went to the va for mental health care. they gave him a very powerful drug that part of the -- part of the directions on the drug were it required constant monitoring. he was not monitored. he subsequently took his life. and so i just think that this reliance on these very powerful drugs is a shortcut to treatment. by the va. and i think it's costing veteran lives. and i want you to respond to that. >> so, you know, i'm not prepared to talk about individual situations. >> sure. >> but i'd be happy to talk about our expectation. when we had learned about some of these problems with people moving, we've made it really clear the expectation is that the meds continue and that any barriers to that be broken down so that the meds would continue. so, we appreciate that having been brought to our attention, and it is certainly our hope and our expectation that that particular problem is not occurring at this time. as far as treatments go, the evidence-based treatments for ptsd in particular include cognitive behavioral therapy, prol

went to the va for mental health care. they gave him a very powerful drug that part of the -- part of the directions on the drug were it required constant monitoring. he was not monitored. he subsequently took his life. and so i just think that this reliance on these very powerful drugs is a shortcut to treatment. by the va. and i think it's costing veteran lives. and i want you to respond to that. >> so, you know, i'm not prepared to talk about individual situations. >> sure. >> but i'd be happy to talk about our expectation. when we had learned about some of these problems with people moving, we've made it really clear the expectation is that the meds continue and that any barriers to that be broken down so that the meds would continue. so, we appreciate that having been brought to our attention, and it is certainly our hope and our expectation that that particular problem is not occurring at this time. as far as treatments go, the evidence-based treatments for ptsd in particular include cognitive behavioral therapy, prol

go to the va. and with that, you know, we all need to soldier up and make sure that the veterans are being taken care of. thank you, and i yield back the balance of my time. >> thanks to the entire panel for being here. you're now excused. today we've had a chance to hear about many ongoing problems related to veterans' access. oh, i guess we're going to have the chairman give a closing statement or -- >> no closing statement. i just confirmed with the caribbean health care system that the individual that we were discussing is still on the payroll. >> thank you for correcting that. >> so, again, the question why in the world is somebody who has been convicted of armed robbery still be working at the department of veterans affairs. >> okay. well, hard for me -- hard for me to answer that right now. i think we owe you an answer. >> please. thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you, mr. chairman. we've had a chance to hear about many of the ongoing problems related to veterans' access to health care that c

i want to start by first of all thinking the va. i think you all have, i think it is the largest comprehensive mental-health program in the united states. it's not perfect but it's sort of better than it was seven years ago when i thought -- whenever scotty. there's a question the focus that congress has given has improved things. one of the things that targeted in suicide, first of all as a practicing physician was identified those people who are at risk because it's a silent daemon that you carry around naked osha with anyone. i think one of the things we've learned today is that when patients better to get into gear into the their suicide rate go their suicide rate go standard i think we figured that out. number two, i think we've also learned that the hiring process at the va is ridiculously long and should be shortened for not just mental-health but other providers of health care. i think that's got to be shorn. i don't know what takes so long. i fired multiple positions in my career at it doesn't take a long. it's not that hard

it highlights the problems at the va. e human element out of their responsibility. now we're looking at metrics instead of people. >> did you wait in any lines when you decided to give of yourself to serve in afghanistan and iraq and you lost two limbs in the process? did you wait in any lines? >> i went to the shortest line possible, the marine corps. i did that on purpose. my country needed me. if you look at the va, i got news for you. all those veterans that are waited to be buried at arlington, mark them as unsatisfied. that's what wait line does. i'm sure at the root of his comment was a focus on the fact that the wait time, alone, isn't the worst thing going on. perhaps the fact that those who receive service are satisfied with it. the wait times turn into death. >> we've been reporting for the last two years that people have died waiting to get their appointment. let's listen to a quote from congresswoman tammy duckworth. she's a veteran. she said comparing wait times to a trip to diz nisndisneyland is deaf. our tr

who the secretary of va is. d: you know yesterday the message was all about robert mcdonald. he is a went to west points five years in the army. the people right beneath him that make work or not work who don't have that connection. >> who never had to be a patient in a va hospital. look it, what the va desperately needs, the va needs to have veterans replace the bureaucrats as they leave. now you can't hang up a sign. eeo people get you wrapped around axel, hang up a sign only veterans apply but you can say veterans have a preference in the bureaucracy. david: that is wonderful idea. who would care more about getting the job done than a veteran? >> exactly. second thing, instead of what they tried to do, and it failed miserably, you have to wait a certain length of time you go to civilian doctor somewhere. what they ought to do right now issue everybody a red white blue va card, 50% disabledded or more get a red card. if it is 25, you get a white card, less than 25 you get a blue card. now you go whenever you ne

. >> what really counts is how does the veteran feel about their encounter with the va? when you go to disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line or the number -- what is important? what is important is what your satisfaction with the experience. >> can you believe that? that there is no difference between waiting on a line at disney and waiting on a line for services at the va. last time i checked, you don't die waiting on a lie at disney. you do die waiting for care, and people who go to a park on a lark are very different than people who put it on the line for this country so the folks like you and me can go to a park on a lark. wow. i've covered washington and bureaucrats for decade now and heard some doozies but this is at the top of the doozie list. and as a quick p.s., secretary, the disney folks do closely monitor those who wait on line. that's why they keep them curving and winding and have monitors to pass the time, because they know that people,-do well, if they wait on line long enough will start killing each other. that's neither her nor the

we are encouraging congress to fully fund the va at the requested level. more than 100 legislative proposals for va are in the presidents 2017 budget and 2018 advanced appropriations request. over 40 are new this year. they require congressional action. some are absolutely critical to maintaining our ability to purchase non- va care. mid-march, i testified to congress about the most important requirements to help us serve veterans better. we need the help of congress to modernize and clarifying the v.a. purchase authority and above all else, this needs to get done to ensure a strong foundation for veterans access o care in the community. we need congress to help streamline the v.a. care in the community. we have several different programs for care in the community and each one has their own specifications, their own criteria and repayment rates. not surprisingly, it's complicated for v.a. employees to administer an incredibly complicated for veterans to understand. last october, we submitted a plan to consolidate and simplify the overwhelming number of diff

let's make the va compete with other hmos and providers and remove the bur accuracy.e a dynamic place for the va to do business and i think health care will improve. >> i have the choice card that's been implemented but you say badly. >> right. the va has totally bungled the choice card implementation because they don't can't to see it expand ed. many doctors don't take the choice card and when the veterans are using the choice card their coverage is denied. ultimately we need to fully implement the program and give veterans true choice and freedom of where they can get their health care. >> what do you make of that story that it came out of congressman jolly's office that the va has more than 4,000 times over the last five years basically named a veteran, said that he or she was dead and then cut their benefits? >> it's a tragedy. it just shows you that a big government single payor system -- the va is basically a single payor system and big government agencies run rampant in government like that and it's in desperate need of reform. >> why is it getting worse? all t

>> well, chris, i've been clear for months that the problems at the va are unacceptable. and i have been outspoken on that. i've obviously worked when i was in the senate to help veterans and their families. i think we've got to tackle some of the problems that have come to light. i don't agree with republicans who want to use the problems as an excuse to privatize the va and hand it over to the private insurance system to deal with terrible challenges like ptsd and traumatic brain injury and the like. i think we've got to, and my plan that i put forward, provides for the va to purchase more care from the private sector, but to act more as a guide and guardian for veterans, coordinating their care and ensuring their health outcomes and i've been very proud and humbled to work with a lot of our veterans' advocates and activists to try to make sure that, if i'm fortunate enough to be president, i will come in immediately with a plan as to how we're going to deal with the problems that we've unearthed in the va, and do it in a very focused manner. >> you have -- your campaign

he needs to go get on the va medical system. put your money where your mouth is if you believe so in the care our veterans are getting. charles: disney does measure the amount of time people wait in line. >> i can't remember the last time someone died waiting in line to go to space mountain. what secretary mcdonald showed today is how out of touch he is with the deep rooted systemic problems. this is not a laughing matter. 22 veterans commit suicide every single day. even now at this point some veterans are calling the va suicide hotline and they are getting voicemail. some veterans have died waiting for their healthcare. those wait times and waitlists have been manipulated it's a disgrace that leader of the va who has been tasked with reform is treating is as such. charles: he was brought in as some sort of savior. >> he was brought in to reform the va. everyone had high hopes for mcdonald, i did. instead he has taken on this role where he's accepting the status quo, he's putting the va employees ahead of veterans they are suppo

the problem. will take time. you have to get a lot of dead wood. there are good va facilities. i go to in the western virginia, they're good, vast majority of places are not good. the horror stories are all true. sandra: we hear the horror stories, why isn't anybody held accountable for this? >> bingo. i think mcdonald has drunk the kool-aid from the administration. i was in phoenix a few weeks ago. phoenix is disaster. out there. john mccain, should go to the facility and say what have you done the senter? ought not to walk down the hallway after va medical facility and smell feces and urine. >> i never served a day in my life. you certainly have. there is nothing to me more important than serving the people that served us for all these years. the fact this continues to happen, i will take my partisan hat off, no excuse for this whatsoever. people should be fired. you're absolutely right. nobody is being held accountable, not enough are. veterans who served from world war ii going onwards absolutely not getting care. it is disgrace and un-american and stop doing something about

criticism today. >> when the va secretary comparing the lines at to lines at an amusement part? we were dumbfounded. this is not make believe. this is not disney land or wonder land for that matter. veterans have died waiting in line for their care. >> clearly, the secretary's comments were not worthy of the veterans he serves. >> the va secretary robert mcdonald is joining me now of the house speaker criticizing your analogy. >> you know, i am here and i took this job and i came out of retirement to take this job to fight for veterans and to transform the va to provide a better veterans experience. as you know, i went to west point and i was airborne ranger in the airborne division and i joined the proctor gamble worker f for a number of years. transforming the va and improving care. i am fighting for my brothers and sisters to who veterans. we are working hard. we get it, wait times are important. there are more to the veterans experience than just wait times. >> well, i want to give you a chance because a year ago, a little more than a year ago

the va scandal, the irs scandal. listen, it all comes down interest the top. >> with the va. ven and you don't change that no matter how bad the press is. you just don't. >> it is systemic. >> this type of stuff is just built into bureaucracy. i think there is a tint here to real people and their problems and they just don't care. >> in fact you are right. the bureaucracy doesn't care. >> literally made that up. >> the whole show neil. >> i'm kidding. go ahead. >> the bureaucracy isn't the person and the beaucracy definitely has its biases. it is very difficult to get those biases out. i'm not going to condone targeting any group liberal or conservative. --. >> after this segment we're flashing your e-mail on the screen. >> all kid -- this does seem to be a deafness to the way large institutions work. and i see it again and again. just totally ignorant of just reality -- >> that is absolutely right. talking about by and large groups of people who are doing just enough to not get fired. just like an office space. you know just enough to not feel thing anman's noose and that is

when he finally was able to see a specialist, he found out that the va wasn't paying these people on . and this has caused another problem with this program, is that some veterans when the providers don't get paid by the va, these providers try and bill the veterans. and hundreds of vets have had their credit ratings slashed because the va isn't paying the doctors who gave them care. >> sreenivasan: so what happens now? clearly trying to set up an entire health care network in 90 days, we should maybe learn from that. but what are members of congress trying to do? are there any new efforts to try to fix the fix? >> yeah, there are efforts under way to consolidate all the va's many programs for care outside va system. those are happening now. there have been a goal to get them done by memorial i da. i'm now hearing that sun likely. but there is also a lot of resentment in congress among people who drafted this that the va hasn't moved quickly enough on it. that it's now a year and a half in. and it is still not really delivering on what it promised to be. >> what about the veterans the

the potential here is enormous. va's the largest integrated health care system in the united states. over 1,200 health care facilities from large medical centers all the way to outpatient clinics. over 350,000 employees. 25,000 physicians. the largest employer of nurses in the country. affiliations with over 1,800 academic institutions. and more. a single electronic health record across the entire enterprise. a lifetime relationship with 9 million patients. a psychosocial support for homeless patients. integrated mental health care. an organic pharmacy system. organic geriatric care. besides health care va is veterans services for career transition support, education services, vocational rehabilitation, fiduciary services, pension resources, disability compensation, home loan guarantees, insurance, and much, much more. in the private sector if va's budget were its revenue, in private sector va would be fortune six, the sixth largest company in the country. the point is this -- the failure that manifested itself in mid-20

i don't need to remind you that our vets did die waiting in line for health care at the va. ught in to fix that and his comments yesterday have a lot of people questioning whether he's really sincere about the duty to do that, to fix the va. >> your reporting on this continues to push things forward. thanks so much. >>> we'll be right back. 't orden without checking the spice level. it really opens the passages. waiter. water. so why would you invest without checking brokercheck? check your broker with brokercheck. i like the bride more than the groom. turquois dresses... so excited. did all her exes get invited? no one's got moves like uncle joe. ♪ should i stay or should i go? ♪ when it's go, book with choice hotels and get a free $50 gift card for staying just two times. book direct at choicehotels.com. you always have a choice. new mirafiber from the makers of miralax. fall in love with a new daily fiber. it's the only fiber that supports regularity with dailycomfort fiber. so unlike others, mirafiber is less likely to cause unwanted gas. love your fiber. new mirafiber. i

look, the point is, is that va waiting times suck. ing them to disney's lines insults veterans, not disney. though perhaps it does insult disney veterans. (laughter) thank you, mulan for your service in defeating the hu ns. oh, and then there's this. >> there is a new g ao report which indicates that there are still very long wait times that, of 180 people who had been surveyed, of only 60 had gotten in for primary care. >> larry: only a third are getting care? look, if nothing else, by comparing the va to disney, the statement shows that getting the time for health care is the real fantasy. and what gives me about this is veterans wait for ever after fighting these wars but there is no weight at all to-- wait at all to sign up to get in the war. for more insight on this matter, we thought it would be interesting to talk to two nightly show staffers who are also army veterans, please welcome john jonathan ginter and benari poulten. you served two tours tours in afghanistan, you served three tours, one in iraq, afghanistan and guantanam

not only with the va but the public in general. and i also found it intriguing and hopeful that as more people get into care, the rate drops. that is the bottom line. another interesting point that it is not really just being deployed, it is a nonemployee in which you just mentioned as we have had this weighed on my mind all the time. just in this neighborhood where i grew up, upper-middle-class, the three families that had suicide, they went to good schools. the things that you would think would be the underlying factors. it is not just in the military. the military can lead on this with the opportunity to do that. but this is more than that. you mentioned the hipaa restrictions and the doctor who is a navy veteran, psychologist, he has a very good situation, i encourage you to take a look at it from the standpoint of being able to engage the family more readily and i think that that will help us not only at the va and also in the society. and you don't see many suicides taking place in theaters. they happen after. my feeling is t

you think about the va. it's supposed to be dedicated to serving our veterans. way that we as a grateful nation show our gratitude to those who have served and is not accessible and doesn't need to be that way. we can do better and we must do better. train to congresswoman, thank you very much for taking the time. in the meantime, and all things politics, the bernie sanders campaign has requested a recount in the presidential primary race where hillary clinton was deemed the winner by less than 1% of the vote. this is coming from the sanders senior advisor. so they won a recount. this is area unusual. and a couple of contests, we have never seen that done. now they wanted done. bernie sanders is a fighting man. more after this. a great part of using the usaa car buying service was seeing the different discounts. it had like a manufacturer discount, it had a usaa member discount. all of them were already built in to the low price. i know that i got a better deal than i would have on my own. usaa car buying service, powered by truecar. reporter: i am connell mcshan

>> i'm a customer through the va, 100% covered through the va as 14 years of service. has an extremely tough job, and i see the politicians with the empty rhetoric on social media accounts casting stones of this guy and most of them are bringing viable solutions to the table. in the s.e.a.l. teams, you could not complain unless you are prepared to bring a viable solution. problem in government today is the politicians and bureaucrats are focused on careerism and less on focusing on the hard problems the country faces. charles: eric, bureaucracy is built into the system now, i example the idea of perhaps a private sector person coming, in but i think they have to be able to run the place more like a private sector entity because if not, their hands are tied to the grid. >> we have to do something like that, if you don't have anyone who's accountable for the actions, for the wait times, for the wait times for veterans who have to wait six times to a year sometime for treatment, then they're not going to be answered. we have to take better care of our vets. mcdonald is a

two top officials from the va will be there. we will see what they say. >> kristin fisher live for us. thank you, kristin. >> an fbi agent's gun and badge stolen in san francisco. the agent seeing his back window smashed in and hand gun gone. neighbors calling these kinds of break ins an epidemic. kate stein lee was shot and killed by an illegal immigrant using an illegal gun stolen from a federal agent's car. >> a woman throws a metal object over the north gate. it happened moments after give ago memorial speech at arlington national cemetery. a woman who has not been identified is now under arrest. the object she through was apparently not dangerous. the preach comes as they push for a 14 foot white house barrier. >> president obama urging americans to remember the nation's fallen on memorial day. the commander-in-chief laying a breathe at the tomb of the unknowns. his comments on combat have people raising their eyebrows. >> iraq and our fight against isil, three americans have given their lives in combat on our behalf. today

we are encouraging congress to fully fund the va at the requested level. n 100 legislative proposals for va are in the presidents 2017 budget and 2018 advanced appropriations request. over 40 are new this year. they require congressional action. some are absolutely critical to maintaining our ability to purchase non- va care. mid-march, i testified to congress about the most important requirements to help us serve veterans better. we need the help of congress to modernize and clarifying the and purchase authority above all else, this needs to get done to ensure a strong foundation for veterans access to care in the community. we need congress to help streamline the v.a. care in the community. we have several different programs for care in the community and each one has their own specifications, their own criteria and repayment rates. not surprisingly, it's complicated for v.a. employees to administer an incredibly complicated for veterans to understand. last october, we submitted a plan to consolidate and simplify the overwhelming number of different progra

what really counts is how does the veteran feel about their encounter with the va. when you go to disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line? what's important. what's important, what's your satisfaction with the experience. and what i would like to move to eventually is that kind of measure. >> well, a wave of manufactured outrage and some of it real washed over mcdonald in the day since those inartful comments made headlines. the national commander of american legion blasted mcdonald saying people don't die waiting for space mountain. donald trump tweeted obama's va secretary says we shouldn't measure wait times. new hampshire senator kelly ayotte said she was shocked and outraged by the comparison. missouri senator roy blunt went as far as calling for his resignation. today in an interview with andrew mitan andrea mitchell, he said the following. >> if i was misunderstood, i am glad i have the opportunity to correct it. i am focused on one thing, better caring for veterans. that's my job. that's why i'm here. >> he released a statement at va we ta

the va and tsa need to be privatized to make them work. nd i'll make it happen. >> i was born in the soviet union. does the tsa say these are no joke zones. people physically assault you and go through your things. abc news had an article that said top 20 airports where the tsa steals from you. my friend jay had his watch stolen. there is no accountability. they look through the things, they pocket it. the first stinks from the head. this is culture corruption. there are disgusting thugs that will raise their voice to you. and it doesn't make us safer at all. kennedy: and the long lines, it's terrible. >> it's one thing for me to go through it. but to have my children there, throw out the little apple juice because you can't bring it apple juice. for some of these lines cities are deciding to bring in clowns to entertain people, and little ponies coming in. you talk about theater. and my kid will be terrified. kennedy: friday first lady will roll out nutrition fact labels. a group of scientists say the new label is misleading and demonizes

about their encounter with the va? of hours you wait in line? or the number -- you know, when's important? what's important is what you's your satisfaction with the experience? >> what has outraged a lot of people about that statement is that many people and the statistics show that wait times still a pretty big problem at the va and these are people waiting in line for medical care, not people waiting in line to ride a dumbo ride or something like that. just last month, the government accounting office said that new recruit, newly enrolled people in the va system, half of them they surveyed are not getting timely care at the va and when's worse, the gao confirmed what we have been reporting, it is so convoluted and complex of how the va measures the wait times, brooke, i don't think the va know what is their wait times are. >> wow. who has, drew, spoken out since the comments at this breakfast? i understand donald trump is one of the voices. >> almost immediately in terms of a tweet and donald trump tweeted out this. t

positive comments about the support that you're receiving at the va. to the number, that's of.ething i'm not aware maybe they want to keep it low you can get the quality care you need. i've been going to civilian for a number of years. the complaint is usually the reverse. ou get zero time with your doctor. they come in, ask you a couple of questions. don't really listen to you. way.ove on your my thought is probably the number that you heard is an attempt to actually have an with the veteran patients to find out really what the issues are to try to get to them. ttom of >> edith is up next. good morning to you. ahead. caller: yes. thank you so much. so much r, thank you for being there for your service. veteran.etnam-era first i want to just say i'm very happy with my services that va.ceived at the privatized.t the va i have recently found out about called concerned veterans of america, and it ppears that this group is actually funded by certain interests and people who want to privatize the va. like all the information they send out is anti the va. i t

about their encounter with the va. u go to disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line or the number, what's important? what's important is, what your satisfaction with the experience. >> many lawmakers and groups like concerned veterans for america have called on mcdonald to apologize and he had a chance to do that this morning. but he didn't. >> wait times are important. but they're not the only measure of veteran experience. and that's what's what veterans are telling us, we've talked to a lot of veterans. it's important. if i was misunderstood or if i said the wrong thing, i'm glad that i have an opportunity to correct it i'm only focused on one thing, that's better caring for veterans. that's my job, that's why i'm here. >> not a great comparison, making it to disneyland. >> he made a huge mistake. and -- no one is disputing the actual hard work of the doctors and the people who work there. what they are disputing is the wait times. what he was actually defending the wait times. by relating them to

the va secretary compares veterans waiting for care to people waiting on line to disneyland. tonight, calls for him to resign. >>> living with a mystery illness. not knowing what's wrong. tonight, celiac disease and the test that could change your life. >>> "nightly news" begins right now. >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening. for years, he made america laugh. whether has the jell-o pitchman or as the patriarch of the huxtable family. bill cosby's fall from grace among sexual allegations took a more serious turn today. cosby ordered to stand trial on criminal sexual assault charges. the comic icon facing the possibility of a ten-year prison sentence if convicted of a crime that allegedly occurred more than a decade ago. cosby's lawyers previewed just how they plan to discredit his accuser. nbc's stephanie gosk reports from the courthouse in pennsylvania. >> reporter: once america's dad, now turned defendant. bill cosby needed assistance walking into court today. despite his lawyers' best effor

. >> what really count is how does the veteran feel about their encounter with the va. en you go to disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line or the, you know, what's important? what's important is, what's your satisfaction with the experience. what i would like to move to eventually, is that kind of america sure. deirdre: he refused to apologize for the comments but issued this statement. if my comments monday led any veterans to believe that i or the dedicated workforce i am privileged to lead don't take that noble mission seriously, i deeply regret that. nothing could be further from the truth. with their take, my political power panel is here. "lifezette" senior political reporter ashley pratte. we have democratic pollster jessica tarlov. welcome to you all. so ashley, what do you make of mcdonald's statement, the first one and then what he assumes is context which many people find shocking for a west point idea? >> it just seems highly offensive, insensitive and disgusting in the face of so many heroes that have died waiting in line at the va. we

. >> what really counts is how the veteran feels about their encounter with the va. go to disney, do think measure the number of hours you wait in line? what is important, what is important what is your satisfaction with the experience and what i would like to move to eventually is that kind of measure. >> wow. richard blumenthal the top democrat on veterans affairs committee slamming those comments. >> quality of care and doing it without delay are both important, both care and timeliness are important. i'm not going to comment on comments. what is most important is action. >> wow. he went on to say off-camara that he is troubled by mcdonald's words. hopes there is better intent behind what he said. he looks forward to talking with mcdonald about what he really meant. meantime house speaker paul ryan tweeting, this is not make believe, mr. secretary. veterans have died waiting in those lines. harris faulkner, making the point they measure wait times at disney. harris: you have an app when you go to disney world to figure out which line you're willing to stand in bas

the va is teaming up with cvs to start up what they call minute clinics. the first one is here in the bay area. we'll tell you about the problem they're hoping to solve with this experiment. that story and more on our 6:00 newscast. >>> we're hoping this change, this dreary in some places, sunny in some places, depends on how far you drive. >> we'll pull through for the upcome weekend so warmer throughout friday saturday and sunday. for tomorrow morning, still a little cloudy and temperatures in the low 50s. >>> tonight, bill cosby ordered cosby ordered to stand trial on charges he drugged and sexually assaulted a woman. what prosecutors are revealing and what his defense is saying about his accuser. >>> tsa shakeup. the head of security forced out as outrage over long lines and his budget. >>> a widely debunked conspiracy theory. about the death of one of the clintons' closest friends. trump attacks bill clinton's history with women, what we found in the archives. >>> out of line. the va secretary compares veterans waiting for care to people waiting on lin

they know that they should do this and all of this, the peer-to-peer and then the training of the va is different from peer-to-peer and to me it is in the community and they do an excellent job. i have not heard enough of that with the female veterans. i have had several with them, and we have come up with the women's veterans memorial that we do every year, but they are not educated with what services are available. i don't understand why the women get such a fall out. they don't know what services are available and they don't really use them as a part of the system. so we really need to do some work in that area and we do want to hear about the vietnam veterans because when i went to this conference that is the one area that stood out. saying that the vietnam veterans are one of the highest groups committing suicide. because when they came back and so we need some special reach out. so the last thing that i want to mention is that we would like to give scholarships in that area. and to give them not just this but social work in other areas. and of course, to get the assistance maybe

right now the va is not working. they have the ability. they can do it right now. they can outsource. they choose not to keep everything in house and keep all the toys. you should be outsourcing all the mental health they can't handle. you should have 24/7 live coverage on suicide hotline. eliminate all bonuses. get rid of a lot of top-heavyweight picking up paycheck. there are angels works in the va, harris, but there are individuals picking up a check and our veterans are getting screwed. harris: you find that in all of government and. this could be a good thing for donald trump and easily backfires, if he walks out, there were critics and protesters outside, groups who were not agreeing with him going to step up to a lecturn and talk about this and have a comeback, if you will, he talked about them having gathered outside the trump tower. not everybody is in agreement this is a good thing. >> how do you argue with raising $6 million for veterans? i can tell you first-hand, i have done it, i have raised money for veterans groups and donated to veterans groups and

when you see a failure at an agency like the va or the tsa.otball since it inception. originally they were going to be federal workers, union prohibitions, unions fought their way in. it's been political football from day one. i think the people doing their jobs every day need to be given the tools to get the job done or this thing could get worse. >> tom, to you, since you are the former elected official. look, there is too many elected officials that seem to refusal when government doesn't work. >> when you are -- revel, when government doesn't work. >> when you are the out party it gives you talking points to try to get back in charge of government. we see the exaggeration from the out party at this point. governing is tough business. we take a lot of things for granted that don't automatically work smoothly. in tsa the traffic at different times is different at different airports and you are going to have times when it gets overloaded. you want to make sure this is not a soap opera and doesn't occur over a long period of time. >> quick bre

the va is one of the great catastrophes in this country. you look at what's happening in phoenix and different places throughout the country, where they're catching people stealing and they don't fire them. people are waiting five days, six days, seven days in line. they're dying while they're in line. i am in favor of if they can't get to a doctor within a reasonable period of time, they're going to see a doctor and the country will pay for it. they'll go to a private doctor or a public hospital or public doctor but someplace that can take care of them immediately. we're losing thousands of people waiting in line. and the veterans administration is run by obama just as incompetently as he's running our country. you look at the tsa, you look at what's going on at the airports. and you look at that. just take a look at that. that's like the veterans administration. nothing in our country works anymore. it's a mess. and maybe that's why i'm doing so well in the polls. yes. >> is privatization the answer? the veterans can use a card now and ge

. >> what really counts is how does the veteran feel about their encounter with the va? when you go to disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line or the number -- what's important? what's important is what's your satisfaction with the experience. lou: washington, where even well-meaning people go to get stupid, it seems. i'll have a few thoughts later in the broadcast. >>> top story tonight, donald trump returning to the campaign trail. the presumptive republican nominee has a rally at 7:00 p.m. local time in albuquerque, new mexico, we're just guessing here, he is likely to continue his attacks on bill and hillary clinton. it's also primary day for republicans in the state of washington. 44 delegates at stake. still there's political skulduggery underway apparently, and even such a beautiful place as washington state. but trump tonight is in new mexico, and so is fox news chief political correspondent carl cameron in albuquerque with our report. >> thanks, lou, donald trump is officially kicking off first fund-raising trip with stops in new mexico, cali

the head of the va refuses to apologize for this. >> this is not make-believe. not disneyland or wonderland for that matter. veterans have died waiting in line for their care. v melissa: the head of va getting slammed on capitol hill. robert mcdonald receiving heavy backlash after comparing length of time veterans wait for health care, to waiting in line at disney. >> when you go to disneyland, disneyland you aren't wondering if you are going to live long enough to make it to space mountain. clearly the va is not the happiest place on earth and veterans have died waiting in these lines. melissa: so that was the response obviously. mcdonald has since refused to apologize for what he said. here is jamie weinstein, daily caller, senior editor and dan henninger of "the wall street journal." dan, let me start with you, really unfortunate response there. >> poor metaphor. melissa: wait times. i mean what was he thinking? >> well i guess i was thinking, living in france or canada. i mean this is the argument people make for state-run medical systems. the good news is in