staying home. i'm ray suarez and that's the "inside story." the news continues right now. ht now. >> president obama says the key stone xl pipeline is a no go. back to work, the unemployment rate reaches a seven year low. suspended, russia is stopping all flights to egypt. the democratic presidential candidates hope to make in-roads with southern voters.

>> a decision seven years in the making, today president obama rejected a canadian company's application to build the key stone xl pile line, saying it would undercut efforts to reach a global deal on climate change. the fight is far from over. libby casey joins us live in washington. there was strong reaction to the president's decision today. >> that's right, randall. now a decision on the key stone pipe lynn had been expected, so before he leaves office in january, 2017, but there was pressure from both sides on this issue. the timing of today's announcement was certainly significant. >> president obama justified his decision to deny transcanada a permit to build the key stone xl pipeline saying it would not

serve the national interest. >> the pipeline would not make a meaningful long term addition to our economy. >> the president said key stone is not the answer. transcanada hoped to built it to connect the oil sounds of alberta canada with existing lines in canada and pump 800,000-barrels a day to u.s. gulf coast refineries. a big factor, concerns about the environment. >> america is now a global leader when it comes to taking serious action to fight claims change, and frankly approving that project would ever undercut that global leadership. >> president obama heads to paris in three weeks for a major united nations summit on climate change. the key stone announcement the latest in a series of effort to show the president hopes to leave a pro environmental legacy. the battle over the 1200-mile pipeline has become a symbol for environmentalists and pro

development advocates. >> now for years, the key stone pipeline has occupied what i frankly consider an overinflated role in our political discourse. it became a symbol too often used by bolt parties rather than a serious policy matter. >> but republicans fought back on social media, criticizing the administration's decision. from presidential candidates like jeb bush who tweeted that it is a self inflicted attack on the u.s. economy and jobs, to congressional meters, mick mcconnell pledging that the fight is not over and republicans was no intention of giving up on common sense job ideas like key stone. republican presidential candidates are united in their support for the pipeline. transcanada would have to reapply to breathe life back into the project. hillary clinton for months

wouldn't comment, pointing to her role in the vetting process as secretary of state. the obama administration decision comes right after canada's election of a new prime minister, liberal leader justin trudeau saying he's disappointed but is seen as a future ally of president obama on climate change and both leaders have pledged to work together. >> just this week, transcanada tried to put its application on hold, citing a decision that needs to be played out in nebraska over the direction the route would take. it did seem aimed at perhaps delaying a decision until a new president takes office. the state department rejected delaying the request and the pipeline killed, saying that it's miss placed symbolism and resided rick had won out over reason. thank you.

>> ali velshi has been keeping a close eye on the key stone pipeline for years. were you surprised today? what do you make of it? >> i would have been surprised a few years ago, but the way this is gone, i say good riddance to the whole deal. this has been ridden with hypocrisy from all side. it would have carried the dirty crude oil. it is not particularly dirtier than any other oil but gets it is car on intensive. you basically have to boil it out, you use a lot of water and natural gas to get it out. it takes a lot of energy to get this energy. that is what environmentalists are concerned about. the gop candidates put their whole force behind it, saying it could create 100,000 jobs. that's just wrong. it would create 5,000 kemp rather jobs for the construction of the pipeline. pipelines are not particular lip hard to construct and they take no human resources to run it,

about 35 full time jobs. the gop support may be about contributions that they get from big energy producers in the united states. then you jump over to hillary clinton, who's been jumping all over this issue. she flip flopped on it. this was a secretary of state responsibility, because it was a pipeline that crossed a national border. she supported it back in 2010, now she needs the green vote, so she says america doesn't need the pipeline anymore. then the environmentists, randall, they talk about this 1700-mile pipeline when there are more than 60,000 miles of pipeline already in this country and the oil that doesn't go through this pipeline gets stuck on rail. more than 57,000 gallons of crude oil were spilled last year from rail cars. if we had had this pipeline, it would have gone through the pipeline. there is no party that this discussion that has been honest about it, randall. >> moving to another big topic of the day, jobs, the u.s.

unemployment in connection were better than expected. >> yeah. that actually was a surprise to me. 271,000 net new jobs created in october. that's all the new jobs minus any jobs that are lost. the unemployment took a slight dip from 5.1% to 5%. that's an interesting number. historically, economists call 5% full employment. it means pretty much everybody who wants a job has a job and if you're not employed, it's by choice. that doesn't hold true today. our employment situation that changed so much that 5% still means a lot of people are struggling out there. average hourly earnings did go up to $25.25, a two and a half% increase than two years ago, that is a big jump. we've been seeing 2% increases. it means we're soaking up some of this extra capacity in the labor market, so the fry effect at a of improving jobs, wages

and unemployment numbers is good news. it means the feds will likely raise interest rates in december for the first time since 2006. >> just in time for the presidential campaign. now, tell us about tonight's show. >> batting the box, employers are asked to check a box that says you have a criminal history, making it much harder for anyone with a criminal record to get their foot into the door. president obama has ordered federal agencies to stop asking applicants about their criminal past. it just means they don't have to put it on the job application. we'll discuss the implications of that tonight on the show. >> thank you very much with, you can watch on target at 9:00 p.m. eastern, 6:00 pacific right here on aljazeera america. >> there are new indications that suggest a bomb could have brought down to russian apparently jet in egypt. a french t.v. network states an

investigators who had access to the flight recorders heard the sound of an explosion. 224 people died when the jet crashed shortly after takeoff from sharm el-sheikh saturday. this week, a number which countries halted flights to the area, leaving thousands of travelers stranded in egypt but today planes began bringing many back to their home countries. national security correspondent jami macintyre is at the pentagon. today russia made an abrupt distinction about its flights to egypt. >> that's right. you remember that russia was critical of great britain when great britain canceled flights to sharm el-sheikh, the red sea resort, saying it was premature and not based on any evidence. if the government of great britain had intelligence suggesting otherwise, they should share it. well, the u.s. and great britain did share that intelligence with mass co and russian president putin did a quick change of tune, suddenly ordering a halt

to all russian passenger airliners flying to anywhere in europe, not just sharm el-sheikh. that came on the same day as you reported the french television quoting european investigator said that the indications from those black boxes, the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder also were consistent with an event that wasn't an accident. the wok pit recorder recorded the sound of what and r. sounded like an explosion according to the french media report and the flight data recorder didn't indicate any mechanical problems. you add those two together again, it increasingly points to the possibility of a bomb onboard. we should learn more tomorrow when egyptian officials will be giving their first sort of formal presentation on the progress of the vehicles, so we'll have to see what they say they found on the ground. >> what are u.s. officials doing about flights departing from overseas locations headed to america? >> well, the u.s., the

department of homeland security announced some beefing up of aviation security precautions. they said it was out of an abundance of caution and would lend an extra level of security to international travel. most are aimed at overseas, including increased surveillance and inspection of anything that's going to be placed in the cargo hold of a plane, luggage, and cargo, as well as technical assistance to airports in areas in the region that might need to beef up their security and other unspecified things they don't want to reveal. they don't want to tell anyone who mate of ill intentions what the precautions are. they do say that travelers on those flights should notice not a whole lot of difference. randall. >> thank you, national security correspondent jami macintyre at the pentagon. >> rescue crews are searching for survives in southeastern brazil after two dams burst at

an iron ore mine thursday. water and mud flooded the town, destroying nearly 200 homes. state officials say two people are dead, but that number is likely to rise. residents say there were no alarms to warn them of the dam break. myanmar is holding its first free and fair election since 1990. tomorrow said historic election could finally bring the countries pro democracy party into power after a decades long struggle with the military, but anti muslim rhetoric is casting a shadow over the election. al jazeera reports from myanmar. >> he can tested myanmar's last election in 2010 and was hoping to run again this year, but he's been disqualified on the basis his parents weren't citizens when he was born. >> there's my father. >> he rejects those claims and says the real reason is religion. >> my mother has declared in

myanmar and parliament. >> he's referring to a group of buddhist nationalists, the association for the protection of race and relidge be known for their and i muslim rhetoric and they've thrown their support behind the anti muslim party. >> we need to protect our religion and our people. we don't say we kill other people, so those criticisms aren't really fair. >> what critics describe as hate speeches have gone unpunished. the government is accused of giving in to pressure on them in other ways. it back tracked on a proposal that would have allowed temporary identity card holders to vote after protests from nationalists. the move affects hundreds of thousand was rohingya, a muslim minority. the rohingya were allowed to vote in the last election, but

not this time. they aren't recognized at citizens and suffer severe discrimination. >> growing international concern has led to some ambassadors and u.n. representatives, including the secretary general to speak out. u.n. advisors say the use of a political agenda based mainly on the protection of a race or religion is dangerous especially in a country as diverse as myanmar. >> the damage may be done. neither of the two parties is fielding any muslim candidates. this man is worried about the future and asks who will speak up for his community. florence lee, al jazeera. >> still ahead, coming to america, refugees from war-torn parts of the word building a new life in an unlikely city. >> plus, a first for an american town, the changing demographics that led to a majority muslim

city council. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself,

and that's what we're doing at xfinity. we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment,

we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around. >> there are new fears that isil or another rebel group in syria

has acquired chemical weapons. evidence was found of mustard gas being used during battles. it is not clear the source of the weapons. the syrian government says it destroyed all of its chemical weapons in 2013. >> the state departments it will be opening new screening centers for syrian refugees in iraq and lebanon. the move comes after president obama pledged last september to admit 10,000 syrian refugees into the u.s. next year. centers will open in erbil,i, iq this year. >> the number of people traveling to europe has raised many questions about which countries will take responsibilities for them. the united states has received criticism for its decision to accept only 10,000 syrian refugees, but according to the state department, the u.s. actually takes in half of all resettled refugees in the entire world. al jazeera's melissa chan takes

a closer look at the program. >> after 10 years apart, angelique welcomes her relatives and most of all, her mother, to america. the journey for these refugees who fled congo is part of the u.s.'s refugee resettlement program, the largest one in the world. >> they are so happy to be in america. they have been waiting so long, five years. >> at the airport, the new arrivals meet not only family members, but their case manager, who will help them over the next few days and weeks start their new lives in albuquerque. >> bus pass for her and also $25 for her. >> first with starter money and everything from applying for social security numbers, registering for school or take a

a crash course in english. >> the first week, i think you start to feel the shock. they realize that they're really here. >> working at one of the nine national resettlement non-profits the united states works with. >> we have baby food. we do roughly get 125 individuals per year. >> refugees often show up at airport with nothing, so ahead of arrival, her office prepares the basics, an apartment for three months and everything in it. >> we have rice, sugar, some beans that we try to give them in a food box, so we prepare a box roughly like this size with all those essentials. >> the state department makes a one time payment to the agencies, in this case, 1,000 u.s. dollars. most of the money goes to buying a mass stress. >> pillowcases, bat towels, everything that you would expect to have in your first apartment. that's what we try to give all

our parentants. >> it's really hard. do you have a list? >> yes, we do. good question. >> from can openers, micro waves to coffee makers, what americans consider essential are often foreign to those from half a world away. >> i really feel 90 days is not enough. we have all these requirements we try to get done, but the j pros for individuals varies. >> this couple left kabul in office. they're time in the program is winding down, and they feel pressured to find work. >> i have business agree and management degree. i can speak in six lanes, russian, turkish, but i can't find job as i want. >> those degrees carry little value in the u.s. he has received only one offer so far, a minimum wage job at $8.50 working 25 hours a week.

reaching that american dream, the family realizes will take years. >> always when i call with them and talking with them, especially my mother says you are good, you are lucky, because you are there, you are safe, but we are not. don't be sad, think about your son's future, because you are good. maybe in the future, your baby become a good man. >> you might think new york city, chicago, or los angeles would be better places for strangers in a strange land to move to. those are multi-cultural metropolis's, but the united states took in 70,000 refugees in the last fiscal year and not all can move to a big city. >> many head to medium sized cities, nashville, phoenix, las vegas, boise. >> it's a community where people know each other, care about each other, there's affordable housing, good jobs, the schools

are welcoming, and refugees find cities like that very comfortable. >> beautiful. ok, very good. >> the goal is not to set them up for failure in an overwhelming environment. refugees need time to learn english, for example, in order to transfer any skills they might have from their home country for use in the united states. from afghanistan to albuquerque. >> he keeps trying, meeting with his career counselor, working on his resume, determined that his degrees will matter, if not immediately, then down the line. but for the latest arrivals who have not had the chants to think that far ahead into the future, they are just glad to be alive. >> the fact that i am here is because of the grace of god. he decided i will not die in the congo, that i will come to

america. nephew, nieces, mothers and daughters, reunited in the most unlikely place, but one of promise, safety, and security. melissa chan, al jazeera, albuquerque, new mexico. >> there has been a big demographic chance for a community surrounded by detroit that was once a polish catholic enclave. it is now the first american city with a majority muslim city council. al jazeera's bisi onile-ere reports. >> in michigan, a small city within detroit stretches a little more than two scare miles, once an enclave for polish catholic immigrants, now half of the immigrants are i don't mean yemen and bangladesh.

on tuesday, he is now one of four muslims on the six member council, which this the first city in the u.s. to have a muslim government body. about 22,000 people live in the city, estimates of the muslim population now range from one third to one half. the city began undergoing a demographic shift in the 1970's, at one point, more than 85% of the people who lived here were polish immigrants, who were first drawn to hamtram meek when the dodge plant opened.

greg has lived in hamtramck all his life. stores and restaurants representing a variety of different cultures line the streets. >> people tend to get along fairly, fairly well. where i live, my house, the person next to me is a bosnian lady. she doesn't speak english. we communicate with sign language. the people next to me are bangladeshi and they're very nice people. >> despite the cultural and language differences, he said people's needs front and center are what matters. >> it doesn't matter which color, which race is it. >> as more immigrants settle here, city leaders believe it's only a matter of time before the face of the city changes again. bisi onile-ere, michigan. >> a risky space walk at the international space station today to repair a cooling

system. two american osteo put thats dodged leaking ammonia. the walk lasted seven thunder showers, 48 minutes. >> up next, democrats preparing for the first in the south forum, where the presidential candidates stand. >> culture clash, can the democrats gain traction in the states despite their platforms. >> this is our home. >> nobody should have to live like this. >> we made a promise to these heroes...

this is one promise americans need to keep.

>> welcome to our special coverage of america votes. tonight, the three democratic presidential candidates will face a new challenge. hillary clinton bernie sanders will participate in what's called the first in the south presidential forum, referring to soutsouth carolina. this is a forum, not a debate. the moderator will question each one individually. the candidates will not speak to one another. rachel madow plans to hold the

candidates' feet to the fire. some questions have democrats moved away from the political positions held by southerners or have southerners moved away from democrats. are democrats saying what southern voters want to hear or are southern voters not listening to democrats? we look at shifting political party in the south. >> today, the south is strongly and solidly republican but at one time was a democratic stronghold. take a look at the 1960 presidential maps, states that went for john f. kennedy in blue, the republican states in red. democrats controlled nearly all of the southern states in terms of the results and also senate seats in the house. five years later, lyndon johnson passed civil rights legislation

and things began to turn. carter won almost every southern state, but in congress, republicans began making in-roads against the democratic hold on the south. by the 2012 presidential race, we see gop red in most of the south. it's also reflected in congress where republicans took the vast majority of southern seats and on the state level with the exception of the kentucky house, republicans now control every single legislative chamber in the south. so how are democrats today trying to connect with southern voters? hillary clinton often refers to her years in arkansas and sometimes uses a twang when talking to southern democrats. >> i am running to live again as 1600 pennsylvania avenue, but i don't want to be there all by myself. >> bernie sanders says his economic policies will be particularly helpful to the south and speaking to southern evangelicals, sanders even

quoted scripture. >> amos five: 24, but let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream. >> former governor martin o'malley will try to connect to southern voters by recognizing level of success on issues southerners care about, the economy, jobs, education and crime reduction. >> i'm from mississippi. i know southern accent. hillary is not a southern accent, got to be southern illinois at best. bernie sanders, when he was a young man was in the south in the civil rights movement? >> that's another calling card for sanders is that he was very active in the civil rights movement in the 1960s a the a time when hillary clinton was supporting a presidential candidate who was essentially opposed to it. that might be another divide, a fissure that we see tonight when

these candidates talk about their own connections to issues that southern democrats, african-americans care a lot about. >> is martin o'malley claiming a married is the south? >> he hasn't gone that far. martin o'malley is suggesting i've got experience in a diverse state that looks like states in the south, fairly sizeable african-american population, you are bans issues that have some trouble. what he's expected to say is i've got a record of economic success, lowering the crime rate, of education, all leading issues that southerners expect and martin o'malley can say i've got executive experience, which is something that hillary clinton and bernie sanders do not. >> i think you would agree that most polls show that the voters, that democrats tend to count on most in the south are african-american voters. >> they are now. there once was a time we pointed out on the map, back in the 1960's was the southern democrats, that people opposed

to civil rights, once the democrats came around for civil rights, then those southern democrats started to become republicans. what's been left are mostly african-americans and also a growing community of hispanics, a large latino immigration population which has gone to the south and they are also showing up in the south as democrats. >> then of course whether any candidates can motivate those people to turn out. that is referred to as the elephant in the room, turnout is poor. >> democrats that don't have the infrastructure there for general elections, because they don't have a lot of support, it makes it that much more difficult when you're trying to turn out your voters in a primary or caucus in a state that is not going to go your way in a general election. >> the biggest issue in most presidential elections is the economy. how is the south different from the rest of the country economically? southern children in poor homes are least likely to escape poverty. southern businesses overwhelmingly rely on low wage

workers. only two southern states have minimum wages, $7.25. souther states rely on government spending and while a survey of c.e.o.'s found they prefer the south for doing business, it turns out that those same c.e.o.'s chose to make their homes somewhere else. so, if the democratic candidate dates hope to do more than pay lip service to the south, how do they plan to address the south's economic challenges? let's go back now to david shuster for a look at where the candidates stand on that question. >> let's start with the economy. the democrats are united in their belief that president obama's actions brought the nation, including the south out of recession. each of the three democrats three more needs to be done to make sure the growth is broadly shared. they all agree the minimum wage should be raised but o'malley and sanders believe it should be raised to $15 an hour.

hillary clinton is proposing a less ambitious level of $12 an hour. on social security, o'malley and sanders agree that the program should be expanded, saying home caregivers should be credited for work in taking care of a friend or relative. hillary clinton believe that is social security should be left as is and not expanded. rewarding financial industry power, the south is home to several top u.s. banks. o'malley and sanders both support breaking up the nation's largest banks. >> we'll take a closer look at the southern economy with our guest. recently, he wrote an article in the american prospect called how

the american south drives the low became economy. thank you for joining us. income equality is being talked about, republicans and democrats. tell us about the south's history on wages and workers rights. >> obviously it begins with hundreds of years of an economy based on slavery, so this is not a good start. it's not clear to me that the south has ever really gotten in synch with the rest of the country. it was devastate after the civil war and then it became the place where early american manufacturers of clothing and techs tiles in the late 1800s began to move factories to the south because the work was cheaper, the labor cheaper, the economic conditions there were still desperate, people took jobs as a lower rate and to a certain degree, this row mains so in a modern context, the

south remains the one part of the country where there are a number of states that have never enacted minimum wage laws of their own. the south remains the most anti union part of the united states and the carolinas, the rate of unionization is 2%. for a variety of reasons, this is a relatively new phenomenon, the south is now getting global factories from european and japanese auto manufacturers, aircraft manufacturers like airbus, they are coming to the south because as one board member for airbus told me earlier this year, it's actually cheaper when you factor in the productivity differences. it's actually cheaper for them to get the product assembled in the south than it is in china. now that's kind of a startling fact, but this is the reason why you have the volkswagens ant nissan's and the bmw's moving major factories to the south, which has the effect of putting a lid on the wages of auto

workers and other workers in the north. >> let me ask you this. you have referred to a report that found southern wages being at parity with china. that's something most americans find just unbelievable. what is the political policy response for presidential candidate who really want to do something about that? >> since your newt going to get the minimum wage at a state level raised anytime soon in mississippi or alabama where there is no state minimum wage, a lot of this has to be addressed federally, just like the rights of african-americans ultimately had to be addressed federally, not at the state level, because they were never bog to get any at the state level. issues like the minimum wage and raising it, be it to 12 or 15 over a period of time would make a significant difference, even in sectors that we think of as relatively higher wage, like

manufacturing, auto parts workers in the south aren't making anymore than walmart workers, so really there needs to be some across the board income policies which have ton enacted at the federal level. >> david shuster here. as far as the division between the candidates on the banks and whether they should be broken up or as hillary clinton suggestion, just more regulation, how does that policy cut with southern democrats? >> well, i think there's a general sense across the entire body politic, southerners, northerners and everyone else that the banks are too big. the south historically has been a site of pom left-field line that is usually anti bank, the louisiana republican senator now running for governor crafted a bill with sherrod brown to require banks once they hit a certain threshold, bank of

america is headquartered in the south in charlotte, so that would have impact on the charlotte economy. this almost transcends all american ideology and party distinctions. >> you mentioned that the south does not exactly favor labor unions, but democrats have depended on labor unions for political support, for getting out the vote efforts. how influential are labor unions in the south and what kind of support can democratic candidate dates expect from unions as they try to turn out the southern vote? >> well, basically, there are a whole group of southern states that effectively have no union presence at all. this is one reason the democrats are at an electoral disadvantage in the south. as i said in the states that have the lowest rates of unionization are north and south carolina. mississippi isn't far behind, alabama isn't far behind.

these are all states with rates of unionization less than 5%, so unions barely play a role at all. in states that have more of a, you know, in which the northern economy has made in roads, florida and virgin particular, then unions do play a role getting out the vote. they were actually played a major role in the fact that barack obama carried those two states in the loft two presidential elections. in the rest of the south, they are almost simply not there. >> thank you, harold meyerson. the south is the most reege region in the country, why is it the most deadly region for gun deaths? that and more, right after this.

>> by almost any measure from education to deadly diseases, research shows southerners worse off than other americans. they also hold different viewpoints an social issues. the candidates will be asked to explain how they will address problems and concerns facing southern voters. more from jonathan martin.

>> living in the south can come with its perks, like warmer weather and the low cost of living. in many important quality of life aspects, the region is struggling. >> here we go, number six. >> most southern states lag behind the rest of the nation in education. public schools in louisiana, west virginia and mississippi consistently have some of the nation's worst graduation rates and test scores. of the 10 states with the smallest percentage of college graduates, eight are in the south. the region is often considered the less educated. southerners are the least healthy. these eight states have the highest death rates from heart disease, cancer and stroke. life expectancy at birth is lowest in mississippi, alabama and west virginia where the average person lives until 75, four years shorter than the national average. mortality rates are largely tied to obesity and smoking, even

though the south where 19% of adults smoke is less than the midwest where 20% smoke. obesity rates continue to claim. all five states with the highest rates are in the south, with arkansas heating the way, 31% considered obese. fully of a of all new h.i.v. cases occur in the south. these states are also where you'll find the highest rate of teens giving birth. >> we have a number of individuals in communities, particularly those in communities of color that are uninsured and don't have that access to quality health care than we see, you know, the worsening of these health conditions that are treatable. >> you might expect to find more gun owners in the south than in any other region of the country, but you won't. what you will find is more people getting killed by guns. alabama, mississippi, and louisiana are among the five states with the highest rate of gun deaths. for more than a decade,

louisiana has had the nation's highest murder and incarceration rates. one way the south is different that many southerners may be proud of, the south is the most religion region in america. of the 10 states with the highest church attendance, all but utah are in the south. >> mean realize the importance of talking about these issues especially campaigns in the south, a region that's increasingly voted republican. jonathan martin, al jazeera, new orleans. >> when it comes to southern concerns on social issues like we've discussed, clinton and o'malley do not always see eye to eye. where they do agree, they are often out of step with southern politics. their differences could prove to be key. >> health care, all three democrats supported the obama administration's law known as the affordable care act. they all have plans to lower the cost of prescription drugs and

believe the government should play a big role shaping the health care system. bernie sanders points out that the large number of americans remain uninsured and supports a medicare for all, single pair system. he wants universal health care run by the government. now on gun control, all three candidates support closing the gun show loophole and ban an assault weapons. clinton and o'malley would make gun manufacturers and dealers liable to lawsuits from victims and their families. bernie sanders voted the other way. finally on immigration, all three support a path to citizenship. sanders has been critical of the guest worker program, arguing that such programs drive down wages for american workers. that is a concern in many parts of the south. o'malley could be vulnerable to southern concerns about immigration, because the former maryland governor supports

expanding health care services to undocumented immigrants. randall. >> thank you, david. so now, let's talk about what democrats can possibly do about any of this. i'm joined by president and c.e.o. of bernard center for women in politics. steven white is a visiting assistant professor at lafayette college's department of government and law. first question to you, can democrats ever any possibility of winning the south? i ask that because no democratic president has taken the whole south or most of the south since jimmy carter. >> no, not in recent times, obviously, but i would argue that there are many states in the south that democrats have a possibility of taking over, making competitive in 2016, 2020

and going out as far as 2024 and later, actually turning certain red states to bleu states. if you look at north carolina, one could argue that essentially north carolina is already a blue state, or it is a blue state with some right wing red state leanings. in 2008, barack obama won north carolina handily. in 2012, he just barely lost it to mitt romney, and the demographics in north carolina alone show the pathway for democrats to win southern states, more than one southern state. the older whites in the state of north carolina vote republican, vote conservative values, but there is an increasing number of

younger whites moving into the north carolina area and slowly but because of demographic changes making north carolina a solidly blue state. you look at texas -- yes? >> let me interrupt you for a second. we want to talk about some of the issues that were mentioned in my colleague jonathan martin's report, life expectance, obesity, college education. professor smith, with respect to what the candidates can say to southern voters about issues that are affecting the south, how do you see that? >> i think it's a tough problem for democrats and certainly you have black voters that are the core constituency of the party, but for many decades, native born whites from the region have not been. people from the northeast who went to college in the northeast are going to places like

charlottsville, chapel hill. those voters were voting for obama in much more traditional groups. >> it does seem that poverty, that is to say low income jobs, would be a problem across racial lines for anyone living in the south. it would seem that health issues, obesity, high blood pressure would be a problem for anyone across the south. we also have a commonnalty of religious enters across racial be lines. to you, miss bernard, can -- is there some possibility of uniting blacks and whites across racial lines on those issues for the benefit of democrats, or do you see this as more a republican field of play? >> look, i think that for the near future and medium term future, some of these issues are just in tractable in the south. when we look at how people vote, for example, we are trying to figure out how many white people can democrats get to vote for them in the south.

we know that in certain states, that number will probably increase post barack obama, because a black man will no longer be president of the united states, but how do you get the numbers to increase largely at particularly in states where people sometimes vote against their self interest? when you have southern governors who want nothing to do with the affordable care act despite the health outcomes in their state, that's a huge problem. when you have people who believe in limited government despite the fact that sometimes government is a very important safety net, when you have people who do not believe in reforming the education system because they don't want the federal government involved with education, that's a huge problem, so really, the passport for democrats is to wait for the demographic changes and seize upon them and barring that -- >> my, my -- i'm sorry. >> i'll end by saying bernie sanders is probably the most favorable candidate to southerners simply because of his stance on immigration.

>> as we see those demographic changes, the question steven that i have is you have more hispanics coming into the united states and we see a greater divide between republicans and democrats, democrats favoring a path to citizenship, republicans putting up a wall. how does that play in efforts to recapture the south? >> if you look at some states, like georgia, you see even though you have increasing populations of latinos, they are not all citizens, not all registered to vote and so on. the shift from just having a population to having actual voters i think will take a few decades possibly. >> a quick question to you, do you see any finishures, any cracks in conservative fix? >> i think the white population there is pretty much polarized in a sense. i don't see that changing.

i do think that sort of what she was saying about states in north carolina kind of modernizing in different ways and having new migrants from other countries is an important fact in that part of the country. >> thank you both very much for joining us. >> my final thoughts, right after this.

>> almost exactly one year from now, voters will go to the polls or they won't. if democrats hope to win in a deep red southern state this year or 2020 or 2024, waiting for the democratic tide to turn will not be enough. they will have to get their voters to the polls in states with majority republican legislators are redrawing electoral maps to their advantage. maybe hillary clinton or bernie sanders will be able to attract voters, but if the turnout tuesday was any indication at best, that's a long shot for

democrats. we'll bring you coverage of the key points from tonight's democratic forum at 11:00 eastern, 8:00 pacific. >> randall, thank you. tonight there are new developments in the investigation of a russian jet liner that crashed last week in the egyptian sinai. from the cockpit voice recorder appear to indicate the jet was brought down by a bomb. in a moment we'll talk to the former supreme commander of nato who believes i.s.i.l. was to blame. but first we talk to jamie mcintire live at the pentagon and jamie was the latest on the investigation? >> reporter: david, as the investigation continues into crash of metro jet 9268, mechanical failure hasn't been ruled out but the increasing possibility that an explosion caused by