>> we're now focused on building warby parker. >> thanks to neil blumenthal and dave gilboa. and by the way, guys, i love my glasses. >>> up next, we are "on the money." when it comes to your retirement, it's not just when you start saving, but how you save. >>> by the way, everybody, you can find us on facebook, facebook.com/otm. female announcer: sleep train's interest free for 3 event ends sunday. it's your last chance to get three years interest-free financing on beautyrest black, stearns & foster, serta icomfort; even tempur-pedic. plus, get free delivery, and sleep train's 100-day low price guarantee. but hurry! sleep train's interest free for 3 event, ends sunday. ♪ sleep train ♪ ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ >>> a stronger stock market certainly means a stronger nest egg for many americans. since the worst of the financial crisis, 401(k) balances have surged, but is it enough? sharon epperson, personal finance correspondent, joins us right now. and sharon, thank you for being here this morning. >> my pleasure. >> you know, we are now five years past the ma

blumenthal: thank you, mr. president. reserving my right to object, and i will object, i respect my friend and colleague from south carolina -- and we are friends and we agree on a lot of issues. on this issue, we fundamentally disagree. i am here to remind the american people and my colleagues that this proposal to ban abortion after 20 weeks, in my view, is irresponsible and should not be before the united states senate, but i am more than happy to cast a vote on it along with the women's health care protection act, and i hope they will be considered. this issue deserves to be before this body. neither of these proposals has yet been considered in committee, and the minority leader of this body has repeatedly spoken about the need for -- i'm quoting him -- a vigorous committee process, end of quote, handling bills. this bill should not be considered in this way. it would prohibit the medical profession from performing an abortion when the fetus is older than 20 weeks and would do nothing, frankly nothing to help women p

we'll also speak live with senator richard blumenthal of connecticut. he's a member of the veterans affairs committee. nineteen years ago, we thought, "wow, how is there no way to tell the good from the bad?" so we gave people the power of the review. and now angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. you can easily buy and schedule services from top-rated providers. conveniently stay up to date on progress. and effortlessly turn your photos into finished projects with our snapfix app. visit angieslist.com today. ♪ little things, anyone can do. it steals your memories. your independence. insures support. a breakthrough. and sooner than you'd like... ...sooner than you think. ...you die from alzheimer's disease. ...we cure alzheimer's disease. every little click, call, or donation adds up to something big. alzheimer's association. the brains behind saving yours. humans. we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back, offering exclusive products like optional better car repl

richard blumenthal el senador richard blumenthal explic que la medida tiene el fin de darle la oportunidaddan comprar casas y abrir negocios en vez de solo tener que hacer sacrificios para pagar su deuda. como los ha tenido que hacer pamela nieto quien tiene varios prstamos que superan los $75-mil dlares. s/ pamela nieto, profesional con deuda estudiantil "me había tocado vivir en lugares donde tal vez no quería vivir y con gente que no quería vivir entonces para mí eso es un sacrificio..." segn expertos, la deuda de prstamos estudiantiles es la segunda ms 1.3 billones de dlares.muchos e s estuds consideran estaopuestds cesitar. s/ pamela nieto, o tudntil "si hubiera sabido y maneras de evitar endeudarsed nto los padres como los venes s rnanda borja de la organizacin fondo educativo ciones que hay, averiguar l fer entras taouos esperan asciones nado lleve a cabo un voto el cendiaron dos patrullas y blado, durante ms de seis horas mantuvieron retenidos al comisario de seguridad pblica y a seis policas ms... take vo ---ellos exigian la actuacin de la procuradura general de justicia del estad

senator richard blumenthal on "face the nation" yesterday. you're looking at a live shot here this morning of the world war ii memorial on the national mall in washington as we mark memorial day here on the "washington journal." we are getting your thoughts on what it means to you. getting back to the health care story at the veterans affairs, here, from the associated press, private hospitals could take some pressure off the v.a.. the obama administration decision to allow more veterans to get care he was asked about where this all stands with the veterans affairs department. here's what he had to say. look, everything i hear from this administration, from politicians talking about it, i'm acutely aware of the fact them also politician, is talking about in depth studies and see what results are and we need to figure out what is going on here and look at this. meanwhile, what we are waiting for the results of studies, you have veterans who are waiting for care from the v.a.. general shinseki has been there for six years. he has not been able

. >> what about that, senator blumenthal from connecticut?are two levels to respond to you. one is the political angle here, what democrats are doing is making sure that it's clear to the american public that they are outraged by this, that they are supporters of our military. shin seven sec shinseki himself has the credentials of a former vietnam hero. they're making it clear this is not about politics. that's the democrats' effort here. i think that's their effort to prevent any kind of political damage going forward. the second thing to say here is that, even though richard blumenthal and others are concerned about evidence of some kind of corruption, so far we haven't seen it. what you heard today from shinseki when he was asked, is anybody cooking the books and he had the opportunity to point his finger at somebody in phoenix or somebody in one of the other hospitals, he said that hasn't come forward yet. so he doesn't want to jump the gun. but if there is, in fact, corruption of the kind that we're talking about where they have a separa

. >>> connecticut senator richard blumenthal is one of ten bipartisan lawmakers calling for a criminal probe into the veterans affairs scandal. he says that all legal options are on the table, and when we talk to him live. >>> join the conversation on twitter. ugh. heartburn. did someone say burn? try alka seltzer reliefchews. they work just as fast and taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. mmm. amazing. yeah, i get that a lot. alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. enjoy the relief. [ male announcer ] now get more of what you deserve. visit your local benjamin moore dealer today and get $50 off every $250 purchase. [ male announcer ] to celebrate, visit your local benjamin moore dealer today and get $50 off every $250 purchase. >>> welcome back. we are following the breaking ne news. this is just in from our peter alexander in washington, d.c., this afternoon president obama will make an announcement about the next steps in winding down the war in afghanistan. the president will announce that our mission will be over by the end of 2014, and the president will make clear that w

and senators and democrats and republicans, senator blumenthal and mccain calling for an fbi criminal investigation into criminal allegations potentially. >> that's right. >> down the road. we're standing by and wait for the press secretary jay carney to head to the microphones. we'll monitor that briefing and monitor as soon as it starts. he will be asking a lot of questions of what's going on. at the bottom of the hour i will talk to the executive director of the american legion and his reaction to these developments. >>> the search for flight 370 hits a dead-end and we will tell you why and the stunning revelation of the origin of those pings. >>> how television changed the world. taking a closer look at the turmoil of the united states in the 1960s brought right into your living rooms. even when we cross our t's and dot our i's, we still run into problems. that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness if you qualify, and new car replacement standard with our auto policies. so call liberty mutual today. and if you switch, you could save up to $423. liberty mutual

i think you've made that very clear in your answer to senator blumenthal. the old images regarding abortion, religion or otherwise that would make you unable to discharge your duties faithfully as a u.s. district judge? >> no, sir i do not. >> you have many years of experience as a judge. has there been any kind where you decided a case based on your policy preferences or desired out, rather than following the law or applicable precedent? >> that has never happened and yet my commitment that if i'm fortunate enough to be confirmed that would never happen. >> mr. cohen, you have been involved in litigation in georgia, voter id law. three questions in regard to that. can you describe who you are representing in these cases and how you came to be involved in the? >> yes, senator. based on my experience in the georgia attorney general's office, which is over 13 years, when i went into private practice then attorney general thurber baker hired me to represent the state and its agencies in a variety of high profile litigation. that's varie buried from defende uni

joining me now, a member of the senate veterans affairs committee, richard blumenthal. thank you for joining me today. >> thank you, alex. >> you suggested one point during secretary shinseki's questioning that the inspector general was not adequate enough or perhaps did not have adequate resources to fully carry out the investigation and suggested the involvement of the fbi, to which the secretary said that is up to the inspector general. do you still think that it might be time to have the fbi get involved in this? >> very much so. and it isn't the v.a. secretary's decision to make. it's the attorney general of the united states who can decide whether there is sufficient evidence of criminal wrong doing. and here what we have is evidence of destruction of documents, false statements, obstruction of an investigation, in phoenix and possibly elsewhere. there are ten places around the country where this wrong doing, more than inpropriety and misconduct, but criminality may have occurred and that's the reason, the lack of resources, the lack of authority, and prankly lack

you, chairman blumenthal, senator durbin, and senator franken.thank you for being here for calling this hearing and from hearing from us today. i would like to thank president obama for this nomination and for the faith he has put in me. now i would like to recognize several people here with me, both family and friends. first, two people who are simply the best thing that has ever happened to me and who have parent-teacher conference, a recital, or anything that has been important were seatedarents right behind me. both ordained elders in united methodist church. also with me is one of my college roommates from brown university, tiffany thompson, and her mother, assist thompson, why refer to as my fairy godmother. and studybest friends group members from yale law school are part of a of friends that don't get together every year. we call ourselves law school ladies. becky and christie. and two of my compatriots for my .c.e in d my fiveave watching brothers and sisters, dr. andrea abrams, the honorable stacy abrams, richard lewis abrams, walter ab

blumenthal: thank you mr. president. i am tremendously honored to follow my colleague from massachusetts, senator warren, who has so zealously and thoughtfully developed a program that deals with the breaking calamitous burden of student dead that affects so many of -- student debt that affects so many of our young people he across this country including my state of connecticut. and i want to thank her for her great work. about that issue following the very eloquent remarks of my colleague, senators durbin, reed brown as well as schumer and senator warren to be followed by senator baldwin but i want to first take a moment or two to express my deepest condolences for the family of laurie gilatti, who was shot and killed today in oxford, connecticut. this tragedy is not only saddening but shocking because laurie is dead and her mother is seriously wounded in very dire condition because they were shot by her estranged husband under -- who was under an ex parte restraining order from a judge and who is suspected and all we h

i want to bring in the co-chair of the senate caucus to end human trafficking, senator richard blumenthal. i want to start with your reaction of the video, does it give you any hope that the girls can be rescued? >> the video confirms that very probably the intelligence is right that the girls have been divided making any sort of rescue operation even more difficult in some of the densest and most difficult terrain on the continent, but it offers the good news that they seem to be in reasonably good health. and the united states ought to be pushing on the nigerian government to take stronger and ste sterner measures, and this government has been lax and laggard in fighting the terrorists, and so, the rescue operation may be contemplated through some type of joint command, but longer term, we need to encourage education of girls around the world, and support the efforts wherever they are occurring and not just nigeria, and africa, but throughout the world. that is the challenge as nicolas christoph wrote eloquently yesterday in "the new york times" that confronts all of us much more import

senator blumenthal. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you all for your service, your extraordinary dedication and contribution to our nation, and i join chairman levin in saying to you and the men and women who serve under you that we owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude both in peace and war. general dempsey i hadn't intended to ask this question but i'm encouraged to do so by one of senator mccain's questions. on the purchase of russian helicopters for the afghan military what would it take to convince you that we should stop those purchases, literally, today, since the money that we're spending on them goes to russian arms export, the russian arms agency that in turn is fuelling and financing assad in syria, and also now the troops that are on the border with ukraine. what would it take you to -- what would it take to convince you that we should stop those purchases right away. >> an alternative, senator. we have -- i just came back from afghanistan on saturday. and afghan security forces did an absolutely rourkable job of man

you brought up bernie sanders of vermont and now you have richard blumenthal of connecticut. these are democrats who are saying this is a problem, this is a bipartisan issue. would i ask, and you alluded to the inspector general looking into it, and why not the doj? i would ask why the president isn't sitting in on some of these hearings, right? who is more invested in making health care work in this country. >> great point. >> than the man who made hallmark legislation as part of his presidency on health care and here is a portion of it that isn't just not working but killing people, killing very people who fought for that country. where is the president? >> i know the answer. he is on upper east side of manhattan. they blocked the east side of the island. raising money at a fund-raiser. >> shut down manhattan. kirsten, this is a great point this is a call, opportunity for the president to show leadership, to show compassion, to show investment in his signature health care saying, i care about your health. i care about veterans that served this country. this is an outrage. w

blumenthal: i would ask to speak as if in morning business. -- mr. murphy: i ask unanimous consent that katherine martucci from my office be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the year. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. murphy: thank you, mr. president. there was a fairly remarkable hearing in the house of representatives yesterday, the energy and commerce committee, upon which i used to sit when i was there, called together some of the nation's biggest insurers to talk about all of the failures of the affordable care act as seen through the lens of the insurance companies. first up on the docket for republicans was the claim that no one had paid their premiums, that all these people had signed up for plans but a report that had been released by the energy and commerce committee in the house suggested that, in fact, only maybe about 60% of them have actually paid their premiums. and so they asked representatives from wellpoint and aetna and other insurance companies to confirm that fact, and, of course, they did not. wellpoint

we speak with neil blumenthal. >> which pair do you like better? >> this one. or this one. >> i'm getting ready for the summer with a new pair of shades. usually, a pricey purchase with my prescription, but not here. >> it's 95 bucks, right? all right. i'll pay 95 bucks. >> warbyparker.com hopes to help the near and farsighted. the founders are offering retro inspired frames for hundreds of dollars below other designers. >> we launched warby parker about four years ago out of our apartment. we are frustrated by how expensive glasses were. we couldn't believe it cost us 6 or $700 to buy a pair. we started researching into the industry and thought there was no reason for them to be so expensive. >> 95 bucks, 150 total with the prescription lenses and even with the insurance and discount i got on the last pair, that is less than half the price i paid last time around, so that's already a good deal for me. >> because we design our own frames and work with manufacturers, we effectively cut out the middleman. the traditional retailers because we're direct consumer th

senator blumenthal went to cbs to voice his frustration.we have need the mental health resources, and that is going to provide a common ground point of consensus to bring us together in the congress and 90% of the american people want background checks to be heard, to be responded to, and to end the madness and insanity. >> and how do we do that? join g joining us is democratic congressman sander levington, and congressman, thank you for being with us, according to the washington post, one major federal gun bill has passed after these mass shootings including columbine, and what is it going to take for the debate to fire up again? >> it is no clear. i hope this is going to help. with we need to probe the gun violence in the country, and also, the mental health services. i was reading the report recently that the governor of michigan is thinking of reducing the mental health provisions under the appropriationings bill under the state of michigan, and we have a lot to learn from this tragedy, both in terms of the mental health, and also in te

. >> thank you, chairman blumenthal, senator durbin, and senator franken. thank you for being here for calling this hearing and from hearing from us today. i would like to thank president obama for this nomination and for the faith he has put in me. now i would like to recognize several people here with me, both family and friends. first, two people who are simply the best thing that has ever happened to me and who have never missed a parent-teacher conference, a recital, or anything that has been important for me, my parents were seated right behind me. my parents are both ordained elders in united methodist church. also with me is one of my college roommates from brown university, tiffany thompson, and her mother, mrs. thompson, why refer to as my fairy godmother. fairy i refer to as my godmother -- godmother. two of my best friends and study group members from yale law school are part of a group of friends that don't get together every year. we call ourselves law school ladies. becky and christie. and two of my compatriots for my time in d.c. i also have

chairman. >> thank you, senator blumenthal. .enator heller >> thank you, mr. chairman, and thank you for taking time to be with us today, and for the veterans in the room with us and those watching the hearing, thank you for your service. what has come to light about the v.a. in recent months has proven to congress, the president, and the american people, is that there is a problem with accountability at all levels within the veterans ministry should. that nevadalem veterans are facing, and it is not something that is new, and in fact it is something i have raised repeatedly with the v.a. to no avail. i think it is long overdue for this committee to exert oversight and hold leadership within the v.a. accountable. last week i sent a letter to senator shinseki asking for immediate answers about the lack of accountability on the local level, and whether the v.a. leadership finally plans to do something about it. i look forward to receiving a timely response and action on the concerns that i highlighted. as nevada's presented on this committee, i believe it is als

what needs to happen for that to -- >> well, listen, it's nice that democrats like connecticut's blumenthalshing for it. more important, someone like peter king, the republican from long island who was saying. the same thing yesterday, that, hey, this latest example really does hammer home the notion that we got to do something about this. guns, mental illness, background checks, come on. >> we'll see if that happens. as always we thank you for your perspective for being here, he will list. you're miked up. >> bfd. >> still ahead. >>> brittany shipp and richard lui will be back for "first buzz" and the catch of the year. >>> an 80-year-old's woman's final wishes carried out in an unusual fashion. find out what she was up to. congratulations. thank you. the success of your small business depends on results. go vests! all organic, and there's tons of info on our website. that's why you rely on the best for your business. and verizon delivers the best devices on the best network. you're all big toes to me. so go ahead, stream and download with confidence on america's largest, most reliable 4gl

senator blumenthal. >> thank you, mr. chairman. and thank you very, very much for holding this hearing which i hope and belief will be bipartisan and as nonpolitical as possible can be. let me thank you, secretary shinseki, for your service to our nation. over many years you have served and sacrificed for this nation, and i deeply respect and thank you for all you've given to the united states of america, including in your six years as secretary of the va. i know you're determined as the president is determined to unravel and reveal any wrongdoing and to restore trust and confidence in the va health care system. i agree with the chairman that we should avoid a rush to judgment, but we have more than allegations at this point. we have evidence, solid evidence of wrongdoing within the va system, and it is more than an isolated system of wrongdoing, and it's a pattern and practice apparently of manipulating lists and gaming the system. in effect cooking the books creating false records, which is not just an impropriety or misconduct,

i think senator blumenthal asked about this. i have some or questions. it would've required posting on the internet about the number of medical procedures that doctors have performed having to do with terminating a pregnancy. there can clearly be public safety implications for these doctors if you put all this detailed information about them online. i think you can see in other areas as well and i think we have certainly seen lives being taken from these doctors that terminate pregnancies. we don't put this kind of information online for other procedures and other medical areas. my first question is if your views on this issue are still the same? >> i would be hesitant to give you my views on that issue. as much as that may come before me as a judge, but i will tell you that was a floor amendment. i didn't have any idea it it was coming. i didn't have any thing to do with the altering of that amendment. in retrospect, it particularly in light of what i have learned subsequently concerning the public safety issue, i should not have voted for that amendmen

i think the chairman. >> thank you, senator blumenthal. i apologize if this question has been asked, but senator murray asked earlier as to what a face to face audit should involve. i would like to ask you and perhaps we can start with mr. bellinger, what needs to happen in a face to face audit to elicit the kind of information we need to address the challenges and problems that v.a. hospitals and clinics? i.t. has to start with first. they have to look at the process of the books as far as what actually occurs and they have to go through the administration and the employees and also get input from the stakeholders and the veterans. >> did that happened the last time? there have been audits before. when those audits were conducted, where the stakeholders included? >> i do not have that information. >> to the rest of you have any do the rest of you have any information that will help us? >> often, we are not included. if you ask the veterans, they say, we got hurt, we got wounded. the veterans will tell you how to fix the facility. >> would

senator blumenthal? >> thank you. again, thank you to you and the other veterans who are here who are listening for their interest and involvement in this issue. secretary shinseki, can you tell me how quickly we will have some preliminary results to both the review and the ig investigation? >> the inspector general has his own timetable, and i do not have insight into what that is. on our audit, we're taking care of hosting a large facilities this week. there will be some follow-up next week, perhaps in about three weeks we will have -- then able to us of all the data, do a good analysis, and then respond in detail the way that -- guest: can you commit within three weeks you ever report for us? >> i think we should be able to do that, but that is preliminary reyna. i do not know what data is being assembled. we will shoot for three weeks. >> i apologize for interrupting, but our time is limited. as part of your management youponsibility, don't believe and i certainly believe that there is a responsibility from the ig

i want to bring in democratic senator blumenthal, executive of the veteran affairs committee, and senator, thank you for the time. >> thank you. great to be with you. >> and general shinseki announced the changes that he would like to implement or he has already put in place, removing the senior leaders at the phoenix center, and employees' success based on the wait times and other key things that he believes will improve the system, itself. with that said, do you believe it is time for general shinseki to pass the job on to someone else? >> the challenge right now, and it is really the primary challenge for the v.a. health care administration is not about firing one person, but it is about fixing what is wrong. a bureaucratic system that is overly rigid and giving the veterans the run-around and the rigmarole and denying access to the system. the weaknesses in the system need to be addressed immediately. and general shinseki if he is going to stay, and i have not reached a conclusion, is going to have to show the american people a greater sense of urgency and passion and specific decisiv

>> no, they haven't yet and senator richard blumenthal of connecticut is calling for just that. he says the justice department should look into this matter. here's what he had to say this morning. >> the department of justice has to be involved. i've urged secretary shinseki privately and in fact publicly to request and involve the department of justice. these are allegations, but there's evidence to support them. we're not rushing to judgment, but the department of justice can conkorean a grand jury, if necessary. the i.g. cannot reflect and present an outside independent authority that can offer accountability and the perception of account ability and restore trust and confidence on the part of veterans. that has to be our focus. accountability is a means to the end of assuring better health care. >> the v.a., of course, has been struggling to keep up with that influx of patients from iraq and afghanistan. >> very troubling, of course. and in just a moment we'll hear from the veterans side as an member of the american legion will be here with us on the fox news channel. stay w

here's senator richard blumenthal at today's hearing. >> isn't there evidence here of criminal wrongdoing, that it's falsifying records, false statements to the federal government? that's a crime under the -- >> should be, yes. >> and wouldn't it be appropriate to ask for assistance from the federal bureau of investigation or some other similar agency? >> you'd think so. yeah. in the "crossfire" tonight, larry korb, jessie jane duff. they have not been shy in their investigations. they investigated media leaks, investigated sheriff joe arpaio, investigated e-book price fixing. they have no plans to investigate the deaths of 40 veterans. why does it seem like instead of holding people accountable, the administration wants to protect the people currently in place? >> well, first of all, as i mentioned before, the inspector general who, by the way, is independent of the secretary, he or she is confirmed by the congress, reports to the congress, said there's no evidence that any of the deaths are related to the waiting list. that's him. okay? what he's investigating. >> larry, even eric shins

. >> reporter: markey and senator richard blumenthal want a new law that would require car companiesn all deadly accidents, and they want that information made public right away. secretary of transportation anthony foxx was noncommittal. >> i think it's a laudable goal. i look forward to taking a look at the bill. >> reporter: n.h.t.s.a. falls under the department of transportation and secretary foxx did say he does want the maximum fine for car companies to be raised from $35 million to $300 million. scott, g.m. today had no comment on the hearing. >> pelley: jeff, thank you very much. tonight a predator is back on the prowl after a standoff that lasted nearly five hours. last night police responded to calls of a mountain lion roaming the streets of a san francisco suburbs. the big cat was cornered beneath a car in a parking garage an tranquilized. it was later returned to the wild. we'll meet the nba's top player and the person without got him there when we come back. ...with non-insulin victoza. for a while, i took a pill to lower my blood sugar, but it didn't get me to my goal. s

. >> is blumenthal had said that this is where the criminal charges had existed in in the meantime, wed of knew that this is where accountability isn't going. >> that's right, the senate's rejection of it is a rejection of their leaders and the disinterestedness. barack obama has treated this incredibly wrong. it took a month to address this and then the administration to announce that we will be okay with the house bill passing and that's not what you do when there are 40 dead veterans. you actively pursue this bill and lobby the senate and the president has not done it. neil: it reminds me that promises are oe thing and promises can be another as well. >> taking responsibility makes going to a fundraiser in chicago. she's not only a better self, but she's also a very loud pundit and spokesperson on twitter. and everything about the va is owned and controlled and organized by government. that is what makes an awful and immoral. these heroes to our countr immoral. these heroes to our country, you give them vouchers for $20,000 year, $50,000 a year. let them go to the mayo clinic and de

with mike .ernie sanders, and westmore at 4 p.m., "face the nation," with john thune and richard blumenthalfinkel,zinger and david the author of "thank you for , the author of "brothers forever," and dr. ben carson. the sunday network tv talk shows are on c-span radio, rock you as . public service by c-span they begin at 1 p.m. with "this "statefox news sunday," of the union," and finally at 4 p.m. "face the nation." listened to them in the washington, d.c. area on fm radio, and on satellite radio channel 120. you can also listen online at c-span.org. >> you can follow c-span radio on twitter as well. a related editorial this morning from "the new york times," mass incarceration related to the war on drugs, researchers from across multiple disciplines have issued reports on the widespread societal and economic damage caused by america's no forty-year experiment and of its up best numbers citizens, pointing out the severity in the devastation on the poorest and least educated, destroying neighborhoods and families. from 1980 through 2000, the number of children with fathers in prison rose fr

eric shinseki says he's waiting for an inspector general's report on 26 va medical centers, but blumenthalinvestigation. >>> race car driver kurt busch is getting some rest this morning after falling short of a grueling driving record. busch tried to become the second person ever to complete the double. that's driving 1100 miles in two races in one day. he raced in sunday's indy 500 for the first time finishing an impressive sixth. then he flew 580 miles to charlotte, north carolina to compete in the coca-cola 600. but busch's attempt at the record ended early at the charlotte motor speedway. he blew an engine on lap 271 of the 400-lap competition. in the end, busch drove a total of 906 miles. that's about the distance between new york and st. louis. afterward busch said he'll never forget the experience. he looks pretty tired. >> he does. >>> ahead on "cbs this morning" on this memorial day, we talk with the man in the co-pilot's seat as the u.s. fought back after the attack on pearl harbor. we'll look at the new honor for the dolittle raiders. >>> lots of sunshine for most of the bay are

senator blumenthal, cosponsoring this legislation, came to the floor yesterday to talk about it.video clip] >> i am proud to join my toleagues in an effort reassess refinancing of student loans. we cannot forget about current graduates with existing debt. as much as we want to make more aid available through pell grants, lower interest rates on loans being made right now, opportunities to seek paying down those loans based on public service, more disclosure and more accurate disclosure through the kinds of measures that senator franken has introduced. i will join him. but right now, we can take this profoundly significant step b supporting a measure that enables refinance of student everyone has the benefit of the best, lowest, most affordable interest rate. blumenthal, on the floor yesterday, talking about this student loan legislation he is cosponsoring with elizabeth moran. the bill is expected to come to the floor of the senate early in june. related to this, a story from "the washington times" on the housing market. "the nations battered housing market is faltering again." "

blumenthal: thank you, madam president. madam president, i want to tell a story of a 57-year-old man from boyars town, pennsylvania. his name is dean astadt. he's a self-employed, self-efficient logger. he's the kind of guy like a lot of americans out there who sort of grew up to believe that he could do everything for himself, that he didn't need a lot of help from people around him in order to make a living, in order to provide for his family, in order to keep himself healthy. now, he's been uninsured since 2009 and he had some particular thoughts about the affordable care act. he knew he didn't want anything to do with obamacare. now, in 2011, dean had a pacemaker and a defib later implanted to -- defibrillator implanted to help his heart pump more efficient. and not long after he got these two implants, this 6 6-foot, 285-pound guy was back out in the woods. but last summer his health worsened again and it was taking him about 10 minutes just to catch his breath after he fell a treatment. and by the fall, he was winded

senator blumenthal.en so long for the president to take action an why hasn't anyone been fired? >> this president has shown over time he doesn't like to fire people, he doesn't like to act rashly. the way he's handling the problems at the va are just like he's handled every other problem. he tells everybody that he's upset, he says he'll get to the bottom of it but he doesn't want to take any premature action or hold the wrong people accountable. especially with a situation like this it may not be good enough for voters or members of congress. this is what we will find out, i think. what you're seeing out of the white house is par for the course in terms of how they handle situations like this. >> should we expect to see a more irate president or a more irate va secretary eric shinseki who says he wouldn't resign but so far hasn't taken any responsibility for the problems in the va. >> this is going to get higher up and closer to the president than maybe some people think it is. getting mad and freaking

chairman. >> thank you, senator blumenthal. .enator heller >> thank you, mr. thank you for taking time to be with us today, and for the veterans in the room with us and those watching the hearing, thank you for your service. what has come to light about the v.a. in recent months has proven to congress, the president, and the american people, is that there is a problem with accountability at all levels within the veterans ministry should. that nevadalem veterans are facing, and it is not something that is new, and in fact it is something i have raised repeatedly with the v.a. to no avail. i think it is long overdue for this committee to exert oversight and hold leadership within the v.a. accountable. last week i sent a letter to senator shinseki asking for immediate answers about the lack of accountability on the local level, and whether the v.a. leadership finally plans to do something about it. i look forward to receiving a timely response and action on the concerns that i highlighted. as nevada's presented on this committee, i believe it is also my role and

>> democratic senator richard blumenthal of connecticut joins us now. morning. >> good morning. thank you, carol. >> thanks for being here. is mr. martinez right? >> he is right that congress' failure to act is shameful, and disgraceful. that day in april of last year when we had 55 votes but failed to reach the 60 needed to pass a comprehensive measure was, in fact, a day of shame and disgrace in the united states congress, but i am absolutely determined that we will achieve common sense, sensible measures, including a focus on mental health, which i think is common ground to bring us together. the majority leader, harry reid harks pled he will bring these bills back when we have the votes and i think we need to pursue the organizing and mobilizing at the grass roots level that we saw so necessary in the wake of that failure back in april of last year to pass these common sense measures. >> senator, california -- california has some of the strictest gun laws in the country. the shooter in this case, abided by a background check and waiting period. neve

blumenthal,, chair ranking member grassley, senator durbin, senator franken. thank you all for being here and calling this hearing and hearing from us today. i would also like to thank president obama for this nomination and for the faith he has put in may. now i would like to recognize several people who are here with me, both family and friends. my parents are seated right behind me. ordained elders and the united methodist church. also with me, one of my college roommates from brown university, tiffany, and her mother whom i lovingly refer to as my fairy godmother. two of my best friends and study group members from yale law school who are part of a group of friends you still get together every year and we call ourselves the law school ladies, becky and christie. two of my compatriots from my time here in bc. i also have watching my five brothers and sisters, dr. andrea abrams, the honorable stacy abrams, richard lewis abrams, walter abrams, and dr. jeanine abrams, as well as my grandmother. i would like to thank my u.s. attorney's office family, and my fam