sloan gibson now the acting secretary. the president throw shinseki indithe bus, but he wanted to keep from distraction. >> that's open to interpretation, and there are people who will see it that way. the writing was on the wall for eric shinseki over the last 24 hours. it was clear that the president did not want to have to accept that resignation, whether eric shinseki jumped or was pushed off of the cliff. the post that he has held for the last 5 and a half years, the duration, and in the last two days, the interim secretary general, the veteran's administration, and the va dealing with the issue at hand, getting the veterans the care that they need in a timely manner, and that would cause a fire storm. 1700 people in the phoenix va alone have been left off of the list, and as the president said, the issue is widespread. on thursday, as of yesterday, the spokesman, jay carney, said that the president had full confidence in shinseki. if that's not the proverbial kiss of death in terms of the washington vernacular, nothi

host: off of twitter -- whose loan tips in the echo guest: -- who is sloan gibson? infantry is a former officer who was a banker for a couple of decades and then he way he uso, which is the put in the veterans community know him. that is the organization that puts on two wars in war zones of entertainers and past set cookies and coffee at airports around the world for troops. has now been handed the job of running the v.a. in the wake of eric shinseki's resignation. how long has he been on the job? guest: three months. it is going to be a steep learning curve as the president acknowledged yesterday. there is a lot to be addressed. host: haslam gibson made any comments that you have seen? i have not interviewed him or seen any substantive comments. we're talking with chris carroll and leigh munsil. we're taking your calls and comments. up next on the line for republicans from brooklyn, new york. caller: good morning. i finally get a chance to talk. president bush was a republican president. we had some scandal. this time, with president obama -- there is a high numbe

for now the leader that will help move us forward is sloane gibson, who will take on reigns of acting secretary. sloane became deputy at va three months ago but he devoted his life to serve our country and veterans. his grandfather front on the front lines of world war i. his father was a tail gunner in world war ii. sloane graduated from west point and earned airborne qualifications and served in the infantry. and most recently president and ceo of the usa which does a remarkable job supporting our men and women at war, our families, our wounded warriors and families of the fallen. all told sloane has 20 years of private sector and non-profit experience he brings to bear on ongoing work to build a 21st century va and i'm grateful he is willing to take on the task. i met with sloane after i met with rick and made it clear reforms should not wait. they need to proceed immediately. i asked rob neighbors stay at va temporarily to help sloane through this transition and complete his own review of the vha. meantime we'll look diligently for a new, permanent va secretary and we hope to conf

sloane gibson served in the army after graduating from the u.s. military academy in west point in 1975. >>> secretary of state john kerry has been told he does not need to testify in the conflict in bengahzi, libya. his testimony was to be part of the hearing on the attack i in 2012. the committee's shar chair, four american >> white house said president obama will meet with ukraine's president-elect in poland next week. this is as ukraine's government vow offensive against pro-russian separatists in the eastern part of the country. there was more fighting there today. >> reporter: it's these men that the president-elect has vowed to punish. within minutes of the al jazeera team arriving, seven mortar shells were fired on the town. above the barricades the of russia and self declared republic. they have built themselves bouncersbun bunkers. evidence here that mortar barrage are random, not aimed at military targets. this is a maternity hospital. the nurses showed me the deadly shrapnel that was blown through the walls after answer attack on thursd

sloane gibson in the mean time will lead the v.a.ore about the american who blew himself up in syria. his name, abu huraya ale amriki, grew up in florida. he went to syria to join extremist fighters there apparently. >>> and a marine in mexico two moss now for accidently crossing the border with guns. an grew tahmooressi says he was punched, left naked in this cell and shackled to his bed for a month. it's not clear when he'll go three. >>> and arrested five people in connection with a shocking gang rape and public hanging in india. two of the men are police office, three are brothers of the victims. they're facing rape and murder charges, among others. the attackers should be hanged in punishment, says one parent, just like her daughter. >>> and donald sterling suing the nba for $1 billion. the l.a. clippers owner isic taing the league to court because of banning him for life from the games and having to give up his franchise. his wife shelly sterling just agreed to sell the team for $2 billion. it's the most ever paid for an nba fr

in terms of sloan gibson. given the extent and depth of these problems and the fact we have reports going back to 1999, that detail problems at the v.a., can these problems be solved, not by one person but even in one administration? is there even time left before 2016 to solve these problems in a systemic fashion? >> in a word? no. look, one of the most depressing things that happened today was that the v.a. issued its initial report on its first sort of quick look at all the v.a. medical facilities to see exactly what the problems were and to suggest some solutions. they found, of course, that cheating on the waiting list was widespread and pervasive. but they also asked people, what is the problem? whooz there such a problem w9 waiting list? why do you feel you have to fudge the numbers? the resounding answer was -- we don't have enough clinical health care providers. we don't have enough doctors and nurses. so when you look at the report that the v.a. issued today, about how they're going to fix this probl

the president naming sloan gibson to run the department.he has been the deputy secretary since february. the past few months. denver, colorado. you're on the air. army.m retired a purple heart winner. i stand in support of generals -- general shinseki. we had the vietnam war and we had the korean war and we lost a lot there. there was nothing done for those people out of korea. and nothing done for the ones out of vietnam. we are now getting taken care of from vietnam. that is not shinseki's fault. was --s time. if there it was so messed up then why didn't people to something about it many years, after vietnam, the korean war. they did not know what to do. they do not know what to do now. it takes time but he needs -- he should have had the time. that they them doing are playing a game and they are supposed we supporting us. i went to war for them. i gave my life for them. i did not know we had such heathens in the republican party running this country. to do my jobn time and i get so sick and tired of hearing them cry very loose -- kryger

for now the leader that will help move us forward is sloan gibson who will take on reigns as acting secretary. sloan game deputy secretary at the va a few months ago. he dedicated his life to serving our veterans. his grandfather fought on battlegrounds in world war i. he served in the infantry. most recently he was president and ceo of the uso which does a remarkable job supporting our men and women at war, their families, our wounded warriors and families of the fallen. he has 20 years of private sector and nonprofit experience he brings to bear on our ongoing work and i'm grateful he'll take on this task. i met with sloan after i met with rick this morning and made it clear that reforms should not wait. they need to proceed immediately. i also asked rob nabors to stay at the va temporarily to help through the transition and complete his own review of the vha. in the meantime, we'll look diligently for a new permanent va secretary and hope to confirm that successor and fill that post as soon as possible. we're going to do right by our veterans across the board. as long as it takes. we're no

president obama announced that the deputy secretary sloan gibson will serve as the interim secretary.e has served in the army and worked in the banking industry 20 years. only been on the job three months so some questions about whether he is up to taking on such a monumental task. he will be helped, by the way, by the deputy chief of staff rod nabors who president obama pointed to get to the bottom of exactly what is wrong here and how it can be fixed. >> very quickly. i understand not just eric shinseki but the man with whom you cross paths with near daily will be stepping down as well? >> reporter: that's right. it wasn't surprising to hear that jay carney was stepping down but certainly the timing was interesting, alex. we call friday document dump day. so it was a little bit of a departure dump day, if you will. about an hour after we learned about shinseki's resignation jay carney came out for his daily briefing and president obama came in the room as a surprise and announced after years on the job jay carney decided to step down and spend more time with his family. it's not unu

. >> the president named deputy veterans affairs secretary sloan gibson as acting director. he's going to run the va on an interim basis. all of this, as the president begins the search for another va secretary. a huge move for sure. joining me now to digest all of what this means is the man in the middle of this. he broke the va scandal. cnn's senior 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 rolle

. >> sloan gibson is a former banker and former head of the uso that helps service members and family. he was a graduate of west point and army officer. veteran groups most critical of shinseki are ready to give gibson a shot. >> i have known him for a while and he and i sat down before he took over as deputy secretary and he's wide open to understand where the problems are. >> reporter: president obama has confidence in sloan gibson and number one priority is to get the problem fixed, julie. >> reporter: golfer phil michelson responding to a probe. the pga champion is cooperating with investigators while maintaining he did nothing wrong. it centers on carl icon and whether he gave michelson gave him nonpublic investments. here's the arrest of the story, brian. >> reporter: carl icon is worth 23 billion and activist investors and looks to buy a ton of shares to gain influence and change a company's future and vocal about his thoughts on cooperations and stock position and the guy to listen to for financial advice. but you can't give it based on insider and nonpublic information. and t

it was the symbolic walking of the plank to shinseki walks off. >> reporter: sloan gibson is the new ry until the president names a replacement. gibson is former banker and head of the uso. gibson is a graduate of west point and a former army officer and veterans groups say he has a big task ahead of him. >> coupled with the investigations going on at 42 different v.a. medical centers now systemwide. the beginning now is to address those issues at each individual location. >> reporter: president obama said he has, quote, confidence in sloan gibson, and the number one priority is getting those priorities fixes. >> thanks, molly. >>> margel, strong language from the secretary of defense aimed at china. secretary chuck hagel accusing china of evoking unrest over parts of the south china sea. in an area that includes the disputed islands owned by japan. well secretary hagel spoke at a conference on internet security in singapore saying china is destabling the south chia sea and said the u.s. will not look the other way as beijing tries to flex its muscles. >> chien has undertaken destabil

sloane gibson becam provided programs and services for u.s. troops. he served in the army after brad waiting from west point in 1975. joining me from washington now major hickey. what is your reaction to the news of secretary shinseki's resignation today. i'm. >> well, i'm not surprised. i'm saddened by it because i believe general shinseki should have been there to fix these problems. he is a man of honor and he would see that they were fix: just because he is a man of honor that's why he offered his resignation, because he takes responsibility. >> do you believe other veteran groups will share your sentiment regarding you his resignation? >> i think they're split down the middle. some have said, yay, i'm glad he's gone. others have said, i think he wasn't the problem. it was the bureaucrats underneath him. and it was withheld from him. he's told--he was sold a bill of goods and thinks things are going well. >> that being said do you think this resignation will have a positive or negative impact on the v.a. system? >> well, time will tell. initially

. >> what about the acting secretary, that person is sloan gibson. do you have confidence he can do a better job? >> i've known sloan gibson for a number of years, ever since he started running the uso, which is an outstanding organization. i think that he has organizational skills that, in fact, could help the department of veteran affairs get out of the problem that they are new but it's much larger than whoever is in the position of secretary. it is the bureaucracy itself that thinks they are more important than the veterans that they serve. i can tell you, the people that go to work every day mostly at the line level are doing the right thing. but the bureaucrats, at the middle, that i've been warning the secretary about for years are not telling you the truth. they will not give you the bad news. they will only give you the good news and, unfortunately, things have come to pass that we, in fact, anticipated were the secretary. >> if he does resign and sloan gibson becomes the acting secretary, would you support he becoming the secretary if the p

. >> for now, the leader that will help move us forward is sloane gibson who will take on the reins as acting secretary. >> but with systemic problems at the va going back to its beginnings, from silver spring maryland we're joined by rick wideman. vietnam veterans of america. good to have both of you are gentlemen with us. lewis, despite the drum beat calling for shinseki to resign. there are quite a few voices, you know what big picture here, we've treated veterans poorly pretty much forever. personnel changes aren't the answer to our problems with the veterans. it's really musical chairs regardless who the president wants running his department. it's pastime for the president to step up and fix this mess. shinseki is out. the internal va report indicates there may be even a federal criminal vision into this. but considering the endemic problems at the va what do you think's going to actually happen here? >> well i that i shinseki stepping down is not the answer, but it is the first step and if the va is going to heal it is going to have to heal from the inside out. we're actin looki

sloane gibson will take over as head of the v.a.this story since november and you can still see our documentary "death and dishonor crisis at the v.a." when we come back, will.i.am talking about the beats deal. the world has gotten you far,f but what if you could see more of what you wanted to know? with fidelity's new active trader pro investing platform, the information that's important to you is all in one place, so finding more insight is easier. it's your idea powered by active trader pro. another way fidelity gives you a more powerful investing experience. call our specialists today to get up and running. today is friday today, we greet you. treat you. care for you. today, you can come to cleveland clinic for anything, everything or just to get that "thing" checked out. big, small, and yes, the best heart care in the nation. it's here everyday, for everyone. that's the power the power, that's the power of today. cleveland clinic. call today, for an appointment today. >>> on the front lines of the beats apple deal, but one face

so it news some ways wiping the slate clean but you see his deputy, sloan gibson, stepping in. so we'll have continue the story from there thank you very much. >>> we want to show you some of the reaction we're getting from veterans groups after secretary shinseki's resignation. from the american legion, and called for the secretary to step down, quote: it is not the solution yet it is a beginning. the solution is not complete with the resignation. too many veterans have waited far too long to receive the benefits they earned. from the veterans of foreign wars of the united states, which had not called for the secretary to leave his post, quote, we support this decision to resign because the outside calls for his resignation were overshadowing the crisis in health care issues that veterans face and that's much more important. >> much moyer ahead on veterans health care. up next, a sneak peek at hillary clinton's upcoming back and her chapter on the attack against our u.s. consulate in benghazi. the excerpt and what it could mean for a possible presidential run. stay close. [ ma

. >> the president went on to name va deputy sloan gibson as the temporary replacement for the job. >> i met with sloan after i met with rick this morning and made it clear reforms should not wait. they need to proceed immediately. in the meantime we'll look diligently for a new permanent va secretary and hope to confirm that successor and fill that post as soon as possible. >> all of this fallout comes in the wake of that damning ig report unveiling systemic problems across the va system and left thousands of our nation's her rows without care. almost 9 million veterans enrolled in the system, how will this change fix the system? joining us now is chuck todd, always a pleasure to have you here, chuck. the administration said that shinseki was on thin ice, there have been a lot of calls for his resignation, how has the final outcome been received in washington? >> reporter: official washington for everybody calling for some sort of change, some sort of symbol to say, hi, the va is broken and needs to be fixed, you're seeing a lot of people both democrats and republicans praising that

that willhe leader help move us forward is sloan gibson who will take on the secretary.ting fought on ther frontlines of world war i. his father was a tailgunner in world war ii. served in the infantry after graduating from west point. he has 20 years of private sector and nonprofit experience that he brings to bear on our ongoing work to build a i am gladry v.a. and he is willing to take on this task. i made it clear that reforms should not wait. they need to proceed immediately. i have asked rob neighbors to stay temporarily to help sloan and the department through this transition and complete his own review of the vha. we will look diligently for a new permanent secretary and we hope to confirm that successor and feel that post as soon as possible. we are going to do right by our veterans across the board. as long as it takes. we will not stop working to make sure the get the care and benefits they have earned and deserve. i said we would not tolerate misconduct and we will not. we have to do better and we will. many veterans receiving care who deserve all of our best efforts and a

sloane gibson to replace shinseki.s president and ceo of the uso which provides services for entertainment troops. he served in the army after graduating from the u.s. military academy in 1975. beyond the political aspects, the question of how american treats its veterans remains and there is a lot to be done. juning me now is david gey for the advocacy group american vet trans. he is a retired navy lieutenant. it's great to have you with us. i want to say first of all, is shinseki's resignation enough? >> i think it really will come to be in the next week or so when we have a chance to meet with sloan gibson and see what the plan is for going forward. one of the unfortunate things, i know there was a lot of call for shinseki's resignation, but most of the veteran service organizations feel the accountability really needed to start at the middle management area and let shinseki take the lead and implement the accountability and start making the changes that are needed. >> in looking ahead, what do you think is needed f

sloan gibson will take over as the acting secretary of the va. he has been serving as deputy secretary since february. president obama also said the justice department would determine if any illegality had occurred. live in the newsroom, anne makevoc, kpix 5. >> politics likely came into play here. primary elections are next week and congressional candidates from both sides of the aisle are making it clear, va care is an important issue, including one bay area lawmaker. >>> we have to put enough resources into the program to provide the services. i think we need to triage these patients and determine whether or not they have urgent needs. if they do, they need to be seen. >> congresswoman jackie speier from the peninsula says she plans to hold a town hall meeting on the issue. >>> another resignation today in washington. white house press secretary jay carney is stepping down next month. the president made the announcement this morning. he has been the press secretary there since 2011. >>> i just love the middle of it. there's nothing they are go

and sloane gibson will be and sloane gibson will be working with the veteran working with the veteran community so that we can try to community so that we can try to address this from the inside address this from the inside out. out. >> so you know lou, one of the >> so you know lou, one of the things you've got to ask is, is things you've got to ask is, is it fair that shinseki is taking it fair that shinseki is taking the blame here? the blame here? because i mean this guy had a because i mean this guy had a lot on his plate, a lot of big lot on his plate, a lot of big issues, homeless veterans, issues, homeless veterans, veterans on welfare, the veterans on welfare, the over-prescribing of prescription over-prescribing of prescription to veterans in the system. to veterans in the system. is it fair that he actually had is it fair that he actually had intimate knowledge of this or is intimate knowledge of this or is this an attempt to satisfy the this an attempt to satisfy the need of the public to have need of the public to have someone to blame? someone to blame? >> no absolutely

he's brought in an individual named sloan gibson, hips a graduate of west point, spent many years in the private sector in banking before joining the v.a. in february of this year. meanwhile, shinseki had an opportunity to give an address this morning here in washington to a group advocating for rights of homeless veterans, and he simply said this: i will not defend what has happened in v.a. hospitals around the country, because it is indefensible. >> the president asked to explain the difference between accepting the resignation and not that of kathleen sebelius. >> i think the problem here as far as secretary shinseki is concerned and there is a double standard there, kathleen sebelius offered her resignation over the controversy over the launch of healthcare.gov. >> an increasing number of very key democrats, this simply wasn't a partisan issue where the white house could point to republicans playing partisan politics as they were on obamacare. this was spreading into the upper echelons of the democratic party and congress, including tammy duck worth, a voice of credibility on vet

sloane gibson who has been put in place, somebody running a military family and also has a masters inusiness administration. they has management skills, but they will look for somebody permanent and get on the job. that job is so important given the political pressure that is mounting and the revelations of the difficulty and care. the president said today he simply couldn't afford anymore distractions by having shinseki take so much fire. here is the president. >> he has worked hard to investigate and identify the problems with access to care. but he told me this morning that the v.a. needs new leadership to address them. he does not want to be a distraction because his priority is to fix the problem and make sure our vets are getting the care that they need. >> so john, what kind of fixes are on the table? >> well, one of the fixes which both parties are expecting, they talked about the bureaucracy, many are under civil service protection. diane feinstein says that it was unfortunate that shinseki was not given the tools he needed. they are talking about giving the secretary some au

for now, the leader that will help move us farm is sloane gibson, who will take reins as acting secretary. he served veterans, and his grandfather fought on the front lines of world war i, his father was a gunner in world war i. he graduated from west point and earned his ranger qualifications and served in the infantry. and recently he was the president of the ceo serving our wounded warriors and families of the fallen. so all told, sloane has 40 years of experience of non-profit experience to work on the 20th century va. and i'm grateful that he is willing to take over this task. i met with sloane after i met with rick this morning, and i made it clear that reforms should not wait. they need to happen immediately. and i asked him to stay with us to complete the review and in the meantime, we're going to look diligently for a new permanent secretary and we hope to fill that post as soon as possible. we're going to do right by our veterans across the board, as long as it takes. we're not going to stop working to make sure that they get the care and the benefit and the opportunities that t

secretary sloan gibson was named acting head of the v.a. today. the search for a permanent replacement for the white house will take weeks. chuck todd, nbc news, the white house. >>> this is kelly o'donnell, today in homestead, florida, the shakeup brings a mix of relief and worry for veterans at american legion post 43. >> he needed to resign. and it wipes the slate clean. >> there's going to be problems that they just don't know about yet. >> reporter: while organizations that represent veterans say their next mission is to keep pressure on for real reforms. >> the question becomes whether or not the president really puts enough effort and energy into breaking the system and rebuilding it. >> reporter: on capitol hill as house members headed home for the weekend, tammy duckworth, a double amputee is ready to turn the page after shinseki. >> i thank him for stepping aside. >> reporter: while speaker john boehner who had not called for shinseki to step down made the president's leadership the issue. >> one personnel change cannot be used as the ex

for now, the leader that will help move us forward is sloan gibson who is going to take on the reins as acting secretary. sloan became deputy secretary at the v.a. three months ago, but he, too, has devoted his life to serving the country and veterans. his grandfather fought on the front lines of world war war one and his father was a tail gunner in world war ii, and he graduated from the naval academy and ceo of the uso who does a remarkable job to support the men and women at war and the families and the wounded warriors and families of the fallen. so, all totaled, he has 20 years of private sector and nonprivate sector work to build a 21st century v.a. i am grateful that he is willing to take on this task. i met with sloan after i met with rick this morning and made it clear that reforms should not wait. they need to proceed immediate ly. i have asked rob nay bors to stay at the v.a. temporarily to help sloan and the department through this transition, and to complete his own review of the vha. in the meantime, we are going to be looking diligently for a new permanent v.a. secretar

. >> reporter: shinseki's deputy, sloan gibson, take over for now, and the focus shifts back to what went so wrong in phoenix, and to making sure that long waits and bad care and cover-ups are scrubbed out of the v.a. system. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. >>> shinseki is not the only change for the obama administration. just moments ago, the president announced that white house press secretary, jay carney, is leaving his post. john ernest will be taking over that position. big change. >>> we are learning new details this morning about a problem that's forcing hundreds of bay area students to retake their a.p. tests, just weeks before graduation. this morning, parents had a chance to sound off and sound off they did. nbc bay area's christie smith live at amador high school in pleasanton. and christie, all because of where the students were sitting when they took the test. >> reporter: yeah, that's right. good morning to you. and i have to tell you, a lot of the parents who left that meeting were pretty upset. it's finals time. a lot of kids finishing up on their last-min

host: off of twitter -- whose loan tips in the echo guest: -- who is sloan gibson? infantry is a former officer who was a banker for a couple of decades and then he way he uso, which is the put in the veterans community know him. that is the organization that puts on two wars in war zones of entertainers and past set cookies and coffee at airports around the world for troops. has now been handed the job of running the v.a. in the wake of eric shinseki's resignation. how long has he been on the job? guest: three months. it is going to be a steep learning curve as the president acknowledged yesterday. there is a lot to be addressed. host: haslam gibson made any comments that you have seen? i have not interviewed him or seen any substantive comments. we're talking with chris carroll and leigh munsil. we're taking your calls and comments. up next on the line for republicans from brooklyn, new york. caller: good morning. i finally get a chance to talk. president bush was a republican president. we had some scandal. this time, with president obama -- there is a high numbe

secretary sloan gibson as his replacement. there is no timetable for naming the new permanent v.a. secretary. >> brennan: at that white house meeting today, shinseki gave the president the initial findings of an internal audit of wait times at v.a. facilities around the country. more about that now from wyatt andrews. >> reporter: the audit only looked at a small fraction of v.a. clinics, but the auditors learned enough to call for immediate reform. almost two-third of the clinics, 64%, admitted they had manipulated the wait times of veterans in a practice revealed by a v.a. scheduler on this broadcast last night. in the v.a. software, schedulers could change the veterans' desired date for care to the date of a given appointment. that told the system to show zero wait days even if the veteran waited months. but the report says the number one reason that veterans are suffering long wait times is the shortage of medical staff. at the phoenix v.a., whistleblower dr. sam foote says veterans returning from iraq and afghanistan have overwhelmed the system, especially in mental health and

shinseki's deputy sloan gibson is taking over as acting secretary as focus shifts to ending long waits for care in the vast va system. >>> white house press secretary jay carney has resigned. president obama announced his departure today at the white house. >> i'm going to miss him a lot. i will continue to rely on him as a friend and adviser after he leaves, to spend as much of the summer as he can with his kids before he decides what's next for him. whatever it is, i know he's going to be outstanding at it. >> carney has been replaced by deputy press secretary josh earnest. no word yet on what carney plans to do next. >>> the drama continues to churn for the l.a. clippers. nbc news has learned outgoing owner donald sterling plans to sue the nba for $1 billion in damages for forcing him to relinquish the team. the move comes a day after shelley sterling struck a deal to sell the clippers to steve ballmer. the league will still go ahead on tuesday with a vote whether to terminate donald sterling's ownership of the clippers after an audiotape was leaked last month with sterling making r

for now, the leader that will help move us forward is sloan gibson who will take on the reigns as actingn became deputy secretary at the v. a. just three months ago, but he too has devoted his life to serving our country and our veterans. his grandfather fought on the front lines of world war i. his father was a tail gunner in world war ii. son graduated from west point -- sloan graduated from west points and served in the infantry and most recently he was president and ceo of the uso which does a remarkable job supporting our men and women at war, their families, our wounded warriors and families of the fallen. sloan has 20 years of private sector and nonprofit experience that he brecks to bear on our -- brings to bear on our ongoing work and i'm grateful he's willing to take on this task. i met with sloan after i met with rick this morning, and made it clear that reforms should not wait. they need to precede immediately. i've also asked neighbors to stay at the v. a. to help sloan and the department through this transition and to complete his own review of the vha. in the meantime we'r

. >> those problems now fall to acting secretary sloan gibson, the former chief of the uso, though the system may be so broken, republicans are pressing the commander in chief to get more actively engage. >> until the president outlines a vision and an effective plan for addressing the broad dysfunction at the v.a., today's announcement really changes nothing. one personnel change cannot be used as an excuse to paper over a systemic problem. >> now, officials say there's no direct connection between the departures of shinseki and carney. nevertheless, the president clearly wanted to get both moves out of the way before heading to europe next week, especially in the case of shinseki, when the president goes to normandy. >>> let's go in depth right now on jay carney's departure. howard kurtz is hear to tell us why now carney? >> it's fitting that carney is stepping down after being battered for days over the v.a. scandal and the benghazi emails before that, and the obamacare debacle before that, because his usefulness was coming to an end. he was so constantly been on the defensive that

. >> sloan gibson was named as the acting secretary of the v.a. the political problem has now been fixed, but the issue remains that the vets have been betrayed by this administration. you remember president obama promised he would cutting the red tape. >> we're fulfilling our promise. cutting the red tape and delay. america will not let you down. we will take care of our own. >> the question is then has america been let down? have we in fact left behind those that are most important and valuable to our country, those veterans that fearlessly serve and give so much and ask so little in return? was this enough today or was this a right move or was this going to delay some of the changes that we would hope going to be forthcoming? >> i don't think it's going to make that big of a difference, i don't. i think it's a story today because it's a big deal because so many have been asking general shinseki to step down, to say they are going to investigate crimes and there's going to be an hr change. this is just, i think, a deflection strategy. the v.a. h

his deputy sloane gibson will serve as interim until a new secretary is confirmed. >>> on memorial dayice shot and killed a veteran named sims and sheila macvicar takes a look on "america tonight." tell us about this story sheila. >> john, this is a story of sargtd isaac sims, a member of the 82nd airborne, an exemplary soldier. his life basically fell apart. he had stpt many ptsd he was owed to go tot va hospital to seek help. when he went the va said they had nothing they could give him. they had no bed for him and no treatment time for him. here's his mother, patricia. >> he was doing everything he is supposed to do and he's dead. and i don't know how else to say, i'm shocked i'm appalled. >> isaac sims died over the weekend after a five hour standoff with police that ended whether he walked out the door of his loam carrying a gun raised the rifle at officers and police shot him dead at the scene. john. >> it's tragic. this ordeal began in a special court system for veterans? >> there's a special court system set up in some cities in the country and kansas city is one of them. it's

sloan gibson can be -- he has mentioned shinseki's deputy as of february. prior to that he led the uso for the past five years. the principal mission was to transfer the nonprofit away from providing entertainment for troops to providing warrior and family care. the uso motto under sloan's leadership, this was not your grand father's -- >> i share rich shinseki's assessment that the number one pry yoort is making sure that problems get fixed. >> net fund raising grew 90% enabling dramatic growth in programs. a former army ranger who ran a large bank in charlotte, north carolina for 20 years, gibson ran amsouth bank corporation, a new york stock exchanging company. his biggest challenge now will be to immediately begin firing all those at the va, who stood by and allowed the bureaucracy to literally sit by and watch some veterans die while they waited to see a doctor. >>> so we're also getting reaction to the shinseki resignation from illinois congressman, tammy duckworth? why is she so important? because she's a former veteran's affairs official who lost bo

taking over for shinseki is his deputy, sloane gibson. one time baker joined the va just three months ago. gibson will serve as interim secretary. until the president finds a replacement. what will it take to get the va back on track? jonathan betz. >> first the big picture and oprice. the veterans affairs department is the largest health care provider in america. its annual budget is $165 billion for 2015. that is three times what it was in 2001. its workforce some 320,000. 1300 facilities and a desperate need for more doctors with 400 vacancies. to you to fix it? the options, first privatize medical treatment. gop law make rs want vets who wait more than 30 days for an appointment to receive private care, to regular hospitals at the expense of the va. remember, va doctors have extensive experience in combat-related experience. worries, that would limit the expertise. would rural vets be well received? option 2, expansion. the senate is considering funding as many as 27 new facilities. hundreds of billions of dollars. another option, reo

for now, the leader who will help us move forward is sloan gibson. he will take on the reins as acting secretary. sloan became deputy secretary at the v.a. three months ago, but he too has devoted his life to serving our country and veterans. his grandfather fought on the front lines of world war i. his father was a tailgunner in world war ii. sloan graduated from west point and earned his airborne and ranger qualifications and served in the infantry. most recently, he was president and ceo of the uso. which does a remarkable job supporting our men and women at war, their families on a wounded warriors, and families of the fallen. sloan has 20 years of private sector and nonprofit experience that he brings to bear on our ongoing work to build a 21st-century v.a. i am grateful he is willing to take on this task. i met with sloan after i met with rick this morning and made it clear the reforms should not wait, and need to proceed immediately. i have also asked rob neighbors to stay at the v.a. temporarily to help sloan and the department through this t

>> sloan gibson. >> did you have any discussion with sloan gibson about your testimony here today? >> brief, in passing, in the morning. >> no documentation of any of that communication? >> no, sir. >> mr. huff, who's your immediate supervisor? > mr. mark hone. >> ok. did he have any conversation with mr. hone about your testimony here today? >> yes, sir. >> and what was the nature of that conversation or communication? >> to provide clear, accurate, and honest responses to your questions. >> you know, it's very troubling to me that we talk about accountability and making sure we know the facts here. but when you don't know the name of the people that actually did the destruction it seems like that would be the first thing when you went to phoenix you'd find out who did it. >> so congressman, my goal in going to phoenix was to understand the process. i knew that the inspector general was there. they were there to assess intent and to identify if there was responsibility or accountability for -- >> without names of people, how does that occur? how does -- don't you ask the person wh

whoever replaces him, sloan gibson, the acting secretary, as the president said, he will search for a we're going to return to regular programming. for many in the west, it's "gma." and i'm george stephanopoulos in new york. have a good day. >> getting a lot of suggestions out there. >> a lot of the music that's out right now, i'm excited about a lot of the new things. i had an opportunity to enjoy it from a fan's perspective. i haven't released a lot in a while. i like a lot of the stuff miley cyrus is doing. >> miley cyrus, that's something. >> i feel easy with the stuff she's doing. >> she's pushing it. >> she goes further than me. >> you want to collaborate? bring it to "gma." >> we would invite you to that. and ask you, you have a lot going on. what do you do to unwind? what does curtis jackson do? >> i enjoy the couch. you picked the house. i'm a home body, i get a chance to relax. never leave media, i end up with music to relax at that point or film and television. it's almost like doing research. >> and you have little oprah on your lap the whole time. >> she's actually in my

deputy secretary sloan gibson. he's obviously got a big job ahead. >> megan hughs joining us. thanks. let's go back to that top story we were telling you about. the resignation of the white house press secretary jay rney, to be replaced by josh earnest. our bloomberg washington correspondent is standing by. was this expected? >> you know, this is something that's been at least talked about in washington for some time. jay carney's been on the job as press secretary in some form or fashion for more than five years. so he's been in this administration for some time. he was serving the vice president, first of all. well known to a lot of us here in washington first of all as a reporter. he was of course with "time" magazine for some time before he mealed this shift into the a -- made this shift into the administration. he's had his tensions with the reporting corps in recent weeks and i don't think anyone at the white house right now in terms of the press corps is surprised by this move. just given the amount of time jay has devoted to the president. and also not that surprised b

>> sloan gibson is the replacement, the current deputy secretary of veterans' affairs. as of today, the acting secretary of veterans' affairs. he is taking over the reins from shinseki, until the president names a permanent replacement. he's a former banker and former head of the you have uso. gibson is a graduate of west point and former army officer. some veterans groups most critical of shinseki say they're ready to give gibson a shot. >> we're encouraged by sloan. sloan has been a good friend of the veterans community for years. i have personally known him for a while. and he and i sat down before he took over as the deputy secretary, and is he's wide open to understand where the problems are. >> gaytan says this is the beginning. there are 40 v.a. medical centers around the country under investigation and thousands of veterans still waiting for care. julie? >> molly henneberg in washington, thank you so much. >>> and look more into deaths on the v.a. scandal. that's what we're going to be doing and get new reaction of the release of sergeant bowe bergdahl. when gen

. >> what do we know about the new acting secretary, sloan gibson? >> we know he's a career banker. he has a long history with the military. both himself, his father and grandfather. he has a very strong love of the military. west point grad. ran the uso. well respected. he's only been at the va since february. >> the president said he has to get up to speed. would indicate he would not become the candidate to be the secretary, he was looking for someone else. at least the impression i got from the president's remarks. let's get some more perspective on shinseki's resignation from the lawmaker who's very much involved in veterans issues, senator bernie sanders is the chairman of the veteran affairs committee in the senate, joining us from burlingtoburlington, ve. you were reluctant to call on shinseki to resign. what's your reaction to what happened today? >> i'm saddened. in eric shinseki, you have a true american hero. that's not just the purple hearts that he won in battle or his role as army chief of staff. this is a guy back in 2003 that did something unprecedented in modern hi

deputy secretary sloan gibson as temporary chief of the v.a. he spent 20 years in the bank g ing industry. he'll serve until a permanent replacement can be nominated and confirmed. one of the names floated for the job is james webb. he is a decorated marine, former secretary of the navy and author of the new memoir "i heard my country calling." senator, thanks for being here. i appreciate it. >> my pleasure. >> so first it of all, the reaction to the move from both sides of the aisle has been pretty universal that shinseki needed to go. do you agree? was that the right move? >> i've been saying ever since the latest problem erupted that's between the president and general shinseki. but i've been working in veterans issues all my adult life. i started as a council in the house veterans committee when we put the post-9/11 gi bill out of our office. very proud of that. i've been speaking for a number of years about the backlog in the v.a. not just on the medical side but overall. it's got to be fitched and it's a leadership issue. you are a vetera

do you believe the interim secretary, sloane gibson, is the person to be in that spot? >> absolutely, i told him i wanted him to come to the central office. i wanted to visit with him. i told him what the committee was most concerned about and then he explained to me where he wanted to go. you could tell there was an anger in his voice as to how the secretary had been misled and lied to by his employees. and if they would lie to the secretary. if they would lie to congress you can only imagine what they would say to a veteran. >> well, mr. chairman, if the president was to nominate mr. gibson for the v.a. secretary position, would you support that nomination? >> i would, i would think that sloane has the skills necessary. he has the demeanor necessary, i don't know if he will be the permanent replacement. i think this may have been a thought at one time when the secretary stepped down, but again, i'll work with the acting secretary now. and i have gotten assurances from him that his agency will work with our committee which has been sorely lacking over the years. >> dr.

the deputy secretary sloan gibson will take over until president obama nominates a new chief. shi shinseki was under pressure after a new report showed the va was covering up long wait times. >> a report of how the scandal unfolded. >> a few minutes ago, secretary shinseki offered me his resignation. with considerable regret, i accepted. >> until friday morning, eric shinseki was head of the va. several weeks ago, reports said phoenix va hospital was lie to go headquarters about how long patients had to wait to see a doctor, partly so managers could win bonuses and promotions. forty people died waiting for an appointment. at the time, shinseki said he thought the cover-up was eyelated. more veterans from across the country claimed it was happening to them, too. then cayman interim audit, which said phoenix problems were much more serious than people thought. seventeen 00 people called for appointments and had never been scheduled. >> led shinseki to apologize to veterans on friday. >> we are charactering each of the 1700 veterans waiting for appointments to bring them the care