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Bowe Bergdahl Released After Five Years; Philadelphia Media Mogul Lewis Katz Dies In Plane Crash; Qatar Helps Sergeant Bergdahl's Release; Donald Sterling Sues NBA For $1 Billion

Aired June 01, 2014 - 14:00   ET

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

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: The last American soldier held captive from the conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan has left the Middle East for the first time in five years. He is a free man. We're expecting to hear from Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl's parents in an hour. We will bring that you live.

Now, Sergeant Bergdahl arrived in Germany today at the Landstuhl Medical Center. There's no word on his condition, but defense secretary Chuck Hagel said today the rescue operation essentially saved Bergdahl's life. U.S. special forces recovered him yesterday in a S.W.A.T. negotiated by the government of Qatar. In exchange, five Guantanamo Bay detainees were released. That has some U.S. lawmakers up in arms. We will talk about that later this hour.

But for Bergdahl's parents and his hometown of Idaho, it's just a celebration right now.

Ed Lavandera is in Idaho with more on the reaction.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Dana, at 3:00 eastern time, 1:00 mountain time, the parents of sergeant Bowe Bergdahl will be arriving here in Boise, Idaho, and speaking with reporters. This coming on the day after President Obama gave them the news that nearly five years in captivity, their son sergeant Bowe Bergdahl will be coming home.

Bowe Bergdahl is currently in Germany getting medical treatment. It's not exactly clear when he will be reunified with his parents but it is our understanding that Bowe Bergdahl will be transported to a medical center in San Antonio, Texas, and perhaps the reunification with his parents will take place there. That is something we will continue to monitor throughout the day and see when exactly all of that will happen.

But here in the state of Idaho, a community that has followed with great interest the plight of sergeant Bowe Bergdahl and has watched with a lot of tension the anxiety, the struggle that his parents have been through here during the last five years.

The community is very excited, emotional about this homecoming that they will be celebrating in the weeks ahead in Bowe Bergdahl's home, town of Hailey, Idaho. It is about two and hour drive.

But again, Bob and Jani Bergdahl expected to arrive here in the next few hours in the state of Idaho. And obviously, they will want to send out their appreciation and their thanks and their gratitude to the many people who have supported them during the last five years as they have gone through the ordeal. Whether or not they will take questions or shed any more light on what has been going on behind the scenes, we'll have to wait and see. But at this point, all of the family and friends of the Bergdahl say that they are simply ecstatic and they can't wait, as the Bergdahl put it, to wrap their arms around their son -- Dana.

BASH: Thank you, Ed Lavandera.

And the hospital in Germany where sergeant Bergdahl is being treated is the largest American hospital outside of the United States. It is known for treating serious war injuries from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Germany.

And Nic, just give us a sense of what is expected to happen there at the hospital. What does the reintegration process look like?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It doesn't have a time frame. I guess that's the headline here. The time frame really depends on sergeant Bergdahl himself. We are told there are several components and several reasons for this. It is a tried and tested methodology. Part of it is medical to make sure that he's physically in good condition. Part of it is psychological. Part of it is also to meet the needs of the department of defense, what time sensitive intelligence information can they glean from sergeant Bergdahl right now, as immediate as possible. Is there anything useful there? But also, what lessons from his experiences can be learned from future situations.

So a lot of things there. But some of it is going to be as simple as sort of trying to get him to reengage with -- that he can predict some of the things that are going to happen, that he can begin to take a little more control of his life, tried and tested because this has been put in practice on contractors that have been kidnapped in Ethiopia 2007, Columbia, three DOD contractors there kidnapped for five and a half years in Columbia released in 2008, an Iraqi contractor released after two months captivity 2010.

The aim is to allow and help sergeant Bergdahl get back into family life, get back into his own life again, feel comfortable and essentially be able to move forward. We're told that the staff at Landstuhl, many for facility here, regional medical facility will be very sympathetic, everything that he has been through will take this at the pace that is right for him. What we're being told now is how long that will be, it just isn't clear, Dana.

BASH: Well, I'm sure. That's nice to hear that they are going to let him go at his own pace.

We're talking about him in Germany. But of course, we also want to go to what happened in Guantanamo Bay detainees who were freed there. We have some pictures of them, but we want to tell our viewers that these are photos obtained by Wikileaks that matched the names released by the department of defense. But the defense department wouldn't confirm or deny their accuracies. So we want to show you what is up there and what is out there.

But with regard to who these people are, Nic, tell our viewers about them because we have heard from some members of Congress and in particular that they were not run of the mill detainees, if there is such a thing, that these are serious terrorists, people who were responsible for the death of thousands of people.

ROBERTSON: Sure. These are senior Taliban figures. They were senior Taliban back when there was a civil war in Afghanistan, before the September 11th attacks. They were policed pretty much right after, within a year of those attacks.

They include a former interior minister, Taliban interior minister, a former deputy defense minister, former deputy head of intelligence, a former governor of several Afghan provinces under the Taliban.

So these are, by no means, small players. These are people that the Taliban have designated that they want free. This is typical of the Taliban. They will capture people, people like sergeant Bowe Bergdahl and try and use them as leverage to get their own people free. They do it Pakistan. They do it in Afghanistan.

So these are key people for them. They are being released, these Taliban figures, they are being released into Qatari custody to go to Qatar, not back to Afghanistan. The Qataris have undertaken to keep an eye on them. The question is will they try and get back to the battlefield? Will they engage in a political process? Or will they perhaps try to do fundraising from Qatar? And of course, that could be very damaging because the Taliban is still actively trying to kill U.S. servicemen and women in Afghanistan today.

So all of these questions out in the open but this is typical Taliban tactics. They kept Bowe Bergdahl until they could get what they wanted, Dana.

BASH: Nic Robertson, thank you.

And Nic talked about the leverage here. That is one of the many questions being raised in Washington, a big one, about whether terrorist organizations will use Americans as leverage in the future and if this sets a precedent, the White House is standing by the swath.

But next, I talked exclusively to the congressman who heads a committee that oversees the Pentagon. That committee is in the house and he says the S.W.A.T. did not go by the books.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: A day after an American soldier was freed by the Taliban, there are mixed feeling in Washington. Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was released in exchange for five Guantanamo Bay detainees. These are photos obtained by Wikileaks that matched the names of those five released by the department of defense. Now, the defense department wouldn't neither confirm nor deny their accuracy.

Again, lawmakers are saying, at least some of them, the slap says it is dangerous precedent.

Erin McPike is live at the White House.

Now, Erin, National security advisor Susan Rice spoke to our Candy Crowley on "THE STATE OF THE UNION" this morning. How did she defend this move?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Dana, first of all, let's point out that Republicans, specially House intelligence committee chairman, Mike Rogers, has specifically said that they are angry that the United States was quote "negotiating with terrorists." Well, Candy asked Susan Rice that directly this morning and here's how she responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN RICE, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: We negotiated the with the government of Qatar to who we owe a great debt. But the point is, he was being held by the Taliban. We had an opportunity to bring him back. He's back safely in the hands of the United States and that's a great thing.

When we are in battles with terrorists and terrorists take an American prisoner, that prisoner is still a U.S. servicemen or woman. We still have a sacred obligation to bring that person back. We did so. And that's what's to be celebrated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: Now, there are conditions here and the Qatari government is to see that these detainee movements are limited.

BASH: Erin, Republican lawmakers say, look, the administration just didn't follow the law, which they read as Congress has to be consulted on releasing Guantanamo Bay detainees within 30 days. Now, I know there was a signing statement that the president had which they think maybe gives them, them meaning the White House, a loophole. How did Susan Rice explain that?

MCPIKE: Well, Dana, Congress has been briefed on the situation and they were aware that this opportunity existed. But here's how Rice explained the reasoning and what they actually did.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICE: When the deal was done and sergeant Bergdahl was in U.S. custody is when we began making notifications to Congress.

The Congress began to be notified when sergeant Bergdahl was in American hands which was actually before the prisoners had left.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: Now, the other point Rice made was that the U.S. did not move quickly, they would lose their opportunity, Dana.

BASH: Erin McPike, thank you so much.

And joining me now by phone for an exclusive interview is Representative Buck McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services committee.

Mr. Chairman, thank you so much. Before we start to talk, I want our viewers to read hear some of the statement that you and your counterpart in the Senate, James Inhofe released yesterday.

And you said "America has maintained a prohibition on negotiating with terrorists for good reason. Trading five senior Taliban leaders from detention in Guantanamo Bay for Bergdahl's release may have consequences for the rest -- excuse me, for the rest of our forces and all Americans. Our terrorist adversaries now have a strong incentive to capture Americans. That would put our forces in Afghanistan and around the world at even greater."

Mr. Chairman, you say the swap is not only dangerous, dangerous for the future but illegal?

REP. BUCK MCKEON (R), CALIFORNIA (via phone): Well, I think it is pretty obvious that we have never done this before and now we have said a precedent. The president has set a precedent.

You know, he has violated the law and floundered the constitution so and then times, we have real concerns about this. He has said that they are going to close Guantanamo. Well, the Congress has passed a law and he has signed a law saying that he will not close Guantanamo. Whatever his desires are, that does not conform to the law. And he is the chief administrator of the law of the nation and should uphold his constitutional obligation to follow the law.

And the law states that before anyone can be released from Guantanamo, Congress should be notified at least 30 days before. You know, they are trying to parse words here and say that, well, they did let us know that something might happen. They are not following the law. They know they are not following the law. It's been a day now and they still haven't told us details or anything that is going on.

We are getting our information other than the very brief notification. We're getting most of our information now from the media. These are five very dangerous guys that should not be sent out -- should not leave Guantanamo, should not leave our custody, should not have the opportunity to get back into this fight to either kidnap or harm more of our men and women in uniform.

BASH: Chairman McKeon, I want to get to that question about these men are, who are released from Guantanamo. But let's stay on the whole question of congressional notification and whether, as you said, the White House simply broke the law.

You heard Erin McPike report that Susan Rice said on CNN this morning that they did notify Congress and the man who you, and the department have oversight over, the defense secretary Chuck Hagel, said the same thing. Listen to what he said this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK HAGEL, DEFENSE SECRETARY: As to notification of Congress, yes, there is a 30-day notification. I notified the appropriate committee leadership, different community leadership yesterday. That's part of the responsibility that I have as secretary of defense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, you are the chairman of the house services committee, Mr. McKeon. He is the defense secretary. If he notified the leadership, it would have to be you. Did that conversation not happen?

MCKEON: I have not personally spoken to the secretary and I'm not quibbling with that. He did let my staff director know yesterday that this had happened. The difference is, they notified us after the fact. A couple of days ago, my staff director received a call that there may be an important phone call and we should be alert for that happening. It didn't happen prior to anything happening.

The law states they are supposed to let us know 30 days before. We will be holding hearings in the very near future. I will be discussing this with other members of the committee. There is a constitution we abide by. There are three branches of government. There are separations of powers. And when we pass the law and when the president signs that law, we should -- he should by constitutional direction enforce that law.

We know that he selectively seems to decide which laws he wants to enforce and I don't know -- he apparently was a law professor, taught the constitution, he should understand it, he should follow it.

BASH: Now, the administration points out that along with signing the law that does require the administration to give Congress 30-days notice, he also had a separate signing statement where he effectively made clear that he believed that there is a case of national security, he can go ahead and do something. They did that.

But to be fair -- to be fair, a democratic president does that, George Bush did that. He had (INAUDIBLE) signing statement. So this is not, you know, this shouldn't be partisan. It's maybe about what happens when somebody is in the executive branch and they use that power.

MCKEON: Hey, this is not partisan. I'm chairman of the house armed services committee. I run that committee on a very bipartisan basis. This law passed out of our committee last year with the vote of 59-2, both -- all but two Democrats voted for that bill. And then it passed better than three to one margin on the floor. And then passed if passed, finally, again through the house and the floor, the final -- the house and the Senate. The final conference report.

This year, our bill that is not law yet, it did pass out of the committee on a vote of 61 to nothing. And it passed on the floor, 325-97 or 98. We do our work in a bipartisan way. This had nothing to do with politics. It has to do with following the law. BASH: And on that I just want to --

MCKEON: If this were a Republican president, I'd be saying the exact same thing.

BASH: OK. I just want to underscore, it's now more than 24 hours since this rescue has taken place. You still have not had a conversation with the defense secretary and you or your staff have not been briefed in exactly what went down?

MCKEON: Correct.

BASH: Let me move on to the whole question of why this happened now.

Susan Rice told Candy Crowley this morning on "STATE OF THE UNION" that the reason it had to happen quickly without informing Congress is because sergeant Bergdahl's health was deteriorating. Do you believe that? Do you buy that?

MCKEON: I don't know. Like I say, we're getting our information from the media. They are willing to go on television and talk about things that they are not willing to brief the Congress on. I just don't -- this happened in Benghazi, almost the exact same thing. In fact, that was also ambassador Rice.

So I just think that their credibility in Congress and in the nation and around the world is slipping greatly and the result is that we now have Americans abroad that are at further risk, increased risk over what they were 24 hours ago or 48 hours ago.

BASH: And Mr. Chairman, one last question about the five detainees who were released from Guantanamo Bay. Knowing what you know about them, how concerned are you? And I guess you don't have a lot of information that you've been officially given from the administration but how concerned are you about them getting back on the battlefield?

The administration says that they -- and Chuck Hagel says that they have assurances that this is not a national security risk to the American people.

MCKEON: Well, I wish I could be that sure. This is one of the reasons why we passed this law. Both Republicans and Democrats were concerned that Gitmo detainees could re-enter the battlefield and harm American men and women in uniform.

This is not acceptable. The law that president broke was designed as a check on the administration because they have shown propensity in the past to not follow the laws that we have passed. This was to make sure that all policies were considered, the dangerous terrorists would not be able to do us harm again.

One of the leaders of Al Qaeda in Yemen is a former Gitmo detainee. And we know that there is a high recidivism rate and these five guys are all known to have -- most of them, if not all of them because we haven't received the information that we should have received, have blood on their hands. American blood. And to think that they would not re-enter the fight is ludicrous.

BASH: Mr. Chairman, Buck McKeon, thank you for joining us exclusively here. And we know that House is in recess next week. But, as you said, you're going to have hearings on this as soon as you get back.

So thank you for your insight today.

And we are going to have much more on sergeant Bergdahl's release later this hour.

But first, a look at some of the other top stories making headlines today.

A Boston airplane crash kills all seven people on board. Among them, the co-owner of the Philadelphia "Enquirer" and "Daily News." More on who he was after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: The NTSB will hold a news conference in the next hour on the deadly crash of a private plane. It went down and burned in a wooded area outside Boston overnight. Seven people were on board and there were no survivors. This is a picture from social media reporting to be the crash site. The FAA says the plane caught fire shortly after taking off in bed for Massachusetts. Among the dead is Philadelphia media mogul, Lewis Katz.

So, let's bring in CNN's host of "RELIABLE SOURCE's" Brian Stelter to talk about him now.

Brian, Katz owned Philadelphia's two biggest newspapers. Obviously, the big loss here is Katz's family, to his friends. But it also could have a big impact on the pledging (ph) world of newspapers, particularly in that big city.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN HOST, RELIABLE SOURCES: The timing is extraordinary and makes this story even sadder. It was only five days ago that Katz and his co-owner of the "Enquirer" gained control of the newspaper in a private auction. They paid $88 million to take over the newspaper. This is after years of struggling for the famous Philly Enquirer. There were fights over who was the editor and who was in-charge. And eventually, Katz and his co-owner came out ahead.

As you know, Dana, the Philly "Enquirer" is so important to that community. I was in Philly just yesterday. It's the first thing everybody reads in the morning. They also on the "Daily News" in philly.com. So, this is a loss that the entire city is going to feel.

They have quickly come out though and said that Lewis Katz's son, Drew, will take his seat on the ownership board. So, this will not change what is basically right now, it's a pending transaction for the "Enquirer".

BASH: Brian Stelter, terrible tragedy. And thank you for giving us the context especially. Appreciate that.

Now, was the Bowe Bergdahl prisoner swap the right thing to do? Israel is another country that participate in prisoner swap.

And up next, we are going to talk to a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. about the politics and the risks of that decision.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: The release of Bowe Bergdahl took years of off and on again negotiations with Taliban leaders. The White House says Bergdahl's health added a sense of urgency and it sees an opportunity with the help of the government of Qatar. Qatar's foreign minister explains why they got involved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KHALID BIN AL ATTIYAH, QATAR FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Qatar takes up such a task of mediation bases that on basic principle and a foreign policy and that is a humanitarian consideration and because Qatar has confidence of all parts, it makes it easier for us to feel with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: So was this prisoner swap the right thing to do? I want to talk to Michael Oren. He is CNN's Middle's East analyst and former Israeli ambassador to the U.N. Thank you so much for joining us. Now Mr. Ambassador, a few countries have had more experience with prisoner swaps than yours in Israel particularly democracies.

It's often accompanied by a great deal of political hand wringing, one of the best known in your country in Israel was Ghalid Shalith (ph). He was exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Knowing that and having that experience there, how would you characterize how the U.S. handled this particular swap?

MICHAEL OREN, CNN MIDEAST ANALYST: First of all, always good to be with you, Dana. It's a tough call. Israel over the years has exchanged 7,000 terrorists to secure the release of Israeli prisoners and each time, indeed, it's a matter of not just a hand wringing, but it's heart wrenching. Thousands of Israelis have lost loved ones to terrorist bombings and the street right below me was the same of suicide bombings not too long ago. I lost a loved one to terrorist bombing.

To release prisoners is very, very painful. On the other hand, I'm also the father of former Israeli soldiers. We send these kids out to fight for us. God forbid they get captured, we have to know, they have to know, that the state of Israel will do everything in its power to secure their release. So either way, it's a painful decision.

BASH: Now former U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, who is now the president of the National Security Adviser, she was on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" earlier today. We want to play for you what she said about making this distinction that she made among enemies, bringing home enemies and those who are captive home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SUSAN RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: It's very important for folks to understand, if we got into a situation where we said, you know, because of who has captured an American soldier on the battlefield, we will leave that person behind, we would be in a whole new era for the safety of our personnel and for the nature of our commitment to our men and women in uniform. So because it was the Taliban that had him didn't mean that we had any less of an obligation to bring him back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: I wonder what you make of that and also just the idea that many people here in the United States are up in arms. Not so much about the concept and the theory of negotiating with terrorists, but who these people five are, how significant they have been in the fight against the Americans and the fact that they were the ones let go.

OREN: Again, in listening to Susan Rice, she could be the national security adviser of the state of Israel as well. Israel has used very similar rationale and explanations in making these prisoner releases. Our young men and women should know that should they get captured, we will do everything to bring them back. But there's always a price to pay. Releasing terrorists, many of them go back to committing acts of terror. It encourages further hostage taking. We know this from experience. There's always that tradeoff.

And at the end of the day, Dana, every democratic state that's involved in the fight against terror has to have this decision, this conversation among its own citizens and there's really no easy answer but, again, as Susan Rice says, our soldiers have to know that we are behind them all the way.

BASH: It's interesting what you just said, that because you and your country have had experience with this kind of swap, you do think that it does set a precedent and does send a signal to terrorists in the future that this is something that they can do to get leverage for something that they need? I mean, you have seen the negative result of this?

OREN: We have seen the negative results. During the recent peace process, there was a deal to swap -- to release some 104 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. They had killed 70 Israelis, plus a foreign tourist, and they also executed a number of Palestinians whom they accuse of collaboration. Now, some of these terrorists are going to go back out. Israel agreed to do this in order to get the peace process going. There's a tradeoff. Maybe you could advance a peace process that will save lives. Again, no easy answers, unfortunately.

BASH: And the defense secretary, Susan Rice, others have been saying today that they got assurances that these individuals who were released from Guantanamo Bay won't be a national security risk. You know the world in which we're talking about. Can they really have those kinds of assurances even if it is the emir of Qatar who negotiated this? Can he guarantee such a thing?

OREN: I can't know and I don't know the details of the agreements between the United States government and the Qatari mediators. We know from our experience that even when security prisoners are released, some of them do in fact go back to committing acts of terror and we take that into account when we have done these releases. But it's interesting debate going on in Israel today in the government. Whether to pass a law that will forbid the government in the future from releasing terror prisoners who have blood on their hands, those that have actually killed Israelis.

BASH: Well, the U.S. seems unfortunately can learn a lot from the debate that is already been going on for years in your democracy there in Israel. Mr. Ambassador, always great to see you. Thank you so much for giving us your insight. Appreciate it.

And in about 20 minutes we're hoping to learn more about Bowe Bergdahl's recovery. His parents are scheduled to hold a news conference from Boise, Idaho at the top of the hour and we're going to bring that to you live.

And next, we'll tell you what role the country of Qatar played in Bergdahl's release. We'll go live to Richard Quest who is in the Middle East.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: We may never know the full story of how Bowe Bergdahl's release was negotiated because many details are classified, but U.S. officials do say the emir of Qatar played an important role. We also know the Afghan-Taliban has a liaison office in the capital of Qatar, a place where talks like those over the release of Bergdahl could have been held.

Let's go to Richard Quest who is in Qatar's capital, Doha. Richard, how much do we know about the emir of Qatar's involvement in Bergdahl's release?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there was a press conference this morning with the German foreign minister where the Qatari foreign minister basically gave only the barest details. He said the emir himself had mandated the negotiations. They had been long negotiation. They had been based on humanitarian principles, which is the backbone of the country's foreign policy.

When I asked the foreign minister why and how and what, he said, I'm not giving you any more details other than to say, we enjoy the confidence of both parties and that made it easier to do the deal. But I wanted to show you this. Look at this morning's "Gulf Times" newspaper. The lead story on the "Gulf Times" is Qatar's heritage to go digital.

Look how this is expressed. Obama thanks Qatar for assistance as Taliban frees American soldier. In other words, they have walked this very delicate line between the relationship with the Taliban, which is difficult at best, and the exceptionally close economic and military relationship the emir and this country has traditionally had with the United States.

BASH: It's so fascinating. It really is telling to show us that newspaper particularly because, as you well know, the concept of having a Taliban office in Qatar is something that had been in the works for some time and the hope was that by doing that it would bring the Taliban into the political fold. Make them more of a partner as the U.S. begins to pull out of Afghanistan, as the political process needs to be standing up on its own in Afghanistan. Are you sensing that that is part of what is going on here and that that is seeing some fruition with this deal?

QUEST: No. I think this is -- this is separate. I think you can put this deal on one side. This is bilateral. This ensuring that they were doing something for their friendly superpower, the United States. The Taliban office is both -- it's a thorn in the side, in many ways. I'll give you what I was hearing about today. When they opened it and the Taliban, first of all, started to do minor news conferences, started to make press releases and those sorts of things.

The Qataris very quickly stomped on it. They do not want to be seen to be the acceptable face of the Taliban. But at the same time, they want to navigate this role because let's face it, the Qataris have angered all of the regional powers, including the Saudis and the other GCC countries over policies in other countries like Syria. So here they knew they were on safe ground with the United States.

BASH: And one last question. I know you said you tried to get some answers this morning. So unclear if you can answer this. But what everybody here is asking is how can the U.S. and how can American citizens and citizens all around the world be confident that Qatar is going to make sure that these five detainees who have now left Guantanamo are not going to return to the battlefield and kill innocent people again?

QUEST: We asked that question two or three times of the foreign minister. He wouldn't divulge it. You heard Susan Rice earlier today on "STATE OF THE UNION." The reality is once they get here, yes, the Qataris keep a very tight fist on this place. Not much happens that the authorities and intelligence agencies and the government doesn't know about. But as time goes on, it will be up to them to prove to the U.S. that they have that tight watch and of course that classic line, only time will tell, but the doubters must clearly have a strong hand.

BASH: Richard Quest, thank you so much. Appreciate your insight.

And a reminder, in about 15 minutes, we are hoping to learn more about Bowe Bergdahl's recovery. His parents are scheduled to hold a news conference from Boise, Idaho at the top of the hour and we are going to bring that to you live. Back after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Phil Mickelson usually makes news on the golf course. Now authorities are wondering if his stock purchase was out of bounds. It revolves around the golfer's purchase of shares of Clorox three years ago. The FBI is investigating whether Mickelson had inside information about an imminent takeover bid for the company before the purchase. Right now, there are no allegations of wrongdoing and Mickelson who is playing in today's final round of the memorial in Ohio.

He's released a statement saying, "I have done absolutely nothing wrong. I have cooperated with the government in this investigation and will continue to do so. I wish I could fully discuss this matter but under the current circumstances, it's just not possible."

Now, the drama surrounding the sale of NBA's L.A. Clippers has gotten uglier. The team's co-owner, Donald Sterling filed a $1 billion lawsuit Friday against the NBA. Sterling says he never violated the NBA's constitution and a leaked recording of his racist rant violated his right to privacy and is against California law.

This comes as Sterling's wife, Shelly, agreed to sell the Clippers for $2 billion to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. I want to bring in Keith Reid, who joins us by Skype. He is a former editor at ESPN.

Now Keith, I have to tell you, it's a good thing I like soapy TV shows because otherwise, I wouldn't be able to follow all of this. It's unbelievable, the twists and turns in this drama. My first question is, Sterling agreed not to file suit against the NBA and to indemnify the NBA against lawsuits from others including from Donald Sterling. So is it in Sterling's best interests to proceed here?

KEITH REED, FORMER EDITOR, ESPN: It's hard to say. You're absolutely right, Dana. This is really a soap opera. This is daytime drama playing out in realtime. What you have is Donald Sterling, who just a few weeks ago was in total control of this NBA franchise, the best basketball franchise right now in the market. And today he's in a position where he's either got to sue to keep control of his team or let it be sold.

But if he sues, apparently because of this indemnity clause, he's in a position of essentially suing his wife, Shelly, who has made the deal with Steve Ballmer to buy the team for $2 billion. It is a very confusing situation right now. It appears that he doesn't -- Donald Sterling doesn't have many places to go except the lawsuit. Of course, if he chooses -- if there's a lawsuit right now, he's essentially suing his own wife.

BASH: Well, sources tell CNN that two independent physicians found Sterling mentally incapacitated within the last few weeks. Now, he says, at least from an attorney, that that's an over statement. How is this going to play out particularly since that matters with regard to how the agreement is between Sterling and his wife, that if he is mentally incapacitated, that she has the authority to do what she wants to, right?

REED: Well, at this moment it seems like that seems to be the case, right? He's agreed, per the rules that are set up in the family trust that the team can be sold. He's agreed to that. He actually agreed to sit down for those medical evaluations and when those evaluations were done, they came to the conclusion that he would no longer be able to be in control and Shelly Sterling would be in control. I don't know what he can do, unless he chooses to sue his wife as opposed to the league and if he sues his wife, is that a position you really want to be in? Right now Donald Sterling is in a very difficult position. BASH: To say the least. Listen, like a soap opera, we're all on pins and needles waiting for the end of this cliff hanger. Lots more to come I think. Keith Reed, thank you so much for that.

Up next, an amazing video of a bounce house being blown away with kids inside.

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UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This man became the first Frenchman in 37 years and the fate has yet to be repeated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I woke up in Paris or whatever and went up to a 15-year-old boy or girls and said, what does he do, what would he say? He would say he's a tennis player and now he's a rock star?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No idea. Most of them would say that I was a tennis player. I stopped in 1990, like 23 years ago. So it's a long time. I've had the best moment of my life more than 30 years. It's right here in my heart forever. Every time I see it, every time I think about it, I'm complete.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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BASH: This is just about your basic nightmare for a parent. Look at this. A stiff wind from severe storms in Colorado picked up one of the bouncy houses with an attached slide and carried it several hundred feet before crashing down. It happened at a lacrosse tournament in Littleton, Colorado. One child was treated and released after being thrown by it. Another was taken away in ambulance, but his injuries are not believed serious. We have more ahead in the NEWSROOM and it all starts right now.