>>> ONE SENATOR CASTING A VOTE
AGAINST RATIFICATION SO PEOPLE
WILL TALK ABOUT HIM.
ALL 30 NATO COUNTRIES ARE
REQUIRED TO RATIFY FINLAND AND
SWEDEN'S APPLICATIONS BEFORE THEY CAN BECOME MEMBERS.
THEY CAN BECOME MEMBERS.
IT WILL HEAD TO THE PRESIDENT'S
DESK AND THEN IT WILL GO TO THE
SECRETARY'S DESK.
WE'VE A LOT TO TALK ABOUT THIS
MORNING.
LET'S START WITH THE NATO
RATIFICATION OF SWEDEN AND
FINLAND.
HOW DOES THIS CHANGE OUR
POTENTIAL SECURITY INTEREST
MOVING FORWARD, ESPECIALLY
GIVEN THE WAR IN UKRAINE?
>> I THINK IT IS A MAJOR REBUKE
AGAINST PUTIN AND COUNTRIES
WOULD NOT HANG TOGETHER AND
WOULD NOT PUSH BACK ON HIM AND
IT BOOMERANGED.
THIS DOES NOT DO PUTIN ANYMORE
FAVORS TO HAVE NO NATO ALLIES
ON THE BORDERS.
BUT I THINK IT IS SOMETHING
THAT MANY OF US HAVE HOPED FOR
A LONG TIME.
AND PUTIN MADE IT POSSIBLE.
IT IS GREAT.
>> WE HAVE SO MUCH TO ASK YOU
ABOUT.
WE WANT TO ASK YOU SOMETHING
ABOUT THAT WE WERE TALKING
ABOUT, THE REPORT OF ALL THE
DELETED TASK MESSAGES FROM THE
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.
WE HEARD IT FROM THE SECRET
SERVICE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF
HOMELAND SECURITY.
YOU UNDERSTAND WHEN IT IS LIKE
TO GIVE UP YOUR PHONE AT THE
END OF A TENURE.
DO YOU BELIEVE THIS IS POSSIBLE
JUST BUREAUCRACY?
THAT THE EMPLOYEES HAD THEIR
PHONES TAKEN AWAY AND THE TEXT
MESSAGES GOING ON OR DO YOU
BELIEVE SOMETHING ELSE IS GOING
ON?
>> I DON'T THINK MYSELF OR
ANYONE ELSE REALLY KNOWS.
I WAS REQUIRED TO HAND OVER MY
GOVERNMENT PHONE, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE THINKING
WAS.
THERE ARE TECH PEOPLE JUST
DOING THEIR JOBS.
IF THERE WAS A REQUEST INTO A
POLL.
AND WE HAVE A PROBLEM.
AND THE LEADERSHIP FOLKS SHOULD
BE ASKED TO COME IN AND SPEAK
TO THE ISSUES.
I WOULD LOVE TO TALK TO THE
FORMER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE AND
SAY WHAT WAS THE GUIDANCE THAT
YOU GAVE AS THE SENIOR MOST
PERSON IN THE PENTAGON.
BUT IT DOESN'T SMELL GOOD.
THAT IS FOR SURE.
>> AND THIS IS NOT ROUTINE
TRANSITION GIVEN EVERYTHING
THAT HAPPENED AROUND THE
TRANSITION OF JANUARY 6th INTO
THE 20th.
I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE
PACT ACT.
YOU WERE PART OF THE VETERAN
HEALTH CARE PACKAGE THAT WAS
HELD UP FOR SOME TIME BY THE
REPUBLICANS IN THE SENATE.
YOU WERE GIVING A VOICE IN THE
LAST YEAR AND JON STEWART CAME
IN AND HELPED GET THIS DONE.
WERE YOU SURPRISED THE WAY SOME
REPUBLICANS SWITCHED THE VOTES
AND DID, IN FACT, STAND IN THE
WAY, NUMBER ONE?
AND NUMBER TWO, LOST IN THIS
PROCESS CONVERSATION WHAT DOES
THE BILL ACTUALLY DOES?
WHAT WILL IT PROVIDE FOR THE
VETERANS THAT NEED IT SO BADLY?
>> WHAT IT DOES IS TAKE THE
AGENT ORANGE OF THE 9/11
GENERATION, THE BURN PIT THAT
EVERYONE LIVED NEAR A COMBAT
ZONE.
AND ALL OF OUR VETERANS THAT
SERVED IN PLACES LIKE AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ, SOMALIA,
AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ, SOMALIA,
SYRIA, THEY LIVED NEAR THE BURN
PITS.
SURPRISE, SURPRISE.
OUR VETERANS ARE SHOWING UP
WITH WEIRD CANCERS THAT IS
UNUSUAL.
AND THEY SAY IF YOU SERVED NEAR
A BURN PIT, WE HAVE AN
ASSUMPTION THAT YOU WERE
EXPOSED TO CARCINOGENS.
YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO FIGHT
FOR THAT WHEN YOU WALKED INTO A
VA.
WE THINK 3.5 MILLION VETERANS
WILL QUALIFY FOR VA CARE NOW.
IT WAS OUTRAGEOUS THAT THE 25
REPUBLICAN SENATORS WERE
COWARDS AND SWITCHED THE VOTES.
THEY HAD BEEN VOTING FOR IT I
WAS IN THE SENATE CHAMBER WHEN
THEY PASSED IT THE FIRST TIME.
AND FOR PAROLE REASONS, JUST TO
STICK IT TO THE DEMOCRATS, THEY
SWITCHED THE VOTE ON THE EXACT
SAME BILL.
I DON'T USUALLY GET OFF BY THIS
KIND OF STUFF.
BUT THIS ONE GETS ME.
IT WAS A STUNT.
THEY FELT EMBARRASSED ENOUGH TO
BRING IT BACK THE NEXT WEEK.
>> IN AFGHANISTAN, THE TALIBAN
LEADERS ARE SAID TO BE HOLDING
DISCUSSIONS TO RESPOND TO THE
U.S. DRONE STRIKE THAT KILLED
AL QAEDA LEADER AYMAN AL-
ZAWAHIRI.
THEY SAY THAT HIGH LEVEL
MEETINGS HAVE BEEN GOING ON FOR
TWO DAYS NOW.
SO THE LEADER SAID THEY ARE
DECIDING WHETHER TO REACT THE
ATTACK AND IF THEY DO, HOW TO
GO ABOUT IT.
THEY DID NOT CONFIRM IF AL
QAEDA LEADER AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI
WAS IN THE HOUSE WHEN THE
MISSILE STRUCK.
HE WAS KILLED OVER THE WEEKEND
IN A CIA DRONE STRIKE WHILE
STANDING ON THE BALCONY AT HIS
DOWNTOWN APARTMENT.
HE ASSUMED LEADERSHIP OF AL
QAEDA WHEN THE U.S. KILLED
OSAMA BIN LADEN A DECADE AGO.
IT IS A WIN ON ONE FRONT.
BUT ALSO IS MAY HAVE LEFT THIS
RELATIONSHIP, OR LACK THEREOF,
WITH THE TALIBAN.
WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST THAT THE
ADMINISTRATION MOVE FORWARD AS
WE WAIT FOR A RESPONSE?
>> NUMBER TWO OF AL-QAEDA THAT
HELPED PULL OFF THE 9/11 ATTACK
AND SO MUCH ELSE IN THE LAST 20
YEARS.
HE WAS ENJOYING HIMSELF IN A
NICE NEIGHBORHOOD IN KABUL.
YOU CANNOT TELL ME THAT THEY
DID NOT KNOW THAT AND THEY WERE
NOT AWARE THAT HE WAS ENJOYING
THE NICER LIFE.
SO.
I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY SAY.
THEY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO TELL
THE WORLD THAT THEY ARE A
CREDIBLE GOVERNMENT AND THEY
DESERVE ACCESS TO MONEY.
AND THEY SHOULD CONTROL THE
FOOD AID THAT THE WORLD IS
PROVIDING THEM.
AND I THINK IT SHOWS THEY DON'T
DESERVE THAT RESPECT AND DON'T
BE TREATED LIKE A NORMAL
GOVERNMENT.
TAKING OUT ONE MAN DOES NOT
TAKE OUT AL QAEDA.
BUT I THINK IT SEND AN
IMPORTANT SIGNAL TO EVERYONE IN
THE WORLD, IF YOU ATTACK US ON
AMERICAN SOIL.
IT MAY TAKE A MINUTE, BUT WE'RE
COMING AFTER YOU.
AND IT SHOWED SOMETHING THAT I
WAS SCEPTICAL OFF.
THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY FULL OFFER
THESE OVER THE HORIZON STRIKES
IN AFGHANISTAN EVEN THOUGH WE
DON'T HAVE A PRESENCE THERE.
NO ONE LIKES HOW WE LEFT
AFGHANISTAN.
NO ONE IS PROUD OF THOSE VIDEOS