Transcripts For MSNBCW Weekends With Alex Witt 20140518

From the va scandal and this troubling crisis. Pressure mounts, and continues to do so on Eric Shinseki to step down. It was the undersecretary who resigned, however, critics called him a scapegoat, saying he was due to retire soon anyway. Meantime, in an interview this morning, white house chief of staff talked about president obamas reaction to all of this. The president is madder than hell. And ive got the cards to prove it. Were digging into this to find out if this is a series of isolated cases or whether this is a systemic issue that we need to address with wholesale reform. Were not going to stop making this better, because thats exactly what our veterans deserve. But mcdonough defended shinseki saying, quote, he will continue to work these issues until they are fixed. And reaction from an iraq and afghanistan veteran. Should we ask for shinsekis resignation, and i dont jump on that bandwagon. This has gone from an incompetent and backlog to something criminal. I think it is time for shinseki to resign. Hospital administrators is accused of cooking the books and delaying care to american veterans. Welcome back to the broadcast. Glad to see you. Thank you, alex. Thank you. So, lets talk about from what you know at this point. Should secretary shinseki keep his job . You know, clearly theres a systemic problem here. Its very distressing to see what was in the dayton daily news, saying these delays have been going back as far as 2001. And i appreciate that the president and the secretary are as mad as hell, but its going to take more than anger to get solutions. I want action and answers and i want to keep the focus on our veterans. This is about making sure that our veterans get timely, quality care that they have earned. Okay. When you talk about actions, i dont know if this is a substantive answer, but it is important to know that the undersecretary was already going to retire this year. The president had already named his successor. Do you perceive that to be a hollow gesture . I think its a step in the right direction. There does have to be accountability. I know as a former prosecutor how important it is to take action based on facts. While resignations may be in the works in the long term, right now, weve got to keep our focus on getting our veterans the care they need. I was in flagstaff yesterday for our armed forces parade, and i talked to hundreds of veterans who have stories similar to this or who are on waiting lists and we have to find solutions. Its about people, not about politics, and i want answers and action. How about from the president s perspective, his response . Has that been adequate . You know, saying your angry is not good enough. Theres get to be some accountability here. Weve got to get to the bottom. Whats most distressing to me is that were now finding out this is systemic and its going on for a long time. As Ranking Member of oversight investigation, i thought that it could be systemic. Thats why a couple of weeks ago i asked for a full audit of the whole system. But i want that to be a thorough and complete audit. There was news in the Committee Meeting last week that it might be available in three weeks. Thats not good enough. Lets get to the bottom of this. There was something that the secretary said at the Senate Hearing this past week, which struck me. He said his position was, quote, not a job, and that he was there to accomplish a mission. Do you think that sort of instead fastness is the right attitude for a crisis like this . We have to fight for ow veterans with all our might, because they already paid the price for us. In a lot of regards it is like a mission. I mentioned that veterans i talked to op the parade route yesterday, and they remember fighting together, for freedom. And now theyre fighting together again to get the benefits that theyve already earned. Yes. With regard, though, to resignations, is that something that will make a palpable difference for you . Im sure youve heard of my colleague who said in some ways he believes that the entire va system could be scrapped. It is not working. It is behemoth, it is a huge systemic problem that we have. It is. How do you tackle this . It clearly is a huge systemic problem. The problem with calling for resignations right now without the complete report and the facts is that it starts to get into the political realm. Look, this is not about campaigns or elections. Again, its about people. And our veterans and making sure they get the care they need. I want us to stay focused on that and not get side tracked with the politics involved. I want to get back to the 2001 problems that you mentioned at the top here. Theres a story that we saw this morning, according to an investigation, conducted by the dayton daily news, the va appears to have settled many cases involving delays in medical care, both voluntarily, also as part of a court order. The investigation claims the va has in fact paid out 36 million to settle those claims since 2001. What to you make of that . Alex, this is so distressing. I was devastated when i heard this this morning. Again, this shows this is a systemic problem, going back tens of years. So why are we just now dealing with this . I want action. I want answers. I want solutions. Im sure youre going to keep calling for that. We hope you get them. Dont we all, right . Yes. Ann, thank you so much. Good to see you. Thank you. More politics. Jeb bush at a potential president ial run. He gave the commencement address this weekend at a Christian Liberal Arts College in pennsylvania, saying, quote, if you feel inspired to serve your fellow citizens, dont let the ugliness of politics keep you from pursuing public office. Theres always room for informed, engaged, passionate leaders at every level of government. Former Vice President dick cheney weighed in today. Jebs a great guy. Been a good governor. I think hes seriously considering it. And thats certainly another one that ought to be on the list of prospective candidates. And those comments come on the heels of former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice who said this past week that she hopes jeb bush runs for president. A break for crews battling the wildfires raging here in Southern California since last tuesday. Calmer winds and cooler temperatures are helping them get the upper hand on a dozen fires that have scorched more than 25,000 acres near san diego. Relatively under control. You never know. Depends on the weather. Today, tomorrow, next week. So, yes, its under control for the moment. But were in a very serious fire season, more serious than weve seen before. We have to watch and be very careful. Meantime, the last of tens of thousands of residents evacuated have been allowed to return home. The lucky ones find their homes escaped the flames. Between the fire and our house, happy to come back and have everything we worked hard for. Nbcs jennifer bjordland is joining us live north of san diego. Lets talk about the situation there today. We were talking yesterday. The temperatures i think are certainly helping matters today. Reporter absolutely, alex. In fact, its cooler this morning. It was downright cold at sunrise. Were tired of the gray, foggy weather, may and june are typically very foggy, but already weve had those hot late, july, august temperatures that caused a lot of this wreckage that weve seen around in san diego county. The weather pattern that we dont usually see until later in the year. I read something this morning about cal fire saying, normally they have 800 fires by now. Theyve had 1,500 fires in the state. Theyve been very busy. Right here at fire camp the crews are demobilizing. A lot of them are being released and sent back to their counties, the strike teams that came in as mutual aid are being released for a little r r here. At the height, this series of fires had 30,000 people evacuated within one day. And all but just a handful of homes are being repopulated right now. They expect to lift all the evacuation orders by later this afternoon. And thats really good news here at the fire front lines in san diego county, north county, where theyre finally getting a little bit of a break. Alex . Okay. Lets hope all these fires are put out and extinguished soon. Now the developments involving the nearly 300 Nigerian School girls held by boko haram. Their families and supporters continue to insist the Nigerian Government is not doing enough to find the girls who have been held more than a month now. The same sentiment was ek code this morning on the sunday talk shows. I think there are real problems with the Nigerian Government and the nigerian military, because there was notice that this was going to happen. The military did nothing. Boko haram has burned down 300 girls schools. The government has done nothing. So if you do nothing, in the face of terror, it does one thing, it brings on more terror. Those sentiments come as nigerias president addressed this. Bill neely joins us from the capital of abuja. Did anything come out of that summit, and what has been the reaction there in nigeria . Reporter yes, nigerias president is on his way back from that summit in which there was a great deal of tough talk. I think the senator put her finger on it. The whole issue is, what will they do. Because up to now, it looks like theyve done nothing. There were two main issues, one obviously trying to free the school girls. That is entirely nigerias responsibility. So far, of course, theres been no progress on finding them. The second one was declaring war and crushing boko haram. The five countries, well, they said they greed on certain things, for example, the issue of borders, to seal their borders more effectively, to share intelligence across borders, to have joint patrols, and so on. But these armies have no history of cooperating or sharing intelligence. This will be a tough mountain to climb and well have to see whether they do that. Meanwhile, as they talked, boko haram acted. In the last 24 hours, across the cameroon, nigeria, border boko haram kidnapped 11 Chinese Workers from a construction site in cameroon, and killed about 40 villagers, across the border in nigeria. As for the girls themselves, well, no sign of them. Of course, there was a report today from in a british newspaper that boko haram may be considering releasing some of the girls, that it may have dropped its demand for its prisoners to be released. And the newspaper cited sources close to boko haram. Really, there is no proof that any of that is likely. In fact, it doesnt smack of the way boko haram operates. So its not very hopeful here. The only hope is that after all these weeks, that somehow the u. S. Surveillance planes may come up with something. There may be some local intelligence on the ground. After all, its very hard to have 230 girls in your hands. You have to feed them. You have to make sure that their welfare is taken care of. So the only hope really of finding them is that some clue will emerge in the next week or few weeks that will lead the nigerian troops to these girls. So all talk yesterday, now we need to see some action. Lets hope it all happens sooner rather than later. Thank you very much. Experimental drugs no longer out of reach for the terminally ill in one state. Will this save lives. Fred flintstone smoking . The Old Commercial used to illustrate a point in a new documentary about food in america. [ male announcer ] legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses. If you have a business idea, we have a personalized legal solution thats right for you. With easy stepbystep guidance, were here to help you turn your dream into a reality. Start your Business Today with legalzoom. Feeding your lawn need not be so difficult neighbors. Get a load of this bad boy. Whoa. This snap spreader system from scotts is snapcrackin simple just snap, lock, and go. [ scott ] feed your lawn. Feed it youre not doing anything as fast as you used to, which is funny, because i still do it better than her. [ afi ] i do not like sweeping. Its a little frustrating. [ zach ] i cant help out as much as i used to. Do you need help . Lets open it up. [ afi ] its a swiffer sweeper. 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Colorado has become the first state in the nation to allow terminally ill patients to have access to medication that is nonapproved by the government. Governor john higen looper said he doesnt want patients to die knowing there may have been a drug in existence to help them that they couldnt have. For certain patients, this is the last hope. And so i think its worthwhile that we give them this chance, and this choice to make that decision. And joining me now, dr. Yoram goru, from Johns Hopkins university in baltimore. Im glad to speak with you about this, doctor. Colorado is not alone, sir. We also have missouri, louisiana, poised to take similar actions. Do you agree with those actions . Thank you for having me, alex. So i think Everybody Needs to appreciate that this is a really tragic situation. Some of these patients, as you mentioned, are at the end of their life. Theyve exhausted all current options. Really, theyre looking for any type of hope to extend their lives. Id be careful, though, because bypassing the current regulations that are in place to make sure that the drugs that we use are safe and effective is a little dangerous. Just because a drug may help one individual, doesnt necessarily mean that it will help others. In fact, it can cause harm. And theres very good examples of this. About 20 years ago, there was a trial that was looking at the role for using patients own stem cells who had Breast Cancer. In the early details it was very compelling. It suggested that there was some benefit to this. So many people who had Breast Cancer and many Patient Advocates who were quite vocal and pushed for it to be used on a more widespread basis, unfortunately it panned out that stem cell transplant for Breast Cancer patients ended up harming many patients, including some people died. This is a perfect example of, we have a situation where were trying to do something compassionate, but it ends up backfiring. Whats aimed to help those people who need it the most, people who are dying of their disease, can end up having serious repercussions. May i speak with you, though, about the people who are dying of their disease . This is not being put forth to those who, you know, have a fighting chance. Isnt it really for people in end stages of their lives . Why not, as the colorado governor said, give them something that allows them to at least explore the possibility of extending their lives, when otherwise its pretty certain that they will be dying soon. Youre exactly correct. The way that the bill is drafted, it states that this is meant for terminally ill patients. I think theres also a little bit too much leverage as far as determining whos terminally ill. As the bill is written, it says its up to the individuals treating physicians call. Yes, although i assume most people would agree what patient is terminally is, that theyve exhausted the current options. The concern is, we need to be very careful in making sure that were using drugs that are only safe and effective. I think in my mind, a better option would be maybe revamping the way that some of the Clinical Trials currently exist for patients in this situation. And let me give you an example of that. Right now, drugs have to go through multiple phases. First, we test them in phase one trials to make sure the dose is appropriate and theyre safe and effective, and these can take years to go through. And terminally ill patients may not have that amount of time. I think when were faced with patients indeed at the end of their lives and exhausted all current options, maybe doing the classic way where patients are randomized, one person gets the experimental drug, one person gets the current standard of care, maybe we allow two or three patients to get the experimental drug for every patient who gets the controlled drug. Maybe we should have easier crossover points and have not as rigid statistical end points. And that way i think we could probably have a more happy medium. I would be very, very careful and caution us not to bypass the current regulations that are in place to make sure the drugs are safe. But interestingly, heres what the fda on friday declined to take any position on the state right to try bills. The agency said, it is concerned about any efforts that might undermine the, quote, congressionally mandated authority and Agency Mission to protect the public from therapies that are not safe and effective. So that is echoing your sentiments to some degree. But is that statement more relevant to protecting the fda and their mission, or giving, again, terminally ill patients the right to try something that may offset the inevitable . I dont think so. I know people at the fda. I know what the regulations say. I know what they are meant to do. They are meant, really, to make sure the drugs are safe and effective. I dont think this is the fda trying to cover itself. Sometimes people ask the fda to approve a drug, the fda will grant that. The problem is, that takes time. This is by no means a perfect situation. No, i dont think this is the fda trying to protect itself at the expense of patients who are dying. This is a tragic situation. I think everybody understands that. As a pediatric oncologist, i take care of children, some of whom are have been in these situations, and this is a difficult, difficult time. But i would caution us, again, not to bypass these regulations, because theyre there for a good reason. I just think we need to think outside the box and come up with a better variation. All right. Doctor, im glad for the discussion. Thank you so much. Thank you, alex. It was a pleasure. Thanks. Was Jill Abramson treated differently because she was a woman . New criticism of her firing on the sunday talk shows. 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It is called middle east respiratory syndrome. Heres the scary part. It has the mortality rate of about 30 . Take us through the next part of this investigation. The whole investigation demonstrates to us how much Health Officials still dont know about mers. They think it has a mortality rate of 30 , but this is what theyre trying to determine. This particular case illustrates why its still so mysterious, because this person appears to have been infected without ever having gotten sick. Hes also someone who had casual, yet close cob tact with the person who did get sick. Theyll try to find out if there are any more of what they call these oh consult nonsymptom cases. About 20 of the cases of mers have been asymptomatic, theyve maybe had a mild cold but they barely remembered it. There are two phases of testing. All 50 people who have been in contact with this patient have had sputum tested, tested for actual infection. Now theyre getting blood tests. Thats why this case turned up where hes infected but not sick. It doesnt make a lot of sense some people can be affected and barely remember having a cold. Then as many as 30 believed to die from it. I mean, is there anything thats explaining why theres that difference . This is a respiratory virus. They all act like this. Flu behaves like this, too. You can be uneffected with flu and be fairly sick or be a perfectly healthy person and die from the flu. Middle eastern respiratory virus has only been around for two years. Doctors arent really sure exactly how it behaves yet. It appears that if you get really very sick, then there is a 30 mortality rate. Thats serious. Right now, the cdc says thats enough to make us take this very seriously. We want to track down every Single Person who may have been infected. Make sure theyre not getting sick and make sure theyre not infecting other people. Thats the big question as to how that happens. Because maggie, im looking at the reports from the illinois man and it says he shook hands with someone who suffered from mers. Now, is it something that can be transmitted via touch or simply airborne as a respiratory illness . They dont know for sure exactly how its transmitted. Thats why the World Health Organization when it declared concern earlier this week, and the cdc when they raised the level of concern, that its not a health alert yet, but that theyre still concerned. Do you have to breathe on someone or actually touch someone . In saudi arabia it was definitely prolonged personal close contact. These were Health Care Workers who were intensively caring for a patient, possibly intube eighting them. Or family members caring for them. Apparently this business meeting where the transmission may have taken place, they were talking face to face for 40 minutes or more. Not simply a handshake. Maggie fox, thank you very much for explaining that. Appreciate it. It is gearing up to a super tuesday of sorts. Thats because six states will hold primaries this tuesday, including the primary candidate mitch mcconnell. Jonathan is the author of the center holds, obama and its enemies. Political reporter for u. S. News world report lauren fox. Good to see both of you. Good to see you. Jonathan, ill begin with you. What races are you keeping tabs on and what could they mean for the midterms . I dont think any of these races are hugely in important in control of the u. S. Senate. Mitch mcconnell is going to cruise to victory in the primary on tuesday. The big issue for him is the general election, where hes going to face democrat allison grimes, and this is going to be the most expensive race in american history. 100 million might be spent on this one senate race, in a state without very expensive media markets. The more important thing about super tuesday for me, alex, is that the primaries now are drawn to an end. And what that means is that although theres some that have their primaries in september, for the most part, the tea party threat, which continues to have a stranglehold over action in washington, will recede for perhaps long enough for the president and john boehner to maybe get a few things done. Which is what the American People want now. None of that could take place until the shadow of these tea Party Challenges to republican candidates was lifted. And were now almost at that point. Yeah. You talk about the tea party receding somewhat. To you, lauren, you have matt bevin who we think is 30 points behind in the polls, but hes likely to go down. What happened to matt bevin, because he was such the Tea Party Darling . It was a campaign that didnt get off to a good start. There were issues about his involvement in cockfighting in the state which is still very controversial. There were some issues in terms of him just not being able to get out his message in the way that a Tea Party Candidate needs to. In order to fight somebody like minority leader mitch mcconnell, who will have a powerful campaign and is well known for being Battle Tested in these primary races. I think that was one of the things that matt bevin did not get off to a very good start. Jonathan, republicans are certainly intent on taking control of the senate. And that could put mitch mcconnell, if he wins, ultimately back in control of the senate were that to happen. How are their chances looking right now . You know, different people grade it different ways. I put it about 50 50 right now. The thing that might mitigate against them getting control of the senate is the economy is getting better. There are signs that Economic Growth is picking up. And remember, in 2010, unemployment was at 10 when the republicans took the house. This fall, its going to be closer to, you know, 6 . Thats a big difference. So if Economic Trends continue to, you know, improve, it could give the democrats a little bit of hope. But heres the problem for democrats. Turnout in midterms is significantly lower. 50 million fewer people vote in midterms. And most of those stayathome voters, or nonvoters are democrats. If the democrats cant get them to turn out this year, they will lose control. Yeah. Okay. Were going to have some girl talk here, which means im going to you, lauren. Well talk about New York Times publisher defending the firing of Jill Abramson, saying that his decision had nothing to do with his companys treatment of women but rather abramsons style. I decided that jill could no longer remain as executive editor for reasons having nothing to do with pay or gender. My paramount duty is so ensure the quality of the New York Times. With great regret i concluded her management of the newsroom was simply not working out. Look, this story is raising a lot of questions, lauren, about equal pay, treatment of women. So what do you make of this whole situation . Well, i think that theres still going to be a lot of details to come out of this situation we have not heard. And we have not heard from Jill Abramson herself. But what i will say is stepping back, this means that women have come a long ways in the workplace. That there was so much backlash, that there were so many people talking about this. I think its really promising in terms of not just women in journalism, but women across many career spectrums. I think this is a really promising development. You know, the situation which Jill Abramson may not be, but the backlash is certainly something that women everywhere should be looking to as progress. We havent heard from her vocally. But for her part, it seems she was hitting back to some degree in a photo on her daughters Instagram Page the day after she was fired and there was the pushy. Listen to what carly had to say about the New York Times on meet the press. Shes been a distinguished reporter for the New York Times, and editor for three years. There is not a single word in her departure announcement about her contributions, about her record, about her time at the New York Times. She is excised from history. No more lectures, please, from the New York Times about the treatment of women. Arthur salsburger, the more he talks, the more clear it becomes to me of course she was treated differently. Whatever the issues in the newsroom were, the dynamics around her departure would not have been the same for a man. So, jonathan, im going to ask you both for your reaction into how this has played out. The fact is youre a prominent journalist. We know a lot of people who work at the New York Times. You know more about the process. Have you heard anything about jill awramson or her style or complaints from friends . You dont need to be specific, but is there something indicated she had a management problem . I have to say at the outset that ive known jill for 38 years. We go back a long way. And im a great admirer of hers. I agree with carly fiorina, that it is really regrettable that her great contributions to the New York Times have not been noted. They won, i think, eight Pulitzer Prize in the years she was there. We always win a lot of pulitzers, but it was not like the depar tur of harold rains years ago. There was a plagiarism scandal that led to his departure. The paper is and will continue to be the greatest newspaper in the world by a long shot. I dont think any educated person can really say that they dont read the New York Times. Let me just lay that out. There have been some Management Issues with Jill Abramson. You know, she has rubbed some people the wrong way. Whether that led to the necessitating her departure, seems like a reach to me. It looks like its Office Politics where the new editor of the paper, dean, felt like he was blindsided on the appointment of a new assistant managing editor, deputy managing editor. Thats just Office Politics, which really should not have crowded out her contributions to the paper. I agree the backlash is very positive. Because it puts other employers on warning, treat your women employees right. Okay. Which im sure lauren will agree with as well. Lauren and jonathan, great talking as always. Thanks so much. Thank you. Thank you, alex. New signs that Donald Sterling is digging in his heels more than ever for the right of ownership of the l. A. Clippers. To coffee, snacks, and drinks to fuel the big ideas. Yes, staples has everything you need to launch a startup from your garage. Mom except permission to use the garage. Thousands of products added every day to staples. Com. Even safety cones. This week, get maxwell house® original roast Ground Coffee for 5. 99. Staples. 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Uh, well we are fine tuning these small cells that improve coverage, capacity and quality of the network. It means youll be able t post from the breakroom. Great did it hurt . When you fell from heaven awkward laugh . A little. laughs im sorry, i have to go. At t is building you a better network. The latest on Donald Sterling now, following his racist remarks. Sterling now has a new lawyer, and appears ready to launch what could be a long and contentious legal battle. Hes already refusing to pay the 2. 5 million fine that nba commissioner adam silver levied on him, and fighting his lifetime ban. Usa today sports contributor, josh. Sterling has reportedly hired this veteran maxwell bleacher who represented him over moving the clippers from san diego to l. A. So what does that tell you about his next moves . It appears hes digging in for a fight. I dont think hes going to cave in easily here. Obviously the nba is trying to force the sale. And try to fine him 2. 5 million. Hes resisting. I think youre seeing hes in for the long haul when it comes to a fight. Can he just not pay that mopmop money . Hes at risk of violating issues with the nba and putting himself at risk of giving up his team. The fact is, he wanted to move his team, and he got to move his team from san diego to los angeles. So what does that say about his ability to use the court of law to his favor . Well, he prevailed in that fight. But it would be pure speculation at this point to see what would happen with this case in this situation. Okay. Lets look at whats happening on the court. We have the clippers gotten knocked out of the nba playoffs. The star, Blake Griffin said, it would not be, quote, ideal still owning the clippers when next season starts. How likely is it that this is going to be resolved by the start of the season . Well, i mean, clearly the nba wants to get this resolved as quickly as possible. And theres a fear that the players are not going to be comfortable coming back unless this is resolved. Again, this is all a matter of speb speculation at this point. How do you see this playing out, though . Do you think were in for a long protracted court barlt . Again, its difficult to say. Our focus right now as we recently wrote a story about the ownership of his boyhood home and property across the street. We found that the property is actually listed in the names of his deceased mother and deceased grandmother. Thats interesting. It brings up the prospect of his wife, shelly, maintaining ownership of the team. Is there any likelihood that can happen . Or is california one of these Communal Property states that what happens to him, will have to happen to her . Right. Excellent questions. I think shes expressed some interest in holding on to part of the team. The nbas made it clear they dont think thats possible, under the rules. But excellent questions. And everybodys waiting on the answers, too. Okay. Josh, well come back to you when we have more answers from which to choose, and well talk with you then. Thank you. Thank you very much. While losing weight may not just be a matter of not enough will power or exercise. meow mix jingle right on cue. laughs its more than just a meal, its meow mix mealtime. With wholesome ingredients and irresistible taste, no wonder its the only one cats ask for by name. Ameriprise asked people a simple question in retirement, will you outlive your money . Uhhh. No, that cant happen. Thats the thing, you dont know how long it has to last. Everyone has retirement questions. So ameriprise created the exclusive. Confident retirement approach. Now you and your ameripise advisor can get the real answers you need. Well, knowing gives you confidence. Start building your confident retirement today. Cmon, you want heartburn . When your favorite food starts a fight, fight back fast, with tums. Heartburn relief that neutralizes acid on contact. And goes to work in seconds. Tum, tum tum tum. Tums the Food Industry has been boozeled and hood winked into making us think there are healthy alternatives. A new documentary on americas nutrition crisis. The film zeros in on what it calls public enemy number one, the sugar in processed foods and the Food Industrys unrelenting effort to redirect attention from it. There are 600,000 food items in america. 80 of them have added sugar. Your brain lights up with sugar just like it does with cocaine or heroin. One of the greatest Public Health epidemics of our time. Stephanie, thank you so much for being here. Thanks for having me. Look at what we hear about this. That really considering everything thats in the foods, its not just a matter of will power. Were trying to exercise an ability to stay away from food like this, its an addiction. One, theres the addiction. As you saw in the clip you do see your brain lights up the same way as it does with drug abuse. Also, a calorie is not a calorie. Up until now, the industry has told us, you can eat whatever you want as long as you exercise it off. What we found in making the film, the calorie in almonds is not the same as a calorie from soda. The film unravels the sort of mystery thriller, a whodunit, finding out why the great majority of our country is suffering. The film talks about the Food Industry pushing to alter the dietary guidelines. Whats this all about . Because those guidelines are supposed to be for our benefit. Theyre more about corporate politics and corporate wealth than Public Health. We saw this early starting in 1977 when the very first dietary guidelines were put forth. We knew then obesity was going to be a huge problem for this country and we could have prevented it. But the food and Beverage Industry got involved and demanded a rewrite of those guidelines. Weve seen the thing happen throughout the industry. Theyve gotten so ingrained in how we eat, weve accepted it as common practice. Yeah. Now, we should note that the Grocery Manufacturers Association forcefully pushing back. It calls your film, quote, an inaccurate view of the packaged Food Industry. It also launched a preemptive Publicity Campaign ahead of your film. The website claims the following, Childhood Obesity rates have dropped by as much as 43 . New school meal regulations issued by the usda require fruits and vegetables be offered for students and full fat milk products will be eliminated. In 2006, the beverage makers took out sodas in schools. What made those changes come about in the first place . First of all, theyre cherry picking the facts. Having full calorie soda out of the school, big deal. Theres still diet soda, and juice, which has as much sugar as a full calorie soda. Then Childhood Obesity rates have not dropped. I was reading that and saying, they can claim that . There was a study, and it was debunked a week later because it was clearly flawed. They had a chance to speak to us, and they declined to do so, and i think theyre being very cowardly. Theyre trying to confuse the public with the misleading facts. The film makes the comparison between food and tobacco, and you include a clip of Fred Flintstone like weve never seen him before. Lets take a look at that. Junk Food Companies are acting very much like Tobacco Companies did 30 and 40 years ago. Years from now, were going to say, i cant believe we let them get away with that. So, obviously you agree with that. Lets look at tobacco. Tobacco is a harsh thing. The carcinogens and cancer that comes from it, do you think this is a fair comparison . I really do. I think were being easy on the food and Beverage Industry. Now were seeing slushies sold in schools. We followed a group of families for three years. And we saw what was happening. Its criminal. Slushies, milky way bars, fast food in the school cafeterias. I think soda is the cigarettes of the 21st century. If thats the case, that makes beyonce and taylor swift the new marlboro man. I think well look back and say, i cant believe we did this, that they allowed soda in the school. On the front line of this philosophy, thank you very much, stephanie. Thank you. Good luck with the film. Thank you. 60 years after brown versus board of education, why the schools are becoming resegregated. Ant. I got more advice than i knew what to do with. What i needed was information i could trust on how to take care of me and my baby. Luckily, unitedhealthcare has a Simple Program that helps moms stay on track with their doctors and get the right care and guidancebefore and after the baby is born. Simple is good right now. anncr vo innovations that work for you. Thats health in numbers. Unitedhealthcare. Cut [bell rings] this. Is jane. Her long day on set starts with shoulder pain. And a choice take 6 tylenol in a day which is 2 aleve for. All day relief. Hmm. [bell ring] roll sound action instaglam yourself katy perrys new instaglam collection from covergirl new ready set gorgeous makeup instagorgeous skin new bombshell curvaceous mascara instabombshell lashes and new colorlicious lip gloss instalicious lips instaglam you, then instagram me easy breezy beautiful covergirl a short word thats a tall order. Up your game. Up the ante. And if you stumble, you get back up. Up isnt easy, and we ought to know. Were in the business of up. Everyday delta flies a quarter of Million People while investing billions improving everything from booking to baggage claim. Were raising the bar on flying and tomorrow we will up it yet again. Predibut, manufacturings a prettin the United States do. Means advanced technology. We learned that Technology Allows us to be craft oriented. No ones losing their job. Theres no beer robot that has suddenly chased them out. The technology is actually creating new jobs. Siemens designed and built the right tools and resources to get the job done. Youre an emailing, texting, master of the digital universe. But do you protect yourself . Apparently not. When you access everything, you give everyone access to everything about you. But thats ok. While you do your thing. [ alert rings ] well be here at lifelock, doing our thing. Watching out for things your credit card alone cant. [ alert rings ] and relentlessly protecting your identity. Get lifelock protection and live life free. [ alert rings ] the mers virus spreads. The first persontoperson transmission to people in this country. What Health Officials are doing about it. A new report that raises more concerns about the va hospital scandal. Fair or foul, the attacks on Hillary Clintons health dominate the sunday talk show circuit. And beyond the scores, the highlights, the lowlights, two incredible offthefield moments at the very same game. Welcome to weekends with alex witt. 10 00 a. M. Here in los angeles. Heres whats happening. We begin with new calls today for va secretary Eric Shinseki to resign as the va hospital scandal grows. There was talk a year ago of should we ask for shinsekis resignation. A group of us were talking about it. I dont jump on the resignation bandwagon, but this has turned into something criminal. I think its time for shinseki to resign. Kristen welker is at the white house for us. The president s chief of staff responding as well. Whats he saying . Reporter alex, he was in damage control mode this morning. Chief of staff Dennis Mcdonough saying that president obama is, quote, mad as hell about the revelations at the va, that hes determined to get to the bottom of how all of this could have happened. What mcdonough wouldnt comment on, secretary shinsekis testimony this past week, which a number of critics said was tepid, and they were frustrated that he didnt show more anger. Mcdonough said that he, the president , is not going to judge testimony. Rather, theyre interested in judging the results. Mcdonough also saying that the white house is dispatching extra staffers to try to get to the bottom of exactly what went wrong at the va, and to try to determine whether or not these problems are systemwide, or if they are just isolated incidents. Heres a little bit more of what Dennis Mcdonough had to say in his own words. The president is madder than hell. And ive got the scars to prove it. Weve deployed additional staff over to the Veterans Administration to find out if this is a series of isolated cases or whether this is a systemic issue that we need to address with wholesale reform. Were not going to stop making this better. Because this is exactly what our veterans deserve. Alex, just to bring you up to date on developments in recent days. Undersecretary for health, robert petzel, has resigned after testifying on capitol hill last week. And theyre dispatching rob neighbors to work with secretary Eric Shinseki to try to investigate and determine what went wrong here. Now, as you pointed out at the top, there are mounting calls for secretary shinseki to resign. The white house continues to say that president obama has confidence in secretary shinseki. So it doesnt appear he will resign anytime soon. And theyre asking president obama to speak out about this publicly. We havent heard him about the situation and the va for several weeks now. No indications there are plans to do that. But i wouldnt rule that out as we enter this next week, alex. Thats something to watch for. One other political point that i will make. Prior to these revelations that as many as 40 veterans may have died waiting to are care at the phoenix location, the 2014 race was really shaping up, at least from the republican standpoint and republican talking points, it appeared they would focus on issues including health care, the economy, benghazi, but now this issue is really going to move to the fore in 2014. I think youll see it become a Major Campaign issue. I think youre right about that. We have memorial day one week from tomorrow, when we honor those who have fought so valiantly in our wars for us. Very timely. Reporter absolutely. Thank you, kristen, from the white house. Reporter thank you. Retired army general mccaffrey. Hello, alex. Should secretary shinseki keep his job . Oh, without question. Theres a huge element of political hysteria driven by that november election coming up. Look, shinsekis a badly wounded combat veteran. Hes managed huge complex organizations like the United States army. Theyve reduced this backlog of claims by 50 since hes been at the va. Hes reduced Homeless Veterans by 24 . This huge va hospital system, 1,700 sites, 85 million appointments a year, gets very high Patient Satisfaction ratings, i think the problem is its underresourced. Particularly with the primary care physicians. And that comes right back to congress and the amount of resources they apply. I think some of this is political hypocrisy of the worst sort. Do you, sir, get a sense from veterans youre speaking to have a sentiment like yours, but do they want to see change . The american legion, i was ashamed that they called for shinsekis resignation. I do think, by the way, that there is room for rethinking the va system. Beats me why we wouldnt have Health Credit cards for veterans where they could seek assistance, whether its Mental Health care, orthopedic surgery, you name it, from anywhere in the u. S. Health care system instead of just from this gigantic 330,000person organization. I think theres room to rethink it. But shinsekis not the problem, its resources and management of a world war ii artifact. Do you concur with our mutual friend, who believes that this system is broken, that it is systemic, huge problem, and he thinks it maybe should be done away with, the va system . Jacks another badly wounded combat veteran, with some good viewpoints. I wouldnt want to do away with 1,700 Health Care Delivery sites. I mean, 6. 5 million veterans do get care from the va, and by and large, again, their fasht satisfaction surveys from an independent industry, are the highest in the country. So i do think whats happened is, secretary shinsekis put these people under a lot of pressure. Hes got a lot more resources out of the obama administration. But when it comes to primary health care, and specialties, this sort of thing, they cant keep up with it. And ill bet it turns out that some of them were fudging their numbers in a bureaucratic sense. But again, i think part of the problem is shinseki doesnt get excited. Doesnt show much emotion as a major in combat in cambodia either. Or when he told rumsfeld directly, you dont have enough troops to occupy iraq. Hes a very levelheaded, thoughtful combat veteran whos now i think doing a good job at the va. One of the things, sir, that makes this such an emotional story, though, for a lot of people is that we have an all volunteer military, less than 1 of americans serve. One of the few things troops are promised when they return from wars is their medical care will be taken care of. Overall, is that happening . Well, i think it is, yeah, sure. I think the iraq afghanistan veterans, theres almost 3 million of them, weve had some 50,000 killed and wounded fighting in iraq and afghanistan. My guess is, theyre the most effective fighting force the country ever produced. Theyre coming home and seeking help from the va, across a wide variety of causes, to include ptsd and the traumatic brain injury, and new signature injuries from this conflict. But the big load on the va, i might add, alex, is the vietnam veterans. You know, theyre hitting their 60s, and theyre coming in, and theyre struggling with health care issues. So theyre really the preponderance of even ptsd claims. That system is not sophisticated and developed enough to handle that load. Nor do i think they have enough primary care physicians. So weve got to relook it. Again, my guess is, what you do is you preserve and reform va, but you give them a Health Credit card so they can take it out to the giant u. S. Medical infrastructure and seek care in their own state of north carolina, or north dakota, or, you know, where you dont have a va hospital nearby, as you might in chicago or baltimore or wherever. All right. General barry mccaffrey, always good to see you. Im sorry im not in the studio to welcome you. Good to see you. Good to see you, alex. An investigative report by the dayton ohio daily news may bring more scrutiny to the scand scandal. The va settled 161 cases in which delay in treatment is used in the stripgs. The va paid out 36 million to settle those claims either voluntarily or part of a court action. Joining me on the phone, josh sweigart. What did you find . This dates back to 2001. And we found over 1,100 cases where there was a death that was allegedly due to malpractice over those years. Of those wait, wait, josh, hang on a second. How many did you say . How many deaths . Specifically, 1,194. That is a huge number. Attributed for just delayed care . No, no, no. Those are the numbers of claims brought against the va for malpractice, that resulted in death. Okay. All types of malpractice. Specifically, delay in treatment, that terminology showed up in 167 claims. 167, okay. What about the facilities there in ohio . What did you find specifically there . We looked at the local Va Medical Center here in dayton and found there were 16 deaths that were allegedly due to malpractice. There were some that used the terminology, referring to delays in care. One pending claim, a veteran allegedly died because of Cervical Cancer because of a delay in treatment. Her widow whicher is seeking 3. 5 million in damages at the va. There was another case where there was a settlement that the description of it was, quote, delay in treatment. Like i said, there were 167 across the country, including in ohio. Is there a specific definition to delaying care . Do they put that in a time frame . How is that decided . Yeah, thats one thing thats still unclear. The definition delay in care, that the va uses, they say weve had 23 veterans die because of delay in care. We found that there were 167 alleged deaths due to, quote, delay and treatment. Those are allegations brought by the family members. These are all cases that were settled, paid out by the va. Exactly how those two universes of types of delay overlap is not entirely clear, but there are at least 167 cases in which the delay in treatment was a factor, in the case brought against the va and the va decided to settle it. Josh, thank you for filling in there about this investigation. Much appreciated. Thank you. It is a problem thats getting worse for working parents. But a new book is Offering Solutions that could save you at work and at home. And thats next. Oh yeah, hebrew national. Their allbeef like yours but theyre also kosher. Is that a big deal . I think so. Because not just any beef goes into it. Only certain cuts of kosher beef. I guess theyre pretty choosy. Oh, honey oh here, have some of ours. Oh when your hot dogs kosher, thats a hot dog you can trust hebrew national. But add brand new belongings from nationwide insurance. And well replace destroyed or stolen items with brandnew versions. We take care of the heat, so you dont get burned. Just another way we put members first, because we dont have shareholders. Join the nation. Nationwide is on your side for its a challengefornia fostto replace clothes that are too small or worn out. I grew 3 inches last year. I dont need anything fancy. I never had much to begin with. When i look nice on the outside, i feel better on the inside. To help, sleep train is collecting new clothes for kids big and small. Bring your gift to any sleep train, and help make a Foster Childs day a little brighter. Not everyone can be a foster parent, but anyone can help a foster child. A new turn in the investigation of mers cases, is raising the concerns of health experts. We have the first case of middle east respiratory syndrome passed from person to person, and theyre warning americans traveling to and from the middle east. Dr. Nancy snyderman has more. Tested positive for mers antibioti antibodies. About two years ago, persons having close contact with camels, either in caring for the camels, or consuming camel products, began to develop this infection. The virus now apparently spreading from human to human. A u. S. Resident traveled to saudi arabia for business, reportedly met with the latest illinois man on two separate occasions. Worldwide as of friday, there have been 572 Laboratory Confirmed cases in 15 countries. 173 people have died. We have to be very careful about just giving people this false sense of security. But at the same time, right now, we have to also state that the problem is largely limited to the middle east. At least 20 of patients are asymptomatic. But most have developed severe acute respiratory illness with fever, cough, and shortness of breath. But all reported cases have had a link to countries in or near the arabian peninsula. The potential for mers to cause a larger threat is very clear. And also, the possibility that Infection Control can play a substantial part in reducing that risk, i think is also very clear. As of this morning, public Health Officials are continuing to investigate the spread of mers at home and abroad. With the third case now documented in the United States, there is proof that the virus causing middle east respiratory syndrome can in fact spread outside of the middle east. But fortunately, there have been no deaths in this country. But the cdc is working 24 7 trying to track down everyone whos been on planes, in person, in families, even casual contacts with the two cases that first presented in the United States, one in illinois and one in florida. The symptoms resemble those of influenza. Fever, shortness of breath, cough, aches and pains. But a reminder to doctors this is no longer flu season. So the centers for Disease Control is reaching out to people, particularly the doctors, to remind anyone that if you have symptoms like this, and youve traveled in or out of the middle east, or you know someone who has, to report to your doctor so you can get tested. There is right now no treatment. Its just supportive. And there is nov vaccine. Viruses make this country very small with the air travel today, and dubai now being the Worlds Largest airport. When one virus leaves a nation and geographic area, it can easily end up in the United States. Thank you for that, dr. Nancy snyderman. While getting paid is one thing, is it ever possible for working parents to find true leisure time . Joining me from washington, d. C. Is bridget, staff writer at the washington post, and author of overwhelmed. Im thinking, you must have been somewhat overwhelmed putting this book together, right . Well, yes, indeed. I did get a leave from the washington post, they were very generous, so i was only able to so i was able to focus on just reporting and writing this book. So that helped enormously. I should think. I have to say that i laughed out loud putting the Research Together for this, when it said that a researcher had found all american women have 30 hours of leisure time each week. Im like, who are those women . How did you react to that . Well, thats sort of how i felt. I felt like i sort of described it like someone took a frying pan and bonged me on the head, and like in the cartoons the tweety birds were flying around my head, what planet do you live on . Thats what i said to this researcher. Youre crazy, i dont have 30 hours of leisure of the he said, yes, you do. Come and do this time study and ill show you where your leisure is. And when he laid down that challenge that led to this book for, where are these 30 hours of leisure, what is leisure, and does anyone have it in the modern era. I looked deeply at why are things the way they are. Not just parents, but everyone. Why is there this general feeling of being so overwhelmed, and a sense of time pressure that you never have enough time to do in a day that you need and want to do. I really look for bright spots. Is there hope, is there anybody out there doing it better . I did find some. Where did you find it . Well, i found them in you know, you have to look at, why are we feeling overwhmd whemd . You have to look at the water were swimming in. Were working longer hours than we ever worked before. Work hours, particularly for white collar workers, theyve been rising since the 1980s. Right now, we work among the most hours of any economy in the world. Outside of japan and south korea. I mean, interesting thing about that is, were actually not the most productive per hour. We just put in a lot of face time at the office. Thats what we value. But i want to ask you about that, bridget. Thats interesting to me. Is it because we are overwhelmed . Is it because were not emphasizing leisure time . Does that make us less productive at the office . I think theyre all totally connected. Thats such a good point. Because were putting in so many hours at the office, what were finding, new neuroscience is showing us if we want to be creative, if we want to have those innovations and breakthroughs, that youre never going to get that with your nose to the grind stone. Your brain is wired for those molts of inspiration to come in the offtime. In the idle moments, if you will. Youve got the Default Mode Network and your brain lights up when youre idle. It connects the hubs in the brain that dont usually connect. Thats when you get the interesting Breakthrough Ideas in creativity. Because we work so much and theres so much uncertainty, we overparent and overdo, and so then everybody gets stressed out. Then we value the sense of being busy, rather than valuing the sense of leisure and taking time to be creative, and to really connect with others. Yeah. Well, you know, something that was told to me a long time ago, as much as you love your work, and i love mine, your work is never going to love you back. Bridget, overwhelmed work love and play when no one has time, is the book. Thanks. Thank you so much. In a moment, when a ball game is just as entertaining in the stands as it is on the field. But first, perhaps the final word on that infamous elevator exchange between jayz and beyonces sister. I would never do anything to hurt you. Okay. You know what . And to prove it, weve got an exclusive video. This time with the audio included. Its a completely different story. Man, what a great party. Yeah, i know. Theres a spider on you what . Get it oh, great job. 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Heres why, abramson will be making a public appearance tomorrow. Good day to you, rehema. This is her first public appearance since her firing was announced last wednesday, certainly on this level . Reporter absolutely. Shell be speaking publicly for the First Time Since that very controversial dismissal. And its that firing that sent waves through the media world. It also triggered a very familiar debate that goes on across this country. And that is, how women lead, and whether or not they are held to a different standard than men. Now, we havent heard abramsons version of this story yet. But the publisher of the paper has tried to make his case even clearer. Late saturday he issued a statement saying, in part, i heard repeatedly from her newsroom colleagues about a series of issues, including arbitrary decision making, a failure to consult and bring colleagues with her. Inadequate communication, and the public mistreatment of colleagues. Sulzberger also dismissed a notion, saying the latest pay package was actually about 10 more than that of her predecessor. And according to sulzberger, abramson had been advised before that she needed to change her management style. From abramsons side, were still waiting to hear her version of the story. But her daughter did put out a picture on instagram about her mother. Meanwhile, back here at wake forest, about 500 miles from the New York Times, the final preparations are being made for the commencement address. And the University Professor saying he cant think of a better message for the class of 2014. It is timely and most likely every one of these 4,800 students will be listening very carefully to what Jill Abramson has to say. Alex, you should know that the class here of graduates of 2014, 50 men, and 50 women. Do you think theres a ghost of a chance that she wont address this . Or is it all going to be about, you know, bringing women up and not letting the 50 of that class beat them out, as the women are vying for their jobs and getting going in life . Reporter ill tell you that some of them will be disappointed if she doesnt say anything about it. Because we talked to some of the graduates here on campus this morning, and they have been saying they do want to hear a little bit of what her side of the story is. Theyd like to know what happened. And women and men, i have to tell you, are kind of interested in this as they get ready to leave the protected campus and go out into the rough working world. They want to get a taste, if you will, of someone right in the throes of it of what that world is all about. Absolutely. Rehema, i know youll have more on this, especially today on meet the press at the top of the hour. Thank you so much from wake forest university. Yesterday marked the 60th anniversary of the supreme courts landmark ruling in brown versus the board of education, in which outlawed racial segregation in our nations schools. While institutional segregation is a thing of the past, 40 of africanamerican and latino students still attend schools where more than 90 of those student bodies are nonwhite. Joining me from detroit is the president of the American Federation of teachers. Randy, always good to see you. Thanks for joining me. Its great to be with you, alex. So as we celebrate brown versus board of education and what it did to try to level the education playing fueud. Its important to celebrate brown, but also to think of what the underlying issues were, which was equal opportunity. And where the court said, that separate but equal was not inherently equal, and to ensure that all kids had a real opportunity for success, we needed to have integrated schools. Whats happened in the last 60 years is that for the first 20 years after brown, even though there was a lot of resistance to the decision, you started seeing a real path towards integration. And at the same time, you saw the war on poverty, because between the resources going into schools, particularly poor schools, or schools that had poor kids, and integration, you saw a real lessening of the achievement gap. In the last 20 years, that has totally reversed, or that has really reversed, as you see the socioeconomics getting worse and worse in our country, the gap between rich and poor, the changes in housing patterns, the youre also seeing real increases in segregation again in our schools. But randi, youre but the segregation, its not just in the south where it perhaps was the worst at the outset. I mean, this is across the country youre seeing these issues. Absolutely. Absolutely. And so its terrible, but im very pleased that people have lifted this issue up in the last few weeks, because integration was, and is, important in so many different ways. And whats happened is that a lot of the current reforms that dominate the education debate, privatization, charters vouchers, actually made this worse, not better. And the things that we need to lean into are what are the equity issues that will help us help all children. And that includes Early Childhood education, wraparound services, and even things like common core, if done well. Yeah. Early childhood education, a big issue in new york city. But i want to pick up on charter schools, because this is something that was a prominent factor in the recent newark new york mayoral election. An anticharter School Message was used to defeat jeffries. Do the charter schools, which they are often criticized for taking funds from Public Schools and reinforcing segregation, do you think they actually contribute to the problem of segregation, and do you think youre seeing stronger backlash against them these days . Look, let me just be clear, we actually we supported boroko from there. His platform was great neighborhood Public Schools. I think whats happened is that youre seeing less and less equity. And the more that charter takes money from Public Schools, the less that the kids left in that Public School have, particularly when you see budget cuts upon budget cuts. What the war on poverty was supposed to be about was to give those who have the least, the most, not to keep on taking things away. And what happens is that charters the charter law in new jersey in particular, it dilutes the moneys that go into Public School systems. Mmhmm. Whats interesting so you take a school, for example, in newark, like the hawthorne school, which has been doing better and better, and instead of that success being rewarded, the new plan in newark that Cammy Anderson was doing, was to close awe thorn and give it to a charter. I think those were really the issues going on in newark. It was about, lets have great neighborhood Public Schools. And the superintendent should be working on that. Do you think were focused too much on the achievement inside the schools, and were ignoring the importance of diversity . I wish we could do a study that people could see how much we learn from each other. Putting a Diverse Group of kids together, we learn so much. I think that we look, this week has been terrific in that it has reraised the issue of integration in a way that hasnt been raised in years. Diversity is really important. Making sure what diversity does is it helps us walk in each others shoes. Right. It helps us understand each other. Right. It helps cut down the polarization that we have. But at the same time, we have millions of kids in schools right now, and thats why i lean into the equity issues. How are we going to help create a ladder of opportunity for all children. And make sure that we help those who have the least the most. And thats where poverty really matters. Not as an excuse. We have to address it, but how are we going to do that. Well, i know youll figure out something, randi. Im trying . I know you are. Thank you so much. Good to see you. The big threes next. 1953. Afghanistan, in 2009. Orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once its earned, usaa Auto Insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. Because it offers a superior level of protection. And because usaas commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. Begin your legacy. Get an Auto Insurance quote. Usaa. We know what it means to serve. We are the thinkers. The job jugglers. The up allnighters. And the ones who turn ideas into action. Weve made our passions our lifes work. We strive for the moments where we can say, i did it we are entrepreneurs who started it all. With a signature. Legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses, turning dreamers into business owners. And were here to help start yours. And the award goes to ceramics house. Congratulations. Thank you. The success of your Small Business depends on results. Go vests all organic, and theres tons of info on our website. Thats why you rely on the best for your business. And verizon delivers the best devices on the best network. Youre all big toes to me. So go ahead, stream and download with confidence on americas largest, most reliable 4glte network. Activate any 4glte smartphone and get 100 off. For best results, use verizon. It is time for the big three in todays topics. This weeks mustreads. Lets bring in my panel. Angela rye, and Senior Editor beth, and former bush cheney adviser robert trainam. That would be the thorn among the roses there. No, im kidding. Good to see you. Lets go first to fair game. Were talking about the firestorm on karl roves attack on Hillary Clinton. Heres Reince Priebus on meet the press today. I think its fair game for ronald reagan, fair game for john mccain. I think hillary is a known product. Hillary has decades of history for us to explore. So, angela, your thoughts . Fair game . Talking about age . I think fair game is talking about age and health generally. What is not fair game is what karl rove has done. He knows exactly what hes doing. To bring up brain damage when she was in the hospital for a few days after suffering a concussion, and a blood clot is absolutely ridiculous. I really hope that they can figure out how to get to her real record, after this faux benghazi trial that really should be an investigation when they look into why they did not support Embassy Security instead of blaming all of the obama administration, and trying to find an easy way out instead of looking at hillarys real record and how formidable a president ial candidate she really will be. In terms of endorsements, robert, Clair Mccaskill has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. Even though clinton has not made an official decision. Heres her response. She has the experience of secretary of state. I think she has enhanced her resume. Shes learned so much about how you win these campaigns. She knows how to ignore all the cheap shots. We do not know for certain that Hillary Clinton is going to run, but theres one thing i know for certain, karl rove engaging in cheap shots is not going to back off Hillary Clinton. Youre reaction to that, robert . Well, two things. One, i think karl rove had a legitimate point to bring up, and that was, or is her health. Look, a health when youre running for president is a legitimate thing to bring up. Im not insinuating karl rove did the right thing about bringing up the brain injury thing. Thats probably not appropriate. But again, from the health perspective, that is completely fair game. Thats number one. Number two, whether or not Hillary Clinton runs or not, we dont know. The fact of the matter is, if she does run, she has a treasure trove of information as well as policy positions that the republicans will take a look at and rightfully so. More importantly, the American People will take a look at her record and judge whether or not she should be afforded the presidency or not. Well see. We also have, beth, dick cheney weighing in on Hillary Clintons health today. Lets take a listen to that. I think any president ial candidate, or Vice President ial candidate will have to answer about their health. I wouldnt want to prejudge misclintons health. I dont know anything about it. Certainly i wanted to be open about my health when i was a Vice President ial candidate. That will be expected of anybody who runs for president or Vice President. Keeping in mind that he was. Beth, this is a man who i believe suffered his first heart attack when he was in his mid30s. Is all this discussion about health, is it expected or is there something more as has been indicated by angela with what karl rove was saying, and the problems from a concussion fall . Well, i mean, what karl rove did was obviously strategic. It was a little bit hamhanded. It was done to denigrate Hillary Clinton. He doesnt do anything without a purpose. Lets face it, questions about the former secretary of States Health are legitimate, as are any questions about anybody whos running for president. Their health is fair game. I dont like the way he did it. But she is going to eventually have to discuss this if she gets in the race. Her husband last week even said she had been treated for that concussion for six months. Thats her biggest supporter making the point all is not well after she fell and injured herself in december 2012. So, yeah, its going to come back up as a legitimate issue. I think republicans need to be careful about how they bring it up, because it makes her look sympathetic if they push it too hard. Rising star, the president plans to nominate san antonio mayor Julian Castro as head of the u. S. Department of housing and urban development, or hud. Angela, how big a move would this be for mayor castros political future . He and his brother are both being called rising stars. They are rising stars. What we saw in 2012 with his speech was reminiscent of what we saw in 2004 with president Barack Obamas first speech at the dnc. Theyre the American Dream story, and the fact that hes done a great job as snon mayor. They know that he needs a National Platform to be considered for anything in 2016 is major. The other thing that this does, there is a ready for hillary pact. There isnt anything that sees excitement for a hillary pact. I think it would move us from ready to excited veryso. Beth, msnbc. Com has a new article saying the new post would offer a National Profile to castro, a risinging democratic star, whos has been mentioned as a potential 2016 Vice President ial pick. Clearly angelas thoughts are echoing those thoughts and others. How serious a contender could castro be for veep . Hes a rising star in texas and thats the point. Democrats are try thing to turn the big red state blue eventually with the huge influx of latino voters we have seen. Maybe within 20 years they can accomplish that. I think it will take at least that long to do so. Elevating someone like joaquin or Julian Castro, an upcoming democrat in the red state thats turning purple little by little is is a smart move in terms of long term strategy. I dont know if that makes him veep. Kwo want to take much time going through these numbers but with regard to the purr for republicans to reach out to latino voters. This is a man with a high profile position in the cabinet. Perhaps considered for a vp position as well. Republicans need to reach out specifically on issues like immigration reform. Does this put added pressure . Absolutely. I remind everyone george bush are tried to do this in 2005 with immigration reform. You have george p. Bush, mel martinez, suzuki that martinez, jeb bush. A lot of people trying to speak the speak and also talk about the policy miss the latino communities. Not just immigration but economic equality. The republicans have a good message. Good messengers. But they need to do a better job of reaching out to those individuals in the community. Okay. Guys, sit tight. You have all brought your must reads and you will share them next. Eliefchews. They work just as fast and taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. Mmm. Amazing. Yeah, i get that a lot. Alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. Enjoy the relief. Yoyou are feeling powerfuld with a 4cylinder engine. E. Open your eyes to the 6cylinder, 8speed lexus gs. With more standard horsepower than any of its german competitors. This is a wakeup call. Lease the 2014 gs350 for 449 a month for 24 months. See your lexus dealer. So now we are back to the big 3 for their must reads. Angela, whats yours . Mine is all about attorney general eric holder, my hero for many minnesota reasons. In his commencement address at Morgan State University he not only brought up chief Justice Roberts cyclical reasoning in a 2007 opinion where he said the only way to end Racial Discrimination is to end it, he also challenges all of us on Racial Discrimination we dont normally see in the headlines with the Cliven Bundys and Donald Sterling. He challenges us to look at Racial Discrimination for what it is. Thats a great way to push back on race baiting. That sounds like a great thinking article. Beth . Im talking about a great article by benjy sarlin. He was listening to Hillary Clinton speak and found her channelling elizabeth warren. Shes talking about the you are fairness of the economy creating the haves and have nots and the middle class isnt getting ahead and the upper classes have. She needs to tamp down the leftleaning base on the Democratic Party to be sure shes got them. That was the way to do it. Robert . The New York Times has a great story about General Motors being fined 13 million over deaths. It shows about chevrolet will and cadillac and they had this setback from a Public Relations and legal standpoint. Its a must read. Sounds good. Angela, beth and robert i hope you dont mind i called you my thorn. Thats the way it is. Thats a wrap on weekends with alex witt. Up next we have meet the press. Americas newest Real Estate Brand is all ready the brand of the year. Berkshire hathaway home services. Good to know. But add brand new belongings from nationwide insurance. And well replace destroyed or stolen items with brandnew versions. We take care of the heat, so you dont get burned. Just another way we put members first, because we dont have shareholders. Join the nation. Nationwide is on your side scotts wraps each seed in a brilliant water smart plus coating, that feeds, protects, and holds in moisture to make growing thicker, healthier grass easier. 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Theyre who we protect. Theyre why we make life less complicated. Its about people. We are volvo of sweden. Next on meet the press, republican attempts to take down Hillary Clinton are in full swing. After a headlinegrabbing attack by karl rove. Will republicans stop at nothing to keep her from running in 2016 . Ill be joined by Reince Priebus, the chair of the Republican National committee, and claire mccaskill, democratic senator from missouri who has already endorsed clinton for president. Plus, the high profile firing that has rekindled a National Conversation about women, power, and leadership. As the debate rages over the dismissal of New York Times editor Jill Abramson well ask are women in power positions held to a different standard than men. Nbcs maria