking to administration officials about this controversy is that, yes, they did expect there to be somewhat of a backlash, somewhat of an uproar after the president announced this prisoner exchange, you know, one p.o.w. on the u.s. side in exchange for five pretty dangerous, hardened taliban fighters and commanders, in some cases. and so, they did expect that to happen. what i'm hearing from officials that they did not expect is just how personal it seems this debate has gotten. they were not expecting some of the critics of the president to use some of these unresolved questions about how bowe bergdahl became captured in the first place to sort of be used as a political football in all of this. and so, there is some feeling inside the white house that perhaps some of that was unexpected. now, they're going to, of cours

hands of sergeant bowe bergdahl. we have no reason to doubt the video's authenticity, but we are reviewing it. and regardless, we know the transfer was peaceful and successful, and our focus remains on getting sergeant bergdahl the care that he needs." interesting to note in that statement there that they described this transfer as peaceful and successful. i was talking to a senior administration official who really was not commenting on the video but, really, the exchange itself, who said that, look, you know, this was in some ways a test case, a first test case to determine whether or not the u.s. and the taliban can do business. yes, the taliban, they are dangerous, yes, they are the enemy of the united states. they have killed many american lives. but at some point, as you wind down a war, both sides, the adversaries are going to have to deal with each other, and that this prisoner exchange is an example that, perhaps, as they get into the mechanics of winding down this war over the next couple of years, that the

sergeant bowe bergdahl.alk outside his hospital room and a senior official says berldal is telling the military he was brutally tortured and at one point held in a cage by the taliban after he tried to escape. but officials say they have no way to independently verify his claims. welcome to america's news headquarters. i'm eric shawn. >> and i'm arthel neville and more fallout from the prisoner exchange that saw five taliban commanders freed in exchange for bergdahl. the fbi is now i

so many of us spent to much lives to care about bergdahl, being forced to risk life and limb for bergdahl. and the fact is it doesn't make any sense to still be angry about it, but it still needs to be brought to light if that makes any sense. >> yeah. i hear what you're saying. nathan, i appreciate you being on. thank you, nathan. >> i want to bring down the conversation with a former navy s.e.a.l. commander. also cnn national security analyst and crowe -- cia analyst bob bair. david, let me start off with you. your thoughts on hearing about the exchange. i mean is it, what went through your mind as someone who was held captive. >> i believe the story of bowe breaking down in tears and the helicopter, the sort of relief he feels. but let's be honest there's a lot of controversy about this and anger toward him. whatever happened to him that night at his base he regrets it. he spent five years in captivity. he'll carry this with the rest of his life. at this point he may not know soldiers died in the search for him he's been so isolated. so he has to answer these questions. he should tell

did call the bergdahl family. he told him the department's focus was on sergeant bergdahl's health and reintegration. and there is breaking news tonight from sergeant bergdahl's hometown, a big change in plans for the soldier's homecoming. that live report is coming up. also, national security advisor susan rice in hot water again. former congressman alan west is calling rice a delusional liar. congressman west is here coming up. any minute now, senators will be coming out of that classified briefing on the bergdahl swap. as soon as they come out, senator saxby chambliss, ranking member of the intel committee will join us. there is breaking news from capitol hill coming up. honestly, the off-season isn't really off for me. i've got a lot to do. that's why i got my surface. it's great for watching game film and drawing up plays. it's got onenote, so i can stay on top of my to-do list, which has been absolutely absurd since the big game. with skype, it's just really easy to stay in touch with the kids i work with. a

bergdahl. >> reporter: u.s. military assessments of the five senior taliban leaders, made six years ago, found a high risk to the u.s. if any of them were set free. of perhaps greatest concern, the mullah mohammed fazl, the former deputy defense minister of the taliban. the u.s. assessment found if released he would likely rejoin the taliban. and accused him of possible war crimes in the murders of thousands of shiite muslims in afghanistan. the white house said today. the prisoner swap was the right thing to do. >> the united states does not leave our men and women in uniform behind. >> reporter: after more than 12 years in captivity and away from the battlefield, it's not clear how much immediate value the five men would have to the taliban now. but today it's one leader emerging from years of silence to call the release a great victory and a sign he said the u.s. is headed to ultimate defeat in afghanistan. >> brian, thank you. as the debate continues to rage tonight. military doctors are hard at work trying

bergdahl, he will come home. any time we get an american soldier back to our country we should all celebrate but before we hang judgment on him, wrong or right, we need to let the military go through what they're going to go through to decide the fate of that young man. the issues i wanted to ask you about, do we negotiate with terrorists or not, and specialist fuld, you brought up it's not even a nation. it's a terrorist group. again, this goes against our precedents and historical policy. you think this is a wise thing that we do or implement? >> congressman, i certainly think that it's a wise thing that we retrieved sergeant bergdahl. >> there is no doubt about that. but negotiating -- negotiating with terrorists? >> i want to run through a list of a couple of situation -- situations where we have negotiated not only with terrorists but with insurgent groups and state- -- sfate sponsors of terrorism. as i mentioned, part of bring the war to a conclusion will be continued discussions with the taliban. but takin

bergdahl, sergeant bergdahl returning. you know, he's right, there is a threat. are they going to do? they will urn ultimately we think to the battlefield, as others that we've released from guantanamo over the years. so is it accepteding insending ? after vietnam or toward the end of the vietnam war we recovered all our p.o.w.s. you know, the president announced this week that the war is going to end in 2016 for the u.s., so you know, it's kind of wrapping things up. the president knows, his term in office is coming to an end and he wants to turn over a warless u.s. perhaps to the next administration. but yes, i think that it does send a signal that we're going to swap people. what they got, though, victor, are some operational commanders, some provincial leaders that will likely go back in and try to stir the post-u.s./afghanistan in the direction that they favor, and of course haqqani, who was holding bergdahl, not a nice guy, and he has in his cadre of taliban have a lot of bad stuff in the future for themselves. >> representative mike rogers said he has litt

sergeant bowe bergdahl. we're told he's taken a walk outside his hospital room and a senior official says berldal is telling the military he was brutally tortured and at one point held in a cage by the taliban after he tried to escape. but officials say they have no way to independently verify his claims. welcome to america's news headquarters. i'm eric shawn. >> and i'm arthel neville and more fallout from the prisoner exchange that saw five taliban commanders freed in exchange for bergdahl. the fbi is now investigating threats against bergdahl's parents in idaho. national correspondent steve centanni live from d.c. with more. what can you tell us about this, steve? >> reporter: well, here on capitol hill that debate continues, okay, over the administration action to free bowe bergdahl. critics say it will be difficult or impossible to prevent the five detainees who were freed from guantanamo from returning to the battlefield and harming or killing americans in the future, and they say that controversial ex

he did say the security around bergdahl made it very, very clear to bergdahl that there was no way he was going to get away from that situation and essentially he needed to figure out a way to deal with it and get on being held captive by the taliban, that there was going to be no chance of freedom after that first breakout carol. >> nic robertson reporting live. thanks so much. >>> this week in washington administrators will try to soothe concerns about bergdahl and the taliban prisoner swap that led to his release. one of the things likely to be discussed is this proof-of-life video that the white house says forced it to act and whether the american public should be allowed to see the video. david gergen is a former adviser to several presidents. steven bittal is from the defense council on foreign relations. welcome to both of you. >> thank you. >> thanks for being with us. >> thanks. >> david, do you think the public should get to see this proof-of-life video? >> yes. it's been shown already to members of the senate, now going to be shown to members of the house. we're going to ha

bergdahl is very healthy. the concerns that he is in some dire medical condition, those thoughts might be dispelled but still waiting to find out what the medical evaluation that's ongoing in germany right now to prove what his actual health is and his state of mind. >> it's really interesting as we watch all of this play out. we've watched it over and over again here on cnn and in our offices. it happened so very quickly. it's very precise. there's a lot of things you don't see. give us an idea of what some of how this is executed. seems very businesslike. >> well, once terms are agreed to, which of course when they negotiated this process it would be the turnover. you can understand this hostage turnover is a dangerous situation. you can see there are armed guards. multiple taliban members surrounding the area putting up a 360-degree security around the truck where bergdahl was being held. you see one u.s. helicopter coming in. you can rest assured there were other helicopters and quick reaction ready to rus

on behalf of the bergdahl family, while the bergdahls are overjoyed that their son has returned to the united states, mr. and mrs. bergdahl don't intend to make any travel plans public. they ask for continued privacy as they concentrate on their son's reintegration. and with that, we will go to the next question. >> hi. this is a little bit of a repeat and i wasn't sure whether it's colonel poppin or wolf who should address this. could you specifically address his condition now physically and also his condition mentally? and then i had one other question related to that. if you could talk a little bit about whether he has expressed -- whether he plans to or wants to return to duty. >> as far as his medical condition, we received him from the phase two integration team earlier this morning. overall we're pleased with his physical state. he was able to ambulate and walk into the hospital and seemed to do so in a functional manner. we allowed him to get settled in to the hospital and into his room, and his environment, and we are going to be planning more comprehensive testing and consult

bergdahl execution threat.ave been killed by his captors if word of the deal had gotten out. bergdahl's captor speak. jubilant at the prisoner exchange and return of five hardcore leaders. but why did they give a gift to sergeant bergdahl? >>> plus, russia's leader offering billions of financial help to nuclear-armed north korea. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in

the return of sergeant bergdahl. fellow soldiers that america's only prisoner of war was actually a deserter and deserves a military trial. >>> i'll speak to president obama's security adviser. did the administration break the law by trading taliban prisoners for bergdahl? ♪ 800,000 hours of supercomputing time, 3 million lines of code, 40,000 sets of eyes, or a million sleepless nights. whether it's building the world's most advanced satellite, the space station, or the next leap in unmanned systems. at boeing, one thing never changes. our passion to make it real. ♪ if you have a business idea, we have a personalized legal solution that's right for you. with easy step-by-step guidance, we're here to help you turn your dream into a reality. start your business today with legalzoom. on car insurance. everybody knows that. well, did you know that game show hosts should only host game shows? samantha, do you take kevin as your lawfully wedded husband... or would you rather have a new caaaaaar!!!! say hello to the season

bowe bergdahl is at the u.s. military hospital in landstuhl, germany, tonight for a thorough physical exam. but his release this weekend has raised many new questions for the obama white house and bergdahl himself. less than 12 hours after bowe bergdahl departed bagram air base in afghanistan, defense secretary chuck hagel thanked american troops there for bergdahl's safe return. >> this is a happy day, as you all know, for our country, for our armed forces, because we got one of our own back. >> reporter: but just how bergdahl was freed has sparked a political firestorm. on nbc's "meet the press," secretary hagel defended the release of five top taliban prisoners in exchange for bergdahl. >> sergeant bergdahl is a member of the united states army. this was a prisoner exchange. after five years, he has been a prisoner of war. >> reporter: but u.s. military officials tell nbc news the five top taliban leaders freed are considered among the most dangerous at guantanamo bay. in secret documents obtained by wikileaks

unitbedded with bergdahl's in afghanistan.his clip, we hear from some of the soldiers who were together with bergdahl. >> these people just want to be left alone. >> they got dicked from the russians for 17 years and we are here. these people just want to be left alone. >> i'm glad we leave them alone. >> a few weeks later, bowe bergdahl disappeared. the circumstances are unclear. videot is from the 2009 for "the guardian" produced by sean smith, the film maker. michael hastings wrote about that video in 2012 report for "rolling stone," noting the footage of the soldiers break even the most a sick rules of combat like when baseball caps on patrol instead of helmets. but very critical of what they were doing in afghanistan. certainly, if the reports are accurate and the e-mail is accurate that he sent his parents, bowe bergdahl was not alone in his disillusionment, charles glass. >> we know from many soldiers who came back from vietnam and iraq and afghanistan that they'll disapprove of what the country was doing in those count

a facebook page entitled bowe bergdahl is not a hero is filled with resentful claims that bergdahl betrayed both his comrades and his duty. cnn's barbara starr joins me now live from the pentagon. obviously, this is a very significant part of this story, although so far, barbara, it seems a very unclear part of this story. we do know that those who are very close to bergdahl, members of his platoon, have been very critical, but what is the government saying? >> well, ashleigh, here at the pentagon what they are saying is they need to hear from bergdahl himself, in his own words, under no situation of duress, what exactly happened. how is it that he came that night not to be on this base. and when we talk about a base, we're not talking about a big military base, we're talking about a small enclave of troops in a very forward remote location with very little protection in eastern afghanistan. how is it that night that he came not to be where he was supposed to be. until they hear from bergdahl, they say, they don't have any absolute clear understanding of what happened. everyone is very awar