Reports highlight failures of the VAs health system during the pandemic

William Brangham:

The Department of Veterans Affairs operates the nation's biggest hospital system, serving millions of former service members around the country.

But, according to a series of investigative reports in ProPublica, that system not only has suffered badly during the pandemic, but it's also failing to provide adequate protection for its own medical staff, particularly the crucial N95 face masks.

It's a response, according to ProPublica, that's been plagued by — quote — "incompetence and greed, poor planning and judgment failures."

J. David McSwane wrote those stories, and he joins me now.

David, great to have you on the "NewsHour."

You start your most recent story with the vignette about a nurse at a hospital, a VA Center, in South Dakota. Kristen Cline is her name.

Can you tell us about her and why she's so emblematic?

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