at some images of some of your young men doing a variety jobs through the phoenix project. i was happy to cover that story, too. >> yeah. it was so exciting, especially to see that phoenix project focuses on connecting them with all types of resources so they can get the proper skills so they can be employable. we provide all the types of services if they need their driver's license, if they need their -- just access tohe meaningful resources available in marin county. we've been able to really help so many of them, and also many of them we're helping in school and helping them go to college in marin. just being a great advocate. >> you really are. jacari, you're nodding your head as she runs through this list of wonderful things. so you had a bit of a rough start to life. tell me a little bit aboutthat. >> well, i zbgrou u grew up in california. i was in juvenile hall. i moved over to marin. i was on probation, i been on probation since i was 12, finally about to get off. >> and you're 26 now? >> 26 now >> that's a long time. >> yes. long time. thanks to the phoenix project

office and the attorney's office in phoenix. >> there is out process. spinach damaging the federal tort claims act has anything been filed as a result of those great time? >> i am not aware of that but we checked in.not if hurricane any filed with those 45 spin the thank you for being here and coming forward in die have expressed in the past to appreciate your courage because we are united with you in our care to make sure they get the medical care and access that they care about. that is why i introduced the protection act that has been in place for a year but will hopefully make things better for future whistle-blowers sam part of that is a hot line that patients and workers within the v.a. system can call to go directly to the secretary in hopes of no retaliation. put the committee is committed to access it was the bipartisan bicameral conference committee appointed in the summer that we've met together to pass the veterans access choice of 2014 and one of the primary pieces of that is a new choice card to allow veterans that a live more than 40 miles

mitchell, in your testimony you mentioned how good the phoenix the a pain management -- the phoenix v.a. pain management team is. how did the phoenix v.a. communicate their staffing needs to the director? was it ever communicated, and if so, what was done -- if anything? >> i do not have direct knowledge of the medication between the pain and management team and the senior administration and additional staffing. what i do have is direct knowledge from many, many providers who find panels filled with patience who are on high-dose long-term narcotics and the patients need additional close monitoring and follow-up. what is happening as those providers to not have enough time to be able to get those patients and for sufficient appointments to be able to review that. in addition in the community, patients that are on long-term narcotics are referred to a pain management specialist for ongoing education and a monitor for side effects. unfortunately, the staffing at the phoenix v.a. did not allow for that. >> thank you. i see my time has run out, mr. chairman. .> mr. lamborn >> thank you, mr.

this was a conspiracy in my potential perpetrated by the phoenix leaders. from the bonus performances for the top players to the harassment of employees to the destruction of document and the harm down to the veterans not able to receive health care. nothing is more scandalous than the fact that 293 veterans died in phoenix. in this report, inspector general tries to minimize the damage done by saying none of the deaths can be died to delays. i have red the report many times and several things bother me about it. throughout the case reports, the authors appeared to downplay the facts and minimize the harm. this is true in cases six and seven where i have knowledge. after reading the cases, it leaves me wondering what happened in the rest. in case number 29, how could anyone conclude the death wasn't related to the delay when a patient needs a fib relateer to avoid death didn't get one. and in addition a critical element to proving this was a con spearies was the reported tampering of the software list. the data showed a difference from the numbers reported t

the i.t. to come to phoenix to investigate all of the above.i get a response from the office on december 3rd, 2013 to join a conference call with them on december 6th. the team came up to investigate the week of december 16th through the 20th. at that time, i and others told them about the unaddressed scheduling appointment consults and showed them the northwest electronic holding clinic which was being used as were prior holding clinics to mask the true demand for return patient appointments. we updated them on the secret electronic waiting list summary report showing that 22 patients had been removed from it because they had died. we only had the names of two of the deceased because none of the employees who were working with me had the electronic keys to print the names of the deceased. we asked the i.t. inspectors if they could do it but they responded that they could not. the last e-mail response i had from them was on december 21st, 2013 when i received an out-of-the office until tuesday december 31st, 2013 reply. i had offered to fax or

doctor mitchell, in your testimony you mentioned how good the phoenix pain management team is that as lack the staff and supply to service the veterans how do they communicate to their staffing needs to the director? was ever communicated and if so, what was done? >> i don't have any direct knowledge between the pain management team and the senior administration official staffing. but i do have is erect knowledge from many providers who find their panels filled with patients who are on long-term narcotics and patients need additional close monitoring and follow-up. those providers don't have enough time to get those patients in for the sufficient appointment to be able to review that. in the community patients that are on long-term narcotics are referred to a pain management specialist to treat the ongoing education and monitor for side effects. unfortunately the staffing does not allow for that. >> thank you for having this important hearing. doctor mitchell, briefly on page 15 you pointed out case number 45 and a special circumstance. please explain why you did so in this case. >> i

the channel? >> it should be. i believe in phoenix it was and the outcome is documented in our report that no anxious was taken. >> thank you very much. senator? >> thank you to you and your staff for the job you have performed for the undertaking that you're already in process with and i don't think any of us would wish it on anybody that has to make the reviews you're having to do. had had the va listened to prior i.g. reports and fixed the problems you had pointed out would we be here today talking about phoenix or talking about any other facility? >> no. >> the problems within va seem to be rooted in two things. one is the culture that's been created and i think that culture has been created because there was a lack of accountability and that was evidenced by these waiting lists that operated outside of the electronic system and other things. had they just addressed those, we probably wouldn't be here investigating phoenix to the degree that we are. is that an accurate statement? >> that is accurate. and as i mentioned previously,

secretary, some of these -- the phoenix v.a. waitlist scandal happened many layers below the secretary level. how can you be sure that the leadership teams that are near you are going to be able to tell you the truth or be able to get , and that you can count on people getting you accurate information? >> it's going to require a change in culture. have experience running large organizations know that is probably the most difficult thing to do. with the purpose, values, and principles, which are the bedrock of any organization. the first thing i did is i ask for every employee to recommit themselves to the mission of caring for veterans and to the values of the organization represented in the eye care -- i care acronym. we have used that as a leadership exercise to talk with their employees about the mission, the values. we have tried to demonstrate that we want a very open culture. we talked about the positive aspects of whistleblowing. the talk about the positive aspects of criticism. i have used a couple of diagrams. people thi

but the helps with the veterans. >> are you aware of the hold placed in the phoenix records? yes. >> can be deleted or moved or evade unavailable any emails related to the scandal? you are under oath. >> i have not. >> i have not. >> dr. thomas, a report this morning on cbs news a whistleblower in the central office to soften in the report from phoenix of want to paraphrase that the v.a. was aureate about the i.g. report that why -- therefore it would soften the blow. but i question to you are you aware of any employee of the central office to change their report that questions the it i.g. about any length? >> i am happy you ask that question it is very important. >> yes or no. >> it is more complex. >> yes or no? did you ask for any changes since the average? i know the process. i appreciate you doing that under oath. what was your reaction? >> the process is from a the i.g. we draft our response for what needs to go along with that. and i do remember that the second or third a paragraph was confusing i am not sure what but then in the final draft we had five action plans bu

the phoenix va chief of staff. they take questions from committee members about changes to the inspector general's report. whistleblower retaliation and manipulation of data. you can read the report on our website, c-span.org, when accessing the hearing. >> thank you very much. the third and final panel comes to the witness table. we are setting up the name plates. i will tell you who we're going to hear from. dr. lisa thomas, chief of staff of the veterans health administration. dr. thomas is accompanied by dr. darren deering, chief of staff of the phoenix va health care system. if you would, i'd ask you to stand. i was going to try and catch you before you sat down. raise your right hand. do you solemnly swear under penalty of perjury that the testimony you are about to proride is the troourt, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? thank you. let the record show that both witnesses responded in the affirmative. secretary mcdonald has already provided an opening statement on behalf of the department of veteran

oig report on the phoenix issue. i would also like to ask unanimous consent, he is not here yet, but that our colleague david schweikert from arizona be allowed to join us here to address this issue. without objection, so ordered. also members, we do have a series of votes that will start at 1:00. i apologize for that. this hearing was moved from its original schedule time because of the joint session of congress to th the president of the ukra. what we will do is immediately after the final vote move back as quickly as you can. we will resell him the hearing as quickly as we possibly can -- resume the hearing. so we do not keep the witnesses waiting any longer than absolutely necessary. on the 26 of august, the office of inspector general released its final report on the phoenix va health care system, which vaulted to national attention after our hearing on april the oig confirmed that 9. inappropriate scheduling practices are a nationwide systemic problem and found that access barriers adversely affected the qualit

every member of the committee is outraged by what happened in phoenix. outraged in general by unacceptably long wait periods for veterans. >> time and time again being the concerns about the appointment process, yet nothing seems to happen. in english, describe to us how it happened that we had these long waiting periods that were disguised, that we had some people, not on any waiting list at all. all of this went on and nobody did anything about it. how does this happen? >> that happens when there is a failure of leadership. we are not just talking about phoenix. we have reported this problem for nine years. excellent policy. where in fact publish and is not out. i alluded to some of them. you have to follow through. wait times is not the only issue that we have reported on where vha has promulgated policies to address the recommendations and sent them out and was supposed to be certified they were followed. they weren't. it is hard to explain the why of that when people do not follow the directive from the headquarters leadership and mislead them about

we were under a flash flood warning in the downtown phoenix area. so be careful on the roads. there is a lot of water right now in between phoenix and flagstaff. and we'll be driving through the regions. in the phoenix area, sky harbor airport, we picked up three quarters of an inch of rain, still raining. the yellow on this map is pretty heavy downpours. the flash flooding life threatening in this region early this morning. when you wake up, our computers are estimating that somewhere between vegas and phoenix, a chance of getting upwards of 2 to 3 inches of rain. pretty rare event. i know we get some monsoonal rains, but this is excessive by your standards. a lot of this will not make it to the central portions or much of northern california at all. this is arizona and utah's problem during the day today. that's your national weather. la downstream. to the north, mixing into nevada slightly. arizona probably seeing most rain out of almost any location in the country today. and that doesn't happen all that often. >> don't get to say that, bill karins, very often, as you're say

>> the investigation is ongoing in phoenix and other places. but we also in our very first recommendation in that report referred the names of the 45 veterans in our case reviews to the department for them to conduct appropriate reviews to determine if there was medical negligence and if there ought to be redress to the veteran or his family who received the care. >> does the va oig prosecute cases? >> we investigate cases. we take them to the prosecutors in doj or in some instances in state court if we can't get traction on a federal violation. >> okay. does this report and the way it was handled strike you, mr. griffin -- and if i'm right, how long have you been with the snoig. >> about 13 1/2 years total. >> how many investigations have you been a part of roughly? >> well, we have done about 520 arrests every year for the last six years. that's a number that is handy to me. but that's about an average year. >> and the methodology, the folks who work were your investigators and how you wrote the report, is there anything strikingly different a

the a's -- phoenix v.a. health care system, getting your thoughts on what you have seen so far and what you think ought to change at the department. shelley is on the line for independents from kansas city. what do you think? caller: i work for the department of defense audit agency. . my husband is a veteran. he was at phoenix at one time with blood clots. they told him they could not see him or take x-rays of his legs or anything because the people admitted to presentence over people in the emergency room. they told him he could not take x-rays of his legs until monday when they had enough -- opening in the appointments. from listening to the c-span interviews, they are saying their internal audit committee has rules for government auditing. that is good and well but it is still an internal audit, which makes it irrelevant and worthless. they need to have an external , army ofncy like gao aa performudits, or vc the external audit of the veterans administration because notnternal audit is independent because

things improved in the phoenix area. we're not concerned there anymore. e other concern we're going to have is going to be severe weather out there. and, of course, the worst of it is going to be heading into the great lakes and into the ohio valley. and thomas, yesterday it snowed in calgary and alberta, canada, like inches of snow. and that cold air is heading to the midwest. not the snow but we have big changes coming. >> really, that quickly? >> yes. >> all right. >> so fall is upon us? >> yeah. leaves, pumpkins, scare crows. >> and the harvest moon? >> the full moon was great last night. i think it is setting now. it was beautiful. >> okay. all right. so for those that are out on the west coast, they can still catch some of it, right? >> yep. coming up the top of the hour on "morning joe," the latest reaction to the indefinite suspension of ray rice. "new york times" sports columnist will join joe. when we come back, we'll huddle around the water cooler for a special announcement from then with and ounly stephen colbert. back after this. wherever morn

. >>> and violent weather tears a section of roof right off the phoenix airport. we'll give you a closer look at the damage. ♪ >>> we begin with a manhunt underway in missouri who for the persons who shot at two officers overnight. one in ferguson, and the other in st. louis. the ferguson police officer was shot in the arm while on patrol, and in a separate incident just three hours later someone shot an off duty st. louis police officer in a drive-by. he was hit. the incidents have both communities on edge. tensions, as you know, are still high in ferguson after an unarmed black teenager was shot and killed by a white police officer last month. let's go to cnn's sar why seidner in ferguson. what are the conditions of both of the officers? >> we can tell you that they were both injured. one of them shot in the arm. they are both nonlife-threatening injuries. the other officer was not hit by bullets, but by glass and had some minor injuries from the glass there. and the two incidents do not appear to be related in any way, according to authorities, and also, the inc

the private sector? >> yes, sir. it includes things like in phoenix we moved in three mobile units from around the region. we increased clinical hours. we worked on overtime. it's a matter of putting the resources where they need to be put. we collaborated with the department of defense in some sights. collaborating with indian health service. those were the things that were done. also, we've had more people we've put into the private sector. 246,300 more patients have gone into the private sector. and any each one of those referrals actually is resulted in on average seven appointments. in a sense, that number understates the care that has been provided. so we're making progress there, but more work needs to be done. and obviously, the bill you mentioned is going help us do that by providing greater access points. 27 more new points and the ability to hire more doctors and nurses. you asked about disciplinary actions. we talked in my opening remarks about the three individuals in phoenix who have -- who were seeking -- who proposed disciplinary actio

they had to open up a dam north of the phoenix to relief all the water. oenix a half inch of rain causes flooding. today they got 3.29 inches of rain. the records began back in 1895. phoenix had a little than 2 inches of rain. more rain is heading there tomorrow. locally it's quiet and cool. a lot of the clouds east of philadelphia. 68 currently. wilmington is 6. >> we are showing that there is a slow-moving low pressure center. it's off of coast of the carolinas. it's moving to the east. it's encountering dry area. we have a squeeze play of winds ouout of the east. 74 in philadelphia. lots of clouds. south and east of philadelphia this is where you get the easterly fetch. that brings in more moisture with showers. 7:30, lots of clouds around philadelphia areas to the south. farther to the north a few peeks of sunshine. and north and west not much going on. showers are developing along the coast on-and-off showers. along the beach is where the problems will be. at the shore in the next 24 hours wind gusts up to 35 miles-an-hour. rip currents. it's not a ni

obviously that was pertaining to the phoenix hot. just some timelines. was this line included in the draft report? >> there are many versions of a draft report the majority of the changes in our draft report came about as a result of further deliberations by the senior staff of the inspector general's office. no one in va dictated that sentence going into that report. period. >> so was the line include in the draft report that was sent to the va? >> it was not included in the first version of that draft report. what i would like to do, if i may, is provide a timeline in writing to the committee -- >> i'd like that. >> -- that can, you know, make it very clear what is going on with that allegation. >> okay. i guess the question that needs to be asked, did the va play any, any part in the inclusion of this line? >> no. >> in your report you obtain the list of 171 patients who were waiting to seek services. most of them were mental health therapies. you also denoted -- and noted in your report that between january of 2012 and 2014, that you identified 77 sui

the army. he said phoenix police detecti detective. e go to church at the same place and he had asked me this one time, do you ever have the things that look like a boil and it comes out looking like a little sausage and? i said i had one before i got other marine corps. it grew in my nose and i thought i was going to die. he said well, i have this too. that's about the same time they started come up when you lose weight -- wait they start coming out in the fatty cells of your body. one of these growing in my leg. i thought well i'm not going to the va because if i go to the va i will bleed to death. i have had them pop and the whole side of my body, they have to be surgically removed. i saw had another one on my leg so i figured well i have to take this stuff to the dump in the city where i live and i'm going to go to john c. lincoln emergency and have them look at it. when i got there i told them what it was. most people don't know about this kind of thing. he said lamy take a blood test. so he took a blood test and he said man, here'

the ig's report detailed numerous cases of poor care. raised concern about two of phoenix'siew of patient files found problems with continuity of mental health care, delays of assignment to mental health practitioner and limited access to psychotherapy. additionally, the ig also discovered the urology service failed to provide timely care. in fact, the ig launched a separate investigation into this service. a report regarding the findings will be released in due cause. while it paints a troublesome picture, the ig was unable to, quote/unquote, conclusively assert that patients died. i also understand as a result of the attention focused on phoenix, the ig has opened additional investigations at 93 sites of care as a result of receiving approximately 445 allegations regarding manipulated wait times at other va facilities. this committee will continue to monitor the results of these investigations and use this information to inform the committee's oversight efforts in the future. like most americans, i have concerns about the inability of veterans in various locations across t

as much as four inches of rain soaked the area, beating single day record in phoenix metro area. cars stranded on freeways and parking lots flooded and surface streets turned into rivers. more than a dozen water rescues. two people died. one of them was swept away when the husband and wife tried to drive across a wash near tucson. pumping stations couldn't keep up with it as the water came rushing into neighborhoods after retention basins and canals overflowed, stranding drivers who said it was a scary situation. >> had to wait inside of the car until the pressure equalized from the outside to the inside with the water. open the door to get out. >> i was scared i would drown inside so i crawled out the window. >> reporter: parts of nevada and california got slammed with the rain. stretch of i-15 near las vegas collapse and nearby homes were flooded. east of los angeles in riverside county, they dealt with flash flooding as well. downed trees and power lines. cars under two feet of water. there were fires out there in recent years. mud came down as well. southwest like the west, d

. >>> two people were killed in arizona's flash floods on the rainiest day in phoenix history. other cities nationwide also endured massive flooding including las vegas. >>> president obama will define his strategy today to fight against the terror thugs of isis. it's tuesday, september 9th. "early today" starts right now. >>> good morning. i'm richard lui. baltimore ravens ray rice has been terminated from the nfl indefinitely, but the question, is that enough? that question after that violent new video coming out yesterday, rice delivering a knockout blow as you see here to his then fiancee's face. the other question, did the nfl see this video before? it says no. the president says hitting a woman is not something a real man does. after a rush to cut all ties with rice, the nfl store for instance dumping his jersey. here's nbc's jay gray with more. >> reporter: the video released by tmzsports.com is graphic and disturbing. a savage hit that overshadowed the first week of on field action in the nfl. running back ray rice knocking out his fiancee, now wife, janay palmer, in a c

the area. flights to southern california, phoenix, or vegas i'd check them. not as aggressive as it has been, or as it was this morning. strong winds gusting to 32 at fairfield. letting you know the moist air is pushing in. fog along the coast right now. as you move through the microclimates tomorrow. warmer by 5, maybe 10 degrees in some places. significantly warmer into your bay area wednesday. you'll start seeing the mid- 80s, even some low 90s towards discovery bay, eastern livermore valley. a bit warmer tomorrow. and continued warming into wednesday and thursday. this low pressure system is what cooled it off today. tomorrow, like today, more sun, less fog, and a little bit warmer. as we head into tuesday, warmer wednesday, warm to hot. and thursday is going to be right there. stair stepping in terms of forecast highs. fire danger will come up as well. 90 in antioch tomorrow. 90 in brentwood. santa clara valley, lots of 80s 88 in morgan hill. 67 in pacifica. the five-day forecast with your bay area weekend in view, you can see it right there. we're lookin

>> the investigation is ongoing in phoenix and other places. we also in a very first recommendation in that report referred the names of the 45 veterans in our case reviews to the department for them to conduct appropriate reviews to determine if there was medical negligence, and if there are to be redress to the veteran or his family. >> does the va oig prosecute cases? >> we investigate cases. we take them to the prosecutors in doj or in some incidents in state court, if we can't get traction in a federal violation. >> does this report and the way it was handled strike you, mr. griffin, and if i'm right, how long have you been with the oig? >> about 13 and a half years. >> how many investigations have you been a part of, roughly? >> well, we have done about 520 arrests every year for the last six years. that's the number that is handed to me. that's about an average. >> and the methodology, the folks who work for you, your investigators and how you wrote the report, is there anything different about this will in any of those previous ones you'

obviously, that was pertaining to the phoenix hospital. just some timelines -- was this line included in the draft report? >> there are many versions of a draft report. the majority of the changes in our draft report came about as a result of further deliberations by the senior staff of the inspector general's office. no one in the v.a. dictated that sentence go into that reports, period. >> so the line was included in the draft report sent to the v.a.? >> it was not included. i would like to provide a timeline to the committee that could make it very clear what is going on with that allegation. >> ok. the question that needs to be play anyd the v.a. part in the inclusion of this line? >> no. >> in your report, you obtained the list of 171 patients who were waiting to seek services, most of whom were mental health therapies. noted in your report that between january of 2012 and 2014 that you identified 77 suicides. have patients did not their appointments scheduled or were yet to be scheduled. what i'm trying to get to, would a reasonable p

the other. i just gave up. phoenix ande v.a.'s was told it would take six months for a therapy appointment and they were giving nothing for the depression and anxiety. that filled me with pills for a long time until i needed them. the court system drain me minutes he, and financially. i just gave up. i give up rights to my son because i do not have the money or resources to fight this corrupt system. i cannot believe everything i thought gore was being taken away. and went to see my primary care doctor during this time began said concerned about a skin growth that was growing up my arm. who knewa doctor nothing about medicine, knew more than it should, she never called me for follow-up. during this time, met another of veterans that help me out. one of them was my mentor who became a dear friend. you look at the spot in my arm and said it was cancer. that itched it and saw caused cancer. i use natural therapies and the cancer went away. ron should know the v.a. had him listed three times dead. here he stands tonight as a survivor

mackey was on the site when it was the phoenix school you'll recall the incredible action you lead the action they took over the site to protest how upper being treated in the state of california and now we'll have housing it's a very, very exciting thing i agree it needs to be reciprocated over and over again, the model we have in the city we can't do enough to support our working class and middle-class folks and all too often the work we do only enables the wealthy to do it we want to make sure it happens again and again i want to motion that we are there amendments from the budget analyst >> no, i ask we approve the recommendation. >> i want to echo supervisor avalos comments and congratulations to everyone we can accept that motion. >> mr. clerk call the next item (clapping.) item 10 is the approval of modifications to the o to the airport contract. to provide operation and maintenance services for the air transit system between the usa i know and the 71 not to exceed $100 million plus >> okay. thanks mr. wagner well, back. >> thank you. good morning supervisor farrell and supervis

the clouds. >> he travels over 14,000 miles. you can see downtown phoenix. >> this guy is dedicated. >> the majesty of our planet. that is what looks like arizona in the movies. >> the phoenix area had wet summers. they got all the wane they get in one summer in one day. >> the arizona tourist board should use this video. >> what's really cool? you see dust storms rolling in to urban areas. it's only a haboob if it meets certain criteria. everybody likes to say haboob because of the way it sounds. >> dust storms sped up speed, it looks like "independence day" doesn't it? >> sadly, no aliens sighting. just a beautiful shot. >> taking the plunge from the world's highest cliff jump. >> no, no, no! >> maybe she didn't see the cliff before she got harnessed. >> find out if it all goes down. >> rough play between a hound dog and raccoon. >> he wins. >>. >> no! no! please, don't! >> this is in betweentown, new zealand. this is a rope swing. >> i'm really scared. >> that's christina. >> this video was posted by jenna and jordan. they have a series of videos calling

charges of va watered down investigation of the phoenix veterans hospital. >>> but first, today's eye peterson will remain off the field while the legal process plays out. >> faces several charges including first degree murder. they now believe he is hiding somewhere in these woods. >> the president's stated policy has been no u.s. troop on the ground, period. >> they are not going to be able to be successful strictly from the air, so there will be boots on the ground if there's to be any hope of success. >> this is all that remains of nieves library. the fire is only 25% contained. >> slow moving tropical system odile moves slowly over arizona, new mexico and also west texas. >> this is a serious charge because you're saying that someone within the national security council will leave the sotloff family, is that correct? >> that's basically what happened. >> nasa announced tuesday they will ferry crew member to the international space station and help nasa's other mission returning to deep space. >> in december it will take its first flight the traveling 3600 miles above the earth. t

. >> at least two people have died in the phoenix area from rushing floodwaters. and the images from the storm zone are alarming. the water in some areas, approaching three feet deep. >> and left behind in its wake, miles and miles of mud and utter devastation. abc's tahman bradley has the latest. >> reporter: record rains, paralyzing parts of the southwest. in phoenix, more than three inches fell. the city's wettest day ever. at least two people were killed. >> that's going to be close. oh. don't move that car. >> reporter: cars stranded on highways. >> a big tidal wave came up and took me out. and it flooded my truck. >> we had calls in the hundreds of people of stranded, flooded out cars, accidents. people sliding off the roadway. >> reporter: this gives you a sense of how high the water rose. watch this kayaker pass by a basketball hoop. >> oh, my god. oh, my god. >> reporter: near tucson, a woman was killed when water surged, pushing her car under a bridge. >> really, no words would put into effect, you know, the panic and what that person was feeling when, ob

parts of the country are drying out after being underwater. in phoenix, history making rain though, a three inch down pour turned into a state of emergency. in tucson, cars were swept away killing two women. >> the city of phoenix and our entire region saw levels of rainfall we haven't seen in nearly a century. >> in las vegas, heavy rain drenched the desert resort. drivers caught off guard. they were forced to maneuver through flooded streets. and along virginia's southern coast, chaos, up to ten inches of rain in some areas. roads sh h. to be closed and people had to be rescued. >>> lawmakers on capitol hill should learn more today about the president's plan to take on isis. there are strong opinions emerging about how to handle the terror group. after alerting congress today, the president will outline the plan for the of us tomorrow during a major speech. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington this morning. what can we expect from the froze day? >> betty, to day he's going to be laying out the final details of that plan. we learned overnight that p

>> the good news is phoenix is sort of seeing the end of it.urs of the morning, early, early. then these are all moving to the east. and so the sun actually will come back out a little later this afternoon. the focus on the rain today will be north, utah, colorado, wyoming, where we could see quite a bit of rain. here are the rainfall totals from yesterday. north of phoenix, one to three inches. and videos coming out of phoenix are incredible. we had damage to the airport there. one of the term analyze was damaged. there were 30 flights that were rerouted and even broken windows. so very, very strong winds and rain there. we also had reported six to eight inches of rain to the north of this area. so we have this cold front combining with a lot of moisture. it's going to create a flood threat in the west again today. also very heavy rain for the gulf coast. florida has gotten pounded with rain over the past week or so. more expected for today. so rainfall totals two to four inches outside of boise. we could see two to four inches also in portion

so starting in 2006, carl was treated at the phoenix v.a. but his time went on -- but as time went on, it became increasingly difficult for carl to see his doctor. and according to carl's mother, teri, at the time of his death, carl was waiting to hear back from the phoenix v.a. to have his medications adjusted and to see his doctor. carl suffered from recurring pain caused by shoulder injury, severe hearing loss, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. his depression worsened over time. teri, carl's mom, told us, and i quote, the last time i saw carl was a few days before his death. he looked really depressed. and i asked him if he had a doctor's appointment scheduled because i know he'd been waiting over four weeks for a call back from the doctor's office. he said, no. he was still waiting. he called them the next day six times. he left three messages. he was put on hold and hung up on the other three times. this problem of calling and being hung up on and not getting call it's back had been going on for -- calls back had been going o

the phoenix arizona v.a. medical center held a townhall meeting in mid-september for veterans and their families to ask questions and share comments about their medical care and experiences. this particular site was the center for the department of veterans affairs inspector general's rate port which had reports about long wait times and other systemic problem's delivering patient treatment. event contains some language viewers may find offensive. that we willforms be holding on a regular basis and the secretary announced he wants to do these on a quarterly basis. is that better? we will duties on a quarterly basis and i will be here for the next time and back to dayton, i will do them in ohio. i am recommending to whoever comes behind me that we hold these out in the community and will be moving around the city of phoenix and going to some of the out patient cities where we have outpatient clinics on those kind of areas. let's start off by asking everyone to stand and we will have a moment of silence to send

the recent v.a. o.i.g. report on phoenixogies to all veterans to experienced unacceptable delays it is clear we failed in that respect regard this the report on the knicks cannot conclusively tied to the delays. to provide timely high quality care that veterans have come to deserve. to be traded just of the people of a final o.i.g. report has been issued we have confirmed all 24 of the recommendations three of them have already been read mediated weirder way to really beating their remaining 21 because we began work with the interim report was issued in may. we have proposed the removal of three senior leaders in phoenix we will re wait -- wait for the department of justice but nationally over 100 ongoing investigation of v.a. facilities by the office at i.g. head office of special counsel and we will receive the results to take appropriate disciplinary action when the investigation is complete. when we have the evidence. we are thankful for a the recently passed veterans access choice and accountability act of 2014. it stre

yesterday, so much rain fell, even the interstates were flooding. this month alone, phoenix was receiving ten inches of rain. that is ten times the average amount. and yesterday's wind, hurricane strength, gusting up to 75 miles an hour. >> look at it. >> reporter: that is the roof off terminal two at phoenix's airport. and the storm shut down the airport for an hour. and 40 flights to be diverted. and winds caused debris to hit electric lines. and you can see transformers exploding in the distance. and now in florida, much of the sunshine state also dealing with flooding rain in the last few weeks, water inundating a neighborhood. and parts of a half of foot of rain, causing a whole other set of problems. the rains collapsed the roof of this business. >> it dumpbed a lot of rains and maybe the roop drains failed. >> and a sewer line erupted. 40,000 gallons erupted in a creek. >> there is more to come? >> yeah, more rain across florida. the bulk of the rain tomorrow will be across the florida sf d handle where they haven't seen it today. and we will see over two inches of ra

records for the city of phoenix date back to 1895, well over 100 years. never before have they seen this much rainfall, and they saw it all within seven hours, between 2:00 in the morning and 9:00 in the morning. so rush hour commute absolutely treacherous. and a perspective down in tucson as well with the severe flooding. we foe two people have lost their lives. very, very fortunate for the person inside that vehicle. actually rescued. but another situation identical to that where a car was pinned up against a brim, a person losing their life, and another situation where a 69-year-old man actually climbed out of the vehicle, getting into the waters and later found dead due to the flooding and currents in the water. but here's what's happening. 5.5 million people at this hour underneath a flash flood watch in place, including the city of las vegas with a flood warning in lace for areas west of the city of phoenix and also warnings which are the more severe right around lake havasu city with a lot of water on the ground around this region. but here's the 3.

the phoenix wins the opener 83-62. the cubs tried to avoid a sweep against the pirates said wrigley but once struggled from the start. he gave up three home runs and nine hits and did not make it out of the second inning. the cubs lose 10-4 and get swept for the first time since july 20th. the sox trying to avoid a sweep in cleveland. no score in the first. the sox managed just four hits. the sox getting shut out 2-0 as they scored just two runs in three games. coming up next a personal health crisis sends one man on a mission to help kids battling the same disease. a new study links a specific brain injury to autism. {baby laughing} {baby} again, again. when we're having this much fun, why quit? and bounty has no quit in it either. it's two times more absorbent then the leading ordinary brand and then stays strong so you can use less. watch how one sheet of bounty keeps working. while their two sheets just quit. >>yay. and try bounty napkins. nobody insures more bikes than progressive. do you guys ride? well, sometime

in the phoenix area people came together to fill sandbags and prepare for the storm. the rain is already starting to fall tonight. the national hurricane center says odile has the potential to cause dangerous flash floods and mud slides. >>> there are renewed calls tonight for the head of the state public utilities commission to be fired. michael peavy has held that job for five years but now people are pointing e-mails from pg & e following the pipeline disaster. heather holmes is in san francisco where some say more house cleaning is needed to end the collusion and to protect rate payers, heather. >> reporter: frank, puc president michael peavy he was included in part of this e-mail exchange yet he kept his job here. that's a move that critics are questioning and are turning to the governor for an answer. he is one of the state's most powerful figures but some charge public utilities commissioner michael peavy has become too powerful. jeopardizing public safety and affecting people's pocketbooks. >> he has complete power that's where the problem is. >> reporter: jer

if ist' salvageable and isn't going to cost me a million dollars to raise the phoenix from the ashes,l consider it. >> this weekend one of the brothers, gary pierce, is going to visit colorado to help rebuild homes damaged in last year's floods. he said spending time helping others who have lost everything might give him some perspective on what he's lost and what he still has. >>> the economy continues to gain steam. job openings in july remained at their highest level in the past 13 years. that's good news for those attending today's abc 7 job journal hire event in san francisco. more than 500 jobs were being advertised. companies were taking applications for anything from sous chef to chemistry teacher. attendees could also get their resume critiqued by a professional. the next hire event will be october 21st at the hilton garden inn in emeryville. >>> well, there is more to come here tonight. just ahead, the president sits down with leaders of congress to outline a new strategy for dealing with isis in the middle east. >>> more flooding tonight in the desert southwest. a summertim

if it's salvageable and isn't going to cost me a million dollars to raise the phoenix from the ashes,l consider it. >> this weekend one of the brothers, gary pierce, is going to visit colorado to help rebuild homes damaged in last year's floods. he said spending time helping others who have lost everything might give him some perspective on what he's lost and what he still has. >>> the economy continues to gain steam. job openings in july remained at their highest level in the past 13 years. that's good news for those attending today's abc 7 job journal hire event in san francisco. more than 500 jobs were being advertised. companies were taking applications for anything from sous chef to chemistry teacher. attendees could also get their resume critiqued by a professional. the next hire event will be october 21st at the hilton garden inn in emeryville. >>> well, there is more to come here tonight. just ahead, the president sits down with leaders of congress to outline a new strategy for dealing with isis in the middle east. >>> more flooding tonight in the desert southwest. a summertim