vigilance. >> thank you. we are going to go to the white house correspondent mike viqueira, standing by live, waiting for the president's address at the oval office. mike. >> 90 seconds from now we expect the president to appear on camera and deliver what will be about a 15 minute address. he has a tricky task in front of him. he has to reassure the american people and at the same time is not in a position to provide iron clad garnts -- guarantees that further attacks will not happen. in the light of french attacks, they said there's no credible threat to the united states, then in san bernardino, the murder of 14 individuals by people that law enforcement says was radicalized by elements within the middle east. they were under the radar. the administration, law enforcement is investigating what happened, and what kind of kak, if any, were made. whether these were lone wolves.

this is part of the problem that the president faces. you'll hear him talk about progress made in the fight against i.s.i.l. you'll hear him emphasised need for a diplomatic solution, and that is the key to defeating i.s.i.l., coming to a political agreement within syria - it's proven difficult. as the american-led coalition takes the fight from the air, u.s. coalition and leader are looking for allies on the ground to go in and hold the ground taken back from i.s.i.l. over the course of the next week or months. >> interesting points about the radicalization of the persons in san bernardino - here is president obama good evening. on wednesday, 14 americans were killed as they came together to celebrate the holidays. they were taken from family and friends who loved them deeply. they were white and black,

latino and asian, immigrants and american born. mums and dads, daughters and sons. each of them served their fellow citizens, and all of them were part of the american family. tonight i want to talk with you about this tragedy and the broader threat of terrorism, and how we can keep our country safe. the fbi is still gathering the facts about what happened in san bernardino. here is what we know. the victims were brutal amurdered and injured by a co-worker and his wife. so far we have no evidence that the killers were directed by a terror organization overseas, nor are they part of a broader conspiracy at home. it is clear that the two of them have gone down the dark path of radicalization in raising a version of islam calling for war against america and the u.s. it stockpiled assault weapons,

ammunition and pipe bombs. this was an act of terrorism designed to kill innocent people. >> our nation has been at war with terrorists since al qaeda killed 3,000 americans. >> in the process we hardened our defenses. intelligence and law enforcement agencies disrupted countless plots mere and overseas, and worked around the clock to keep us safe. our military and counterterrorism professionals relentlessly pursued terrorist networks overseas, disrupting safe havens, and killing osama bin laden, and desimentating al qaeda's leadership. over the last few years the terror threat evolved into a new phase, we have become better at complex attacks, terrorists turned to les complex, like the

mass shootings that are all too common. it is this type of attack we saw in fort hood. chattanooga, earlier this year, and now in san bernardino. and as groups like i.s.i.l. grew stronger amidst the chaos of the war in iraq and syria, as the internet erases the distance between countries, we see growing efforts by terrorist to poison the mind of people like the boston marathon bombers and the san bernardino killers. for seven years i have confronted this evolving threat each and every morning in my intelligence briefing. since the day i took this office i have authorized u.s. forces to take out terrorists abroad precisely because i know how real the danger is. as commander in chief i have no greater responsibility than the security of the american people. as a father to two young daughters who are the most precious part of my life, i know

that we see overseas with friends and co-worker at the holiday party like the one in san bernardino. i know we see our kids in the faces of young people in paris, and i know after so much war, the americans are asking whether we are confronted by a cancer that has no immediate cure. here is what i want you to know - the threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it. we will destroy i.s.i.l. and any other organization that dries to harm us. our success will not depend on tough talk, abandoning or giving into fear. that's what groups like i.s.i.l. are hoping for. we'll prevail being strong and smart. resilient and relentless, and drawing upon every aspect of american power. here is how - first, our military will continue to hunt down terrorist plotters in any

country where it is necessary. in iraq and syria, air strikes are taking out i.s.i.l. leaders, heavy weapons, oil tankers, infrastructure, and since the attacks in paris, our closest allies in france, germany and the u.k., they have ramped up and helped to accelerate the effort to destroy i.s.i.l. second, we'll continue to provide training and quit to tens of thousands of iraqi and syrian forces, until we take away their safe havens. in both countries we are deploying special operation forces. we have stepped up the efforts since the attacks in paris and will invest more in the protests on the ground. third, we are working with friends and allies to stop i.s.i.l.'s operations, disrupt thoughts, cut off offensers, and

prevent -- cut off finance and prevent them recruiting. we are working with turkey to seal the border with syria, and are cooperating with muslim. and with the muslim communities at home, to counter the vicious ideology that i.s.i.l. promotes online. >> fourth, with american leadership, the international community has begun to establish a process and time line to pursue ceasefires, any political resolution to the syrian war. doing so allows the syrian people and any country, and countries like russia to focus on the common goal of destroying i.s.i.l., a group that is threatening us all. this is our strategy to destroy i.s.i.l. it is designed and supported by counterterrorism experts. >> together with 65 counties joining the coalition, and we

examine the strategy to determine if decisional steps are needed. that's why i ordered the department of state and homeland security to review the waiver, under by the female terrorist came to this country. that is why i'll make it harder for terrorists to escape from justice. here at home, we have to work together to address the challenge. there are several steps that congress should take right away. to begin with, congress should act to make sure no one on a no fly list is able to buy a gun. what could possibly be the argument for allowing a terror suspect to buy a semiautomatic weapon. this is a matter of national security. we also need to make it harder for people to buy powerful assault weapons like the one us used in san bernardino.

i know some reject any gun safety measures. the fact is intelligence and law enforcement. no matter how effective they are, kalent identify every would -- cannot identify every would-be mass shooter, whether identified as i.s.i.l. or other hateful denomination. we can and must make it harder for them to kill. next, we should mutt in place stronger screening for those that come to america without a visa, and take a hard look at whether they travel to war zones. and we are working with members of congress to do that. >> finally, if congress believes, as i do, that we are at war with i.s.i.l., we should vote to offer the use of military force against the terrorists. for over a year, i ordered the military to take thousands of strikes, it's time for congress

to vote to demonstrate that the american people are united and committed to this fight. my fellow americans, these are the steps that we can take together, to defeat the terrorist threat. let me say a word about what we should not do. we should not be drawn into a long and costly ground war in iraq or syria. that is what groups like i.s.i.l. wants. they know they can't defeat ugs on the battlefield. fighters were part of the insurgency that we faced in iraq. they know if we occupy foreign lands they can maintained insurgencies for years, killing troops, draining resources and using our presence to draw new recruits. the strategy that we are using now, air strikes, special forces and working with local forces are fighting to regain control of their own country, this is how we'll achieve a more

sustainable victory. if will not require us to send a new generation of americans overseas to fight and die another decade on foreign soil. here is what else we cannot do. we cannot turn against one another by letting the fight be defined as a war between american and islam. that, too, is what groups like i.s.i.l. want. i.s.i.l. does not speak for islam. they are thugs and killers. part of a cult of death. and they account for a tiny fraction of a more than a billion muslims around the world. including millions of patriotic muslim americans that reject their hatele ideology. the involvement majority of victims are muslim. if we are to succeed in defeating terrorism. we must enlisted muslim communities as some of the

strongest allies, rather than push them away through suspicion and hate. that does not mean denying the fact that ideology spread between some communities, there's a problem that muslims must confront without excuse. muslim leaders here and around the globe have to continue working with us to decisively and unequivocally rejected the hatele ideology that the groups promote. to speak out against not just acts of violence but interpretations of islam that are incompatible with the values of racial tolerance, respect and human dignity. as it is the responsibility of muslims around the world, it is the responsibility of all americans and everything to reject discrimination. it is our responsibility to reject religious tests on who we admit into the country.

it's our responsibility to reject proposals that muslim americans have been treated differently. when we travel down the rooted, we lose. the trail of values, plays into the hands of groups like i.s.i.l. muslim americans are our friends and neighbours, coe workers. sports hero. yes, they are men and women in uniform willing to die in defense of our country. we have to remember that. my fellow americans, i am confident we'll succeed in the mission, because we are on the right side of history. we were founded on a belief in human dignity that no matter who you are, where you come from, what you look like or what religion you practice, you are equal in the lives of god or

equal in the lives of the law. even in this political season, when we debate what steps i and future presidents must take to keep the county safe, let's make sure we don't forget what makes us exceptional. let's not forget freedom is more powerful than fear. we have always met challenges, national disasters, war terror attacks by coming together around our common ideals as one nation and one people. so long as we stay true to that tradition, i have no doubt that america will prevail. thank you. god bless us and may god bless the united states of america. president obama wrapping up a speech from the oval office only the third that he has delivered during his term of office, laying out his strategy to deal with terrorism at home

and abroad and talking about the tragedy in san bernardino, saying that there is no evidence that the killers were directed by terrorists abroad. but they were radicalized and the 14 deaths were an act of terror. >> let's go to al jazeera's mike viqueira, who was listening to the president's address. any surprises in the president's speech tonight? >> i think, randell, the surprise is that he had the speech on a sunday night. the tone some 'em, sombre and serious given the subject matter and everything that occurred in the last weeks and months. the president saying he has a strategy answering the critics who want him to be more forthful in a military and rhetorical sense. in confronting i.s.i.l., he'll stay the course, we have the right strategy, coalition, and efforting a political and diplomatic solution to the syrian crisis, the syrian civil

war, the key to defeating i.s.i.l. they opened the space, taken advantage and exploited the syrian civil war. the president also, of course, taking out after those who would discriminate against muslims, dividing one against the other within the united states. the president did begin by talking about the attack in san bernardino. by citing the fact that it is treated as a terrorism investigation. but, he said, and this is a key point. there has been questions raised about whether or not signals were missed by law enforcement. he said that there's no evidence thus far that these two individuals, the husband and wife that carried out the act were in any kind of contact with people overseas to insight the violence. let's listen. >> so far we have no evidence that the killers were directed by a terrorist organization overseas or that they were part

of a broader conspiracy at home. but it is clear that the two of them had gone down the dark path of radicalization, embracing a perverted version of islam calling for war against the west. they stock piled ammunition and pipe bombs. it was an act of terrorism designed to kill innocent people. >> the president said the threat from these acts evolved into a new phase, citing what happened at fort hood, chattanooga, and san bernardino, and he talked about something that he has frequently spoken over in the course of the last seven years, an issue that has been frustrating for him, his inability to pass gun safety, control through congress, calling for the prohibition for anyone on a terror watch list or no fly list to buy weapons, as

shockingly to some, they can at this point. and making the case, making it more difficult to buy assault-style weapons used in the attacks. >> mike viqueira at the white house. let's bring in our guests and correspondents with us tonight. dave, i was struck by what the president said, what america must not do. >> this was very much a politic speech. not a policy speech. what the president is doing is not offering anything knew, he is setting up strong, cannot be drawn into a ground war in syria. what the president is trying to say is that we need to understand it's a complex battle with i.s.i.l. and to the extent he makes that point, or oversimplifies it.

if he's able to make that point, most americans understand that that is the right complex, he increases the chances of a democrat. by the way. the president's number one concern over the next year is paying hadding sure that his policies are conditioned. looking at this as a politic speech, it's more complex, it gets to his goal of making sure that when you hear donald trump or lindsey graham say you should organise an army to go into iraq and syria and battle them, it's not that simple. >> talk to us about the reference to reviewing the visa waiver programme. that's a change that we are hearing, which was, of course, the way, apparently, that the female... >> met her husband on a dating site. i thought that was during. because for the first time you

really are hearing that - i don't want to use the term loopholes, but there are policies in place, particularly in the visa programs that may make it easier for individuals coming here to radicalize folks that are already here, that have not all been radicalized. looking at the programme. the important thing for the state department, it's a policy change, if it takes place, that will be incredible. >> another hint at a change is when he talked about law enforcement and high tech stopping people using social media becoming radicalized. how do you do that in light of the pull backs, the rules in respect to metadata gathering which we have been talking about, the president has been criticized. some said that he made it difficult for law enforcement to find anybody, because he supports the restrictions.

>> that's an interesting point. he didn't give spicks, and many -- specifics and many people are having the same reaction, aren't you the president that pulled back on that direction. i have to say broadly. i wished the president took the moment to educate the american public, this is an issue many are not familiar with, this is a place many americans are not familiar with, i wish the president took the time to educate people, whether it was pulling out a map or telling us what needs to be done. this is complicated. the republican candidates simplified it. to a certain extent the president missed an opportunity to say i'm above this all. i'll educate you on the reality of the situation. i wish i could do all that everyone is thinking about. it can't be done. >> do you feel like he was vague. >> i don't think so.

if he was vague, it was a big mistake. people are willing to listen. they want to know, hear what is going on, and who else but the president could tell us that. this is a moment we need to be educated about, this is something that the president is perfectly situated to talk about. i felt like it was a lot of suggestions about things that might happen. or fight do. it's a missed opportunity to listen to it. >> i think we can benefit from more information on this issue. i think the president picked his battle. and what is important for him was telling folks, in particular the republican candidates, they need to tone the rhetoric down. we are hearing about what should happen. we are hearing a fiery rhetoric. i understand what you are saying, i agree with you. what he did today was essentially pick the battle.

>> thank you - david we'll hear from you later. thank you for being here, we'll be back with more reaction to the president's address when we come back. >> so far we have no evidence that the killers were directed by a terrorist organization overseas, or that they were part of a broader conspiracy at home. but it is clear that the two of them had gone down the dark path of radicalization. important sites in the century. >> proudest moment of my life.

we should not be drawn in a long and costly ground war against i.s.i.l. on syria. that's what they wants. they know we can't defeat them, but they know if we occupy foreign lands they can maintain insurgencies for years, killing troops, draining resource and using our presence to draw new recruits president obama addressing the nation in a brief speech in which he tried to reassure the american public that the administration, the nation is on the right trashing in the fight against terrorism. joining us now against washington d.c., senior fellow at the american progress, and a senior advisor to the united nations special representative to iraq, and along with him.

former ambassador kurt volker. ambassador voelker, first to you - what, over all, is your reaction to the president's speech tonight? >> well, i think, as earlier commentators say na that he missed an opportunity. people are genuinely worried. they see i.s.i.s. attacking in california, and abroad. libya. they see russia involved in syria, turkey shooting down an aircraft. i.s.i.s. having more people, mun by, selling oil. this is worrying, what is going on. and the president's comment saying our strategy is special forces training, going after the plotters, we have this under control. is not very reassuring to people. people feel that it is under

control. they are looking for a lot more commitment and specificity, and it sounds like we are asked to trust who we are. >> if you could give us an example of something specific that you wish the president had said. >> i wish he had been more emphatic about doing whatever it takes to defeat i.s.i.s. we have a list of things, we will do air strikes, intelligence sharing with allies, some stepped up since the paris attacks. which makes you wonder why it wasn't before the attacks. stepped up since then. a prohibition against ground troops, and no sense that we are within this. >> let's go to you, your reaction to the president's

speech? >> it was always going to be a tough speech to give. he was always going to go out dealing with i.s.i.s. in a difficult moment. when we discussed the way the united states took it to i.s.i.l., there wasn't a lot of new material. it makes it difficult to feel as though there's something new. the part that was quite important was the way they reached to the american people. the voters, and say, look, the nature of campaign surround a lot of what has been happening at home. it is a dangerous place to go. it's an important moment with the way in which we look at other citizens, the way we think about muslim americans, that we not get dropped into doing what i.s.i.l. wants us to do, which is to overreact. i thought that was the most important thing the president could have done. >> what do you think about the press, the critics to say that america needs to have boots on

the ground. good idea, bad idea? into well, i mean, it's kind of a false choice, we have some boots on the ground. there's over 3,500 troops in iraq now. we are about to deploy additional operators and plus up the number into a light targetting team in iraq. u.s. troops are there. the real question is many will look at the speech and say the president didn't offer something new. what is it that we are going to do that will be new and different? the most important is to leverageal lies in the region, jordan, u.a.e., saudi arabia to make commitments, and the addition of drops would have to leverage the commitment. >> america's partners in the region, stepping up to the plate. becoming more engaged than they

are. >> i think there is a chance of that. it is exactly as our other guests said. it's leveraging the commitment. with the u.s. forces. if we are not willing to do it, why is anyone else willing to do it. that is strictly diplomacy. we have to be willing to say we are committed to the goal. we'll do what it takes. that's the way to get the most commitment from everyone else. >> you are saying america has to pony up troops before expecting jordan or... >> we have to be willing to put it on the table. we can't, as we do now, rule it out. we do have ground forces there of a different nature. trainers rather than forces helping local forces to take hold of territory. we need to have - from the top. we will make it work.

that's what will get the others in. if we are saying constantly we are not going to do it, we can't expect them to do it either. >> thank you for your insight on the president's speech and what to do about i.s.i.l. >> the president's address came as residents of san bernardino try to return to some sense of normalcy. as some muslims impressed, fears from profiling, melissa chan choins us live. do you have a guest there that was part of the muslim community. what is their reaction? >> it's been interesting. we were at an interfaith vigil. >> there were expressions of fear, concerns that this is the worst hostility that muslim americans have experienced since

the post 9/11 period. joining he here is a person attending the mosque that syed farook attended. you have been out front in front of the media to talk about this. something that president obama said is the possibility of muslims in the united states and overseas. >> muslim leaders here and around the globe have to work with us to decisively and unequivocally rejected what al qaeda promotes. as is the responsibility to root out misguided ideas itself the spoibilityy of all americans to reject -- responsibility of all americans to reject administration. >> do you think it's an undue burden on the community in the country? >> no, i think on the contrary

it's a religious duty. i talked to an imam, he wants to call on the muslim scholars in the region and have them work together to assure something. yes, being a burden, it is a religious obligation that there's a certain group of people trying to promote the ideology, it's a burden on scholars, to fight and destroy the con sent. the president took half a speech talking about condolences. he spent much of the first half talking about fighting i.s.i.l., and he switches to talk about the community and americans in general. it's similar to what we talked about. do you think that is uncomfortable to put the two things next to each other? >> i look at it in a positive

sense, and believe that the united states nose what is best for the country. i believe it was the best that he did, we congratulate and commend him for what was said. i think that was fair. it different between them and the muslims, and how we are fellow neighbours and citizens, and there's no link between to two. >> can you describe what you have experienced, and have you had positive experiences, have you had negative experiences, have you in the past dealt with profiling? >> first of all, i would say that it is something that i'm afraid of coming out. my mother personally has forbidden me to come and told me don't go, i'm afraid someone might do something, whether it's physical or verbal. that fear is there, and through the community - from my friends. their parents don't want them coming out as well. however, on the positive note i did get to attend memorials and

vigils, i'll continue doing so, if a memorial is going on, i'll be more than honoured to go there. behind me, today, we went to get flowers and offer condolences and show support, and we had conflict with a gentleman saying that you guys were like this, and the koran is teaching violence and so forth. as i was trying to talk to him. my fellow community member of san bernardino were coming to support me. and people cried. they were there. they hugged me, they give so much support, welcoming from the bottom of their heart. one gentlemen said i will never turn my back on the muslim americans, they are free from this. overall it's been a positive result and i wish and pray it's continued this way. >> that is your position. within the muslim american community, i have friends expressing their decision to

withdraw, instead of step forward. how divided are you guys. >> i don't know how we are to give exact figures. i encourage women not to abandon hijab. dress in your religion, do not shave your beards. show your religion. >> thank you for your time. >> there you go, very much this past weekend there's about few dompts, and the community is taking the time to reach out and see that there has been vigils, and the focus is not so much on the investigation. >> thank you so much. we are struck by statements that he sees it as a religious duty to counter that that preach hate and is receiving support from the community of san bernardino. next - the gun debate as our

special coverage of the president's address to the nation continues. >> it is the responsibility of all americans, of every faith, to reject discrimination. >> it is our responsibility to reject religious tests on who we admit into the country. it is our responsibility why to reject muslim americans should be treated differently.

. >> we will destroy i.s.i.l. and any other organization that will harm us. our success will not depend on tough talk or giving into fear. that's what groups like i.s.i.l. are hoping for. >> last week's killings in san

bernardino reignited the issue gun control. we have new yorkers against gunvir are violence, leah is here with us, and a supporter from texas, for the right to have guns, samuel morgan. for clarification purposes, do you own weapons? >> yes, i do. >> could you tell me not everything, but give an example of what you have in your home. >> generally i have handguns, carvings and shotguns. >> okay. so you heard president obama say that one of the things he wants congress to do right away is to pass a law prohibiting people on the no fly list from being able to purchase weapons, as you know, a few days ago, that measure was brought up in congress, and was rejected. what do you think about that as a starting point that everybody

should be able to agree on? >> well, as a starting point. anyone that has the right to be in america legally has the right as an american citizen, has the right to bear arms. as far as someone who is on a terrorist watch list, i think it would be relevant to the discussion to consider maybe not allowing those individuals to purchase guns readily, without further investigation into backgrounds. >> now, you say consider that. you don't think it should be a point blank fact that if you can't fly, you can't own a weapon or purchase a weapon? >> well it depends. you know, you have to remember a watch list is not an administration or determination of guilt. it's a watch list. you and i we could tie something to our computer or make phone

calls and be placed on a watch list. that doesn't give the government the right to basically allow us - take our right away to bear arms. i'd say no. >> let me get the reaction of leah barrett to that suggestion from president obama, and you heard what our guests had though say. ms barrett. go ahead, please. >> the fact that 2,000 people on the terrorist watch list bought firearms, owning guns is not necessarily a right that every one should have. every right is limited. military purposes, assault weapons individuals suspected of being terrorists. it beggars belief that the u.s. congress, whose duty is to protect the safety of the american people refuses to close the glaring gap in gun safety laws, and voted against

extending criminal background checks to gun sales, keeping people that have violent convictions, domestic abuse, and adjudicated mentally ill. at the moment it's only licensed dealers who are compelled to conduct background checks. 40% of gun sales - none of the check are done. don't forget that adam, an al qaeda leader, american born, from california, was killed in a drone strike. there was a video on youtube, he says come gun shopping in america, it's so easy to buy a high-powered ammunition magazines and guns in america. what are you waiting for would-be terrorists, come gun shopping here. it's too easy for the weapons of war to be obtained. >> let me ask you this. it appears as long as president obama is in office, he will not get action from congress on gun

control, am i right about that. what do you do? >> it's really incredible that you can't get congress. this is it a measure that george w. bush put forward when he was president. he thought it was important to close the terror gap preventing people in the terrorist watch list from having firearms. >> this congress are standing in the way of the health and safety of the american people. they need to be called out on that. john mccain from arizona, the only republicans voting for not giving terror suspects the right to have a weapon is mark kirk of illinois, and heidi high camp is a democrat that voted against it. it's shameful. they are not doing the first duty, which is to protect americans. 120,000 americans are shot every year in this country. 34,000 die. >> hold on for a moment.

we want to go to mr morgan, who is standing by on skype at el paso. we were having difficulty with your signal before. if you can hear me. here is the final question that we'd like to get your reaction. is there any circumstance under which you as a gun owner, supporter of the second amendment, would vote for some kind of reasonable gun control legislation? >> of course. anything that is it reasonable should be considered when it comes to gaining control. but if you take a look at the states that - the united states, each state has a right to determine the laws and how to carry out the laws. in a state of texas, we have - in my opinion we have good gun laws in place right now. no, we are not immune to shootings or, you know, rapid

shootings, the bottom line is we have safeguards in place as of right now that allow us to be able to identify individuals that should not have guns. we have to submit to a state background investigation, a federal background investigation. we have to be of a certain age, we cannot be deemed as mentally incapable. mentally sound of making rational decisions. >> that doesn't work if you go to a gun show, right? >> i can't answer for all gun shows, you do have to show a form of i.d., and the guns are supposed to be checked. obviously, a debate that did not begin tonight and won't be ended. samuel morgan, a supporter of gun rights. thank you for joining us. and andrea barrett. executive of new yorkers against gun violence, thank you for your

insight. the special coverage of the special address for the nation when we come back.

i ordered the department of states and home lands security to review the visa waiver under which the female terrorist came to this country. that's why i will urge high tech and law enforcement leaders to make it harder for terrorists to

use technology. >> president obama speaking tonight. joining us again, the professor of management at new york university campaign management. and basil michael the give director of the new york party. and david shuster. before we get to president obama, let's talk about the gun vote that took place in the senate around the same time, between the planned parenthood shooting in colorado, and the president has said again tonight. he believes people on a terror watch list should not be able to buy guns. the senate brought it up. here is the problem, randall. and that is the u.s. senate is not going to pass anything like this until democrats are in control of the chamber. that is the first thing. this is not going anywhere. republicans do not want to give

the president anything in office. secondly, it's a little disingenuous. again, it's disingenuous to suggest they should focus on a watch list, because the two shooters were not on a watch list, and again, 2000 people on the terror watch list brought guns, none carried out mass shootings, the third thing, is even though mass shootings are up, gun violence over the last 25 years, it down less now than it was five years ago. as there are more guns, chances of being victimized conditions to drop, making the discuss more complicated. >> is that because states and local governments took action to restrict access to weapons? >> no, there's more police officers, better policing and says and communities than there were 20 years ago. it's not a gun issue, an issue

of better policing. most experts say if you want to address gun violence, it's not about terror watch lifts or bans on assault weapons, but tracking people with mental health issues, the most likely to be involvement in mass shootings and gun violence in our country over the last 25 years, taking a bad job. in this political environment, you don't score political points saying oh, we should better track the mentally disabled, you score points saying we have to watch out for the trofrists and we'll -- terrorists and we'll ban your guns. >> let's talk about another point. the tendency on the part of some to makual people of islamic belief the enemy. >> we cannot turn against one another, by letting the fight be defined as a war between america and islam. that, too, is what groups like

i.s.i.l. wants. i.s.i.l. does not speak for islam. they are thugs, and killers. part of a cult of death. and they account for a tiny fraction of a more than a billion muslims around the world, including millions of patriotic americans who reject their hatele ideology. >> we have forgotten - not forgotten, but it has been superceded the events of san bernardino, where the shooter allegedly said - kill the baby, kill the babies, and then we have just all kinds of hate going on. we also have fear, legitimate fear by americans that don't know what to expect next. the president says don't be afraid of your neighbour. but someone sees someone ha look like someone who did one of these actions and they are afraid.

what do you do? >> we have to step back and say the president is right in his point, and he should be applauded for that. here again. he is missing on opportunity. he is a democratic president. when he makes the case, it is largely overlooked. what he needs to do. this is what surprises me about tonight. he needs to say this is not just me saying this. president bush immediately after 9/11 was visiting mosques, making the case that i'm making and he was right to do it. this is not just me as a democrat, it is not a political move. this is the reality of the situation, this is what it means to be an american, and i harken back to my predecessor. president obama needs to recognise the reality of the situation that him saying this is not enough. he needs to make it a bipartisan issue and i feel he is missing that opportunity to do that.

that is a problem for him. >> i think he tack on extraordinary amount of time in the speech to make the distinction between i.s.i.l. and is lax. i didn't expect him to lead into it. the young man interviewed earlier talked about this and added the point. we should bring scholars into the discussion, to talk about what we can do even in our own community. the president was making an appeal to community members. i actually wasn't expecting him to lean into it that much. as i said, i'm glad that he did do that. i think that in many ways. i think george w. bush after 9/11 did say islam is peace, this is a bipartisan issue, as both on the panel said earlier. there's only so much traction. no matter what point they make. that's the sad part.

this was not a bipartisan issue, she is making it done. congress has seen fit to not give him that opportunity. >> thank you very much for your thoughts, insights. on the president's address from the oval office. >> and, thank you for joining us, i'm randall pinkston in new york. we'll have more on the president's address when we come back at 11:00p.m. eastern, 8:00p.m. pacific. stay tuned for fault lines. and you can keep up to date on the website at aljazeera.com. ra.com.

>> in 1978, joseph sledge was convicted of murder in north carolina. >> they made me the scapegoat because they had no one to blame. >> at his trial, an fbi scientist testified that hairs found at the crime scene were 'microscopically alike' to joseph's. just months ago, joseph was released from prison, after serving almost forty years