>> reporter: it's an underwater mystery offering a glimmer of hope for a habitat under threat. plenty more stories for you any time on our website, the address is aljazeera.com. and that's updated 24 hours a day. ♪ demanding an investigation, doctors without borders wants answers as to why their hospital was hit in an air strike. what the defense secretary is promising in the probe. another round of strikes against isil, russia steps up attacks as syrian ground forces move in. plus it is not over yet. water continues to rise in south carolina, crews there, working around the clock to stop dams from breaking. ♪

this is al jazeera america. good afternoon, live from new york city, i'm randall pinkston. doctors without borders lashing out today against the united states over an air strike in afghanistan that hit one of the group's hospitals. 22 people were killed, including 12 medical staffers, when the u.s. mistakenly targeted the hospital in kunduz. ash carter says the responsible people will be punished. >> we're conducting a full and transparent investigation, and we'll make the findings of that investigation known as they are found, and we'll hold accountable any responsible for conduct that was improper. >> but doctors without borders says that is not enough.

tam akerman joins us live from washington. tom? >> reporter: randall what doctors without borders is asking for is an independent investigation, not one under the auspices of the united states or the nato command or even the afghan government. and this is the reason that he gives for that kind of investigation. >> the facts and circumstances of this attack must be investigated independently and impartially, particularly given the inconsistencies in the u.s. and avenue gan accounts of what happened. we cannot rely only on internal military investigations by the u.s., nato, and avenue gan forces. we're seeking an independent investigation into the attack by the international humanitarian fact-finding commission. this commission was established under the protocols of the

geneva convention. and the only body set up to investigation violation of international humanitarian law. >> reporter: this commission we have to note has never been implemented since its creation. 76 countries have signed that -- that treaty, that agreement to abide by the conditions of this commission, neither the united states nor afghanistan are signatories, and they say so far they have not gotten a specific country to issue that request, and moreover, they are asking president obama to consent to allowing the united states to be investigated, this incident to be investigated, and according to the rules that we understand, the country would have to actually be a signatory and consent, so there are a lot of legal questions involved before this kind of an inindependent inquiry could be implemented. >> there were several explanations given early on with

respect to the reason for the attack, who called for the attack. any clarification at all being made on that today? >> reporter: well, nothing beyond what the commander of the central command, general campbell said to congress yesterday. he told the senate that there was obviously some kind of a problem in the chain of command, and according to the "new york times," which was quoting, one of the officers who was -- who was privy to the preliminary investigation, the command actually did not follow any of its own internal rules of engagement, either to -- to issue an air strike in response to an attack on -- on american forces, an attack directly on terrorists, or in aid of afghan forces who were requesting aid. none of those conditions applied, and moreover, the question right now is where in the chain of command that kind of mistake was made, also it was

noted that this is -- this is an incident that there was apparently another violation of the rules. there was no positive identification of the target before the command was issued to actually target the hospital. >> and we're told according to [ inaudible ] that the hospital was bombed for about an hour. tom akerman reporting from washington. thank you. we're getting new images of the russian air of sensitive in this syria. they released this video is short time ago. it shows russian ships in the caspian sea launching dozens of missiles. syrian officials say those attacks were accompanied by a ground assault, involving bashar al-assad's forces. zana hoda has more from beirut. >> reporter: the russian military intervention has entered a new phase. now the air power is being used to help the syrian army launch a

counter offensive against the rebels on the ground. what we saw really over the past week was russian targets hitting positions. targeting really opposition positions on the front line that surrounds government-controlled territory in the west. the aim of those air strikes were to stop the rebel advance in that area. the rebels were advancing towards the government strong hold, to weaken their defenses, and now what we understand is a major military operation on the ground, the government trying to push further north. now the opposition is telling us that they are going to fight back. they have also said that the latest offensive displaced tens of thousands of people. we have seen video of families packing their belongings and heading north. now this area in the west of the country is very strategic. it's located on a main highway

between two major cities. damascus and aleppo. it is under the control of the rebels and the government will need to open this highway if it wants to send reinforcements towards the north. so what is becoming clear is the russian aerial campaign is to help the government change the balance of power on the ground in its favor. while russia says this is a war against terrorists, they are also making clear that they are not just targeting isil. for them, the majority of the opposition are considered to be terrorists. >> zana hoda reporting from beirut. and ash carter has ruled out coordination between the u.s. and russia in syria. he calls russia's strategy there flawed. russia's action in syria is one of the topics of discussion in the european parliament. where the leaders of germany and france have delivered a joint response. >> translator: i recognize, i

notice freely that europe was slow in understanding the tragedy in the middle east or africa could not be without consequence for europe itself. europe did not take the measure of the hope invested in its, and many see europe embodying, and no doubt will for years to come. >> he says europe must come together to address this and other issues facing the continent. there are new claims that'sern european smugglers are helping isil with nuclear materials. earlier this year, the fbi arrested a man it says demanded almost $3 million for enough material to make a dirty bomb. another case involved uranium believed to have come from the chernobyl reactor in ukraine. some residents in north

carolina can return home because the dam has been stabilized. but there are fears that other dams could break. crews also are trying to repair roads. right now 400 roads and bridges are still closed in south carolina because of the high waters. our correspondent is in south carolina. >> reporter: i'm standing in front of one of the hundreds of roadways that are closed in south carolina. you can see the one behind me, completely covered in water, and part of the asphalt there has collapsed. there are voluntary evacuations underway, but some residents are saying they are not leaving. >> you got it? >> ain't going to run. >> ron trotter needs this boat to start. it's the only way he and his wife can make it home.

>> we're it. we're the only ones that are braving it. everyone else has left. >> reporter: residents are under voluntary evacuation, but the trotters aren't leaving. they are spending the night in their home. >> we don't want looters to come in and loot the houses. >> reporter: flood stage for the river is at 10 feet. right now it's at 14 and rising. almost reaching their doorway. forecasters predict flood levels will rise another 2 feet in the coming days as water from up north makes its way to south carolina low country. desmond king knows about destruction, it's the first day the power is back on at his home after flood waters surged through sunday night. are you going to have to replace all of these things. >> a lot of it will have to be replaced. the land lord is coming today, and we're going to walk around

the house. >> when we went to sleep there was no water outside, and to wake up three hours later engulfed in water is pretty scary. we came out and the water -- >> reporter: they walked out leaving behind cars covered in flood water, a disaster that washed through their home in a matter of minutes and will take years to recover from. >> things we see on the news you just think sometimes it happens to other people. but when it hits home, like it did, you know, you know, who was to know that a simple rain storm was to turn into a flood. >> reporter: at least 11 dams have been breached so far. more than 30 are being monitored and more evacuations could be called for later today. nicole mitchell now with the

forecast. >> the system that caused all of the rain has ended, but we still have flood areas because there was so much moisture. the areas in orange saw two feet or more. there's still so much water still left, and all of it upstream is now flows downstream and out toward the ocean. there are some places that have crested, but some might not until this weekend see their worst flooding. this isn't the only place we're worried about flooding, the most serious place, but we also have concerned as we get towards parts of new mexico and texas because of moisture in this direction, so that could cause flash flooding from time to time. here is how of this looks as we put it into motion. so the heavier down pours can

cause the biggest potential for flood, but watch this front through the next couple of days. friday for portions of the east coast and then the trailing edge of that could be the next chance for rain in places like north and south carolina, possibly into saturday. this is more of a normal system, not that soaking stuff we just got. but any rain would not be helpful at this point. temperatures pretty desent for most of the country. a few 60s, but a lot of temperatures pretty nice for an october fall day. back to you. hillary clinton strikes back at republicans over investigations into her time as secretary of state. what she is now saying about the benghazi committee. and a strike threat in the auto industry. why fiat chrysler workers could soon be walking off the job.

-- we won't back down. my three -- coming back to you live now from the white house where there is a conference on the voice of workers respect -- expecting president obama soon. in attendance are union workers. we're standing by for president obama. there he is, as he is being

introduced by one of the members of the conference. [ cheers and applause ] >> president obama. >> thank you! [ applause ] >> thank you so much. thank you so much. will everybody please have a seat. welcome to the white house. let me offer at the outset, the observation that terence could run for something. [ laughter ] >> but we're so grateful to you for sharing your story, for everything you are doing to organize and inspire americans across the country. you already recognized your mom, joanne, another fast-food worker who has come up today from south carolina. this is actually a remarkable

moment. neither of them make enough money to be able to afford to travel much. so this is the first time they have seen each other in ten years. ten years apart because they don't earn enough to be able to just hop on a plane and visit each other. the only problem i have with this story is that i am not sure that joann is old enough to actually be terence's mom. [ laughter ] >> based on how she is looking there. [ laughter ] >> their story describes why we wanted to have this summit. their story describes why workers need a voice. that's why our secretary of labor, tom perez is here, and i should add, this is a pretty good way for the labor secretary to celebrate his birthday. [ cheers and applause ]

>> that's why we have got our outstanding leader in the house of representatives, nancy pelosi here. [ cheers and applause ] >> and senator al franken is here. [ applause ] >> and congressman gregory meese is here, and congresswoman [ inaudible ] is here. because they have consistently been on the front lines of championing the interests and concerns of ordinary people who are working hard every single day, and aren't asking for the world, all they are asking for is dignity and living wages and being able to take care of their families. that's why we have business and labor leaders here today, including the head of the aflca who has been fighting these issues for decades, and that's why we have got workers and

organizers and tech experts, and so many others at this first-ever white house summit on worker's voice. and we convened this summit because we believe that this is a country where if we work hard, everybody should be able to get ahead; that the story of america has been each successful generation getting an education where they could, working hard, saving, scrimping, making sure their kids get a little something better, hoping that at the end of the day, they are able to have a home of their own and be able to retire with dignity and respect, have basic benefits, so that if they get sick, their families aren't

bankrupt, and make no mistake, americans have been working harder than ever to bring this country back, to move it forward. after the worst crisis in my lifetime, back in 2007, we were able to take the unemployment rate that was around 10 all the way down to 5.1. businesses were shedding about 800,000 jobs a month. today they have created jobs for 67 straight months, 13.2 million jobs in total. when i took office, our auto industry was flat lining. manufacturing had been in decline for a decade. today we're on pace to sell more american cars than in any year since 2001. [ applause ] >> and we have seen stronger job growth in manufacturing than any time since the 1990s.

our manufacturers are coming back, hundreds of thousands of good middle class jobs are being created. when i took office, more than 15% of the american people were uninsured, today only 9.2% are uninsured. and for the first time on record, more than 90% of americans have health insurance. so we have made progress together. at a time when america's economy was flat on its back, we took some tough steps not always popular, and we were able to get the economy growing again. but what i have said all along is that it wasn't enough just to get back to where we were before the financial crisis, before lehmann's, before the great recession, we had to tackle problems that had been building up for decades. and the central problem in our economy that had been building up for decades is the fact that

while folks at the top did very well, ordinary workers were seeing their wages and their incomes flat lining. and so the biggest challenge america continues to have is making sure that everybody in this new economy is participating, everybody who works hard is getting paid a decent wage with decent benefits. everybody has some basic economic security, and that the incredible productivity and wealth and innovation that has been a hallmark of the american economy is broadly based. wages need to rise more quickly. we need jobs to offer the kind of pay and benefits that let people raise a family. and in order to do that, workers need a voice. they need the voice and the

leverage that guarantees this kind of middle class security. and that's true now more than ever. during this time of rapid economic change. in recent years we have seen an explosion of american innovation in the work force. and because of technology, people are empowered and employers are empowered to create value and services in new ways. we have got folks who are getting a paycheck driving for uber or lift, people are cleaning other people's houses through handy, offering their skills on task rabbit, and so there's flexibility and autonomy, and opportunity for workers and millennials love working their phones. [ laughter ] >> much quicker than i can. and all of this is promising,

but if the combination of globalization, and automation undermines the capacity of the ordinary worker and the ordinary family to be able to support themselves, if employers are able to use these factors to weaken workers' voices, and give them a take it or leave it deal, in which they don't have a chance to ever save for the kind of retirement they are looking for, if we don't refashion the social compact, so that workers are able to be rewarded properly for the labor that they put in, people like terence, then we're

going to have problems. it's not just going to be a problem for our politics, it's going to be a problem for our economy, because the history shows that when we do best as an economy it's when workers have money in their pockets, and they buy goods and services and create new demand, and opportunity, and create the kinds of markets that businesses can then take advantage of. that's just a fact. so we have got to make sure that as we continue to move forward, both in this new on-demand economy, and in the traditional economy as a whole, hard work guarantees some security, and that's what this summit is about. making sure that as our economy continues to evolve, working americans don't get lost in the shuffle. they can come together, and they

can win. and we can do this. we have done it before. there was a time when we shifted from an agrarian economy to an industrial economy. and we made adjustments. we aid we're going to offer everybody a free public education. we put in place systems like social security so that people had some basic protections in their golden years. we put together labor laws that allowed for collective bargaining, and banned child labor, and allowed people to raise their voices and have some leverage in seeking a living wage. labor unions were often the driving force for progress. the 40-hour workweek, health insurance, retirement plans. the middle class itself was built on a union label.

[ applause ] >> and -- >> president obama at the white house at the voice of worker's summit, trying to make sure that everyone enjoys the benefits of the american economy. thank you for joining us. i'm randall pinkston. the news continues next from london.

russia launches air strikes on syria from its fleet in the caspian sea. ♪ i'm lauren taylor this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up, clashes in ramallah, as students fight with israeli forces. the latest from afghanistan where government forces are making gains against the taliban. and we investigate our coral reefs are flourishing in the polluted waters of hong kong harbor. ♪