at fort hood and that he killed three people before killing himself shot 16 others. you just heard the general mention how he went into a unit headquarters, the first medical brigade opened fire in there got out got inside a car drove to another building nearby opened fire from within the car shooting at the -- he presumably walk around maybe running and then walked into another building. that one was his unit headquarters >> >> he had nod been diagnosed

and served in iraq. a lot of new information, and a clear - a clear idea of what happened on this military base five years after it experienced another shooting also by a soldier on base. >> the general saying there's no indications that this is related to terrorism, but he won't rule it out. a local soldier, he's been serving at fort hood. he has family, he is married with family in the region, they are not identifying him yet. >> there's no indication of terrorism, the same thing about hassam when he killed 13. it was classified as a work place shooting. in 2009 major hussan made it clear he did it in the name of the taliban, his own jihad, he was a muslim warrior trying to

protect them. they classified it as a work place shooting, the classification for here as well, it is likely. both times, these soldiers bought semiautomatic pistols offbase and brought them on to ford hood. the the general said weapons - concealed weapons are not allowed. they ared to be registered. it was clear this did not happen. >> here is what we know, three victims, a shooter dead. 16 injured, and all the wounded and killed are members of the military. we are joined by brandon chutling, on the phone from fort hood with more. thank you for joining us, what is it like where you are? >> you have a big number of needia athletes out here, everyone's attention is on this case as we speak. the press conference wrapped up, as you looked on. we know a lot more now as to what we knew before the press

conference. it was mentioned that the shooting occurred in two different places. the gunman opened fire in two areas, moving from one to the other. 16 people injured. most are at a nearby hospital recovering. the body of the shooter died from a self-inflicted shot wound in a parking lot. and that is something that we learnt. he was at the time going through the process of determining whether or not he suffered from ptsd. there were some mental issues that were there. he's been treated and on medication for depression and anxiety. obviously... >> stay with us, we'll return to you as we learn more. we are joined by retired army lieutenant tony shaver. a former intelligence officer working on security issues at military bases, joining us via

skype. what was your take on the weapon used? careful not to wade into the fight over whether or not concealed weapons should be allowed on base, but he was clear that that was not a registered weapon. >> that's been a problem and was the problem had hassam, and i live in virginia, i feel safer in springfield than the neighbouring county. because springfield has police and citizens that can carry concealed weapons. the other county you can't. the issue you brought up and dodged - to be honest with you - is that you can easily sneak weapons in. once you are in, there's virtually nobody who is armed except for a handful of security guards, except for the military police officer. i'm not diminishing the role of the female military police officer who took him down, she's

very much a hero. it's more likely someone like the soldier would be successful, this lopez would be successful because there's no weapons to stop him. this was the problem with miguel hassam, and a problem in the future. this is something i had to deal with as an anti-terrorism force officer. parts of military installations are isolated, you can't get security forces too, so a shooter in this case would be successful in killing people. i would argue four dead is more than should be allowed to be think as acceptable as the general said. i take exception to that very issue. >> what has changed on military posts since miing eel hassam's attack. >> excellent question, in this case virtually nothing. fort hood responded more rapidly. their plan is ready.

i worked on similar plans, but there's not much that can be changed regarding the security posture. the question is what can be done to search people coming though the gate. you can't stop traffic and search every car, it's not practical. you have to increase screening for post-traumatic stress disorder and terrorism threats, which is something that went into effect. we'd be better at looking at individuals, like the hassam individual showing signs of radicalization, and, as you know, we had a problem with suicides and ptsd over the past 10 years. the general said it best, his own words, it's a lengthy process to become diagnosed. it's wrong. it shouldn't be a lengthy process. especially if you say "i'm having problems", the investigation will come to show that the individual had problems: army was unreacting, and, therefore, their slow reaction

to his need for treatment may have resulted in the death are of four people. >> tony shaver, retired general. stay with us, let's here what we heard from the commander at fort hood. they spoke about the shooter's mental state. >> we don't know a motive. we know the soldier was being treated for mental health issues. he was under diagnosis for post-traumatic stress disorder r but was not diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. >> president obama has been receiving briefings, here is what he had to say. >> i got off the phone with vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff to get the latest report on the situation in fort hood. obviously we are following it closely. the situation is fluid right now, but my national security team is in contact with not just the defense department but the fbi. they are working with folks on

the ground to determine exactly what happened to make sure that everybody is secure and i want to assure all of us that we are going to get to the bottom of what happened. any shooting is troubling. obviously this reopens the pain of what happened in fort hood five years ago. we know these families, we know their incredible service to the country and the sacrifices that they make. obviously our thoughts and prayers are with the entire community, and we are going to do everything we can to make sure the community at fort hood has what it needs to deal with the current situations, or any potential aftermath. we are heart broken that something like this might have happened again. i don't want to comment on the

facts that i know exactly what has happened. for now, i would hope that everybody across the country is keeping the families and the community of fort hood in our thoughts and prayers. the folks there have sacrificed so much on behalf of our freedom. many of the people there have been through multiple course, through iraq, afghanistan. they served with valuer, with distinction. and when they are at their home base they need to feel safe. we don't know what happened tonight, but obviously that sense of safety has been broken once again. and we'll have to find out what happened. >> president obama speaking earlier this evening in chicago. we have learnt more since the president addressed the press. we heard from a commander at fort hood that this was an incident caused by a member of

the military who was serving in fort hood, has been stationed there since february. he was under going treatment for mental psychological problems, he may have post-traumatic stress disorder, the general wouldn't commit to it, but he was under diagnosis process for that. we are joined by jonathan betz, reporter for al jazeera america. you covered fort hood, a reporter in dallas. we heard from ltcol that it is nearly impossible to screen everybody. you drive in, they check and make sure you have a decall, but otherwise they are not looking at everything you carry or in your car. these are not small bases. these are huge cities. tens of thousands of people live and work there. it has up to 50,000 soldiers and family members that live this. civilians that work there.

the base covers more than 200,000 acres. all the entries and exits - there are guard posts there, cars that go on to the base are screened. weapons are supposed to be registered. you are not supposed to carry a concealed weapon. trying to enforce and search every soldier and base is difficult. all the cars that drive on are supposed to have decalls, badges, showing that you are allowed to be there and have business there. you can't just wonder on to the base. the problem is, as we have seen here, they were supposed to be on the base. they work there, it's their home, and they sneak weapons on. you covered the aftermath of the shooting and the trial. what does it mean to have a community undergo this five years later. >> when you think about it. the people and soldiers killed were all soldiers. all the people shot were sold yrls. these are men and women who

served overseas for the united states, they have served in iraq, they've seen afghanistan, the worse of the battlefield and to come back here. this is supposed to be their sanctuary, where they come and reconnect with their family, the united states, the culture, and recharge. this is supposed to be where they feel safe. to have it happen not once, but twice within five years is deeply devastating for so many in that communicatee. >> president obama mentioning that himself, talking about how the men and women on this army post have served overseas, risking their lives, and expect to be safe when they are home. the president saying he's heart broken this happened again, any shooting is heart breaking, but it reopens the pain. >> joining us now is jeffy korn, a former military -- jeffrey korn, a form e military officer and prosecutor.

you are familiar with fort hood. did you sense a change in protocols to improve security since the 2009 shooting? >> i think the answer is yes. i mean certainly anybody who is fisting fort hood during the time of the major hassan trial would have noticed significant security, but the access to the installation is as significantly protected, i think, as can be expected under the circumstances. as your previous caller indicated, it's just impossible to expect that every person coming on to a military installation is going to be thoroughly searched or their car will be searched because the installation couldn't function with that level of security. >> thank you so much. we'll get back to you as we can in the program. we want to take the viewers to the scott and white hospital. doctors have been talking about

the victims. >> we feel indebted to them and want to help when they are trueing, as important. >> reporter: conversely, what does it say to you, this community dealt with two soldier on soldier attacks? >> well, i'm probably not the qualified person to answer that. there's folks at fort hood who may have better answers than... >> reporter: do you live here? >> i live here, but, you know, the internal workings of fort hood, i would leave to those folks to answer those discussions. i would say this community, by and large, is very safe. i don't think it's a reflection on the general community. i don't know if you have any further thoughts on that? >> i don't. it's a tragic event. there's a large number of people in a stressful environment. it's unfortunate it occurred. i don't think it's a condemnation of fort hood or the

military. >> reporter: to recap, can you go over the number, two are [ inaudible ] you said you had three in critical. >> correct. >> reporter: five were in serious condition. >> serious, and one transported right now. >> reporter: that's a total of -- >> nine accepted eight are here. >> reporter: three are on ventilators? >> correct. >> reporter: any on life support? >> on a mechanical ventilator. >> reporter: how many men and women. >> one woman, the rest are men. >> reporter: they are all soldiers? >> as far as i'm aware, yes >> reporter: they've been transported date day. >> they are all in icu after initial treatment. >> reporter: the one transported in, are they

airlifted in? >> i believe by ground, but i'm not 100% on that. i'm not aware. >> reporter: are they saying anything? [ inaudible ] . >> you know, nothing has any doubts. you know, i'm not an investigator, we don't ask that question. we ask questions regarding health care and current conditions. you are always amazed at the spirit of people at these moments, and they are in good spirits. >> reporter: can you talk a bit more about that? >> i'm amazed how resilient our people are, our military, it's another reason we are proud to take care of them. we are grateful patients, they are good people. >> reporter: is there a specific instance that makes you say that? >> i wouldn't quote anything specific. the general experience is that. that is my experience taking

place at fort hood >> reporter: did many arriving wearing uniforms. >> a few did, some were removed for evaluation prior to arrival here. >> that's about it. one more question then we'll wrap it up. >> reporter: as far as you know, were the people on their own, have they had family members or others show up seeking information about them. >> we have a lot of phone calls and a phone bank set up. we have family members here, and we are making accommodations for them to remain close to their families. >> for anyone who may have a question if one of their family members is one of the people here, how do they find out? >> first, i'd ask them to check with the military and find out who has been transported over here to identify that. we do have an 800 number.

with have a phone line set up. i can't quote the number. do you have that handy? >> do i. >> an 88 number. >> yes, we have a phone number when people call the operators, they are given a number which puts them into the family phone bank. >> you guyed don't expect them [ inaudible ] . >> we don't expect any more. >> reporter: do you know if all the people treated are at hospital, everyone injured? >> all we know about is the ones sent here. we honestly don't know the other conditions of the patients or where they've been transported to. >> reporter: are the ones here the ones who received the most traumatic injuries? >> i gain, i don't know of the conditions of the other patients, but we are the level one trauma center for the region, i'm anticipating that the most seriously injured were

transported here. >> all right. >> thank you. thank you all very much. >> medical staff of scots and white hospital, nine patients treated there. we continue to learn more about the events at fort hood. after 4:00 pm this afternoon the gunman, a soldier opened fire in a medical support building on the fort hood military post. the officials issued an emergency in place order, asking officials to stay away from windows. four are dead, including the gunman from a self-inflicted wound. 16 people were injured and they are being treated at local hospitals, conditions ranging from stable to quite critical. an all-clear was issued at fort hood. we are learning more about the shooter. he was a soldier who served four months in iraq in 2011. he was under psychiatric treatment for behavioural and mental issues, including a

lengthy review for post-traumatic stress disorder. more breaking news to tell you about. we are learning that a powerful aftershock hit northern chile. 7.8 magnitude. a tsunami alert has been issued, and coast at areas evacuated again. coming a day after an 8.2 hit the region. six people were killed in yesterday's quake , it's not known if there was damage or injury from the latest quake. we are keeping a close eye on fort hood. we'll have the latest back on the shooting throughout the hour, and more live reports from the scene. we are following the big supreme court decision on campaign contributions. it's a ruling that will have a profound impact on elections.

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>> we continue to monitor developments out of ford hood. just after 4:00 pm this afternoon a soldier wearing an army uniform opened fire at the military facility in texas, killing three, injuring 16 others, before turning the gun on himself. the victim's conditions range from stable to quite critical. we are learning more about the shooter who was a soldier. he served four months in iraq in

2011. he was under psychiatric treatment for behavioural and mental issues, and undergoing a review for post-traumatic stress disorder. we'll bring you more on this later in the hour. >> in other new, signs of life over a future palestine state. secretary of state john kerry and his envoy are scrambling to keep the talks ontrack, speaking with israeli and palestine leaderships. both sides are accusing each other of breaking agreements. >> nick schifrin has the story. in the moment after palestine president mahmoud abbas launched a campaign for international recognition, two generations waved the flag, hoping they were closer. local polls show the majority of palestinians doubt the peace process and aren't willing to wait for israeli or u.s. approval. >> it was becoming clear that the israelis are taking us for granted and it was becoming

clear that mr john kerry, and the united states are failing to pressure the israelis to come to reason. >> despite a promise to suspend the search for international recognition, the boss joined treaties and conventions guaranteeing the rights of minorities. >> these issues are about basic human dignity, rights. >> this is also about accusing israel of wrongdoing. human rights advocates plant mahmoud abbas to expand the 16 conventions to the 63 that the palestinians are eligible for. >> if we want to hold israel accountable and make the occupation not profitable but costly by holding those responsible for violations accountable. we must exceed to both of them. >> mahmoud abbas didn't join the criminal court, which israel fear he could use to accuse

israeli officials of war crimes, that operate in the palestine territories. >> mahmoud abbas has been called restrained. both sides broke promises. the u.s. is trying to keep them tough. >> they've this moments before. take the tough moment. make decisions and move the process forward. >> as we said, we do believe there's a path forward here. >> on wednesday both sides met with the u.s., and both sides suggest they will not walk away. >> translation: we will continue to secure the security of the sit of israel from within the negotiation room and will not give up. the talks may survive another day. it's the palestinians that took the initiative in trying to create a state in end 45 years of occupation. >> in tel aviv, the consule general to israel, and to the united states joins us.

where in your mind does the blame lie for a breakdown in negotiations? >> i think it's - in the end it's squarely on both sides, and the very fact that you are asking me about who is to blame shows you where this process has deteriorated into or what it has deteriorated into. to a large extent here, in a nutshell, is the tragedy of it all. both sides want to keep on talking, both have a vested disincentive to make progress. so they want to talk for the sake of talking. there's a lot of false brinkmanship, and a lot of masquerading going on and unfortunately the only person in the world who seems to think that there's a possibility of some breakthrough, or that both sides should or are capable of making decisions is secretary of

state john kerry, and for that he deserves our internal debt. both sides israelis and palestinians seem to engage in nothing more than a blame game. >> how crucial is america's involvement in anything moving forward? >> i think it's crucial in two senses. one is like the u.s., without u.s. facilitation, and going between them with both sides, and left to their own devices, israel and the palestinians will never reach a deal, not in this generation. i know it sounds trackage, depressing and discouraging, but that is a fact of life. if you look at the last 25 years of peace process. on another level, if the u.s. chooses to disengage from this, hell could break loose.

chaos will rain, and who knows where this would lead to. it's why, what you are seeing, the israelis and palestinians, on the one hand you see brinkmanship. we are not going to engage further in this exercise in futility. on the other hand both are demonstrating strong signs of withdrawal. and on the third level, if i may add, the current pattern, the current approach that the u.s. has employed is essentially more of the same. i don't say it in a critical way. i'm not saying that secretary of state john kerry had a better alternative, but the truth must be said. approaching this the same way the process in the last decade or so, it has not bore fruit. >> let's talk about jonathan pollard, his release came up as an issue. how important would that be for the israelis, and what does it

do for the negotiations. >> well, these are two separate questions. the first is - i think it's a travesty of justice. it's an immoral thing to combine the two. jonathan pollard spent 30 years in gaol for espionage and treason, he could and should have been freed on the grounds of medical situation or his medical condition, and on the grounds that he served way behind what other spies spent in gaol. that's a u.s. domestic concern, a legal/political turn. to combine this with the israeli peace process is doing injustice and disservice to both sides. in that report while on the one hand his freedom is release is part of a package that would

entail israel releasing 104 palestinians gaoled in israel for acts of terror, including heavy hitting murderers who should not be freed, all that in exchange for another few months of time wasting negotiations, i think this entire package was not meant to be. and, yet, libby, it can happen. to tell you that this would effect positively peace negotiations and the current entrenchment of those sides and their positions, and the atmosphere of distrust and blame gaming, i think the pollard thing sounds sexy, but subsides two or three days later, and both sides, plus the u.s. as a mediator, would basically be back in square one or stuck in the same place as they were before such a deal took place.

>> former consule general to israel - thank you for joining us so early in the morning from tel aviv. >> coming up the deadly shooting from fort hood. we have breaking new and new facts coming up ahead.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm libby casey. we continue to monitor developments out of fort hood texas. we know that after 4:00 p.m. this afternoon a soldier wearing an army uniform opened fire at the military facility. he killed three, injuring 16 others before turning the gun on himself. we are learning more about who the shooter was. he was a soldier who served for four months in iraq in 2011. he was under psychiatric treatment for behavioural and mental issues and undergoing a lengthy review for ptsd. joining us on the phone, homeland security fellow at the center for national policy, and a military jag. thank you for joining us. where do we go from here. many questions about why this has happened. what the motivations were. from a military jag perspective,

what happens next? >> first and foremost we investigate what took place, and take time in doing a thorough investigation. this is tragic, soldiers are turning on soldiers, in the same location five years apart from one another. we nearly went through, when i was on your show and other about the nidal hasan court marsh am, and he's on death row, sentenced to death. now you look at this case, he took his own the life, we want to look at what has taken place, he was an iraq war veteran. he was on the base with fellow troops at the time. we don't know what the issue was. the general was clear we have not ruled out terrorism. it doesn't seem likely. he had only reported two fort hood in february. i think that's critical, because he probably had the problems with post-traumatic stress disorder prior to arriving and they are evaluating that now.

a couple of months. i think that goes to show how important it is to get the people appropriate treatment. >> we heard from chuck hagel, he gave a statement from hawaii, and referenced the navy yard shooting. a review of that took place. a defense secretary said when we had the tragedies, something is not working. what is your response to that. >> the secretary is correct. we are having to evaluate how this happened. i look at it in what jeff cornerwas saying. some of this is going to happen at some point. it's not that it's fridgic. there are three innocent people dead, slaughtered, and 14 to 16 others injured now. i think you have to look that at some point when you have this many troops and two wars going on for a period of a decade, the troops coming back, some will be not well. you have to look.

15,000 people live on the base. something like this is likely to happen at some point. it's just that it's been amplified by the problems, the soldiers coming back with ptsd. >> you advise the military, and you study issues of national security, where does the military go from here in the big picture? >> i think the gator emphasis there was after nidal hasan looking at ensuring that the troops are properly screened, and we paid tremendous attention to folks in the service, and making sure they get appropriate attention, that they see the worst of the worst in afghanistan over a period of some that go back and forth. they need to get them help. there has to be an increased emphasis on a commitment to helping soldiers and sailors and coast guards get the help that they need after seeing the atrocities that they saw

overseas. i do think we have to look at this as being something. we have to review security measures on every military base. it seems to me that the general and the command structure reacted quite well. authorities reacted well. a lot of good stories. women police officer mp who was the hero, stopped him and he killed himself - sounded like she may have discharged her weapon. so there's success. we have to look at ways to increase security amongst their own people. that's a hard thing to do when you work together in combat situations or team work. you have to question one another and eradicate that quickly. >> thank you for joining us this evening. >> thank you. >> we are learning more about the alleged gunman. roxanne is here with more. >> as you mentioned earlier, the gunman was a soldier at fort

hood. it's not yet confirmed what his names were. the authorities wouldn't confirm his name. they have to notify the next of kin. he has a wife and family. they would not yet state what his motive is, they are looking into the motive. he was one of four shot to death. the authorities say his body was found on a parking lot after the military police confronted him. he raised his hands in the air, pulled out a gun. he was carrying a 45 caliber pistol brought in the local area. he served four months in iraq. in february he was sent to fort hood from another military installation. he was undergoing treatment in relation to anxiety and under going lengthy diagnosis for post-traumatic stress disorder, something that many veterans of the iraq and afghanistan wars suffered.

authorities have not ruled out terrorism, but they don't have a reason to believe it was terrorism. they say that they are digging deep into the gunman's past. his criminal history, psychological history and experiences in combat. >> thank you so much. >> we'll stay with the story. now we want to update other breaking news. chile is evacuating the coastline areas after a powerful aftershock hit the northern region. the 7.8 magnitude quake trig either another tsunami alert. the president has been evacuated from a coastal town, the aftershock following the 8.2 quake that hit chill se, six have been killed. there's no reports of damn or injury. >> a ruling by the supreme court that will make money more powerful in american politics. the decision doesn't favour either political party. it divides the country along

economic lines. we go to the supreme court with mike viqueira. >> it was another close decision on a sharply divided supreme court. voting 5-4, conservatives on the court struck down limits dating to the watergate era on the amount donors can give to federal candidates, before today that limit was 123,000. writing for the major si chief justice john roberts: >> in the mini ority justin steven brier, who cited the controversial 2010 court decision that opened the door for unlimited donations and spending on political issues:

>> the decision leaves in place the $2600 on giving to an individual campaign. it's expected to hurt democrats and their chances already dicey of happening on to their senate majority after the november elections. >> they wish to dismantle all limits on giving. piece by piece until we were back to the day of the robber barons. when anyone or anything could give unlimited money, undisclosed and make our political systems seem to rigged that everyone will lose interest in our democracy. into welcoming in the decision house speaker john boehner, saying that donations could grow to the parties, and bypass rogue groups who undermined their authority. >> it's pushing the money outside the party structure into other various forms, and i'm for freedom, congratulations. >> critics say the system allows the wealthy outside access and

influence. this was secured further. in 2012, 28% of disclosed contributions came from 1% of 1% of minister. the cost of elections has increased. in 1998 the cost of congressional races was $1.6 billion. by 2012 the number was $3.6 billion. for presidential races the cost was double. from $1.4 billion in 2000 to 2.6 in 2012. formatting with the make-up of the supreme court, the lid may come off campaign finance limits. campaign finance, the restrictions as they exist now seems to be in danger. the court eroded main restraints on wealthy individuals being able to add outside limits on how to process. >> leading congressional democrats were critical.

new attempts at campaign reform is a dead letter. >> updating one of the tonight's breaking news stories, chile's evacuating coastline areas after a powerful aftershock hit the region. the 7.8 region triggered a tsunami alert. lucia newman is with us by phone. what did you feel, what is happening now? >> we were in a motel trying to put together the latest report for al jazeera, when the - everything started shaking. it felt like the whole building was going to fall on top of us. we ran out into the street. unfortunately here in iquique most of the power lines are overhead. that is dangerous. we went back in again and waited for everything to end. it ended. it ended as soon as it stopped. we heard the siren. we'll go for the warning, and the thousands of people started

poring out of their homes, and walking or running to the high ground, and we, of course, went with them. we weren't sure where they were going, what is extraordinarily is everyone was prepared in a matter of seconds out on the street, carrying everything they needed to spend the night outdoors. sleeping bags, batteries, lights, candles, food, people in their wheelchairs , babies in their proms, old and young. moving quickly in a discipline the way they had it ready by the door. the army was on the streets trying to guide people to safer areas, to also the fire department. we saw a few fires, small fires, electricity happens been cut off for at least half of the city. we understand that the epicentre of this aftershock, which is considered an earthquake, 7.8 is

a strong aftershock. and, of course, it can unleash a tsunami. we understand the epicentre was 15km from where i am now, in the neighbour hood of iquique. and it was only about 10km deep, which seems to indicate that the risk of a tsunami is not as great as the earthquake that took place a little over 24 hours ago. >> the president of chile has been evacuated from a coastal town because of the threat of tsunamis. you experienced 45 aftershocks since yesterday. what are authorities doing to prepare for what comes next. pretty much what they have been doing all along. telling people to remain calm, letting them know that the authorities are there, ready to come to their aid. they have been flying in

mattresses, blankets, food and water. water is a problem. in many parts of the city it's been cut off. the electricity has not been quite so bad, not until right now. it's too early to tale what damage could have been caused. what i can tell you is that people have been ready, in many cases living outside, even though the original tsunami warning had been listed, they were afraid to go back. they've been hearing rumours and reports on the radio that a stronger earthquake was going to follow the original one, and they don't feel squur -- secure. this is a psychosis. it must be similar where president michelle bachelet is right now. >> thank you so much. >> back at the u.s. cap tam, the head of -- capital, the head of general motors was on the hill facing another round of tough questioning. soirts accused the -- senators

accused the company of trying to cover up an ignition defect causing 2 million vehicles to be recalled. >> very tough questions about whether general motors knowingly hid the defect blamed for at least 13 deaths: the c.e.o. mary barra insisted the new g.m. will do the right thing. lawmakers were not necessarily buying it. >> the subcommittee will come to order. >> angry and skeptical senators confronted mary barra, c.e.o., about why the company did not act sooner, accusing g.m. of a culture condones a cover up. >> we don't know how many crashed because of the cover up. we know many died. >> the company swept the defect under the rudd, said mccaskill. ignition switches on the chevy cobalt can turn off, leaving drivers without engine power, brakes, steering or air bags. >> we know the difference

between this switch and one that would - was the difference between life and death. do you know the other difference? the other things that we now know, that it would only cost $2 to repair. >> senators challenged general motors, suggesting they put profits over people. deciding it was more cost effective to settle lawsuits than fix the pardon millions of vehicles. >> do you know if g.m. used this kind of quest benefit analysis in its history? >> the documents shown to me yesterday, if they are true as we go through the time lime demonts that it's unacceptable. >> i didn't ask you that. ied do you know if -- i said do you know if g.m. used this cost benefit. >> not for a safety item. it would be unacceptable. >> mary barra had been with general motors for 30 years, but

insisted she did not know about the cobb alt issue before becoming c.e.o. three years ago. >> as a woman to woman i'm dispapted disappointed, the cult u are represent is a culture of the status quo. >> another question is why general motors changed the part in 1986 or "87, but did not tell anyone. >> we need to know whether the company acted in the best interests of the consumers who bought your car, and the u.s. taxpayers who bailed you out. >> first of all, agree it took too long for this to come to the attention and do the recall. we admitted that and apologised. >> the u.s. attorney's office in new york launched the criminal probe. >> i think it's pretty much in contraa vertible that g.m. knew about this lethal safety defect,

failed to correct it, and failed to tell its customers about it. and then concealed it from the courts, and the united states. >> general motors will reveal its version of what happened within the company in regards to this defect when it completes its own internal investigation that's expected to be within the next two months. >> lisa stark in washington. a special tribute at the empire state building, lit up in blue, in honour of the autism awareness day. it's one the iconic issues in the event. kids with intellectual disabilities such as autism find it challenging in schools. al jazeera's correspondent found a place they fit in. >> these teams move across the floor with the ease of dance partners. rewind to another prom.

it was awkward for wiseman. >> he didn't talk to me when we went to the prom. >> the prom was fantastic. we didn't talk much. >> they have been friends. shifting allegiances. that's no small feat. they were brought together by a global organization called best buddies. the coal is to prepare intellectual students with a non-disabled student. it benefits both. >> people in live bring a kecked to your -- connection to your life, a sense of enthusiasm. >> bennett has autism. he was not been bullied. he admits that he struggles to fit in with his classmates. >> what kind of miss conceptions

do you think people have? >> they may not understand me. they may not understand what i say. >> the pair not only seems to understand one another. they get bennett's humour. >> david is funnier, he makes me laugh. there's something that he says that surprises you. >> one friendship at a time, in schools around the world. students participating and best buddies strive to build confidence and crush the alienation kids face. >> they have a lot of totalitient and ability and it took me years. i always felt like i was doing charity work, isn't it sweet. they have dreams and want to realise it, when they do realise them, they enrich our society. >> wiseman and ben it have grown together. it made me a more sympathetic

person. it will serve him in college and help him land a job, one of the biggest obstacles people with intellectual disabilities face. >> gunfire at fort hood. four are dead, including the gunman. up next the latest on a violent incident at the texas army post.

>> a recap. day's events. after 4:00 pm this afternoon local time, a soldier wearing an army uniform opened fire at fort hood in texas, killing three, injuring 16 others before turning the gun on himself. the victim's condition raged from stable to credible. we are learning about the shooter. he served 4 months in iraq in 2011, was under psychiatric treatment for behavioural issues and was under going a lengthy review for post-traumatic stress disorder. we'll have more of this throughout the night it tomorrow. updating the other breaking news - chile is recovering after a powerful 7.2 quake...

>> welcome to al jazeera america i'm libby casey. higher are this hour's top stories. we are learning new information about the soldier who opened fire in fort hood texas, killing three people and injuring 16

others before killing himself. so far no answers on the motive. >> we do not know a motive. we know the soldier had behavioural and mental health issues and was being treated for that. fort hood soldier was being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. he served four months in iraq in 2011. >> chile is evacuating coastline areas after a powerful aftershock hit the region. the 7.2 quake trigured another tsunami, there has been a 5.6 and 5.8 aftershook. >> the supreme court struck down limits on campaign contributions on a 5-4 vote. now donors can give as much money as they like. it's expected to increase the political influence of the wealthy. and will likely impact upcoming elections. >> signs of life in the middle

east peace process. israel will stay the course of negotiations with a palestinian state. on tuesday palestine president mab at resumed -- mahmoud abbas resumed his campaign for international recognition of palestine. those are the headlines, i'm libby casey, "america tonight" is up next. >> on "america tonight": breaking news. gun shots ring out again at fort hood, texas. grim reminders of a deadly tragedy there five years ago. also tonight: a predator's playground. dangerous online social circles your children should learn to avoid. our special series, your secret's out. we focus on every parent's worst nightmare. >> at that point i couldn't see straight and the tablet was melting from the fire coming out of my eyes. >> and driving dangers, are