And extreme weather. Tornadoes, floods and a possible Tropical Storm targeting the beaches just in time for the fourth of july. Good afternoon. Welcome to the lead on a jam packed news day. Im jake tapper. The world lead now. The middle east descending into utter chaos. Today another flash point that could thrust the conflict into renewed war. Three israeli teens who varnished more than two weeks ago from a settlement in the contested west Bank According to the Israeli Military were found and confirmed dead today by israeli officials. Their bodies discovered in a field north of the town of hebron. Almost immediately after reports of the bodies being found trickled out, cnn journalists spotted israeli fighter jets in gaza. Weeks of security raids turned up nothing. Israeli guards arrested more than 400 palestinians. Five died in the clashes between the degree Defense Forces and members of hamas, the current partner of the Palestinian Coalition government. Hamas considered a terrorist group by both israel and the United States. Hamas applauded but did not take credit for the kidnap. Mahmoud abbas is condemned the kidnappings, that was not enough for israel. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called an emergency meeting with his cabinet. Is it a matter of when and not if israel goes to war with its neighbor . Mr. Ambassador, thanks for being here. This is obviously a tragedy, one that already has israeli officials calling for retribution. The Deputy Defense minister posting the tragic end of the boys must be the end of hamas. Could we see a fullscale war here against hamas . We have to understand what it is. It is a Terror Organization committeded to israels destruction. They have fired thousands of rockets at our cities, dispatched scores of suicide bombers at our civilians and they are responsible for the murder of these three boys. How do you know . Members of hamas, it doesnt matter whether they took credit or didnt. The head of hamas celebrate the kidnapping today and caused for more kidnaps. We know that members of hamas in the hebron are the ones responsible. The Prime Minister was clear hamas was responsible and will pay a heavy price. Thats the decision theyre making right now in jerusalem. Theyre having a Cabinet Meeting right now in jerusalem. How do you make sure its only hamas that pays the price and not innocent palestinians who happen to live in the same area . We doll everything we can to not harm palestinian drivens. Hamas hides behind civilians and use them as human shields. It makes it very difficult for israel to conduct antiterror activities. We do it in a way that maybe no other country does, to not harm palestinian civilians. Thats the difference between us and the civilians. They deliberate kill our civilians. We doll everything to keep civilians out of harms way. Its not just hamas thats a problem. You said in the opening its not enough for israel that will president abbas has condemned this act. We appreciate very much hes condemned this kidnapping. At the same time, he has a government with the kidnappers. Its one thing for him to condemn terrorism and another thing to sit in the government with a bunch of terrorists. Thats why we call on the International Community to tell him he has to choose, peace was israel or pact with hamas. He cant have both. I want to read a comment from hamas. They obviously Prime Minister netanyahu said they were responsible for the kidnappings, vowed action. Hamas said his threats do not scare hamas. The gates of hell will be open to him. What is the Israeli Government going to do next . Should we expect jets to the bomb areas where you believe hamas fighters to be . Were going to have to wait and see. I can tell you one thing for sure. We have a very responsible and serious leadership in jerusalem. They will make the decisions they have to make in order to send a very strong message to hamas that this action is unacceptable and to take the action that they deem necessary in order to protect and defend our population. Your government would do the same thing, any government would do the same thing. I want to go right now to a guest we have an aunt of one of the victims, and then i want to come back to you, mr. Ambassador, if thats all right. Joining me on the phone is the aupt of one of the victims. The israeli american teen naftali frenkel. Im so sorry for your loss. What can you tell us, what do you know about what happened to your nephew . They just found them both bodies in the whole and i guess they killed them, murdered them. In the beginning. I dont know exactly all the details. I just note that sister lost her own brother. How old . How old was your nephew . 16 1 2. 16. Just high school. When did you find out . Just about an hour or so ago . No, before because i felt like i want to i have a good feeling, but sad feeling when they were kidnapped i didnt feel good and now unfortunately, i had had the same bad feeling and then in the morning, i called my brother because and he said i cant talk now. I cant talk now. I start to really worry and then i hear the bad news, the worst news. That gilad was murdered. I cant imagine the pain you and your family must be experiencing right now. I would like to know how you think the Israeli Government should respond if thats something you can even contempla contemplate. Listen, im just a person you know, its a person for me. Im not politician but i know hamas are terrorists. They just want to kill. They didnt even try to negotiate. They just want to kill innocent boy. You tell me. What do they want . What these people want . I certainly dont know. Let me ask you before i let you go. Have you heard from have you or any of your relatives heard from anybody with the United States government given that one of the victims although i understand not your nephew was a dual american citizen in. Im sorry. I didnt understand that question. Its okay. Well move on. I just want to offer my deepest condolences. Thank you. Im still shocked. I dont believe im holding his picture and i see his smile and i hes so young and innocent and he has all his life in front of him. He wont be able to be you know, it just, are, just too sad to even imagine be. Im sorry to even be talking to you right now. Please go mourn with your family. Thank you. I offer my deepest condolences. Thank you so much. I hope it never to anybody nor any child anyplace in the world that the terrorism will disappear from this world. Amen to that. Thank you for talking to me. Mr. Ambassador, has the United States government been helpful at all . We havent heard anything we heard some comments from the state department today. There hasnt been a public expression. Theyve been helpful. Theyve been supportive in any way they can. We appreciate their sympathies. One of them is an american teenager, naftali, teenagers on their way back from school. One of them is an american citizen. Theyve been fully cooperative with us and expresses their sympathies. What you heard just now in i an telephone conversation, thats the feeling you have in an entire country right now which for 18 days was hoping and praying these boys would come home safe and sound. Now its a very, very heavy heart throughout all the people of israel right now. Its a deep day of mourning in our country. And through this all, the Prime Minister right now is sitting with the members of his security cabinet to decide what decisions is israel has to take to send a clear message so this does not happen again and so those people who are responsible for this are brought to justice. All right. I wish i knew the right thing to say at a time like this. Mr. Ambassador, thanks for being here. Coming up you, a wip for conservatives. One Supreme Court decision is calling it a radical decision. Will employers now be able to opt out at any law that violates their religious beliefs . Plus, General Motors today announcing yet another recall. More than 8 million vehicles this time. Why the massive pullback this time . When folks think about what they get from alaska, they think salmon and energy. But the energy bp produces up here creates Something Else as well jobs all over america. Engineering and innovation jobs. Advanced Safety Systems technology. Shipping and manufacturing. Across the United States, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. When we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. Thats not a coincidence. Its one more part of our commitment to america. Welcome back to the lead. The reason why youre probably going to see some more Airport Security just in time for the summer and the july 4th holiday. Al qaeda is working on a new generation of bombs, ones that may be undetectible to hitech security measures in place. The white house so worried an urgent high level meeting was held last week. This is part of the same threat we told you right before the winter games in sochi, russia, when airlines were warned to look out for explosivepacked toothpaste tubes. The threat seems more uth now. Bombmakers from al qaeda in yemen have joined up with foreign firefighters in syria. They might have valid western passports. Barbara starr has more o mosh from the pentagon. The u. S. May step it up Airport Security perks due to increased concern al qaeda terrorists in yemen have found a new way to get around current airport screening. In the u. S. Crosshairs, al qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula or aqap, headquartered in the yemen, the most dangerous al qaeda affiliate, a group with long experience in advanced bomb making. U. S. Officials tell cnn an additional vublt has been identified in Airport Security because of aqap advances. Officials dont see an imminent threat. However, one official telling cnn we are steadily tracking significant threats from aqap that are credible. The department of Homeland Security is regularly reviewing our security procedures to adapt to the threat that is faced by our transportation system. The big concern is this ma man,ive ra ham al asiri, the master bomb maker expert in the designing bombs with no metal and undetectable explosives such is as the design wonder by abdue matal lab in the failed Christmas Day underwear bomb attack. The top u. S. Military commander in europe noting terrorists have been eyeballing western airports for months. We remain concerned about the capability of some of these elements to develop weapons that could be thwarted by our current security systems. Now with violence spreading across the middle east, for both the u. S. And europe, detecting foreign fighters on the move more than ever is a top priority for the intelligence community. The flow from western iraq and Eastern Syria into europe is a very zing problem, and we are, working to address that is flow. If those terrorists have western passports, european or u. S. , it just makes it all the much easier for them to leave the middle east, cross into europe, come back to the United States, and potentially launch a new round of attacks. Jake . Barbara starr, thank you so much. Lets bring in counterterrorism analyst phil mudd a former fbi and cia official. Thanks so much for being here. What kind of a threat is isiss . A course else is me its arguably the most dangerous terrorist group out there. I think thats correct at the moment. These things have changed quickly over time since 911. Weve had big threats in asia when we had embassies attacked and night clubs. Weve had threats out of somalia, threats to students out of northern nigeria. The problem we have in syria and iraq is slowly over time as the battle lines settle between the militaries and isis, isis gets comfortable and starts thinking more about targets in europe and the United States than they have to think about baghdad. The problem we have is a march against time as isis gets comfortable in the territory theyre the starting to take. One intelligence source walked through three reasons why he says isis is the most dangerous threat right now. Lets walk through each one. One, isis, it is said, has the most operatives and sympathizers who have direct access to the United States and western europe. So these are individual who have either american or western passports . Thats correct. Its what we called back when i was at the agency clean skins, people who can pass throughs transit points because they have documents that arent stamped by things that you would find remarkable if youre a Security Officer at a border, people who have access to western European Countries where you have visa agreements with the United States. I would argue, jake, that is not if i were in the business the thing i would worry about most. I know people talk about that a lot. You can find access to kids who want to blow themselves up. Remember we saw a kid from florida blow himself up in syria recently. Youve got to the focus on what barbara was talking about. Its very rare to find bombmakers with the capability and experience to design a device thats technically advanced enough and creative enough to get around 13 years of developments in airline security. The bombmakers are the ones to focus on, not the clean skins, the kids with good passports. You can find those kids. The bombmakers, correct me if im wrong, its not that isis has these brilliant bombmakers. Its that the isis may now be working with al qaeda groups in yemen that have this brilliant bombmaker. Isnt that right . Thats correct. I think you would be surprised to find how difficult it is for a bombmaker to transition from building a roadside explosive device to building an underwear bomb like we saw in december of 2009 over detroit thats undetectible by metal detectors. That is december of 2009 remember. Four years later, if you have someone with Technical Capability and drive, and creativity, think, i was at Reagan National airport yesterday. Think of everything you can put in your bag, think of everything you can put in that the cargo hold. Everything that potentially you can insert with an explosive device. Thats a remarkable array of stuff that you can alter to build a bomb. That guys had four years to figure it out. I look and say thats a recipe potentially for disaster. Phil, lastly, one of the other key points about isis that my intelligence source tells me they have a safe haven unlike al qaeda in yem and anpakistan and somalia, mali, they have this big swathe of territory in syria and iraq. What advantage does that give them . I would say theyre halfway to safe haven more so in syria. Safe haven for me is the space for people to plot attacks against europe or the United States without worrying as much about fighting government forces. Advantage that gives you is pretty straight forward. If you want to plan an attack against new york, for example, you need the time to put together the attack to recruit the attackers to train them especially if theyre not familiar in operating in the west. You need obviously to put together the device so youre talking about months or even a year or two to put together a successful strike. You cant do that if youre sitting there in a trench running away from government forces. Thats why weve seen the threat diminish in yemen and somalia. Those groups are running are from Security Services less so and potentially in syria and iraq where we have the safe haven of the future. Fascinating and terrifying. Coming up next, theres now an even greater chance youll need a tent for the fourth of july cookout. New details on the storms swirling off the coast of the United States that could make a direct hit in time for the fireworks. Plus, hes a ceo with deep pockets. Why the hasnt president obama chosen him to clean up one of the biggest messes of his administration . [ male announcer ] some come here to build something smarter. Some come here to build something stronger. Others come to build something faster. Something safer. Something greener. Something the whole world can share. People come to boeing to do many different things. But its always about the very thing we do best. Cozy or cool . Exactly the way you want it. Until boom, its bedtime your mattress is a battleground of thwarted desire. Enter the sleep number bed. Right now, you can save 400 on the allnew c4 mattress set. Hes the softy. His sleep number setting is 35. Youre the rock, at 60. And snoring . Sleep numbers even got an adjustment for that. You can only find sleep number at a sleep number store. Dont miss the lowest prices of the season with the allnew c4 mattress at 1499. 98. Know better sleep with sleep number. Welcome back to the lead. Im jake tapper. The National Lead now. A huge victory for conservatives, a kick in the teeth for the president S Health Care law and a ruling that could have direct consequences for thousands of women across the workforce. Heres the bottom line from the Supreme Courts decision on the hobby lobby case. Socalled closely held or Smaller Companies now cannot be required under obamacare to broi Insurance Coverage for some contraceptives such as the morningafter pill if the companys owners feel it violates their religious principles. Pamela brown is live at the court. Theres huge ramifications for the public. Take us through this decision. Thats right, jake. This was the most anticipated ruling of the term because of the social and political implications. The ruling today could impact thousands of women who work for these closely held familyowned corporations like hobby lobby. This was a ruing that was divided along ideological lines with the conservative justices ruling in favor of hobby lobby and religious freedom and also ruling against the Obama Administration and president obamas Signature Health care law. Fiery protests on a ruling that converged three contentious issues into one, religious freedom, abortion and obamacare. Today, the high court striking down a key provision in the Affordable Care act that requires for Profit Companies to provide comprehensive Birth Control coverage. The main plaintiff, the evangelical cristian owners. Hobby lobby craft stores challenged the law saying it rye slated their religious beliefs. The court reaffirmed American Families dont give up their constitutional right to religious freedom just because they open a Family Business. Care covers 20 kinds of Birth Control. This case focused on the morningafter pill and the week after pill known as ella, also two types of iuds. Hobby lobby equated those for forms of contraceptives with abortion because they say they prevent an egg fromtaching to the womb. Supporters of the contraception mandate say this unfairly brings a womans boss into her private medical affairs and dumps a huge burden on female employees. Immediately, tens of thousands of women who are employees of these companies will either be out of their Birth Control or will absolutely have to double pay because we are already paying. That adds up at the end of the month. The five conservative justices on the court used a 20yearold federal law to make the case that closely held for Profit Companies have religious liberty rights just like individuals do. Writing for the majority, Justice Alito said the plain terms of the federal law make it perfectly clear that congress did not discriminate in this way against men and women who wished to run their businesses as for profit corporations and the men are required by their religious beliefs. But in a strongly worded dissent, Justice Ruth Ginsburg says now Company Owners can force their own religious beliefs on their employees. It would deny legions of women who do not hold their pleers beliefs unable to secure contraceptive coverage. The ruling could open the door to even more legal challenges to obamacare. And jake, if you look to the dissent from Justice Ginsburg, the heart of it talks about how this could open up a can of worms for other companies to say that they should be exempt for coverage of samesex couples, medical marijuana, vaccinations because of their religious beliefs. As we speak, there are other cases rights now in the pipeline contesting other provisions in the Affordable Care act and the contraception mandate other companies saying they dont want to be forced to cover any contraception at all. So this very well could just be the beginning of the fight. Thank you so much. Lets bring in our panel to talk about this, chief counsel and policy director at the judicial crisis network, nor na tannin and cnns senior legal and nis jeffrey toobin. Carrie, talk about where this all ends up. This was a decisioning about two types of morning after pills and two types of iuds. But what about the individual who has religious objections to regular Birth Control pills . Well, this case deals with a closely held corporation, a Family Business that has been built for 40 years and now they dont want to have to choose between following the law and following their conscience. This can apply to other situations. The court has to baens the interests of the state and the interests of religious freedom and in this case, the government has already developed ways where they could cover account cost of contraceptives so women would still be getting free contraceptive coveraging you disagree. You know, first of all, 90 of companies in america are closely held. This isnt like a small decision. Hobby lobby has 10,000 work persons thats just one. This is going to apply to millions of women potentially. The truth is the court i think was here demonstrating incredible jishl activism, new definitions what it means to be a company, personhood redefined. I think the challenge here is it is going to open up a lot of court a lot of people coming into the courts, a lot of litigation and for decades weve been listening to conservatives argue we shouldnt be using the courts for this kind of thing, that thats judicial activism and here you have five male justices deciding that what matters is the religious views of employers but employees workers religious views dont matter at all. Jeffrey, lets talk about the slippery slope though. I understand this was a narrow decision. And carries right about that. But if the principle that the court ruled on is taken to the next step, what is to stop another closely held company, a Small Company of 50 people, fewer than five own more than half the company, what is to stop them from saying im catholic and my religion teaches me that the Birth Control pill is wrong which is part of catholic faith . Nothing. I dont think this is a narrow decision. What i heard kerry say is courts have to balance the religious views of the owners of the company against what the law says. Thats a lot of owners of companies. Thats a lot of lawsuits from companies that dont want to pay for certain procedures. And i think carrie was very accurately stating that this is an invitation not cutting off these sorts of losses. This is an invitation to owners of companies who prior to today we didnt even know corporations had freedom of religious views. But today, the court made clear that they do. And they are going to exercise those rights to cut away from paying for stuff they dont want to pay for. Carrie. First of all, corporations have long been held to have religious perspectives. There have been many businesses that havent been organizes as corporations who have found to have religious rights like jewish owned businesses. If they incorporated they wouldnt have lost those rights. And i think yes, people that are in similar situations should be able to exercise their religious freedom the same way but in this case, the government has already offered to many other faithbased organizations a way that they would not have to participate in this and violate their religion. Its also exempted under other laws. More than half the American Workforce because of the sides of bizes and grandfathering, its unfair to give exemptions to other religious organizations and not to give them to people like the greens. Let me ask you, millions of americans think that the Birth Control pill is because it extinguishes a fertilized egg be. Some Birth Control bills. Millions of americans think people who subscribe to catholic dogma that is ending a life. Why should anybody who thinks that way be required to pay for insurance that covers it . So Justice Ginsburg addressed this in her dissent which is to say that theres a governmental purpose in insuring that people these rights. And this wasnt like a congressional decision. This was a decision made by medical experts to say you know what . Contraception is a health care issue. I think the challenge here is to get the courts involved and Business Leaders involved in their rowley deciding what is a contraceptive right versus not. I think the challenge with this decision is that it gives this power only to company ceos, Business Leaders. There are important rights here for employees. Workers. Im a hindu. I dont have the same beliefs that a boss could have. Why are my beliefs circumdescribed . What i find damaging about this decision is that it places all burden on workers and says the only people who have rights here are the ceos. Ker ril, near ra, jeffrey, thank you so much. Coming up, were waiting on president obama to announce his nomination for Veterans Affairs secretary. Why he isnt going with a career military man this time around. Plus another major recall from General Motors. More than 8 million vehicles. Details coming up. We have president obama introducing his new nominee to be va secretary. Good afternoon, everybody. Please be seated. Let me start by thanking acting secretary gibson for welcoming us here today. I am pleased to be join by our Vice President joe viden from leaders across this department and our. Partners, particularly representatives from our incredible veterans and military Family Service organizations. I want to begin by making a basic point. Those of you who serve here at the va do absolutely vital work every single day for our veterans and their families. I know how deeply you care about our veterans. Many of you are veterans yourselves. Veterans serving veterans. You help them transition to civilian life, go to college, buy their first home, start a new business. You have some off the best doctors and nurses in the country and provide some of the best Specialized Health care. At our National Cemeteries you lay our veterans to rest with dignity and compassion. I know that millions of veterans are profoundly grateful for the good work that you do. And i am grateful, as well. But were here today because of problems that have outraged us all. That includes the inexcusable conduct that weve seen at too many Va Health Care facilities. So im here for two reasons. To update you and the American People on how were fixing these problems and to announce my choice for the next secretary of Veterans Affairs to help move us forward. The first thing everyone should know is that those responsible for manipulating or falsifying records at the va and those who tolerated are being held accountable. Some have already been relieved of their duties. Investigations are continuing and where we find misconduct, it would be punished. Ive made it clear that i expect the vas full cooperation with all the investigations into wrongdoing. Second, we reached out to 135,000 veterans so far to get them off those wait lists and noon clinics. Weve had the more staff, sent mobile medical units, and were making it easier for veterans to use hospitals and clinics outside the va. Were going to keep at it until every one of our veterans is off a wait list and they receive the care that they have earned. Third, were moving ahead with urgent reforms at the Veterans Health administration. That many 14day scheduling goal has been removed from employee evaluations so there is no incentive to engage in inappropriate behavior. Providing the highest quality care when our veterans need it, thats your incentive. There will be new measures of Patient Satisfaction from the veterans perspective. And todays outdated va scheduling system is going to be overhauled with the latest technology. More broadly, the review that rob neighbors conducted of the va found and im quoting systemic and chronic failures including too little responsiveness, transparency and accountability. And that is totally unacceptable. It recommends that the vha be restructured and reformed with stronger management, leadership and oversight as well as more doctors and staff. And i totally agree. Were going to make that happen. Ive asked for rob to remain at the va for now to help move these reforms forward. Hiring of new vwa leaders has been frozen. Vha leaders has been frozen to make sure the new team were putting in place is the right one. Based on recommendations of our panel of experts i will be nominating the next leader of the vha. I want to get the very best leader on the job and get going on these reforms. Were going to work with congress to make sure the vha has more doctors ran resources it needs to deliver the care our veterans deserve. Fourth, were instituting a new culture of accountability. The very idea that senior vha executives would receive bonuses this year rightly appalled Many Americans and those bonuses have already been canceled. A review is now under way to make sure when employees speak up about a problem, action is taken not to retaliate against the employee but actually to fix the problem. Everyones going to be held accountable for doing better and congress can help by giving the secretary more authority to remove senior leaders. Finally, were rebuilding our Leadership Team here at the va. I want to the thank sloan and others who have stepped up to serve in new roles during this critical time. I have to say, sloan, have you been an outstanding driving force behind the reforms now under way. Well rely on your steadily hand through youred service as deputy secretary. I know all of you will have an outstanding partner and secretary in my choice to lead the va going forward. One of our nations most accomplished Business Leaders and managers, robert mcdonald. Now, ive gotten to know bob a bit over the years. Hes come to the white house to share his perspectives as weve worked through complicated issues. Hes no nonsense, hes pragmatic. He does not seek the limelight. He repeats the japanese saying he worked and lived in japan for six years while at Procter Gamble. The saying goes he who climbs mt. Fuji is a wise man had he who climbs it twice is a fool. Now, bob actually climbed mt. Fuji once. Bob is a wise man. And if you need any more evidence that hes wise, you need to meet deann and his family who are here today because they are a wonderful family and obviously, theyve served along with him in the past. For bobben an his family, the mission of caring for for our veterans is deeply personal. His father served, deanns father was a p. O. W. Her uncle was exposed to agent orange in vietnam and still receives treatment from the va. So this is not an abstract pigs for them. Bob is a veteran himself. He graduated from west point where he and sloan were classmates. So this is a bit of a reunion. Bob served as an army ranger in the 82nd Airborne Division. Back home in cincinnati, he and deann have teamed up with the uso to honor our veterans. But what especially makes bob the right choice to lead the va right now is his three decades of experience in building and managing one of the worlds most recognized companies Procter Gamble. The va is not a business but it is one of our largest departmentz. Some 340,000 employees working in more than 1700 facilities serving nearly 9 million veterans. The workload at the vha alone is enormous. Some 85 million appointments a year and some 25 million consultations. As ceo of Procter Gamble, bob oversaw more than 120,000 employees with operations around the world selling products in more than 180 countries in more than 2 Million Stores reaching some 5 billion customers. In other words, he knows the key to any successful enterprise is staying focused on the people youre trying to serve. Hes renowned for his operational excellence. He started his career out in the field and worked his way up. Serving at virtually every level of Procter Gamble. He understands the grand plans are not enough. What matters is the operations that you put in place and getting the job done. Bob be an expert in making organizations better. In his career, hes taken over struggling business units. He knows how to roll up his sleeves and gets to work, put agend to what doesnt work, adopting best practices that do, restructuring, introducing innovations, making operations more efficient and eb. In short, hes about delivering better results. He also knows the importance of building what he calls a High Performance team, putting the right people in the right jobs, rewarding them when they do well and holding them accountable when they do not. And finally, bobs known for his integrity. Hes still guided by that cadet prayer from west point, choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong. He served our country in uniform. Hes now prepared to answer the call once more. So let me state the obvious. This is not going to be an easy assignment. Bob knows that. But like nel Army Airborne ranger, bob has a reputation for being ready. Jumping in to tough situations taking charge and going all the way. So bob, on behalf of all of us, to you, to deann, and your family, thank you for your readiness to serve again. My bottom line is this, weve got to change the way va does business. Over the past five years, this agency has done some excellent work in dealing with a whole range of real difficult challenges. I dont want people to forget that. We had have had a huge influx of returning iraqi and afghanistan veterans. We have had i thinking had to manage what was a good decision to make sure that folks who previously had difficulty accessing va services were finally admitted, whether it was because they had ptsd or folks with cases previously of agent orange, all of which meant more people coming into the system. We have had to get up and running and now were doing it quite effectively work in terms of the post9 11 gi bill to make sure that our young people get the training they need after they leave our military. So across the board, theres been some terrific work. But theres a lot more that has to be done. Weve got to fix some things that are broken and sloans started that process but were going to having to keep on driving till we get it done. Weve got to regain the trust of our veterans with a va that is more effective, more efficient, and that truly puts veterans first. Bobs the manager we need to help get this done. So i urge the senate to the confirm him as soon as possible. I also urge the senate to finally confirm my nominee for cfo, helen tierney, my nominee for assist can the secretary for policy, lynda schwartz, my nominee to lead the board of veterans appeals, con stas tobias. They have all been waiting and waiting and waiting for a vote. In constances case for more than a year. We need them on the job now. And Congress Needs to act and help us do right by our veterans. Weve got to do right by veterans like Corporal Kyle carpenter. Some of you may have seen the story of kyle. I recently had the privilege of presenting kyle with the medal of honor for his actions in afghanistan where he used his body 0 shield his best friend from a grenade blast. Kyle spent two and a half years in the hospital. He endured nearly 40 surgeries to rebuild his body and his face and hes gone through excruciating rehab. And to see him standing in the white house strong and proud receiving his medal of honor was something i will never forget. It was an inspiration. Today, kyle is medically retired. So part of his journey of recovery involved the va. On the other hand, hes now in college and with the help of his va educational benefits. Its an example of the good work that the va has done. On the other hand, his experience with Va Health Care has often been frustrating. He said it was okay that i share it this with you today. I just want to use kyle as an example. Heres an american hero. By any definition. Sometimes we use that word too loosely. This guys a hero. And deserves everything we can do. But like other veterans, kyle sometimes had trouble just making an appointment or had to wait a month to see his doctor only to be referred to another doctor and wait another two months for that appointment. He often felt like a number he said, being passed between doctors who sometimes didnt know his situation or why he needed certain medication. Hes relied on the help of a patient advocate but at so steps along the way, its just been a lot harder than it should have been. As his advocate said, it shouldnt be this way. So the va does many things well. Like delivering kyles educational benefits. And we need all of you to keep doing that important work like reducing the disability claims backlog and improving care for post Traumatic Stress and traumatic brain injury, building on the good work thats already been done and reducing homelessness among veterans, helping veterans get their education out of the post 9 11 gi bill and helping find new civilian jobs so they could enjoy the American Dream they helped to defend. Its a good time to mention the great work that the va has done with joe viden and michele in partnering with the private sector so that that transition from military to civilian life is a lot easier for our veterans. But when it comes to delivering timely Quality Health care, we have to do better. We have to do better for kyle, we have to do better for all our wounded warriors, we have to do better for all our veterans from all our wars. Theyre looking for us to fulfill lincolns pledge. To care for those who have born the battle. And for their families. And survivors. Im confident we can do that. And so long as im president , were going to keep doing everything in our power to uphold what is a sacred obligation. With that, i want to invite to say a few words. Thank you so much for taking on this assignment. Thank you, mr. President. Thank you. Clps. Mr. President , thank you for your confidence in me that this nomination demonstrates. It would indeed be an honor and a privilege if confirmed by the senate to be as the secretary of Veterans Affairs. To improve the lives of our countrys veterans and to help change the way the u. S. Department of Veterans Affairs does business. Mr. President , in your remarks just now, youve made it clear what you expect, a va that is more eb, more efficient, and that truly puts our veterans first. If confirmed by the senate, my priority would be to be lead that transformation. My lifes purpose has been to improve the lives of others. I went to west point to be an officer in the army to try to help free people who were living in nontree societies. I became an Airborne Ranger infantry officer in the 82nd Airborne Division because i wanted to be on the frontline in leading that change. I joined the Procter Gamble company 34 years ago because of its purpose, which is to improve the lives of the worlds consumers. Mr. President , thank you for mentioning my father, deanns father and uncle. Yes, for our family, taking care of our veterans is very personal. We need to put care for the veteran at the center of everything that we do at Veterans Affairs. At Procter Gamble, we always focus on our customer. At the va, the veteran is our customer and we must all focus all day every day on getting them the benefits and care theyve so earned. Thats the only reason were here. I look forward to working with the dd indicated men and women of the Veterans Affairs to accomplish this mission. Id like to thank my family for supporting me throughout my life but especially during this next chapter. My wife deann, my daughter jenny, my soninlaw and my son are all here today. My parents and deanns mother could not attend today but thank you for your love and support. Thank you again, mr. President , i look forward to working with you to transform Veterans Affairs to better serve our countrys veterans. Thank you. Youre welcome. [ applause ] good job. You just heard president obama nominate former Procter Gamble ceo to lead the department of Veterans Affairs. So lets take a moment to talking about what veterans might think of this choice. Joining me is paul rykoff, the ceo of iraq and afghanistan veterans of america, served as an army 1st lt. And infantry rifle platoon lead fler iraq. And Senior Investigative correspondent kerpt drew griffin that broke the story. Paul, you said that bob mcdonald was not on anyones radar for this position as a veteran and representative of the iraq and afghanistan vets. What do you make of this choice . Its a surprising choice because he doesnt come from the military. He doesnt come from the Health Care Community he doesnt come from inside the va. Look, we need a turnaround artist. If hes got experience that can turn around the va, thats what our veterans need because the trust is broken. Right now, it going from p g to the va will feel like driving a ferrari. The v oo is so deeply entrenched and has criminal investigations going on. Mr. Mcdonald will have to get used to operating in almost a constant state of chaos and regain the trust of over 9 million who depend on va for health care. Thats got to be priority number one. Be drew, lets look at his background for a second. He has more than 30 years of experience at Procter Gamble. Hes given Campaign Contributions to mitt romney and House Speaker john boehner. Why do you think he was tapped for this job be . He was tapped because of his Organizational Skills and making other people in an Organization Better and better performing. This guy is what the va needs. They need a businessman to run this like a business and deliver account product in this case, what were talking about, health care, to the veterans of had country. I think they also needed, and i think the president was smart to do this, they need add outsider who unencouplered by any kind of ties in washington, d. C. Or the vfw or anyone else. I think his first order of business will be to can a bunch of people. Hes got to lay waste to a lot of the managers and the senior administrators there who got the vha into this mess. Paul, after general shinseki resigned as va director, did anyone in the white house you in any way, formally, informally, did anyone reach out to you to talk about who might take that job . Be. No, we got one call from mr. Neighbors. This hasnt been an open process where the president reached out to veterans groups. Hes reached out to veterans across the country. I think mr. Mcdonald will have to get out on the road and have to talk to patients. Hes going to have to talk to va employees and especially the new generation. Our average member is in their late 20s dealing with very different issues than the va has seen in the past. Hes got to get to know them and ensure he can be an advocate for us in the important years to come. Drew and paul, thank you both for your important work. Coming up, it could be the first named storm of the atlantic season and it could make landfall on the fourth of july. Details coming up ahead. R 175 . Yup. All five of you for 175. Our clients need a lot of attention. Theres unlimited talk and text. Were working deals all day. You get 10 gigabytes of data to share. What about expansion potential . Add a line anytime for 15 bucks a month. Low dues. Great terms. Lets close. Introducing at t mobile share value plans. With our bestever pricing for business. And cialis for daily use helps you be Ready Anytime the moment is right. Cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved to treat symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently. Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. Do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. Do not drink alcohol in excess. Side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. To avoid long term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. If you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. Ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30tablet trial. Welcome back to the lead. In national news, its the deep red you never want to see over your area on a weather map, a line of extreme weather moving across the midwest bringing the threat of floods and hail and twisters to cities like chicago. A tornado was already reported on the ground in iowa and if that isnt enough to mess with your holiday week, foreor casters are watching a storm system off florida that could hit your east coast beach get away as a Tropical Storm on the fourth of july. Chad meyers is in atlanta tracking all of this for us. Jake, big storms, a big squall line heading into chicago. You have a couple hours but batten everything down in chicago. Anywhere along i88 through northern indiana, northern illinois, this weather is pushing ahead like a bulldozer. The problem is the bull dozer is going 60 to 70 miles an hour. Thats wind youll see through chicago and all the suburbs in the next probably two hours or so eventually blowing into lake michigan. Thats the area youre talking about, the risk of big time severe weather. What will probably be arthur, the first Tropical Storm of the year, i know it looks like its going to affect florida and it will along the beaches but what were really expecting, major rip tides, rip currents here across the east part of the coast and a lot of people on these beaches. You have to be careful. Guess what, on the morning of the fourth of july, that storm is forecat with all these computer models to be right over the outer banks where at least hundreds of thousands of people will be trying to enjoy the fourth of july. Pay attention to this one. Its still very close. Outer banks, beautiful place to be on the fourth of july except maybe this year. Chad meyers, thank you so much. Follow me on twitter jake tapper and at the lead cnn check out cnn. Com the lead for video and blogs and extras. Thats it for today. Im jake tapper. I now turn you over to Brianna Keilar filling in for wolf blitzer in the situation room. Breeann pa na . Happening now, breaking news. Middle east on the brink. Israel vows a tough response an after the bodies of three missing teenagers are found in the west bank. And new terror threats. The u. S. Weighs new Airport Security measures to counter next generation undetectible bombs that could be delivered by western jihadists. And dangerous weather. The midwest has already been hit by massive flooding. Could a Tropical Storm drown out july 4th festivities on the east coast . Wolf is off today. Im Brianna Keilar and youre in the situation room. We begin with