thank you for joining us. >> hi, everyone, this is al jazeera america. the growing call in europe for a palestinian state. recession fear, russia's economy hurt by oil prices and western sanctions. putin's next move, baghdad bargain. iraq strikes an oil deal with the kurds. how it could impact a fight against isil. immigration reaction. the republicans plan to undo the president's reforms. and down poor.

heavy rain in california. a region in need of water, but how much is too much? >> we begin tonight with israel and two developments that could have a big impact on the peace process. prime minister benjamin "n fired two of his cabinet members today. he plans to dissolve parliament and call for early elections. meanwhile, recognizing pile line as a state. it is the fifth time that they have pledged support for a palestinian state in the last two months. andrew simmons is in jerusalem. >> it was a five-party coalition that never got on, and it call came to a head with angry exchanging. netanyahu had the last word, though, he fired his critics. >> almost from the first moment and maybe for other reasons in this government there was

friction, and there were opposing views. it is conducted under the threat of ultimatums and relentless attacks within the government, at the government, and at me, who stands at its head. >> capital meetings have been charged with divisions, smiling here in better times. finance minister had a showdown with netanyahu on monday night. he accused him of deliberately dragging the country into early election. >> israel is not in an easy situation. gaza is not demilitarized, an entire generation finished each month in debt. we could have worked together to fix it. >> major discriminations with netanyahu with defense spending and plans to cut tax for first-time house buyers. the justice minister has been the most outspoken opponent to netanyahu's pet project, the

bill that would make israel the nation-state of the israel people. it has been widely criticized for discriminating against palestinian citizens. whatever it's election, many israelis don't want. >> the politicians have decide there had are internal issues that are pushing them towards elections but at the end of the day it's not going to help the civilians, the people living in israel. >> i believe that it's not right to have elections now. it's too expensive. the country isn't in good shape any way. many israelis are living below the poverty line. >> whoever may get the upper hand after this bruising crisis will be faced with a constant of israeli politics. putting together a coalition will always be a posh work job,

with no firm guarantee it will hold together. >> there is a lot dealing ahead, with issues of gloom over any chance of peace talks with the palestinians, the timing of the election is not good. >> now to france and the vote in parliament that called for the recognition of a palestinian state. it's a symbolic move, jonathan betz with more in. >> frustration is growing with palestinians and israelis no closer to peace, and the countries are feeling compelled to choose sides. >> reporter: the vote is not binding but it carries a lot of symbolism. the lower house of the french parliament overwhelmingly approved a resolution to recognize the state of palestine. >> this is more than symbolic. this is a political issue. >> reporter: it's also a clear sign that patience is running

out. a bloody war in gaza this year followed failed peace talks. israel continues to build settlements on palestinian land, in violation of international law. while israelis have been reeling from recent attacks on civilians. >> we can just continue to be with the status quo. the status quo is very dangero dangerous. >> reporter: a palestinian state should emerge from negotiations, yet 130 countries already recognize an independent palestine. not until three years ago did parts of western europe get on board. sweden and iceland recognize palestine. lawmakers in three other countries approve non-binding resolutions, and france is now on the way to do the same. >> this action of the french parliament gives us hope that we will have our independent free country in the future.

>> reporter: france has europe's largest jewish and muslim population. it has been rocked by violent protest in recent months. >> if you radicalize those in israel we don't want to hear about a palestinian state, and if you radical those in palestine, continue to deny the rights in israel. >> so far the attacks of french jews, and many are moving to israel in record numbers. >> a move like this condones the actions against jewish people in france. >> supporters hope it will force a move where little seem to change. >> if you want to have peace, peace has to go on two legs, and two legs mean two states. >> this will likely not change france as support for israel since that is decided by the president, but it's foreign minister announced that if a

deal is not reached in two years, then france will follow it's parliaments' move and formerly recognize palatine. >> thank you. al jazeera's diplomatic editor james bays has more on the diplomatic debate on a palestinian state from the united nations. >> reporter: here at the united nations in the last couple of hours arab ambassadors have been meeting. they say that the french parliamentary vote is not just symbolic. it shows the changing dynamicking of global public opinion. some are pressing ahead to pass a resolution in the security council to send an end date for israeli occupation. he said that the prospect of an early israeli election helps him in that end. >> the extremist government is going to not affect in a negative way the deliberation in

the security council. i believe that will push the security council to act on the draft very quickly. >> reporter: there's been an arab draft of a possible resolution now for two months. the french have also produced their own draft. and i understand that there is also u.s. draft in existence. it's not clear whether they've shared it though with any other countries. there are bound to be tough negotiations on these competing texts. we understand, john, that the u.s. does not want any sort of timeline in any resolution that could be passed by the security council. >> that's james bays at the u.n. dove waxman, professor of political science at northeastern university. he specializes in israeli foreign policy. he's in boston tonight. professor, welcome. let me go back to the new elections in israel. what does it mean, and what does netanyahu want? >> well, what netanyahu wants is

to emerge from these elections in a stronger position than he is in today. he wants to find himself in government that i think is likely to have the support of the ultra orthodox parties to dispense with the uncomfortable alliances that he has had with the centrist parties. this has always been a marriage o convenience for netanyahu, and he wants to find himself in a natural alliance with the right wing government. >> does this produce an ultra conservative government? >> if in fact, as opinion polls indicate today, this will lead to an increased in support for the right-wing parties, and for the jewish home party. yes, the government will be even more right wing than the present government, and certainly much more religious than the present government. >> how will a new government affect the proposed peace talks? >> well, if such a government were to come about, essentially

it would doom any peace talks. already, it's pretty slim as it is, but certainly a more right wing government would mean that there is absolutely no purpose to having any sort of peace talks. i think the palestinians have already concluded that, but it would only reinforce the tendency to pursue statehood through the united nations and through other avenues, and it would lead the obama administration to effectively give up hope of presumption of peaks negotiations while he is in office. >> let's go to the big news in france. the parliament decided to recognize the palestinian state. how does that impact israel, and does it matter to netanyahu? >> it doesn't seem to matter too much to netanyahu. he thinks that the international community is he often against the israel sentiment. but what it does indicate to the

israeli public is israel's increasing international isolation. europe is a major trading partner with israel. this is not something that can be dismissed. this does indicate that european public opinion, european politics is growing impatient with the conflict, and regarding israel, rightly or wrongly for blame for the failure to move forward in the peace talks. this is something that could influence the israeli public in the upcoming election it is they take seriously israel going into isolation. >> what does it mean for the united states and the united states foreign policy when it comes to israel? >> well, i think in the short term it's going to mean that the united states is not going to relaunch any sort of peace talk or peace process for the foreseeable future. it means that it will be a real temptation to get involved in the israeli politics, to influence behind the scenes the outcome of the elections so they

can help to bring about a government in israel that is more moderate, and that will be more supportive of the peace talks, and so that could lead to growing tension even more than already between the u.s. and israel if the obama administration want to meddle in domestic politics. >> and the u.n. are pushing peace talks, a possible resolution on that, does that have any influence over israel? >> absolutely. i think one of the up coming voters does take place in the u.n. security council, and particularly the obama administration stance on this, it normally vetoes resolutions that are hostile to israel or abstains, this might be seen as the indication of the health of the u.s.-israeli relationship. that is something that israeli voters do care about. they do recognize u.s. is israel's most important ally. anything that could be jeopardizing that relationship.

>> isn't it already jeopardized? >> well, it is. that's something that they're going to be challenging ne netanyahu, and they'll make a big deal over in the election campaign. netanyahu's critics have accused him for months of undermining this relationship. that's something that could ultimately hurt netanyahu at the pools. >> professor waxman, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> lebanon said it is holding a wife and son of reclusive islamic leader abuing a bad daddy. the two were arrested at the border crossing with allegedly fake identification carts. it is believed they could be used as bargaining chips for lebanese prisoners. president obama may be close to naming his next defense

secretary. reports say that ashton carter is about to replace defense secretary chuck hagel. >> ashton carter has been a fixture in the security world for years. he has made his mark as the top weapons buyer where he cut or canceled outdated or inefficient weapons programs shepherding in a ten-year plan to save $500 billion. as the pentagon's acquisition chief he had two priorities: getting better weapons to the troops and getting better deals for the tax payers. he has taken controversial stance when north korea was about to test it's new missile. carter advocated a preemptive strike that would destroy the missile on the launch pad. it was a risky advice that the bush administration chose to

ignore. he has a bachelors in physic and medieval history. he went to yale and was an oxford rhodes scholar. he was called a middle age uber wonk. senator john mccain has called carter qualified and non-terrible. >> that's jamie mcintyre from the pentagon. many secretary of defense have served in uniform, but ashton carter has not. we talked about how important military services is for a defense secretary. >> you could b be a roady, you could make sure that the lights are all good for the rolling stones, but jumping out to be mick jagger to replace him from being a roady, i don't think it is. i hate to make it that basic, but he has been the ultimate roady. he has been the guy behind the scenes doing the hard technical

issues, but he has never been out there like a panetta or gates, who have not actually been in the uniform, but have done hard things. >> you think he is a wrong choice? >> i do. i don't think he's the right choice. i think there are much better choice outs there, someone who is outside of the bureaucracy who can come in. >> more of my interview tonight at 11:00 eastern time. now to immigration. how republicans are taking aim at president obama's immigration reform plan. on capitol hill today they grilled homeland security secretary jay johnson about the executive actions. mike viqueira is at the white house. >> reporter: good evening, john. republicans are union need in one respect. they all agree they want to turn back president obama's action on immigration initiative. their split is what to do about it. republican leaders concede that there is little they can do in the short term to stop president obama from going it alone on immigration. >> it's a serious threat to our

system of government. and frankly, we have limited options and limited abilities to deal with it directly. >> reporter: house speaker john boehner does plan a house vote to block mr. obama later this week, but it will die in the senate why democrats have control one more month. the effort will be one more chance for conservatives to vent their anger, and there is plenty of anger. jay johnson time after time at a capitol hill hearing republicans ask what gives president obama the constitutional right to act on immigration without congress? >> i'm fully comfortable that we have the legal authority to push forward these reforms in particular. specifically with regard to deferred action that is an authority that presidents have used for decades. >> don't just start yelling,

young ladies. >> but it was the president's recent comment and response to pro reform hecklers that drew the sharpest rebuke. >> but, what you're not paying attention to is the fact that i just took an action to change the law. >> to republicans was a telling comment. >> so you say he didn't change the law, but the president said he changed the law. >> he acted within existing law. he acted within our existing legal authority. >> tuesday the white house tried to explain. >> i think he was speaking colloquially. >> republicans are talking about cutting funding in the spring. by that time they'll control the house and senate, and they can decide on an union need strategy. >> still ahead in this broadcast. should a state be allowed to execute a mentally ill prisoner. and chicago raises it's minimum wage. why opponents say that is a bad idea.

>> last minute efforts are under way to spare the life of a texas prisoner on death row. heidi zhou castro joins us from huntsville action, texas, with more. >> there is always a last-minute rush in texas for people trying to prevent executions. the state performance more executi

executions than any other state, but what makes this stand out is the ground swell behind him. they say the execution will violate international law, but the visit evangelical leaders from around the country said that this execution should be halted. yet his execution is less than 24 hours away. >> panetti, an honorbly discharged naval veteran was diagnosed as a schizophrenic at age 20. medication did not work. he was hospitalized more than a dozen times. then in 1992 he shot and killed his wife's parents. >> he did so believing this was a fight between good and evil, and in killing them he was getting rid of the devil. >> reporter: panetti insisted on representing himself at trial. >> scott wore a cowboy outfit with a purple necker chef. he tucked his jeans in his cowboys and waved a cowboy bible

and spoke obsessively about cowboys and broncos. >> panetti tried to subpoena god, john f. kennedy, and the pope and said that sergeant was responsible for the killings. the charge, going. sentence, death. he has been on death row for 19 years. he has not received treatment for schizophrenia for much of that time and has been in steady decline. they assessed panetti in up. >> he has one of the most severe forms of schizophrenia that i've ever seen. >> but he was found competent to be executed. a defend must rationally understand that he's being punished for his crime. the justices did not say whether

panetti necessarily met that criteria, so the question remains open. >> in my opinion it was pretty clear that did he not understand why he's being put to death. he thought he's being put to death because he's preaching the gospel. >> experts on the state's side concluded that schizophrenia is an act. >> could he have been faking it? >> i can't imagine someone faking that intensity. i've never seen it. like i said, maybe five or ten minutes. but this guy goes on for three hours. i've been on deathblo death row evaluating other people, you can hear him in the background. he goes on and on. >> it's the sign of a severely mentally ill man. one who does not know right from wrong and should be protected. >> i think if scott panetti is executed on wednesday we will be

taking a step that in this country that is virtually unprecedented. and what this would say about the american justice system is that we've crossed a moral line. >> now the legal question before the supreme court is whether panetti not only had a factual but rational understanding of his punishment. does he get that being put to death is punishment for the murders he committed? also an appeal for clemency is up before governor rick perry, who is a strong supporter of the death penalty. >> an american couple detained in qatar could head home in hours. a travel ban for them has been lift: the wongs were accused of starving their adopted daughter to death and sentenced to three years in prison. well, sunday a qatari court overturned that ruling but prevented the couple from leaving the country. al jazeera america's parent company is funded by the

government of qatar. congress is pushing professional sports leagues to take a tougher stance on domestic abuse. during a senate hearing things got emotional. >> reporter: this is not the first time that sports leagues have been summoned to capitol hill, and it's clear that congress wants some action. jay rockefeller not only pointed out how the league handled domestic violence, but he made it clear that he was disappointed that none of the commissioners from the nfl, nba, nhl o attended the hearing. but they sent in high ranking representatives. and one man spoke about watching domestic violence as a wild and how it effects him today. >> i work in an effort to keep

others from experiencing this lifetime pain. i relate to the 20 million victims, survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse, in every community across our great nation. >> later in the hearing senator grilled vincent on the ray rice incident, specifically on the league's inability to obtain the video of race striking his now wife janay. >> in light of the second video, how do you know that. i assume was there. ray rice had it. >> senator, the first video, a heartless, gutless despicable, i don't think there was a need for second video to impose the proper discipline. we failed in that particular area. the commissioner has acknowledged that. our office has acknowledged that. we made a critical mistake. >> it will be a busy vehicle for vincent. while answering questions, the

officer overseeing adrian peterson's appeal said that vincent must testify during those proceedings as well. peterson testified that vincent told him that the games he missed would be considered time served by the league. the nfl now denies that. >> some tough times for the nfl. >> absolutely. >> thank you. coming up on this broadcast from drought to flood, california now dealing with too much rain all at once. plus, the first step for nasa that could eventually take astronauts to mars.

>> russia is feeling the pressure from a double blow to its economy. leaders in moscow are predicting recession next year. they're blaming the recent drop

in oil prices over ukraine. the gdp is expected to lower by 1% and inflation is expected to rise. the ruble fell to an all-time low against the dollar on monday. ambassador, welcome, how bad is this news for vladimir putin? >> well, i think that gla vladimir putin feels like he has options and highways time. it's not great news, but he feels like he can unwind the sanction through his behavior whenever he wants. he has more leeway than any western politician would have. the decline in the ruble helps him to manage it domestically. he feels that he has some opti options. >> what impact would this have on europe? >> well, i don't think it's going to have much of an impact on europe. there is less buying power on

russia. it affects export to russia, and at the same time europe depends on russia for oil and prices are down. so i don't think it will have a big impact on western europe one way or another. >> what would it mean for an u.s. economy? >> likewise. our trade levels with russia are much smaller compared to relationships with the rest of the world. i don't think it will have a direct impact in one way or another. what we were all hoping that the economic down turn in russia, the budget pressure because of the prices in oil will effect his as in ukraine. he feels he can wide this out a little longer on the ground.

>> is it the prices of oil. >> i think it's the prices in oil, that's the direct impact on russia, and his ability to buy things. if that persists over the next couple of years they'll feel that. but short of that putin still feels he can weather this. he'll use it to rally domestic nationalism at home. he'll calibrate his actions whenever he wants in hopes of lifting sanctions at that point. right now i don't think we'll see much change in russian behavior, and i don't think there will be a lot of leverage in our hands. >> what is the potential for a recession? >> well, you're starting to see things that are interesting. inflation is what people will notice the most. the prices of imported goods are going up. that's raising the overall level of inflation. that's quite something. in addition to that certain goods are disappearing. you have anecdotal evidence of

restaurant without certain things on the menu any more because they had been importing those things, and now they're not there. at the same time putin is trying to use this as a rallying cry. we should replace these foreign goods with russian-pro business oproduced goods. it has not yet hit a boiling point. if over a couple more years the situation persists and the situation gets worse, then i think you'll see impact on stability in russia, and the overall economy. >> so he's still popular as he was six months or a year ago? >> he it comes and goes, but he's still very popular. the incursions in ukraine and the sense of restoring russian greatness, they have boosted him in the polls, and he has not yet fallen back to levels where he was a year or two ago, so he's still riding high.

>> kurkurt volker, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> john, as you know, this deal is incredibly important for iraq. it puts to an end this long-running dispute over oil between baghdad and the kurds in the oil-rich north. it comes at a criminal time when the country needs to be unified in a fight against isil. after years of squabbling, a pact to share iraq's oil well and possibly bring the fragmented country closer together. under the deal the kurds in the north will supply baghdad with 250,000 barrels of crude per day. the kurds will also be allowed to ship 300,000 barrels to turkey every day. >> a deal between the federal government and the government of the region on the pending issues in the budget and it's law and

the issue of oil, affirming that oil is for all iraqis. >> as part of the deal iraqi central government will supply money and weapons for the kurdish peshmerga, critical to the fight against isil in the north. over the summer as isil routed the iraqi army and advanced on baghdad, the kurds took full control of their region's oil fields further fueling concerns in baghdad about a positive kurdish push for independence. but with the new deal in place and a new iraqi prime minister pushing for unity, the kurds and shia-led government seem poised to take on isil together. the obama administration is sounds likely to see the deal as a victory for its policies. earlier this year the u.s. supported replacing prime minister nouri al-maliki with the more inclusive hiredda

inclue of hyde al abadi. >> they said that this agreement would strength iraq's government and the kurdish regional government as they work together to defeat isil. as they seem to come together it's unclear how prime minister al abadi will bring sunni leaders into the fold, and cooperation with the sunnies in the north and west that could prove decisive in the fight against isil. >> what is also unclear is how this deal will affect iraq's national budget. the government was scheduled to present it's budget next week but that budget is outdated as oil prices fall to all-year lows. that leaves the government trying to fight isil while trying to pay the bills at the same time. >> thank you. a growing number of u.s. soldiers say they contracted life-threatening illnesses while

deployed. during the wars in iraq and afghanistan the military disposed of hazardous materials in burn pits. now soldiers say that it caused lung disease and cancer. >> i've lost a lot. i don't like being like this. >> 35-year-old anthony thornton suffers from a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. >> i cannot tell you my wife's middle name or my daughter's. i don't remember everybody's name. >> doctors had to take out part of his brain, his left lobe, and part of his hippocampus. he has trouble speaking, can't read any more and has trouble keeping up with his three-year-old daughter. he believes he got sick from toxins he was exposed to while serving his country.

>> there it goes. >> massive open air burn pits like this operated on u.s. military bases across iraq and afghanistan. at the height of the wars more than 250 bases burned their trash. releasing large plumes of black smoke into the air. >> during the daytime it was solid black. you could smell it. >> anthony thornton is not the only veteran seriously ill. 25,000 have signed the burn pit so far, and civilians serving in iraq and afghanistan are also coming forward. their illnesses are often difficult to diagnose, but what is clear fit women and men who were ready to serve their country end up getting ill and in some cases dying. you can see more on my report on burn pits at the top of the hour. and you can see why veterans

continue to struggle for benefits and care that they ne need. >> now to hong kong and a major setback for pro democracy activists, officials telling activists to retreat, it's a matter of safety. sarah clark has more. >> it was certainly a very emotional address by the athle three founders of the movement. they said they have asked or appealed to students here to retreat. the reason is that they have concern for their safety in the wake of the clash sunday night. they say this is now considered a dangerous place. they say the police action was out of control, and they said that the hong kong administration. they've asked for the movement, to keep it peaceful, but they

want the campaign now to be one of peace and community campaign. they also said they would respect the students' decision if they decide to stay. >> missouri's governor is scaling back the national guard in ferguson. it comes after several days of relative calm. riot protests erupted after the grand jury decision in the shooting death of michael brown. they may now arrest brown's stepfather, who was seen yelling and burning things down. >> we've been waiting for rain like this for quite a while, but unfortunately too much in too little time is what is happening.

we've seen in los angeles a month's worth of rain just in the last 24 hours. let's take a look at the big picture now all due to the area of low pressure sitting off the coast in rotating counterclockwise. you can see the storm that has been moving too much, and moving up the moisture over california. you can see the rain all the way from san diego all the way up through the northern parts to the border of oregon. in some locations we've seen over three inches of rain here in southern california. the watches and warnings are out right now. we're talking about flash flood watches in southern california as well as a flash flood warning for san bernardino county, which is going to last until 7:00 p.m. local time. we're going to be watching this very carefully. for the next 24 to 48 hours, though, the rain will continue. we're going to be seeing two areas we're concerned about. down here towards the south anywhere where there is two to four inches of rain. and in the north it could be

three to five inches. in some areas we need over a foot of rain to break the drought in this area. we're going to see more flooding, mudslides and landslides, john? >> thank you. we have more on the heavy rain and threat of mudslides. jennifer london is in glendora, california, with more. jennifer? >> reporter: john, good evening. one of the cities in southern california that is at most risk of heavy mudslide or debris flow is the city of glendora, it's about 30 miles east and south of los angeles. it is a community of 50,000 people, and the majority of homes are nestled against the foothills of the san gabriel yell mountains. the reason why this area is at risk of a mudslide or debris flow is because of the colby fire that destroyed 200 acres

and left many hillsides around here denuded, which means it left it without brush and trees. the rain is coming down so quickly, that the ground is not able to absorb it be, and that causes mudslides. they have set up a sandbag distribution center about 18,000 sandbags have been distributed so far. voluntary evacuations are in effect so far, but there may be mandatory evacuations. right now there are no major debris fields flowing, but it will be a tense night for homeowners here. >> thank you. the power was off, and now it's back on in downtown detroit.

a widespread outage shut down schools and businesses for hours. bisi onile-ere reports. >> reporter: the city's aging electrical grid is to blame for this power outage over 900 locations primarily here in downtown detroit were effected. but the lights are slowly coming back on. as you can imagine when the outage first hit it caused a lot of confusion. a number of buildings had to be evacuated over 700 traffic signals are out. 36 fire stations were without power. electricity was cut to over 80 schools, and some people were even you stuck in elevators. detroit mayor mike duggen held a press conference and blamed the city's crumbling infrastructure. out of the bankruptcy the city is getting out of the business of running a lighting department. the mayor talked about where the city is that in that transus.

>> dte is in the process of building a $200 million system to serve these customers because the dpd system was so far gone it just could not be salvaged. so we're in the early phases of this four-year process. >> reporter: throughout all of this the city of detroit never lost 911 dispatch, and the mayor said that no one was seriously hurt. the power is expected to be fully restored by night's end. bisi onile-ere, al jazeera, detroit. >> new information from the white house today on how the administration has tackled the ebola crisis at home and abroad. morgan is here with more. >> that's right, a lot going on today. president obama is asking congress to approve billions of dollars in emergency ebola funding after recent reports afte offer a clearer picture of where the u.s. stands in the fight against this crippling

disease. >> reporter: president obama urged congress to approve $6 billion in emergency money to fight ebola. >> much of the progress we've made and the progress we still need to make depends on funding. it's an expensive enterprise. that money is running out. we cannot beat ebola without more funding. >> reporter: at the at the same time the administration said 35 u.s. hotels are now equipped to treat patients with ebola, and 42 labs in 36 states are now prepared to state for ebola. there were only 13 labs that could do it back in august. the white house also says that it's adding about 200 civilians and 3,000 troops to help fight ebola in west africa. in liberia alone the u.s. has already opened three ebola treatment units and a hospital. this all on the heels of a study published by u.s. researchers just last week which found that an experimental ebola vaccine

appears to be safe with no major side affects for the volunteers who tried it. now, when it comes to battling ebola the group "doctors without borders" is less optimistic. it said that the international response to the virus has been slow, and international bodies have been more concerned with managing the ebola crisis while leaving the hands-on fighting of the disease to local people. but in a report to the president the ebola response coordinator ron clayne said that the efforts to stop ebola virus has improved in the past two months. still, better is relative. it's been 51 weeks since the first casualty in the current outbreak reported in ginea. as of november 26, 16,000 cases have been reported almost all have which have within reported in guinea sierra leanio sierra

lyosierrasierra leone. >> still some fear that despite the president's proposal u.s. lawmakers will be hesitant to approve that spending and be more nervous about investing in the west africa health system. >> everyone is concerned about the future. morgan, thank you very much. in chicago law make verse agreed to raise the minimum wage to $13. we have that story. >> reporter: well, today in chicago mayor rahm emmanuel did a little political maneuvering to get what he wanted on the city's minimum wage. he pushed and ordinance which raises just the city's minimum wage because he said he was tired waiting on springfield lawmakers at the state capitol to do the job. he said he's on solid legal ground to do that by invoking home rule, the right of a city to governor itself apart from the rest of the state considering that the cost of live something much cheaper in the rest of the state.

now the ordinance passed today raises the minimum wage from $8.25 an hour to $10 an hour next july, and then up in incremented from there topping out at $13 an hour by the year by 2019. the mayor pushed this ordinance today because there has been talk in the state capitol in springfield that lawmakers may pass a law for bidding rahm emmanuel from passing the law. so he beat them to the punch. >> costs go up, and you either have to do one of two things. raise prices or reduce hours. to kind of compensate for that increase. >> it gives people at the bottom of the economic scale more money in their pocket. if you put money in the hands of folks at the bottom of the economic scale they spend it. they consume because they need it. so what that does is it helps small businesses.

>> reporter: emanual is also running for re-election now, and some of his detractors say that he's doing this for minimum wage voters. but others are pushing for $15 an hour, so he's getting it from both sides. >> up next, the u.s. prepares to launch astronauts back into space. the new mission for nasa that does not use the space shuttle.

>> on thursday nasa will take the first step in its new man space program called orion. the goal is to eventually take humans to mars. instead of the space shuttles in an is a will use a capsule like gem my and apollo. the first mission will have no astronauts on board. the plan is to make two or bits traveling more than 3,000-miles

from earth, and today nasa leaders say all systems are go. >> we want to discover things that are beyond our model capability and learn to fix it before we put people on board. >> several more test tests are scheduled before the first manned mission in six years. science and technology reporter jake ward talks about the new challenges for nasa. >> the orion spacecraft is a big bad bold space vehicle designed to take six astronauts deeper into space than humanity has really ever gone. it's full of extraordinary new technology, but what is most striking when you see it sitting in the launch pad is how much it looks like the system that brought us to the moon in the 1960 he is an 1960's and 70's. it's a huge sky tripper that is launched vertically to the ground. but the knew features are first an abort launch system that sits

on top of the crew vehicle. it's the long pointy thing at the tip. it's just a big dumb hockey puck at lift off. it's a cam that everybody sits in so it can glide back to earth if anything goes wrong. second, it is a second rocket that can pull the module away from the poster if something goes wrong. it would accelerate passengers a mile up and away from the tower of burning propel lent where something is going wrong. the mod actual is amazing. . it's designed to carry six astronauts to mars and beyond. it will be a place to sleep, eat and conduct science for months on end, so it has to be roomy. it also has to be sturdy. that's the point of the unmanned launch. orion will circle the earth twice. it will be 3600 miles up 15

times higher than the international space station. at that height it will be twice--it will go twice through the van allen belt, an area of intense radiation to see if that radiation fries the navigation system or fry the crew through the heat shielding. and then it will reenter the atmosphere, and then at that speed the air pushed out of the way creates this crazy layer of burning plasma around the capsule and heats it to 4,000-degrees fahrenheit, twice the heat of burning lava. and then it will deploy in stages to slow the ship from inter stellar speeds to splash down without jerking the human

crew so hard that it injuries them. and then depending on how it goes depends when they'll test with a crew on board. the timing alone will make this thing truly the next generation of deep space exploration. >> jake ward, thank you very much. coming up at 11:00 eastern time in our broadcast, the case before florida supreme court that could shift the burden of proof in your stand your ground cases. and residents in the san francisco bay area have to avoid the high cost of housing. those stories and more at 11:00 eastern time. the largest human christmas tree. 3,000 people gathered in honduras to make it possible. thanks for watching. we will see you back here at 11:00 eastern time.

on america tonight, shocking evidence that america veterans who risked all for our defense were sickened by poisons as they serve their country. >> a lot of people are saying this is our generation's agent orange. >> reporter: shiela mc-victor has an exclusive in depth look at the illnesses facing veterans of iraq and afghanistan and the fiery pits that may have poisoned them. also tonight a big health warning from the fda about one of the most common medical