of a search on a computer you've pretty much agreed. it's just a matter of just - like the billy joel song. that's "real money" for today. i'm jen rogers in for ali velshi, that's for joining us. >> hi, everyone. this is aljazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. the battle for kobati. a key city going into isil handsant and a fighter who speaks english. u.s. troops helping to contain the killer virus. and another virus now in dozens of states. what you need to know about interovirus. and america votes. 2014, obamacare, voting, what

matters to americans? our special report. tonight, a town on the sirra/turkey border is fighting against isil. kobane is about to fall to isil, despite several u.s. airstrikes today. this would be a victory for isil fighters. we're in southern turkey. >> from across the border in turkey, it's clear that the battle for kobane is more intense. fighters from the islamic state of iraq and lavant, reached defenses from the town on monday. and since then, kurdish fighters have been going street by street, building by

building. the kurds are determined. and isil is more determined sweeping through soldiers with little appetite to fight. and kobane is different. u.s. has hit positions but the kurds say that the strikes are not on their own. they want turkey to provide more weapons. turkey's president, visiting a refugee camp, says that he thinks that kobane will fall to isil. a ground operation is needed to defend the town, but turkey won't go it alone. >> the problem of isil cannot be solved with airstrikes alone. no-fly zone, a secure zone parallel to that, and the training of moderate syrian rebels. >> reporter: there are some free syrian army groups fighting alongside of the kurds. this video was posted. and they want them to join with

the fsa to fight with syria and isil. the kurds protesting in kobane fought on the border on tuesday, and they have been protesting elsewhere in turkey. the president believes that the regime in syria is, is part of the problem. but the united states has shown little enthusiasm to join in the campaign. but for now, it looks like when all of the syrian kurdish fighters in kobane can expect are u.s. airstrikes to help in the fight from keeping isil from advancing on their town. aljazeera, turkey. >> aljazeera's senior digital writer, ali malick, returned from turkey where she spent time with the kurdish forces battling isil. and this is a very complex situation. maybe you can help us explain. it's not just one group of kurds, but the pkk is fighting

in kobane, right? >> actually, the syrians, the pkk. and they're a guerilla movement, not only by turkey but the united states, and then the pesh miles per gallon a. the iraqi kurdish forces, and then you have occurreds in iraq. >> so when we talk about kurds fighting isil, there are a lot of different factions, and how does it affect turkey? they don't all get along with turkey. >> no, it puts turkey in a tough position. because for a long time, the krg, the iraqi kurds there, and the kurds have gotten along quite well. the kurds invested a lot of money in the region, and the pkk on the other hand, has been locked in a very long, several year struggle with turkey, and with up until now, in a sort of peace process. though though their leader

imprisoned by turkey and all of that hangs in the balance now. >> so when we see turkey not doing anything right now, along the border, except pointing their tanks on the border. >> for photographers. >> what's the chance that turkey will get involved? holding back because they don't like th the pkk? >> they're serious allegations, and they would be substantiated and they would love to see isil take care of this problem in kobane. >> they're more concerned about the kurds in some ways than isil. >> i think naively so. they think that they can control isil. they got their 48 hostages back, and there were a lot of folks on the ground. and that was a sham anyway. their hostages were never in danger of being beheaded for example. >> if the turks don't help, can the pkk beat isil? >> i was asking one of our

producers, and militarily, we know that isil is well funded and well equipped. they took the american weapons that were provided to the national army and they have been part of the terrorist organization for a long time. >> they think they can win? >> i'll tell you something, i was in a pkk town, and they participated in the fight. it was the pkk fight that saved thazidis. they said that we have the easy job of taking on isis. >> you have the syrian kurds, and the iraqi kurds, and isil and kirky and how big of a threat is isil in the region, especially on the border? >> it's a threat. and that's why you're seeing the americans in the west

trying to do this piecemeal solution with airstrikes, and anybody on the ground, no matter which military occurred you talk to, will tell that you all of this is basically what needs to happen. this needs to be happening in a framework of a political solution. >> when you talk to the kurdish fighters, whichever group it is, about whether the u.s. should be more involved, what do they say? >> yes. some of them say, this is all on obama. and that's a common retort that i hear across the middle east, no matter who i speak to. that it's in obama's hands, and whether we were speaking through an interpreter in kurdish or arabic, boots on the ground is something that they say to me in english. they think that there need to be boots on the ground, and airstrikes, and otherwise, we'll all be running towards tpkk, there's a lot there, but the analysis, this is not just a problem that the kurds can

handle, and it's not something that can only be handled militarily. >> it gets more complicated every day. ali, thank you very much. and iraqi kurds will able to force isil out of one town, but the rebels can't go back, the town is deserted and dangerous. >> this is the town just south of kirkuk city. until ten days ago, it was in the hands of is ill fighters, but a week ago, the iraqi army and forces swept in. they lost it for days, but isil was defeated, leaning on the residents to protect the little of what's left. so it's now a ghost town, uninhabitable due to isil's habit of booby trapping buildings before fleeing, and that's posing a challenge. >> the main problem that we're facing right now, only want

main roads and the streets in the city are clear and safe. while almost all of the houses and schools have been wired by tnt and explosives and could blow u any time. the iraqis have to leave to other threats in the area. it's an indication of the challenges that iraq faces. it doesn't have the kind of troop numbers to leave behind once they defeat the isil fighters, and that has the residents worried. because the troops have left, they fear that the isil fighters will simply return. >> now we only have a handful of families remaining to defend t we are hearing that there are huge congregations of isil and we are afraid that they will retake us. >> for now, the residents try to do things as much as possible. fearing whether anyone will come to the town, and if they do, whether they will be

protected from any potential isil threats. aljazeera, baghdad. >> and there's concern tonight about americans joining isil. the fbi launched a new campaign online, asking for the public's help, tracking down people who have left to join that group. mike viqueira has more from the white house. >> reporter: john, the fbi has gone public, identifying the public's help in a masked gunman in apron ganda video released last month. in the video, this individual is masked, a male, and he does speak apparently with a north american accent. and in the video, he stands in front of another group of men digging a hole. he says these are assad forces who have been captured and they're digging their own graves. it's chilling in the series, and they released that in order to enlist the public's help. again, this is an individual who sounds as though he's from

north america. let's listen to this. >> i'm here in the 17th division military base, just outside of the city of iraqa. and we're here with the soldiers digging their own graves in the place they were stationed. >> that video is nearly an hour-long, condensed by the fbi, asking for the public's help in identifying that individual making the plea for the public's help. the fbi says that no piece of information is too small. >> there have been several arrests of americans accused of trying to join isil. and how has the fbi been finding these people or attempting to find them? >> as recently as last saturday, you're right, a 19-year-old american citizen went to the airport in o'hare, and this is an individual that the law enforcement forces had been tracking, and as soon as he went through customs, to fly

to o'hare to istanbul, turkey, he was executed in the house, and they found the documentation that they were looking for, and he was brought in on charges trying to support a terror group. and this comes after two other incidents, in rochester, new york, for trying to aid isil. and then an american woman, shannon connolly, pled guilty to conspiracy on the same charges. >> mike viqueira, thank you very much. and criticism on strategy is coming from the secretary of defense, and he told us that the u.s. should have kept the presence in iraq for the local stewart operation, and that would have ensured that something like isil wouldn't have developed. and he warned that airstrikes against isil last name be enough. >> you need to have boots on the ground to embed and train

the forces, and in syria, we would like the opposition forces to be the boots on the ground. but if that's not enough, the military says that we have to do more, the president ought to be open to that. >> he crit sizes the president for not having the congressional approval for strikes on isil and for taking too long. >> . >> 4,000 u.s. troops are being sent to africa on a $17 million mission. they will fight ebola. the defense department says that several steps will be taken to keep the troops safe. >> i'm confident that we can ensure our service member's safety and the safety of their families and the american people. as we deploy american sons and daughters to support this effort, we will do everything in our power to mitigate the potential risk to our service members, contractors and then families many. >> in spain, health officials

want to find out how a nurse became infected with ebola. the doctors say they don't have the proper equipment. and they want the health minister to resign. she is the first person to contract ebola from outside of west africa. she caught it from a patient she was treating while wearing protective clothing and she and her husband have been quarantined. madrid's government said that they will euthanize her dog. the dog will not suffer. and the family fought the decision, but ut government has granted a court order. in dallas, the first man diagnosed with ebola on american soil is being treated with an experimental drug, and heidi is outside of the hospital where thomas eric duncan is being treated. >> reporter: duncan was admitted to the hospital on

september 28th. he was asking for food and he was still speaking but the family members who saw him today, he's isolated in the hospital, tell us that he is not doing well. and he's unresponsive, and he is in the fight for his life. the mother of ebola patient, thomas eric duncan, joined by civil rights leader, jesse jackson, said that her son is waging a fierce battle. [ unintelligible ] he didn't know that he was sick. >> duncan remains in critical condition. and doctors say that he's on a ventilator and receiving kidney dialysis. his liver function declined over the weekend, but he has improved. he's being treated with an experimental drug, which until

now had only been used in a test tube. they're continuing to monitor the 48 people that were in contact with ebola while he was infectious. >> as of today, none of them are sick and none of them have a fever. and the we'll continue to watch that very closely. >> the cdc director said that the agency is responding to president obama's request to review screening procedures at the port of entry and will announce changes in the coming days. meanwhile, the cdc is making changes in several countries. train workers have screened 36,000 air passengers leaving west africa. >> of those, about 77 had either fever, in the case of 74, or symptoms that made us take them off of the line in the case of the other three. that's roughly one per 500 travelers. as far as we know, none of those 77 people had ebola. >> meanwhile, in dallas, coming

home from the emergency room when he first sought help is under scrutiny. duncan's travel history had been overlooked. in the health and human services, health authorities say that the hospitals have learned from their mistake. >> nothing will compare with the heightened awareness of hospitals all over the nation with the story that has taken place at dallas presbyterian, now finally, folks will think that could happen to he me. >> back at the hospital where duncan is isolated and fighting for his life, family members hold a vigil outside, asking for prayers and compassion. the hospital has changed its story about why it turned away duncan with nothing but antibiotics three times now. first, they said h not told the doctors, and then it was a failure of the medical record system. and then finally, there was nothing wrong with the system

after all. and we have yesterday to hear an explanation, and that's why the texas lawmakers are also trying to get to the bottom of it. >> coming up, another virus, and its spreading fast. it's making hundreds of children across the country sick. why doctors warn it could be deadly. and the first national election since the start of obamacare. how healthcare is shaping the midterm elections.

>> ebola is get most of the headlines, but there's another virus getting news. it's called interovirus, and it's being blamed for the death of a preschooler. >> reporter: for the waller family, everything changed the night of september 24th. their four-year-old son, eli, went to bed with pink eye. >> he was put to sleep that night by his mom, and never woke up. >> reporter: eli was the first death directly linked to the interovirus 68. it has affected 64 people in and almost all of them are children.

adults can get it too, but they're unlikely to show serious symptoms. for kids with asthma or other respiratory problems, however, the virus can make breathing difficult. parents have worried about sending kids to school, since the virus spread through. and doctors say that the greater threat has been the flu. it sends thousands of people to the hospital every year, and killed more than 1,000 last year. but for most kids, it won't be more than a couple of and runny nose. >> many of us will get it, and many of us will experience it as a cold. >> enterovirus is common this time of year. there are more than 100 different kinds, but the u.s. is seeing far more cases of the d68 strain than usual.

>> we haven't seen this virus pop up in decades, and now it has come back in a new form. it has been overcrowding emergency rooms and icus and now it has taken the life of a young child in new jersey. >> the cdcing is working through a backlog of testing, and that means that they expect the numbers to increase. and they say it doesn't necessarily mean that the situation is getting worse. morgan radford, aljazeera. >> . >> a pediatrician in los angeles tonight. and doctor, what is the difference between this virus and the flu virus? >> well, as the story mentioned, it's a virus that has been around, and it's part of a group of viruses called the enteroviruses, and again, it's viruses that can cause flu-like simms, but influenza is a completely different

virus. >> we have been hearing about it for a couple of weeks, and what should parents be concerned about? >> well, the main thing that parents should be concerned about, be watchful and proactive as their child demonstrates any sign of illness, fever, runny nose, couple of, cold. and you know, common things that we experience in our children. and monitor our kids for anything. >> could that be the enterovirus? >> correct, and the enterovirus has been around, and we all are susceptible to catching it. but it's just this particular strain, it's been so unfortunate that it has had a tragic outcome. >> but it's tougher on kids? >> yeah, kids in general are more susceptible to infections, because they're younger and very haven't had enough time to build immunity and exposure to

infects, and the children are more susceptible. >> what about children with asthma? are they at a greater risk? >> definitely, children with asthma are at a greater risk because their asthma predisposes them to have difficulty with growthing and it narrows their airways, and seek regs make it difficult for breathing, and then this virus exacerbates it, and again, it causes complications in asthmatic patients. >> so adults could get t what can families do to protect themselves from this virus? >> definitely, adults can contract this infection, and adults are more likely to have more of the common cough and cold and runny nose symptoms. what can we do to help prevent the spread of this virus? just like we would for any other infection or virus.

good hand washing is very important. and don't share pencils, if you have a cough or runny nose, try not to be around a lot of people, good hand washing, and disposing of your kleenexes, and sanitizing, cleaning. toys especially in groups of children. >> all right, doctor, thank you very much for the information. >> thank you. >> round two of the affordable care act is just a few weeks away. and in mid november. and healthcare enrollment is already being debated in one state election. >> the healthcare website, cover oregon is a major campaign topic in that state's race for governor. under incumbent democrat, a former emergency room doctor, the $248 million website never

completely enrolled a single person. nearly 1/4 of a billion-dollar spent. and not a single successful sign-up. the problems ranged from bad management and contracting decisions to thousands of software bugs, so for most in oregon who did enroll, it was an old-fashioned paper process. they decided to switch to a state-federal partnership. even with the debacle, oregon's sign-up numbers were in the middle of the pack and now the state is suing oracle and oracle is suing the state. both the attorney general are investigating. and thousands of the people who decided to enroll in the plans through cover oregon will have to reenroll to healthcare.gov for the open enrollment period. >> there's much more coming up in the next half hour.

our special report, america votes 2014, while obamacare works well in kentucky, it's all in the name. and why military veterans may feel like a political football this season.

>>d issues in 2014, how involved should the government be in your healthcare? >> you like obamacare? >> ooh. >> and is the government doing enough to take care of u.s. veterans? >> this is an american issue, not democrat or republican issue. >> with midterms a month away, which party will control congress? our special report, america votes 2014. if. hello, everyone, i'm john seigenthaler. and americans have a lot to think about before the vote. and that's why every tuesday,

we're talking about matters that merit to americans. we're looking at healthcare, david schuster looks at the bitter debate over the affordable care act. >> reporter: signed into law four years ago, the official name is the patient and the affordable care act. >> aka, obamacare. >> and from the beginning, there was controversy. >> i wanted single payer >> reporter: many said that the president's plan didn't go far enough to lower costs and cover people. and conservative think tanks a decade ago, republicans bristled. >> we should not have a program that determines to pull the plug on graham. >> reporter: republicans were angry at the process that democrats used to pass the bill. >> can you say that it was done openly? with transparent and accountability? without back room deals struck

behind closed doors? hell no, you can't! >> reporter: moments after john boehner's plea. >> the bill is passed >> reporter: by all accounts, it was a huge democratic legislative victory. later, president obama made a promise. >> people who like their health insurance are going to be able to keep their health insurance. >> reporter: but for some americans that turned out to not be true. and before the healthcare law went into effect, republicans tried to overturn it more than 40 times. >> if obamacare is implemented and enforced, we will never recover from it. >> reporter: a year ago, one republican effort to defund the law led to a government shutdown, and yet the rising healthcare costs is slowing down. david schuster, aljazeera. >> jonathan best looks at the rollout of the affordable care act. >> reporter: when obamacare launched last year, the goal was for 7 million people to

sign up, but after a rocky launch, it exceeded that number. but there were lots of americans without health insurance. more than 41 million people across the country. price is a big concern. the averageridge will pay $384 a month for insurance, and that's up over 7% from last year, but supporters say without the law, prices would have gone up more. but it depends on a lot more factors. with some states in orange, premiums moved down or up, and other states in red, the prices went up. kansas had one of the biggest hikes. average premiums shot up more than 15%, and oregon, prices dropped by 3%. there are a lot of ways to slice the numbers. the affordable care act success and others strongly disagree. it will be years before the numbers are final. >> thank you, and kentucky has

one of the most successful affordable care act roll outs in the country. the only state to expand medicaid. and polls suggest that most people out there don't like obamacare. libby casey joins us with that. >> of all of the states. kentucky has the second best enrollment for meld care, getting more people covered. 500,000 at that. and despite that, kentuckians are not happy with obamacare because of the president that it's named after. frank dixon is only 52, but his body is damaged after decades of the mining industry. >> you look like you're in pain. >> is that your back? >> it hurts. more days i can hardly get up. >> like so many others in eastern kentucky mining, dixon lost his job in 2012, making

$90,000 a year. >> my position has been eliminated. >> what's it like now? >> gosh, i can't say, but now i'm on $300 a month food stamps. >> losing work and health coverage. for years, he and his son were uninsured and then the affordable care act, dixon signed up and qualified for a medicaid plan. here oklahoma goes by connect. that's ky for kentucky. say the word, obamacare, dixon bristles, though he's covered by it. >> do you like obamacare? >> whoo. um, i don't have an answer to that. sometimes -- >> i do recall at least one patient who said, well, i don't want it even if it is free, because he didn't like president obama. >president obama. >> reporter: dr. sharron

colton works at the clinic in everetts, kentucky, which treats about 70 patients a day. they come from all over coal country, and with connect, more people are able to pay for their care, and new patients are seeing a doctor for the first time in years. >> do you feel like your patient understands what connect is versus obamacare? >> they probably don't. they may not, i think some of them are just happy to have insurance, and however they got t. they're happy about t they don't look at the politics. >> reporter: but the term, obamacare, is poison in kentucky. a poll conducted in may found that 57 perfection of kentuckians surveyed disliked obamacare, but when asked about connect, only 22% disapproved. kentucky rates the worst in cancer and obesity and cancer and poor health. here, a man's life expectancy

is only 68. >> men are involved in things like rock falls and very very serious mining accidents, and if they are not killed, they often have devastating injuries and are disabled for the rest of their lives. >> frank dixon said that insurance is holding up back surgery, and he's frustrated that polices in washington don't seem to listen. >> i would like him to come down here and sit and talk. and i wouldn't be hateful. just listen and look and see. >> reporter: it's a feeling he and other kentucky voters will take to the ballot box in four weeks when they decide a tight senate race between mitch mcconnell and allison grimes. the affordable care act will help shape who wins, and kentucky voters may not be able to get past the nickname, obamacare. >> john, mitch mcconnell

pledged to appeal oklahoma and tear it out root and branch, but there's a problem. what about the people who have coverage under connect? mitch mcconnell said that they can keep it, but he doesn't have a clear explanation. allison grimes said that there's room there, and grimes has had a room in state government, which gets credit for connect, but this would play a role in connect. >> you talked last night about coaling a big issue in kentucky, and when it comes to healthcare and obamacare, how much of the race is just about president obama? >> both of those issues, people talk about president obama and how they don't like him. he has a 60% disapproval rating in this state. a university of kentucky journalism professor told me that a lot of kentuckians feel it's the last chance to cast a vote against president obama, and mitch mcconnell is trying

to do that. he's not that popular either, his disapproval rating is about 50%, and allison grimes is trying to run against him. and the idea is if she can use new policies without having to use the "o" word too much. >> the policies that voters care about, but how it will impact their votes is uncertain. mike viqueira with the policies on healthcare, and mike, is it still an issue nationwide. >> it's interesting, in these elections, obamacare is still an issue, and it's an issue that largely hurts democrats, we have been watching three senate debates in three races and three attacks by the republican candidates in the races in virginia and georgia, all attacking to one degree or another, obamacare. what's interesting about this, many democrats, you don't see a

lot of responses of obamacare, but they fall back on the line. some of it needs to be fixed and there are some aspects that are very good, and even one candidate in west virginia stated that -- obviously it's a company with a high uninsured rate has defended obamacare to some degree. we have seen john boehner hinting that wal-mart is going to be dropping 30,000 of its part-time employees from healthcare, something that they tribute to obamacare. and it's not the issue that it was in 2012, and certainly not the issue that it was in 2010, the first election of the obama presidency, but it's still out in the mix. >> so you have the sense that democrats are running from president obama when it comes to midterms. >> well, there are a lot of democrats who certainly don't want to see president obama in their state, certainly not standing side-by-side. it's no secret at this point,

he's deeply unpopular on the issues that are going to bring people to the polls, and that's just it. a lot of ambivalent toward obamacare by democrats. and the key is, this year, the 6th year of any presidency is to get your base out. democrats have notoriously low timeouts, and they're looking for ways to get them out. we saw him run an ad in arkansas, and what pryor is trying to do is get his people to the polls. the downside of that, republican voters look at that, and they're reminded why they hate president obama and democrats all over again, and it might have the opposite effect of getting them to the polls. so a dicey situation. >> in a month's time when the votes have been cast, we'll learn if the republicans can get control of the senate. and if they do, some may be pushing to appeal the

affordable care act. mary joins us from washington, and good to see you, mary, thank you very much. is it possible that congress with repeal the affordable care act? >> it would be a heavy list. republicans need at least 12 votes to control the senate. but the president would veto it, and the net is not thought with republican control to override that veto. >> so they will change it? >> one thing that can happen, the house of representatives voted dozens of time to repeal all parts of the law, and those votes have never seen the senate because its controlled by democrats. if the senate were controlled by republicans, they would certainly bring the measures to the floor and vote for them. and force a lot of really uncomfortable votes on

democrats. >> what about trying to cut off funding for obamacare, is that a possibility? >> they could try again, and it would make a very uncomfortable moment for the president, and they would have to do the veto override. but they would point out things like the amount of money spent on subsidies, and they could talk about the comprehensiveness of the coverage, and talk about the ex sensexpense of it and so on. >> we just did the story on the resident of kennedy, he likes the care, and it's not called obamacare in kentucky, but he doesn't like obamacare. what do you think the biggest success is of obamacare, the affordable care act to date? >> the points of the law will point to the fact that 7.3 million people have signed up and paid their prepar premiud you have others on the affordable care act. and millions of adult children,

up to 26, are on their parent's health insurance plan, and a lot of parents like that. and you can't be turned away with a preexisting medical condition, and there are no annual caps on the coverage. so many democrats up for re-election say these are the things about the affordable care act or obamacare that people actually like. >> . >> how do the republicans walk that back. >> they say, a family of four, with an income up to $92,000, maybe that's too generous. >> but for instance, this business of providing care for older children, or providing care for those who have preexisting conditions, can republicans walk that issue back? >> they actually accept those provisions, and those are things that they say should stay. but the difficulty is, for example, many republicans want to get rid of the individual

mandate. well, if you have this requirement that most people buy coverage or pay a fine, then the costs could increase, so the talking point might say one thing, but the actual mechanics of how they could produce it, that's where it gets really difficult for republicans. >> at the interesting, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> and coming up next, it's campaign ad season. and a lot of focus on the ads, including veterans. we'll take a look at the voting block and the issues that matter to veterans, and plus a look at voting laws across the country. key parts of the voting rights act.

>> they are some of the most

sought after voters in the midterm leaks. members of the american military past and present. they have been featured in tens of thousands of political ads. and we look at the political clout of veterans in tonight's face of america. >> america's 23 million veterans,. >> i see them being thrown around like a political football. >> but that's just what republicans and democrats are doing, from arkansas. >> from iraq in the national cemetery -- >> so alaska. >> the marine core corp shaped who i am. integrity, honor and results. >> and just about everywhere in between, americans are flooding the airwaves with ads on veterans' issues, touting their credentials or attacking their opponents. >> by the end of september, the number of veteran themed ads by

outside organizations or by candidates themselves, hit more than 42,000. >> one of the republican messages is the democratic administration is incompetent. and the failure is an example of their incompetence. and the message is, republican cuts are taking money from people who matter. >> reporter: veterans are a relatively small slice of the voting public. but some say that the veterans issues may be influential this season. particularly in close contest, where democrats are looking to put daylight between themselves and president obama. >> in many of the states that are fighting for control of the u.s. senate, president obama is extremely unpopular, so airing an ad about how aghast or horrified someone is about how they are being treated by the veteran's administration, is a terrific way to show your close

to veterans and distance yourself from an unpopular president in those states. >> they have a corner on caring veterans, it's simply not true. this is an american issue, not a democratic issue or republican issue, it's something that all americans care about. >> it's something that both parties think is a political winner. whether they leek it or not, we'll see more ads focused on them and their issues before election day. >> so just how influential can the members of the military be at election time? jake ward has been punching the numbers. >> this memorial in san francisco lists the names of americans who lost their lives in the pacific during worlworld war ii. now, world war ii veterans have always combined the leans of americans because world war ii veterans are the single largest group of veterans to fight on

behalf of the united states. of the 42 million who have fought since the american revolution, 16 million of them have fought in world war ii, but those numbers are beginning to change. of the living veterans today, only 1.7 million world war ii veterans are still alive, and it's the vietnam veterans who are the largest group right now. over 7 million people. so when the numbers change, our assumptions about their political needs are going to change too. >> jesse is a retired marine corp gunery sergeant and he has worked with the group, concerned veterans for america. jesse, it's good to have you on the program. >> good evening, and thank you for inviting me. >> what do you think the biggest issues are that veterans care about? >> well, we have huge issues.

the veterans administration has failed on many issues, anything from the backlog of the claims addressed and proven mismanagement and they won't fire them. though a law was passed for the secretary to start firing executives. they just announced today that four executives have been fired. and they have not actually fired them. and one of them resigned and retired on september 25th. so it seems business as usual at the va where they protect their executives and don't give care. >> compensation in the military is a big issue too, and talk about that. >> absolutely. military pay has been basically frozen at 1% increase for 2014, and the proposal from this administration is to take it all the way up to 2007. that puts it at 1.8% less than what the average federal worker

increase will be. and that means that military workers cannot keep up with the cost of living. right now, it's reported that the military, including our guard and reserve, 25 perfection of them are on food stamps so it has hit their pocketbooks hard. >> and there are other costs and benefits as well. >> right now, there are increasing costs in the commissaries, and out of pocket expenses for housing, and they're looking at proposals for try care allowances t. for their copay costs to go up, and they're looking at eventually a sergeant and e5 captain will roughly have to pay $5,000 out of pocket. and in addition, they will lose $5,000 between the pay and the allowances or increases that they will have to pay out of pocket. >> so we have seen thousands of

ads where the candidates talk about the veterans, and how do you think that veterans see that? >> well, i think that veterans have to start paying closer attention, and holding the elected officials to their campaign promises. we have seen on both sides of the fence, those very supportive to veterans, and those who haven't lived up to this were promises. kay hagen accused elizabeth dole of not keeping track of the va. and in her watch, there were a lot of problems with the veterans administration, and then we see wonderful officials like senator cornyn supporting getting the voting out there, and getting the ballots overseas at time. and making sure that the active military has the ability to vote on time and have their votes cast and counted on time. so you have to look at your individual senators and see what they promised when they ran, and if they're not holding

up to it, go out and don't vote for them. we have 22 million veterans in it the country, and if they all got out and voted, it would make a difference. >> maybe the focus on veterans this time will make a difference. jesse, good to see you. >> thank you. >> coming up next, it's not just about who you're voting for this election. in some places, it's about how you are voting.

>> america votes 2014, and this year, americans across the country will be facing times and dates and more rules. changing laws and controversy. they are critical to protect leaks. are they really needed? >> reporter: unemployment is falling and wages are rising. >> one of the big campaign issues this year. >> these are my priorities -- >> reporter: is not who to vote for, but how. some states are now requiring i.d.s, slashing early voting

and eliminating same day registration. all of this a year after the supreme court gutted the voting rights act. north carolina is among the most controversial, by requiring i.d. at the polls. backed by the governor. >> photo i.d.s are part of our everyday life. you need a photo i.d. to board an airplane, cash a check. >> they are causing confusion and controversy. from wisconsin to ohio, where officials have cut and delayed early voting. >> it is a major step backwards to allow these ridiculouses to early voting to go into effect. >> supporters say that they're reasonable to eliminate voter fraud. >> if you're trying to vote illegally, it may be possible that you're getting away with it, and nobody is ever going to know. >> a university law professor

found only 31 credible incidents out of boater fraud out of 1 billion votes cast since 2000. >> overwhelmingly, people are abiding by the law, and you don't have the polls in droves saying i'm going to vote anyway, though i'm not an eligible voter. >> in many places, illegal votes are not the problem, it's simply persuading voters to show up. >> in a month, aljazeera america will be traveling to battle ground states in kentucky, and focus okay kentucky because the senate race there is a contest between a 30-year-old political veteran and a new candidate half his age. libby casey joins us with what's on voter's minds. >> john, we heard a lot of folks talking about an uncertain economic future. we visited a local football game in coal country to find out what the teenagers are

facing now that the blue collar jobs their parents had are gone, and what lies ahead. one town is not waiting for politicians to help. they're starting businesses like tattoo parlors and cafes and creating the tight knit communities that their parents remember. these are very personal issues for kentuckians, but the senate race is being watched all over the country, and money is pouring in. tomorrow night, we'll look at the millions of dollars being spent, including dark money, coming from deep pocketed secret donors. john. >> tazz our special report. and thank you for watching.

>> on "america tonight" - how to stop the spread. first line responders wonder if they have enough information to identify ebola. the city's u.s. officials identified as the key entry point for ebola, and the key questions being asked now to head off the contagion. also - fighting down the home stretch. in a key state the challenger works to tie the incumbent to the president's health