we hear from general richard griffin and whistle blower and former director sam foot. then the new va secretary gives an update at changes at the va and that is followed by va and phoenix va health officials answering questions on the final report. president obama relayed the security council meeting on the threats formed by foreign terrorist groups. on washington journal we will talk about the meeting and then we will discuss "city of rivals" which examines washington gridlock. and later purdue university president mitch daniels looks at higher education cost and academic standards. plus your phone calls, facebook comments and tweets. washington journal is live every morning at 7 eastern on c-span. 2014 debate coverage continues on thursday between lee terry and brad ashford and then sunday the iowa debate happens. then campaign 2014 more than a hundred debate for the control of congress. hearing on the inspector general's final report. the house veteran affair committee heard from general richard griffin and whistle blower and former va director sam foot. this panel

griffin and his staff to the table. >> let me welcome richard griffin and his staff. mr. griffin is the acting inspector general for the ze department of veteran's affairs for today's hearing. normal protocol is for us to have the secretary to go first. i want the secretary to know there is no disrespect in breaking that protocol. but i think it would be more productive to hear what the secretary general has to say. mr. griffin was appointed as deputy inspector general in 2008. he previously served as the va inspector general from 1997 to 2005 so he brings an enormous amount of experience and knowledge to his position. he is accompanied today by dr. john day jr., snimpblt inspector general for health care inspections, ms. linda halladay, for audits and evaluations, ms. maureen reagan, accountant to the inspector general and mr. larry likenmeyer. mr. griffin, thank you so much for your work and for being with us, the mike is yours. >> mr. chairman and ranking member burr and members of the committee, thank you for the community to discuss the results of the ig's extensive w

let me welcome richard griffin and his staff. mr. griffin is the acting inspector general for the department of veterans affairs. let me also say normal protocol is for us to have the secretary go first and i want the secretary to know there is no disrespect in us breaking that protocol, but i thought it be more important to hear what the inspector general had to say and what his staff had to say and see the secretary respond to that. mr. griffin was appointed as deputy inspector general in 2008. he previously served as the va inspector general from 1997 to 2005 so he brings an enormous amount of experience and knowledge to his position. he is accompanied today by dr. john day jr. for health care inspections. ms. reagan, counsellor to the inspector general, and larry, director of the kansas city audit office. mr. griffin, thank you so much for your work. thank you for being with us. the mic is yours. >> mr. chairman, ranking member and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to discuss the results of the i.g.'s extensi

today we're going to hear testimony from acting inspector general richard griffin who is accounted byjohn day, assistant inspector general for health care inspections, ms. linda halliday, assistant inspector general for audits and evaluation, maureen regan, counsel for the inspector general and transit, director of the kansas city office of audits for the office of inspector general. we are also going here from doctor samuel foote, former va physician at phoenix the health care system, and doctor catherine mitchell, current whistleblower and medical director for the iraq and afghanistan post-deployment center at the phoenix va health care system. i would ask the witnesses now to please stand so that we may swear you in. if you would, raise your right hands. [witnesses were sworn in] >> and thank you. you may be seated and let the record reflect that all of the witnesses affirmed that they would, in fact, tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. all of your complete written statements we made a part of this hearing record, and mr. griffin, you are not recognized for f

today we are going to hear testimony from acting inspector general richard j. griffin was accompanied by dr. john day jr. assistant inspector general for health care inspections miss brenda holiday assistant inspector general for audits and evaluation and maureen reagan concert for the inspector and the director of the office of inspector general. we will also hear from dr. samuel foote former position at the va health care system and dr. catherine mitchell current whistleblower and medical director for the iraq and afghanistan post-deployment center at the phoenix va health care system. i would ask the witnesses now to please stand so we may swear you in. if you would raise your right hand. do you solemnly swear under penalty of perjury the testimony you are about to provide us the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth? thank you. you may be seated. let the record reflect that all of the witnesses affirm that they would in fact tell the truth, the whole truth truth and nothing but the truth. all of your complete written statements will be made a part of this

richard griffin said at least 13 managers at v.a. facilities lied to his investigators. meanwhile this afternoon, pennsylvania senator bob casey said there is progress reducing the v.a.'s disability claims backlog, but there's still a long way to go. >> veterans and their families should demand that this claims backlog system works for them. and that's the least that they should demand. >> new v.a. secretary bob mcdonald says shortening wait times for veterans and changing the system's culture are at the top of the agency's priorities list. >>> seven weeks after malaysia airlines flight mh 17 crashed in ukraine, the dutch safety board released a preliminary report about what happened while it stopped short of saying that the boeing 777 was shot down by a missile, its findings appear to point to that conclusion. the plane crashed over pro-russia-held territory in eastern ukraine back on july 17th. all 298 people on board were killed. the majority of them dutch. the report said the damage was caused by high energy objects that penetrated the aircraft and led to the jet bre

senate lawmakers holding key hearings today grilling the acting veterans affairs inspector general richard griffin after the report claims that the i.g. let agency officials alter crucial language in the final report. it's unbelievable. the specific change in report said this piece. "while the case reviews the document's poor quality of care, we are unable to conclusively assert that the absence of timely quality care caused the deaths of these veterans." pete, how the heck could this happen? that they would allow the very institutions that was being investigated to change the report? >> i am outraged. the only thing he should be doing is pulling the scab off this enfekted system, showing it for what it is so we can perform it and provide quality care. here's another instance where the v.a. got in the middle of an independent investigation and said, no, no, no, don't tell it like it really is. change the language. hang the talking points. where have we heard this before is this this is exactly heats happened at the v.a. it's only going to feed more mistrust. no death certificates reads long wait t

richard griffin says managers more than a dozen va facilities lied about scheduling practices and issues is investigating allegations that thousand of vets waited months for treatment. at 93 sites across the country. >> president obama had strong word for congressional leaders about isis saying if he decide to expand u.s. air strikes he will not ask congress for permission. he will address the nation tonight. abc's josh haskell has the details. >> reporter: this is. what the violent and destructive advancement isis looks like. two american journalists beheaded. tonight, president obama will speak to the country and lay out his plan to destroy the terrorist group. >> this is an important opportunity for the president to communicate a very important message about our priorities and our national security to the american public. >> the president will call for an effort to train rebels in syria that are already fighting isis. >> notion that the united states should be putting boots on the ground, i think, would be a profound mistake. >> in iraq, a new government has taken power. which will me

in this case, the source says it amounts to pressure on the inspector general richard griffin to waters going damn the situation and therefore it was to soften the blow. >> reporter: the office of the inspector general issue add statement calling ther9 whistle blower wrong saying quote, there was no pressure to add this line. the statement adds we did not find sufficient evidence that any delay resulted in death. but the conclusion that no deaths were caused by delays seemed to conflict with the rest of the report. for example, 28 instances of clinically significant delays were found including six deaths and some of the fiemgds concluded that either tleemt or appointment for this patient might have affected the outcome. teddy barnes says his father thomas, a navy veteran died while on a secret waitlist but nobody from the inspector general's office ever called his family. >> it sounds like they're trying to cover it up or sugar coat it because we didn't hear anything about it. >> and now newly released figures show that 293 veterans died, not 40, 293 while on the sa secret waitlist. th

richard griffin, by that criteria you have described your using to reach your conclusion i understandere you're coming from. i think that it is a rather narrow legalistic interpretation of data. i understand and think you made it very clear. i accept within those constraints would you conclude. common sense tells me from cases i have seen in my district that there is a cause and effect relationship between care that is delayed and is up being care that is denied that affects the veterans that spirit i use the example before with all due respect to the families. they have shared their story with me. it is for a purpose. you know, vic the mego have been trying to get health care and was unable to for entreated ptsd after attending -- after not being able to and attending one of my town halls where veteran actor veterans set up and said have also not been able to get income he was driving, and is not related the story to me that he was driving home that night. some of these guys are much older than i am and have been trying for years to get in and cannot. i do not know what i have to loo

standard practice but in this case the source says it amounted to pressure on the inspector general, richard griffinzation was worried that the report was going to damn the organization and, therefore, it was important for them to introduce language that softened that blow. >> the office of inspector general issued a statement calling our whistle-blower wrong, saying quote, there was no pressure from the va to add this line. the statement adds we did not find sufficient evidence that any delay resulted in death. but the conclusion that no deaths were caused by delays seemed to conflict with the rest of the report. for example, 28 instances of clinically significant delays were found including six deaths. and some of the findings indicated that either trooemt or an appointment for this patient might have changed the outcome. >> he was a good guy, you know. >> the inspector general's finding was also a surprise to some of the families who lost a relative. teddy barnes says his father thomas thomas, navy veteran died while on a secret wait list but no one on the inspector general's officer rve called h

it included testimony from the acting inspector general, richard griffin, and others in the i.g. office, and a couple of whistleblowers. the hearing from the past wednesday will continue in a few minutes on c-span. we are going to go to phone calls to get your comments on what you have been seeing so far and what changes you think should be made at the v.a. the numbers are on your screen. we will take those calls in a moment. coming up this afternoon, testimony at the house veterans affairs committee from the v.a. secretary robert mcdonald. earlier this month, he held a news conference. before we take your calls, we will show you a short portion with the secretary talking about his vision for the culture at the veterans affairs department. >> when i was going around, it seemed to me employees thought of the hierarchy of v.a. as a pyramid. everybodysecretary, would rise when i entered the room. everybody would call me sir. it was very formal. as a result, i got the impression employees thought the secretary, like the ceo of a company, was on the apex of the pyramid and the veteran

veterans affairs secretary robert mcdonald and acting veterans affairs inspector general richard griffinestified before the senate veterans affairs committee tuesday on the state of the va. live coverage at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span.org. >> with congress back in session here is a message to congress from one of the year's c-span student cam competition winners >> water. it makes up 75% of our bodies. take water away, and humanity would parish within a week. water is the most vital substance to a human body yet it is because of us humans that nearly 50% of all streams, kes, bays, and estuaries are unsuitable for use, due to pollution. in the u.s. we have learned to take water for granted. faucets, bottled water, and flush toilets all reinforce the same idea -- water is an unlimited resource. but step outside and the diminishing condition tells a different story. water pollution kills marine life, destroys ecosystems, and disrupts an already fragile food chain. animals are not the only ones that suffer the negative effects of water pollution. congress, in 2014, you must provide federal

. >>> veterans affair secretary robert mcdonald and acting veterans affair inspector general richard griffinhe senate veterans affair committee. they discussed overall state of va health care and detailed the findings of an investigation into the phoenix va medical center where employees altered patient waiting lists. senator bernie sanders of vermont chairs the veterans affairs committee and north carolina's richard burr is the ranking member. >>> good morning and welcome to what i believe will be an important and productive hearing. today we will be discussing some of the very serious issues facing the department of veterans affairs on the heels of the inspector general's findings related to long wait times and poor patient care at the phoenix va. the ig's report has troubling details about a fa sill failing to provide highly, high quality care to veterans. what happened in phoenix is inexcusable and must never happen again in any va facility. i was especially disappointed to learn the extend to which phoenix va executives and senior clinical staff knew about inappropriate scheduling pract

phoenix hospital testifies and we would hear from robert mcdonald and acting inspector general richard griffin. this house veterans affairs committee is chaired by congressman jeff miller.

today we're going to hear testimony from acting inspector general richard griffin who is accounted by dr. john day, assistant inspector general for health care inspections, ms. linda halliday, assistant inspector general for audits and evaluation, maureen regan, counsel for the inspector general and transit, director of the kansas city office of audits for the office of inspector general. we are also going here from doctor samuel foote, former va physician at phoenix the health care system, and doctor catherine mitchell, current whistleblower and medical director for the iraq and afghanistan post-deployment center at the phoenix va health care system. i would ask the witnesses now to please stand so that we may swear you in. if you would, raise your right hands. [witnesses were sworn in] >> and thank you. you may be seated and let the record reflect that all of the witnesses affirmed that they would, in fact, tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. all of your complete written statements we made a part of this hearing record, and mr. griffin, you are not recognized

today we're going to hear testimony from acting inspector general richard griffin who is accompaniedby dr. john daigh jr. assistant inspector general for health care inspections. mrs. linda holliday, assistant inspector general for audits and evaluation. maureen regan, counsel for the inspector general and larry rinkmyer, director of the kansas city office of audits for the office of inspector general. we are also going here from doctor samuel foote, former va physician at phoenix the health care system, and doctor catherine mitchell, current whistleblower and medical director for the iraq and afghanistan post-deployment center at the phoenix va health care system. i would ask the witnesses now to please stand so that we may swear you in. if you would, raise your right hands. do you solemnly swear under penalty of perjury that the testimony you are about to provide is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? thank you. you may be seated and let the record reflect that all of the witnesses affirmed that they would, in fact, tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but

veterans affairs secretary robert mcdonald and acting veterans affairs inspector general richard griffin testified before the senate -- senate veterans affairs committee tuesday. live coverage at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span.org. >> here are just a few of the comments we recently received from our viewers. >> i'm so glad and thankful for , andn and the book reviews especially books like last night "ere you had a book called ." t up your heart lease keep up the good work. i'm crazy about the boat -- the good book discussion. and i like that you have a phone line that we can call him a because not all of us senior citizens can work the computer. on c-span, ia show don't member if it was c-span1 i thought, but what was really nice about the way they conducted the meeting was when somebody got up to the microphone to ask a question, whoever the moderator or host was of that event, they told the , you know, the audience member who was asking a question, don't leave, and then they would go and say what they were going to say about whatever that person's question or statement was in the person

let me welcome richard griffin and his staff. mr. griffin is the acting inspector for the department of veterans affairs. normal protocol is for us to have the secretary go first. i want the secretary to know that there is no disrespect. i thought it was more important to hear what the inspector he was had to say appointed deputy inspector general in 2000 eight and previously served as v.a. inspector general from 1997 to 2005 p at he brings an enormous amount of experience and knowledge to his position. he is accompanied by dr. john day, junior, health-care inspections. assistanthalliday, inspector general for audits and evaluations. consulate to the inspector general. of the kansas city audit office. mr. griffin, thank you so much for your work and for being with us. the microphone is yours. member,hairman, ranking and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to discuss the results of the ig's extensive work at the teaneck's v.a. health care system. phoenix the a health care system. expend on information previously pro

kathy griffin, richard simmons -- no, i'm just kidding. >> come on!a bump bump. >> he is funny. no, but seriously, yeah, she paved the way for everyone. and what i learned from her you originally asked me was that she was fearless. she would stop at nothing. i mean, she -- did you notice she had no edit button. she would say anything. right? >> yeah. >> that's what i loved about her. >> us too. >> she said they've fired me, done everything to me, my husband killed himself. what else can they do? >> judy, thank you so much for sharing your memories. it's great to see you. >> oh, thank you. and i love joan. and thank you so much. >> thanks for being here with your boa. >> oh, it could happen. it could happen. >> stay with cnn for much more on the life and times of joan rivers. our cnn spotlight airs tonight at 10:00 eastern. >> she would be happy that people are laughing, right? >> absolutely. that's what she wanted. >> we'll be right back. nexium®,is now available, without a prescription for frequent heartburn. get complete protection. because the best

richard m. keane lisa kearney-griffin karol ann keasler brashra a.ating paul hanlon keating leo russell keene iii brenda kegler chandler raymond keller joseph john keller peter r. kellerman joseph p. kellett frederick h. kelley james joseph kelly joseph a. kelly maurice patrick kelly richard john kelly jr. thomas michael kelly thomas richard kelly thomas w. kelly timothy c. kelly william hill kelly jr. robert quenkin ten kennedy >> my cousin, we will never forget you. >> and karen petit, nypd, we miss your laughing irish eyes, your great sense of humor, your compassionate heart and loving heart that has touched so many. love you, glen, god bless america, and let us never forget. thomas j. kennedy yvonne e. kennedy john keohane ralph frances kershaw lt. ronald t. kerwin howard l. kestenbaum douglas d. ketcham ruth e. ketler boris khalif norma cruz khan sarah khan taimour firaz khan rajesh khandelwal seilai khoo michael vernon keiffer satoshi kikuchihara andrew jay-hoon kim lawrence don kim mary jo kimelman henrick kimick karen ann kincaid andrew r. ki

a couple of guys you know brought back today, richard crawford, running back chris thompson and white receiver nick williams. robert griffinii returned home to be honored by the school. the unveiling of a statue that stands now outside the stadium. , he went unveiling inside for the coin flip stood side-by-side with george w. bush . not a bad way to spend your day off. bulls, in thed 57th minute a goal. 1-0, they went 2-0. the struggle for the top seed in the u.s. open. the first, then the rain came, a lengthy delay. it worked out for them because he came out on fire. nothing to worry for the first half of a team usa basketball game. for the slam, -- later in the second half, anthony davis. 98-77. tony stewart returned to the track for the first time since the accident with kevin ward jr.. he got a warm reception in atlanta tonight. he got in the car for the frontp lap, but he blew a tire and hit a wall. remember adam dunn? he was traded today to the oakland a's. he says he will likely retire after this season. will take a break right now. >> one of chicago's star little league players will have a home base. helped take th

griffin. >> barbara keating. >> paul keating. >> leo russell is keene iii. >> joseph john keller. >> peter kellerman. >> joseph. kel let. >> fredrick. kelly iii. >> james joseph kelly. >> joseph a. kelly. >> maurice. kelly. >> richardhn kelly jr. >> thomas michael kelly. >> thomas richard kelly. >> thomas w. kelly. >> timmy colin kelly. >> richard john kelly. >> william hill kelly jr. >> robert clinton kennedy. >> my cousin mary barbara and her husband james anthony trintini. we will never forget you. >> and the nypd we miss your laughing irish eyes, great sense of humor, compassionate and loving heart. you touched so many. love you glenn. god bless america. let us never forget. >> thomas j. kennedy. >> john richard keohane. >> ralph francis kershaw. >> ronald kerwn. >> howard kestenbaum. >> ruth ellen ketler. sarah khan. >>> michael kiefer. >>> mary jo kimmellman. >> karen anne con cade. >> amy r. king. >> andrew m. king. >> lieu sill teresa king. >> robert king jr. >> lisa king-johnson. >> brian k. kenny. >> chris michael kirby. >> robert kirkpatrick. >> glen davis kirwin. >> helen kettle. >> richard joseph klares is. >> alan david kliinberg. >> stephen a.nnap. >> my great uncle joel miller. i know you're up ther

griffin. >> barbara keating. >> paul keating. >> leo russell is keene iii. >> joseph john keller. >> peter kellerman. >> joseph. kel let. >> fredrick. kelly iii. >> james joseph kelly. >> joseph a. kelly. >> maurice. kelly. >> richardjohn kelly jr. >> thomas michael kelly. >> thomas richard kelly. >> thomas w. kelly. >> timmy colin kelly. >> richard john kelly. >> william hill kelly jr. >> robert clinton kennedy. >> my cousin mary barbara and her husband james anthony trintini. we will never forget you. >> and the nypd we miss your laughing irish eyes, great sense of humor, compassionate and loving heart. you touched so many. love you glenn. god bless america. let us never forget. >> thomas j. kennedy. >> john richard keohane. >> ralph francis kershaw. >> ronald kerwn. >> howard kestenbaum. >> ruth ellen ketler. sarah khan. >>> michael kiefer. >>> mary jo kimmellman. >> karen anne con cade. >> amy r. king. >> andrew m. king. >> lieu sill teresa king. >> robert king jr. >> lisa king-johnson. >> brian k. kenny. >> chris michael kirby. >> robert kirkpatrick. >> glen davis kirwin. >> helen kettle. >> richard joseph klares is. >> alan david kliinberg. >> stephen a.nnap. >> my great uncle joel miller. i know you're up th