v.a. hospital in that congressional district. veterans in this part of kansas, they drive hours on end to get care or they simply go without it all together. over the past year, congress has repeatedly passed legislation designed to ease the burden for veterans who struggle to get health care from v.a. facilities in my state and yours and across the country. we were able in the wake of the scandal in which we learned across the country about the false waiting list in which veterans, the v.a. put people on a waiting list that didn't really exist. the scandal across our country allowed us as members of congress and the senate to come together, republicans and democrats, and we passed legislation called the choice act. this legislation allows veterans who can't get timely service to access that with an outside-of-the-v.a. provider. importantly for what i want to talk about today, if you are a veteran who lives more than 40 miles from a v.a. facility, then you can at your request have those se

blowing the whistle because of these internal v.a. e-mails saying that before he started his job of the unit in amarillo, texas last may as many as 70 veterans in amarillo alone had exams done by unqualified doctors. >> traumatic brain injury exams were done by people who were not supposed to do it. >> reporter: shortly after he did this interview he was demoted. after seeing amarillo e-mails technic media filed a freedom of information request for every v.a. hospital in the country to find out how many other veterans have been misdiagnosed. >> reporter: mike deeson. >>> ivy coaches are eliminating down on potential concussions. >>> rehab patients return to tampa general hospital this week to look at people who helped put their lives back together. 10 news reporter bobby lewis is on the road with the touching reunion. driver and left in the middle of the road for dead one night. >> reporter: when one door closes another opens. sometimes looking back helps you move forward. >> i had three ministrokes heart valve. >> reporter: many days

>> we are working with the leadership of the v.a. hopefully on a bill that should find its way to the floor of the senate. >> now, this facility is set to open the first week of april and the leadership here at the charlotte va told veterans they have begun making changes on feedback they have received from veterans. nick ochsner wbtv on your side. >> if and you have experienced trouble getting help or treatment from the v.a. we want go to wbtv.com and fill out the special form we have created to help. our call the tip line... >> charlotte firefighters are responding to a gas line break right now. let's get over to alex giles in the alert center. >> still getting information it's in south charlotte near the downs grant subdivision folks are having trouble getting into the subdivision because of the repair work. and they are telling us that truce daily place is where that work is happening and advising drivers they are working on it. and we are tracking it. if we get new information about that natural gas line cut in back to you. >> t

>>reporter: he was getting his treatment through the v.a. but it doesn't pay for service dogs, his family helped pick up the cost, there's also charities that can help, but for most veterans, it's just not an option. >> they're stuck in the v.a. system and trying to get better on their own. service dog like molly doesn't cost cheap, $25-35,000. a new bill by florida congressman called the paws act would have the v.a. start picking up the tab for service dogs for veterans with severe cases of post-traumatic stress. >> i think it's a very common sense bill. i think it will give veterans more options. and i do think that it could potentially save lives. >>reporter: now doing well in college, his service dog trained to notice when the nightmares are coming and wake him up. the restless nights, now rare. >> a dog, more than a pill can give you a sense of purpose, it gives you a reason to wake nup the -- up in morning. >>reporter: to get service dogs to other vets suffering like he was. >> if it pass as, the paws act would provide 10 million dolla

the v.a. was there for me. so i had, i applied for the vocational rehab program, was able to get it, was able to go to harvard business school. after harvard business school -- i wouldn't have been able to afford harvard business school any other way. was able to go there, and i went to mckenzie and became a partner there, turning around fortune 500 companies working with industrial-type companies. and then i kind of saw phoenix happening on the news and secretary shinseki, who was, you know, a bit of a hero of mine as originally an armor officer, he was the chief of staff at the time. and he became the chief of staff the same week that i came into, got commissioned and was the chief of staff throughout, somebody i always looked up to and admired. it was really unfortunate to see him have to resign. and i remember talking out loud saying, wow, you know, i'm working with all these companies and trying to turn around and transform the culture, and the v.a. needs that. the v.a. needs that. and th

the v.a. the v.a. believes this lack of connection is one of the reasons for this tragically high suicide rate. what specifically would you do as president to make sure that veterans in crisis are able to get the help they need? i first, let me say one out of four calls to our office is about a veteran here in florida that is struggling with the v.a. my brother is a veteran and he is struggling with the v.a. we heard a horrible story, a headline in the "usa today" and it says calls to the v.a. suicide hotline went to voice mail. about a few days ago we found out one of the veterans who left a voice mail committed suicide and they happened to call him back the day after he died. people need to be held accountable for this. one of the things i'm proudest of is in my time in the u.s. senate working with jeff miller here from florida in a bipartisan way, and i'll give him credit, bernie sanders was a part of this, we passed the v.a. accountability bill. what it does is it created now a law that gi

the denver v.a. hospital construction project, originally budgeted for just over $600 llion, is operating $800 million to $900 million over budget. over budget. the department of veterans affairs comes to a veterans affairs -- veterans' affairs committee hearing which i'm proud to serve on, and they say that they are operating off what they refer to as an artificial budget. has anyone ever heard of an artificial budget? i had one colleague who was asking for when she was going to get a timeline of when we'd have an actual budget. unable to get an answer, she asked a follow-up question, not trying to embarrass the department, she ended up asking the follow-up question of when she was going to get a timeline of when she was going to get a timeline of when we were going o have an actual budget. when $00 million to $900 -- $800 million to $900 million ends up getting spent overbudget, think of all that the -- the hundreds of veterans that in one county alone that could be helped for just $200,000. the mo

than 40 milesre from a v.a. facility or if your appointment with more than 30 days, we sent a choice card and that would give a veteran access to local doctors. the choice was to reduce the backlog, have veterans seen by health care professionals sooner , ensuring the highest quality. there are things -- kinks to that system that we are working out. about veterans health care in a vacuum outside of general health care. we've got to get rid of people who do not do their job. we have to be able to hire people and retain them into the system to serve our returning veterans. host: is there a way to keep the force at the same level you would like to keep it at while not spending more money? other areas in the pentagon's budget in the army's budget where money is being wasted? --st: we had this commission we did this about a year and a half ago. we asked for a look at that and the answer is yes. canhis year's bill, you expect to see acquisition reform. we are just not as agile as we need to be. we have a series of hea

under the v.a. guidelines and between the investigations and collecting all the evidence, it could take at least 270 days, maybe up to a year and a half for any action at all to take place. he's not going to be back in the e.r. but he will still have a job through the entire process. >> and we shouldn't wonder why all the exit polls here show anger with the u.s. government is the number one issue. trace, thank you. >> yeah. >> mitt romney sending shock waves across the political land field. he's going to give a speech tomorrow. our next guest congressman duncan. great to have you back on the real story. what do you think mitt romney. >> he had his chance. i'm not sure if he's trying to get revolved in the presidential race. let him say whatever he's going the to say. he's a good guy. >> we heard he's not going to put himself back in the race. you know last week he started attacking donald trump about his tax return saying he should release them even though he hadn't released his until after this poi

the v.a. finally reveals a way for soldiers to get an appointment. hack your way around the system to see a doctor. is this really the best way to fix wait times with the v.a.? we'll examine it because mornings, especially this morning, is better with friends. >>> busy three hours. >> we're talking about cuba, i said castors. castros. raul in charge there. >> he did not show up this morning. we have a lot to report. the president's got an historic journey. we've got the latest with the elections. arizona and utah go front and center. >>> meanwhile, the president meeting with raul castro in hopes of improving diplomatic ties. >> his visit is the first by a president to cuba in nearly nine decades. >> we have details. kevin, what do you have this morning? >> reporter: hey, great morning to be with all of you. an historic morning at least from the perspective that the united states and cuba are finally making another step forward. now that has good -- good connotations, especially if you're in th

he's struggling with the v.a. we heard a horrible story, a headline in the "usa today" and it says calls to the v.a. suicide hotline went to voice mail. about a few days ago we found out one of the veterans who left a voice mail committed suicide and they happened to call him back the day after he died. people need to be held accountable for this. one of the things i'm proudest of is in my time in the u.s. senate working with jeff miller here from florida in a bipartisan way, and bernie sanders was a part of this, we passed a v.a. accountability bill. it gives the v.a. secretary the power to fire people that aren't doing a good job. senior executives should be held accountable if the v.a. outreach isn't working. no one being held accountable. even though we passed that law, no one has been fired for outreached, for that call going to voice mail. when i am president, if you work at the v.a. and you are not doing your job, you will be fired from the v.a. >> as part of a an attempt to cut costs, the republicans voted

v.a. chair jeff miller has been fighting to have these investigations made public. >> it's time for v.a. to come clean and show all the cards that they have on the table. >> reporter: florida investigation investigations are the first in the country to be made public. in 71 cases nationwide, they found evidence though -- time manipulation. the hospital has known about this for a long time. i reached out to the orlando v.a. they sent us this long list of changes stla made since those incidents, including hiring more than 100 new staff members . >>> channel 9 was the first to tell you about plans to turn this jail work release center into is a homeless center. why the mayor just said there's no way it could work. >> we explain how today's super tuesday voting could impact the primary election. the lengths some republicans are willing to go to in order to keep trump from winning the nomination. >> and this 73-year-old man is at busch gardens, our appetite for fun never ends. and now, the food

veterans struggling with the v.a., veterans being treated as if the v.a.ing them a favor instead of the other way around. my brother is a veteran. he lives in jacksonville, florida. he was in the army. he was the seventh special forces green beret. one day, he jump out of an airplane and knocked out his front teeth. every few years, he has to have a dental claim filled. it is always a hassle. always a hassle. they asked him to prove it happened in the army. and he says it is the only time i jumped out of a plane. there is no accountability at the v.a. even though i passed a law that gives the president power to fire people that do not do their job, there is no accountability. two weeks ago, "usa today" had a headline that said calls to the v.a. suicide hotline were going to voicemail. no one was fired for that. three days ago, it was reported a veteran committed suicide and the day after he died they called him back. he had left a message on the voicemail. still no has been fired. this is an outrage. there are good people at the v.a., and we thank them for

so the treatment court has a team and you each got the v.a.nd community treatment providers to address those mental health and substance use concerns and it's about creating an environment of healing and recovery. so the veterans, individuals, can then return to society whole and contribute as we know all veterans. >> so it's not -- it sounds like you're getting away from punishment which is what our system tends to do in general. it's all about punishment. >> yes, ma'am. so certainly there is a -- an aspect of accountability. you will find that many of the prantds -- participants will tell you it has more requirements than if they were to have been incarcerated for six months or a year or lodge e where it's a typical routine, you get into the aspect of that. but there's a much great ever focus on the treatment and the rehabilitation rather than punishment. >> when was this created and how difficult was it to create it? >> certainly. so 2008 judge robert russell who is a judge in buffalo, new york, has a mental health court and a treatment tha

well, at the v.a., i worked with three v.a. secretaries.hat senator marcos did, you have to remember this. i see so many people talking about the v.a., and they do not know what they're talking about. one of the big problems is, i was an scs, senior executive service. i was equivalent to a general officer. but there is a problem that the v.a.. people, thereer ones that are high up are also scs is. you know can the truth of the matter is, the president -- not even a president can fire an scs they are career employees. this, the majority of the employees are very good. i was there for eight years in washington dc, every day. i can say this. percentage, if the secretary, and i have seen my boss so furious at some of those guys, that they cannot fire them. the senator did something that a lot of politicians did not see. it is so significant. he changed the law. scshanged the law where an does not have job security. if they do something wrong, the secretary of the v.a. can fire them. that has never happened in v.a. history. [applause] that is so

not the v.a. this bill recognizes that all the individuals who are eligible to have their cremated remains inurined in arlington national cementtary to include groups given veteran status in the g.i. bill, including the wasp, may do so. decades after congressman bogs -- boggs championed this legislation, i'm proud to continue louisiana's long tradition of support for these groups by co-sponsoring the bill. i thank most greatly congresswoman mcsally for introducing this very important piece of legislation and i urge my colleagues to support it. it is long past overdue that we recognize these women and men who serve this country. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from florida, ms. brown, is recognized. ms. brown: i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the chairman from florida is recognized. mr. miller: thank you very much. next i have one minute scheduled for mr. bost, a marine and member of our v.a. committee

a through bill to make the v.a. choice program permanent. >> we've been tracking the wait time numbers for two years. 6% of veterans in orlando are still waiting more than 30 days for an appointment. >> reporter: choice allows veterans to see private doctors if they have to wait longer than 30 days for an appointment or live farther than 40 miles from a clinic or hospital. it started as a response to a crisis. employees dealing with the problem of long waiting lists by manipulating data and falsifying paperwork. the program is set to expire next year. a group of bill to make the veterans' choice act permanent. >> i believe veterans should be able to choose in their community if there's a local provider they want to go to. they should have that choice. >> reporter: critics like concerned veterans for america say extending the choice act doesn't solve the underlying problems with the v.a. that still aren't fixed. >> it's a stopgap measure. it's never extended to be a comprehensive fix. and it's not going to be a compr

the v.a.'s dysfunctional bureaucrats need to be removed, and veterans should be allowed to have a voucher that gives them the privilege to go to their own doctors, doctors that are more concerned about health care than paperwork, and that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute mr. ellison: mr. speaker, i come to the well today to pay homage and honor to a great minnesotan and a member of this body, martin olaf sable was the congressperson who preceded me to represent the fifth congressional district, and i can say without any reservation at very, very few people can boast to be greater public servants than martin sable. martin sable served more than 40 years in public life, 28 years in congress. he was chair of the budget committee and he was also a good friend to all. i will say that he was -- was always gracious, well-mannered. he was

they believe it's covered by the v.a. because they are referred by the v.a.the va went pay so we are going to come after you, the veteran, for payment of that service. that's what's happening? >> correct. and you know what happened is that the congress left it up to the v.a. to implement the choice act and the v.a. has 182 billion reasons, the current budget, to make sure that the choice act fails to continue forcing veterans to just use thek& v.a. for their healthcare only. that's where the problem lies. >> yeah, brandon. i mean, debt collection is just the tip of the spear obviously veterans facing legislation like any veteran today. the v.a. continuing it one of them. problems with the choice card. you are inside the v.a. and still understand what's going on there. are we seeing any improvement on choice? any more opportunities for veterans or is the v.a. continuing to try to pull veterans back into the system? >> they are making sure that the choice act doesn't work. i mean, they are not answering the phones. i talk to veterans all day every day and they

so the v.a. is unlikely to stop prescribing them and because they have not been able to cut the number of overdoses, narcan is a last-ditch crisis management tool. >> this is something that it wouldn't hurt to have just in case of an emergency. >> the complication is that the drug that comes from the v.a. can sometimes lead people into heroin. >> yes, but certainly doesn't reduce our need to protect people. >> for boston, a nationwide narcan program can't arrive fast enough. >> i've lost a lot of friends to overdose. they weren't--some of them were the biggest addicts that i ever met in my life. but they were also fathers and brothers and sons and they were best friends. to lose somebody like that because the government has not come around yet is ridiculous. >> jacob ward, al jazeera, san francisco. >> fifa is accusing south africa. paying $10 million bribe to secure the 2010 world cup. the accusation by the governing body is in legal papers. 51 normal officials took bribes and stole money from t

veterans struggling with the v.a., veterans being treated as if the v.a.doing them a favor instead of the other way around. my brother is a veteran. he lives in jacksonville, florida. he was in the army. he was the seventh special forces green beret. one day, he jump out of an airplane and knocked out his front teeth. every few years, he has to have a dental claim filled. it is always a hassle. they asked him to prove it happened in the army. and he says it is the only time i jumped out of a plane. there is no accountability at the v.a. even though i passed a law that gives the print -- that gives the president to fire people that do a better job, there is no account ability. usa today" had a headline that said calls to the v.a. suicide hotline were going to voicemail. no one was fired for that. three days ago, it was reported a veteran committed suicide and the day after he died they called him back. he had left a message on the voicemail. still no has been fired. this is an outrage. there are good people at the v.a., and we thank them for what they do. b

so he went to the v.a. in d.c. for help. from the list of housing options he chose a group home, apparent non-profit 501(c)(3) to help veterans with the mental illness. >> i felt real good about being able to move in to my where i could have peals. >> funded for a v.a. community partner as part of a 6federal housing program. from that peaceful haven got $2500. but in the house he would not find peace. in court papers he cites awful living condition, leaking roof, cockroaches and the utilities often shut off. >> i laid in that basement for 12 days with no heat. one year after moving in he was again homeless. >> i was depressed and embarrassed. scared. i slept in cars and trucks. >> do you believe they failed this marine? >> there is a failure in the process. >> she represents smith against the founder martin. >> this population is vulnerable there mechanism to ver faye who the person is -- verify who the person is doing business with. >> the item -- i-team did digging. we learned it was not inspected as a rental property. the

v.a. and dhs -- you want me to do it? so, v.a. problem statement in a nutshell -- we are creating disabled veterans had a pace we -- at a pace that we cannot absorb into the rest of the system. you can probably guess the foreign-policy decisions. it has been overwhelming the rest of the system since then. backlog of disability claims at one point was 600,000 or so. the high water mark was hit around march 2014, just a few months before we came onto the scene. delayed disability claims in the case of the v.a. very often mean a last in treatment which could -- a lapse in treatment which could be physical therapy for a new amputee because we create a large number of people with that problem. hearing loss is common and mental health issues are common. untreated post-traumatic stress and depression is not only a life-threatening situation for the veteran, it is for a lot of people around the veteran as well. if you follow this part of a news, 2014 to 2015 or so, the job was try to make the processing of those disability claims more eff

this comes after an investigation found v.a. employees in orlando and daytona beach changed wait lists and held up veterans' access to care f. you're interested, you still have time to attend. the meeting ends at 8:00 tonight. >>> more fights at orange county schools, recorded on cellphone video. the response we got from district officials. >> and the fire that destroyed a lake county home and claimed the life of a teenaged boy. what we saw total strangers doing today to help that family. >> big changes coming with that next storm system. how rain >>> one day after we exposed this fight at a local middle school, another parent reached out to us to show us the same problem happening at her child's school. and even with the violence in these videos getting more severe, getting answers getting easier. [ screaming ] >> reporter: after eyewitnesses obtained this video of students showing punches and falling to the ground in the middle of the school day, district leaders told us in a statement today they're monitoring minor discipline

accountability act which gave the v.a. secretary the power to fire senior executives at the v.a.were not doing a good job and they are not using it. they're not firing anyone. when i am president, someone will be held accountable for you know who had to deal with the hassle those protesters and the ugliness? the police department. chicago police department and people with families at home and to go home to their kids. one of them had their head cracked open with some thoughts. --thugs. they are dealing with this every day. a story of three police officers being shot, one of them died. it was her first a on the job. she was a marine reserve. i think we should stop and think the police officers and firefighters and first responders for what they do for our country. [applause] senator rubio: as you can see, there is a lot of work to be done. we have problems. we can solve them all. i remember growing up, i said this of the debate the other night, my grandfather was a huge influence on our life or it he lived for us the first 13 years of my life before he passed away, and he would si

when she locked into a local v.a. organization, they took one look at her and offered her an application for military spouses. the executive director is here with us today and i love her to death. she is awesome. she would not acknowledge yourself like many of you do not do. she has served in the air force. she is the first female thunderbird pilot and is flown over two dozen combat missions. this is what nicole shared with us during the meeting. she said when she would tell people that she was a fighter pilot they often would not believe her. she would get into this back-and-forth thing and they would say, yes i am, no i am not , so finally she would just say, google me. every single female servicemember can sell stories like these. stories of misguided questions outdated assumptions and interactions with folks who for one reason or another one to believe they cannot just as well as a man. that theyan all agree are sacrificed so much and have served so bravely they should never have to a side -- either a competence.

did you know just as an example in 2014, the v.a.ave out $142 million in bonuses while our veterans are waiting in line to get health care. among some of the things that we have been able to pass in the house are bills, legislation, that hold the v.a. more accountable and provides the possibility for them to fire bad actors at the v.a. we have passed legislation that helps us be able to track poor performers at the v.a. personally, i put forth the federal employee accountability act where we have federal union workers, we now have over 200 of these in the v.a. alone hired to help our veterans but spend 100% of their time doing union work at the expense of our veterans. we put legislation to try to address that problem. we have been doing much. we can never repay our veterans what they have done for us. we can help going to parades or sending packages, but we can never repay them fully for the sacrifices they have made. we would not be here if not for our veterans. now is the time for us, now is the time for us to show our dedication,

did you know justs a an example n 2014, the v.a.out 1 2 million in bonuses while our veterans are waiting in line to get health care. among some of the things that we have been able to pass in the house are bills, legislation, that hold the v.a. more accountable and provides the possibility for them to fire bad actors at the v.a. we have passed legislation that helps us be able to track poor performer at the v.a. personally, i put forth the federal employee accountability act where we have federal union workers, we now have over 200 of these in the v.a. alone hired to help our veterans but spend 100% of their time to go union work at the expense of our veterans. we put legislation to try to address that problem. we have been doing much. we can never repay our veterans what they have done for us. e can help going to parades or sending packages, but we can never repay them fully for the sacrifices they have made. we would not be here. now is the time for us, now is the time for us to show our dedication, our respect and service for th

florida v.a. employees manipulated data showing how long veterans were waiting for appointments in daytona beach. will consider a proposal to revamp florida's death penalty system. that would give more power to juries over judge ises in death penalty cases. a court ruling called the current state's system unconstitutional because it gives judges too much power. >>> in the coming month of may, the state will attempt to move 81,000 more homeowners off its insurance and into the private market. the policy hoermsd can either accept -- holders can either accept or deny the private insurer's offer. >>> animal advocates told commissioners about their idea to keep animals safe. they're pushing for molly's law. molly the dog was nearly beaten to advocates want to make a registry. they believe it will keep abusers from owning pets again. >> the creation of molly's law will send a strong message that this florida county truly believes that all god's creatures deserve protection from torture and abuse. >> rep

us about problems may be you have experienced at the v.a. click the link to fill out our special form. >> a big award to a program your child may be part of. greater enrichment program has been named the community program of the year by north carolina center for after school programs. the 40-year-old charlotte nonprofit was given the award 15 minutes ago. the program helps provide educational out of school time for eligible at risk students. doing terrific work for a longtime. >> good for them. tonya rivens is watching the roads for us in the first alert traffic center. >> a lot of problems in south charlotte as we check in. this is i-77 and 485. your first alert traffic is sponsored by people's bank. a lot of problems around 485. an accident at 485 and providence road and notice in that intersection slow-moving traffic. it's right in the intersection. rea road is the better alternate route. to build as well. typical this time of day but it's heading towards i-77 from providence road. and two additional accidents we have one at caramel road

we need to ensure all of our veterans enroll in the v.a. system. so if you know a veteran, make sure to encourage him or her to register and actively seek help at the v.a. and if you know a veteran who served during the vietnam conflict, make sure you let that veteran know our country loves them and we really appreciate their service. you know, saying god bless america means that god has blessed america with the service of the vietnam veterans. and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: thank you very much, mr. speaker. at this time i'd like to yield as much time as he might consume to a very important person to our committee, an army veteran himself from the first district of tennessee, johnson city, as much time as he might consume, dr. roe. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. roe: thank you, mr. chairman. and thank you for your kind remarks, both the chairman and ranking member brown. it's a great honor to be here today, mr. speak

an internal report shows v.a.yees were negligent, but no one was disciplined. >>> march madness living up to its name in the opening round. take a look. >> looking for an angle -- mason is lethal! >> yale, yale of all the yfrt universities making its first apowerment in 54 years. tony bennett collapsing court side. he said he blacked out while crouching down. he was checked out and came back. >>> arizona coach miller sweating it out so much, the internet drowned in memes. the coach completely drenching his shirt that he had to change the halftime. now wonder his team got stuffed by wichita state 65-55. i think the geese cuys can rela. the ladies say ooh. >> under pressure. thank you very much. >>> coming up on this friday, caught on camera, a high school pep rally goes way off the rails. [ screaming ] >> yeah. you don't see that every day. a stuntman accidentally catches himself on fire in front of hundreds of students. how did that happen, and what happened next? stick around. >>> and donald trump is the master o

>> we pushed medicaid and ssi because the v.a. tab they were creating hadn't been done yet. >> they created 80,000 ineligible politicians. but the elite attorney says we're still investigating the allegations made by track phone, but it should be noted that at no point was elite responsible for approving applications or for the software used to approve applications. investigators have been reviewing the alleged deception for months. accountable? sources familiar with this case says the financial impact is >> ginger: out at the cape, launch teams are keeping a close eye on the water. >> in minutes, how the next cargo mission could help astronauts fight fires in space. >> julie: also an elaborate pranks in hopes of getting the girl to say yes. why a high school student coping with cancer says this means more than the date to the dance. >> ginger: but a smelly situation on the space coast. how hundreds of thousands of dead fish are washing up and how brevard county is teaming up to >> we're getting results on news 6 at 7:00 and on ou

today he's been able to hand over the keys to the old v.a. nursing center to the state. the center has been a swing space for outpatient treatment since 2013 but with the hiring of at least 150 new employees, the eighth facility in the network of state veterans' nursing homes will soon be able to open. >> everybody came together. it's not really a controversial matter, although some people could make it more difficult. but we succeeded. >> the governor and the cabinet march 29th before the center can open. once the timeline is set, the director says he hopes it will be ready for about a year. for now, veterans can find care at other state run facilities in daytona beach and land-o-lakes. starbucks sandwiches are being recalled today because they could be contaminated with listeria. >> matt: 250 locations across the country are affected by the recall. they were sold at starbucks stores in arkansas, texas and oklahoma on march 3rd and 4th and they were delivered to warehouses in many other states, not including florida. the f.d.a. is checking with all stores around the cou

>> the v.a.has been our test of socialized government-run health care. it is utterly failed. to think we'll take something that we imposed on roughly 21 million veterans and impose it on over 2,300 million americans -- 23 million americans, it will be an abject failure. those why people are fighting for choice for veterans, accountability, free market reforms so veterans are liberated to go any hospital where they may not be told the onus is on you to work hard to great your appointment. keep calling back. that's what the v.a. is telling these guys. >> quickly, what's the argument against choice for veterans? why shouldn't they be able to take the money the government spends on them for remembthem a spend it for the best health care? >> government employee unions and the v.a. bureaucracy that wants to continue to expand. all the policymakers, democratic congressmen and senators that defend them. that's the argument against reform. >> the unions, the most reliable group of support. i feel like i'v

we're seeing a v.a. that is dysfunction dysfunctional. a v.a. that is lying. one of the things we need is we need real accountability in the v.a. i give you my word, if i am president, there will be accountability in the v.a. those that have lied, those that have wrongfully denied care, they will be terminated. if they broke the law, they will be prosecuted. we also need reform in the v.a. so that veterans have the power to choose their own doctors. whether they want to choose the v.a. or a private doctor, there's no reason your son, jason, couldn't have gone to the doctor down the street. [ applause ] now, i agree with you, we need greater scrutiny, greater involvement preventing opioid abuse. you look at the prevalence of heroin and i would note this is a tragedy, roughly 50,000 people a year die of drug overdoses. more people in america die of drug overdoses than die in car crashes. and marv, i'm sorry to say, you and i are both members of a horrible club because i lost my sister, miriam, to a drug overdose so i've seen first han and it started when she was

and then the v.a. -- they don't help you out. it makes it worse.ou relive each moment over and over. so, each time they retaliate against you by... taking your benefits away or not allowing you to be seen, it reopens the wounds. >> mm, i'm so sorry. cacilia, we were talking off air about the retaliation and the problems that you're seeing, a kind of a theme that happens with people who are survivors of these attacks. you're seeing sort of the same thing. they get diagnosed with a certain type of disorder. >> right, and we've heard that a lot from servicemembers who have been assaulted, like heath, where, you know, once they are assaulted, then they have these -- instead of having ptsd from the military sexual trauma. they're diagnosed with pre-existing personality disorders. and because it pre-existed, the military, they don't -- the military doesn't have to provide any kind of compensation or treatment for the veterans, and so this is another form of punishment and retaliation that you see against servicemembers, and, unfortunately, retaliation is

a international group led by v.a. diction specialists is developing a program that would give any veteran at risk of abusing opiates and perhaps all veterans who are prescribed opiate pain killers another drug, as well. narcan. it con temporarily reverse an overdose from heroin or pills. >> opioid pain killers were invented to treat temporary sharp pain. pain killers like this have been prescribed as a standard means of treating chronic, long term pain. the alternatives, massage, physical therapy are more expensive and hard tore come by. >> 50% of people who come to the v.a. have chronic pain addiction. if every them has to go to a pain clinic, that's a lot of care. >> opioid pain killers are incredibly effective. the v.a. isn't likely to stop prescribing them. because they have not been able to cut the number which overdoses, narcan is a last ditch crisis management tool. >> this is something that, you know within it wouldn't hurt to have just in case of emergency. >> the complication rate is that the drug that comes

v.a. and dhs -- you want me to do it? so, v.a. problem statement in a nutshell -- we are creating disabled veterans had a pace we cannot absorb into the rest of the system. you can probably guess the foreign-policy decisions. it has been overwhelming the rest of the system since then. backlog of disability claims at one point was 600,000 or so. the high water mark was hit around march 2014, just a few months before we came onto the scene. delayed disability claims in the case of the v.a. very often mean a last in treatment which could be physical therapy for a new amputee because we create a large number of people with that problem. hearing loss is common and mental health issues are common. untreated post-traumatic stress and depression is not only a life-threatening situation for the veteran, it is for a lot of people around the veteran as well. if you follow this part of a news, 2014 to 2015 or so, the job was try to make the processing of those disability claims more efficient. and the appeals to the disability claims more eff

that is, if you work at the v.a. and you are a senior executive and you are not doing a good job, we should have the power to fire you. and we passed that. [applause] donald trump says he cares about veterans, but what is his record? his record was that he asked the city of new york to evict homeless veterans because they were a nuisance in front of trump tower. [booing] event inkipped the iowa -- you know much money they got out of that? zip. they are not props. we are going to take care of our veterans. when i'm president -- there are good people at the v.a. but if you're not doing a good job, you will be fired. [applause] when i am president, our veterans will not be baking theg the v.a. for benefits. when i am president, veterans will be able to go to any hospital or any doctor they want to go to. [applause] way, i was in virginia last night, or all day. we had five stops there. we were reminded many of our veterans do not stop serving when they come home. if you go to any fire station in america, you will need v

we will change what doesn't work in the v.a.eterans deserve nothing less than world-class health care. we will not let the republicans privatize the v.a. and we will not let them privatize social security. [applause] hillary clinton: i want the young people here to believe and know that the social security trust fund will be there for you when you get to the age where you can draw from it. i will keep working for sensible gun safety measures. [applause] hillary clinton: i am absolutely amazed at the refusal of the gun lobby to work to try to protect lives. you can do that in a constitutional manner, make no mistake about it. our country did it for about 200 years. we have to get back to doing it together. let me say a quick word about foreign relations and national security. when you go to vote tomorrow, you are voting for president but you are also voting for a commander in chief. [applause] hillary clinton: i want to make a serious point about defeating terrorism, particularly at terrorist network like isis. we have to lead an

v.a. youn the are a senior executive and you are not doing a good job, which have the power to fire you. we passed that. [applause] donald trump's record was he asked the city of new york to a good homeless veterans because they were a nuisance in front of trump tower. know how much money they got added that any previous event? zip. they are not props. we are going to take care of our veterans. when i'm president -- there are ifd people at the v.a. but you're not doing a good job, you will be fired. [applause] mr. rubio: when i'm president, i veterans will not be begging the v.a. for benefits. veterans will be able to take their then if it's to any hospital or doctor they want to go to. i was in virginia last night all day. we had five stops there. many of ournded veterans do not stop serving when they come home. if you go to any fire station in america, w

the inspector general has said it found evidence of wrongdoing at 51 different v.a. hospitals and clinics. but specific information about what happened and where it happened has not been released divorces are working to protect the identities of sources and patient information. >>> weather and traffic every 10 minutes. >> here's meteorologist keith monday in severe weather center 9. we are already starting off pretty decent out there. >> more wild weather than we have seen, a few clouds in place should set the stage for nice skies. 52 charlotte, salisbury at 50. a good stretch around the metro. some folks much cooler, 36 at boone. jefferson at 50. a big jump in the numbs is working its way in. we are back in the 50s by 9:00. near 70 already at noon. the high yesterday was only at 68. i say only because we are already going to be there by lunch time today with highs in the mid-70s. well above average for this look how high we go above average. all week long in the 70s for wednesday and thursday. i high clouds will be the only thing that will keep us from seeing 80 deg

mikey: he has been a big part of the v.a. effort. the short version of dhs is the process by which you enter the united states on either in immigrant visa or not immigrant visa. either way, particularly for those trying to become american citizens, the process is incredibly difficult. it involves interacting with a lot of different bureaus of the u.s. government, all of whom have acted like they have never heard of each other before when you interact with them. you get something from one place and you physically carry it to the next government office when you give it to them. sometimes you have to carry a package of papers in a sealed bag you are not allowed to open. it is like the border crossing. you have to pay fees at a half-dozen places. each of those fees will be a different amount to figure out to interact with a different payment system. you might be able to use a credit card or might not. you have create a new login and password each time. all of this is all true of the process. we came along to the side of an existing initi

they come in with all the needs that a veteran would, but they don't have any access to the v.a. that's the other thing i can't stand. he's not a veteran legally speaking, he's just an immigrant. a refugee from afghanistan who had an interesting life experience but of the 56,000 organizations that exist in the united states of america to help folks like me come home and heal from war and reintegrate, not a single one will recognize his service. >> before it was really worse. it's now like the reform one. they made it look good. >> because which his injury, ahmed had a hard time keeping to job that needed physical labor. he was packaging food at the time and soon fell behind on his rent. >> this is the sheriff notice of eviction they sent me when i was getting all the surgeries and couldn't afford to pay my bills. this is one, this is the other one. they send me to the court and they say you have to pay like this is something, 1900 on this and they said you have to pay 1500 of this in one week. at that time, i was -- my hand was just hanging like this in court. >> did anyone care