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Solutions to Help Military Veterans at V.A.; Donald Sterling Declared Mentally Incapacitated
Aired May 30, 2014 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: We are back with Howard and Jean Somers, the parents of Daniel Somers, an Iraq War Veteran who took his own life last year. We are about to tackle the one thing that everyone wants from this V.A. scandal, solutions to help our military veterans.
You two, through your loss, you have come up with answers and you have created this whole presentation to give, as you advocate for change, and we will get to these solutions in just a minute. First, it's been since last June when Daniel took his own life. Since then, you've shared the note. Now with this story that has burst wide open, hearing the news today, Eric Shinseki is stepping down, what's your response to that?
JEAN SOMERS, MOTHER OF DANIEL SOMERS: I have concerns. President Obama himself when he announced it indicated there was going to be a learning curve for the new person. When I hear learning curve, I hear time wasted. I would have preferred that Shinseki stay and maybe have a White House person alongside him to continue working on the problems since he seemed to understand he was not getting the truth from those underneath him. I think he could have been more effective that way. I think some is political posturing, which I understand because that's the world we live in. But when we look at it from a veteran's standpoint, this may have hindered the help that could have helped more immediate on a larger scale. I know they'll do things quickly in terms of getting appointments. Long terms goals, if you had someone working within the system and aware of what limitations there were and have maybe seen the bulb go on that people were not being honest with him, I think it would have been better.
Howard may disagree.
(LAUGHER)
BALDWIN: Do you disagree, Howard?
HOWARD SOMERS, FATHER OF DANIEL SOMERS: I certainly do. Problems start at the top but the major issue is this huge entrenched bureaucracy. Why do we have so many levels within this system? One thing we'll talk about is the difference between the DOD system and the V.A. system. In the DOD system, there's a direct line of accountability from the certain general from each branch of service to the chief operating officer of each hospital, of each medical center.
(CROSSTALK)
HOWARD SOMERS: I can't -- you can't even count the number of levels there are. And not only that, then you get to the hospital itself, and then you have all the other levels. I don't want to open up Pandora's Box but you have the unions. We are pro union. I want to get that out. In this case, it has become a big part of the problem. You have people who have government jobs.
BALDWIN: How do you fix it?
HOWARD SOMERS: You legislate it and you get Democrats and Republicans in the same room and you get them to think about what's good for the country, not think about what's good for their election.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Beyond hopefully both sides getting together and working this out, what are specific solutions you all have.
JEAN SOMERS: One of the biggest that we have is -- I like to compare the V.A. to Ma Bell. It's become a bureaucracy. The V.A. is two things. It has a medical side and a business side. The business side is what is really, really broken. The bureaucracy is broken. That's what we need to restructure. We came up with just an idea. Let's throw stuff out here and start talking about it. What about if we made the Veterans Administration facilities centers of excellence? They treat war-related injuries. If you have a broken arm, why can't you just go out into the community and have somebody fix your broken arm? Why isn't the V.A. concentrating on issues that the community isn't familiar with, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, Gulf War Syndrome. Maybe these things are what we should concentrate on at that level.
HOWARD SOMERS: We know that a lot of veterans are attacked to the V.A. system. But the V.A. system for years has had the opportunity to treat the veterans they way they should be treated. We have found out, of course, over this last almost 12 months that there is a voucher system in place. They do have the ability to send patients out into the community. They don't make it easy. They don't advertise it.
BALDWIN: But you can go into the private sector?
HOWARD SOMERS: You can go into the private sector as long as you find -- you have to find your own provider and a provider that will accept the reimbursement that is being authorized by the V.A. But you can if you're authorized. And there is also a Vizon (ph) system that nobody is aware of. This is another level that is so you have 252 medical centers, and all the multi-hundreds of C-BOTS (ph), the community based outpatient centers, and all else that's out there. So you have 22 Vizons (ph) which are responsible for the different geographically located medical centers.
BALDWIN: My goodness.
(CROSSTALK) HOWARD SOMERS: So you do -- and they are actually authorized to send patients to other medical centers within their Vizon (ph). So it might be, you know, 500 miles. But at least you have the opportunity if you needed to have something done on a more expedient method, where it should be within your, you know, seen when you should be seen. These are things not being done.
BALDWIN: A few things. This is the beginning of a much bigger conversation. I'm so glad we're having this conversation.
If I may end where we began, with Daniel. And so just before we go to break, can you just tell me a little more about him and what you miss the most?
HOWARD SOMERS: Are you kidding?
JEAN SOMERS: He was a non-stop talker if you speak to anybody who knew Daniel, he had a friend who had a cell phone that he paid by the minute. And as much as he loved Daniel, he would have to tell Daniel, Daniel, this is costing me money.
(LAUGHTER)
He could go on forever.
HOWARD SOMERS: About any subject.
JEAN SOMERS: About any subject.
HOWARD SOMERS: We'd tell him he should be a lawyer because he could argue either side of the issue and you would believe which ever side he was arguing. He had an amazing source of knowledge about any subject. We miss being able to pick up the phone and call our encyclopedia. We miss our best friend.
BALDWIN: Howard and Jean Somers, thank you so much. And grateful for your son's service.
Thank you for taking the time.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Ahead, we have breaking news in CNN on mental health of the L.A. Clippers owner. Donald Sterling has been found mentally incapacitated. What that means for the $2 billion sale of the Clippers and Sterling's response, next.
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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news
BALDWIN: Here we go, breaking news here at CNN regarding the mental state of L.A. Clippers' owner, Donald Sterling. CNN has learned that two independent doctors have declared the 80-year-old, quote, "mentally incapacitated." This news comes less than 24 hours after Sterling's estranged wife, Shelly, signed a deal to sell to Steve Ballmer for some $2 billions. Sterlings stability has been a point of contention in this ongoing saga.
Upon hearing this news, Donald Sterling's attorney said the declaration was, quote, "a vast overstatement." And Sterling had a diagnosis of a modest mental impairment but Sterling is far from being incapacitated.
Joining me now from Washington, CNN's Brian Todd.
Brian, tell me what you know.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, Poppy Harlow and I have this from two sources with detailed knowledge of the situation. They say Donald Sterling was found to be mentally incapacitated by two independent physicians. This was determined sometime within the past several weeks, we believe probably within the past month. The first source told me that the two physicians examining him were both neurologists. The second source said that under the Sterling family trust there is a provision that says if one or the other, Donald or Shelly Sterling, becomes mentally incapacitated the other, would become sole trustee. So Shelly was able to negotiate the sale of the Clippers as the sole trustee of the Sterling family trust, and that's how that deal got done yesterday.
We did have a response, as you just read, from Maxwell Blecher, the attorney for Donald Sterling. I spoke with him on the phone and he gave me the response you just had, that his diagnosis was a modest mental impairment and that he is far from being incapacitated. So it looks like they may contest this as well -- Brooke?
BALDWIN: Brian Todd with those new developments here and the latest from Sterling's attorney. Thank you so much for that.
Coming up, we will stay on this and find out exactly what all of this now means for this reported $2 billion sale of the L.A. Clippers.
Back after a quick break.
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BALDWIN: Tonight, a Miami Heat win means they will head to their fourth consecutive NBA final. In the west, the Spurs beat the Thunder last night. They lead three games to two. Two teams head back tomorrow night.
And --
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
BALDWIN: Talking basketball. Back-door breaking news. CNN has learned that L.A. Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, has been declared mentally incapacitated by two physicians and this could have huge implications. One, according to the terms of the family trust that owns the team, if two doctors find him mentally unfit, his wife, Shelly, becomes the sole trustee. What does this mean for a possible deal?
Let's talk about it with sports attorney and agent, Leigh Steinberg.
Lee, this is huge. If this is in the family trust and if Donald Sterling has been ruled mentally unfit, then that would mean that his wife, Shelly Sterling, could sell the team by Tuesday.
LEIGH STEINBERG, SPORTS ATTORNEY & AGENT: And the long sage of Sterling would come to an end. She has to submit to the NBA a change of ownership, which is procedural. If she does that, they can go ahead and vote on accepting Ballmer's bid. He already has been cleared as part of a prospective sale for the Kings, so, he already has been vetted by the league so that shouldn't take very long. Over the weekend, all this will heat up. This is the result the NBA wants, instead of the vote on Tuesday. They don't want that vote. The owners don't want to be on the record. So this solves their problem. He is not from Los Angeles, which people were hoping. But he has paid a massive price and some think an irrational price when you consider that the last franchise sold this year was Milwaukee for $550 million. "Forbes" valued the Clippers at $550 million. So, this is a massive price. It probably leads to a happy ending. If Sterling wants to hold on to his legacy and continues to fight this, we will go Tuesday night to a revocation hearing where he is certain to lose the team.
BALDWIN: But this odyssey could possibly end by Tuesday. We're hearing this deal could be $2 billion, what do you think the Sterlings could walk away with?
STEINBERG: I think that they will pay what's called capital gains tax. About $1.5 billion is what my estimate is. The team was purchased for $12 million. I would say that as a reasonable return.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: reasonable? That's a lot of money.
(LAUGHTER)
Let's be real.
STEINBERG: It is. Sooner or later, you're talking about real money. The Dodgers, who are the most popular team in southern California, were and had a stadium to sell, which the Clippers don't, went for a $1.8 billion, and people thought that was ridiculous. There will be a new NBA contract that will yield more money. The Clippers can do a new contract. But still, this is a massive commitment and it won't yield return for some years.
BALDWIN: This will be a big weekend to watch.
Leigh Steinberg, thank you so much for your expertise here. We'll be watching.
Moving along, got a major development involving the red carpet attack on Brad Pitt. What we've now learned, next.
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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
BALDWIN: This just into us at CNN. We are learning that charges now have been filed against this man who allegedly hit Brad Pitt on the red carpet. This so-called journalist charged with battery and assault. He is now out of a job and faces potentially months in jail. And Brad Pitt, by the way, not the first star he has had run-ins with. There was a long list of stars, Will Smith, Bradley Cooper and Leonardo DeCaprio.
Have a whole other hour for you. Be right back.
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