Skip to main content

tv   The Lead With Jake Tapper  CNN  May 1, 2014 1:00pm-2:01pm PDT

1:00 pm
jay carney saying the e-mails were not explicitly about that situation in benghazi, rather situation with the muslim world at the time. that will do it for me. thanks for joining me. appreciate it. "the lead with jake tapper," special edition from crawford, texas, begins right now. we're coming to you live from crawford, texas, where it is a lovely day for a bike ride with the 43rd president of the united states. i'm jake tapper, this is "the lead." >> i'm not going to be trying to beat you, just so you know. >> this is not a macho contest. the national league, george w. bush rides again, the former president leading wounded veterans on an odyssey under the hot texas sun. before he pedals off, he talks with me about his legacy, vladimir putin and his brother, jeb's, own potential hopes for the oval office. >> jeb, if you need advice, give me a call. >> the politics lead, if jeb bush does decide to run, how
1:01 pm
would he stack up against a hillary clinton candidacy? in the battle for 201, which political dynasty would win. and malaysia airlines releases its report on flight 370's disappearance. does it end with questions about the confidence of the response? well, far from it. welcome to "the lead," coming to you live from the prairie chapel ranch in crawford, texas, better known as the home away from home for our 43rd president, george w. bush. i sat down with the former president here at what was once referred to as the western white house during his time in office. we had a wide-ranging conversation from everything from wounded warriors to his brother's jeb, to become the third president bush, to whether vladimir putin changed. mr. bush even weighed in on the racial controversy in the nba.
1:02 pm
our nation's veterans, as i said, they are the reason we are here today. it was right here at this ranch in the texas wild that mr. bush grappled so often with some of the toughest decisions of his presidency, decisions that would put american service men and women in harm's way. in the name of national security. we can debate the merits of those wars and we have on this show. we will again but today is not a day for that. today is a day for honoring and understanding those whom this nation sent to fight those wars. reverend of his and the nation's debt, president bush invited to his ranch 16 veterans who suffered serious wounds while serving in iraq or afghanistan. wars he began, wars he presided over. for the fourth year, president bush is leading them on a 62-mile bicycle ride over the next three days. mr. bush was kind enough to invite us along for the ride. i slipped on a helmet and some carefully chosen bike attire and i pedaled out on what proved to
1:03 pm
be a rather rigorous course. at age 67, the former president is a tough man to keep up with out there on those trails, even after his major health scare last year. >> first of all, thank you so much for doing this. >> we're honored you're here. we thank you very much for joining us on the ride. >> we'll see how it goes. this is your first time doing this since last august when you had the stent put in. >> correct. >> are you ready? are you going to be able to do it? >> oh, yes. >> how is your health? >> feeling great. fortunately, they caught the clogged artery before it became a real problem. my health is great. >> i want you to know, i heard you're a demon on the bike. >> i'll try not to be. >> i'm not going to be trying to beat you. >> this is not a macho contest. this is riding for those who sacrificed for this country. >> it's not a big, splashy,
1:04 pm
thousands of people event. it's you and 0 or so wounded warriors and then a few other people. >> right. >> why? why the intimate setting? >> well, first of all, the reason i did it at all is because i want the vets to know i love them and respect them and care about them. as you know, i'm not a very public figure these days. i have a public name but i don't spend a lot of time on the airwaves. and so, therefore, i was worried that the vets would say bush doesn't care about us anymore. social networking enables a smaller event like this to be pretty widely advertised. >> some of the scars are visible, some are not visible. some of them are traumatic brain injury, tbi or post traumatic stress. >> yes. that's exactly right. many of the men who have pts will tell you that biking has helped them recover. pts is an injury. which means it's fixable over
1:05 pm
time. >> i noticed you dropped the "d." it's not ptsd. >> i have dropped the "d." d stands for disorder. we don't view and allot lot of experts don't view pts as a disorder. it's an injury. that's important for a lot of reasons. it's important to get rid of the stigma. employers say i don't want to hire somebody with a disorder but an employer will hire somebody with an injury, because injuries are fixable. >> i've heard you talk about the chasm, the distance between the 1% who serve and the 99% of us who don't. >> that's right. >> who haven't. >> yes. >> there is this chasm, it's difficult to bridge. i wonder how you think we can bridge it. >> i think that our society is adjusting to the reality of vets
1:06 pm
returning from overseas. and it's important for those of us who have got a bully pulpit or a platform, to help explain to our fellow citizens that it's one thing to be compassionate but it's one thing to better understand them. the bush center, our part is this, we're teaming up with syracuse university to do an exhaustive study about vets' expectations and public's expectations of vets. we have found, like you mention, there's a language barrier, for example. and one of our missions is to help those who employ -- or intend to employ vets better understand the character that brings and to help vets understand how best to convince an employer that they're worthy of employment. >> when you see these men and women with injuries, i know as commander in chief, i read decision points, you're confident in the decisions you made. as a human being, what do you
1:07 pm
feel when you see these individuals? you sent them off to battle. >> yes, i did. >> in the same why eisenhower or others who sent people off to battle must feel something emotionally. do you feel responsible for them? do you feel indebted to them? do you feel guilty, protective? >> i feel honored to have served with them. i feel that they're the best america produces because they volunteered in the face of danger. i, of course, feel very sympathetic for them. on the other hand, most of them don't want sympathy. they want help. i am amazed, jake, by the number of people that walk up and say, "please don't feel sorry for me." i know you did the best you could do. i would do it again, mr. president. no question, i feel, for some that may not be able to recover, i feel sadness. >> i talk to a lot of veterans as i know you do.
1:08 pm
one frustration i hear all the time is how to deal with their injuries and wounds through the veterans administration system. there was a story cnn did a few weeks ago, i'm not sure if you saw, about delays and treatments for 40 veterans, they died before they could get the treatment. when you were president, there was the whole incident at walter reed. i know there are a lot of successes and they don't get the attention. how does that make you feel when you hear that? when you hear stories like that? >> i think, first of all, v.a. is a well-intended bureaucracy. as you said, many cases are treated efficiently. when you really think about supply of vets, you have world war ii vets that are aged. you have vietnam vets dealing with issues and now you have a whole slew of iraq vets. are we solving every case? probably not. do we need to address backlogs?
1:09 pm
we certainly did in my administration. there needs to be more efficiencies. getting a large bureaucracy to be efficient is not an easy task. but i'm confident those who are charge of the v.a. are trying to do the best they can. >> you said something in february in a speech that struck me. you described veterans receiving treatment for post traumatic stress. you said they're not damaged goods. they're not mentally shattered. there are people who got hurt defending our country and are now overcoming wounds. this is an issue that seems to really get you here. >> it does, yes. as a result of the decision i made, people said, you know, i'll follow you, mr. president. and to see somebody who is struggling with, you know, getting mental balance, it's
1:10 pm
hard. it should be hard for all of us. on the other hand, it's really important to understand that an injury can be treated. there's a lot of people helping. it's a remarkable country that one has millions who volunteered and, two, millions and millions who want to help those who volunteered. >> i only have a couple minutes left. i would be bereft in my duties if i didn't ask you about a couple other topics in the news. >> let me guess. >> i hope you understand. >> you have to do this, otherwise you'll get fired. >> first of all, big story in the news this week about the owner of the clippers. you are a former professional baseball team owner. >> yes. >> and i'm sure you watched the story of donald sterling with interest. >> yes. >> and i wondered, if you were an owner asked to vote on a fellow owner's comments -- >> i never have been. i can't remember if i was owner of the rangers when mar schott
1:11 pm
made some comments. i'll be interested to see how this plays out. obviously his comment br despicable. >> ukraine, a lot going on there. >> yes, there is. >> do you think when you, president obama tried to do the reset. you tried to give russia a chance, too. you said some encouraging things about putin early on in your term. >> i did? >> i know you came to change your view a bit. did you misjudge him early or were you just trying to open the door? >> i think he changed. of course presidents should open the door and give people a chance, except for the despicable tyrants. at that time it looked like he wanted to work with the west. my first conversation i had with him, we were discussing soviet era debt that saddled the russian federation. he was opening dialogue.
1:12 pm
then the price of oil went up. and vladimir putin changed. he became, you know, he began to suspend the press. not suspend, eliminate the independent press. >> you think it was tied to the money coming in. >> i think it changed his attitude. i think it emboldened him to follow an instinct that is pretty much zero sum, you know? i win, you lose, and vice versa. i tried to convince him, i'm sure the president has, that we both should win. by both nations doing well, our people do well. it seems like vladimir putin takes a different attitude about such situations. >> there was one more question i could not help but ask the former president today. what does he think about his little brother running for president? his candid answer and some advice for jeb, coming up next. plus, the former governor of
1:13 pm
florida might need that advice after a new poll shows him trailing another possible 2016 contender, hillary clinton, in his own home state. [paintball noises] the annual company retreat. planned, as usual, by this guy. nature lover... people person. ♪ and you put up with it all... because he also booked you a room... at this place. planet earth's number one accomodation site: booking.com booking.yeah! and that's epic, bro,
1:14 pm
we've forgotten just how good good is. good is setting a personal best before going for a world record. good is swinging to get on base before swinging for a home run. [ crowd cheering ] good is choosing not to overshoot the moon, but to land right on it and do some experiments. ♪ so start your day off good with a coffee that's good cup after cup. maxwell house. ♪ good to the last drop maxwell house. narrator: these are the skater kid: whoa narrator: that got torture tested by teenagers and cried out for help. from the surprised designers. who came to the rescue with a brilliant fix male designer: i love it narrator: which created thousands of new customers for the tennis shoes that got torture tested
1:15 pm
by teenagers. the internet of everything is changing manufacturing. is your network ready? at od, whatever business you're in, that's the business we're in with premium service like one of the best on-time delivery records and a low claims ratio,
1:16 pm
we do whatever it takes to make your business our business. od. helping the world keep promises.
1:17 pm
mean while, back at the ranch, welcome back to "the lead," coming to you live from the bush ranch in crawford, texas where earlier today i sat down with former president george w. bush as he leads a group of vunded veterans on his annual 62-mile bike ride. in part two we talk about the white house. he's been there, done that. so was his dad. does he think his brother, former florida governor jeb bush, should pursue the white house in 2016? maybe it's time jeb bush picked up the phone. lastly, i have a little brother. i know what it's like to be protective of a little brother. my hill brother, like your
1:18 pm
little brother, is much bigger than me. >> yes. probably much smarter as bell. >> he is much smarter than me as well. >> what advice are you giving him? >> i really have not talked to jeb about the presidency. it's hard for people to believe. >> i was talking about marvin. >> my advice is big marv, don't run. i hope jeb runs. i think he would be a great president. i have no clue what's on his mind. and we'll talk when he's ready. i notice he's moving around the country quite a bit. and -- >> doing well in polls. >> yes, that's fine. that don't mean anything. for him, i can guarantee you he's not looking at a poll whether or not he wants to run. he's checking his core. as he said publicly, i'm thinking about my family. he knows full well what a run for the presidency can do on his
1:19 pm
family. after all, he's seen his dad an brother run for president. i hope he runs. he's been an effective chief executive of a big state. i'm confident he can reach out to people that may at this point feel a republican party doesn't listen to them. i also am pretty confident he won't be making any definitive decision until after the 2014 elections. probably about this time next year, i would guess. so hey, jeb, if you need advice, give me a call. >> lastly for all the people at home, how is your dad? >> he's great. thank you. he's a wonderful man who is aging gracefully and joyfully. he's got a wonderful spirit to him. he's lost his capacity to walk, but that has not diminished his capacity to live. >> so could a phone call with his big brother be enough to lure jeb bush into the race?
1:20 pm
let's bring in cnn analyst and writer for politico, maggie and also gloria borger. how much sway do you think he holds on jeb's decision? >> he endorsed romney from an elevator as i recall. he does not hold a ton of sway on jeb's decision as i understand it. what he says about people don't believe we don't talk that much, according to everyone involved, they don't really talk that much about this. i think his brother's experience will have some sway on what jeb does. it's impossible to think that it doesn't. i don't think his brother will be doing too many cajoling phone calls. i think he thinks yes, he should run, he would be a good president. >> gloria, in a cnn exclusive
1:21 pm
interview, brother neil bush told you that george h.w. bush, the dad, wants jeb to run. mom said no last year on the "today" show. is it time for a family meeting here? >> it might be time for a family meeting. you know, neil said to me, you know, flat out, i heard dad say it, he wants him to run. i think lots of folks in the family would want him to run. one thing president bush told you is something in my reporting i hear all the time, which is that really this is a personal decision for jeb. he's got a family he's got to think about. and that he's not going around soliciting everybody's opinion of should i, shouldn't i. what he's doing right now is he's going around the country as the president told you, raising money for political candidates in the midterms. he's going to make his decision sometime after the midterm, between the midterm and the new year. and that it's really a personal decision. so he's not sort of going to his folks and saying should i,
1:22 pm
shouldn't i? i think it's a decision he'll make on his own. >> if jeb does run, for 32 years there's been a bush or a clinton in the white house or the cabinet. jeb bush is aware of that fact. take a listen. >> i get the point. i get the point. it's something that i'd have to, if i was to run, i'd have to overcome that. so will hillary by the way. >> 69% of people questioned in an nbc news/"wall street journal" poll agree with barbara bush's sentiment. they don't want to see another political dynasty in the white house. would we see george w. bush on the trail if jeb ran. >> i think we would to some extent. i certainly think more than we saw in 2012. i don't think it would be a huge amount. i think for a variety of reasons. i don't think george w. bush particularly misses washington, particularly misses cam pans. it's not really his cup of tea. you have seen jeb doing a lot of defending his record, absence
1:23 pm
makes the heart grow fonder with presidents who are out of office, for the most part, not totally. whether they'll be recovering that by the time we get to 2016, i think is a very open question. >> i think he would use his brother wherever his brother could be of some use. he could use him in states to prop up turnout if he needed him. again, i don't think that the president seems perfectly comfortable at home on the ranch in crawford, doesn't he, jake? >> according to a poll, this was interesting, 27% of floridians say they'd support bush for the gop nomination. that's ahead of senators rubio and paul. the same poll shows in a hypothetical matchup hillary clinton beating out jeb in his own state by eight points if the election were held today. jeb hasn't run for office since 2002. >> that's a very long time. he says hillary clinton would have to overcome negatives as well. she has the potential to be the
1:24 pm
first woman president. she's not the child of a former president and the sibling of. she's the spouse of a former president. it's not entirely the same. but the fact that she potentially could be the first woman president really counts for a lot in terms of the future effect. >> she looks like change. and jeb bush doesn't look like change. just by the virtue of the fact that she's a woman. when you're part of a political dynasty, you know, you have to make a case for change and it's just going to be easier for hillary clinton. by the way, i think bill clinton will be more valuable on the campaign trail than former president bush. >> yes. >> maggie haberman, gloria borger, thanks so much. >> sure. when we come back, is this a smoking gun, is it as powerful as one republican tells us? plus, protests turn violent in ukraine. russia is accusing one of its
1:25 pm
own diplomats of being a spy. a live report from the ground, coming up. dear sun, you created light. you are loved. celebrated. but things have changed since you got into this business. at philips, we're creating led light that people can color... adjust... even make beautiful sunsets. dear sun, you might be number one, but we're getting closer. innovation and you philips
1:26 pm
♪ ♪ abe! get in! punch it! let quicken loans help you save your money. with a mortgage that's engineered to amaze! thanks, g.
1:27 pm
1:28 pm
on brand name mattress sets. get three years interest-free financing plus, get free delivery, and sleep train's 100-day low price guarantee. sleep train's interest free for 3 event, ends sunday. ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪
1:29 pm
welcome back to "the lead." coming to you live from the bush ranch in crawford, texas where earlier today i sat down with former president george w. bush, right before joining him and 16 wounded warriors on a vigorous mountain bike ride. if you missed the interview earlier, go to cnn .com/thelead. republicans say an e-mail is evidence that the white house was trying to spin the attack on benghazi. the e-mail just shows what they always said, they were giving out the best information they had at the time, says the white house. dana bash has the details. >> reporter: new ammunition for republicans and what they call a white house cover-up surrounding
1:30 pm
the 2012 deadly attack in benghazi, libya. >> it is disturbing and, perhaps, criminal, that these documents, documents like these were hidden by the obama administration from congress and the public alike. >> reporter: newly released documents he's referring to, an e-mail from deputy national security adviser ben rhodes, giving what the gop calls political advice to then u.n. ambassador susan rice ahead of her now infamous round of sunday interviews, where she suggested the benghazi attack was spontaneous, sparked by an anti-islam video, not a planned terror attack. rhodes' e-mail urged rice to underscore these protests are not rooted in an internet video and not a broader failure of policy. >> this is the closest thing to a smoking gun i've seen. >> reporter: republicans call this proof the white house quashed the real reason for the attack, terrorism, you think that would have contradicted the president's tough on terrorism
1:31 pm
re-election message. >> this was an e-mail trying to shake the story away from what would have been a damaging admission of failure of foreign policy seven weeks before an election. >> reporter: republicans want to know why the e-mail was left out of documents from last year's subpoena. it's public now only through a freedom of information request from a conservative group. house speaker john boehner is demanding secretary of state john kerry testify about why this administration hid these documents and tell the american people what else is being concealed. the white house argues this rhodes e-mail wasn't specifically about benghazi but broader regional issues and that a spirited white house briefing, the president spokesman dismissed questions as political. >> hours after the attack, beginning with a statement by the republican nominee for president, is an attempt by republicans to politicize a tragedy. >> reporter: also on capitol hill, testimony from a retired general who served in the region during the benghazi attack.
1:32 pm
calling it a mistake not to scramble military help. >> the point is we should have tried. as another saying goes, always move to the sound of the guns. >> reporter: he was emotional on his commander's decision not to go in. >> individuals died. we obviously did not respond in time to get there. >> could we have? >> the gentleman's time is expired. go ahead. >> we may have been able to, but we'll never know. >> reporter: now, there was forceful push back to that from an unusual source, a republican and an influential one, the gop house armed services cheryl. he released a statement saying his committee has done dozens of interviews and has no evidence that the state department delayed deploying military help to help u.s. citizens under fire in benghazi. he criticized that general who testified today. he said he did not serve in a
1:33 pm
capacity that gave him reliable insight into operational options. jake? >> dana bash, thank you very much. when we come back, a new report, finally released by malaysia airlines nearly two months after flight 370 vanished. it's raising questions about the initial response. why did it take four hours for an official rescue operation to be activated? plus, the underwater search expands again. i'll ask the australian ambassador to the u.s. about the next phase of the search. that's coming up, next. ndred and seventy-seven thousand dollars per minute. that's what big oil made last year... now they're spending it to rig the system against you. pushing washington to cut american-made biofuels... bullying gas stations to use more of their oil...
1:34 pm
all so they get richer...and you pay more. truth is, biofuels are cleaner, better for your engine and less expensive. washington, don't let big oil rig the system any more. protect the renewable fuel standard. ♪ no matter what kind of business you own, at&t business experts can help keep it running... seamlessly. so you can get back to what you love. when everyone and everything works together, business just sings.
1:35 pm
1:36 pm
1:37 pm
welcome back to "the lead." we're in crawford, texas, as former president george w. bush hosts his annual bike ride for wounded veterans. you can see the interview online at cnn.com/thelead. it ran earlier in the show. turning our lead to flight 370 and the 239 people on board. the malaysian government is releasing the first report on the investigation into its
1:38 pm
disappearance. the disturbing headline, four hours passed before any rescue operation began, even as radar detected what officials thought was the plane hundreds of miles off course. rene marsh is taking a closer look at the time line for us. >> reporter: a clearer version of the voice from the cockpit. at 12:41 a.m. march 8th, malaysia airline flight 370 took off from kuala lumpur. at 1:19 a.m. as the aircraft is leaving malaysian air space, everything appeared normal. >> malaysian 370 contact. >> reporter: flight 370 never made contact with ho chi minh. the plane's transponder goes off, maybing it disappear from malaysian and vietnamese radar. 17 minutes pass. at 1:38 a.m., ho chi minh center asks kuala lumpur what happened
1:39 pm
to the plane. other planes try to make contact. in apparent confusion, at 2:03, malaysian airport reports it was in cambodia air space, then at 2:35, north of vietnam. both reports, false. appreciate time lost. at 5:35 a.m., four hours after disappearing from radar, the rescue coordination center is activated. >> four hours is a long time. the quicker they can get search and rescue efforts out to the last-known point, the quicker can they form a search around that last known point, which is key. >> reporter: it was tracked and flying over the malay peninsula. the radar operator did nothing, a sign civil aviation authorities and the military weren't communicating. in the air for more than seven hours, satellite connections continued to track the plane south. the final complete connection at
1:40 pm
8:11 a.m. that leads investigators here, the southern indian ocean where the plane could have gone down. three predicted paths and crash sites, red the most likely. that's where the undersee is focused. renee mar marsh, cnn, washingt >> thank you so much. as the report brings up more questions about how exactly the plane was lost, the missions to find the plane continues. the bluefin-21 which uses under water sonar has up until now focused on that area surrounding the location of a detected ping, possibly from the black box. but with no sign of the plane, the under water search must move on to nearby areas where they hope to find evidence. australia's former aviation minister and ambassador to the u.s., ken beasley, joins me now to discuss. mr. ambassador, always good to see you. thanks for joining us. >> good to be here. >> how will they select new
1:41 pm
areas to focus on now that the detected pings led to nothing. >> they have identified a box, using australian terms, which is roughly -- they will bring in extra equipment that's in the process of being contracted. in the meantime, they are continuing when weather permits, with the bluefin search. when the air france plane went down, people basically knew where it was. searched for it for about two years and it was only about six miles from where the entry point was in the first instance identified. i suspect something similar will happen here. >> some in the search involving aircraft and surface searches have been sent home. will we see further resources
1:42 pm
deployed for searching under water? >> yes, we will. the prime minister has made that quite clear. he's been in discussion with the malaysians and the chinese about it. but what they are looking at now is, in addition to what is there with the bluefin, they're looking at acquiring a couple of other systems which tow behind them the sideways looking sonar which have the advantage of being monitored on the ship itself. so you get a sort of realtime vision of what your sense is seeing. so in these, it might actually be an easier thing to operate. these systems don't exist with the military. they exist with civilians. so the australian government is going through the process of negotiating a deal which was identified as costing something like $60 million. costs are being discussed with the malaysians and the chinese. what he said was this. irrespective of what they do,
1:43 pm
what the other governments do in relation to the cost, australia will be making sure that search take place. >> lastly, sir, some have also criticized this report from the malaysians as bare bones with other similar crashes resulting from much longer reports. coming out much sooner after the crash, now should we be asking what's missing from this report? >> well, what's missing from this report is anything like a police investigation. i suppose it's the police investigation which the relatives of the passengers have been most concerned with the sorts of questions that the police would be asking of associates of crew members and others involved in the system. it's not surprising that that's not in this report. that is a sort of formal criminal police investigation. this report seems to reflect the bare bones character of the knowledge that we actually have.
1:44 pm
the knowledge that we have of the actual movements of the plane is pretty bare bones. we're lucky to have some fairly clever mathematicians and satellite operators having had a look at it, to have any idea at all where the plane is. >> ambassador ken baezley, thank you. russian president vladimir putin proving he's not backing down on ukraine as he demands ukrainian troops pull out of the eastern part of their own country. plus, which world leader holds a soft spot in george w. bush's the former president tells me about the one painting he had to fix because it wasn't kind enough to the subject. those little things still get you.
1:45 pm
cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment is right. cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved to treat symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial.
1:46 pm
he was a matted messiley in a small cage. ng day. so that was our first task, was getting him to wellness. without angie's list, i don't know if we could have found all the services we needed for our riley. from contractors and doctors to dog sitters and landscapers, you can find it all on angie's list. we found riley at the shelter, and found everything he needed at angie's list. join today at angieslist.com
1:47 pm
1:48 pm
welcome back to "the lead. "kbt we are in crawford, texas, where i just sat down with former president george w. bush. if you missed our interview from earlier in the show, go to cnn.com/thelead. when the kbrushgen president
1:49 pm
said he lost control of eastern ukraine he wasn't kidding. today, riot police firing tear gas and stun grenades, no match for the sticks and stones of pro-russian protesters who just took over another government building near the border. if that wasn't embarrassing enough in a phone call with german chancellor angela merkel today, vladimir putin demanded that the ukrainians pull back their troops from the eastern region of their own country. i want to go straight to nick paton walsh near slovyansk. this all sounds like madness. what just happened? >> i think we're seeing a collapse of the central government's authority here in the east. during the day we've seen helicopters pass overhead where i'm standing. even as some of the pro-russian militant checkpoints on the outskirts of slovyansk are pulling back.
1:50 pm
those troops aren't particularly big, in evidence around here, besaw as you pointed out, violent clashes in the center of donetsk, the prosecutor's general's office there, 26 people injured. shots fired. the police who tried to defend the building, humiliated, stripped of their gear by the protesters who were extraordinarily violent. the city of millions of people which is now being taken over, here in slovyansk. i will show you now, jake, a video we filmed nearby, one of the checkpoints we've gone through. you see a better equipped soldier. we've noticed three or four of these turning up around checkpoints around slovyansk. beer hearing calls an seeing preparation for referendum in as many as ten days here in donetsk. about potentially joining russia or ukraine here. i think people are wondering quite how fast any annexation
1:51 pm
may happen if that is indeed the goal. extraordinarily fast moving on the ground, jake. often as you saw in donetsk today, extraordinarily violent. >> ukraine just reinstated the draft. even with conscription, does that country have any chance against the pro-russian forces? >> no way, no, really. the conscription was written off a year ago, taken out of the law, taken out of ukrainian society, brought back in, very much a desperate move. the president saying yes. security forces in the east went up for the job. some of the best people are here. their army is in tatters, the most elite troops, surrendering at times, lacking in fuel. i don't think it will fix confrontation with the russians. jake. >> nick paton walsh in ukraine, stay safe, my friend. coming up next, he's stayed out of spotlight but his artwork
1:52 pm
has kept him in the spotlight. next, what president bush shared with me about one of his favorite paintings. really... so our business can be on at&t's network for $175 dollars a month? yup. all five of you for $175. our clients need a lot of attention. there's unlimited talk and text. we're working deals all day. you get 10 gigabytes of data to share. what about expansion potential? add a line anytime for 15 bucks a month. low dues... great terms... let's close. new at&t mobile share value plans. our best value plans ever for business.
1:53 pm
means working efficiently. working together and a lennox home comfort system may just be the perfect example. its air conditioner works together with the furnace, and that works together with the air purifier, and that works with you by saving you up to half off your heating and cooling bill. call now to get up to 1,700 dollars back or special financing on select lennox home comfort systems. offer ends june 13th. plus download our free lennox mobile app with an energy-savings calculator. ♪ if your current system is 10 years or older, start planning now and take advantage
1:54 pm
of special financing. so call now to get up to 1,700 dollars back or special financing on select lennox home comfort systems. offer ends june 13th. and download our free lennox mobile app. ♪ lennox. innovation never felt so good. but with med-care, i don't have to! waiting to get my diabetic supplies is such a hassle . they deliver everything i need right to my door! with free shipping! plus, med-care takes private policies, medicaid, even my medicare! now we have the time to do the things we love. med-care. we deliver a better life.
1:55 pm
that corporate trial by fire when every slacker gets his due. and yet, there's someone around the office who hasn't had a performance review in a while. someone whose poor performance is slowing down the entire organization. i'm looking at you phone company dsl. check your speed. see how fast your internet can be. switch now and add voice and tv for $34.90.
1:56 pm
comcast business built for business. welcome back "the lead," here at the ranch in crawford, texas, of george w. bush. we talked about the 2.5 million american bhoz have served in the wars in iraq and afghanistan as well as ukraine, vladimir putin, his brother jeb's possible presidential prospects and more. see it all at cnn.com/thelead. during another moment inside his office here, the former president talked with me about his new exhibit of portraits of world leaders. he's painted putin and others. he told me he went back and repainted the eyes of german chancellor angela merkel, making them softer because he likes her.
1:57 pm
perhaps other world leaders he didn't care for as much. i was here not to chat about the aesthetic choices he made on his merkel canvas but because he knows i cover a lot of veterans issues. 16 wounded warriors are joining the commander in chief, including a u.s. army officer who became the first female soldier to lose a limb in the iraq war. her determination has become an irresistible force for motivation for countless amputees. she joins me now. such an honor, lieutenant. great to see you out there. >> great. fun time. >> how did it go compared to 2012. >> i did. in 2012, just like two years ago, we had a team, a camaraderie. it's team melissa. any sort of hills they get me up, complete the ride safely. to be out here with these other wounded warriors and the
1:58 pm
president, it's sure rereal. >> you're an outstanding athlete. i took a couple spills on the bike ride today. i did do that. that's not fair because you're a paralympian, a three-time world champion. because one time wasn't enough. >> right, right, right, yes. in the sport of triathlon, yes. i'll try to keep up on the mountain bike. >> were you that athletic before you lost your leg? >> i was a big gymnast when i was younger. i always considered myself an athlete. after i lost a leg i wanted to get back into sports. luckily there's organizes out there to help you do just that. not long after i was skiing down mountains in could kol, dolorade new york city marathon on a bike that you pedal with your arms. >> you're a better athlete now. >> i've done more in my life with one leg than i would have done in two. i would say so, on the elite level, definitely.
1:59 pm
>> you went to boston and talked to some of the survivors about the bombing there. >> they're survivors. they have a spirit, like a lot of the veterans that are out here, these wounded soldiers. they have a traumatic incident that happened that you never expect. they can't give up, not only for themselves, to be able to get on in their every day life but for america. all america's eyes are on them. they have incredible spirits that inspire myself, really inspire a lot of americans. just to believe in themselves and surround themselves with people that love and care about them, because we all do. i think we saw a few weeks ago what they really are capable of. it's incredible the power of the human spirit. >> lastly, tell me about -- did you custom design this? >> we're able to customize our legs with whatever patterns we want. i'm a very proud american, above the knee amputee. i like to show it off wherever we go. remember those that gave the ultimate sacrifice. >> up here you have the wounded
2:00 pm
warrior project. >> yes, i broadly serve on the board of directors. we like to honor and empower this generation of wounded veterans. >> it was an honor to have you kick my butt today. >> tomorrow. you'll be out there tomorrow. >> i will not be out there tomorrow. >> save those falls for at time. >> that's it for "the lead with jake tapper." i turn you over to wolf blitzer. shocking detail, the most information yet on flight 370 contained in a long-awaited report released by the malaysian government. does it contain includes that could locate the missing plane? the report reveals multiple delays in the efforts to find flight 370. battle brewing. nba owners hud toll talk about forcing donald sterling to sell the l.a. clippers. will he fight back in court?