i want to bring in our white house correspondent, jim acosta. jim, barbara is perfectly right, i'm not sure if you heard it, this is huge for troops when this particular war has not been in the headlines and yet, there are thousands and thousands, as barbara reports, 30,000 of them, still over there, still fighting. but it also begins what's going to be a pretty big week for the president, focused on foreign policy. >> that's right, candy and i think barbara layed that out very well. you know, afghanistan has been very much a forgotten war in the minds of many americans and so this trip by the president, his fourth during his presidency and the first since may 2012, will definitely highlight the price that is being paid in afghanistan and as barbara was saying, this is a very big year for the president when it comes to afghanistan. this white house is determined, whether they have a bilateral security agreement with the afghanistan government or not, to pull u.s. forces out of that country by the end of the year. they will lead a residual force,

jim acosta is over at the white house. the president made it clear that from his perspective, the war, for all practical purposes, would be over. but if you have 9,800 troops in afghanistan next year, there's going to be still plenty of combat there. so for a lot of these troops, the war might not necessarily be over. >> reporter: well, certainly if the troops come under attack, wolf, the war will not be over for them. but the president insisted during his remarks, he's anticipating some of this criticism, that they will not be serving in combat roles, they'll be serving in advisory and training roles, and in some cases counterterrorism roles. i think what we heard the president say that's important to stress, that afghanistan is not going to be a perfect place and it's not the job of this nation to make it so. that is an indication, wolf, that he does anticipate that there will probably be some violence in afghanistan, as the u.s. extricates itself from afghanistan over the next few years. the drawdown plan in afghanistan

>> jim acosta, thank you. this is at the same time more democrats are calling for a larger investigation, including congressman steve israel, the head of the democratic congressional campaign committee. he tells jake tapper on "the lead," he's now asked attorney general eric holder to launch a criminal probe to find out just what happened. >> i want to know if anybody, anybody at the va doctored papers, engaged in a cover-up, withheld health care for veterans. they need to be investigated. they need to be prosecuted. they need to be fired. >> the inspector general's report finds the va awarded bonuses to top officials based in part on performance goals, including shorter appointment wait times. that's right, financial bonuses to managers and then the vets suffered. there may have been incentive for them to cook the books. >> you heard steve israel talking to jake there on "the lead." the real issue is steve israel's a member of the democratic leadership in the house, and he is now calling on eric shinseki to r

is our correspondent barbara starr, from the white house, our senior white house correspondent jim acosta. jim, to you first. are you getting indication of precisely what the president will announce? >> well, we won't have an advance preview of his remarks, wolf, but we do expect, from hearing from a senior administration official, that the president will lay out basically the plan for u.s. forces in afghanistan, post-2014. the president is going to come out and say that the u.s. combat mission in afghanistan is coming to an end by the close of 2014. we've heard him say that before. he said that over the weekend. and on memorial day that he wants to bring that war to a reasonable end. but what happens after 2014, the administration, frankly, has been very reluctant to say exactly how many troops they want to keep in that country. but now the president is going to lay that out. 9,800 u.s. forces, armed forces, personnel, in afghanistan, for 2015. that number would be reduced by half by the end of 2015. by 2016, the plan, according to an administration official, is to have the u.s. force pr

let's bring in jim acosta. kabul station chief was sent to 6,000 members of the media. how did that happen? >> reporter: it's a real head scratcher, jake, but it did happen yesterday. the white house and cia is not commenting on the accidental release of this top operative in afghanistan. other news outlets are not reporting the identity of the station chief. but this is how it went down and it's going to sound familiar to you in terms of the process, jake. basically, white house officials inadvertently included the name of the station chief in a list of participants who were involved in the president ds trip to afghanistan yesterday to the print pool reporter. the print reporter, traveling along with the president, who was part of that small pool of reporters who covers the president's movement and that pool reporter included name in his report, sent it back to the white house press office and sent it on to people like you and me who get these pool reports and then it was at that point that that print reporter

joining us to do that, our senior white house correspondent jim acosta, our chief national security correspondent jim sciutto and our chief international correspondent chriscys christy yawn amanpour. did this speech accomplish what white house officials were hoping for? >> yes, they do, wolf, they do feel that this accomplished their goal of really answering the president's critics and laying out what is essentially the obama doctrine for the remainder of his term in office. wolf, i think if there's a theme to take away from this speech, and from the president's standpoint, it's that caution can be muscular too. yes, there are times when unilateral intervention may be necessary but for the most part when the direct national security interests of the united states are not threatened, the u.s. has to work through global partners. you heard the president talk about that with respect to ukraine and dealing with russia, how the u.s. and its allies isolated russia because of its intervention in ukraine. you heard the president talk about how he wants to build these multilateral partnerships. he talked

jim acosta, cnn, the white house. >> jim, thank you very much.e right back we'll discuss the so-called obama doctrine plus we have breaking news on the future of secretary eric shinseki and our experts will weigh in on that coming up. dad's home! may is a month of celebrations. from cinco de mayo to mothers day to graduations. and now your chevy dealer is giving you plenty of reasons to celebrate every day in the month of may. get great offers on chevy's most fuel-efficient line up ever... ...and start celebrating. right now, get this sign and drive lease on a 2014 chevy malibu lt for around $249 per month. celebrate may in a new chevy. find new roads captain: and here's a tip. bellman: thanks, captain obvious. when you save money on hotel rooms, it's just like saving money on anything else that costs money. like shoes, textiles, foreign investments, spatulas, bounty hunters, javelins... marge: you know, there's a more enjoyable way to get your fiber. try phillips fiber good gummies. they're delicious, and an excellent source of fiber to help sup

for more on today's meeting between obama and merkel, here's senior white house correspondent jim acosta. >> reporter: john and christine, german chancellor angela merkel's visit to the white house comes at a critical time. both the u.s. and germany have tried to apply pressure on russia to try to de-escalate the crisis in ukraine, the u.s. taking the lead on sanctions, while chancellor merkel has tried to use her closer relationship with russian president vladimir putin to resolve the crisis, but it's not clear whether those closer ties are helping. in a phone conversation that the two leaders had on thursday, putin told merkel that he woonts to see ukrainian troops pull out of the southeastern part of their own country. white house press secretary jay carney called that suggestion preposterous. now, the white house expects both leaders, both president obama and angela merkel, to talk about another round of sanctions against russia. that next round would likely be targeted at russia's economy, key sectors of the economy, such as banking and energy sectors, but that would hurt the german

jim acosta is "outfront" from the white house. jim, the scandal is getting bigger and bigger.tting on board, not defending the administration. what is the white house saying? >> erin, the writing may bonn the wall for v.a. secretary eric shinseki. for the first time since the v.a. scandal broke, the white house is declining to say whether shinseki has the confidence of the president. white house press secretary jay carney refused to answer that question of whether shinseki has the president's fullbacking. instead, carney said the president wants to see the findings of an internal audit shinseki is expected to hand over any day now. here is a bit of what carney had to say. >> how does he run the department if he doesn't have the full confidence of the president? how does he conduct this investigation if he doesn't have the full confidence of the president? >> the president looks forward to the preliminary review that he asked the secretary to provide to him. and when it comes to general matters of accountability, i think the president said that he told this to secretary shinsek

but listen to what jim acosta pressed him on from cnn. >> november of 2012, the president said, i think it's important to find out what happened in benghazi and i'm happy to cooperate in any ways that congress wants. we have provided every bit of information that we have -- >> right. >> that e-mail was not provided. >> have you read the e-mail, jim? >> there you see the question to the president right after the last election had said, we're going to turn over everything. this is one of the lingering questions. why wasn't this e-mail in particular turned over sooner, being pushed there by cnn. there are a whole series of networks pushing on this very issue. and yet the attack came in against fox. why? i don't really know. but i'm not going to stop asking questions on this issue or any other issue. i did the same thing to the bush administration, by the way. >> okay. we're so glad you're asking the tough questions and frankly that the others are as well. about time. thanks, ed. >>> meantime, back on capitol hill, dramatic testimony from the top intel officer in africa on the night of the

jim acosta is out front. what is the white house saying about when the president first learned of these problems? >> well, breanna, as you just mentioned, white house press secretary jay carney said they t white house found out about the allegations in phoenix when he saw it on cnn, when he heard about the reports that were on cnn three weeks ago. but then came this memo. we should point out the american legion that looks out for veterans was distributing this memo to reporters. and it basically says that back in 2010, the department of veteran ace fairs was aware of manipulated lists that were being used to conceal wait times for veterans waiting to receive care. just to read to you a portion of it, it's very clear on the very first page of this memo what the department was concerned about. it says, and this is from an undersecretary of health at the department of veteran ace fairs, it says "it has come to my attention that in order to improve scores on assorted access measures certain facilities have adopte

as cnn's white house correspondent jim acosta explains, this is also a report with deep political pla. implications. >> reporter: from monster storms to raging wildfires, all a result of climate change. according to the obama administration's new national climate assessment, sea levels will rise up to four feet, more intense heat waves will hit the southwest and the arctic ocean could have ice-free summers by midcentury. >> hundred of the best climate scientists across the u.s. not just in the public sector but in private sector as well have worked over the last four years to produce this report. this assessment is about presenting actionable science. >> reporter: president obama has promised action. but critics within his own party complain he hasn't lived up to his complain vow from 2008. >> this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal. >> reporter: with his climate agenda stalled in congress, the president has taken steps on his own, seeking new limits on power plant pollution and setting tougher fuel efficiency standards for cars and t

cnn correspondent jim acosta. this is so unusual. how did this happen? >> really. screw up, brianna, just to be very honest about this, and we should point out that the white house and the cia are not commenting at this point about the release of the identity of what they call the station chief's name or the top intelligence operative in afghanistan. and we should also note that cnn and other news outlets are not reporting the individual's name either. but the way this happened is basically white house press officials provided the name of this station chief to the pool reporter who was traveling with the president on that trip to afghanistan yesterday. the print pool reporter serves as sort of a go between, between the white house and other journalists around the country. this print pool reporter included the station chief's name in his pool report. sent it back to the white house before the white house then distributed that pool report out to some 6,000 journalists. brianna, as you know from working at the white house, the reason why that person's name was inadver

thank you very much to you, jim acosta, who has been covering this. it was drew griffin right here on cnn, his reporting all the time and effort he put into this that exposed the horrible situation at the v.a. andrew joins me now. andrew, this is a case of when you see reporting really make a huge difference. but when you look at this and all of the horrible things that you have seen happening at the v.a., that you've been reporting on, so the guy at the top now is gone. but that's the guy at the top. this is endemic. it's across the entire system. does this come close to resolving the problem? >> not at all. the guy at the top was the guy who was lied too. by whom? all those people need to go. they're still out there. they're still working at the v.a. they're going show up for work on monday. somebody really needs to go in to that v.a. health system and root out all of these simmering, entrenched bureaucrats who have been doing this for a very, very long time, erin. >> and to that point, it's been going on for years, and it's across the country. for

our jim acosta has more this morning for us from the white house. >> reporter: john and christine, the writing may be on the wall for va secretary eric shinseki for the first time since the va scandal broke, the white house is declining to say whether shinseki has the confidence of the president. white house press secretary jay carney refused to answer that question of whether shinseki has the president's full backing. instead, carney said the president wants to see the findings of an internal audit shinseki is expected to hand over to the president any day now. >> how does he run the department if he doesn't have the full confidence of the president? how does he conduct this investigation if he doesn't have the full confidence of the president? >> well, the president looks forward to the preliminary review that he asked the secretary to provide to him. >> reporter: a growing list of senate democrats, many up for re-election, are calling for shinseki to go. the last straw for those senators? an inspector general's report pointing to systemic issues in the va system, noting, in phoenix,

but first jim acosta is "outfront" with more on the growing crisis facing president obama. >> reporter: for president obama, it's another buck stops here moment. this time over allegations of hiding veteran wait times at v.a. facilities. >> if these allegations prove to be true, it is dishonorable. it is disgraceful, and i will not tolerate it, period. >> reporter: after meeting with veterans affairs secretary eric shinseki, the president praised the general he called rick. but he suggested the secretary's days may be numbered pending an internal investigation. >> have i said to rick, and i said it to him today, i want to see what the results of these reports are. and there is going to be accountability. >> reporter: veterans groups were quick to slam the president's comments with the american legion saying his decision to keep secretary shinseki at his post is an unfortunate one. even democrats are pouncing. >> there was no urgency. mr. president, we need urgency. we need you to roll up our sleeves and get into these hospitals. >> reporter: this is not the first time the president's b

first, let's go to jim acosta. jim? >> wolf, for months the white house has not specifically said how many troops will be in afghanistan after 2014 but today the president put his plan on the table. declaring the combat mission in afghanistan over by the end of the year, president obama laid out the final chapter for the nation's longest war. >> the bottom line is, it's time to turn the page on more than a decade in which so much of our foreign policy was focused on the wars in afghanistan and iraq. >> reporter: a small residual force will be limited to training counterterrorism operations and there will be just 9800 u.s. forces next year. about half that by 2016. and embassy security only in the afghan capital as president obama prepares to leave office. mr. obama's proposal stops short of the full withdrawal he promised voters in 2012. >> we will have them all out tlf by 2014. >> reporter: but worried about the repeat of the pullout from iraq, u.s. military commanders pushed for a minimum of 10,000 troops and that pla

we understand from sources and jim acosta confirmed that the white house intends to tap julio castro to be the secretary housing and urban development. the guidance received from the white house suggests that this could be days and days away. he may still be going through the vetting process. the "new york times" was the first to report this likely cabinet shuffle. now, this would move sean donavan do donovan to the office of budget. sylvia held it recently and she is moving to hhs, fred. >> and julian castro, people will remember seeing him during the national convention, see that videotape. he's a twin, actually, and he and his brother kind of made to be rising stars, at least, in the political front. his brother also holds office on a local level. right? >> reporter: that's correct. joachim castro is a congressman but i would point out, fred, this is a very interesting development, because if confirmed, julian castro cannot be overtly political during the mid-term elections and in the 2016 elections, because of the hatch act, government officials can not make overtly statements in

jim acosta at the white house, is this a better time? >> reporter: a little chicago subtlety from bill daly. i think the white house believes it's the right time, although it is a tricky balancing act for the president. yes, they do want to fire up that democratic base, environmentalists are a key part of that base. so this climate change report, there's probably some of that directed towards that community, but this is something that, carol, remember, the president has been talking absence 2008. remember when he was out on the campaign trail, and said this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal? well, a lot of environmental iss are disappointed the president hasn't been able to do much on the climate front amp coming into office. a lot of it because it's been stalled. republicans don't want cap and trade. the president has been striking out on his own with executive actions. come coming up in june, eliminating power plant emissions. that's cleared the court and will go into effect despite a

and let's get to our senior white house correspondent, jim acosta, jim? >> reporter: wolf, in his first conference since the scandal broke, president obama is vowing action and accountability. but that is not good enough for his critics who want heads to roll now. >> reporter: for president obama it is not buck stops here moment. this time over the allegations on the wait times at the v.a. facilities. >> if these allegations prove to be true it is dishonorable, it is disgraceful and i will not tolerate it, period. >> reporter: after meeting with the veterans affairs secretary eric shinseki, he suggested the days may be numbered pending the internal investigation. >> i have said to rick and i said it to him today, i want to see what the results of these reports are and there is going to be accountability. >> veterans groups were quick to slam the president's comments saying the decision to keep shinseki on his post is wrong. >> mr. president, we need urgency. we need you to roll up our sleeves and get into these hospitals. >> the white house faces a politi

we understand from sources and jim acosta confirmed that the white house intends to tap julio castroo be the secretary housing and urban development. the guidance received from the white e

jim acosta joins us with the latest information. what's going on, jim?olf, the white house insists these e-mails were not about benghazi but by not turning them over sooner, administration officials reignited a controversy that has the white house on defense once again. new e-mails revealed this week by the conservative group judicial watch have sparked republican charges once again of a white house cover-up over what happened in the deadly attack at the u.s. mission in benghazi in 2012. >> it is disturbing and, perhaps, criminal, that documents like these were lidden by the obama administration from congress and the public alike. >> reporter: republicans point to this e-mail, used to prep then u.n. ambassador susan rice. >> we put together the best information we have available. >> reporter: that said in a round of sunday talk show interviews that the killings stemmed from protests. the video from top white house spokesman, ben rhodes, urges rice to underscore the protests are rooted in an internet video and not a broader failure of policy. the white ho

>> jim acosta, thank you.r cia officer bob baer along with cnn political commentator ryan lizza who is the washington correspondent for the new yorker. i'm going to ask you about the danger this imposes but you spoke with the reporter who put out this -- the name of this station chief. how did this happen? >> well, he was a pool reporter on air force one. a small group of reporters that always travels with the president, as you know. he basically asked for the name of the folks who were briefing the president at bagram air force base in afghanistan. a white house press person went to the military and asked for that list. a military person sent it back to the white house with a note saying this is for the pool. in other words, this is for public distribution. gave it to the press. the press then wrote up a report with that and other information, sent it back to the white house -- >> as is customary. >> as is customary. >> to be sent out so the white house saw it before. >> and the white house pushes the final s

jim acosta is live at the white house for reaction there. m. >> reporter: good morning, carol. white house officials say president obama is angry and wants answers after learning about those allegations facing the department of veteran affairs, but the veteran in charge of the department says he does not want to leave his post until he finds the problems affecting his agency have been resolved. as public outrage mounts over reports that dozens of veterans died waiting for care from the v.a. system, secretary of veteran affairs secretary shinseki announced he's just as furious. >> any allegation, any adverse incident like this, makes me mad as hell. >> reporter: but that wasn't enough for lawmakers who wanted to know if he knew about it, there some used secret waiting lists. >> isn't there evidence here of criminal wrongdoing, that is falsifying records, false statements to the federal government? that's a crime. >> should be, yes. >> reporter: unlike other investigations on capitol hill these day, this grilling was bipartisan. >> do you belie

here's jim acosta. jim, what are white house officials saying about this?ure at the white house is similar to what ronald reagan used to say back in the 1980s during the cold war "trust but verify." and maybe not even that much trust at this point. the white house is saying that they've seen these reports that vladimir putin has called these forces on the ukrainian boarder to pull back to their bases but at this point the administration has seen no indication that that is happening. and so at this point they're -- their attitude is that, hey, put up or shut up. until you move those forces away and we have the capacity to look at this, jay carney said that during the briefing. i think we would know if they were doing this, if they're indeed doing this, then really they just sort of view this as words at this point. what jay carney said was "such a withdrawal would be welcome but we've seen no indication of any movement." and where they are right now, brooke, obviously an invasion into eastern ukraine would bring about more sanctions from this white house, fr

jim acosta, thanks very much. our senior investigative correspondent drew griffin first broke this story for cnn. as the depth of the scandal becomes more clear, lawmakers are calling for a criminal investigation. drew is here. where is this potential criminal investigation headed? >> i think it's very clear that general shinseki believes he was lied to. if that is true and if these people lied to get bonuses, that is why there was a call for the department of justice to get involved. i have not heard that an actual criminal investigation is under way, only that the justice department is looking at this. >> because bernie sanders, the chairman of the senate veterans affairs committee told me he thought a criminal investigation was already under way. i guess there's a nuance there that maybe they're thinking about it, looking at it, whether it's worthwhile. if there is a criminal investigation they've got to get a grand jury, subpoenas, they've got to start working quickly. >> yes. and this is widespread across the

there is nischelle turner and she is talking to owner very own michelle kosinski and there is a jim acostalike you can hear him. they can't hear you, don! >> reporter: that's right. they are not wearing an ear piece. >> reporter: i was gushing about michelle. you know she is new to cnn and i have a little bit of a girl crush on her. so i'm gushing right now because i'm having a bit of a fan girl moment and she is my colleague! she was just saying how it's kind of weird -- >> hang on, guys! hang on! one second. we will get back. tell them don't go anywhere. i'm yelling at you again on the air! suzanne! suzanne! >> reporter: don, so katie has a plain. >> say hi to katie. >> is it don lemon. >> reporter: it is don. >> don, i really don't understand why suzanne or suzanne is not here -- you know, at the party having a good time, schmoozing with the president and working the room! you guys have made her stand here and talk to people! what up with that? how are you doing? >> reporter: i'm good. i find this really interesting. global anchor. i don't think there is anybody else who is a global anc

let's bring in jim acosta. how did he respond?, it was very interesting, jake, because yesterday there was talk about concealing wait times and referred us to the cnn report three weeks ago. i wanted to go back to jay carney because of this memo and it was written back on april of 2010 by a deputy undersecretary that in order to improve scores on access measures, certain facilities have adopted use of inappropriate scheduling practices sometimes referred to as gaming strategies to avoid these types of scheduling practices and when i asked jay carney about it, to ask whether or not people inside the white house have known about this for some time given this memo has been out there for some time and jay carney said in response that basically at this point what the white house wants to do, what the president wants to do is wait for these investigations to wrap up that are under way right now. here's what jay carney had to say. >> we, the president and the rest of us, away the results of those two inquiries and he is not at all please

jim acosta, cnn, the white house. >> even at 9,800, the u.s.ill still have the most troops among foreign nations on the ground in afghanistan. here is a look at the top five after the united states. the united kingdom, 5,200. as of april 1. germany has more than 2,700 troops in the country. italy close behind. >>> the biggest foreign approximately see challenges which are facing barack obama as he heads into the second part of his second term. >> one of those challenges right now, of course, is syria. u.s. officials tell us the obama administration is moving closer to signing off on a plan to expand training for moderate syrian rebels. now it would add to the modest cia program, that is working with rebels now. the president would have to approve the plan, for it to go ahead. >> warning to americans in libya. leave the country. leave now. the u.s. state department cites unpredictable and unstable security situation. >> u.s. embassy employees in tripoli have not been asked to evacuate for now. staffing there is limited. if they are asked to leav

jim acosta at the white house. limate change report going up on its website. we'll work with that throughout the day. jim, thank you. >>> coming up on "new day," coverage of the search for flight 370 has slowed, because the search has slowed. a big meeting tomorrow to figure what they will do next. we're going to bring you inside scoop on what may be in store. >>> and -- listen to this one. a man sentenced to prison time but never wound up serving the time because of a clerical mistake. >>> and then, when the system finds out, they want to send him to prison 13 years later. but a judge steps in. we're going to tell you the story. he's joining us live, to tell us about a wild ride. ♪ [ woman ] i'd be a writer. [ man ] i'd be a baker. [ woman ] i wanna be a pie maker. [ man ] i wanna be a pilot. [ woman ] i'd be an architect. what if i told you someone could pay you and what if that person were you? ♪ when you think about it, isn't that what retirement should be, paying ourselves to do what we love? ♪ paying ourselves

let's bring in senior white house correspondent jim acosta. jim, bring us details on what the discussions have been between the obama administration and the nigerian officials. >> kate, as you know the president was sitting down for a round of interviews on climate change yesterday when he was asked this question about the kidnapped nigerian girls and called this crime awful but also said the u.s. would do whatever it can to help recover the missing girls and what that involves is something that you just said, the u.s. is going to be sending in an enter disciplinary team of military and law enforcement personnel. experts who are -- who have done a lot in the area of hostage taking and intelligence. those folks will be going to assist the nigerians with this search. initially they were sort of slow in accepting this u.s. offer of help but a call from secretary of state john kerry to nigeria's president was apparently what made the difference. and we should point out that white house press secretary jay carney said this is not going to involve u.

cnn's jim acosta has more for you. >> reporter: new e-mails revealed this week by the conservative workicial watch have sparked republican charges once again of a white house cover-up for what happened at the deadly attack on the u.s u.n benghazi in 2012. >> it's disturbing that documents like these were hidden by the obama administration from congress and the public alike. >> reporter: republicans point to this e-mail used to prep then u.n. ambassador susan rice. >> the best information that we have -- >> reporter: who said in a round of sunday talk show interviews that the killings stepped from protests touched off by an anti-islamic video the e-mail from ben rhodes urges rice to underscore that the protests are rooted in an internet video and not a broader failure of policy. the white house says that rhodes' e-mail was about the demonstrations and not benghazi, that's critical because the white house had said it was the intelligence community that prepped rice on benghazi not political advisers. >> that e-mail was not provided. >> have you read the e-mail? >> i have it right here. >>

our cnn white house correspondent jim acosta is there right now monitoring that situation. at 10:15 or have this meeting with the president at 10:15 so we have to assume he arrived. we saw several vehicles pull up at the side entrance to the west wing and saw people getting out of that vehicle. can't say for sure whether it was the secretary of veterans affairs. we're trying to get that to you in just a few moments. one thing we should point out what we heard for the last 24 hours and that is i've been told by one official here at the white house that secretary shinseki is on thin ice. that is a quote. and what we heard in the last few hours is that ice cracking. when you have a dozen or so democratic senators up for re-election in the fall in tough races in red states in some cases calling for the secretary to step down, it almost becomes untenable situation for the president. the president as we know is loathed to give washington in some case which is it gets into this feeding frenzy what it wants. when people around washington are calling for heads to roll, this presiden

our jim acosta asked the white house a moment ago, jay carney about the controversy. >> in 2012 the president said i'm happy to provide information about the controversy that congress wants and we have provided everything we have. >> right. >> that e-mail was not provided. >> have you read the e-mail, jim? >> yes. >> here's the thing. back aeering ago now roughly, when republicans on capitol hill were feeding information to reporters about what was in a bunch of e-mails that had been given to congressional investigators, feeding false information about what was in those e-mails and in those talking points that were produced by the cia, we voluntarily released all the information regarding those talking points, causing those organizations to have to correct what they reported because it turned out to be false because they were lied by folks on capitol hill about what was contained within them. you've seen the deputy director of the cia testify repeatedly, including, i believe last week, that he produced-the cia produced those talking points and he made the decisions about what ultimately would

i'm asking, but john carl -- jim acosta of cnn, whole bunch of people should get credit. not saying i'm the only one asking the questions but it could be con can event for the white house to suggest there's only one person or one news organization asking these questions. and obviously we have to be careful. we have to calibrate this information. we can't blow it out of proportion. certainly the white house is going to point another examples where they think it's overheated, et cetera. my job, day in and day out, is to ask tough questions even if they're uncomfortable. >> i found you obnoxious in democracy and republican administrations. when you talked with john carl, he never said, your bosses. but this benghazi thing with these e-mails and other revelations, when the mainstream media is pursuing it, i think the bloom is off the media rose if not for some time now, because the promises, the vows, are just not adding up. >> well, yes and no. i mean, there are questions being asked by many networks and news organizations in that room behind me, but how many of those storie

our cnn correspondent jim acosta has more now. >> in his commencement speech, president obama tells theomething striking. >> you are the first class to graduate since 9/11 who may not be sent into combat in iraq or afghanistan. >> it's a generation that hardly knows what peace looks like. >> happy for our nation that we're pulling out. we came here prepared to go to war. >> from west point. >> i have two sons serving in the military. i don't want them to be in harm's bay either. >> to howard's university in the nation's capitol. >> the united states is not going to go to another war, boots on the ground with president obama in power. >> just because we have the best hammer does not mean every problem is a nail. >> he lays out the obama doctrine. >> the united states will use military force unilaterally if necessary. >> and caution. >> some of our most costly mistakes came froth from our restraint but willingness to rush into military ventures. >> it's a foreign policy mind set that stretches back to 2002. >> i don't oppose war in all circumstances. when i look out over this crowd today,

the white house press secretary jay carney was questioned by our own white house correspondent jim acosta president knew about the latest serious problems at v.a. hospitals in phoenix and elsewhere across the country. listen to what carney just said. >> let me be clear, because there was a misunderstanding and a lot of misrobeeporting about s topic. when the president learned about the specific allegation, what i understood your question to be, contained first, i believe, in a cnn report about the phoenix facility. the president, as we all know, we discussed it here, has been talking about the issues and challenges facing v.a. since he was a candidate. and it was precisely those problems that had been identified and were discussed in 2006, 2007, 2008, that he spoke about as a candidate. and it led him to commit to increased resources available to the v.a., so we can better serve our veterans, and to deliver on that every year since he's been president. >> we'll continue to stay on top of this story as we have now for months and months, what's going on at some of those v.a. hospitals acros

jim acosta has been traveling with the president. >> jim, let's go to you. we know the president had to leave early, we're told, according to the scheduling. but what did you observe being with him today? >> reporter: that's right, chris and ashleigh. and we should point out the white house is now saying that the reason why the president and the first lady left early is because of the security bubble that they take with them everywhere they go. that security bubble shut down the museum. and so they wanted to leave in the middle of the ceremony. so after it's over, the families can go inside and tour the site here freely. and so that's the explanation that we got from the white house on that. you did hear the president really give a solid endorsement of this museum. he called it a profound and moving experience. you also heard during his remarks a reflection on the sacrifices here at ground zero, here at the world trade center site. and really, a huge salute to the bravery of the people who survived and to the people who perished trying to rescue those surviv

pushing conspiracy theory or fox is when you've got john karl of abc and major garrett of cbs and jim acosta of cnn and others pushing similar questions. this is not just fox. >> the evidence seems frankly irrefutable. one question i wanted to ed te you, the suggestion earlier in the week that the e-mail from ben rhodes which was basically the guide for susan rice for the sunday talk shows, that it had really not to do with benghazi. are we really to believe that when the e-mail actually says benghazi as one of the subheads and also just from a media standpoint, why in the world would a cabinet official go on five sunday shows if it wasn't to talk about what specifically happened in benghazi? >> well, i think in fairness there, yes, susan rice was going on five shows to talk about benghazi plus. plus the violence throughout the muslim world. and fox and others were reporting it at that time, as jay carney was trying to point out, about cairo and other embassies, et cetera, that were in jeopardy. so i do think we've got to be careful not to suggest that the ben rhodes e-mail is only or was on

john carcinoma of abc news, jim acostas, cnn. people pushing on this story that were not a week ago or two weeks ago. they think they are going to get beyond this news cycle and be able to turn the page on it it let's see, i think in their defense the majority of the ben rhodes email was about cairo and the rest of the muslim world, not just focused on benghazi but you are certainly right that benghazi was the flash point here. so, a, to suggest that that was not the focus of everyone's attention at that time is hard to sell, let's put it that way. secondly, to now say that this wynn rhodes email was not about benghazi when in fact it was turned over us a you know because judicial watch, the conservative organization had filed a lawsuit with the state department and said woe want again baez documents the state department turned it over. jay carney said i don't know the procedures at the state department for freedom of information requests. i'm not saying he has to know process this is not some rogue agency. it's the obama state d

let's bring with our senior white house correspondent jim acosta. jim? >> reporter: wolf, the writing may be on the wall for eric shinseki. the white house declined to say whether shinseki has the confidence of the president. veterans affairs secretary eric shinseki is on thin ice. today, the ice started cracking. as white house press secretary refused to answer whether president obama had confidence in shinseki who is leading the review of the v.a. scandal. >> how does the run the department if he doesn't have the full confidence of the president? how does he conduct an investigation if he doesn't have -- >> we look forward to the preliminary review that he asked the secretary to provide to them. >> shing second key was placed on probation. >> reporter: if he thinks he has let our veterans down pointing to systemic issues in the system noting in phoenix, 1700 veterans were never put on a waiting list and were likely lost or forgotten. shinseki responded saying, we are redoubling our efforts with commitment and compassion to restore integrity to our proc

jim acosta has the story. >> reporter: at the west point military academy, it was a 45-minute lecturee obama doctrine as the president laid out his vision for u.s. leadership in a war weary world. >> just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail. >> reporter: taking note of the two wars he has ended, all while killing osama bin laden, mr. obama fired back at accusations he has been too hesitant on the global stage. reminding his critics of lessons of going it alone. >> some of our most costly mistakes came not from our restraint, but from our willingness to rush into military adventures without thinking through the consequences. >> reporter: instead, the president wants more international cooperation. so he is proposing a $5 billion fund to help other nations train and counterterrorism, and more assistance for rebels in syria's civil war. but he was short on details. >> i will work with congress to ramp up support for those in the syrian opposition who offer the best alternative to terrorists and brutal dictators. >> reporter: republicans argue it's t

investigative correspondent drew griffin, he's also joined by senior white house correspondent jim acosta, pentagon correspondent barbara starr, and jake tapper also joining us. drew griffin, it's why i come to work either day, because i work with people like you. this started with your work. this is a huge move today. the end of a secretary's rein. is it enough, is it going to fix the problem, and is there a future, according to all of those people you worked with who wanted to see a solution here? >> well, i don't think this solves the problem in any way. it solves the political crisis for the president. but i hope it doesn't remove the spotlight on the va. quite frankly, probably should have been 300 people whose heads rolled over at the va. these people, any of whom have been identified as cooking the books in any of the many hospitals, now, across the country, though are the people that really did in general shinseki and today they are still at the va administration, albeit some of them out in phoenix, are apparently on their way to being fired. >> i want to bring in barbara starr at

jim acosta is live at the white house this morning with more. jim? >> good morning, chris. official says president obama is angry and wants answers after learning of those allegations facing the department of veterans affairs but the general in charge of that department says he does not want to leave his post until his mission of fixing the va is accomplished. as public outrage mounts over reports that dozens of veterans died, secretary of veterans affairs, eric shinseki insisted he is just as furious. >> any allegation, any adverse incident like this makes me as -- makes me mad as hell. >> reporter: but that wasn't enough for lawmakers of who demanded to know whether the department knew about all investigations that some va officials used secret waiting lists to hide long delays for care. >> isn't there evidence here of criminal wrong doing, that is falsifying records, false statements to the federal government? that's a crime. >> should be, yes. >> reporter: unlike other investigations on capitol hill these days, this grilling was bipartisan. >> do you believe that you're

>> jim acosta, thanks. >>> president obama's national security adviser, susan rice, joining us from the white house. thanks very much for joining us. let's talk about the president's speech at west point today. a lot of us expecting a dramatic announcement that the u.s. was starting to train moderate syrian rebels opposed to al assad's regime. i didn't hear that in the speech. is he still planning on doing that? >> wolf, this speech was a broad expli indication of u.s. interests in the world and u.s. foreign policy. what it said was that the united states must -- what must be and will remain in every instance the world's number one leader. and we'll do what it takes to defend and advance our interests including whereas necessary to defend our core interests to use force unilaterally, if necessary, but that when it is not something that affects our fundamental national security, our economic well-being or the security of our allies, that we want to work cooperatively with other nations to the greatest extent possible, to tackle global problems. now, syria's such a global problem, where t

jim acosta has more on this one. how the heck did this happen?king, not just people inside the white house but inside the press corps. basically the white house and the cia are not commenting at this point. cnn and other news outlets are not identifying the station chief's name who was revealed during the president's trip to afghanistan. here is basically what happened. white house press officials provided this name to the print reporter who is traveling with the president. that reporter was part of the pool, that small group of reporters who traveled with the president, watches movements and report them back to the other colleagues. and that print reporter took that name along with the other participants this is something that typically happens at all of these events. that reporter put that list inside and sent it back to the white house, went through the white house again and out to the 6,000 or so news representatives. it was at that point that the print reporter nodesed the name in there and said to the white house wait a minute, do you want

. >> senior white house correspondent jim acosta has learned shinseki's departure was as sudden and as swift as it looked to the rest of us. good morning, jim. >> christi and victor in a day of high drama eric shinseki was gone in 60 minutes with democrats calling for his he stepped down on his own. president obama, there was no time to wait. >> secretary shinseki offered me his own resignation with considerable regret, i accepted. >> according to white house officials, the resignation of veterans affair secretary eric shinseki was over in one hour. first he met in the oval office with the president, chief of staff dennis mcdonough and the top u.s. aide overseeing and then the president and shinseki went for a walk on the south lawn for a private conversation. minutes later president obama said shinseki concluded he was too much of a distraction. >> so, my assessment was, unfortunately, but it was right. i regret that he has to resign under these circumstances. >> reporter: shinseki's departure came as they released an audit of the health system that found facilities were flagged becau