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Millions Of Tax Dollars Have Failed To Solve Big Problems With The Health Care System; Senator Bob Corker Just Telling Cnn He Is Withdrawing Himself From Vp Consideration; Emotions Are Running High In The Uk After A Damning Report Blast Britain's Decision To Join Coalition Forces In The Iraq War; Prison Sentence Handed Down To Oscar Pistorius. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired July 06, 2016 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:32] PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: For our nation's veterans, billions of tax dollars have failed to solve big problems with the health care system. And two years ago a CNN investigation revealed dozens of veterans had died while they waited to be treated at VA hospitals. The shocking discovery sparked a national scandal, as you will recall, congressional hearings, and promises that this would never happen again. But now two years later, a new report says the program put in place to fix the VA system in some cases made it worse.

Let's bring in senior investigative correspondent Drew Griffin.

So what have you learned, Drew?

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is more than a 300-page report, Pamela. It's the commission for care. It was specifically laid out by Congress to go look all these problems. It came back with specific details, 18 different recommendations on how the VA can and should implement changes in delivering this health care to our vets. But the overall picture is just not good. It of it seems to boil down to management failures. The commission spells it all out in their opening letter.

After two years, this is what they find, Pamela. That many profound deficiencies in VHA operations require urgent reform and that America's veterans deserve a better organize, high-performing health care system.

Of course, we have known after two years and more, the report specifically signals out that access to get healthcare is the most public and glares distinguishes. I think most glaring is the supposed fix that you talked about was passed into law two years ago. That veterans choice act, it really is flawed according to the commission and in some cases has made those wait times and access worse.

The two main points that stick out. The commission thinks there should be a governing board oversea healthcare at the VA to provide much better management there. And also Pamela, there is a lot of emphasis on allowing vets to get their care in the private sector, though somehow still under the umbrella of the VA. [15:35:22] BROWN: So disheartening, Drew, that two years after you

broke this story, there's still huge problems. Has there been any reaction so far?

GRIFFIN: Well, you know, this report was posted this morning. The chairman of the House Veterans affairs committee, Jeff Miller, sent CNN a statement saying that he needs to closely study it, but basically says the document makes it abundantly clear that the problems plaguing the department of veterans affairs, medical care are severe. He plans to take up the report when Congress goes back in the session this fall when he can hold the hearing.

The secretary of the VA, Bob McDonald released his own statement. He insists that veterans access to appointments has improved in the past two years. He says he is going to review the recommendations of the commission and look for other ways to build on t progress that he says he has made - Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Drew Griffin, thanks so much for bringing us ultimate latest on that story.

And up next, right here Donald Trump postpones releasing his list of convention speakers, one adviser telling CNN they are way behind schedule. I'll be joined live by a member of the RNC.

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[15:40:49] BROWN: Well, from somewhere at the top of Donald Trump's VP list to ruling himself out completely, Senator Bob Corker just telling CNN he is withdrawing himself from VP consideration, because he is a more of a policy guy. And just like that, Trump's viable VP the list shrinks a little more down to ten, according to FOX who just spoke to FOX News. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm actually looking at ten people. And three or four called me up, very big names, senate and governors, and all. And a lot of people are calling me that you wouldn't even think about. They want to have their names thrown into the hat. I like the generals, I like the concept of the generals. We are thinking about -- actually there's two of them that are under consideration. We really were looking to go more the political route in terms of getting legislation passed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: The Republican National Committee member Randy Evans joins me now. He is also a member of the GOP convention rules committee.

Randy, nice to see you. Thank you for coming on.

RANDY EVANS, MEMBER, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Thank you for having me.

BROWN: Absolutely. I want to get your reaction to Senator Bob Corker removing himself as vice presidential candidate. Your thoughts.

EVANS: Well, I think it's one of the most important decision that any senator or governor or congressman can make. I think senator Corker is very well respected in the senate. And I think he knows that he has an enormous job in front of him. And he wants to finish that job. And I think he is content to let other folks carry the banner of being the VP because he has such important work in the Senate.

BROWN: Let me ask you this, though, because as we heard Trump saying all these people are calling him wanting to be the VP pick. But on the other hand, there have been several people including the senator who have taken themselves out of the running to be Trump S vice presidential pick. Is that concerning to you at all?

EVANS: There is no shortage of candidates who want to be the vice presidential nominee for Donald Trump. So no, it doesn't concern me at all. It does gives me great deal of confidence to know that there people who are willing to put the country ahead of their own ambitions and their own abilities to get a higher job. I think Senator Corker is a good example of that who just said we have got a tough road ahead of us and I need to be in the senate.

BROWN: And you are a senior adviser to Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign. What do you think? What do you think of that matchup? Would you like for him to be Trump's pick?

EVANS: Well, I think Newt brings a lot to the table. And it certainly, he was a former speaker, which means he has already been in line to be the president. He they balanced the budget. He reformed welfare. He rebuilt the defense department. He wrote the contract with America, which got the house back in order.

But I think far more importantly than all of those things is, as you know, Donald Trump continues to lag behind among Republicans, some polls put him in the 70s. And if Newt Gingrich was the vice presidential nominee, you would see that number go into the 90s so they can bring the rest of the base home. He would lock down the south. And he is somebody that everybody respects, including Donald Trump. Somebody who with details as though the nominee gets over the land. He will confront him about it and call him on it.

BROWN: And I know you're in close touch with Reince Priebus, the head of the RNC. What is he telling you behind closed doors about the Trump's VP search and the state of the race? Can you give us any insight?

EVANS: I can just tell you that Reince has his hands full getting the convention ready. You always feel like you are behind when you are this close to the convention. Reince is doing a phenomenal job. I think he is largely stayed out. And certainly his opinion has great weight with Donald Trump. But I think right now we are just getting to see each of these candidates on the stage. Tonight we will get to see Newt and how he performs in Cincinnati. He just wrote me from the plane and said they are en route. So it should be pretty exciting to see how each one of these candidates. But I tell you this, I wouldn't discount the generals. I think Donald

Trump's actually telling us something here that many aren't listening to, which is that he understands that we are in the midst of a war and he intends on having the people around him to help fight that war.

BROWN: And can you just help fill in the gaps so far. I know they are still planning, but with the Republican National convention right around the corner, we are hearing that Joni Ernst will be speaking. Can you shed a light on who else will take the stage?

EVANS: I think it is going to be one entertaining convention. I think that you are going to see a lot of diversity, a lot of diversity period. But I think you are also going to see a different side of Donald Trump. I think the American people are going to get introduced to the real Donald Trump as opposed to the caricature that many in the media has tried to portray him as. And I think once you hear of his family, of his children, of the way he runs his businesses and conducts himself, I think Americans will be favorably impressed.

But I will say this. It is not going to be your father's Buick. It is not going to be your father's convention. It's going to be a little different.

[15:45:28] BROWN: It will be a little different. All right. We will have to wait and see. It's right around the corner.

Randy Evans, thank you very much for that.

EVANS: Thank you.

BROWN: And up next in the NEWSROOM, former prime minister Tony Blair is defending the decision he made with President Bush to go to war in Iraq, this after a scathing record that Blair knew about the risk of terror groups filling the power vacuum, and he went ahead anyway. We'll take you to Baghdad for reaction.

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[15:49:50] BROWN: Well, emotions are running high in the UK after a damning report blast Britain's decision to join coalition forces in the Iraq war. The report finds that decision was based on quote "flawed intelligence" and was made before diplomatic options were exhausted. Well, some family members of British troops killed in Iraq place the blame squarely on former Prime Minister Tony Blair. But Blair is not backing down defending his decision to join the United States in 2003 invasion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[15:50:18] SARAH O'CONNOR, FALLEN BRITISH SERVICE MEMBER'S SISTER: I'm going back to that time when I learned that my brother had been killed. And there was one terrorist in this world that the world needs to be aware of and his name is Tony Blair. The world's worst terrorist.

TONY BLAIR, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I only ask with humility that the British people accept that I took this decision because I believed it was the right thing to do based on the information that I had and the threats I perceived.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman joins us live from Baghdad Iraq where they are still railing from Sunday's suicide bombing that killed more than 200 people.

Ben, you have been covering Iraq for more than 20 years. Did the people of Iraq blame the U.S. and U.K. for their security situation now or their own government?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they sort of blame through blame in every direction. They feel that the U.S. and the U.K. by invading Iraq by de-throwing Saddam Hussein, by conducting what by all accounts in what we saw was a fairly chaotic and disorganized occupation that essentially the country was ripped to pieces.

Now, for that they of course hold Tony Blair and George Bush responsible. But they look at other players in the region. They feel for instance the Gulf States, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which private individuals in those countries have funded Al-Qaeda and subsequently ISIS. They blamed their own government because they believe, a, it is wildly corrupt. In fact, transparency international and organization, they monitors corruption around the world says that Iraq ranks number 161 out of 168 in terms of corruption countries -- of corruption in various countries.

They blame their government for simply failing to provide basic security that of course the holes in that security they feel led to that massive truck bomb over the weekend that killed more than 250 people. So Iraqis in a sense are exhausted. They are angry that after all of these years, 13 years after Saddam Hussein was overthrown, they simply cannot live a normal live. They can't go out and go shopping in downtown Baghdad without the risk of being blown to pieces - Pam.

BROWN: All right. Ben Wedeman, thank you so much for bringing this back from Baghdad, Iraq.

And up next, shock over the prison sentence handed down to Oscar Pistorius. Why the judge gave the former runner six years for pulling his girlfriend when the minimum sentence is 15.

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[15:57:17] BROWN: The trial of former Olympian Oscar Pistorius has finally come to a close. And the judge has sentenced the (INAUDIBLE) athlete known as bleed runner (ph) to six years in prison for murdering his girlfriend.

CNN's David McKenzie is in South Africa with more on why the sentencing came as a surprise to many.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Oscar Pistorius entering court facing 15 years for murder.

The final act in a legal opera and soap opera that has gripped South Africa for several years.

But from the opening moment, Judge Thokozie Maspa seemed ready to hand out one more surprise.

JUDGE THOKOZIE MASPA, HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA: Murder is a serious crime, but the fact that the accused thought the victim was an intruder is not make it less serious. (INAUDIBLE) of sentencing. It is always useful to put the situation that lead to the murder into perspective.

MCKENZIE: She said there was reasons to give him less than the minimum mandatory sentence.

MASPA: The reiterated that the accused showed no remorse as he did not come clean before this court, I disagree.

MCKENZIE: The judge agreed with the defendant's argument which it dramatically illustrated in court doing hearings that the story was a broken man, highly vulnerable on his stamps when he shot Reeva Steemkamp four times through a bathroom door.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When he is on his stumps, (INAUDIBLE), he compromised. And without anything, he would not be able to defend himself.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Pistorius, please rise.

MCKENZIE: But the judge ruled that Pistorius still needed to be punished for his crime that Steamkamp's family will never get over her death.

BARRY STEENKAMP, REEVE STTENKAMP'S FATHER: I wish that he before found to be a human being. Whatever happen devastated us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Six years imprisonment.

MCKENZIE: The sentence shocked some, but it was for the court of law to decide, not the court of public opinion.

Pistorius should now be heading to a private cell in the hospital wing of a maximum security prison. After just three years he could be released on parole.

David McKenzie, CNN, South Africa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And thank you to our David McKenzie.

I'm Pamela Brown. Thank you so much for being with me right here in NEWSROOM.

"The LEAD" with Jim Sciutto starts right now.