you're making your way to the hometown of bowe bergdahl, and that is hailey, idaho.n your way there, you've been talking to people and there are yellow plackards, a way to finally celebrate that this is happening. >> that's right, dana. yesterday it was a big celebration. in fact, some of the locals in hailey, idaho, they uncorked champagne to celebrate their hometown's release after captivity of nearly five years. >> nick -- we are now hearing bowe bergdahl's parents. >> this is part of a very large military, diplomatic and other governor mental agency team. dr. brad poppen, major hickey and i have been dealing with them on matters large and small. it's been my pleasure to deal with these soldiers in their time of need. we welcome members of the media and the many idahoians and those that have supported the bergdahl family. i know bob and jani have more words on that. those of us who have served in uniform have grieved on those that have shared the ultimate sacrifice and those that come back from war with mental and physical scars. our thoughts are with them always.

and we are just so spreechati * preachative in idaho. huge support. become owe has millions of people around the world who are supporting him. my twitter friends, my intelligence network, my analysis network, my language specialists, the people who fed me stuff i would otherwise miss, i hope i get to meet some of you. it's a virtual community. it was so important to me. it kept me informed on stuff beyond my wildest dreams once it started to kick in. so thank you. i don't want to go into the big thank yous of, you know, every agency and department of the american government. we have tried to do that in the appropriate places but you, as the american people, should know that should this ever happen to you, you will see parts of your government that you never knew were there. and you will be so thankful for people like dock poppip and these people that come to your side. particularly for our family, major kevin hickey in the middle here who is our casualty assistance officer, basically our right arm. he is our travel agent, our personal secretary, our p

and we're just so appreciative of people in idaho, and then

idaho is republican-land.d so after the sometimes embarrassing and contentious primary that they had last month, the idaho republican party looked around, realized they ran the place, decided they better issue a call for unity. they issued a call for unity at the state convention. they said, now is the time for freedom and unity. did not work. on saturday, idaho republicans attempted to gavel in the convention with an opening roll call. that alone took an hour and a half. just trying to call the roll for all the objections and requests for points of order. by lunchtime, idaho republicans had accomplished nothing at the state convention. by 3:00 idaho republicans were deadlocked over whether to kick out three counties' entire slates of delegates to the convention. elected officials were openly calling the convention a fiasco. by 3:30 on saturday idaho republicans had given up, they adjourned their convention, they gavelled it closed without electing a new party chairman, without approving a new party platform,

the republican governor of idaho said today idaho gives thanks and soon we'll celebrate bowe's freedom and homecoming. nobody knows when that will be. bergdahl did not look good in the propaganda videos put out by hit captors. he definitely lost weight and seemed disoriented. his father said he'll need an extensive recovery period and may have trouble speaking english because for five years he only been speaking pashtun. bob grew a beard and recorded a message for the taliban. they were often critical of the obama administration for not doing more but now it's about getting him back in idaho where some would wonder if it would ever happen. >> it was more of, yeah, it's about time. they were at the celebration yesterday at the white house where obama made the announcement that bergdahl was in u.s. hands. they will be coming back here at 1:00 local time. they will be having a news conference and answer some reporter questions. it's really unknown whether they will be able to reunite with him. understand they have not been able to talk with him. in germany at landstuhl base and he'll then

it's not clear when bergdahl will return to idaho. he is now at an army hospital in germany. >> a world renowned artist with installations in london and paris and an ambassador for the 2014 world cup, brazil an romero britto says the key is all about love. let's go to miami beach to hear his full story. . >> hi. i am romero britto. i am an artist and i live in miami beach, florida. i think the message of my work a positive message, and it's about love. and i think this is what i put on my work, love, lots of love. well, i was born in brazil. and since i was a kid, i record drawing, and i did a lot of drawings on notebooks and my mother would tell me don't do, too many drawings on this paper. you need to leave space to do your homework. so, i started drawing, everything you i could put my hands on. one of the biggest things that happened in terms of propelling my career was that i did this series of may it please things for vodka and after that, i painted cars. i did so many things i would never imagine. but i think it's so important t

the idaho national guard. the facilities that we had to travel to for secure briefings and the fact that you were there and so graciously willing to he help, being led by governor otter at the top and general sailor, they're here, right? thanks, guys. i mean, we felt like we were family. and we didn't have to travel to washington every time we needed a briefing because we could come here. governor butch otter and lori, personal support there was off the top coming from the governor's office. they were there, and we knew they were there, and we knew that if we needed anything, they would continue to be there. it was unwaivering support. now, i want to talk about the future. starting right now. so the recovery and reintegration of bowe bergdahl is a work in progress. i want to really convey that because it isn't over for us. in many ways, it's just beginning, for jani and oi and our family. there's a long process here. so i'm asking our friends and our community and the media to be patient and to be respectful.

then at some point, we imagine he and his family will be back here in hailey, idaho.is parents are set to address the media in boysee later this afternoon. we expect to hear a lot more from them about exactly how they heard the news and their feelings about the fact their son is coming home while sergeant bergdahl's friends and family are celebrating some are concern concerned. some say a prison swap could lead to more americans being kidnapped. i spoke with tara dal del who dismissed sump criticism saying pows need to know they won't be left behind. >> we set a dangerous precedent when we allow our men and women to fight these wars and then we leave them in abandonment. it's important that people know that this country knows that if you go and fight for this country, that this country will fight for you. >> sergeant bergdahl was the last remaining member of the u.s. military being held as a pow overseas but at least five american civilians are still being detained by hostile governments. alan gross has been held in cuba since 2009, kenneth bay has spent the last year

the idaho national guard.hem for years with matters large and small. i'd like to say that it's been one of the great honors of my own career do assist this soldier's family during their time of need. i know major hickey and doc pop lin feel the same way. we welcome the media who have supported the p.o.w./mia cause. i know bob and jana have some more words on that those of us who serve in the uniform have grieved with the families of our brothers and sister who is made the ultimate sacrifice and we share the agony of those who come back from our wars with physical and mental scars. our thoughts are with them always. but today we have the opportunity to share in the joy of one family whose son is coming home to them. the bergdahls have been through an ordeal the rest of us can only imagine and we're glad for their happy outcome. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome bob and jana bergdahl. [ applause ] >> thank you so much. please forgive me if i do end up reading this. i'm going to try not to. but i probably will

but tell us about all bergdahl back in idaho. very thoughtful family, i think they were respected in the community. i think there are a family with patriotismduty and and doing the right thing. i don't think he chose -- he found himself in the situation after his son joined up where, you know, first of all, thought he needed to find out more about the war. after his son became a prisoner, i think the families when dealing with it was to try and find out even more. to try and find about the people who were holding his son captive . i think his attitude was that that, i guess, -- was guess, the country had gone quite away from some of the that were being talked about at the end of the second world war, the nuremberg trials. here we are marking seven-year -- 70th year anniversary of know, thech was, you trials were after that, which were the rule of law for, you know, not just you take people and try them and if they're found guilty, they're put in , you know, but certain procedures should be upheld. position would be that, if anyth

he was a real idaho cowboy. bud helped get the idaho cattle association started where he served as president and was a longtime member of the board. bud was one of the larger-than-life idahoans who made the gem state a great place to live, work and place. bud recognized the value of conserving for future generations. some 20 years ago he donated a 3,500 acre conservation easement along silver creek to the nature conservancy, a contribution valued at $7 million. yet, bud, true to his character, did not even take the associated tax deduction. clearly, like he valued the land, bud valued idaho. he had natural leadership talent which was called on time and again in the community and industry organizations. serving on the idaho rangeland committee and the land management bureau advisory council bud gave time to foundations at the university of idaho and the county medical center. he helped raise funds for the new st. louis hospital. he helped establish the congress in industry. ayake, a group fostering business inter

we will take you to boise, idaho. you see the podium on your screen as soon as family members begin to talk, they will be talking with reporters in boise. we will bring that event to you live. you may remember yesterday, bowe's parents were at the whitehouse hours after receiving a call from president obama who told them bowe will be returning home safely. right now, sergeant bergdahl is at a u.s. army hospital in southwestern germany. in a statement, the hospital said it will evaluate his condition, begin any necessary medical care and assist in his recovery process. officials say they are sensitive to what sergeant bergdahl has been through and will proceed with his reintegration at a pace with which he is comfortable. the hospital says there is no pre-determined amount of time for what it calls the reintegration process. this morning, the 5 taliban detainees released in exchange for his freedom arrived in doha, qatar. they included a founding member of the taliban, a deputy intelligence official. the deal was broke

his family is from idaho.lped michael hastings write the 2012 article on sergeant bowe bergdahl headline, "america's last prisoner of war." we will link to it at democracynow.org. when we come back, we deal with the second controversy around bowe bergdahl's release, and that is the controversy of the prisoner swap. we will speak with one of the lawyers for one of the five men who were just released and speak with a reporter who has been covering guantÁnamo for years. stay with us. ♪ [music break] >> this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. the obama administration is defending its controversial prisoner swap that saw five taliban militants released from the guantanamo bay prison in exchange for the release of by thet bowe bergdahl taliban. on thursday, state department equity spokesperson marie harf disputed claims the five released men were "the worst of the worst." >> i would say they aren't the worst of the worst. it doesn't mean they're good gu

of hailey, idaho. and nick valencia is on his way to his hometown right now. nick, you're on the phone with us. you've talked to a close family friend who is there waiting for him to come home. what have you heard? >> reporter: dana, we actually just got to hailey right now, and we're driving down main street. and every tree along main street has a yellow ribbon or balloons to commemorate their hometown hero, bowe bergdahl, who was just released from captivity after nearly five years. we're looking at signs right now that say "bowe is free at last" with a picture of the army sergeant. it is an emotional day here, especially for those who have committed themselves to keeping this story in the media. there was a group called bring bowe back. stephanie o'neill is one of co-. i spoke to her by phone today. she described to me the mood here and the overwhelming joy and elation that the community felt when they heard the news that bergdahl had been released from captivity. in 2009, they began to put up these

so she raised more than $9,000 to buy idaho, an autism service dog. the idea was jackson would be tethered to idaho and the dog would keep him from running off. that didn't quite work. >> idaho was tethered with jackson, and i was up ahead. and idaho bolted toward me. and jackson fell down and started to cry. and it was pretty much dragged through the mall. >> reporter: idaho is a service dog from yuma

michael. >> jim hooley reporting live from hailey, idaho.ive taliban prisoners released have been moved to a residential compounds in qatar. they are with families and will be allowed to moved freely within the country. u.s. says their activities will be monitors. they will be stayed in qatar for a year before they are allowed to leave the country. the release of bergdahl has raised questions on another american prisoner, this one being held in cuba. alan gross is serving a 15-year prison sentence in cuba while three cur cuban intelligence ags are in prison in the u.s. for espionage. one of his colleagues are suggesting a swap. obama said it isn't considering ideal to release gross. >>> despite years of civil war, voting is underway in syria. the country's presidential election, ba czar al-assad is widely expected to win a 30 term in offers extending his rule for other seven years, the opposition , western countries and critics of the syrian government is saying the election is a as far as. ballots can only be cast in government-controlled a

>> well, you know, you don't hear a lot of that here in haley, idaho. this morning there is a lot of talk, people say they are aware of some of the allegations but right now they're not concentrating on that. they're concentrating on his well-being. they will ignore some of those allegations for the most part until he's back here at home. >> jim hooley reporting from haley, idaho, thank you. >>> making changes, we'll tell you about the sweeping reforms over the next 15 years. >> the obama administration making a big push >> the environmental protection agency has aannounced a new plan to cut emissions from coal plants. lisa, good day to you. what did the epa announce today? >> the proposal for the first time would cut carbon pollution from existing power plants. they are the biggest contributor to car upon emissions causing one-third of all greenhouse glass. just moments ago they announced the proposed rule that will protect health and the environment. >> although we eliminate pollute tonights there are no limits on carbon pollution from can carbon plan

the couple holding regular rallies in hailey, idaho. and tying yellow ribbons. abc's neal karlinsky is in this town. good morning, neal. >> reporter: what a difference here in the last 24 hours, you can see the "bowe's free at last" signs. gone up alongside all the yellow ribbons. here in bowe bergdahl's hometown, they never gave up hope. in tiny hailey, idaho, at this coffee shop where bowe bergdahl used to work, friends marked every day of his five-year captivity were overwhelmed. >> it's a big thing to absorb. i'm thrilled. i'm thrilled. >> reporter: bergdahl's parents flown to washington for memorial day and were still there to stand alongside president obama and give thanks saturday. >> their son bowe is coming home. >> we just can't communicate the words this morning when we heard from the president. >> reporter: bob bergdahl's beard, just one piece of a complicated strategy to reach his son's captors. teaching himself his language, their culture. even keeping his watch set to afghanistan time. in a video he released on youtube in 2011, he addressed the ta

as a child, he had wondered about what lay beyond the mountains of his idyllic hometown of idaho.s a soldier, his wanderlust did not go unnoticed. an internal investigation by the army conducted in june 2009 found that private bergdahl had wandered off at least twice before. the first time was before he even left for afghanistan during basic training. here at the army's national training center at ft. irwin, california. according to the "new york times," bergdahl's fellow soldiers told investigators he had slipped away to go watch the sunset. the natural world apparently beckoned again in afghanistan where private bergdahl ventured away for a walk outside the wired perimeter of his out post, an unauthorized track never reported up the chain of command. many of his fellow soldiers said he seemed driven by a desire to explore. >> i think he wanted to go on an adventure without having anybody to answer to, without having anything to worry about. hep wanted to go out and see afghanistan for himself without, you know, the army stopping him. >> a friend from bergdahl's pre-army life in

the parents of bowe bergdahl spoke in boz idaho -- boise idaho, addressing everyone and thanking everywhere who helped to bring him back bowe bergdahl was captured in 2009, about two months after arriving in afghanistan. five detainees released in the swap are in qatar undergoing medical examinations, facing a one-year ban travelling outside of qatar. afghanistan says the transfer was ing and they should have been -- was illegal and they should been sent back to afghanistan. >>> joining me is mr goldsmith, a lawyer for one of the detainees. i imagine this is a surprise. how did you find out your client was released? >> i found out through the news media. i received a call from an a.p. reporter, with whom i'd dealt with in the past who told me my client was among those release. >> and your reaction? >> i was very happy. it was a long time coming. my client has been incarcerated without any charms brought against him -- charges brought against him for a dozen years. never accused of lifting a finger against americans, never charged with a violation of the laws of war. it was reprehensible tha

for blaine county, idaho.iley is one of the five cities in blaine county. welcome to democracy now! can you talk first about the decision to cancel the celebration upon the return of bowe bergdahl? >> first thing, good morning, and thank you for having me. i speak very mindful of all of those who have given so much in service of the best intention of the mission in afghanistan. i was not in on the decision-making to cancel the event. but i think there were concerns that the event would become too large for local officials to manage. i think some people have felt the temperature rising here as disagreements about what may have happened have come to the floor on the national stage. really, i think nobody here wants to channel some of the nastiness that is out there. people are rushing to judgment, and i think that is inappropriate. in light of circumstances today, the decision was made to cancel the event several weeks ahead of it to tamp that down. >> larry schoen, can you tell us something about your corner of

and in boise, idaho today, a somewhat cryptic statement from bowe's father, robert bergdahl, praising his son for helping the afghan people. >> i'm proud of how much you wanted to help the afghan people and what you were willing to do to go that length. >> reporter: officials here still want to know why bergdahl walked off his base there in afghanistan. but secretary hagel said today that any possible investigation can wait until well after bergdahl recovers from his five years in captivity, lester. >> jim miklaszewski tonight, thank you. and as jim mentioned at the state capitol in boise, idaho, bergdahl's parents had some highly personal and emotional comments about their son. nbc's janet shamlian is there tonight with more on that for us. janet? >> reporter: lester, good evening. what a sense of relief here. the yellow ribbons have been wrapped around the pillars of the capital for a long time. people here now know they will be coming down. bowe's parents are back in idaho tonight, and they're telling us more about their son. [ applause ] >> reporter: fresh off the plane from d.c.

so she raised more than $9,000 to buy idaho, an autism service dog. the idea was jackson would be tethered to idaho and the dog would keep him from running off. that didn't quite work. >> idaho was tethered with jackson, and i was up ahead. and idaho bolted toward me. and jackson fell down and started to cry. and it was pretty much dragged through the mall. >> reporter: idaho is a service dog from yuma county. while the black lab is sweet, he pays no attention to her son. and even though he's supposed to be scent trained to find jackson, when her son ran off, idaho did not respond to the command to search for him. matthew coleman raised $10,000 to purchase a service dog for his 7-year-old daughterar ary i. the black lab actually pulled her down and hurt her neck. >> he would chase whatever scent he came across and pull her to the ground. and that was dangerous right there. far from keeping her grounded, he was dragging her away. and there's just no way that this dog has the temperament to be a proper service dog. >> reporter: now coleman, an attorney,

next thing i know i had a male dancer which in a small town idaho is a wonderful thing.o put on more productions and the girls got more experience partnering with a gentleman. >> did you know anything about his disillusionment with the war? did he ever express that to you? >> he did not express that to me. we talked about other stuff in the time between everything. we would chat about other things. you know, we're best friends so we chat about a lot of the silly things that best friends chat about, relationships and everything. he is very much, you know, he kept to himself a lot in a lot of his thoughts and i grew up in an army base so maybe he thought it wasn't necessarily the place to talk to me about it because i may have come from a different mindset than he was. >> there obviously has been criticism of him by some, especially end some who served with him in the same unit. how does the community deal with that? is the community kind of dismayed by some of the criticism of him or how does the community feel? >> you know, everyone in the community, not everyone because

and a former employee at an idaho do. barry farm has been sentenced to one hundred eighty days in jail and two years of probation after an undercover video shot by an animal rights group showed workers stomping dragging and beating towels inside a milking barn a man convicted is forty year old javier victor rojas but ways he pleaded guilty in may to misdemeanor animal abuse following events recorded and a hidden camera by a member of mercy for animals the video shows rojas lowe is striking and jabbing at cows with the tane in the face and head two other workers in the video are also charged with animal abuse and one of them was sentenced in february the video prompted idaho lawmakers to pass a law criminalizing surreptitious recording at agriculture facilities but animal rights and environmental groups are suing the state now to overturn what's being called an ag gag the law one of the plaintiffs on that lawsuit is will potter he's an independent investigative journalist that's been working to expose the truth about the t

. >>> up next, bowe bergdahl's hometown, anxiously awaiting his return in idaho.ar after year, they never gave up hope. >>> a woman drives her family to her wedding, literally. jeanne mos has the story. [ female announcer ] there's a gap out there. that's keeping you from the healthcare you deserve. at humana, we believe if healthcare changes, if it becomes simpler... if frustration and paperwork decrease... if grandparents get to live at home instead of in a home... the gap begins to close. so let's simplify things. let's close the gap between people and care. ♪ looks like we're about to board. mm-hmm. i'm just comparing car insurance rates at progressive.com. is that where they show the other guys' rates, too? mm-hmm. cool. yeah. hi. final boarding call for flight 294. [ bells ring on sign ] [ vehicle beeping ] who's ready for the garlic festival? this guy! bringing our competitors' rates to you -- now, that's progressive. ugh. heartburn. did someone say burn? try alka seltzer reliefchews. they work just as fast and are proven to taste better than tums smoothies

residents of his hometown of hailey, idaho have been anticipate his release for five years remaininge everybody in the wake of the controversy surrounding his capture. jam hooley has more. >> reporter: there are still no word as to when bergdahl will be back here in his hometown, people here still waiting for that. and questions are growing about his release. here? sergeant bowe bergdahl's home of hailey, idaho it's hard to find a tree without a yellow ribbon around it. >> the ribbons, signs, bumper stickers that the bracelets that i wear, we are he w we have nevd and able to breathe once he's home here in idaho, we can breathe again. >> reporter: at jane's artifacts on main street, they are giving the balloon as way. >> we want yellow balloons, plastering this town. >> reporter: for all the excitement over sergeant bergdahl's eventual return the controversy surrounding his freedom continues to grow. >> we have our boy back and we are going to let everyone else deal with the politics of it all. >> reporter: for some, those politics, whether securing sergeant bergdahl's release in exc

he may have dropped off the radar, but not the case in hayley, idaho. go germany for rest, medical check-up, debriefing, and be brought to the united states to a military medical facility in san antonio, texas. at some point we assume he'll come back to idaho and back to haley, and the coffee shop that you see, which has been the center of efforts to keep him in the public eye. this is the prop pritorrest, sue martins, the opener, named the spokesperson for bowe bergdahl, and kept the torch turning for five years. what was the feeling for you when you heard that bowe bergdahl was free. tremendous relief and happy innocence for his fam -- happiness for his family and everywhere involved. >> you knew this youngman for a number of years. >> he worked for me off and on. this has not been without controversy. some called him a traitor. what do you feel about that characterisation? >> i certainly am not aware of that being the predominant theme here. it's one of constant unwavering love for the family, support, anything anybody can do has been offered repeate

and did most of his work in idaho.y like to claim him but we like

. >> in sergeant bowe bergdahl's home town in idaho, people are preparing to welcome him. al jazeera's allen schauffler is there. >> captive american soldier bowe bergdahl may have fallen off the radar screens during the five years he's been in captivity, that is not the case in idaho, in the state of boycie and his home tv town of hayley, he has never been forgotten. people are excited that he is coming home. they have kept up a drum beat, pressure on the obama administration, the department of state and the american military. parents and friends pushing, saying that we needed to do more to get bowe bergdahl out. five years in captivity. we are not entirely sure of the time line. we know they'll be treated in germany and debriefed in texas. at some point come back to idaho, and come back to hayley, which has been a town wrapped in yellow ribbons for most of the last half decade and they have not forgotten about bowe bergdahl. you'll see bumper stickers and the yellow ribbons. they have a big festival planned - bring bow back. they have changed the title to "bowe is back,

. >> the community in idaho or military which rallied to sup -- support the bergdahls through thick and thin and he wasn't forgotten by his country because the united states of america does not ever leave our men and women in uniform behind. >> it was incredible and good news but today's news not without some controversy. we have two reports beginning with jim. >> reporter: lester, that was a remarkable event a short time ago in the rose garden with president obama and i can tell you that it was almost impossible to imagine five long years ago. >> what's your name? >> my name is beau bergdahl. >> reporter: this is the first glimpse nearly five years ago, three weeks after he was captured by the taliban outside his base in afghanistan. clearly frightened and prodded by his captures, he feared the worst. >> scared i won't be able to go home and very unnerving to be a prisoner. >> reporter: worried most about his parents back in idaho. >> i miss them and i'm afraid that i might never see them again. >> reporter: as of today, he's a prisoner no longer. the dramatic hand off took place in ea

and did most of his work in idaho. they like to claim him but we like to say he is ours. from the changing exhibits to the historic architecture and all of the events that take place in the capitol, it is a fascinating place to visit for local utahans and people from around the world. the utah state capitol speaks to the pride and vision to the utah people. being able to build such a magnificat bidding when they were such a small state really shows the vision and the growth of the state. >> throughout the weekend american history tv is featuring city, utah. we traveled there to learn about its rich history. >> what role should the government play in-housing finance? if you want to subsidize housing country and we want to talk about it and the populus weees that it's something should subsidize, then put it on the balance sheet and make it andr and make it evident make everybody aware of how much it's costing. but when you deliver it through these third party enterprises, fanny mae and freddie mac, when the subsidies thr

that is not the case in idaho, or in his home down to the east of here, near sun valley. he has never been forgotten and people are excited that he is coming home. they have kept up a constant drum beat, pressure on the obama administration, the department of state and the american military, his parents and friends, constantly pushing, saying that we needed to do more to get bowe bergdahl out. five years in captivity, he's been promoted. he's a sergeant, who'll come back as sergeant bowe bergdahl. we are not sure of the timeline, he'll be treated in germany, debriefed in san antonio. and come back to idaho, and back to hayley, a town wrapped in yellow ribbons for most of the last half decade. they have not forgotten, you'll see his face on posters, bumper stickers, and the yellow ribbons etch. they have a big festival planned "bring bowe bergdahl back", in anticipation that he'll be in captivity. they changed the title to bowe is back. and the festisty will go on hopefully with bowe bergdahl in attendance >>> italy's navy rescued more than 3,500 migrants from boats in the

now people in the town of hail, y, idaho are waiting for berg to come home. allen schauffler is live there for us. how is the town reacting to the news of this long-awaited release? >> reporter: as you might expect there's high spirits, big smiles and a lot of yellow ribbon in hailey idaho. around the country and world sergeant bowe bergdahl may be the well-known prisoner of war, the last prisoner of war in afghanistan, and a lightening rod of political controversy. here in this town of 7900 in southern idaho, he's the home town kid, the boy that went away to war and ended up in the hands. ar carny network, held in pakistan under who knows what conditions for five years. he's the home town kid they want back. people are delighted that he's made the first few steps from captivity to idaho. when he may come back here, we don't know. people here pomoseley are ex-stackic -- mostly are ecstatic that he's on the way. there has been allegations that some of bowe bergdahl's fellow soldiers made. has there been reaction to those comments in hale yes. >> reporter: we h

. >> we are in bowe bergdahl's hometown of haley, idaho and good morning and some soldiers who served bergdahl are speaking out, what are they saying? >> well, stephanie, they are saying that bowe bergdahl was indeed a deserter, a man who simply walked away from his unit in afghanistan and when that lapped it was a massive search underway by some leaders going out to look for bowe bergdahl and at that time other americans were killed and had to take a lot of time to look for him and describe it as a massive search and they are pointing the finger at him saying while they were out americans were killed and they say now it is his fault, those soldiers call him a deserter, that is not going over well in the hometown here of haley, idaho this morning, stephanie. >> i can imagine why and occur those are only allegations right now, jim. meanwhile the prisoners that freed sergeant bowe bergdahl are under fire and what are critics saying about the deal? >> you don't hear much about that here in haley, idaho and people are keeping spirits up waiting for bowe but say the deal wasn't worth it, f

and did most of his work in idaho.hey like to claim him but we like to say he is ours. from the changing exhibits to from the changing exhibits to the historic architecture and all of the events that take place in the capitol, it is a fascinating place to visit for local utahans and people from around the world. the utah state capitol speaks to the pride and vision to the utah people. being able to build such a magnificat bidding when they were such a small state really shows the vision and the growth of the state. find out where c-span's local content vehicles are going next online. you were watching american history tv, all weekend every weekend on c-span three. now, on american artifacts, part two of the visit to the cia museum in langley, virginia. cia curator begins in the director's gallery. the director's gallery. normally the director selects the artists will do his portrait after he leaves office. we're are standing here in front of the portrait of george >> we are standing in front of the portrait of george h

for "nightline" i'm neil karlinsky in hailey, idaho. >> our thanks to neil for that report. >>> next,p maven michelle phan shows fans how to look like lady gaga. and tonight she's showing us how she created an empire. e is jennd i quit smoking with chantix. before chantix, i tried to quit... probably about five times. it was different than the other times i tried to quit. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it's a non-nicotine pill. chantix reduced my urge to smoke. that helped me quit smoking. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a histo

they're having this news conference in their home town of boise, idaho, as they get ready to make newks. we heard them speak to the president just yesterday about their son, sergeant bowe bergdahl who is now actually recuperating at an american military hospital in germany where he's receiving medical treatment. we have been reporting on this move to swap sergeant bergdahl for five high-level taliban detainees from gitmo for bergdahl's freedom. and he will soon head back to brook army medical center in san antonio before making a trip back there to home where you see his mother standing there now. that's jenny bergdahl. she and her husband, sergeant bowe bergdahl's father, seen there, in fact, let me pause, and i'm going to get all the remarks from the bergdahls as they take the podium. let's listen in now to what the parents of sergeant bowe bergdahl have to say. [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you so much. please forgive me if i end up reading this. i'm going to try not to, but i probably will. today, i'm going to address my son. i love you, bowe. i'm so very proud of you. and of c

their hometown of haley is a 2 1/2-hour drive from boise, idaho. their hometown street is lined with ribbons much the emotion of finally seeing this day come to fruition has really taken over bowe bergdahl's small town. they were getting ready to hold another memorial and a vigil for bowe bergdahl since we were approaching the five-year anniversary of his capture and every year, they have planted a tree in his hon terror in the park where his parents ud to take him to play. but now, folks in the town of haley say it will be a welcome home celebration for bowe bergdahl. but now the family is very concerned about bringing bowe home and what will need to take place to make sure he gets the care and the attention that he needs and the transition back into civilian and normal life, if you will. so, there's a great deal of concern about that. bob berg dal spoke yesterday during the white house ceremony with president obama, that he understood that his son was struggling to speak english. and on top of that with all the medical concerns that u.s. official

that made a black eye for idaho and definitely the city of hailey.ut. >> please reserve judgment until due process is held. >> people are mad at our town and all we did was support someone who grew up here and we knew the best of him. he wasn't bad here. >> he served the united states with honor and distinction. >> susan rice said that he served with honor and distinction. do you think he did? >> that's not for me to judge. he went in the wrong service. he was more a peace corps is what he should have been in instead of an army. >> probably the best thing right now is not to have him as a hero. is he not. >> do you think bowe bergdahl is a traitor. >> i absolutely reject that characterization. i don't know honestly how anybody can describe that young man as a traitor. >> what do you think his biggest challenge is going to be vets that are really upset about it. >> personally, i think he's a deserter. it upset me. it's ridiculous. they should have left him there. >> down why people are upset? >> oh, yeah, because you're ignore rant. he was there five

and did most of his work in idaho. they like to claim him but we like to say he is ours. from the changing exhibits to the historic architecture and all of the events that take place in the capitol, it is a fascinating place to visit for local utahans and people from around the world. the utah state capitol speaks to the pride and vision to the utah people. being able to build such a magnificats bidding when they were such a small state really shows the vision and the growth of the state. >> all weekend american history tv is featuring salt lake city, utah, which experienced major development in the steel mining and railroad developments. hosted by our comcast cable partners, c span's local team visited many sites showcasing the city's history. learn more about salt lake city, utah all weekend here on american history tv. >> while in salt lake city, we spoke with the republican governor. >> describe the makeup of utah. who lives here? >> three million wonderful people. we have good people, good values, got principles.

in such a complicated area of responsibility. >> we have the news from boise, idaho. dan? >> harris, bob bergdahl alluded to the difficult nature of the negotiations and you can tell this was very hard, it lasted for five years, hard negotiations for three years. you could say this marks the official end of the war in afghanistan. this was the last negotiation between the taliban and the u.s. government. it has been controversy in washington, dc, but in idaho, bergdahl's home state, nothing but joy and elation and especially with the parents, bob and jani had an extraordinary news conference thanking everyone. they were spent emotionally and they just got back on the ground in idaho and were in washington, dc, yesterday, when they got word their son was back in united states hands and handed over to a navy seal team on saturday and they flew back here. they were by the president's side when they made the announcement. they said they learned about parts of government they didn't know existed and they thanked the government of qatar taking in the five taliban leaders and yea