Extraordinary life filling with challenges and firsts. A tribute in this artist and poetment the troubles are piling on for Eric Shinseki, speaking volumes for the scandal swirling around the Veterans Affairs department. New allegations of lies and indinners indifference at the Veterans Affairs unit in phoenix, some waiting 4 months for an appointment. Reporter for men and women that serve in the military and needing care, the interim report by the Inspector General of the v. A. Is not reassuring. A review of phoenix found 1700 veterans were not registered properly, leaving them at risk of being forgotten or lost. Earlier Phoenix Health care officials reported minimal delay, wait times of 14 days. The Inspector Generals review of a sample found a significant delay with a weight time of 114 days. The report confirmed that phoenix employees kept two sets of waiting lists to conceal long wait times. Senator john mccain says the Inspector Generals report does not go far enough. I believe that this issue has reached a level that requires the Justice Department involvement. The allegations are not just administrative problems, they are criminal problems. We need an fbi and the department of justice to be involved in this investigation. I also, with some reluctance believe that given the lack of responsiveness of secretary Eric Shinseki to numerous inquiries from senator flake and me, that its time for secretary Eric Shinseki to step down. Reporter the review began after allegations that as many as 40 residents died awaiting care. The report did not confirm that but will vet. Relatives held demonstrations and called on congress to look into the v. A. And fire officials responsible for manipulating records and mismanaging health care. The Inspector General recommended that Veterans Affairs secretary Eric Shinseki take action to provide care to those not an a waiting list, that they should establish an it system to establish a list, and to a National Review of all veterans on list. The findings were called president obama mapped out americas Foreign Policy vision today for his last two years in office. In a speech to graduates he said the u. S. Is a world leader but needs to exercise resprint for its military operations. Obama said america should work with other companies to prevent attacks. Hes asking congress for 5 million. The most direct threat to america at home and abroad remains terrorism. But a strategy involving invading every county harbouring terrorist networks is naive and unsustainable. His critics were quick to respond, right. The president received criticism from two planks, a school of thought saying the president has not been muscular or aggressive enough in the use of military, and the other school of thought that the u. S. Should leave well enough alone and be isolationist. President obama pushed back, laying out his own vision for u. S. Foreign policy. President obama called for a balance between solving the worlds problems and retreating behind u. S. Borders. The question we face, the question each of you will face is not whether america will lead, but how we will lead. Not just to secure our peace and prosperity, but to extend around the globe. How to strike the blns is the question, and balance is the question and critics and others are looking at what that will look like. A former policy voadviser. My concern is people dont grasp what the 21st century look like. Its not one where we just sit in our continent. Reporter president obama tried to let everyone know that therell be precise practices. Well shift our counterterrorism strategy, drawing on success and short comics of afghanistan, partnering countries where terrorist groups seek a foot hold. Former staffer says its about looking to the future not the past. The problem is its not clear how the president himself has tried to implement the policies over the last several years. Schmidt points to syrias civil worse and deaths as a Foreign Policy failure, calling on a pledge of support. The situation in syria is worse, not better. Its hard for the president to ignore the deter ration. Its complex and difficult. The president pushed back against critics saying the Multinational Partnerships are hold overs from the war. A lot of folks downplay the effective possess of multilateral action. For them working through it, International Institutions like the u. N. Are respecting International Law is a sign of weakness. I think they are wrong. Mark jacobsen agrees that the International Response to violence in ukraine sets a model for the future. What the president did was a balance of not only diplomacy and action. Critics say how effective Foreign Policy is my have more to do with shifting politics. Syria, ukraine, South China Sea and the like put into question administrations foreign policies, and their effectiveness. With the political elections behind him. President obama is setting the stage for the final two years in office, a period when he hopes to byrnish Foreign Policy legacy and u. S. Influence abroad. The president trying to chart a path forward showing leadership and the path of the u. S. , in a way that is more subtle than might alone. Tonight a state senator from virginia is creating a fire storm after writing a letter to syrian president Bashar Alassad. The politicians name is Richard Black. Hes a republican. In his letter he calls Bashar Alassad heroic and say he and his armed forces are exhibit ing gallantry. He posted the letter to his facebook page. Senator Richard Black joined me on the telephone. I asked why he wrote the letter . I followed the event in the mid east closely, especially the syrian war. Im deeply concerned that if we oust president Bashar Alassad, well install a jihadist regime, since al qaeda attacked and murdered 3,000 americans on 9 11, its foolish to me that wed align ourselves with their forces. The syrian rebel yap is dominated by rebellion is dom nitted by radical jihadists. What do you say to people that suggest that the Bashar Alassad regime has been killing its own people with chemical weapons . I would say this we are at a fork in the road. We can go in one of two directions. Either Bashar Alassad will remain in power in syria, or the rebels who are dominated by al qaeda will seize control, theyll raise the dread black and white flag of al qaeda over damascus. Whats the difference between a regime that gases women and children, and al qaeda . My concern is al qaeda you may have forgotten, but al qaeda. No, senator, i have not forgotten. Al qaeda flew jet aircrafts. I remember that, senator, whats the difference between a regime. There were 200 americans who actually jumped from the twin towers to escape the planes. Senator, i was in new york that day. I have not forgotten al qaeda. What is the difference between a regime that uses chemical weapons against its own people and alqaeda already. The difference is its a controversial issue, not something that all party agree on. Senator john mccain of your party, the United Nations believes that. I am not sure that the Defense Department believes that or everyone in the United Nations agrees on the either. The point it. You do not thing that Bashar Alassad used chemical weapons on his own citizens. We are not. Its a Pretty Simple question. We are not supporting president asaad. We are supporting al qaeda. I have watched videos of al qaeda sawing the head off a priest and waving his head to the crowd. And you call president Bashar Alassads army hero, the regime that committed the atrocities, chemical weapons against its own people, store starvation of many of people. The clearing of callet man mountain raining culminating in a victory was a great and heroic victory, and they liberated the christians who reason under severe domination by the radical jihadists. How do you determine which atrocity is more horrible. What happened in 9 11 or the gassing of syrian citizens . Theres no question in my mind that al qaeda conducted the attacks on 9 11. There is serious question among the International Community about who did the attacks. Where does that come from . Syria. What fact do you have to back that up . There are plenty of facts on the other side. I know its controversial. Its not my concern. My concern is i dont want to see american soldiers, sailors, airme, marines, defending al qaeda. Senator don mcgeechen issued this statement, said, its bizarre that senator black would send a letter to the president of syria, especially one that heaps prays on Bashar Alassad, a man there presided over gas attacks and the killing of his own people. Your reaction to that . I dont think he read the letter. I thanked the Syrian Arab Army for its heroic rescue of christians in the mountain range. Extraordinary gal aptry i believe you said. Yes. If the same soldiers were involved in atrocities, would you call them gallant . I would say when i can see scores of jihadist videos without any difficulty, where they routinely execute pows, they behead people, they behead christian priests. I wanted to get your rehabilitation to the Daily Telegraph report that Bashar Alassad funded and worked with al qaeda fighters in his country. Im not sure about that, i think there is a possibility that hes doing whatever he can do to splnter the movement. The suggestion is hes working both sides to his advantage. I am sure hes trying to win the war any awayee can. If that involves killing his people, you say. I give it little credence. Soipt black, good to have you on the programme. Good talking to you. According to the center of disease controls, an update on the m. E. R. S. Virus was an alarm. Health officials thought it had been transmitted to a third person in the u. S. The c. D. C. Says the middle east respiratory syndrome has not spread beyond those two people. A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for sourn louisiana until tomorrow. Southwestern parts of that state coping with the aftermath of floods earlier. Kevin corriveau joins us with more about the heavy rain and storms sweeping the area. Thats right. Things are not Getting Better over the next couple of days. Ill give you the forecast in a moment. Ill take you back to houston. Earlier today, highway 45 going north. It was closed because of rain in the area. The same system was responsible for the severe where in western texas. Its moving to the east. Well see the same type of weather pattern continuing for the next several days. We have warnings in effect. Mississippi, and louisiana, concerning floodings. A big problem here. I want to show you pictures that came out across southern louisiana. There we go. People really, the water came to quickly for some people. Some locations saw 10 inches in one day. And many communities are flooded and will stay flooded for the next several days. I want to show you more video crass the region. A lot of people flooded in the streets, homes are flooded in the areas, sewers not being able to handle this much water in little time across the area. Coming back to the weather wall, ill show you what we expected to see. The rain will continue across the region, going wednesday, thursday and friday thursday, friday and saturday. The next 72 hours, 62 inches of rain is expected across louisiana, and then as we get into parts of alabama. The system is not going away. Later in the hour well talk about another area of flooding in ohio, and west virginia. Its been a busy fire seven in the west. Thats fuelling fears that it will get worse as the summer heats up. The parties tried to protect National Parks by cracking down on exploding targets. Recreational target shooters love them. They can spark wild fires. Jim huli explains. Reporter the targets add a new dimension to the shooting experience. As the youtube videos show, they explode when hit. Some sending flammable debris in all directions. Its a real danger. Chris is with the Rocky Mountain region of the Forest Service in colorado. This video produced by the Forest Service shows how easily the targets can start a fire. Sat on a bail of hay. When it went off it started a fire. Results like this have been costly. In the last couple of years, as the exploding targets have become popular, we have seen about 16 or so fires, 33 million in suppression costs. The fires occurred across the u. S. From california to utah, to peninsula. In colorado, the targets are linked to six fires in the past six years. An exploding fire is linking to this fire. The targets are not illegal to sell. You can get them at any Sporting Good store or a gunshot, costing 5 a shot. The targets are not allowed, they can still be used at private clubs or on millions of acres of private land and could spark fires in brush and timber. I used these on a personal basis. Sporksman knows the thrill when the chemicals are mixed together. Theres two components. An oxidizer and catalyst. Ignited by a bullet. The weapons safety instructor knows the danger. Folks use these and put them into metal or glass containers. There are fragments that could hurt people. It led to the targets being banned at shooting centers, like this one outside of denver. The Forest Service is considering a permanent ban. Anyone caught using targets could face a fine of 5,000, and six months in gaol. One of americas most powerful voices and activists died. May aangelou. Richelle carey is here with more on her lich. She was known for corrections to literature. She was a renaissance woman, teaching the world to rise up from tragedy and find joy. Across the wall of the world a river sippings a beautiful song sings a beautiful song, saying, come rest here by my side. The world mau mae ankle u lou by her art. Tran screpding race, and class divisions. It was grounded in her early years, when she was eight she was raped by her mothers boyfriend. When the man was killed by her uncles, she wrote that she felt responsible and stopped speaking for five years. Eventually she found her voice, her words changing america. You may bury me in the bottom of manhattan. I will rise. Angelou crusaded for race equality in all genres. Early in hor career, in 195 her career, in 1954, she toured the world. In her 1969 memoire i know why the caged bird sippings, was the first best seller by an African American woman, two decades later she was the first African American woman no present a poem at the president s ipp august ration. You created lower than the angels crouched too long in the bruising darkness, have lain too long face down in ignorance. She received high civilian honours, the National Medal of others and president ial medal of freedom. Angelou was an institution, making a lefting contribution to make the American Community a better community. Ankle lou as nom admitted for the pulitzer prize, and tony and emmy awards, and won grammys and dozens of literary honours. She embraced teaching and spent 30 years teaching american studies at wake forest university. She spent her career teaching strength, love and forgiveness through her art. Here on the pulse of this fine day, you may have the courage to look up and out, and upon me, the rock, the river, the tree. Your country. President obama issued a statement about dr angelou and wrote this maya angelou was the mother of one son. She is a national treasure. You cant think of her and not lift your shoulders higher, because she was ours. Its the power of her words. Yes. And the power of her deliver. Yes. When you listened to the speeches. Only she could deliver them in that special way. Yes. Its an amazing story. Thank you. Coming up later this hour. Bringing maya anningel ous words to life. And an exclusive, how and why the fbi spied on Nelson Mandela, and secrets from a convicted hacker. We talk to the former fugitive. In syria an american citizen reportedly blew himself up in a suicide attack. U. S. Officials are investigating the man whose identity is with hold. Postings show him in syria. He is suspected of fighting alongside al qaeda against Bashar Alassad. Syrians who started voting in next months president ial election, thousands of refugees in lebanon and jordan cast ballots, with voting inside syria set for june the 3rd. Bashar alassad is on course to win. Members of the Syrian Opposition say the vote is a farce. Egyptians have been voting in a president ial election, the first since a coup. Ruts suggest a results suggest a landslide victory for abdul fatah alsisi. He is already facing questions about legitimacy. Low voter turn out prompted the government to keep polls open. The outlawed Muslim Brotherhood boycotted the vote. Coming up. A surprise. The fight over where the hot sauce should b