Prisoners and whether he should be investigated as a deserter, we will speak with james branum, lawyer or presenting military deserters and Conscientious Objectors, and Charles Glass, the former abc news chief released correspondent. His book, the deserters a Hidden History of the Second World War. It was published last year. He, as a reporter, was held for several months hostage as well. Then we will mark the fifth anniversary of the murder of dr. George tiller. I would prefer personally to have a challenging, stimulating, emotionally and spiritually rewarding career that is short rather than have a long one that is filled with mediocrity, feeling as if you dont make any difference to people. We will speak with dr. Cheryl chastine, medical director and primary Abortion Provider at the south wind women center, which opened last year. Each week she travels from chicago to wichita to provide s former in dr. Tiller clinic. She is faced a barrage of antichoice arrest meant. All of that and more coming up. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Announcedilitary has a probe of the circumstances surrounding Army SergeantBowe Bergdahls disappearance in afghanistan that led to his fiveyear capture. He was freed over the weekend in a prisoner swap with the taliban. Despite winning the freedom of the loan known you as prisoner of war, the deal has come under republican attack amidst reports or doll voluntarily left his base after growing opposed to the war in afghanistan. The white house has apologized to key lawmakers for failing to notify them of the prisoner swap in advance. Senator Dianne Feinstein said she received a call monday night. I did have a call last night from the white house. They he apologized. Are they acknowledging the law was broken in the apology . I did not ask for that. The taliban has released a video showing bergdahls handover to u. S. Special Operations Forces saturday. We will have more on this story after the headlines. Egypts former military leader elsisi has officially been declared the winner of the countrys president ial race, taking over 96 of the vote. Turnout was just 44 , compared to the 50 two percent in the election of former president Mohamed Morsi in 2012. Sisi led the military coup that ousted morsi last year. He will become the sixth military leader to rent egypt since the army overthrew the monarchy in 1952. He is expected to be sworn in on sunday. Some International Observers have claimed election failed to meet democratic standards, citing an environment of repression by the military backed regime. In a statement today, the white house congratulated sisi but said it we share concerns about the restrictive political environment in which the selection took place. President obama is expected to speak with sisi in the coming days. In a Development Many are linking to the regimes crackdown on dissent, egypts most popular satirist has announced hes taking his program off the air. Broadcast haves been compared to the daily show fritz committed take on politics in egypt and the middle east. Youssef said he is ending his show rather than face insertion and threats on his life. He suggested the military regime has made it impossible for him to continue. President obama has met with the ukrainian president elect Petro Poroshenko as part of a continued swing through europe. Obama said down with him in poland after calling on congress to support a 1 billion plan to ramp up the u. S. Military presence across the european continent. Itsa said nato is expanding presence across europe following russian interference in ukraine. Given russias actions in ukraine, nato has increased its presence across the region from the baltics to the black sea. I think our allies for the contributions theyre making, and i will be discussing the initiative that i announce today to bolster the was presence in europe. U. S. Is renewing diplomatic ties with somalia for the first time in 23 years. The state Department Says improving security conditions will lead to the appointment of a u. S. Ambassador and the inpening of the was mission mogadishu. Announcing the move, state Department SpokespersonWendy Sherman said the u. S. Will also continue to launch military strikes in somalia as it sees fit. As reflection both of the deepening relationship with the country and of our faith that better times are ahead, the president will propose the first u. S. Ambassador to somalia and more than two decades. We look for to the day when both nations have fullfledged Diplomatic Mission in the capital of the other from time to time, the us military has conducted such actions in somalia against a limited number of targets who, based on information about their current and historical activities, have been determined to be part of al qaeda. And in the future, we may take action against those that oppose the continuing imminent threat to u. S. Persons. Although diplomatic ties have been frozen, the u. S. Has maintained a military and intelligence contingent inside somalia for years, running a cia base and launching drone strikes. The Nigerian Government has reversed an order banning demonstrations for the return of over two hundred missing schoolgirls. The Police Commissioner and the capital had announced protest were no longer allowed over fears they could be hijacked by violent extremists. Protesters flooded nigerias high court in defiance. An attorney for the bring back our Girls Campaign threatened to challenge the ban in court. From preventing a group of nigerians to demonstrate and protest peacefully. It is not only illegal, it is contempt which is a criminal offense. Offense. Riminal we are also launching a complaint to the attorney general. A report in the Nigerian Media today says 10 military generals have been found guilty of aiding the boko haram, the militant group behind the girls kidnapping and scores of other attacks. The Nigerian Government has denied the claim. Thousands of people are gathering in hong kong today to mark the 25th anniversary of the crackdown in beijings kinnaman square, when Chinese Forces crushed student protesters. On june 3 and fourth, 19 89, the Chinese Military killed an untold number of unarmed civilians in beijing and other cities after weeks of nonviolent protests. In china, the government has arrested activists and stepped up its censorship of commemorative websites leading up to the anniversary. Dozens of riot police have also been deployed today around 10 men square. Parts of the Central United states are being hit with severe storms, bringing flooding and tornadoes, and baseball sized hail. Major damage has been reported in area north of omaha, nebraska. A local Resident Survey the damage to his home. It was about 4 00 when it hit. It came through like a freight train. It sounded like the world was coming to an end almost. It was bad. We all went to the basement. Whenever a comment down little bit, we went upstairs and although windows is gone and the house and all the siding is gone. The storms of also hit parts of kansas, iowa, and missouri as a now move further east. A National Climate assessment from the white house last month listed stronger storms and extreme rainfall as one of the outcomes of humandriven Climate Change in the United States. Those were held in eight states on tuesday as the midterm primary season continues. The mississippi, republican senator thad cochran, a sixterm incumbent, appears headed for a runoff against twoparty challenger chris mcdaniel. Four of his supporters were arrested last month for a plot to break into retirement home and take pictures of cochrans good written wife. In whats expected to be competitive race this fall, i will republican joni ernst will square off against democrat bruce braley. The Obama Administration is reviving a Law Enforcement group focusing on politically motivated domestic terrorism. The first task force was established after the bombing of the oklahoma Federal Building and i295, but was disbanded after the 9 11 attacks. The justice Department Says it is reestablishing the unit following a spate of attacks from homegrown extremists. In april, a white supremacist killed three people at two Jewish Community sites in kansas. Six people have been wounded in shooting of chicago laundromat. Two of the victims were teenagers, with one in critical condition. A witness described the scene. It sounded almost like fireworks. I looked out my bedroom window, and i see some young guys running. I dont know if they were victims were the perpetrators, but it is kind of sad because the little kids cant really play outside anymore. Chicago has grappled with some of the worst gun violence in the country. A recent proposal from their rahm emanuel calls for videotaping all gun sales and limiting them to one per month. Of the National Security agency has distanced himself from previous government suggestions that whistleblower Edward Snowden is a foreign spy. Officials including former nsa director general Keith Alexander have contended that snowden may have worked with russian or other foreign intelligence agencies. But at a public forum with bloomberg news, the new nsa chief Michael Rogers shot down that theory. Do you really believe he fundamentally believes in what he did or do you think you could have been working for someone else as a double agent . Could he have . Possibly. Do i believe that is the case . Probably not. New york city teachers have overwhelmingly approved a new contract, ending a longrunning and bitter dispute. The nineyear deal, 4 billion, will increase a by 18 to could lead to Higher Health care premiums. It is expected to serve as a model for other municipal unions locked in contract disputes. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. Welcome to all our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. The taliban has released a video reportedly showing the handover of Army SergeantBowe Bergdahl to u. S. Special Operations Forces five years after he was taken captive. In the video, a cleanshaven bergdahl is shown sitting in a pickup truck prior to his release. One of the men tells him dont come back to afghanistan. Next time we catch you, you wont leave here alive. He is then brought out of the truck as a blackhawk helicopter lands in a nearby open field. Two of the men, one waving a white flag, lead or gall to meet three men and what appear to be civilian close. The men had him down and flash a thumbsup, then lead them into the helicopter where u. S. Soldiers appear to be waiting. Seconds later, the helicopter lifts off. Bergdahl was released over the weekend in exchange for five highranking taliban militants who had been held at guantanamo bay. The white house has apologized to keep lawmakers for not notifying them of the prisoner swap in advance. Speaking with reporters on tuesday, senator Dianne Feinstein said she received a call monday night. Unless something catastrophic happened, i think there is no reason to believe that he was an instant danger. There certainly was time to pick up the phone and call and say, i know you all had concerns about this. We consulted in the past and we want you to know we are pretty these negotiations. It would give us an opportunity to ask russians and hopefully obtain answers. That was not there, so therefore, we are hit with a certain set of circumstances, intelligence that we knew, policies that we knew, that were changed and at law that was essentially disregarded. [indiscernible] Speaker Boehner did not find out until saturday. Im not going to get into that. Have you had an apology from the white house for how this was handled . Yes, i did have a call last night from the white house. And they apology he apologized. Are their knowledge and the law was broken . We did not ask for that. It is obvious. John boehner has endorsed a call for congressional hearings to look into the administrations handling of the prisoner swap. Senator john mccain also criticized the deal that led to bergdahls release. This decision to bring Sergeant Bergdahl home, and we applaud that he is home, is ill founded. It is a mistake and it is putting the lives of american servicemen and women at risk, and to me, that is an acceptable to the american people. These people have dedicated their lives to destroying us. These people have dedicated their very existence. Why do you think when the judgment was made that if they released them, it would cause great risk to the United States of america . During a News Conference tuesday in poland, president obama responded to the brewing controversy. That me just make a very simple point here, and that is, regardless of the circumstances, whatever the circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an american soldier back that was held in captivity. Period. Full stop. We dont condition that. And that is what every mom and dad who sees a son or daughter sent over into war should expect from not just their commanderinchief, but the United States of america. All of this comes as Army Officials now say they will pursue an investigation into whether Bowe Bergdahl should still be disciplined if they find evidence of misconduct, such as desertion. Several of the men who served with bergdahl have taken to the media to call him a deserter. Some have also blamed him for the deaths of six days soldiers. But the New York Times reports that a review of casualty reports and military logs suggest the facts surrounding the deaths are far from definitive. Two of the soldiers who died during the most intense period of the search after bergdahl disappeared june 30, were inside an outpost that came under attack and not on patrol looking for him. The other six soldiers died in late august and early september. Or more were joined by two guests, in a, city, james branum is a lawyer who specializes in representing military deserters and Conscientious Objectors. Hes also legal director for the obama center for content and action and author of, u. S. Army awol defense a practical guide. In london, england, were joined by Charles Glass, historian and former abc news chief the least correspondent. His book published just last year is, the deserters a Hidden History of the Second World War. He tells the stories of three men whose lives traumatize have a strainer for can push a soldier to the breaking point. They are among some 50,000 american soldiers who deserted in the european theater during world war ii. We welcome you both to democracy now james branum, lets begin with you. Your response to the controversy that is growing around the release of Bowe Bergdahl . The most important thing we have to remember is we do not know the facts. Yesterday in the New York Times, it was, the facts are murky. This is key. If the allegations are true, even then we have to say that what happened is the result of war is sell. This is not unexpected. War is messy. And get crazy. In this case, what has been alleged is that Sergeant Bergdahl was struggling with issues of conscience, that there were Major Concerns that he had. When people are under the strain of conscience, feeling like theyre violating what they believe, a do things that may not be logical. If the allegation is correct that he left the post, this is not something you do unless you believe you have no other choice but to violate your conscience. It effectively was a suicidal kind of act. In this case, though, it seems like he believed if true, it was a matter of either violate my conscience and stay or potentially suffer mild loss of life. It is unfortunate he did not know the full range of options yet under the law. One of the problems the military does not inform soldiers of their rights under the law to seek a discharge or seek other ways of relief. I think we have to look at the full context. Fundamentally, we really dont know the facts yet. James branum, could you elaborate on that . What are some of the options available to soldiers who are struggling with their contents contentitions of war punche in conditions of war . Military regulations allow for Service Members carly member of the military to file an application for Conscientious Objector status. In that application, they must explain in detail in an essay format what they believe about wa