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Veterans Groups Calling for Eric Shinseki to Step Down; Donald Sterling Doesn't Think He's a Racist; Four Bodies Found in Tennis Star James Blake's Mansion After It Burned; Russian President Vladimir Putin Blaming Ukraine Crisis on Irresponsible Politics

Aired May 08, 2014 - 09:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Hi. I'm Brianna Keilar in for Brooke Baldwin.

And we start with the fallout from a CNN investigation. For months CNN has pursued the secretary of Veteran's Affairs over allegations that veterans were dying from the deliberate cover-up by some of staffers.

Now, secretary Eric Shinseki Some is responding telling NBC he is angry. Some Republican members of Congress have called on the secretary to resign. Shinseki had this message for veterans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: They want you to resign or be fired. Will you resign?

ERICK SHINSEKI, VETERANS AFFAIRS SECRETARY: I would say I serve at the pleasure of the president. I want them to know this is a good, quality health care system, not perfect. And when we stumble across our own imperfections we're going to do something about it. We get to the bottom of it and to the best of our abilities assure it never happens again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Shinseki will now have to prepare for a different kind of interrogation. Today, the House Veterans Affairs committee voted subpoena the retired four-star general ordering him to turn over any e-mails since April 9th related to what an exclusive CNN investigation has uncovered.

CNN has learned of two patient lists at a veteran affairs hospital in Phoenix. A dummy list showed improved wait times for veterans and a secret list with actual wait times with some vets waiting as long as 21 months. That's right, nearly two years to see a doctor. As many as 40 veterans literally waited to death as they succumbed to conditions that worsened. The loved ones of Thomas Green saw it happen to him. He died after being sent home with the word urgent on his chart according to the family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SALLY ELIANO-BARNES, NAVY VETERAN'S DAUGHTER IN-LAW: He said I believe them wanting they help Sally to help me. The neurologist came in and suggesting to show off the cat scan. So it could have up on the screen for us. They got to the first slide and they counted out 40 tumors and I dropped.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Joining me now, Derek Bennett. He is the chief of staff for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Derek as you know, other Vet groups like the American Legion are calling for Eric Shinseki to step down. What is you group think about this?

DEREK BENNETT, CHIEF OF STAFF, IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN VETERANS OF AMERICA: Well, thank you very much, Brianna, for having me. We're a membership driven organization. We started a conversation with our members. We sent out a poll. We're asking them what they think the secretary should do. What we expect is bold action from the president to reform the VA.

KEILAR: Yes. So your group today is holding a news conference calling on President Obama to be accountable for improvements inside the department of Veterans affairs. What does that mean? I mean, hasn't that kind of always been the case?

BENNETT: Well, apparently not. I mean, what we have seen is that every week, worse stories come out about the VA, come out about the quality of care and the access to the care. I mean, it's not just in Phoenix as you reported. It's now in Texas. We're seeing results in Colorado as well.

So clearly, this is issue of accountability. This is some sort of systemic problem that the secretary has been unable to fix and we expect the president that it gets fix.

KEILAR: So, you are hearing from a lot of Veterans who are on the ground to get the services. And the VA has ordered this audit at all of the clinics for every VA medical center, not just in Phoenix in the way wait of this waitlist situation there, what are these younger vets in your group say about your personal experiences getting there?

BENNETT: Well, as I said before, we really believe this is a systemic problem. And the stories that younger vets are telling us are not different from than the stories that Vietnam vets have been telling us. These problems are 40 years old. The VA has had chronic issues with access to care with getting administrative paper work followed up, with getting charge to the right place. These problems are decades in the making and they need to be fixed.

KEILAR: So Derek, I mean, are you hearing from young vets they are saying they're giving you sort of details about experiences where they go to a medical center and they get the run around or they feel like the chart is going in the wrong place. It is taking entirely too long. They are being frustrated. Is this what you are hearing? BENNETT: Absolutely. It is not uncommon for vets to show up in a VA medical center asking for help and get in a point that might be 200 days from when they first checked in. Even if the VA met its own standards you are still looking at 14 to 21 days before a Vet who wants to raises their end and says I need help and gets to see a medical professional.

KEILAR: So, we just learned that the secretary is going to be testifying before senators next week. It is not related to the subpoena. But what do you want to hear from him?

BENNETT: We would like to hear what the secretary's plan is to change the system. We would like to her how he is going to hold his regional director's accountable. So we like to hear how would these changes in reform to prevent this from ever happening to any veteran ever again.

KEILAR: And when are you expecting -- I know you are sort of doing a poll right now of your membership. When are you expecting to have the results of that of whether they think that this is something that you should indeed step aside for?

BENNETT: We expect to have it by the end of the week.

KEILAR: OK. And we will be looking for that.

Derek Bennett, thank you so much.

BENNETT: Thank you very much.

KEILAR: Now, we are hearing now possibly from embattled L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling for the first time since the controversy erupted over this racist comments audio of a phone conversation leaked today. And in it a male voice said to be Sterling's, he's talking to an unknown male and adamantly denies that he's a racist. He also says that he cannot be forced to sell his team. And it's important for us to note that CNN cannot independently confirm that it is sterling on this audio recording, but take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You think I'm a racist? You think I have anything in the world but love for everybody? You don't think that. You know I'm not a racist.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I heard --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't hear you. You know --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I hear that tape, though. That tape I heard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I grew up in east L.A. East L.A. you die to get out of there. I got out of east L.A. I was the president of the high school there. I mean, and I'm a Jew. And 50 percent of the people there were black and 40 percent were Hispanic. You ever been to Boyle heights?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I mean, people must have a good feeling for me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you talk to Griffin or anybody yet?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I haven't talked to anybody. I'm in my house in Beverly Hills.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, how could you think of me as a racist knowing me all of these years? How can you be in this business and be a racist? Do you think I tell the coach to get white players or get the best player he can get?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The best player he can get.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, you, I don't expect anything from anybody but I do from you. I mean --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have money on that --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It breaks my heart that Magic Johnson, you know, a guy that I respect so much, wouldn't stand up and say well let's get the facts. Let's get him and talk to him. Nobody tried. Nobody tried. I'm here on Beverly drive and such at a cause from the Beverly Hills hotel, you know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are trying to force you to sell it. They are trying to force you to sell it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't force someone to sell property in America. Well, I'm a lawyer and that's my opinion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they got Sean Combs Diddy is really seeking to buy it, Him and Oprah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Diddy. Shaun Combs and Oprah are the ones trying to --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: So, there's a whole lot to discuss here. Let's bring in sports agent and attorney Leigh Steinberg.

Leigh, what do you make of how this got leaked? Is this convenience? It is Sterling, you know, a victim of another private conversation being put out there? What do you think?

LEIGH STEINBERG, SPORTS AGENT: Well, I think that Donald Sterling in his own mind doesn't think he's a racist. He's a product of another time. I think it really didn't matter much anymore because had he come out directly after the initial phone call was leaked, he could have had a chance to probably influence or stem public opinion but he didn't. And he allowed it to grow and grow until you have the president of the United States and there is not a being in this country who doesn't have an opinion on this. It has so far transcended sports to become a national and almost international issue.

So really it doesn't matter. It's too late for him to clarify the record. And there also is a public record of lawsuits and what Baylor said. So, it is just -- I don't think it really makes any substantial difference in anyway.

KEILAR: Yes. There is another trail of issues that he has faced. So, you say it doesn't matter.

Well, let's talk about this legally. Article 13D in the NBA constitution, it states that an owner can be terminated by a vote of three quarters if they fail to refuse to fulfill its contractual obligations t the association, its members, players, or any other third party in such a way to affect the association or its members adversely. So, is he wrong when he says I'm a lawyer, I can't be forced to sell my team, we live in America?

STEINBERG: First of all, let's make the point that when he initially purchased his franchise or any owner purchases a franchise in professional sports, they are not buying a private business. What they are buying is a franchise subject to a whole series of rules and restrictions for the better interest of the sport. So, he signed knowing if he did something to totally harm the NBA, they could revoke his franchise. He agreed to those by laws. And then if you go on and follow him, they agree that the decision of the owners and commissioner will be final and binding.

And he also agrees that he will not disputed in a court of law. So he has got a very high standard given the fact that he waived his rights legally and I don't think it matters what his wife asserts, what he asserts. He's the owner of the team. And the fact that there's a family trust, she's not the signatory for this. Her only chance is, if anything is if she filed for divorce and then there is a part of the family trust argued, diminished value was coming to a group asset. But the problem is he bought the team for $12 million. It may sell for a billion dollars. It's really hard --

KEILAR: It's not really a diminished asset is it?

So let me ask you this because it sounds that you think legally the odds are very much not in his favor. How long does it think though? It sounds like he wants to fight this tooth and nail. How long do you think it would take that this to play out and for us to see another owner of this team?

STEINBERG: So they have gone ahead and moved through tem men or owner committee to go ahead and revoke. So I think very soon we will see them go ahead and take that vote. He has got the right to come to a hearing and with the lawyer and present his case. Once that happens, if the vote occurs and the revocation occurs, immediately, that franchise becomes the property of the NBA. And it goes under the jurisdiction of the commissioner. So then he would have to vet. Now, anyone can claim anything in America in a lawsuit whether it has any basis or not. But good luck finding a judge that is going to want to take this case anywhere.

KEILAR: Yes. All right. So we will see. So maybe quickly, who knows?

Leigh Steinberg, thanks so much. Really appreciate your legal expertise on that one.

Now, coming up, house Republican leaders, they set to vote later today to approve a special committee to investigate Benghazi. What questions are they looking to answer? That's ahead.

And four bodies found in tennis star James Blake's mansion after it was engulfed in flames. Police say the fire was started intentionally. But what's really happened there. We're live in Miami next. We got lots going on in the NEWSROOM. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: A mystery in Florida inside the gates of an exclusive neighborhood. A country club that is home to famous athletes and known for heavy security. Four bodies were found inside a burning mansion owned by a former tennis star. The house exploded into flames early Wednesday rattling neighbors before anyone discovered that it contained a crime scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God. This is so bad. I was walking my dogs and the house just exploded.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Calm down and take a deep breath, OK? I know it's hard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is just so horrible. I was walking by and it was exploding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now the flames were intense. Then when firefighters finally got inside, they found the bodies of two adults and two teenagers. They also found fireworks throughout the house. Authorities say someone deliberately started that fire but they are not revealing a whole lot more.

CNN's Alina Machado has been pulling together all the detail on this.

And Alina, I understand that you have new information for us. What is it?

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We do, Brianna. We know that investigators were back at the scene today looking for clues, trying to figure out exactly what happened and why. At this point authorities are not calling this a murder suicide. But they also say they are not looking for a suspect. Police say the fire, as you mentioned, was intentionally set and that fireworks were found inside the home. But we have also learned that on Sunday, the father, Darren Campbell, purchased $600 worth of fireworks at a Tampa area store according to a spokesperson for that company. The purchase was unremarkable and the fireworks alone would not be capable of creating such damage. At this point authorities would only say again that fireworks were at the house. We do not know what role if any they played in what happened. -- Brianna.

KEILAR: And what do we know about the victims, about this family?

MACHADO: We learned today their names. We know that the four people who were inside the house are Darren and Kimberly Campbell and their two children, Collin and Megan. Collin was the star, a baseball player at a local private school in Tampa. He was just a few weeks away from graduation. His father, Darren, we are told, served as the school's treasurer. The teen's facebook page says the family used to live in Michigan before they moved to Florida and authorities say they were renting that house from tennis star James Blake. Blake is cooperating with the investigation even though we're told he lives out of state.

Now those who knew the family are using social media to express their sadness and their shock. And Brianna, the hash tag pray for the Campbells was trending yesterday.

KEILAR: Horrible story.

Alina Machado, thank you so much.

Now coming up, Russian president Putin blaming the crisis in Ukraine on quote "irresponsible politics." What is Vladimir Putin's end game? We will have that next.

Plus Richard Sherman, remember him? The Seattle Sea Hawk made headlines for his in your face rant after a playoff game. And now, he is making headlines again, this time for what he is saying about Donald Sterling and the NFL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: U.S. citizens are now being told to postpone all non- essential travel to Ukraine. The state department's warning comes as increasing violence takes hold in eastern part of the country. And right now, Ukrainian forces are trying to fight back against pro Russian separatists and the situation could deteriorate even further as of separatists in two regions prepare to hold independent votes.

Meantime, Russian president Vladimir Putin is blaming Ukraine's crisis on quote "irresponsible politics," adding that can bad as nationalism is on the rise in Europe. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): There remain a lot of dangers and threats in the world and Europe as you know, every now and then nationalism rare its head saying it's once led to the birth of Nazi ideology. The example of our neighbor, our brotherly Ukraine, shows that irresponsible politics brings a lot of trouble in the losses. Much as thousands of people are deprived of an opportunity to the peaceful and happy life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Joining me now, Nikhil Kumar, he is a deputy international editor of "Time" magazine. This month's cover story, as you can see, takes a look at Vladimir Putin's ambition. What these all means for the U.S. as well?

So Nikhil, firstly, you look or you hear Putin's comment today. What do you make of these? Does he really believe what he is saying or is this him spinning?

NIKHIL KUMAR, DEPUTY INTERNATIONAL EDITOR, TIME MAGAZINE: Well, one of the points on the cover story is that Putin is a very, very unpredictable leader. He has done things at every step that has defy all the prediction at unlisted made about what he would. You know, people thought he wouldn't go to Crimea but he went to Crimea. People thought he wouldn't seize Crimea. Well, he seized Crimea.

And so, everything that he says, there are multiple interpretation. But what we do know about Putin is that this a leader who has notions of -- who wants Russia to be a much more bigger household (ph) tale on the world's stage. And is as the story says, is sort of a throwback to another time. This is not a modern president who wants to do -- go to sort of international summits and anything that you hear. He is constantly defied people's prediction. So anything he says, I think you know, as open to many interpretations.

KEILAR: Yes. And you say that in the cover story it says that Putin is slowing a darker shadow whereas over the 201st century as well. Putin talked of lost empire, historic grievances and the moral decadence of the West seems to draw from another era, a throw back as you say. What is his end game and do you think he knows really what it is?

KUMAR: Well, there are two interpretations on that. I mean, either he is, as a lot of people think, directing a lot of what is happening for example in eastern Ukraine, or even if he isn't, one thing that we know is happening is that he has stepped up this Russian nationalistic propaganda. And that could be a very dangerous thing. Does he have control over his consequences? We don't know.

It's something -- it is a beast that once you release could have all kinds of consequences, not just for Ukraine, but for other countries in that region. One of the points that the story makes is that there is a lot of countries in that region have large ethnic Russian populations. And Putin is trying to stop nationalism amongst those people. Does he have a plan as to what he is going to do once he has stopped those sentiments? Well, we don't know. What we do is that it is very dangerous game he is playing. It's a game which can destabilize, as I said, not just Ukraine but much, much bigger chunk of Europe if it is not handled carefully.

KEILAR: And a dangerous game, also, because of that unpredictability that you talked about.

Nikhil Kumar, thank you so much.

KUMAR: Absolutely.

KEILAR: We will be looking for the cover story at "Time" magazine.

Now coming up, the House of Representatives set to vote to approve a select committee to investigate the terror attacks in Benghazi. Could Republican's push for answers turn away potential voters?

And lawyers for Boston Bombing suspect, Dzhakhar Tsarnaev seeking to suppress statements that he made from his hospital bed. And they say anything that he said in the night of the arrest be struck from the record entirely. What do you think about this? We will be discussing next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)