Transcripts For CNNW State Of The Union 20150524

Ramadi the capital of iraqs Anbar Province. And lets go to cnns Senior International correspondent arwa damon in baghdad. Is isis being pushed back . Is isis losing ground . Those are two assertions that the white house was making last week to sort of cool down all of the secondguessing thats been taking place here in washington. What can you tell us from the ground there . Reporter first of all, one has to continuously keep in mind the battle lines here are constantly shifting and small chunks of territory do regularly go back and forth. Following the fall of ramadi a week ago, isis did push into other smaller towns located to the east of ramadi. Now, the Iraqi Government has managed to recapture some of them but not only on its own. You had a unit that was comprised of the iraqi army, plus, and was arguably the deciding factor in this, the Popular Mobilization units and that is this Iranianbacked Shia paramilitary force. And it was largely due to them that they were able to accomplish these very Small Victories in the grander scheme of things. They are using the sunni tribes were being told using them to hold ground. But these sunni tribes are very underarmed when it comes to the potential threat they might be facing by isis. The government at this stage has no choice but to use these unconventional fighting forces. As has been made painfully clear at this point the iraqi army does not have its own units directly under its own command that are capable of taking on an entity like isis. Although there are some 3,000 u. S. Military advisers in iraq the resilience of isis is fueling more questions as well as criticism about the current u. S. Strategy to defeat the terror group. Im joined now by democratic congresswoman tulsi gabbard, she served two tours of duty in the middle east. And republican congressman adam kinsing er kinsinger who served as an air force pilot in iraq. Thank you very much congresswoman, congressman, for being here on state of the union this morning. Lets get right to it. President obama said earlier this week that the u. S. Led coalition is not losing this battle against isis. Congressman, ill go to you first. Is he right about that . Clearly, isis has gained momentum in particular over the last week. As weve seen the ground that theyve gained both in iraq and syria. And id like to just break it down to what i see as the basic problem here especially in iraq where were seeing the sunnis continue to be persecuted by this Central Government in baghdad. Their distrust for the Central Government this iranian influence, shia militia has really created a situation where just as a matter of survival they have no place else to turn to protect their families and their communities other than to isis. You have the solution. The Kurdish Peshmerga and sunni tribesmen who are literally begging, i met with a sunni tribal leader last week in washington they are begging for arms heavy weapons, ammunition to be able to fight against isis to protect their families and their tribal lands and their territories but still to this point both the u. S. And the central Iraqi Government is failing to provide that and therefore isis continues to be able to grow. What do you make of that congresswoman, the president s assessment last week that were not losing . Well of course youre not losing and youre not winning because were not really engaged in this fight. At some point were going to have to understand that the goal is the destruction of isis. The president when we began this attack i guess on isis he said you know were going to bomb them were going to hit them but were not going to put troops on the ground. In essence what the president did was say look we need to destroy isis unless that takes boots on the ground in which case the existence of boots on the ground is worse than the existence of isis. I think the president needs to stand in front of the American People and frankly lead on this and say look you know this is a cancer thats growing in the middle east. This isnt just a situation where if the house catches on fire it will burn down and we look at a burned down house. This is now a house on fire in a densely packed neighborhood where this is going to spread to other places. So i think we have to be very aggressive at stopping this cancer now in iraq in syria, in libya where its existing and i think we have to show a big major blow to isis because right now you have a lot of people that are sitting in their basements looking on the internet that want to join isis not because they want to be martyrs but because they want to be part of something big. And until we show that the chance of martyrdom increases greatly by joining isis i think were going to continue to see this problem with foreign fighters. It seems that we have a strategy in place in terms of providing air support to the Iraqi Security forces on the ground or the peshmerga in the kurdish areas in the north but it doesnt seem that that is an effective strategy at this point, that its not working. You can get into semantics as to whether were losing or winning or failing, but that strategy just doesnt seem to work. What do you propose at this point . I would like to point out a couple things. I think there is definitely more we can do in providing the blows in the air strikes, but the Iraqi Government does have a choice, and they have a choice by arming directly the sunni tribesmen as your correspondent just pointed out. They are woefully underequipped. They have the will to fight and they are on the ground begging and saying give us the heavy weapons, the arms and ammunition that we need to be able to fight against isis. Instead the Iraqi Government is relying completely on this Iranianbacked Shia military. The u. S. Government is now saying well were going to expedite more arms more ammunition these antitank weapons to the Iraqi Government when we see that these Iraqi Security forces have cut and run and left their weapons for isis at a few opportunities and these weapons are getting into the hands of the shia militia. I want to point out something that happened in the while we were going through the Armed Services Committee Hearing process for the National Defense authorization act, where i cosponsored an amendment that would authorize the u. S. Government directly arming the kurds and the shias. We had a leader of the this shia militia, Muqtada Al Sadr as we were going through this hearing live he said if this bill is passed we will have no choice but to unfreeze the military wing that deals with the americans so it can start targeting american interests, both in and outside of iraq. So when you look at this, these are the people that the United States is aligning itself with who are essentially saying we are going to come out and attack you if you dont do what we want. And congressman, i want to ask you this, because you heard some fellow republicans this week senator Lindsey Graham john mccain, talk about a proposal to send in roughly 10,000 troops into iraq primarily to do training and provide intelligence that sort of thing, not to go and fight house to house in combat situations. What do you make of that proposal . Does that sound reasonable to you . What do you think . Yeah, its reasonable. Im not sure of the exact number but lets think about where weve been here. And the question is are we winning against isis . 18 months ago i called for bombing isis when they moved into fallujah. At the time we thought it was al qaeda because they had yet to go through their divorce. I was accused of wanting to start iraq 3. But we saw what happened then as it went on. Isis grew and eventually people got engaged and wanted to destroy them. Were seeing this movement continue to grow. And i think at this point we have to understand that every day that goes by where we dont push this cancer back where we allow them to you know put car bombs in alleys we allow them to put i. E. D. S in towns they occupy right now, every day that goes by the cost of liberating iraq or the cost of defeating this cancer is only going to increase. I think we have to do the force thats proportionate and frankly the violence proportionate necessary to push back isis. The president likes to talk about the fact that were not going to send 200,000 troops into iraq. I agree, ive not heard a Single Person ever say we need another 200,000 troops back in iraq. But what i am you think thats a straw man argument, a bogus argument . Absolutely. The president , he likes to put two false choices up and say hes the one in the middle. I think the one in the middle right now is saying what do we need to do to be able to embolden the Iraqi Military where it exists, to arm the peshmerga, i agree with tulsi, arm the pesh americaa arm the sunnis. The problem is the peshmerga cant liberate all of iraq. They have a 600mile border with isis as it exists today. Theyre struggling to maintain their own territory. Its a very complicated battle. It is. What do you make of what congressmankinsinger just said there . Hes okay with 10,000 troops, maybe less, going in there. You know this. Deployment after deployment, and its breaking military families across this country on this memorial day weekend. That may not be the news they necessarily want to hear. More and more lawmakers calling for troops to go back into iraq one more time. How do you prevent Mission Creep from occurring, congresswoman . I think its important for us to really focus on what our mission and goal and objective should be, which is defeating isis. Lets look back to iraq several years ago where we had over 100,000 u. S. Troops there training these Iraqi Security forces. After the United States pulled out you saw how these Iraqi Security forces lasted. They cut and ran and dropped their weapons when they were faced with their first real battle with isis. The issue here is not about how many u. S. Troops can be sent to train these Iraqi Security forces because you cant train into someone the will to fight. They dont have the will to fight. This Iraqi Security force organization you do have people who have the will and the courage to fight, as weve seen time and again with the Kurdish Peshmerga. Now these sunni tribes are asking for the equipment that they need to be able to protect their families and their communities hey, jim. And yet unfortunately we are still not taking care and doing the obvious. We have these boots on the ground there who are ready to fight. And were going to have to wrap it up there jim, can i just well congressman, weve got to go. We appreciate your time. Go ahead and jump in there if youve got something to say. Let me say quickly, the American Military wants to defeat our enemies and i think theyre ready to go theyre ready to be unleashed, which is necessary, and thats what theyre called to do. All right. Very good. And were going to have secretary ash carter coming up in the next segment. And hes going to be talking about in some pretty stark terms that he believes that the iraqi forces dont have the will to fight. Well be talking about that coming up next. Ash carter talking to our Barbara Starr. He reacts to the huge loss by iraqi forces in ramadi. Thats coming up next. Across america, people are taking charge of their type 2 diabetes. With noninsulin victoza. For a while, i took a pill to lower my blood sugar but it didnt get me to my goal. So i asked my doctor about victoza. He said victoza works differently than pills and comes in a pen. Victoza is proven to lower blood sugar and a1c. Its taken once a day, any time. And the needle is thin. Victoza is not for weight loss but it may help you lose some weight. Victoza is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. It is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes and should not be used in people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. Victoza has not been studied with mealtime insulin. Victoza is not insulin. Do not take victoza if you have a personal or Family History of medullary Thyroid Cancer multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to victoza or any of its ingredients. Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction may include swelling of face lips, tongue or throat fainting or dizziness, very rapid heartbeat problems breathing or swallowing, severe rash or itching. Tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. Serious side effects may happen in people who take victoza including inflammation of the pancreas pancreatitis which may be fatal. Stop taking victoza and call your doctor right away if you have signs of pancreatitis, such as severe pain that will not go away in your abdomen or from your abdomen to your back with or without vomiting. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you have any medical conditions. Taking victoza with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. The most common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, and headache. Some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. If your pill isnt giving you the control you need. Ask your doctor about noninsulin victoza. Its covered by most health plans. Its more than a network. Its how you stay connected. With centurylink as your trusted Technology Partner you get an industry leading Broadband Network and cloud and hosting services. Centurylink. Your link to whats next. So weve had a tempurpedic for awhile but now that we have the adjustable base, its even better. When i put my feet up on this bed, my stress just goes away. I go up. Heeeeyyyy. Our tempurpedic is the best thing in our house. cept for my husband. Wait, wait, where are you going . vo discover how tempurpedic can move you. And now through may 31st save hundreds on a tempurbreeze mattress and adjustable base. Why do we do it . Why do we spend every waking moment, thinking about people . Why are we so committed to keeping you connected . Why combine performance with a conscience . Why innovate for a future without accidents . Why do any of it . Why do all of it . Because if it matters to you its everything to us. The xc60 crossover. From volvo. Lease the well equiped volvo xc60 today. Visit your local volvo showroom for details. Just last month the u. S. And iraq claimed to have the upper hand in the fight against isis. Cnn pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr caught up with defense secretary ash carter and asked him why isis was able to capture the key iraqi city of ramadi and Gain Momentum on a march toward baghdad. What apparently happened was that the iraqi forces just showed no will to fight. They were not outnumbered. In fact they vastly outnumbered the opposing force. And yet they failed to fight. They withdrew from the site. And that says to me and i think to most of us that we have an issue with the will of the iraqis to fight isil and defend themselves. Now, we can give them training. We can give them equipment. We obviously cant give them the will to fight. But if we give them training we give them equipment and give them support and give them some time i hope they will develop the will to fight because only if they fight can isil remain defeated. A lot of people in washington that you deal with on the other side of the aisle are saying, look, putting Ground Troops putting Forward Air Controllers air strikes are not working. What do you foresee . What is your view on this . Air strikes are effective but neither they nor really anything we do can substitute for the iraqi forces will to fight. Theyre the ones who have to beat isil and then keep them beaten. We can participate in the defeat of isil, but we cant make iraq run as a decent place for people to live. We cant sustain the victory. Only the iraqis can do that. And in particular, in this case the sunni tribes to the west. If there comes a time when we need to change the kinds of support were giving to the iraqi forces well make that recommendation. But what happened at ramadi was a failure of the iraqi forces to fight. And so our efforts now are devoted to providing their Ground Forces with the equipment, the training and to try to encourage their will to fight so that our campaign enabling them can be successful both in defeating isil and keeping isil defeated in a sustained way. Making sure i understand you, you are not at Forward Air Controllers on the ground yet. We have not made that recommendation. And Forward Air Controllers for our viewers would mean u. S. Troops on the ground to help pinpoint those air strikes. Joining me now to talk about all of this michelle fluor noy, the undersecretary of defense in president obamas first term and michael lighter, former director of the Counterterrorism Center under both george w. Bush and president obama. And michelle i want to go to you first because you were in the running for defense secretary this last time around when ash carter was tapped for that position and im just curious what you make of when you hear the defense secretary saying the Iraqi Security forces may not have the will to fight. I think when we talk about taking on isis and pushing them back in sunnidominated areas, whether its mosul or Anbar Province the people with the political will to fight are the sunnis and sunni tribes. And we have got to ensure that our efforts are directed at helping them. Arming and training them. Providing Operational Support on the battlefield. Enablers air cover and so forth. And pressing the Iraqi Government to devolve more governance and resources to the provinces. Secretary carter just said, you know, if theres a time when we need to do more we will do it. Now is that time in my view. And michael, do you think the administration has been too slow to confront this threat in a serious way . I think we have probably underestimated how deep the hole is we dug ourselves in. What i mean by that is, how weak the government structure in iraq was, how weak the will to fight has been and how much its going to take to get the iraqis back up to part. Similarly, i think weve overestimated sorry underestimated the problems we have in syria. How weak our situation is there and increasingly i think we have underestimated how alienated many of our sunni allies feel in the region. So i think on a number of fronts we need to be much more forceful and we need now to be much more aggressive. And ramadi is simply the best current illustration of that. And the president said last week that were not losing. But i guess the question is is not whether were winning or losing but is the strategy in a state of disrepair . How do we fix this . I agree with the fundamental premise that we, the United States, cannot fix this in a Sustainable Way by ourselves, ultimately whatever victories we help the iraqis achieve will have to be sustained by the iraqis. But we have underresourced the strategy. We immediate to provide more training and advising down to the battalion level rather than just the division level. We need to provide more firepower support, more Intelligence Surveillance on why shouldnt they done that . Youve dealt with the administration. Youve dealt with this National Security team. Why not . I think there is a major hesitation to get too deeply involved in iraq again, and then i think there is, you know, a lot of americans are worried about that. The truth is isis is a threat not only to iraq and syria, but it is a threat to us, particularly given the flow of foreign fighters, thousands of europeans, hundreds of americans going into syria, getting training coming back at some point. This is a terrorist problem that affects us. And we have to take a more forwardleaning posture. Michael, you dealt with president ial obama. Its not as if he wants the terrorists to win. He understands the threat. So as i was asking michelle, what is it . Why is there this disconnect . I think michelle is fundamentally right. I am not surprised we agree and we work closely together, but the challenge we have is we pulled lots out of iraq, and the American People i think arguably dont want to go back and forth, but what we have to understand, this isnt just about iraq. This is about a region which to some extent is melting the bombing that we saw in saudi arabia by isis against a shia mosque. The attacks weve seen by isisassociated groups in libya, this really is destabilizing you the region. This isnt about iraq. This isnt about syria. This is about a regional conflagration we have to try to put out. Similarly we obviously see threats in western nations by people who have either been trained by or inspired by isis. So at a point where you dont see that global risk then you can move slowly and somewhat incrementally. The fact is were well past that point and we have to be more forceful about it now. And michelle how do we iraq almost feels like the forever war. Weve been dealing with this since the early 1990s under president george h. W. Bush. And here we are about to go into another election talking about what to do about iraq. How do we make it stop . Its a great question. I think the fundamental issue in iraq is one of governance, that you have a Central Government in baghdad that is still operating along sectarian lines is that not seeing itself as a National Unity government that brings in the kurds and the sunnis. What we have to convince them of is they are at a tipping point. Either they become a true National Unity government and share power in a meaningful way and stop persecuting the minorities, or iraq will dissolve into three parts and that is in no ones interest. Michelle florn yoi, michael looet leiter, thank you very much. Coming up next, housing secretary Julian Castro is on a mission to revive americans toughest neighborhoods, but is he also in line to be Hillary Clintons running mate . Julian castro is here next. If you struggle with type 2 diabetes youre certainly not alone. Fortunately, many have found a different kind of medicine that lowers blood sugar. Imagine what it would be like to love your numbers. Discover oncedaily invokana®. Its the 1 prescribed in the newest class of medicines that work with the kidneys to lower a1c. Invokana® is used along with diet and exercise to significantly lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. Its a oncedaily pill that works around the clock. Heres how the kidneys allow sugar to be absorbed back into the body. Invokana® reduces the amount of sugar allowed back in and sends some sugar out through the process of urination. And while its not for weight loss, it may help you lose weight. Invokana® can cause important side effects including dehydration, which may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, lightheaded, or weak especially when you stand up. Other side effects may include kidney problems, genital yeast infections urinary Tract Infections changes in urination high potassium in the blood, or increases in cholesterol. Do not take invokana® if you have severe kidney problems or are on dialysis. Stop taking and call your doctor right away if you experience symptoms such as rash, swelling, or difficulty breathing or swallowing. Tell your doctor about any medical conditions medications you are taking and if you have kidney or liver problems. Using invokana® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase risk of low blood sugar. Its time. Lower your blood sugar with invokana®. Imagine loving your numbers. Theres only one invokana®. Ask your doctor about it by name. Bulldog mattress discounters Memorial Day Sale ends monday . Oh boy a queen size serta mattress and box spring set for just 397. Mattress discounters has the Largest Selection of memory Foam Mattresses under one roof well ill be. Up to 300 off tempurpedic breeze. And wow get up to four years interestfree financing on the entire tempurpedic cloud collection better hurry the Memorial Day Sale ends monday. Mattress discounters here now Julian Castro the secretary of housing and urban development. He and d. C. Mayor muriel becauser kicked off the agencys where costs are soaring at an astronomical rate. Mr. Secretary, thanks for joining us this morning. We appreciate it. It is great to be with you. We noticed with the situation in cleveland over the weekend, the situation in baltimore, ferguson this issue of urban development is becoming more and more a critical component for you when it comes to dealing with these cities that are facing some major issues. And im just curious, how is this becoming more of a topic of conversation for you to sort of deal with urban development in cities that are facing tough times to sort of prevent the next baltimore from happening, the next ferguson from happening . You know hud this year is marking its 50th anniversary. So i would say that the focus on these issues which has really never left in terms of the department however, youre right that what we see out there, whether its baltimore or whats happened in ferguson whats going on in cleveland right now does give us i think as a nation an extra impetus to focus on these issues. And i believe that one of the lasting legacies of the Obama Administration is that for the first time in these efforts we figured out that its not just about improving housing. Its not just what hud is doing. Its also improving education in a neighborhood improving transit options, of course improving job opportunities. And through placebased work the Obama Administration is working with local leaders in cities across the United States and rural areas as well to lift up the quality of life and provide more Economic Opportunity out there. And i think youre going to see the impact of this in the years to come even in some of the toughest areas in the United States. How do you respond to the notion, and i am sure you heard it in recent weeks in response to what happened in baltimore, the Great Society was a failure . I know this is a time when you and the rest of the administration would like to see more resources going into our urban areas. There are people who say that, and i would say theyre dead wrong. In fact, what we see today in the United States is because of these efforts, for instance weve seen a strong reduction in childhood poverty. The challenge is even when we find based on evidence initiatives that work for instance, our Housing Choice Voucher Program was just the subject of a massive longitudinal study that showed that educational and Employment Outcomes improve when young people have the benefit of a housing choice voucher so they can move with their family to a place of lower poverty and higher opportunity, even when we find things that work for instance in this budget the president is requesting about 100,000 more vouchers than we have now because we lost nearly 70,000 to sequestration and were not getting the resources from this congress to make those investments. So its about resources and its about how we coordinate better with local leaders to make a good impact on the ground. And i want to switch gears a little bit because its memorial day weekend, to ask you about this issue of veteran homelessness which is an issue you have to deal with at the housing and urban development department. And according to your department veteran homelessness has decreased 33 since 2010 but theres still 50,000 homeless vets in america. We see them on the streets of washington. People will see them on the streets of washington as they head to Arlington National cemetery for example, this weekend. What more can we do . For them. Theres a lot we are doing and we are going to keep working hard. This is actually one of the best news stories out there. In 2010 president obama became the first president to say we are not just going to talk about reducing veteran homelessness, were actually going to end it. And since 2010 weve seen a 33 reduction in veteran homelessness. Mostly for two reasons because the president led and worked well with the congress to get more what are called hud vouchers so veterans who are homeless can actually get a voucher, go into the private market and get a place to live. And secondly because communities across the United States have signed up to be part of the challenge to end veteran homelessness and have adopted policies like housing first, getting veterans directly into housing instead of making them live in shelters or Transitional Living facilities. Because of that we expect that we will effectively end veteran homelessness. And that would be quite an accomplishment that you could tout in a run in 2016 if you were to be put on Hillary Clintons ticket. I know youve heard this question time and again. I cant let you go without talking about this. What do you make of this when you see the former san antonio mayor and former secretary at your Department Henry cisneros say this he says what im hearing in washington including from people in Hillary Clintons campaign is that the first person on their list for Vice President is Julian Castro they dont have a second option. So i guess thats it. Youve got the job. So congratulations. I doubt that. You know if i had a dime for every amount of speculation that happens in d. C. , i think all of us would be wealthy. Your budget would be a lot bigger. Thats right. Who wouldnt be flattered by that . But i have found in life like i bet a lot of the folks watching out there, that the best thing to do in life is to do a great job with whats in front of you. And im trying to do a great job at hud and make sure that we benefit americans out there, this weekend on memorial day weekend when we think about our veterans the fact that all of us together on both sides of the aisle are committed to making a difference and getting those veterans a place to live and that its happening and we are going to have that glorious day in the not too distant future when we can say that we have effectively ended veteran homelessness. Thats what im focused on these days. Let me ask you one more question about the 2016 campaign these emails that have been released by the state department with respect to Hillary Clinton and her time there, the private emails she was using to conduct business at the department. Do you believe that she has answered that question appropriately and fully . Oh absolutely. Youre satisfied . Oh i do. Lets take a look at this issue of benghazi. This thing has been studied to death by republicans and democrats, several committees including in congress that have all said yes, of course what happened was tragic but secretary clinton was not in any way at all the. And what you have here with these emails is basically a witch hunt. And you know congressman gowdy, who is leading this is very intentionally trying to manipulate this witch hunt to play politics. Thats unfortunate. And its one of the reasons that congress has a 19 approval rating. I think we need focus on more substantive things. As one who hasnt spent my lifetime in d. C. I know that out there in america they care about are you reducing veteran homelessness are you providing the impetus for young people to be able to achieve their dreams are we making sure that america in this 21st century remains the undisputed land of opportunity, not whether somebody had emails or didnt have them do you use a private email account . I have my government email account. Of course i have my private email but i have my government email. But thats beside the point. I think you do government business on the government email account and thats right. Private business on the private account. Thats right. And shes already explained that. People want us to focus on policy makers on things that matter to their lives. They want us to make a difference in creating more opportunity out there. And thats just a witch hunt that is a sideshow. I think the work that were doing to end veteran homelessness is a good example of something that matters. All right. Secretary castro thank you very much for your time this morning. We appreciate it. Thank you. Coming up next more on those Hillary Clinton emails. Our round table is next. Big day . Ah, the usual. Moved some new cars. Hauled a bunch of steel. Kept the supermarket shelves stocked. Made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. Whats up for the next shift . Ah, nothing much. Just keeping the lights on. laugh nice. Doing the big things that move an economy. See you tomorrow, mac. See you tomorrow, sam. Just another day at norfolk southern. Here at td ameritrade, theyre always working. Yup, were constantly making thinkorswim better. Like a custom screener on your desktop, that updates to all your devices. And you can share it with one click. Wow. How do you find the time to do all this . Easy. We combined every birthday and holiday into one celebration. different holidays being shouted back to work, guys i love this times of year. For all the confidence you need. Td ameritrade. You got this. Making sure you pay the right price for a new car just got a whole lot easier. Introducing the Kelley Blue Book price advisor. The powerful tool that shows you what should pay. It gives you a Fair Purchase Price thats based on what others recently for the same car and Kelley Blue Books trusted pricing expertise. It all adds up to the confidence that youll get a great deal. Thats just another way kbb. Com helps you make a smart new car decision. Im aware that the fbi has asked that a portion of one email be held back. That happens in the process of freedom of information act responses. But that doesnt change the fact that all of the information in the emails was handled appropriately. Hillary clinton doing some email damage control there on the campaign trail. Those newly released emails from Hillary Clintons time as secretary of state offers new insight into her handling of the benghazi attacks. Joining me at the table democratic strategist penny lee, cnn correspondent chris fraits, whoo has been tasked with reading all of those eliminate mails. Fortunately not all of them at the same time. And republican strategist kristin soltice anderson. Thank you very much for joining us this morning. We appreciate it. Chris, let me go to you first. So you can fill us in on the latest. Have you read through all of these emails that were recently released . If so, i apologize because its a Holiday Weekend. It was a Holiday Weekend and thats probably part of the reason why they came out, right . It was a friday before a long weekend. So we went through the 300 emails and there were no bombshells. There was nothing that indicated that Hillary Clinton knew of any kind of standdown order, that there was any kind of standdown order, that any arms were coming through benghazi. No smoking guns. The conspiracy the conspiracy theories. And democrats were quick to say look this is why weve already been through this. This is an exercise in futility. Now, republicans, on the other hand, on that Benghazi Committee thats looking into what happened there is saying, well, theres a lot of questions. There was emails about security during benghazi in 2011 and in 2012. We need to continue to look into that. And there was also a little flavor for how she likes to run the state department. There were notes to her two senior aides who were going to they were going to testify on capitol hill, and she had suffered a concussion. She said i have a cracked head but i want you guys to go up there and remain calm, carry on. I remember that, when she was wearing the glasses. Remember all of that during that time. Exactly. It was informative a little bit to kind of get a sense of how she ran her state department, but there was nothing there that suggested nothing but that was only 300 emails. We still have 30,000 more to come. So the coast is clear, penny lee . I think it just confirms what we all have been saying all along, that many of the already investigations weve already seen take place, weve already had five, six investigations and a full report, and they have consistently said what was backed up in hillarys email, is that there wasnt a broad conspiracy and there wasnt that stand down order that was out there. So i think what it does is show theres more to come but it does prove a consistency in where she was from the very beginning. And kristin, more to come, i guess. What do you make of so were right now trusting that Hillary Clinton is giving us the emails that do tell the full picture. Again, remember, these are emails that its turning out some of them had some fairly Sensitive Information and theyre living on an email server in Hillary Clintons possession and shes turning over what she wants to turn over. Poll after poll find americans dont find Hillary Clinton to be terribly trustworthy. I dont think Congress Finds Hillary Clinton to be terribly trustworthy. Thats what were going to be seeing play out here as more emails and penny, i wonder, what do you make of the fact that Sidney Blumenthal has come back, you know, from the 1990s, i guess, that were now talking about Sidney Blumenthal emails with Hillary Clinton. Doesnt this all sort of remind voters that Hillary Clinton, you know, was the first lady in the 1990s and was a senator, then secretary theres no denying that. But theres no denying but were dealing with Hillary Clinton and the way she handles her sensitive subjects like this in a sometimes ineffective way. Look, theres no denying what her resume is. Yes, she was first lady. She was senator and all of those things. I have worked for many politicians, ed rendell, harry reid and others that have had many friends who have volunteered information they thought might be helpful to someone, and what she did was the proper it feels like a seinfeld rerun i guess is what were saying. Sort of like why are we going back . Sidney blumenthal, really . What she did was the proper thing to do, was to vet it through her staff. And she relied on the advice of her staff, not the advice of Sidney Blumenthal. She cant help sometimes what is incoming. What you can do is how you react to it, and what she did was the proper thing. Vet it through the possible right forums and to see i doubt many voters know who Sid Blumenthal is but what i do know is a lot of voters see headlines for instance that allies of isis are sort of filling the void thats been left in libya. And i know that in these hillary emails are emails saying Hillary Clinton is the face of libya, weve positioned you as the face of American Action there. We know in Hillary Clintons record back at the beginning of the iraq war she voted to authorize regime change in the middle east that sort of led to a vacuum that has led to the situation were seeing now. And in libya she was the face of libya which has led to a vacuum after regime change that leads people to feel fairly unsafe. I think thats the stuff that voters are going to be caring about and making their judgments about whether or not she is somebody who is capable of being the commander in chief and making wise Foreign Policy decisions. Not to look into the future chris, but do you think were going to find anything in these emails . As kristin said these are the ones the clintons are giving us to look at. Thats right. And what weve learned from how she emails is shes very logistical she doesnt talk a lot about her policy. Theres not a lot of inner dialogue. Shes not discussing kind of how she feels about certain issues and i think even though we have 30,000 emails still to come, i think that pattern will continue. Kristin, penny and chris, thank you very much for joining us. We appreciate it. Next the history behind americas most sacred burial ground. It . Why do we spend every waking moment, thinking about people . Why are we so committed to keeping you connected . Why combine performance with a conscience . Why innovate for a future without accidents . Why do any of it . Why do all of it . Because if it matters to you its everything to us. The xc60 crossover. From volvo. Lease the well equiped volvo xc60 today. Visit your local volvo showroom for details. We got the new tempurflex and its got the spring and bounce of a traditional mattress. You sink into it, but you can still move it around. Now that i have a tempurflex, i can finally get a good nights sleep. When i flop down on the bed, and its just like, ah, this is perfect. Wherever you put your body it just supports you. Like little support elfs are just holding you. I can sleep now through the night vo change your sleep. Change your life. Change to tempurpedic. I have type 2 diabetes. I started with pills. And now i take a longacting insulin at night. I take mine in the morning. I was trying to eat right, stay active. But i wasnt reaching my a1c goal anymore. Man my doctor says diabetes changes over time. It gets harder to control blood sugar spikes after i eat and get to goal. My doctor added novolog® at mealtime for additional control. Now i know. Novolog® is a fastacting, injectable insulin and it works together with my longacting insulin. Proven effective. The mealtime insulin doctors prescribe most. Available in flexpen®. Vo novolog® is used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes. Take novolog® as directed. Eat a meal within 5 to 10 minutes after injection. Check your blood sugar levels. Do not take novolog® if your blood sugar is too low or youre allergic to any of its ingredients. Tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medicines you take. Ask your doctor about alcohol use, operating machinery, or driving. The most common side effect is low blood sugar. Symptoms may include dizziness, sweating, confusion, and headache. Severe low blood sugar can be lifethreatening. Other common side effects include low potassium in your blood and injection site reactions. Get medical help right away if you experience trouble with breathing serious allergic reactions like swelling of your face tongue, or throat, sweating, extreme drowsiness dizziness, or confusion. Now i know about novolog®. Taken by millions since 2001. Vo ask your Health Care Provider about adding novolog®. It can help provide the additional control you may need. Memorial day is a time for america to pay tribute to its war dead and perhaps nothing symbolizes that sacrifice more than Arlington National cemetery. An average of 5,000 funerals take place each year at this historic landmark. From the tomb of the unknown soldier to the grave of americas 35th president , the 624 acres just outside of the Nations Capital are the final resting place for more than 400,000 souls. This just gives you a sense as to the people who are buried here. Harry Alexander Lowe world war i. Andrew hamilton world war i. James edmonds patton world war i. But here vincent deangelo, world war ii. Korea, vietnam. Command historian steve carr is the current keeper of the history at Arlington National cemetery and many of its stories, dating back to the first burial here during the civil war. Is this essentially where the cemetery then began, starting with private chrisman . Yes. The war dead from the civil war, they started bringing them to this site. And how quickly did this cemetery start to expand at that point . Kind of where were standing up to the crest of this ridge. All of these burials were conducted here between may 13th and june 14th of 1864. On june 15th of 1864 we officially become a national cemetery. Reporter graves then were made of a thin piece of wood with a name carved into it. Marble markers were installed in 1872. Were often asked, you know whats the genesis of the cemetery . What the facts are is that this ground that George Washington customeris George Washingtons grandchild the child he raised as his own son, when he inherited this property he built the arlington house on this ground were standing on now that was the absolutely dominant terrain over the district of columbia. So at the start of the civil war in 1861 theres a military necessity that the army seize this property in order to defend washington the union army seize the property. Yeah. Reporter the nation began memorializing its war dead at arlington in 1868. Five years later an amphitheater was built to hold official memorial day ceremonies. This is the original amphitheater that was constructed in 1873. So five years so it was ready in time for the fifth Decoration Day. And on this rostrum every president essentially from 1873 through 1919 would have given a memorial day address here. Present although memorial day is recognized every year with a ceremonial laying of the wreath by the commander in chief, only two u. S. President s have been laid to rest here. Why arent more president s buried at arlington . I think that sets the president George Washington really sort of set that precedent, of being buried at his home or in his home state. William howard taft is buried here in 1930 and it certainly bucks the trend that had been established really with George Washington of a president being buried you know at their in their home town. When president kennedy was buried here demand to be buried at Arlington National cemetery skyrocketed. What happened . Tripled or quadrupled every year. So if we think of it in terms of this is really the first time there was a televised full honors funeral at Arlington National cemetery and much like Decoration Day propelled arlington to becoming the premier National Military cemetery in 1800s. To me president kennedys funeral, televised funeral, is a big turning point for the cemetery in the 20th century. And when people see what it truly means to be buried here at Arlington National cemetery among full honors that really increases the demand the desire to be buried at this place, at this most sacred shrine. Each year americans from across the country visit these hallowed grounds to pay respects to relatives who are buried at arlington. My maternal grandparents are here. Thats my grandfather, Vincent Daniel rice. My moms dad. And thats my grandmother, elsie. Wow. Will arlington run out of space . The answer is yes, at some point theres only a certain area that you can expand into. But right now there are two expansion projects. The last burial in that section might well be out in the 2100s. We still do second or third internments youre planning out into the 2100s. Yes. As the nations cemetery continues on into that future carney and the millions of people who come to arlington each year help keep its past alive. We have over 400,000 people buried here. So there are 400,000 stories to research to study, to learn. What does memorial day mean to you . Its just a day where every headstone here has an American Flag in front of it and as you drive through or as you see that vista it just really to me drives home that remembrance of the sacrifice of so many. Big day . Ah, the usual. Moved some new cars. Hauled a bunch of steel. Kept the supermarket shelves stocked. Made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. Whats up for the next shift . Ah, nothing much. Just keeping the lights on. laugh nice. Doing the big things that move an economy. See you tomorrow, mac. See you tomorrow, sam. Just another day at norfolk southern. Its more than the cloud. Its multilayered security and flexibility. With centurylink you get advanced technology solutions. Including cloud and hosting services all from a trusted it partner. Centurylink. Your link to whats next. Usaa makes me feel like im a car buying expert in no time at all. There was no stress. It was in and out. If i buy a car through usaa, i know im getting a fair price. We realized, okay, this not only could be convenient we could save a lot of money. I was like, wow, if i could save this much, then i could actually maybe upgrade a little bit. And it was just easy. Usaa, they just really make sure that youre well taken care of. Usaa car buying service. Powered by truecar. Online and on the usaa app. Thanks for watching state of the union on this memorial day weekend. Im jim acosta in washington. Fareed zakaria gps starts right now. Captions by vitac www. Vitac. Com this is gps, the goebel public square. Welcome to all of you in the United States and around the world. Im fareed zakaria. Well start this show with a worldclass panel to discuss the worlds many crises. Isis advances in iraq and syria. Europes military action to stop migrants coming into the continent. Chinas push forward in the south china seas. And americas role in all of it