captured an extraordinary moment. he captured the rare sight of humpback whales playing under the northern lights. the following day he went back for a closer view and saw them again. amazing. you can find out much more on our website, it's aljazeera.com. collie a change in any program to train syrian fighters, an acknowledgment the original plan is not working. president obama travels to roseburg, oregon. >> the water is causing us not to be able to get in the fields to do the harvest. >> reporter: and crop concerns how flood waters are taking a toll on farmers in south

carolina. this is al jazeera america live from new york. i'm tony harris. the obama administration is overhauling its program to equip and train moderate syrian rebels. ash carter says the effort has failed to produce real results. mike viqueira is live for us in washington. mike, before we talk about what changes are coming to the program, can you talk for a moment about what a complete and utter failure the program has been to this point? >> reporter: i don't think there's any sugar coating it at all. $500 million was just for the first 5,000 of the so-called moderate vetted opposition that were to be trained in third-party countries. ultimately the goal was to have 15,000 of these individuals on the ground in syria, fighting isil. and that was one of the fundamental problems. a hard time recruiting people to

do that, when bashar al-assad was attacking them. and many had serious grievances against the assad regime. when it came right down to it, general austin has to testify before congress a couple of weeks about, and when asked directly how many are actually in the field at this moment. the answer, four, maybe five. so it became clear at that time that the program was something of a farce. the administration has been looking to revamp it. ash carter is now traveling in europe, here is what he had to say about some of the changes. >> i wasn't satisfied with the early efforts in that regard, and so we're looking at different ways to achieve the -- basically the same kind of strategic objective, which is the right one, which is to enable capable, motivated forces on the ground. >> reporter: so basically what it boils down to is they are not

going to be taking these rebels outside of syria and training them individually. they are going to be helping those units that are already on the ground carrying the fight in syria and supplying them with -- with weapons and some of the equipment that they need to carry that fight. tony, they say it is going to be modeled in what the united states has done in helping the syrian kurds. >> yeah, i'm afraid the administration needs to endure a little more pain over this program. we're talking $500 million. i don't know how was spent, but what was the main criticism of the program? the idea of the implementation? >> reporter: again, it was completely ineffectual. you could recruit these individuals and train them to exclusively fight isil forces, in other words to carry the fight against this group that the united states has deemed a terrorist organization, and so it simply didn't work, because

many of these individuals were not motivated to do that. they wanted to fight the assault regime. and many of the individuals who were trained and fielded ended up in fights with other groups fighting the assault regime, like al-nusra. got beaten up rather badly by al-nus al-nusra. surrendered some of their weapons, and that's why they are reduced to the four or five. >> yeah, it's a total embarrassment. russia says it has killed at least 200 fighters in its latest strikes in syria. russia has remained one of bashar al-assad's supporters. patricia sabga takes a deeper look at that relationship. >> reporter: russian missiles launched from the caspian sea, bound for targets in syria. the newest dimension in moscow's

first military operation outside of the former soviet union in three decades, a campaign that bolsters the regime and reinforce s moscow's only foothold in the middle east. it's the kremlin's latest move in a broader game of gee yo political chess. >> the russians don't actually care about area. they would like to keep assad, but if they thought there was a good enough deal over let's say crimea they would be happy to [ inaudible ]. at the moment it's about the relationship with the west and that relationship with the west is entirely dominated by ukraine. >> reporter: efforts to broker a peace deal in ukraine have ground to a stand still. russia's economy has been pummelled at a time when oil

prices have more than halved. the double blow has driven the ruble down nearly 40%. a drop that has made it harder for russian firms to pay what they owe in dollars, and squeezed ordinary russians struggling to cope with eye-watering inflation. only 24% of russians listed improved quality of life as russian president vladimir putin's main achievement. down from 43% in 2009. but a face-saving exit from sanctions has proved illusive for the kremlin. >> generally speaking to russians, i was there for much of the summer, and the russians feel the west has not given them any off ramps. >> reporter: russia's double down in syria is not without risk, including mission creep, but with the u.s. refusing to cooperate with the kremlin a rollback on sanctions could be

many chess moves away. president obama says russia's actions in syria are a sign of weakness on the part of russian president vladimir putin. in an interview on 60 minutes, he shrugged off talk the syria incursion is a way of putin challenging the president's leadership. >> i have got to tell ya, if you think that running your economy into the ground and having to send troops in, in order to prop up your only ally is leadership, then we have a different definition of leadership. a all right in the "new york times" says the president will no escalate u.s. actions in syria in response to russia's moves. president obama is on his way to oregon right now where he will meet with victims and families of last week's ucommun. he is expected to stay away from

political talk today. allen schauffler joins us live from roseberg. what are you hearing? what are protesters saying? >> reporter: well, tony it was that passionate call for more gun control rights in the president's direct comment that in fact this is something that does need to be politicized, that has stirred up a lot of anger in this town and brought a lot of people out here today. this is one or two or maybe three planned demonstration sites. the organizers hoping for thousands of people here. the flags i'm seeing saying obama is not welcome. go home. chicago needs you. we don't. don't tread on me. so as this town still tries to come to grips and this area still tries to come to grips with what happened at the college last week, there is certainly a lot of anger here. you'll find community strength support for victims and their families on signs all over this town. at a local tattoo shop it takes

the form of roastburg strong ink, a body art fund raiser that has put more than $5,000 in a fund for victims. >> everyone is in an action mode. everyone has a need to act and participate. and i feel like this is one of those ways we can do that. at the community college the classroom where nine people were murdered is still sealed off. flags and flowers on a fence honor the victims. small stones spell out hope, unity and love on the sidewalk. but that unity is cracking with the pressure of a presidential visit and angry local reaction to statements from president obama on the day of the shooting. several new facebook pages are calling for demonstrations, hoping to put thousands of protesters in the streets. organizers behind one site tell us they have been overwhelmed by the response. this is haunting and fishing

region, and many residents tell us flatly, this is a gun town. the publisher of the weekly newspaper went public with his feelings. what was your reaction. >> that's what caused -- that's what caused me to make the statement that i made that mr. president you are not welcome here for those purposes and under those circumstances. >> reporter: many have told us they are honored to have the president in town if his focus is on thes -- the families and not politics. >> there was that little hesitation, gun rights and all of that stuff. i said i'm a republican, i'm a gun rights believer, and i would like to have my president here. >> reporter: chelsea brown helped organize a candlelight vigil that drew an estimated 2,000 people the fight of the

shootings. she is in awe of the community spirit and is proud to show off her own roseburg strong tattoo. but the charged debate about gun control, gun rights and the president's visit is up setting. >> maybe it wasn't the best time for him, maybe it is the right time to come. i'm not the one to answer that. >> reporter: it stirred up quite a storm. >> yeah, and people are angry. people are happy about it. i -- i just don't -- i just see it as this isn't the right time. >> reporter: three people remain hospitalized any college is scheduled to reopen on monday. now chelsea brown was adamant that she shouldn't be seen as a spokesman for this community, but i think she is a good symbol for the confusion that has set in for a lot of folks. she is honored that the president would come here, she is just a little bit upset and puzzled if he uses this for specific political gain, and

we're hearing that from a lot of folks, that that's the issue. they don't mind president obama being here, they mind him being here if he is going to take this to make further political hay out of it. there are a lot of folks also who don't want him here period. more danger today in south carolina where residents along the coast are being urged to evacuate. all of the water is moving towards low-lying parts of four countries. georgetown is expecting floods today. ines ferre is there. >> reporter: it will be weeks and months before some of these areas are cleaned up. here you can see some flood waters over the last few days they had even more, so a lot of these businesses are still recovering from the floods. and one of the businesses which is suffering is the farming industry here in is south carolina. they have lost more than $300 million over the last few

days. >> this is no good. >> reporter: third generation farmer john began this summer praying for rain. by the end of the season he was praying for it to stop. >> we were already hit hard from a drought earlier in the year. and now the water is causing us not to be able to get into the fields to do the harvest. >> reporter: his peanuts will likely rot in the mud before they can be harvested. there's no cotton to pick either. the drenching rains ruined the crop. >> this is normal cotton, and this is one that has been affected by the rain, and what happened. this is not harvestable. this is. >> reporter: all types of farming has taken a hit here from corn to soybeans, even p l pull -- poultry. what looks like a lake is

actually farmland covered in water. >> the devastation is there. basically agriculture will be shut down for a few weeks until the soil dries. >> reporter: farmers can receive federal money to make up for losses. john says he is not looking for hand outs. do you have crop insurance? >> i do have crop insurance, but it will not cover all of your losses. it will help, but it's not a savior. >> reporter: while farming is in miss blood at times like this, he wishes his sons hadn't followed him into the family business. >> i just think there is an easier way to makoff willing than this. >> reporter: will it be a tough road for them? >> yes. >> reporter: why so? >> well, just -- just because of the weather and different things

seem to be more severe now than it used to be. >> reporter: either too wet or too dry, hard to make a living off of the land. the governor of south carolina asking people to heed the warning over the next 24 hours, especially in the low country, near the swelling rivers. she is saying to people, look, we understand this is your property, these are your belongings, but if you are asked to evacuate, please go. coming up next, gun control and the presidential election, how the can taitz plan to handle the issue. plus many auto experts say it's just not believable. volkswagen's explanation for the emissions scandal. ♪

with so many shooting incidents this year, some presidential candidates are pushing for aggressive new gun control laws. others say that's the last thing we need. jonathan betz reports on one of the campaign's most divisive issues. >> reporter: when a gunman killed nine people at an oregon community college last week, it was the 294th mass shooting so far this year. a stunning number. >> i'm going to talk about this on a regular basis. and i will politicize it, because our inaction is a political decision that we are making. >> reporter: but how to stop the

violence ignites a fierce debate among presidential hopefuls. hillary clinton is campaigning forcefully for gun control. >> how many people have to die before we actually act? before we come together as a nation? >> reporter: she's calling for universal background checks and says she would take executive action if congress doesn't act. it's a position left of her liberal opponent bernie sanders. the vermont senator comes from a state with a strong hunting culture. he is arguing for sensible gun control legislation which prevents guns from being used by people who shouldn't have them. he is working on a package including banning assault weapons. republican candidates resist any gun control. >> i resist the notion -- i had this challenge as governor. because there is always a

crisis. >> reporter: bush later clarified and said it's important to protect personal liberties. an idea echoed by carly fiorina. >> before we start calling for more laws, i think we ought to consider why we don't enforce the laws we have. >> reporter: republican candidates say the focus should be on mental health. >> you are not going to handle it with more gun control, because gun control only works for normal law-abiding citizens. it doesn't work for crazies. >> reporter: ben carson says the second amendment is sacred. and donald trump also says lives could have been saved if there were more guns not fewer. >> if you had a couple of the teachers or somebody with guns in that room, you would have been a hell of a lot better off. >> reporter: the stark divide has kept washington at a stand still. while the grim tally of mass shootings continues to rise. jonathan betz, al jazeera.

a federal and state investigators are now reportedly looking into a possible second computer program that could have given false emissions roult results for volkswagen's diesel cars. the german auto maker's american ceo acknowledged the use of the software. >> reporter: the head of volkswagen of america faced rare agreement from both sides of the political aisle. anger and disgust. >> vw has betrayed a nation of regulators, loyalists, suppliers and next customers. it's a time to clean it up or get off of the road. >> the auto industry has deliberately chosen to perpetuate laws and mislead consumers. >> reporter: vw has admitted to installing software to cheat on

emissions tests. michael horn offered his, quote, sincere apology. >> let me be very clear, we at volkswagen take full responsibility for our actions and are working with all of the relevant authorities. ception.ter: investigations are >> to my understanding this was not a corporate decision. this was something individuals did. >> reporter: lawmakers were incredulous. >> vw is trying to get the united states of america to believe these are a couple of rogue engineers? i categorically reject that. >> reporter: nearly half a million vehicles in the u.s. are affected, 11 million worldwide. volkswagen is still working out a fix. some lawmakers called on the company to offer a buyback program. >> the company's word isn't worth a dime. oue only thing i want to hear sleep at night? how do you call yourself a member of the human race when you knowingly poisoned the plan set. >> reporter: horn insisted he also feels deserved by a company he has worked for 25 years.

after his grilling, horn again pledged to make things right. >> we want to fix these issues. we want to remedy our customers, and we want to really make sure that this is never going to happen again. >> reporter: doing that could take years, and cost the company billions. lisa stark, al jazeera, washington. auto union leaders prepare to vote on a new contract with fiat chrysler, but the rank and file may not go along, a look at what the 40,000 numbers really want.

apple pay is expanding its service to starbucks, kfc, and chile's bar and grill. apple pay launched a year ago, and accounts for just 1% of retail transactions in the united states. leaders of the united auto workers are voting today on a new contract deal with fiat chrysler. details include a pay raise for younger workers. all current entry level workers will be paid traditional wages within eight years. in that was a key demand and long-term employees will get their first pay raises in nine years. david ariosto has more on the issues facing the auto industry. >> reporter: this was once the picture of american auto workers, turning out cars at a frenzied place, making the

united states the world's leading manufacturer of aebl automobiles. in 1950 about 17% of all american workers produced autos, or auto parts. today that number is less than 1%, following years of factory automation and competition from oversea manufacturers. and yet six years after an $80 billion bailout, and massive layoffs, the u.s. auto industry is poised for its best sales year in more than a decade. >> we're seeing new assembly plants in this country from the domestics and imports. so there is still a lot of viability as a automotive worker in the u.s. >> reporter: that's eggs -- especially true in southern states. >> it has shifted to some extent away from the detroit three into these transing pant auto makers, and there's more auto economy in

the south than there used to be. >> reporter: and yet the jobs aren't quite what they once were. an average worker spends more hours at work than a decade ago, but american pay has dropped over the years. >> the new hires, the wage, it's still hire than a starting wage that you would get in retail, it's just not as attractive at it used to be. >> reporter: this week unionized workers at fiat chrysler threatened to strike unless the auto maker offered more money, and did away with a two-tiered wage structure that pays senior employees about $9 an hour more for the same work. the threat of a strike is considered one of the biggest weapons in a union's arsenal. workers were notified that they should pick up their belongings

and walk out the door if a strike came down to pass, and it really came down to the 11th hour when there was a tentative agreement just announced. it would have been the first time they held a strike against an auto maker in the u.s. since 2007. aening mo the reasons that matter? north america as emerged as fiat chrysler's biggest market. that's all of our time. thanks for joining us. i'm tony harris. we'll see you back here at 7:00 pm eastern time. the news continues next live from london. ♪ ♪

>> hello there, i'm julie mcdonald. this is the news hour live from london. coming up, at least six palestinians are shot dead by israel forces in gaza. dozens more are injured as the situation across the occupied territory deter yates. the u.s. said it's overhauling its discredited multi million dollar training program for syrian rebels. arresting peop