Transcripts For CNNW Early Start With John Berman And Christine Romans 20140509

Coverup that the white house has been hiding evidence and coaching major players, including former u. N. Ambassador, now National Security adviser susan rice, coaching them really to mislead the american people, even lie about what happened. House Speaker John Boehner has offered democrats five spots on this committee. The republicans will have seven spots, something he says is fair, given what former House Speaker nancy pelosi did when she was in charge. This is a Serious Investigation that we wanted to Work Together to get to the truth. I think the 75 split is eminently fair, frankly, fairer than her Global Warming committee that she set up. Instead of debating the minimum wage, were getting maximum partisanship. Instead of creating a select committee on job creation, were voting to create a select committee on benghazi, shamefully playing politics with a terrible tragedy. Now, there had been talk that the democrats would simply boycott this select committee. Now, however, several prominent democrats are saying they think they should be included, they should put some people on this committee, just, if nothing else, to get on the record with their opposition to whats happening there. House Speaker John Boehner expected to name his choices for the committee today. And again, democrats make the decision about whether to join at all today. Now to the new developments in a shocking cnn investigation into the veterans administration. Va secretary Eric Shinseki has now ordered a facetoface audit at all va clinics after accusations first reported on cnn that some veterans died while waiting for care at va facilities. Because its alleged those hospitals kept some patients waiting months, months without seeing doctors. Now investigators are poring over the books at the san antonio va hospital after a clerk came forward with his own allegations, telling cnns drew griffin that he was told to change records to make it look like patients werent waiting longer than 14 days. Listen. What wed been instructed was that the theyre not saying fudge. Theres no secret wait list. But what theyve done is come out and just say zero out that date. Theres been a report the following day, if someone has a wait period thats longer than 14 days. The standard is the 1 to 14 days within the timeline of a desired date. Irregardless of when the appointment doesnt matter when. Took place. A house panel has now subpoenaed the va secretary to see his emails and what he knew about these alleged scheduling delays. Eric shinseki insists he will not resign and the white house says the president has complete confidence in him. The other major story were following this morning in nigeria, where today more u. S. Personnel are expected to join the efforts to find hundreds of girls kidnapped by the terror group boko haram. There are already dozens of u. S. Experts and advisers on the ground, part of an Interagency Team trying to help the Nigerian Government track these girls down. But the pentagon now says it thinks that the girls have been split up into smaller groups, and there are growing worries they may have already been moved into neighboring countries. Vladimir duthiers is live in abuja with the very latest. And vlad, if they have been split up, if they have been moved, it will make them much, much harder to find. Reporter yeah, john. For the parents in chibok, this is their worst nightmare. In fact, they have said all along that they believe that this was going to happen. They believe that their children, their girls would be taken out of nigeria into neighboring cameroon, chad and niger, very porous border between those countries, very little security. Boko haram operates freely along that border. In fact, the sambisa forest, where it is believed they initially took the girls, is a boko haram stronghold. So, real fear for the parents that they may never seen these children again as theyve been split up across three different countries, john. Nevertheless, give me a sense of the current u. S. Involvement in this effort, vlad. Reporter what we know, john, is that another seven u. S. Military personnel are set to arrive either today or in the next couple days, joining a team of 11 thats already on the ground. Eventually, with the experts, advisers that will be coming in, were looking at a team of about 50 or 60. Were not talking combat troops, just in an advisory role to provide logistical support, intelligence, mapping technologies, and theyre going to need it because this is an area where the Nigerian Military has not been very active. As i said, this is a boko haram stronghold. And every time they try to approach that forest, were told that they get pushed back, because youre talking about trying to mount an offensive operation, searchandrescue operation, on a heavily fortified defensive position. Its known that boko haram uses rocketpropelled grenade launchers, armored personnel carriers, so its going to be very difficult, but the u. S. Is there to provide that help and hopefully, it will lead to some kind of positive resolution there, john. Vlad, were finally now hearing a lot about this story in the United States and around the world. Theres a lot of focus on bring our girls back. Give me a sense of how dominant the story is inside nigeria right now. Reporter well, its become the dominant story, and i think that is a credit to the people on social media who got this bringbackourgirls going. And i think whats really interesting, john, here on the ground, is that for the very first time, although the press has been very present reporting the long line of atrocities committed by boko haram since 2009, this is the first time that the International Community has said, hey, wait a second, what is going on in nigeria . 1,500 People Killed in the first three months of the year, girls that have been abducted before this particular incident, and were just learning about this now . Thats primarily because the Nigerian Government tends to keep a tight lid as to what exactly is happening in northeastern nigeria and what theyre doing. So, now i think youre going to start seeing the fact that theyre admitting that they need help and that they dont know where these girls are is a very positive sign and a credit to the social media campaign. Its also credit to work like yours, reporting on this tragedy inside nigeria, and we do appreciate you being there, vlad. All right, today much of ukraine is on edge as it pauses to mark a major holiday, victory day celebrates the soviet unions defeat of nazi germany. In odessa, kharkiv and kiev, stores are closed, Public Events canceled amid worries of potential violence as separatists move ahead with a planned independence vote this weekend, that as moscow celebrates with a huge parade, possibly a victory lap for Vladimir Putin. Senior International Correspondent Matthew Chance is live in moscows red square this morning. Matthew, whats the latest there . Reporter well, were just outside red square, christine. You can see theres still a few diehard stragglers of this victory day parade that are staying around, but for the most part, its dispersed. The parade is over. It was a dramatic display, as always, as it is every year, of Russian Military might. We saw battle tanks parading through red square, troops, missile launchers, even Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles to great applause and great cheers, as people celebrate and commemorate that victory of the soviet union over nazi germany 69 years ago. Its become Something Else as well, though, this year. There is a rise in not Just National pride but National Position in russia over the course of the last 12 months or so, particularly since the events in ukraine and when russia in march annexed crimea, making it part of the russian federation. Thats something thats broadly supported here. There was even some support in the crowd in those moments of emotion for russia going across the border into Eastern Ukraine. Some of the crowd was shout iin lets go to luhansk, that town, that city in Eastern Ukraine that is part of that country across the border from russia. So, you know, a lot of nationalism, a lot of National Pride being displayed here on the streets of moscow, the russian capital, elsewhere as well. Other countries when theyre looking at this, particularly former soviet countries, do so with a great deal of concern that russia is once again on the rise, christine. All right. A resurgent russia and a very popular Vladimir Putin. Thank you so much, Matthew Chance. And a big question this morning whether Vladimir Putin is on his way to crimea to celebrate this holiday. I know. That would really be a poke in the eye, wouldnt it, the International Community . A lot of rumors on that and well tell you if and when it happens. Meanwhile, president obamas choice to head the department of health and Human Services may be a step closer to confirmation. Sylvia burwell received mostly good, cheery feelings before a house committee, including from republicans who sliys say they dislike obamacare. Senator john mccain called her qualified but compared her job to steering the titanic. A vote on sending her nomination to the full senate is expected before memorial day. New details this morning of Timothy Geithners time as treasury secretary, revealed in his new memoir. Associated press and the New York Times say geithner thought about stepping down in 2010 and wanted the president to name Hillary Clinton as his successor. In that memoir due out next week, geithner details the darkest days of the recession, pushing back against critics who say the administration favored big banks over average americans. He writes, they had to save the banks first to stop the entire economy from collapsing. A bill to end the nsas bulk collection of phone data is headed to the house floor following a unanimous vote by the house telts intelligence committee. The usa freedom act would bar the bulk collection of phone records, financial, health and other personal collection and require the ns toonk seek a judges permission to access the phone data of a suspected terrorist. European stocks trading lower right now. Futures in the u. S. Pointing to a lower open as well. The dows up slightly for the week, as the index hovers right around that record. That record were watching, 16,580. Two big deal stories to tell you about this morning. A 35 million merger between advertising giants is off. Omni com publicist. The two companies saying they cant see completing the deal any time soon. Thats a visual representation of a deal not happening right there. Thats what it looks like when theres a merger breakup. On the other hand, apple is reportedly looking to buy beats by dre. The Financial Times says they may pay 3. 5 billion for the headphone and speaker company, a high price tag for cool. As of late last year, beats is valued at about a billion bucks. We should have a graphic of a little heart between them to keep consistent. Cupid arrows or breakups. This morning were hearing what could be Donald Sterling defending himself against charges of racism, this in a new audio recording released by radar online. Now, cnn cannot confirm the voice on the tape is definitely sterling, but if it is, its the first were hearing from him since he was banned for life by the nba. Sterling said to be talking in this recording to an unnamed friend, telling him, im not a racist, insisting anyone who knows where he came from knows thats true. So, listen to this. I grew up in east l. A. East l. A. , youd die to get out of there. I got out of east l. A. I was the president of the high school there. I mean, and im a jew and 50 of the people there were black and 40 were hispanic. You ever been to Boyle Heights . Yeah, yeah, ive been to Boyle Heights. So, i mean, people must have a good feeling for me. So, the nba commissioner is pushing the owners to force Donald Sterling to sell the clippers, but an attorney now for sterlings wife, shelly, tells cnn that she is a coowner of the team and has every intention of keeping it that way. Mrs. Sterling wants to retain her ownership interests in the team. She has enough money in her life and for her children and grandchildren. Shes passionate about her ownership of this team. She loves the team. Players love her. Doc rivers has been very supportive of her. And shes supportive of them. Mrs. Sterling wants to retain her 50 ownership interest in her lifetime. This is going to get very, very interesting. As for the clippers themselves, you know, the Basketball Team that plays basketball in the playoffs . Game three of their playoff series with the Oklahoma City thunder tonight in los angeles. The series now tied at a game apiece. All right, big news overnight from the nfl draft. And if youre a browns fan, youre probably still celebrating this morning. Johnny football coming to cleveland. The browns grabbed Quarterback Johnny Manziel with the 22nd pick, john, in the draft . Thats far below the spot most of them thought the former Heisman Trophy winner would go. And the browns are not the team most thought would take him. Houston with its first pick chose defensive end jadeveon clowney. Now, i stayed up through eight picks, because i wanted to see where he would go and i lasted through eight. Once he didnt go there, i was like, oh, boy, i cant stay awake because this will go on a long time. Glad i didnt. 22nd, lower than people thought. Happening right now, severe storms terrorizing millions across the country. Danger in the forecast from the south all the way to the northeast. It could be a dangerous, dangerous weekend. Indra petersons tracking whats happening right now and whats headed your way, right after the break. 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I was taking warfarin but wondered, could i focus on Something Better . My doctor told me about eliquis for three Important Reasons. One, in a Clinical Trial eliquis was proven to reduce the risk of stroke better than warfarin. Two, eliquis had less major bleeding than warfarin. And three, unlike warfarin theres no routine blood testing. [ male announcer ] dont stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. Eliquis can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. Dont take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. While taking eliquis you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. Seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding like unusual bruising. Eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. Tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. Those three Important Reasons are why im shooting for Something Better. Eliquis. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor today if eliquis is right for you. Woman this is not exactly what i expected. Man definitely more murdery than the reviews said. Captain obvious this is a creepy room. Man oh hey, captain obvious. Captain obvious you should have used hotels. Com. Their genuine guest reviews are written by guests who have genuinely stayed there. Instead of people who lie on the internet. Son look, a finger. Captain thats unsettling. Man you think . Captain all the time. Except when i sleep. Which i would not do here. Hotels. Com would have mentioned the finger. All right, important weather news to tell you about this friday. This morning, millions of people in the path of what could be some serious and very dangerous storms. Look at this map here, the areas in red. A Severe Weather threat aimed squarely at the middle part of the country, from texas all the way to indiana. Its going to be a dangerous day. These storms already putting tornadoes on the ground in the midwest. Take a look at this incredible video from st. James, minnesota. About 120 miles southwest of minneapolis. Just one of many twisters reported throughout the day on thursday. Luckily, no injuries have been repo reported. The dallas area hoping to dry out today after being drenched with more than 5 inches of rain and intense winds. Officials say these winds were responsible for destroying this mobile home about 50 miles from ft. Worth. Windows shattered throughout the region and residents really just terrified by what they saw. The wind was blowing so extremely hard. And i shut my front door, locked the door, and the next thing you know, i ran in the bathroom, and then i just hear my house going clink, clink, clink, clink, just shaking take a look at pictures from Oklahoma City, the rain pretty deep. Lakes on the roads thousands lost power at the height of the storm. I just cant believe how many people drive through that water. I know. Its a very bad idea. So, whats next . Whats coming your way . This weekend, of course, mothers day heading this way. Indra petersons, give us a sense what were looking at. The number today, 27. 27 Million People have the threat for Severe Weather today. Its shifted a little bit farther to the east as were following that cold front progressing to the east. So, today, if youre from indianapolis stretching all the way back down through san antonio, were still lookin at the threat for really strong thunderstorms. Threat for isolated tornadoes will be out there, not as strong as we saw yesterday. Nonetheless, still very large hail and even damaging wind will be in the forecast, especially as you go into the afternoon. Now, yes, its mothers day weekend. Everyone wants to know, is it going to be nice this weekend . Kind of a mixed bag. It depends. Take a look at your city. If youre on the east coast, what are we looking at . Today, warm front, rain, not as strong. Tomorrow the cold front moves in, a little bit stronger rain. Mothers day, actually getting a little bit of a break. Midwest, its the other way around, a cold front today, then a break on saturday and the Severe Weather threat on sunday. There are two systems out there. So day by day, heres friday, everyone seeing some showers of some kind for the most part, midwest all the way into the east coast. Temperatures a mixed bag. By saturday, its following that cold front. Look at the temperatures. Look how warm you are. 80 degrees expected out towards new york city, even atlanta and even new orleans, so that looks good. Then by sunday, although you had a break in the midwest, here come the showers and the threat for Severe Weather also out towards the midwest by sunday, so thats the concern. Rain not too heavy, but under a thunderstorm, you get the heavier rain as well. Watch for that. Indra petersons, thanks. New developments following that botched lethal injection in oklahoma. The state has agreed to a 180day stay of execution for another inmate. He was scheduled to die on the same day last week. Right now, investigators are still looking into the april 29th execution of this man, clayton lockett. He died 43 minutes after his execution began. Prosecutors say charles warner, convicted of raping and killing an 11monthold baby girl, he should die in november. Florida police now say four people found dead in a burnedout mansion owned by former tennis star james blake, they say they had been shot. Blake rented the tampa area home to a family of four. Police described the victims as two adults and two teens. There is new Surveillance Video of a man believed to be the father buying a large amount of fireworks. Police say he also bought several gas cans. The fire is believed to have been set on purpose. Ringling brothers barnum and bailey circus getting back in the act last night in connecticut. The circus staging its first show since nine performers were injured in a terrifying accident last week in rhode island, but not on display last night was the hair hang act. That was the act that sent the acrobats plunging some 30 feet to the ground when a single, 5inch clamp snapped. Seven performers remain in the hospital, two in serious condition. Big sports news. Johnny football in a free fall as team after team after team times 22 wow. Passes over him in the nfl draft. So, why not take the former Heisman Trophy winner . Whats going on here . We will have the explanation for you coming up in the bleacher report, next. [ female announcer ] hands were made for playing. Legs, for crossing. Feet. Splashing. Better things than the joint pain and swelling of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. If youre trying to manage your ra, now may be the time to ask about xeljanz. Xeljanz tofacitinib is a small pill, not an injection or infusion, for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. Xeljanz is an ra medicine that can enter cells and disrupt jak pathways, that comes with ra. Xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers have happened in patients taking xeljanz. Dont start xeljanz if you have any kind of infection, unless ok with your doctor. Tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. Your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz, and routinely check certain liver tests. Tell your doctor if you have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common, and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, and if you are pregnant, or plan to be. Taken twice daily, xeljanz can reduce the joint pain and swelling of moderate to severe ra, even without methotrexate. Ask if xeljanz is right for you. Of moderate to severe ra, even without methotrexate. Sea captain theres a narratorstorm cominhe storm narrator that whipped through the turbine which poured. Surplus energy into the plant which generously lowered its price and tipped off the house which used all that energy to stay warm through the storm. Chipmunk theres a bad storm comin narrator the internet of everything is changing how energy works. Is your Network Ready . agent ill walk you guys through every step. There are a lot of buyers for a house like yours. husband thats good to know. I dont always have timeh to eat like i should. Thats why i like glucerna shakes. They have slowly digestible carbs to help minimize blood sugar spikes. [male announcer] glucerna. So, if youre what ysleeping in your is youcontact lenses, ask about the air optix® contacts so breathable theyre approved for up to 30 nights of continuous wear. Ask your doctor about Safety Information as serious eye problems may occur. Visit airoptix. Com for a free onemonth trial. All right, after months and months and months of buildup, the nfl draft finally under way. And ive got to tell you, there were a lot of surprises, and no doubt, the Biggest Surprise is just how far Johnny Manziel dropped in this draft. Yeah, he will be a cleveland brown. Brian mcfayden is here to tell us all the draft day drama. Say that five times fast on a friday, in this mornings bleacher report. Good morning. Good morning to you guys. 32 picks down, 224 to go. Lets start at the top of the list with the first pick. The Houston Texans took South Carolina defensive end jadeveon clowney. Scouts say hes a once in a generation player, but there was some criticism of clowneys work ethic last season and questions whether the texans would trade the number one slot. Meantime, texas a m quarterback and 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel had to wait longer than expected but eventually was drafted 22nd by the cleveland browns. Rounds two and three are coming up later tonight. The fourth through seventh rounds take place tomorrow afternoon. The miami heat continue their perfect run through the nba playoffs. They beat the Brooklyn Nets 9482 last night. Lebron james led the way for the home team with 22 points. The heat lead the series two games to none. Game three is tomorrow night in brooklyn. And san antonio looks like a team on a mission. Seven spurs players scored in double digits to blow out the trail bladers 11497. Portland will try to dig themselves out of a twogame hole at home tomorrow night. Back to you guys. All right. Thank you so much for that. What a long night. Very, very long night, but you know where tom brady went in the draft, by the way . Where . He was the 199th player selected in the nfl draft. Really . He went in the sixth round. So, all you people all worked up about this, the very best player in the history of ever went in the sixth round at 199. And you know so much useless information about the patriots, its ridiculous. Very, very useful to me. All right, the white house accused in a terror attack coverup. Now gop leaders in congress say theyre finally going to get to the bottom of it. Thats next. [ male announcer ] this is jim. A man who doesnt stand still. But jim has afib, atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. That puts jim at a greater risk of stroke. For years, jims medicine tied him to a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. But now, with onceaday xarelto jims on the move. Jims doctor recommended xarelto. Like warfarin, xarelto is proven effective to reduce afibrelated stroke risk. But xarelto is the first and only onceaday prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem that doesnt require routine blood monitoring. So jims not tied to that monitoring routine. [ gps ] proceed to the designated route. Not today. [ male announcer ] for patients currently well managed on warfarin there is limited information on how xarelto and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. Xarelto is just one pill a day taken with the evening meal. Plus, with no known dietary restrictions, jim can eat the Healthy Foods he likes. Do not stop taking xarelto, rivaroxaban, without talking to the doctor who prescribes it as this may increase the risk of having a stroke. Get help right away if you develop any symptoms like bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. You may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take xarelto with aspirin products, nsaids, or blood thinners. Talk to your doctor before taking xarelto if you have abnormal bleeding. Xarelto can cause bleeding, which can be serious and rarely may lead to death. You are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. Tell your doctors you are taking xarelto before any planned medical or dental procedures. Before starting xarelto, tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. Xarelto is not for patients with artificial heart valves. Jim changed his routine. Ask your doctor about xarelto. Onceaday xarelto means no regular blood monitoring no known dietary restrictions. For more information and savings options, call 1888xarelto or visit goxarelto. Com. Happening now, a new investigation into the 2012 benghazi terror attack that killed four americans. The house gop leading the charge. This morning, Congress Republicans say theyre amping up to unearth what they believe to be a white house coverup. Democrats, for their part, with a crucial decision today that could change everything. New developments after an investigation first on cnn. Va hospitals now getting audited after a series of health care delays cost some veterans their lives. And there are new allegations this may have happened in a lot more places than first thought. New fears in nigeria this morning that hundreds of young girls kidnapped by terrorists have been split up, moved throughout the region. This morning more u. S. Investigators are arriving, hoping to help find these girls and bring the captors to justice. Were live on the very latest, next. Welcome back to early start, everyone. Im john berman. Im christine romans. Its 31 minutes past the hour this friday morning. And it could be a critical day in washington, now that the house has officially voted to launch its own investigation into what happened in benghazi. The deadly attack on a diplomatic outpost left these four men, the u. S. Ambassador to libya and three state department employees, dead. Today, house Speaker John Boehner set to name his choices to serve on a select committee, a committee looking into the attack and whether the white house is covering up the facts about it. But democrats are threatening to not even take part, calling the committee a political witch hunt. Theyre going to meet this morning to debate and decide what their next steps will be. But boehner is defending this committee, despite questions over whether all of this is motivated by the upcoming election. Four americans died in benghazi. Should the nrcc fundraise off of your efforts with the select committee . Our focus is on getting the answers to those families who lost their loved ones, period. Should the nrcc theres fundraising out there right now. Is that our focus is getting the truth for these four families and for the american people. Republicans have alleged the white house knowingly distorted the reasons for the attack and encouraged former u. N. Ambassador susan rice to lie about what happened. Shes now the president s National Security adviser. Democrats say its unfair republicans are only offering them five seats on the committee while the Majority Party will have seven. This morning, disturbing, new developments in a story first brought to you right here on cnn. A shocking investigation showing veterans were left on waiting lists by the va, unable to get the health care that they needed. Well, now the va secretary, Eric Shinseki, is ordering a facetoface audit amid calls that he resign or actually get fired from his job, this coming as investigators this morning are looking into new allegations that this was happening at another va facility. A clerk in san antonio telling cnns drew griffin he was told to change records to make it look like patients were not waiting longer than 14 days. Listen to this. So, it could be three months and it looks like 14 days . It could be three months and look like no days. Itd look like they had scheduled the appointment and got exactly what they wanted so, fudging the books is my thats your thats my i would call it that. You can call it that. The va doesnt call it that. They call it zeroing out. Va secretary shinseki has now been subpoenaed by a house panel looking into these allegations. He says he will not resign. The white house says the president has complete confidence in him. This morning, more u. S. Help is on the way to nigeria. The government is still looking for hundreds of girls kidnapped by the terror group boko haram. And today, Seven Members of the u. S. Military will join the dozens of advisers on the ground desperately trying to figure out where those schoolgirls are being held, but this comes amid new worries the girls may have been taken across the border into cameroon, chad or niger, and the pentagon now says it thinks the girls have been split up into smaller groups. Vladimir duthiers live for us in abuja. Vlad, there are concerns that these girls are not in a group of 250 or more than 200, but in fact, may have been split up into smaller groups that might make it more difficult to find them. Reporter yes, christine. In fact, the parents in chibok, for them this is their worst nightmare. They have said all along, christine, that they believed their daughters, these children were taken into neighboring chad, niger or cameroon, because they saw convoys filled with young girls. They saw militants on those convoys and they say that they saw them on a road leading out of nigeria, out of borno state towards the direction of cameroon. This is something that they said because of the time wasted in getting any kind of searchandrescue operation off the ground going into the forest to find these girls, this is what they were most worried about, christine. What they were most worried about. Now we have more u. S. Officials, u. S. Intelligence resources on the ground trying to help the Nigerian Government, a government that has been, frankly, sharply criticized for failing to do something until now. What are the hopes that u. S. Help can achieve . Reporter well, any little bit will help, because to be fair to the Nigerian Defense ministry and to the military, they say they have been mounting a searchandrescue operation. They say that theyve been looking for the girls. But again, when we speak to the parents, they say they havent seen any kind of significant military progress, any kind of searchandrescue ops on the ground. So, the idea that the United States will actually put some advisers to help with reconnaissance, to help with hostage negotiations shorks it get to that level, to help with Aerial Technology to get a good birdseye view of the area were looking at is certainly welcome for the Nigerian Government, and it does signify that we knew all along president Goodluck Jonathan admitted that he didnt know where these girls were and that was going to make it very, very difficult for them to find them in this forest, in a defensive military, heavily fortified group of militants there, christine. All right, Vladimir Duthiers live for us this morning. 36 minutes after the hour now. Lets move on to ukraine, where this morning much of the country is not celebrating a national holiday. Its victory day, marking the soviet unions defeat of nazi germany. But much of Eastern Ukraine shut down today. Stores are closed, Public Events canceled in many cities. This is amid worries that violence could flare up between prorussian separatists and those who support keeping ukraine together. A different scene, however, in moscow. There it was a huge parade honoring one of russias most important days. You see Vladimir Putin right there in moscow. A lot of questions about whether he may be headed to crimea today to celebrate this holiday. So, stay tuned for that. Smooth sailing so far for president obamas choice to head up the department of health and Human Services. Sylvia Matthews Burwell was praised during her Senate Confirmation hearing and told by many of the republican senators that she was competent and well qualified for the job, even though they dislike obamacare. Senator john mccain compared the task ahead of steering the titanic. A vote on sending her nomination to the full senate is expected before memorial day. Were finding out more about just what former treasury secretary Timothy Geithner thought about his time on the job as treasury secretary. His memoir is due out next week, but early details from the Associated Press and the New York Times show geithner firing back at critics, insisting he had to save big banks before worrying about some average americans because that was the only way to stop the entire economy from collapsing. Geithner also reveals he thought about stepping down in 2010 and suggested to the president that Hillary Clinton would be a worthy successor. All right, stocks in europe trading lower right now, dow futures point to a lower open for the u. S. Two days in a row now the dow has closed higher, while the nasdaq closed lower. Its a sign investors are more comfortable with the more stable Blue Chip Companies than trendier tech names. A new study to tell you about this morning. More than half of gay and lesbian workers are in the closet at work. In a new survey by human rights watch, 53 of lgbt workers dont disclose their sexuality at work, a slight increase from 2009, an increase despite increased cultural acceptance. Its a controversial issue in the workplace. Remember earlier this year the ceo of mozilla was pressured to step down a week after taking the job after employees found out he had donated funds to a campaign against gay marriage . Still a very hot topic in the newsroom, in the workforce, and quite interesting that so many people prefer not to disclose it at work still. I wonder if that changes over time. This morning we may be hearing from Donald Sterling for the First Time Since he was banned for life by the nba, if it is him in a new audio recording released by radar online. A man said to be sterling is talking on the phone in this recording with an unnamed friend. The disgraced clippers owner denies that hes a racist, insisting that anyone who knows where he came from knows that this is true. I grew up in east l. A. East l. A. , you die to get out of there. I got out of east l. A. I was the president of the high school there. I mean, and im a jew and 50 of the people there were black and 40 were hispanic. You ever been to Boyle Heights . Yeah, yeah ive been to Boyle Heights. So, i mean, people must have a good feeling for me. Sterling does not appear ready to give in to league demands that he sell the clippers. An attorney for sterlings wife, shelly, tells cnn that she plans to fight any attempt to force her out as well. That makes clippers coach doc rivers pretty uneasy. I think itd be a very hard situation. Ill say that much. I think it would be very difficult. I guarantee you every person wouldnt be able to work with that. Whether i would or not, im not going to say, but i just know that that would be a very difficult situation for everybody. Yeah, those are pretty important words, hardly a ringing endorsement from doc rivers. Clippers play game three of the series against the oklahoma thunder tonight in los angeles, tied at a game a piece. Big weather news, tornadoes touching down across the country, homes damaged, streets flooded. The threat not over this morning. Indra petersons tracking the storms for us next. When sales rep Steve Hatfield books at laquinta. Com, he gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. So he knows exactly when he can prep for his presentation. And when steve is perfectly prepped, ya know what he brings . And thats how youll increase market share. Any questions . Can i get an a, steve . Yes three as amazing sales he brings his agame la quinta inns and suites is ready for you, so youll be ready for business. The ready for you alert, only at laquinta. Com la quinta at afraud could meanuld blower credit scores. And higher mortgage rates. Its a problem waiting to happen. Check your credit score, check your Credit Report at experian. Com. A short word thats a tall order. 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Now that were expecting, i like the fact i can go onto angies list and look for pediatricians. The Service Providers that ive found on angies list actually have blown me away. Find out why more than two million members count on angies list. Angies list reviews you can trust. Get ready for another day of dangerous weather from texas all the way to indiana. More severe thunderstorms in the forecast, and they could cause trouble for millions. All right, take a look at this incredible video. That is a tornado on the ground in st. James, minnesota. Thats about 120 miles southwest of minneapolis. Luckily, amazingly, no injuries have been reported, but there has been damage in some midwestern communities as tornadoes reported throughout the day on thursday. That same storm system drenching northern texas. These pictures are from dallas. Some areas got more than 5 inches of rain, and the winds blowing it sideways in some cases. And that wind was so intense, it destroyed this mobile home. Its about 50 miles from ft. Worth. Residents say this storm had them on edge. All of a sudden, i heard this whoo, whoo, whoo then i just seen trees just out of control and then poles coming out of the ground. In Oklahoma City, take a look at this. Those are people out driving in areas they probably should not have been driving as the rain piled up on the roads. Thousands lost power at the height of the storm. All right, Indra Petersons is here. What can we expect today and for the weekend, indra . More travel woes. Yesterday, dallasft. Worth had a ground stop thanks to Severe Weather, and were still looking at the same squall line out there. Notice today, if you are indianapolis, st. Louis, memphis, little rock, on and on, shreveport, down to san antonio, 27 million of you have that threat for Severe Weather again today. What are we watching . That same storm system progressing to the east. So, heres what it looks like towards the weekend. Everyone wants to know, right . Mothers day, is it going to be dry . Depends where you are. Into the east coast, yes, although well have rain up until that point. Midwest, a break through saturday only to have the threat for more Severe Weather by sunday. So, lets take it day by day. This morning on the east coast, youre right around the warm front. Still spotty showers throughout the day, but its that squall line, the big cold front well be watching for for the bigger showers today. By tomorrow were going to be looking at really the entire eastern half of the country really getting in on those showers as we track that cold front across, but look at the temperatures. Theyre way up there. Midwest gets a break. Here comes sunday and your next threat for Severe Weather, especially from chicago back in through texas. Thats going to be the second round of Severe Weather. It is the season, unfortunately. It is the season. All right, thank you, indra. All right, whats going on on new day this morning . Chris cuomo here with that. Hey, chris. Hey, chris. John berman, christine romans, always a pleasure to see you, not just because its friday. Two stories to dig into this morning. Of course, well give you all the news thats going on, but this cnn investigation into the Veterans Affairs Department Just keeps getting more and more traction. There are new allegations now about cooking the books, about how they manage the flow of people theyre supposed to help. Of course, health care has problems, no matter where you look, but our veterans demand better. This investigation is getting deeper as the president is standing behind the man in charge of the va. Why is he standing behind him . Were going to get into that. Also, there is a new turn in benghazi. Republicans voted to have a new Commission Set up, a special committee to go over it all again. The democrats dont like it for obvious reasons, but the question is, what are they going to do . There is going to be a big meeting right, id say like in an hour or so this morning. Were going to be monitoring when the democrats actually meet. They may boycott it. What would that mean . And what would it all mean for the secretary of state at the time, who was Hillary Clinton . How is that going to affect her Going Forward . Well get into that, john and christine. A lot of political intrigue. Were going to bring on Debbie Wasserman schultz, who will be key in making the decision for democrats, kind of test where theyre going on this. A big morning of testing. Were all counting on you, chris. Looking forward to the show. Its a lot of pressure, j. B. , but i carry it as well as i can. Have a great show and a great weekend, too. The 2016 president ial election more than two years away, but the campaign is already in full swing. Were breaking down whos already making a play for the white house, live next. Woman this is not exactly what i expected. 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You are so outta here aah [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of greattasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and 9 grams of protein. [ bottle ] ensure®. Nutrition in charge™. All right, in washington, a lot is going on today that could impact the midterm elections. Meanwhile, three potential president ial candidates are on the road today looking ahead to 2016, for real. So, what are Vice President joe biden and senators marco rubio and rand paul up to today . Why is it so important . Why are we talking about 2016 . Cnn Political Editor Paul Steinhauser joins us. Hey, paul. Hey, john. Lets start with Vice President biden. Today hes giving the commencement speech at a major university. Nothing surprising there, right . Thats what Vice President s do this time of year. But where is he . South carolina, the First Southern primary in the race for the white house. And guess what . Before he gives the commencement speech, hell be meeting with some Top Democrats down there in that very important state. Marco rubio, where is he today . New hampshire. What does New Hampshire have . The first primary in the race for the white house. Hell be giving a big speech to some Top Republicans up there. And rand paul today is in tennessee, not an early voting state, but thats where the Republican National committee is meeting. So, hell be mingling with Top Republican leaders from all 50 states. Probably not a bad thing to do if youre seriously considering running for the white house. As you know, youve covered this stuff, thats what you do in these early preseason times. It is never too early, Paul Steinhauser, to Start Talking about this. Tell me, where do the all important pre2016 polls stand now more than 2 1 2 years out . Well, lets take a look at the republicans first. Brand new numbers this week from cnn orc. Tied at the top, jeb bush, former florida governor, with rand paul. Paul ryan, the 2012 Vice President ial nominee on the republican side not far behind. Mike huckabee, remember he ran in 2008, the former arkansas governor, 10 . And Chris Christie slowly edging down in the polls, 9 . Thats our top five. Go to the democrats. This is the most interesting thing. Look at Hillary Clinton, still by far the overwhelming frontrunner in the race for the democratic nomination, if she decides to run, but her support is edging down just slightly. Maybe thats because shes in the news just about every single day, john. But as you know, take these polls a little lightly this early in the game. Its mostly name recognition. Six months from now when the midterms are over, well get more serious about this, john. Six months from now, when were still only two years away from the president ial election. Paul, now, the real reason we brought you on today, not really to talk about president ial campaigning per se, but to talk about mothers day. Mmhmm. Yeah, take a look at this poll. Bush and clinton tied at the top. Is this a 2016 poll . No, its not. Its the most admired first ladies of the past 25 years. Nbc wall street journal numbers, barbara bush and Hillary Clinton tied at the top, Michelle Obama rates close behind, and laura bush. Happy mothers day. There you go. Of course, all these women hugely popular, and in almost every case more popular than their president ial spouses. Paul steinhauser, great to see you. Happy mothers day to you and yours as well. All right, cool can cost you a whole lot. Wait until you hear just how much apple might spend to get its hands on the hottest headphones around. We will have the details in money time, next. Passenger road trip buddy. Lets put some music on. Woman welcome to learning spanish in the car. Passenger youve got to be kidding me. Driver this is good. Woman vamanos. Driver passenger vamanos. Woman gracias. Driver passenger gracias. Passenger trece horas en el carro sin parar y no traes musica. Driver mira entra y comprame unas papitas. Vo get up to 795 miles per tank in the tdi clean diesel. The volkswagen passat. Recipient of the j. D. Power appeal award, two years in a row. A body at rest tends to stay at rest. Cs. While a body in motion tends to stay in motion. Staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. But if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. Prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. Because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. Plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. Celebrex can be taken with or without food. And its not a narcotic. You and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. 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Com and ask your doctor about celebrex. For a body in motion. All right, good morning. Welcome back to early start. Its money time. Morning rates hit a low this week, down to 4. 12 for a 30year fixedrate morning. Thats the lowest level this year. Its about a percentage point higher than the recordlow 3. 35 we hit last may. You know what . These rates are so low, but getting a loan is really difficult. Lending standards remain strict for people without great credit, and a lot of people complaining about how hard it is now to get a loan. Apple is in the market to buy beats. Thats according to the Financial Times. Thats the headphone and speaker maker started by rapper dr. Dre. The price tag on that deal reported to be 3. 5 billion. Apples willing to pay a premium for cool. Beats was valued at just a billion in its last funding round last year. Nba mvp kevin durant already loved by fans, right . But his headlinegrabbing mvp speech may be making him more popular with advertisers. He already has deals with nike and sprint, but more sponsors may come calling. Remember his emotional thankyou to his mom . The nba is already featuring it in a new mothers day commercial, and he is very, very attractive to all the people who want to be aligned with his brand. Were going to have more on the business of being kevin durant on your money, saturday at 2 00 p. M. Turns out, loving your mother is bankable. Yeah, being good. Good guys finish first in this case. Very nice to see. Happy mothers day to you. Thank you happy mothers day to all of you out there. You out there. New day starts right now. Captions by vitac www. Vitac. Com the air base systemic management issue throughout the va that needs to be addressed. Standing by his man. President obama defends the man in charge of the va but can he continue to as more disturbing allegations are revealed in a cnn investigation. Did a va hospital cook the books as veterans waited months for care . Benghazi boycott, as republicans form a special committee to investigate the attack that killed four americans. This morning democrats are deciding whether to play defense or simply boycott the panel entirely. One of the lawmakers make that decision joins us live. Not for sale. Donald sterling apparently speaking out for the First Time Since getting a lifetime ban from the nba but it is his wife who may hold all the cards which is shaping up to be an epic fight. Your new day starts right now. This is new day with chris cuomo, kate balduan, and michaela pereira. It is friday, may 9th. If you care about veterans pay at tension. We have new evidence of deadly delays and deception at a va. Clerks in san antonio are accused of cooking the b t