rear admiral john kirby, thank you for your time. joining me now associate editor of the "washington post," author of "little america," rajiv, have you been surprised by the level of controversy that has surrounded this announcement? >> certainly when you release guantanamo detainees, you're bound to get some hooting and hollering from the right in this country. it's only natural. i would have thought there would have been more support for a u.s. soldier being home. his circumstances of his disappearance from that base are still very much in question as rear admiral kirby noted. we don't know all the facts. to brand him as a full-fledged deserter doesn't do justice to the due process that he's afforded. we need to find out what really happened here. quite frankly, the president has wanted to shut down guantanamo. we are winding down the operation in afghanistan. we're going to keep that prison open indefinitely? some of those folks have to be going back to their own countries. they were taliban leader, not al qaeda leaders. >> one wa

here's what rear admiral john kirby said. this is a quote that's so powerful. "when you're in the navy and you go overboard, it doesn't matter if you are pushed, fell, our jumped. ware goinwe are going to turn tp around and pick up." that's what he said. "when you're in the navy, and you go overboard, it doesn't matter if you are pushed, fell, our jed. we're going to turn the ship around and pick you up." i'm grateful for the many people who refused to forget about sergeant bergdahl and worked tirelessly to secure his a public hearing is an absolute necessity. there's is a general belief that no one should be tried in the cross. rgdahl and what he might have done, it is to be determined by an independent army investigation. the strategic consequences of this decision need to be discussed openly. i am more disturbed now than i was before when i went in about some of the logic. there was apparently a theory that if we released the taliban, it would enhance the chance of peace in afghanistan. prisoners, ithese would somehow empowered that part of the taliban that

at the pentagon, john kirby countered saying the arrest shouldn't be taken lightly. >> let's not lose sight of the big picture here. he's not sipping mango jus in benghazi. is he on his way to court. that's what's important. >> when contacted by fox news he asserted his innocence and he's they owe him money the night of the benghazi attack. >> thank you, adam. the u.s. is putting some eyes in the sky above baghdad to help protect its embassy in an iraqi capitol squarely in the sights of islamist militants meanwhile obama is reversing cores and arming some of the syrians opposing the country's leader. national security respondent has that story. >> reporter: president obama signals he now intends to ramp up the training of moderate opposition after resisting callings to do so for three years since the civil war began. >> in saudi arabia today secretary of state john kerry met with the head of the syrian opposition, a day after the white house asked congress for more money. quote, in particular, we're seeking $500 million for a proposed authority to train and equip appropriately vetted

john kirby suggested the threat is real right now. of baghdad, potentially falling, but would not say whether the remaining iraqi forces could defend baghdad. these show isis drivers driving through with vehicles stolen from the iraqi military. the military is 600,000 strong. isis fighters have just a few thousand fighters. >> i don't think they can take baghdad. i think they can cause a lot of trouble in the provinces where they've been acted. they have a back door into syria. where the heat gets turned up, they have a place to go. >> the president tried to dampen expeck tases that any military actions are imminent. the pentagon is still drawing up options for him as we speak. >> thanks very much. there's a lot more to go on this. this terrorist group has warned one of its next targets is baghdad. they've warned it, might as well expect it and our producer, chris, information specialist, i should say, has some information. >> i have just a few facts on baghdad. it's the capital of iraq, also the largest city. it was founded in 672 a.

the pentagon spokesman is rear-admiral john kirby. here is how he described the mission. >> some of those aircraft are armed. the reason that some of those aircraft are armed is primarily for force protection reasons, now that we have introduced into the country some military advisors whose objective will be to operate outside the confines of the embassy. >> john kirby went on to say the same drone aircraft could participate if president obama decides to go down that road. >> and, mike, the chairman of the joint chiefs had thinks to say about iran - what about that. >> late on friday a radio interview, chairman of the joint chief of staffs, martin dempsey talked about iran. he didn't rule out military help, but said there would be a long way to go before that is possible. and u.s. forces, some of the advisors we have been talking about could come into contact with iranian advisors, who he acknowledged are in country acknowledges parts of the security forces and u.s. advisors could run into them around shia shrines. he's trying to dete

the pentagon spokesman is rear-admiral john kirby. here is how he described the mission. >> some of those aircraft are armed. the reason that some of those aircraft are armed is primarily for force protection reasons, now that we have introduced into the country some military advisors whose objective will be to operate outside the confines of the embassy. >> reporter: john kirby went on to say this could ultimately participate in air strikes if president obama goes down the road. >> the chairman of the joint chiefs had things to say about iran. what about that? >> late on friday a radio interview, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff martin dempsey talked about iran and says he does not rule out military cooperation with iran. the white house seemed to do it a couple of days ago. he said there would be a long way to go, that u.s. forces and advisors could come into contact with iranian advisors, who he acknowledges are in country, advising parts of the shia militia and other parts of the security forces. u.s. forces or vzors could ru

we're awaiting a briefing with pentagon press secretary john kirby. are watching live coverage here on c-span3. >> it's a shorter walk. it's a shorter walk. okay. just a couple of quick announcements and then we'll get to your questions. first on schedule. which you may know this morning secretary hagel met with new zealand prime minister john key here at the pentagon. the secretary expressed his appreciation for new zealand's important contributions in afghanistan and for the renewed growth in u.s.-new zealand defense engagements. the secretary and the prime minister also discussed developments in iraq, afghanistan and of course, the asia pacific region. in just a little more than an hour from now at 2:15 the secretary will make remarks at the hall of heroes induction ceremony for the newest marine corporal william kyle carpenter. we all share the nation's pride in corporal carpenter's bravery and you will hear the the secretary reiterate as well as for the sacrifices corporal carpenter made and was willing to make to save his fellow marines. for nex

this is the response yesterday from admiral john kirby. >> we certainly have been watching their growth and development and their activities inside iraq. it's not that we haven't been mindful of the threat that they pose or what they're capable of doing, and i'm just simply not going to detail options that secretary hagel and the leadership here in the pentagon are proposing. >> and those military leaders are now in the process of working around the clock, according to president obama, to be able to present him with options for possible action. >> randall, did they not expect because we have in some sense been here before. how is the legacy of the iraq war, which president obama did promise to end. >> first of all, president obama said there would be no quick action. he's taking days to decide what to do. the president said the bottom line is no matter what the u.s. does militarily or any other outside force, it has to be iraqis who bring it back together. >> unfortunately, the iraqi leaders have been unable to overcome the mistrust and sectarian differences that have long been simmerin

joining me is pentagon press secretary rear admiral john kirby. thanks so much for joining us today. always good to have you on. >> thank you. >> we have seen a gradual growth of u.s. presence. you now have 200 military advisors some of them possibly outside the wire of the u.s. embassy. no air strikes but now you have armed drones flying over iraq. the stated mission is to protect the u.s. personal personnel on the ground. if isis threatens baghdad or other critical locations in iraq, could these drones be used to attack isis forces in that scenario? >> well, that's not the goal right now. you said it right, jim. the reason we have some armed aircraft over iraq and it's not all unmanned, some of the manned aircraft we have flying reconnaissance missions over iraq are armed, as well. but the main purpose of that is to force protection mission now that we've introduced additional advisors onto the ground who will be venturing outside the embassy confines there in baghdad. it just makes sense. it would be imprudent not to do that. i also would say i

seems to me a far more humane and sensible posture than your critics, pentagon press secretary john kirby, thank you for your time. >> joining me now, senior correspondent and associate editor of the "washington post," the war win the war for afghan author. were you even surprisedded by the level of controversy that has surrounded this announcement? >> well, certainly when you release guantanamo detainees, you're bound to get some hooting and hollering from the right in this country. it's only natural. i would have thought there would have been more just genuine support for the fact that an american soldier is home. the circumstances of his disappearance from that base are still very much in question, as rear admiral kirby noted. we don't know all the facts, and to quickly brand him as a full-fledged deserter doesn't do justice to due process, and, quite frankly, the president is wise to shut down guantanamo. we're winding down the operation in afghanistan. we're not -- going to keep that prison open indefinitely? some of those folks have to be going back to their home countries, and thes

we will hear from rear admiral john kirby at 1:00. >> one of the things people don't always recognize is that during the war of 1812 it was really about america reestablishing its independence against the british. this was sorted our second american revolution and this flag is the object for which francis scott key penned the words which became our national anthem. >> the image in i.t. 95 that the flag was made to look pole and restored and there's a whole section that was reconstructed. when the flag was moved to the space there was a deliberate decision by the curators not to do that again and what we wanted was the flag becomes a metaphor for the country. it's tattered and it's torn but it still survives in the message is really the survival of the country in the flag and we are not trying to make it look pretty. we are trying to make it look like it has endured its history and we still can celebrate its history. >> wilson center reports that u.s.-mexico goods and services reached a trillion dollars in 2011 making the u.s.-mexico's top trading partner. next we will go -- roberta ja

rear admiral john kirby. good luck to you and all the men and women involved in this. we're all very, very worried about the worst case fears. we appreciate your coming in. >> glad to be here. >> coming up, the vice president joe viden makes an urgent trip to central america trying to stop the flood of children unaccompanied children trying to cross into the united states illegally. and later, an angry demonstration turns to chaos as security forces attack members of a cnn crew were caught right in the middle of it and kept their camera rolling. you're going to see what happens. stay with us. you're in "the situation room." when folks think about what they get from alaska, they think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence.

rear admiral john kirby saying five u.s.vice members killed yesterday in a violent province in afghanistan, due to friendly fire. we're waiting to learn more about this situation. of course, we'll bring that to you. >>> meantime, coming up right here in "newsroom," the shooting in the high school just outside of portland, oregon. the shooter is dead, as well as a student. we're expecting a news conference 15 to 20 minutes from now. we'll bring it to you live as it happens. >>> hear from some of the parents of students at that high school as they waited for any news of their children's safety. back, right after this. you've reached the age where you've learned a thing or two. this is the age of knowing what you're made of. so why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain... it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flu

pentagon spokesman admiral john kirby. >> the important thing for everybody to remember is he's no longer on the streets and he will be held accountable. he will be tried in a court of law here in the united states. >> reporter: khattala is now on a u.s. navy ship in the mediterranean where he's being interrogated by a special intelligence team. counter terrorism efficients want information about alleged coconspirator conspirators and l threats. sources say other islamic radicals have also been chargeed in the benghazi case. those charges remain sealed. but 22 months after the attacks that killed four americans, only khattala is in custody. today, f.b.i. director james comey pledged to press the investigation and had this warning for other suspects: >> but the message is, we will shrink the world to find you. we'll shrink the world to bring to you justice, and this is a good example of that. >> reporter: now, once the intelligence interrogation at sea is over, khattala will be read his mir abandonanda rightss and be brought to washington to face charges. >> glor: a week after the attack i

considers action in iraq we'll get the inside word of what is next in the mission rear-admiral john kirby. >>> and how the coke brothers built their fortunes and became a powerful force in u.s. politics. the conversation conditions tonne twitter, google+, facebook. see you next time. >>> talk about strange bedfellows, america could end up cooperating with iran to deal with the violence in iraq. i'll tell you how, and talk about bringing stability to the region through american trade. also yet another american company plans to set up shop overseas and cut its tax bill. i'll talk to grover norquist. plus six months two 2014, it's time to juice up your st

on friday, pentagon spokesman john kirby said the u.s.id just that. >> he's not sipping mango juice anymore in a cafe in benghazi. he's on his way to court. that's what's really important. >> reporter: and khatalla was brought here to the federal court in d.c. and he was questioned for a week before he was arrested. his next court appearance is a detention hearing on july 2nd. until then the u.s. marshal service says it is holding him at a detention facility somewhere in the d.c. area. jim? >> axelrod: mark, thank you. let's bring in our senior national security analyst, juan zarate. juan, interrogators have had khatalla for two weeks while they transported him here. we're told at some point in the process he was read his rights. what kind of information are interrogators looking for? >> reporter: well, the interrogators are most interested about any plots or threats to the west, any information about operatives coming from the west and any information that khatalla may have had about operations, communications with terrorist group, not j

what were you thinking and feeling and when you listened to john kirby. >> john should have said i willnot go in details and i am not going to tell you why it took so long. he got to that later. but in the beginning, he was fumbling and it sent a bad message. >> what was the message? >> the message is that we don't know what is going on here and we stumbled into this and it was not a strategy initiative. i think the opposite is true. if i was a spokesman i would have said i will not go in great detail of how we got this guy. we might have been watching him air long time to get this guy. >> it is interesting timing and maybe we were watching him 642 days. and cable news reporters interviewed this guy before the government got to him. all be it, great news and what else are we making of this? >> another killer off of the streets and that is the take away and that is good news. and as far as the timing is concerned. any number of factors could explain that. and i know you guys think that benghazi is the most critical issue facing the public. >> not me at all. i am just, we are notting to k

. >> reporter: pentagon press secretary john kirby pushed back hard on the suggestion that the u.s. would cordinate militarily with iran in regards with iraq. we have no plans to have consulitation with iran. there is no joint military operation with iran. they had to clarify secretary of state john kerry's remarks when he was asked by kaicate couric. >> we have to go step-by-step. i wont rule out anything constructive to providing real stability. >> mesa verde and transport dock ship passed through the strait of her mos and joining the george bush. and the bush is escorted by a navy destroyer and the navy cruiser. troops have been sent to boltster security of the americans in baghdad. there is video of a strikes carried out of the sewun ni insurgents. 100 troops were bolstering the security in the embassy and a significant personnel are sent to jordan and north to the u.s. consulates. >> movements we are watching, jenna, thank you very much. >> we have 35,000 military personnel in jordan and kuwait and qattar. and there are military available for precision air strikes. 10,000 groun

here is pentagon spokesman rear admiral john kirby. >> we are performing the missions at the request of the iraqsy government. this is not an invasion, we are doing this at the request and in consultation with the iraqi government. we have not been presence in iraq in any mass since 2011. there's a lot to learn and gain here. that's the mission very have been assigned, that's what we are focussed on. >> there is a lot to learn. that's what they are trying to do, get a first-hand assessment. what they learn will partially determine what happens going forward with the u.s. response in iran. >> you mentioned going forward. what is interesting is that while all this is happening the obama administration tips to insist that american troops will not fight in iraq. is there a sense that things will change if things continue to get worse? >> it's always hard to say, of course, but the president has been adamant that there'll be no boots on the ground. and, of course, when he ran for the presidency the first type, a key issue was he wanted to get the u.s. out of iraq. the american public has

john kirby told the evacuation and that's it provides additional options for those who do choose to use them in the evacuation of 1,000 among some of 1,000 are moved out. we will take this up big moments to talk with a former ambassador to iraq. also retired four-star general with his analysis of the military options available to the president and the latest aggression by russia. and the irs claims they lost more than two years of emails from lois lerner and they have conveniently let that leaked out on a friday night. the "a team" will take up that issue and where in their opinion those emails rest. july to one -- 2007 george to be bush warned if unit is states withdrew prematurely our troops would have to return. >> it means we would risk mass killings on a horrific scale. we allow the terrorists to establish a safe haven to replace the one they lost in afghanistan. increasing the probability american troops would have to return to confront an enemy that is even more dangerous. >> our first guest says united states needs to be active including air strikes. christopher hill is now the

authenticity of it, but let me read you that statement from the pentagon press secretary, rear admiral john kirby. "we are aware of the video allegedly released by the taliban showing the transfer into u.s. hands of sergeant bowe bergdahl. we have no reason to doubt the video's authenticity, but we are reviewing it. and regardless, we know the transfer was peaceful and successful, and our focus remains on getting sergeant bergdahl the care that he needs." interesting to note in that statement there that they described this transfer as peaceful and successful. i was talking to a senior administration official who really was not commenting on the video but, really, the exchange itself, who said that, look, you know, this was in some ways a test case, a first test case to determine whether or not the u.s. and the taliban can do business. yes, the taliban, they are dangerous, yes, they are the enemy of the united states. they have killed many american lives. but at some point, as you wind down a war, both sides, the adversaries are going to have to deal with each other, and that this prisoner exchang

rear-admiral john kirby is the spokesman. >> the team will begin their assessments and provide findings within the next two to three weeks. >> we fly routine regular missions to the tune of 35 fights per day to gain better insight. >> administration officials were on capitol hill briefing the full senate. many emerged afterwards clearly concerned with what they were seeing, not only about the situation inside iraq, but a spillover into jordan. here are two republican sirens, marco rubio and lindsay graham. >> i argument we need to target the supply lines that feed i.s.i.s. out of syria, and the command and control structure, and work closely with the allies in the region, particularly jordan, to protect them from a growing risk. >> i want everyone to understand what happens in iraq affects us, and that briefing made it crystal clear. no member of the senate could have left the briefing believing that the homeland is not in danger if the people are successful. i don't think you'll hear much push back if the president has to actment. >> many senators who are critical of the crisis in iraq

we are joined by rear-admiral john kirby, the pentagon press secretary. good to have you on the show. let's start with the raid in libya. why did it take so long to get the guy. reporters like cbs news elizabeth palmer spoke with him weeks after the attack and reported that he didn't look like a wanted man, that he was sipping mango juice in a benghazi hotel. >> what matters is he has no longer sipping maquarie banko juice in libya. he's in u.s. custody in a secure location. he'll meet justice. that's number one. while he may have found it enjoyable to talk to reporters, they are good at evading justice. it takes a long time, sometimes, to have enough information and the resources in the right places to conduct a mission like this. this is complex military operation, in coordination with law enforcement personnel. it was not about rushing to it. we wanted to make sure it was successful. it was. americans are safer. certainly people in libya. >> talking about coordination, we know the fbi and other agencies had trouble getting access because of the lian go

i asked rear admiral john kirby that last night. >> when you put this uniform on, there's an understanding that if you're lost and you're taken captive, we're going to go to great lengths to get you back. i grew up in the navy. if you fall overboard on the ship, we don't ask whether you were pushed or jumped, we turn the ship around and get you. >> in poland, president obama reaffirmed the importance of that principle. >> regardless of the circumstances, whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an american soldier back who was held in captivity, period, full stop. we don't condition that. >> the details of what bowe bergdahl did or didn't do are just one side of this prisoner exchange. on the other side, and one that conservatives are criticizing as well are the five then released from guantanamo bay in exchange for bergdahl. some of the right are using the release of those prisoners to call for the president to be impeached. in the words of allen -- >> let's see who these men are released from guantanamo bay. people are referring to them as terrorists. these are peopl

pentagon spokesman john kirby telling "new day" the u.s.details emerging about the mind set of army sergeant bergdahl in personal writings published by "the washington post" and describes struggling with the mental state. makes vague plan to walk away from the base in afghanistan. >>> phoenix police searching for suspects after an overnight assault that left a priest dead and another critically injured. officers responding to a burglary call found the two victims badly hurt. one died later at the 4079. >>> the biggest sporting event in the world kicks off in just a few hours. soccer's world cup in brazil pits nation against nation for international bragging rights. >>> and at number five, just breaking. former president george h.w. bush is planning to take a skydive to mark his 90th birthday celebrating today. you'll remember he skydived to celebrate the 80th and 85th birthdays, as well. a special sixth thing to know. tune in this father's day as 41 american notables paint a portrait of former president george h.w. bush, "41 on 41" sunday n

. >>> admiral john kirby, thank you very much for being with us, everyone's been talking about this, there's a policy, the u.s. does not associate with terrorists, but bergdahl was believed to be held by -- which is affiliated with the taliban and al qaeda, all three of those groups are terrorist organizations, according to to the united states. i guess the question is, even if another country, qatar brokered the deal. so isn't that negotiating with terrorists? >> i don't think it is, erin, i mean this wasn't negotiations directly with the taliban. this was negotiated by the government of qatar, we're grateful for that, and more importantly, we're grateful to have sergeant bergdahl back. >> the detainees are in qatar, a country which has been known to harbor people with mal intent toward the united states. they're going to be banned from traveling outside qatar for one year. what happens after that year, though? >> i can just tell you that again, a lot of careful thought was put into this. i mean nobody entered into this agreement lightly or without seriously considering the national

considers action in iraq we'll get the inside word of what is next in the mission rear-admiral john kirby. >>> and how the coke brothers built their fortunes and became a powerful force in u.s. politics. the conversation conditions tonne twitter, google+, facebook. see you next time. >>> welcome to al jazerra america, i am del walters, these are the stories that we are following for you. u.s. sending troops to beef up security at the american embassy in baghdad. talking to iran now about the situation in iraq. plus a rare double tou tornado hitting nebraska killing two people. and g.m. reeling from yet another recall just one day before its ceo is set to go before congress. ♪

that a is according to pentagon press secretary admiral john kirby. the president has been spending father's day weekend in california but he has asked his national security team to come up with a range of options to try to help iraq fight back, push back this insurgent force. those options do not include u.s. ground troops but they could include air strikes and this ship, the bush, can be used to air strikes and also use its helicopters to help evacuate americans if needed and to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance missions but the president is under pressure to figure out what to do quickly. another member of congress and senate majority leader senate majority leader ask the less. the gains they made in iraq be lost. the president said he'll be reviewing the options his advisers present to him in the coming days. michael? >> athena jones outside the white house, our thanks to you. later this hour we will talk to republican john sununu about u.s. options a topic he knows a bit about as he served as white house chief of staff during the first gulf

that's according to a statement put out by pentagon press secretary rear admiral john kirby. the president has been spending father's day weekend in california but asked his national security team to work all week to understand come up with a range of options to try to help iraq push back this insurgent force. the options do not include u.s. ground troops but they could include air strikes and this ship "the bush" can be used for air strikes and also use its helicopters to help evacuate americans if needed and also to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance missions. but the president is under growing pressure at home from some members of congress who want him to act quickly to help iraq. senator mitch mcconnell called on the admission saturday to quickly help the iraqi government before every gain made by u.s. and allied forces in the war in iraq is lost. now the president said he'll be discussing and reviewing the options his advisers present to him in the coming days. christi, victor? >> athena jones thank you so much. >>> chelsea manning, the u.s. soldier formerly known a

considers action in iraq we'll get the inside word of what is next in the mission rear-admiral john kirby. >>> and how the coke brothers built their fortunes and became a powerful force in u.s. politics. the conversation conditions tonne twitter, google+, facebook. see you next time. hi everyone, this is al jazeera am. i'm john siegenthaler in new york. 11 in the east coast, 8:00 out west. you're watching the only live newscast at this hour. president obama orders hundreds of troops to baghdad to protect americans at the embassy. >>> weapon of choice. our special report, five days guns around the world begins with a surprising look at the right to bear arms beyond our border. >>> risk factor. the new report onki

defense department press theetary john kirby says u.s. is disappointed that iraqi security forces were unable to hold back into feet the islamic state of a rack in syria -- iraq and syria. he said he is preparing options for the president to consider. this is about 40 minutes. >> good afternoon, everybody. let me start with a brief update on iraq. secretary hagel continues to monitor the situation there as do defense and military leaders here at the pentagon. over the last 38 hours, the secretary has met a number of times with senior military leaders to discuss events on the ground and prepare options for the president's consideration. i won't detail those options but i can tell you they cover a wide range of military capabilities and will be designed, the president says, to help break the momentum of isil's progress and bolster iraqi security forces but clearly any decision to employ these options rests solely with the commander-in-chief. i think it's important to remember that for several months now we have been be working in close coor

and we do have a statement from the pentagon press secretary, rear admiral john kirby, who said -- andou've been talking about this as well, john -- it says "we are aware of the video allegedly released by the taliban showing the transfer into u.s. hands of sergeant bowe bergdahl. we have no reason to doubt the video's authenticity, but we are reviewing it regardless. we know the transfer was peaceful and successful and our focus remains on getting sergeant bergdahl the care that he needs." and that really echoes, before this video even came out, what i heard from a senior administration official yesterday, who was talking about the actual exchange, noting the fact that it did go down somewhat peacefully, that there wasn't a shot fired, there was no aggression being showed by either side, but simply bowe bergdahl was handed over by the taliban, by those militants into the hands of u.s. forces. he climbed on the helicopter and then was back in u.s. custody. this administration official saying that this is an example, perhaps a test case, one of the first test cases, that yes, the u.s. a

pentagon, military spokesperson john kirby said bergdahl continues to improve, but he remains mentally unprepared to return home after years in captivity. >> we are told his health continues to improve and he is engaging with staff more and more each day. all that is promising. the secretary is relieved to hear it. this is going to the long process. nobody is going to push it any further or faster than sergeant bergdahl in his caregivers are willing to take it. the soldier was held captive for nearly five years in what we must assume or harsh conditions. he is going to need time to reassemble late, time to heal mentally and physically. the secretary is made it clear our first party is giving him and his family that critical time and space. >> bergdahl told officials last week taliban captors tortured him and kept him in a cage after he tried to escape. a california court has struck down a series of laws that grant tenure and other protections to public school teachers. in a potentially far-reaching decision, california superior court judge josh for said state law makes it too easy for

rear admiral john kirby says the u.s. military is disappointed that iraqi security forces have been unable to defeat the islamic militants. [inaudible conversations] >> good afternoon everybody. let me just start with a brief update on iraq. secretary hagel continues to monitor the situation there as to defense and military leaders here at the pentagon. over the last 36 hours the secretary has meant a number of times with leaders to discuss events on the ground and to prepare options for the president's consideration. i won't detail those options. they cover a wide range of military capabilities and will be designed as the president said to help bring the momentum of isil's progress to bolster iraqi security forces but any decision rests solely with the commander-in-chief. i think it's important to remember that for several months now we have been working as close quarters with the state department to augment the capabilities of the iraqi security forces. our focus has been on increasing their capacity to defend themselve

on ground if they get in trouble they need a backup as possibility but i spoke earlier today to john kirbyd said listen, you know, if there is a situation baghdad comes under threat, other key assets come under threat, could these be called, you know, into action and he said yes, we're prepared for all missions but that order would have to come from the president. >> this conflict in iraq is linked to syria but word isis has their eyes on jordan, which is a significant u.s. ally and has been up to now relatively stable. >> and that is a legitimate concern, anderson. they have been dealing with problems when it comes to the population. let's not forget that al qaeda and iraq's first leader was of jordan descent, as well. that being said. this is already a region conflict. you have the regional power houses in a stand off in both the iraqi and syrian battle fields and many people will tell you the way iraq and syria end up going is going to be the way the region goes. this is a region redefining itself to a degree and many fear the worst is yet to come. >> jim, there is more u.s. assets head

at the pentagon rear admiral john kirby countered, insisting the arrest of khattala shouldn't be taken's not loose the big picture here. he's not sipping mango juice at a cafe in benghazi, he's on his way to court. >> reporter: al bashary says he's due for the attacks. >> back here at home a new report showing the economy shrinking at a shocking rate. the just released numbers from the commerce department showing the gdp down 2.9%. that's almost three times what was expected. i had a chance recently to ask former reagan economist art laffer if this means we're on the verge of another recession. >> this economy is terrible because of the bad policies of obama and in the last two years of w. there's been no improvement. we're 14 million jobs below where we would have been when clinton left office. >> and a lot of folks say they were caught off guard by this number. are you surprise bide that? >> well, this is a very, very, very bad number but i was not surprised that we have bad numbers, no. it will probably pick up a little wit in the second quarter, but not enough to make up for the re

>> well, what we just heard from pentagon press secretary rear admiral john kirby, he was talking toeporters here at the pentagon. and he said, there doesn't matter that we knew where he was and he was out in the open. there are many options that the special ops team were sent in to grab khattala. he was arrested, that is different from a capture. also, sources tell us that khattala was actually on a list of high-value targets that were supposed to be captured in october when another high-value target who was wanted in the africa bombings he was picked up by delta forces october 15th, right around that time, there was supposed to be a special ops operations to pick up khattala in benghazi. >> now, ed, to that challenge, when you hear something like it's not relevant, that really, really sticks in your ear. >> well, of course, it's relevant that this suspect was out there in the open. he was out there for 642 days since the terror attack. that was an embarrassment for this administration, because it clearly wanted to get this suspect and the rest of the suspects but i think that's why

this afternoon we are going to take you to the pentagon for a briefing of secretary rear admiral john kirby and expect to hear more about president obama's announcement yesterday he would send 300 advisors to iraq. that briefing scheduled for 1:00 p.m. eastern will be live here on cspan3. >>> a look at potential military and political actions the u.s. should take in iraq. >>> we are pleased to have representative walter jones republican from north carolina join us for the first time. congressman jones, you serve on the armed services committee. military debate is going on right now at the house. do we spend enough, too much or the right amount on our military? >> the issue is that we continue to spend so much money by sending our men and women around the world to take care of the world. i am a person who believes we need to rebuild the military, but when you look at the fact that we continue, you know pat buchanan has a great quote. it's not civility to borrow from the world to defend the world. we are in a debtor nation. every so often we have to have debates on the floor of the house to r

john kirby, the admiral john kirby, will be holding a hearing momentarily.er way in just a minute or two over on c-span2. we'll take you live now to the house floor. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father conroy. chaplain conroy: let us pray. god of grace and goodness, thank you for giving us another day. your divine wisdom and power are abundantly sufficient for our many needs. endow the members of this assembly with the loyalty that never waivers and the courage that never falters as they seek to fulfill the high and holy mission which you have entrusted to them. may it be their purpose and all of ours to see to the hopes of so many americans that we you a thept kate the grandeur and glory of the ideals and principles of our democracy with the work we do. as the house returns from visits to their respective districts, may we all be mindful of and thankful for our fathers, for the men who were father figures for us, whose love and support enabled us to mature and become productive members of o

. >> rear admiral john kirby confirmed over the weekend the aircraft carrier uss george h.w. to the persiante gulf. he discussed the possibility of the was carrying out what he termed kinetic strikes. thate of the capabilities we are tasked to provide options for would be kinetic strikes. which can be incredibly effective and powerful when done the right way to achieve -- what we have is an armed militant group and network threatening the internal security of iraq. >> what is your understanding of what these "kinetic strikes" are and the discussion about drone strikes that could take place? >> i think it is a fancy name of a u.s. military intervention. we have heard so many different words describing u.s. military interventions in iraq and the region and whatever you name it, i think from the iraqi perspective, this would be yet another example of the u.s. military strike on iraq, that will not be a part of the solution. the u.s. has been arming iraq since 1991, so it has been 13 years of bombing, bombardments, or like 23 years if you count all of the years of the sanctions.

. >>> earlier i spoke with admiral john kirby.meeting with abu khatallah at a coffee shop last may and i asked him why it took the united states 21 months after she had that conversation to capture him. >> look, these operations, they're pretty complicated, erin, and they can take a long time to develop. i can tell you that we have been focused on this individual for quite some time. and there were months and months of planning that went into this. in order to do this safely, effectively, efficiently, nobody got hurt, by the way, that takes time to plan. that takes a lot of information gathering, it takes the gathering of resources and it takes stealth. and we did this in a very stealthy way. and again, now he's not sipping drinks at a cafe. he's in a secure location and he's going to face trial. >> and he's the only person now who has been arrested. we talked about this a lot. but no one has been held accountable. obviously a lot of people were involved. how important is he? was he the mastermind, the main person you hold respons

. >> rear admiral john kirby, spokesperson for the pentagon. thanks. >> thanks. >>> conservatives, fox news host, and pundits complained about trying khattala in a court, the most tantalizing hash tag for them was, again, the timing of the capture. >> if you knew where this guy was, if you've known where bowe bergdahl was, why is it being used to change the narrative of certain stories? you know, it's twofold. one perhaps it's a political motivation on the part of the administration. >> but the timing sure is interesting, isn't it? >> i wouldn't put it by them. you know, timing this capture. the guy obviously was easy to capture. let's wait and capture him when it's -- when the going gets tough. >> motivation for the attacks has also been an obsession of the world of #benghazi and today in "the new york times" david kirkpatrick, multiple sources of information on that subject, brings a new scoop on the motivation of the alleged ringleader who was captured and in is custody today. what he, khattala, did in the period before the attack has remain

today, pentagon spokesman admiral john kirby had this to say. >> i can confirm that five american troops were killed yesterday in an incident in southern afghanistan. i'm not getting into details about bho they were and the specifics of the mission. we do have reason to suspect that friendly fire was the cause here. specifically friendly fire from the air. >> reporter: so the spokesman at the pentagon and both here at the white house as well, tony, keeping the details close to the vest. the initial stages of this investigation still notifying many of the next of kin here in the united states. >> mike, this could be the worst friendly fire incident in nearly 14 years. how could incidents like this play out among the president's many critics? >> reporter: the thing that people forget, even though the president appeared in the rose garden two weeks ago and announced that american combat forces would be withdrawn from afghanistan by the time he leaves office, there are still 32,000 american troops left in afghanistan. obviously, still a very dangerous place. that's down from a peak of 100,00