>> hi everyone, this is al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler. >> holy and historic. pope francis arrives in the u.s. during a time of transition in the american church. along with the celebrations, tension over his message. state visit, before china's president heads to washington, d.c. he'll head to washington state. why spying could be message number one at the white house.

>> this is a mass scandal that not only cheated consumers but harmed the environment. >> volkswagen admitted to cheating on emissions test in millions more cars. the cost in billions could put vws future at risk. >> tonight pope francis is in america. washington, d.c. just a few hours ago he was ready to join the president and his family. it was the pope's first visit, and expectations are high. along the way, francis is expected to focus on significant issues like caring for the poor and the planet. he's also expected to ruffle

some feathers. eric pitzi reports. >> there was a roar from the crowd as his plane shepherd one landed outside of washington. the cheers grew even louder as the man known as the people's pope emerged. poised to greetet pope the moment he stepped on u.s. soil for the first time was president obama, the first family. his church officials. the pope was all smiles showing little sign of fatigue having just wrapped up a four-day visit to cuba where he urged continued reconciliation between the communist island and it's democratic neighbor. he pushed that point on his way to the states. >> my wish to get to a good final result, to get to an agreement to satisfy both parties and agreement. >> pope francis is the fourth

pope to visit the u.s. known for his modesty he was whisked away by a fiat. he waved to the crowd thrilled by his presence. the pope's diplomatic agenda kicks off with president obama in the oval office of the white house. the two have met once before. the white house officials stress they share common ground. >> rather i think it's an opportunity for the two men to talk about the values that they have in common, and there are many. >> on thursday pope francis heads to capitol hill where he will be the first pope to address congress. then he's off to new york city where he'll speak to the united nations and lead mass at madison square garden. >> see you in philadelphia. >> francis will end his six-day visit to the u.s. in philadelphia, where he'll attend the world meetings of families, the largest gathering of

catholic families sponsored by the holy seat. there he'll hold one open air mass expected to attract more than 1 million people. erica pitzi,age. >> now catholicism is the largest denomination in the united states, but the united states is in transition leaving catholicism facing obstacles. [singing] >> on a recent sunday in washington, new catholics are christened. >> i baptize you in the name of the father. >> two more added to the rolls of what has been for generations the largest religious group in the united states. it's a welcomed scene. the catholic church is losing followers and fast. since 2007 the number of catholics in the u.s. has dropped by 3 million. roughly 41 million people, you

more than one in ten americans now call themselves form catholics. in new york the church has been forced to clothes 72 parishes in the last year alone. why is it happening? experts point to church teachings on issues of remarriage, lgbt rights, and the status of women in the church as out of step with secular culture. the liturgy or rituals of the mass leave people cold. and the homilies are sermons irrelevant to their lives. while many of those complaints aren't new it's the sexual abuse of children and the cover up that has magnified problems and cut the authority of leaders. >> '82 i was excommunicated. >> joe still lives in the neighborhood of washington's catholic university where he was a catholic minister. >> this is when i got the habit. >> as a young man in 1965, itzz

became a brother in the teaching order but was driven by desire to suppress a growing recognition that he was gay. >> i felt terrible shame, and at that time i felt that i was a terrible sinner as a result of the church's teachings. >> when he started counseling gay students and staff, he was forced out not just from his job but from his church. he found new spirituality as a quicker, but he's angry with pope benedict. >> he eliminated all forms of dissent against the doctrine and then coddled pedophile priests and kicked openly gay and lesbian folks out of their orders. >> now comes a new pope, francis, and his emphasis on the spiritual and not the scriptures of doctrine that has many people hoping that the francis affect can reverse the slide.

>> john, so far there is no evidence that the so-called francis effect that everyone is looking towards now has meant a resurgence. people coming back to the catholic church. one of the ironies here is with all of the controversy around immigration and the pope's stand on immigration and the public statement the one write spot, the fastest growing and the only growing segment in the catholic church in the united states in the south and west, a growing number of hispanic calling themselves catholic and attending mass. >> mike, thank you very much. father reese regional analyst, and is in washington, d.c. tonight. father reese, it's good to have you on the program. what do you think that the pope wants to achieve from his trip? >> i think the pope is coming both as a pastor and a prophet. as a pastor he wants to pray with his people, celebrate th

eucres and teach the gospel. but he also comes as a prophet. that means he's going to challenge us. he's going bring up some issues that we may not want to face. i think, for example, the whole question of immigration and how we--whether or not we're going to welcome immigrants, and whether we're welcoming refugees. clearly he is as also concerned about the poor, and he wants to protect the environment. these are issues that are controversial among some americans. >> so he not only goes to church, he not only preaches the gospel and says mass, he also goes to the united nations and joint session of the united states congress. why is that so important? >> i think it's extremely

important. some people think that the only thing in a the chit churc that the catholic church is about is what happens in the bedroom. but what is at concern is how we leave the earth, that's a moral issue. if global warm something happening, and he believes it is, he accepts the science, then we're going to have devastating impact on people, millions of people all over the world. this is an important moral issue that he wants to raise. i think with wrong but also at the united nations with the whole world. >> what's the significance of the focus on these three major northeastern cities? washington, d.c. new york, and philadelphia? >> well,, pop pope benedict promised to come to philadelphia for the world conference on

families. since he couldn't come pope francis stepped in to do it. since this is his first trip to the united states he really had to come to washington to meet the president. that's normal protocol. then speaker boehner invited him to address the joint session of congress. that will be very interesting to watch. the other thing is in 1965 when paul vi was the first pope to come to the united states, he often wanted to come to the united nations. that's a bully pulpit from which they can articulate their international goals and agenda. >> the argument has been that modern and liberal catholics are very excited about this pope, and conservatives not so excited. how does this pope bring these two sides together, and can he do it? >> actually, if you look at the

public opinion polls, self identified conservative catholics. he gets the kind of ratings that people would kill for. the people who don't like this pope are the conservative commentators. these are the people who will always want the catholic church and the evangelical to be the republican party of prayer they only wanted to address gay marriage and birth control. these things. they didn't want to talk about the poor or immigration or the environment. this pope wants to talk about these things. >> it does sound like a new day. father, thank you very much.

we'll continue to watch as this--this pope visits the united states. much more coming up in a half hour. we'll look at the plan to keep the pope safe and millions who will turn out to see him. stay tune for complete coverage of pope francis in america. there is another important visitor in the united states. china's president and his wife are in the seattle area. they'll make their way to washington later on in the week. tonight xi jinping is expected to make a policy speech. >> john, we expect the soft landing for president xi before he gets into the heavy political lifting with president obama back east. his three-day visit will be

heavy on high-tech business opportunities and international trade. that's what it will focus on, but it will also give the president a chance to get to be known a little bit by the american people. >> he'll be making visits to many northwest companies, microsoft and boeing, but he'll also have a visit to a high school. he was here as a party, local public official many years ago and visited the city of tacoma south of seattle, so he would like to re-establish those roots and get to know the people. i think it's also an opportunity for him to be seen by the american people in a more relaxed fashion. >> it's also a chance for him to show something to the folks back home, and that is that he is aware of economic issues in china looking for business opportunities, and willing to hobnob with the titans of the american business technology world. he'll be meeting with a number of them here. he'll tour a boeing

manufacturing plant tomorrow and see how jets get made. he'll go to microsoft to meet with chinese and american tech leaders and then he'll fifth that high school in tacoma. also greeted by more than 300 or so protesters in downtown seattle. they've been here all day long. the police say it has been a calm day on the streets. heavy security in this part of the city center. >> and they've gotten more vocal since we started the live shot. earlier today he addressed the issue of china allegedly hacking the u.s. what did he say? >> well, he just disavowed any connection. he said that chinese government, chinese business are not responsible for major cyber hacking here in the u.s. that is something that we don't know whether he's going to bring up in a speech that he's expected to give to business and political leaders here tonight. we do expect it's something that president obama will raise with him in face-to-face talks in washington, d.c. again, john, a soft landing here, and a chance for a lot of

high profile visits before he gets down to the political work in washington, d.c. >> allen schauffler, thank you very much. xi jinping has led china for more than two years ago. patricia sabga with more on the man. >> one of the most powerful militaries on the planet. the world's first or second largest economy depending on how you measure it. a ruling party with some 87 million members. 150,000 companies controlling 16 trillion-dollar in assets. china's president, xi jinping, is over all of them. he is the most powerful leader of the people's republic since chairman mao. >> the former instrument it's of

government, he certainly is. >> new york auniversity jerome cohen has studied china for more than a half century. >> he's gambler, he's a high roller. he's bold in taking initiatives. he's determined to overcome the huge obstacles that he confronts, but his position is not as secure as all powerful leader's position is normally thought to be. >> case in point, china's economy. a pillar of legitimacy that has been badly tarnished with growth at its slowest pace, and a stock market that has lost 5 trillion-dollar in dollars since june. flash point to a country in the lead put on edge by anti-corruption campaigns. >> the anti-corruption drive is very popular with the masses. it's not so popular with the elite. because nobody knows, are we

next? >> xi has already suffered shifting political fortune. his high-ranking communist four fell afoul of chairman mao. a fall intensified when xi was sent for reeducation through hard labor on a rural farm, an experience wh who saw the youth join the communist youth, an he has been known as xi dada. big uncle xi. >> people have been using this military parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the defeat of japan. also i think the south china sea

is another vehicle for mustering popular support. >> but as living standards falter along with china's economy, xi's presidency may look far less secure than his powerful image suggests. patricia sabga, al jazeera. >> one issue that is likely to come up during this visit is arrest of a man who is accused of spying. she was taken into custody in march while on business in china. but officials did not formerly arrest her for stealing state secrets until sunday. the white house's inquiries have gone unanswered. according to reports, the retired four-as far general in charge of america's effort is stepping down. general john allen hand picked by president obama to lead the fight. he agreed to lead the post only six months, but he served a

year. allen is reportedly stepping down for personal reasons. former cia director david petraeus apologized to congress for sharing classified information with his biographer and mistress. it was his first appearance since he resigned in 2012 after acknowledging his afear with paula broadwell. >> there is nothing i can do to undue what i did. i can only say again how sorry i am to let--to those i let down and then strife to go forward with a greater sense of humility and purpose and with gratitude for those who stood with me during a very difficult chapter in my life. >> petraeus was invited to give advise on u.s. middle east policy. he called the progress against isil inadequate and suggested the u.s. increase support to iraqi security forces. >> if america is ineffective or

absent in the face of the most egregious violations of the most basic principles of the international order that we have championed, our commitment to that order is inevitably questioned and further challenges to it are invited. >> petraeus also said that the white house should take a harder sans against syrian president bashar al-assad. now to brussels where e.u. ministers approved a plan to relocate 120,000 refugees across 28 countries. 9 goal is to relief pressures on countries like italy and greece. four soviet bloc nations, all opposed the plan. finland abstained from voting. coming up next, volkswagen said that it's sorry. what is next, millions of drivers with vws illegal software in their cars. and after outrage over relativ

relatively cheap medicine that suddenly became extremely expensive, a big drug company may be changing its plans.

>> a pharmaceutical company is reportedly dropping the previous a drug to fight an infectious

disease according to nbc news. at first, it would raise the price by 5,000% in a move that was widely criticized. earlier today the ceo said he didn't see anything wrong with the price hike. >> there is a company that was selling an as ton martin as the price of a bicycle and we buy that company and we asked to charge toyota prices i don' prices, that's not a crime. >> it's decision to raise one pill from $13.50 to $750 also brought a response from democratic presidential candidate hillary clinton. she promised to fight the increasing cost of drugs. the scandal around the volkswagen car maker is growing. it developed software specifically designed to cheat on emissions test. 11million diesel engine vehicles may be affect: volkswagen now

is under criminal investigation. >> with outrage growing the head of volkswagen the world' top selling car company has now issued a video apology. >> ceo martin winterkorn said that the deception, quote, violates everything that volkswagen stands for. he added, quote, i'm endlessly story. winterkorn promised a quick and thorough investigation to uncover how vw came to install software that allows cars to cheat on clean air standards turning on when vehicles are being tested and turning them off when cars are on the road. the result, vw's four cylinder engines spewed up 40 times the nitrogen into the air. >> it not only cheated consumers but harmed the environment. >> on twitter one wrote, as a

longstanding vw owner this makes me sick. another complaint. wait, vw purposely made their cars test clean and drive dirty? as an vw owner i can't adequately express my outrage. a crisis management consultant said that the company needs to act fast. >> the problem with what is happening with volkswagen is that there is an element of premeditation and malice. this stuff didn't happen by accident. in our business we call that a character crisis. >> it is a legal crisis for the company as well. two class action suits have been filed. the new york attorney general has launched a criminal investigation, so reportedly hazard the u.s. department of justice. the environmental protection agency continues it's probe and could fine the company $18 billion. tyson slocum, a consumer advocate, said that it does not

go far enough. >> should somebody go to jail? >> absolutely someone should go to jail. had is one of the most comprehensive complex fraud that i've seen in the united states. >> other countries including france and south korea are looking into volkswagen with it'sing technology violated their regulations. >> on capitol hill they promised to look into these hearings. they have been told to sit tight until vw comes up with a fix. john? >> lisa stark, thank you. our science and technology reporter jake ward actually owns a vw diesel vehicle. he tells us about the frustrations now facing so many volkswagen owners. >> when the volkswagen story broke i tried to be an objective journalist, but it was very hard. this is why, this is my 2010

volkswagen sports wagon tdi. i bought this thing with about 19,000 miles on it from a guy in west virginia. it was great. it really has the best possible combination of mileage and hauling capacity. i can jam everything that my family needs for a weekend while getting into this thing while getting 30 to 40 miles per gallon. diesel gives you more energy by volume than gasoline does, that's why you get better mileage. it happens to be cheaper than gasoline right now, which i feel superior about. the trouble is in the past diesel has been a dirty fuel. it gives off nitrogen oxide. it's the number one contributor to smog, as we think of it. turns out this car is not the kind of clean diesel that we were promised. for the last 60,000 miles this engine has been giving off anywhere from 15 to 30 times as of my jo nitrogen oxide.

this is a story of corporate malfeasance. this is a company that seems to have intentionally deceived all of us about this. but perhaps the most sort of damning part of this is our choice that i and 500,000 owners of this vehicle in the u.s. and 11 million other owners in the world are faced with. we bring it back and do the recall. that's going to hurt the miage. that's going to hurt the performance of this car. that's the reason why i bought it. also none of us will be able to resell this vehicle now that it does not live up to the claims that is made in all the advertisements. so what do we do? that's an impossible choice. putting our own interests aside in the interest of a larger taking off of the road of polluting vehicle. all that have is an impossible

decision. that really is at the heart of this scandal. >> that's jake ward a volkswagen owner. coming up next, pope francis in america. the enormous challenge to keep him safe. and 100 women, their 100-mile pilgrimage, and the message they want to deliver to the pope about migrants.

>> hi, i'm john seigenthaler. >> papal protection. they call him the people's pope because he's often surround by them. >> we believe this event is going to be the largest security challenge that the department and city has ever faced. >> that could an nightmare for security. >> immigration plea, while activists who see the pope as an ally are matching to washington to pressure congress. plus faith and politics. >> it has nothing to do with being a muslim.

>> ben carson tries to change the subject and muslims fight back. the angry online debate and what it could mean for 2016. >> pope francis left cuba earlier today and landed on american soil for the first time in his life. francis will spend six days here in the u.s. and visit three cities. in washington he'll become the first pope ever to address a joint meeting of congress. he then heads to new york and philadelphia where millions are expected to greet him. security for any papal visit is an enormous challenge. it takes months of planning. it's pickerly challenging with the pope who likes to meet face to face with the faithful. paul beben is outside of madison square garden with more. paul? >> well, john, federal officials are saying that this is going to

be the biggest security operation maybe in american history. as you mentioned because pope francis is such a man of the people, he likes to get out and mingle, that makes him an especially difficult security nightmare. this is what makes protecting pope francis such a challenge. his habit of breaking away from his security detail to be with the people. on his visit to the usa the vatican security course, the swiss guard, will be beefed up by a battery of u.s. agencies coordinated by the secret service. the pontiff begins his tour in washington, d.c. where streets within a three-block radius will be shut down for the pope's speech to congress. after washington, the pope travels to washington, d.c new york city where many are preparing for the pope's visit for the u.n. assembly.

>> we believe this will be the biggest security challenge that the department has ever faced. in addition to the pope we'll have 170 confirmed world leaders in the city during the period of time during the general assembly. that's 90% of the world leaders in the city at one time. >> major streets will be shut down during the pope's two-day tour of new york and the pontiff won't be riding around in his normal popemobile. instead, he'll be cruising in a modified jeep wrangler. the last city he'll visit is philadelphia where he's expected to draw a crowd of 1.5 million people for the festival of families. security fences have been put up, and extra surveillance cameras have been put into place. every tool available is being used. >> philadelphia is the venue of the most people. it's the venue of things that can go wrong will be here because it will be outdoor and there will be millions of individuals.

>> in all three cities the federal aviation administration will be restricting air flight. >> pope francis wants to get out of his vehicle and engage with people along the streets. there will be special pens set up for people who have been screened for explosives and weapons so the pope can shake hands and kiss babies and so for. [ sirens ] he has st. patrick's cathedral, harlem, back through center park through madison square garden for a mass on friday. >> good job talking over that siren. paul beben reporting from manhattan. thank you very much. to understand this pope you need to understand the jesuits. francis is the first-ever pontiff to come from the jesui

jesuits. >> i'm expecting surprises, i think he'll focus on a couple of things beyond the gospel. income and poverty. and the recent questions about refugees and migrants. >> it's a new day for the catholic church for this pope. >> it is. >> what is so different? >> with a few years ago you would have say catholic church and people would think sex abuse. but now it's pope francis. >> what about pope francis, does it depend on which side of the fence you are if you're a conservative catholic or liberal catholic? >> i think so. >> what makes him so different from the rest? what is it about his makeup that puts him in the mindset. >> i'm a little bias because i'm a jesuit. i think that's part of it.

they were just different people. john paul is a philosopher. and francis is more of a pastor. he is, to use that great american virtue a very down-to-earth person. >> but the catholic church has been going through a revolution since pope john xxiii, and it's been a fight, and the church has lost a lot of catholics because of that fight. do you think those catholics come back because of this pope or do you lose them? >> i don't think chits have left because of the council, but i'd say secularization in general. people have told me that they are, in fact, are coming back. >> one of the concerns has been women, especially nuns who do the work of god, and often aren't recognized for it, and have no role in the leadership of the church.

do you expect that to change under this pope as well? >> well, he's not going to change his position or the church's position on women's ordination, but he has said he wants women in more leadership roles, and in a recent town hall meeting he said specifically to all u.s. catholic sisters, i love you, be courageous, move forward. he's very supportive of nuns and sisters. >> he's not living in the traditional corridors of the vatican? >> because he wants to live more simply. he said i could not live in this place. 300 people could live in this room. >> this is a dramatic change from how the church has been. >> well, it is and it isn't. caring for the poor and social justice has always been part of our tradition clear back to jeez, who said to care for the poor. >> some say that the church has lost it's way. >> i think the difference is in emphasize. pope francis has said in an interview in american magazine that he thought that some of

these issues sexual morality. homosexuality, abortion and contraception has been over emphasized by the church. he shifted the emphasis. the teaching has been there, and what is new is the environmental stuff. he has shifted the emif a success on what he wants to focus on, which is poverty, environment and mercy. >> he's going to speak to a joint session of congress. this is a little unusual, right? >> hum, very unusual. >> the pope is going to speak to members of congress about what? what is he going to tell them? >> he's probably going to praise the u.s. government and democracy and our culture, and he's going to lay down some challenges in particularly in terms of the poor and economy and equality and maybe in terms of the environment. but he's going to, as we say, speak the truth to power. >> can you talk about this personally for you, a fellow jesuit, someone who i suspect thinks the same way you do. what is it like for him to come to the united states?

>> it's a delight. i've been delighted. i've been very moved by a lot of things that he has said. he has been challenging to me in terms of lifestyle, it's been a delight. i'm a little biased because i'm a jsuit, but i agree with the stance he's taking, the shift in tone. >> father martin, it's great to see you. >> my pleasure. >> many activists hope that pope francis will address their cause in his visit to the united states. among them, the group 100 women 100 miles. they call attention to what they call a broken immigration system. jonathan betz has more from washington. >> in front of the basilica where pope francis will cannoneersed a 19th century missionary. he'll speak to the country's struggling immigrants.

in the past week 100 women have marched more than 100 miles. arriving in washington, d.c. at the same time as the pope echoing the message of tolerance for the country's undocumented workers. >> we see them with families like every other human being. >> the first latin american pope has encouraged congress to pass immigration reform in the u.s. something that this woman said she desperately needs as one of the country's 11 million people who came here illegally. >> i don't have the resources to go to college. i haven't finished my bachelor's degree. but that does not mean that i'm going to stop. >> that passion, she said, kept her marching for seven straight days. women bound by common stories like pillar. she came to the u.s. illegally as a child. but built a comfortable life

outside of philadelphia. something she thought she would lose when her undocumented husband was arrested two years ago. he was eventually released, but he still could be deported. >> my hope, my faith in god, i never lost it. >> it's that hope that pushes these women now. as they end a long journey to see his holiness with their bodies weary but their faith strong. jonathan betz, al jazeera, washington. >> pope francis has warned about the dangers of climate change. he is expected to talk about it in his visit to the united states. his remarks have sparked di di pate among catholics who live in places who depend on coal for their economy. >> wyoming is the top coal-producing state in the nation. so it struck a nerve in june when pope francis released an

important religious document for catholics pointing to the negative effects in collusion and climate change and calling for a phasing out of fossil fuel. >> it's going to hit hard in wyoming. the people who are supported by the fossil fuels tend to be blue-collared workers that pope francis wants to identify with. >> professor kyle washut teaches he theology. he has worked in the mines himself and said that the message may not resonate with conservative catholics. >> there is a suspicion in science. there is a thought that science is not a reliable jo place to look at things because giants can be bought. these other ways of obtaining truth are complimentary not opposed. >> still a yale study found that

wyoming is the only state where less than half of the people believe that climate change will harm future generations. here in wyle coal production produces $1 million annually to the state. but some say that the pope's stance has sparked debate. >> what i took when i read it, he wants to start the discussion. i think it's a good discussion because environment or not, coal is not a renewable energy. >> but he says while pope francis has given clearer direction on climate change on the catholic perspective, the economic reality may trump church doctrine for many. >> one thing that pope francis did talk about is that everything is connected. just because we're producing the coal discuss not mean that the

end product of those turning their lights on are not as guilty as we are. it has to be a societal change to end the coal mines. >> it's a cause that the pope continues to champion calling for an ecological conversion of the faithful. >> we hope you'll stay with our complete coverage of pope francis in america during the coming days. coming up next on this broadcast, the fall out from ben carson's controversial remarks, and the politics of anti-muslim rhetoric on the campaign trail.

>> davis is facing a new legal challenge, the kentucky county clerk jailed for failing to issue marriage licenses to gays has been sued. four couples have asked the judge to ask davis to reissue their marriage licenses after she removed her name. they spoke out in an interview with the support she had received and the hate mail. >> what hurts me the worst is my god does not love me or that my god is not happy with me. >> davis also vowed not to backdown. >> presidential hopeful ben carson is fighting comments he

made sunday. he said islam is inconsistent with the u.s. constitutes, and he would not support a muslim for president. he said his objection is not to islam but to theocracy. >> anybody of any religious faith whatsoever, if they embrace american values and they place our constitution at the top level above their religious beliefs, i have no problem with them. >> muslim groups including council on american counci muslim relations has asked carson to drop out. >> i guess there is no absolutely no chance that ben carson is to going to drop out. you have to consider what matters now in the primary season is the prime minister vote.

that would an small group of voters. i don't think ben carson is going to lose his support base, but he would have to really work hard to walk back those comments. >> he looked like he welcomed back. >> a little bit, a little bit. the other side you don't want to spend too much time walking back neur comments because then you make a bigger issue and people remember and then you end up spend morgue time than you want to spend on that issue. don't welcome back too much. just makes your statement, and then be done with it. >> you know, yesterday his friends arm terrorism williams was all ove television saying he believes this. he believes that a muslim should not be in the white house. he said it over and over and over again. clearly, concisely. he didn't give all this stuff from ben carson. so what happened?

>> well, armstrong is a strong and conservative republican, and that plays to a certain part of the base. in south carolina and parts of new england and new hampshire some groups voting to the primary it plays very well. but not muslims are not that big percentage of the united states population or voting block, but there are-- >> there are some republicans who believe in religious tolerance. >> absolutely. most republican candidates believe in religious tolerance. as long as you believe in the american constitution, then you're okay. >> but if you listen to donald trump and ben carson, who are leading in the polls, you get a different point of view. >> actually, donald trump said that he thought that a muslim could be president. he didn't echo what ben carson said. but carson has been tougher. >> what happens to the republican party. it's not the republican party

that i remember. >> well, the republican party of the 1950s, '60s, and 7 '70s, they got civil rights passed and fair housing passed, but today's republican party is more conservative than that. it's not just the conservatism of the party, but that voters are angry. republicans are angry, and democrats are, too. that's why bernie sanders is doing so well. >> has the republicans lost control of their own party? what someone would call the elite republicans? >> well, clearly if you're looking at the establishment of republicans, they're having a hard time in this cycle so far because the electorate is very angry at people who have held electorate office. >> you came from philadelphia. you said security-- >> crazy, crazy, very busy and tough in philly. >> it's great to see you.

come back again in person or on satellite. >> thanks. >> let's look at how the story is playing out on social media and around the world. let's go to washington. waj, did he get a boost from supporters, and if he did, what kind of boost? >> he got a huge boost from his base. ben carson had an opportunity to back down from thinks comment, but he went to social media and doubled down. i want to read this quote. >> so that basically means all muslims. then he follows up that quote with an at the verse understanding of sharia, which has extreme punishment against gays, women and apostates. one would assume that his base would balk at that. but instead he has 100,000 new facebook followers. to put that in perspective.

a thousand new followers in one month, that would be hanukkah and christmas for me. >> when did he post that latest statement? >> well, he post it had today. but ever since "meet the press," he has received 100,000 new facebook followers and ads and specifically when it comes to funding, john, just today in "the washington times" a super pac that is pro carson said that there was unprecedented raise in funding for ben carson, so his base has elect trified. then when he had a rally all of his supporters doubled down for him. said he's speaking truth to power, saying it as it is, and he's not bowing down to the p.c. >> what about reaction around the world. >> well, around the world, there is 1.5 to 1.7 billion muslims. they did not take kindly to his

statements. mostly he has been mocked. there is a tweet that is from libby liberty. she said. the same people freaking out over sharia law in america are oblivious that prohibiting beer sales on sunday is christian sharia law. this goes back to carson's talking points were used. he said as long as a they disavow sharia law, no problem. please stop spreading p.c. ignorance. and then the muslim kid who was arrested for alleged bomb hoax. >> antonio morris here with th that. >> the u.s.-led coalition led

airstrikes in syria. >> we'll take a look at where isil stands and what it looks for the fight against isil looks all together. >> yom kippur, one of the holiest days in the jewish calendar. more than 2 million muslims from around the world is one of the five pillars of islam, and every abled body muslim must perform once in lifetime. that's our broadcast.

thank you for watching. i'm john seigenthaler. see you back here tomorrow night. the news continues next with antonio mora. . >> and

people pilgrimage. >> have given the impression of a bit of a lefty, that would be an error an an transit to the u.s., and critics to question the pontiff's social doctrine reality check. >> the fallout from the meltdown of syria threatens to be with us