so you don't just stay on top of the news, go deeper and get more perspectives on every issue. al jazeera america. i'm ali velshi, on target - lawmakers get away with putting politics before poll dpi, and before the people they are elected to serve. state of the unions - work in the auto industry is not quite what it used to be americans are losing faith if they haven't already in washington politics. this is another example of the revolting politicking by americans and officials. they keep putting politics over policy. we are talking about a surprise

announcement by kevin marc karth carthy, the californian republican sa shoe in to replace john boehner as speaker. back stabbed pushed him out. and for reasons unclear, mccarthy is out. the political disarray is getting in the way of washington's sole responsibility - governing the country. since winning the majority, they have scrapped with president obama and democrats, all in the name of scoring political points. that has not stopped lawmakers from both parties acting outraged when it was clear how easy it was for automakers like volkswagen gaming policy. i'll have more on that later. this week, hillary clinton - as secretary of state - she had no

problem backing president obama's free trade agenda. as a candidate running for president. she says she cannot support the ttp, that the white house concluded with 11 other countries, listen to this. >> i have been trying to learns much as i can about the agreement. but i'm worried. i'm worried about currency, manipulation. we have lost american drugs to the manipulations that countries in asia have engaged in. i'm worried that the pharmaceutical companies may have more benefit and patience. as of today, i'm not in favour of what i have learnt about it these are entirely understandable concerns. they are another example of hillary clinton waffling on the issues. last monday client came out against the xl pipeline.

she is no different from democrat or republican, america's candidates and officials made a sport of putting politics before policy. and the business of governing this country suffers. for more, let's go to al jazeera america's political team. david shuster is in new york. michael shure is in washington. let's start with you david - i want to underscore the fact that hillary clinton was on the record as supporting the ttp, it had something to do with testing the winds and realising that the unions of what she needs is not solid. >> the support of d.p.p. was not once or scras. twice. -- once or twice. 45 different times she spoke out. now she is trailling bernie sanders to the left of her, in

iowa and new hampshire. hillary clinton feels the need to tack to the left. given the pressure she was facing from labour groups, she decided now is the time to move. bernie sanders is more pro-labour, and a lot of people are wondering whether joe biden gets into the race. he's a member of the labour movement. you can count on labour holding back support, giving joe biden is are a chance to prove where he staned. >> michael shure, you are in a place we might not have bet would be exciting. we thought a routine thing was going to happen. kevin mccarthy was going to replace john boehner as house speaker. all of a sudden a bombshell, stepping up to the mike saying that he was not the right man for the job.

>> i don't know if he was a shoe in when elections were scheduled. but he was the name that everyone thought would come out of the meeting. he came out, because he dropped out of the race. everyone expect one thing, and it goes the other way. what happens next. the bottom line is the republicans in congress are in disarray. we hear about 40-odd people part of the freedom caucus, who pushes the caucus to the right. there are more than 40 people who are not in the freedom caucus, why is the tail wagging the dog? >> it's what is happening. for a while now, they are able to get to john boehner, to the point he said "i don't want to do this job any more", and were able to get to kevin mcarthy. they have to come together. it's a tall order with some in the conference, and try to get some to move out, who can easily get the 218 votes, not just get

to 218. there were reports that john boehner was talking to paul ryan. he has given a linden johnson-like refusal to run. if nominated he will not run. if elected, he'll not serve, he's adamant he does not want the job. a few republicans said they can see paul ryan coming out. that speaks a lot. >> we have a couple of things going on, we have congress with an important job to do and a presidential campaign taking a lot of air out of the room. how does one affect the other? does what is going on in congress shock anyone any more or is opinions so low it doesn't matter and the guys can take their time sorting it out. keep in mind. 30 or 40 republicans in the caucus. they don't care about the

government. they fear it would show people yes don't need the government. they are from places where people want them to fight. every time john boehner made a compromise over the past five years, they saw it as surrendering, it was intolerable to them. there they have the establishment. it's not good for the brand. they can't control the people, and can't get anything done without the support of the hard-line conservative republicans. the beauty of having you there, is that you don't spend time inside the house of congress, is there a sense of those people in congress, about how ludicrous this looks from the outside? >> i think there are. certainly the democrats thing is does. they are delighting in what is happening. some of the representatives that

i spoke to said how could we have gotten to this place. why did kevin make up. making phone calls, to try to get support and walk into the room and say he's not going to do it. it's a clown show. they see themselves as a bit of a microcosm. and david is right. it doesn't affect the race for president. it's a microcosm. you see the divided caucus here. as you see it, the tail wagging the dog. a small minority. the same thing is happening nationally. they see a lot of circumstances in states like ohio. republicans are frustrated by that. they figure they could drayed out more so, paul ryan to be the guy. he may be someone that could get some democrats as well to support him on issues which is

something that the optics of the republican party would like. >> we have not seen david shuster. we have not seen most votes. there are some where you get a little bipartisan support. in most cases they are highly partisan. except in the case of the ttp. most democrats don't support the president's trade deals. republicans go into supporting him. they are shaky about that too. >> that may be the one issue left. where you see republicans and democrats join together, and there may be a coalition of republicans, but that is it. if the republicans cannot agree on who the speaker is, and they can't muster the caucus, and they are looking at republicans. there is no chance for unity.

this is a good point. there's no chance for unity. and you said something that struck me as odd. what kind of issues, what could paul ryan do, what is the best bet for bipartisanship on the floor? >> i don't think there's a great hope. i don't want to paint it as paul ryan gets here. because of the position on ways and means, those issues that can get fiscally conservative democrats. a lot of what people talk about is the in that they go from budget to budget. they want to avoid na. pauline is someone that may do

that. >> it's interesting. there's not much in the constitution. they have to meet once a year and deal with appropriations. it's a failing year after year. this behaviour, does dysfunctional congress. does it have a bearing on whether you elect governor, or congress or someone outside of politics. >> the establishment of forces. the democratic parties, whether it's donald trump, or ben carson or carley fiorina. bernie sanders is aind establishment on the democratic side. the figures in both parties - they have not made up enough ground, whether it's jed bush. if they are a former government. they are not helping. what people are looking for is

authenticity, and someone like a donald trump that will come in saying the politicians are a bunch of losers. it's something playing well, americans that are dis gusted with washington. >> michael shure is at congress for us. the men and women is to protect you. i made a show of that. i'll tell you wh when i come back.

i'm talking tonight about the problem with politics in america, and why it is so hard to know where lawmakers stand on important policy questions. one reason is they are constantly jockeying for power, and trying to win the next election. that means they are almost all playing politics and playing like i am, to cameras. that is especially true when they have an easy target at a congressional hearing, like today's head of volkswagen american operation michael horn. holding them accountable is what we want congress to do. the problem is too often the grilling is too little, too late. there's little too up to prevent companies ripping consumers off or putting them in arm's way. this is a case where volkswagen admitted to intentionally installing software on 11 million cars designed to

sheet on pollution emissions defendants. bear that in mind as you oiften to what some subcommittee members said, along with unsatisfying statements. >> all automakers must advance by imagination and innovation, not by gaming the system and breaking the law. >> i'm here to work with the committee, understand what happened, and how to move forward. >> the american people, the e.p.a. and counterparts around the world have been defrauded by volkswagen. the company's word is not worth a dime. >> we are determined to make things right. >> this includes accepting the consequences of our acts. providing a remedy, and restoring the trust of customers, dealerships, employees, regulators and the public. >> people shouldn't have to wait to get the fuel economy, low emissions and performance that they already paid for. if they wanted, every volkswagen

clean-diesel vehicle owner should be able get their money back, all of it. >> let me be clear, volkswagen takes full responsibility for our actions and we are working with relevant authorities in a corporate way. >> to protect the public, congress was clear in work to protect consumers in abuses from automakers, including steep fines and criminal prosecution. >> vw betrayed a nation. a regulation of nations and suppliers, and to clean it up or get off the road. >> i'm not always convinced of the value of some of these hearings. joining me from washington is lisa stark. did we learn anything we didn't know from today's hearing? >> we learnt that republicans and democrats can agree to get angry and can agree on soing. something -- agree on something. we lasht that volkswagen was

withdrawing the certification for a 2016 diesel models, while they try to work out the problem. they stopped the sales. the cars are sitting only dealership lots. they'll remain for the time being. lawmakers want to know who knew what when. and michael horn did not believe it was a top corporate brass. you can imagine there was incredulity from the lawmakers. also, i should say it's clear volkswagen doesn't have a fix in placement. it's trying to figure out what they'll do. for most. it will mean more than a software change. >> horne, from vw was not the only person questioned. there was questioning of e.p.a. officials, and we are torn as to

what to think about the e.p.a. they didn't do their job, they are also under-resourced. what do you get out of that? >> they are under-resourced. they admitted they did not find the defect, others found it. they tried to figure out what was going on. they were trying to prevent other car companies doing this in the future, and the bottom line is this will be unpredictable. they can fine vw up to 18 billion, and made it clear that they'd be looking at harsh penalties, and trying to figure out how the automaker can make up for having polluted the environment. >> yes, and at some point congress has to take a hard look and say we don't allocate the funds to the e.p.a. to do a better job, and this is why we get into the mess we get. >>. -- get into. >> absolutely. the budget has been cut back

over the past few years. whether that would have made a difference... >> unclear. >> it's hard to say. >> officials say they are not going to blal the budget. >> thank you. always good to see you. thank you for joining us from washington. >> chrysler avoided a strike. the drama is not over. a look at the rise and fall of american auto workers when we come back.

>> that's what i want to hear.

there is another drama playing out in the auto industry that has nothing to do with volkswagen cheating on emissions. i'm talking about the strike that fiat chrysler avoided before a deadline - for now at least. local leaders from the united auto workers will hear details on friday, and then, if they vote for it, 40,000 union workers have to approve it. 65 of them broke against the first version one thing is clear, life for today's auto workers is a far cry from the

au autoworkers. david ari otto has the story. >> reporter: this was once the picture of the american auto workers, at a frenzied pace. in 1950, about 17% of workers produce autos, and auto parts. today that number is less than 1%, following years of factory automation and overseas manufacturers that hurt u.s. sales. >> and yet six years after an 80 billion layout and massive layouts, the industry is poised for the best sales in more than a decade. >> we are seeing the plants and imports. there's a lot of liability. it is especially true in southern states where weaker unions and manufacturers. >> it shifted away from the

detroit three, until the transport automakers, and the economy in the south than they used to be. the jobs are not what they were. an average employee spent more hours at work. american pay dropped over the years, at times earning less than counterparts. >> the new wage is higher than a starting wage in retail. it's attractive. not as attractive as it used to be. this year, unionized workers tried to make it attractive. threatening to strike unless more money was offered. doing away with the controversial wage structure that pays senior employees $9 an hour more. the threat is considered a big weapon, and it almost came to pass on the war in the truck

plant. workers were notified that they should pick up the belongings, and walk out the door. it came down to the 11th hour, when there was an agreement when it was announced before the stroke of midnight. >> it would have been the first time the autoworkers union held ta strike since 2007. and while the new terms of the deal was not clear, it appears to have diverted a walk out. among the reasons that mart. north america emerged as a big strike out. >> it was close to the deadline, that it wasn't going to be a strike. did you get a chance to talk to the workers and get a sense of what they felt. it was a mixed bag.

there was a lot of misinformation coming out of the talks and that was a reason the talks were scrapped. the agreement expired, the idea this a lot of workers kept a tight lid on the tight lip in terms of the rumour mill, the new agreement. i will tell you that some of the workers here, many of which say they can't necessarily afford the strike. there's insurance provided. that's about $200 per week. it doesn't necessarily cover rent and the other associated causes. these workers were making between $800 and $1,000. primary concerns, when you look at the new deal, back in 2007. part of the restructuring that took place is a 2-tiered system. a lot of the seniors, legacy

workers were again to making 45% more of other workers. >> there's a question of fairness that came to a boiling point in detroit. many of the workers saying it doesn't matter the what it given. 45 to 50% of the salaries that i'm making. this has to change. this is a question that came out. when the leadership sits down and decides on the vote. this new agreement is something to be taken forward. >> is this the sense, the way it works. they come to an agreement, the union members have to vote on it. do you have a sense of how that is going? >> the last time that this happened. they voted on it. it took two weeks ago to go through the process. there's a council that will vote tomorrow at 11:00am. it will begin the process, the

vote for the 40,000 members. reflective of u.a.w. in a working relationship with fiat chrysler. it's going to be an issue that is batted back and fourth. it's not just money, it's health care. there's a question of out of the pocket costs. a lot of workers here and i'm not sure what the health care bill will be. there's a question of production, and new factories move to mexico. when they move south, unionized workers don't exist. there's a structure in place, a bit of a legacy institution na doesn't reflect on the reality of the situation. >> thank you for joining us.

we'll stay on top of the story with the fiat chrysler. if there's a strike we'll be on top of it and a settlement, we'll give details analysis on it. that is our show for today. thank you for joining us. i'm ali velshi. dropping out... >> if we unite and be dropping, we need a new face. i should not be a distraction from that californian republican kevin mccarthy, front runner for speaker of the house withdraws from the race. dire prediction. >> the russians will begin to suffer casualties in