good evening i'm antonio mora, this is al jazeera america. tough words on the presidential campaign trim. a look at the strategies of the top four republican candidates hoping to win votes. on the democraticside, campaigns of hillary clinton and bernie sanders focus on one dem graphics. also date copy. >> i'll present someone that is qualified for the seat filling the supreme court

seat left by just antonin scalia. tonight the message for the republican controlled senate. and stopping the free fall in oil prices, the agreement by several countries to stablilize the world markets we begin with a count down to the south carolina republican primary. the g.o.p. candidate spent the day criss-crossing the palm meadow state. they have their work cut out for them. donald trump has a huge lead ohio governor john kasich had a standing room crowd telling them this we ought to stop yelling in the republican party. this state has a reputation of being rough and tumble, and this

primary is no exception. >> republicans duke it out in the first in the south contest. one day after his brother president george w. bush campaigned on his behalf. jed appeared outside a gun manufacturer to make his case for the presidency. >> i have a proven record of electability. >> reporter: he spoke about having his older brother stump for him. >> he is a person of integrity. it's great that he game. it made a difference. >> the man that leads in the polls, donald trump came out swinging, going after the record and doubling down on criticism of the former president. >> what about during 9/11, i was there, i lost a lot of friends killed this that building.

the worst attack ever in this countries was during his presidency. >> ted cruz aimed. >> i never saw anyone lie as much as ted cruz. trump threatened to sue cruz, accusing him of lying about gun traditions and gun right. >> operating from two checklists. that is senator ted cruz. >> reporter: at a rally at an international armory, he made a patriotic appeal for voters, promising an increase in combat forces and equipment in the white house. >> people will be forgiven. for thinking at times it seems like a bit of a circus.

i can't imagine why anyone would think that. >> but the time for frivolity is over. president time for games is over. we need a leader who is prepared to be the candidate in chief. he has to have the courage to o do what he needed to do. cruz is locked in a fight for second place, both are accorded a largest advantagelical vote. >> i believe you have a right to protect yourself and your family from terrorists and criminals. >> reporter: with the polls showing trump in the lead, rubio and cruz are battling it out for second.

they are neck and neck in one poem, each with 18%, john kasich in fourth, followed by bush and carson. john kasich is hoping to win a few delegates, keep the momentum going for when he gets to friendly territory, the primaries in the mid west. >> lisa stark in casey, south carolina. >> democratic presidential candidate bernie sanders spent the day speaking with black voters. the senator holding to south carolina to speak to students. polls suggest bernie sanders trails hillary clinton, among those that make up more than half of the electorate. the democratic primary takes place on jan 27th. his rival hillary clinton met with civil rights world. among them al sharpton who met with sanders. clinton visited harlem, where he talked about opening up opportunities for african-americans.

>> i want to tear down all the barriers holing back americans, our country can live up to its potential, when every american has the chance to live up to theirs. >> clinton took aim at sanders without mentioning him by name, saying the u.s. is not a single issue county, and that the next president will face a host of economic, social and political challenges. >> funeral arrangements are set for supreme court justice antonin scalia. following continues his chair and bench were draped in black fabric. he'll lie in repose at the court on friday. a funeral will be held saturday at the basilica of the national shrine of immaculate inception. almost a moment since scalia's death was announced, the battle for a replacement began. president obama said he would

nominate a well deserved candidate. despite calls for the next president. >> reporter: president obama wrapped up is summit in sunnilands california, near palm springs and he was asked about the controversy over justice scalia after the associate justice passed on saturday, creating a vacancy and a controversy. president barack obama said what he said saturday night in the aftermath of the news. he has the right to nominate someone, and will exercise that right. he ridiculed those that are strict constructionists of the constitution who call themselves that for suggesting that the president in the 7th year, should forego his opportunity and right to name someone to the supreme court. he says that is not written into the constitution that he has looked. as far as who he is going to nominate, or what fine of person he is looking for, the president would not tip his hand in

public. >> there's not going to be a particular position on a particular issue that determines whether or not i nominate them. but i'm going to present someone that indisputably is qualified for the seat. and any fair-minded person, even someone who disagreed with politics would say would serve with honour and integrity on the court. >> reporter: and the president was arrived about the race to succeed him. he did not want to put a thumb on the scale. he was arrived about the dust up between bernie sanders or hi hillary clinton, and who was more loyal. when it came to donald trump, how much, no such reticence, the president taking out after donald trump, saying he doesn't

believe the american people will send someone like donald trump to handle the nuclear codes or send young men or women into conflict. >> mike viqueira in washington a deal to stablilize oil markets may be dead before it's finished. how saudi arabia is trying to keep prices sliding further. and what it could mean for the economy. >> and in the days leading up to a planned pause in the fighting in syria. the u.s. calls russian actions there horrific.

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pentagon. the latest video posted on social media shows the syrian army's advance on aleppo, once a rebel stronghold and syria's largest city, before five years of fighting drove much of the population away. overhead a russian jet appears to drop cluster bombs, and unguided munition condemned by the u.s. for urban combat, because it can cause wide-spread indiscriminate casualties. the u.s. also accuses russia of bombing a doctors without borders hospital in northern syria, reducing it to a pile of rubble. killing at least seven doctors and patients. no coalition or u.s. planes were operating in the area at the time. >> while the u.s. stopped short of labelling the strike a war crime.

the state department called the attack was called horrific. >> we are confident in the assessment that russia carried out the strikes. >> should aleppo fall days before the fighting is instituted. it would end hopes of overthrowing bashar al-assad, and fuel the criticism that the agreement negotiated by secretary of state john kerry in munich played right into the hands of russian president vladimir putin. >> we have seen this movie before in ukraine. russia presses its advantage militarily, creates facts on the ground. uses a denial and delivery of humanitarian aid as a bargaining chip, negotiating agreement to lock in the spoils of war, and chooses went to resume fighting. this is diplomacy in the service of military aggression. >> president obama disputes the idea that he has been outfoxed by russian president vladimir putin, arguing vladimir putin blundered into a costly quagmire, and over time will

drain moscow's resources while backing an ally with little strategic value. >> what is it that russia thinks it gains if it gets a country that has been completely destroyed as an ally. that it has to perpetually spend billions to prop up. that's not that great a price. >> the pentagon insists the agreement does not affect the war against i.s.i.l., and that u.s. forces will play no role in delivering aid or protecting convoys from the attacks. >> we have not been asked to provide that role at this point. and we do think that there is a need for the aid to make it to the people that need it. that is what this hostility will test. >> when you say we are not involved in plans for action, do you think the people in syria will think why on earth not? >> it's not something that we have been asked to do at this

point. >> in an address carried by the state-run newsagency. president bashar al-assad sounded as defiant as ever, and seemed to cast doubt on a ceasefire, saying if it happened, it doesn't mean that each party will stop using weapons. four iranian journalists that left the country and had been detained have left the country. they were charged with illegal assembly, but was ordered released. in recent days, demonstrators have taken to the streets during an uprising during the arab spring. three contractors were released today, a month after gunmen kidnapped them from private department in baghdad.

>> the defense department is providing the men with transportation to leave iraq. four of the biggest countries have agreed to freeze oil production, it's an attempt to stop the bleeding as oil drops. the deal will fall apart unless major producers go along with it. >> reporter: >> reporter: cheap petrol may be welcomed by consumers, with a 70% drop in the price of crude. oil countries are feeling the pain. saudi arabia, russia and qatar say they want to freeze, not cut productions. it's the beginning of a process which we will access. and decide whether we need other steps to stablilize and improve the markets.

this is very important. we don't want significant gyrations in prices. >> at other end of the table are the oil ministers of venezuela and russia, the economies are struggling with the reduction of revenue. the saudi arabia minister dismissed concerns about the effects on the country. >> i read a lot in the press. it is rubbish. the reasons it is, is because saudi arabia has access to many sources of income. and we are working at a fast pace to diversify the economy, and increase the sources of income. >> so your economy can survive with the counter price of oil. can manage at the current price. >> no problem. >> oil prices have fallen because of oversupply and demand. producers have been reluctant to cut output for fear of losing

their market share, and members of o.p.e.c. faced pressure from u.s. based shale-oil producers. >> saudi arabia, qatar, venezuela and russia will only freeze production if other producers including iran and iraq agree to do the same. that could be tricky. the iranians increased output after sanctions were lifted in january i'm joined by steven copas, managing director of princeton energy advisors, great to have you with us. >> great to be here. >> would is freeze do much. the sense is that the world is swamped by an ocean of oil. if there's a freeze, we'll have excess production, and too much oil. what would to do to prices? >> the answer is right now, nothing. we have a surplus of supply over demand. i think the significance is different.

i think the significance is that we see two of the major powers, russia and the saudis sitting for the table and agreeing something. >> it's unusual. a lot of different levels, that they could agree on anything. >> the russians in particular are under pressure. vladimir putin has an occupation in crimea. and his own domestic constituents. he needs more revenues. that's a big driver. >> sanctions that hurt the economy and oil prices is a double whammy. what do you think of the likelihood of the deal going forward. as we just reported, the only way this works is it everyone else is on board. and azerbayarn says no. and iran doesn't want to freeze oil production, it wants to increase. >> the deal clearly is not one acceptable to iran or iraq. i think that my read on it is the first step to see if

consensus can be built. we have the first two producers aligned. and now the question is can others come in and participate. i think my sense is that the saudis are waiting for the iranians to make a move that indicates that they are going to be more constructive generally in the region. it's not really an oil matter. >> it's a geopolitical thing. >> yes. >> you wrote about iran and iraq. that they are the main culprits behind the glut. if they don't agree, that will happen. . >> u.s. shale hat not been the cause for almost a year. they are the ones clearing the market. people expect it to increase production by half a billion a

day. you know, if it doesn't go forward, the market gets better or doesn't, and they take the price. i'm a little more constructive. i think the prices are bad. the o.p.e.c. producers can raise production and raise prices. so there is an opening. there's a need. the motivation to do a deal is there. >> that motivation of the saudis, you mentioned the shale production, they wanted to break the back of u.s. shale product which was causing problems increasing a glut. it's not completely been successful. >> no. >> there's less production and less movement to new wells, but it's plugging along. >> that's the problem. the expectation was that the saudis would sweat it out. it came down a bit, 400,000 barrels, and has been at that level more than six months. the problem for o.p.e.c. is do they want to continue to sweat

it out of us shales which could take another year, if china goes down, it could be a year beyond that, or is it time for o.p.e.c. to say we have room to make a cut, increase prices, but not bring shale online. that opening there fingerprint prices bounce back, do you think prices in the u.s. will bounce back. >> over 50, yes. >> it's a fascinating time, the oil issues are having an effect on the stock market. we'll have to see how it plays out. good to have you with us. >> thank you oklahoma is taking steps aimed at reducing the numbers of earthquakes caused by fracking. oil and gas regulators asked the operators of 250 wells in the north-west of the state to cut back on the amount of waste water they pump into the ground. there were hundreds of quakes. some scientists linked them to

fracking the u.s. and cuba made it official. commercial flights between the two countries are about to start up again. the plans and prospects for tourism. >> the biggest night of the year for dog lovers. the winner of best in show at the westminster dog show next.

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. >> former united nations secrete general boutros boutros-ghali died at the age of 93. he was a veteran diplomat hoping to negotiate a landmark deal

with israel. boutros boutros-ghali served a single term as the head of the u.n. in 1992. the u.s. state blocked his chances. >> a step in relations between the united states and cuba. they had an official agreement to resume flights between them. a short-time later, u.s. department of transportation invited airlines to upgrade the flights. as natasha gan an told us, the tourism boom took off before the deal was signed. >> like most cubans, richard sol air can't afford to travel. he says he's seeing the world with each tourist he meets. he gives horse drawn carriage rides on the streets of havana. as more foreign investment arrives. this cuba in a time kabul will not go away.

>> there's nothing that is going to change cubans. that's a lie. >> tourism sa primary source of income. when president obama announced normalization of relations with cuba, it was like opening a flood gait. last year the number of visitors rose from 3 to 3.5 million. cuba is struggling to keep pace with the demand. airports are in need of expansion. there aren't enough hotel rooms, to the rates keep rising. >> it's a shame. some will struggle. because you do not change that reality in a few years. >> they are moving in this... >> zeus is capitalizing on the moment. for 20 years he and his family rented rooms this their homes to

tourists. he's hoping the government will loosen restrictions hoping people own more than one house. >> it's the best moment to reopen. one of the thinks we have a lot of recognition, freedom of operation now. >> the people we spoke with say they are confident that the government will device a strategy to develop a country without overshadowing. >> whether it next year or the next 10 years, they are there to experience the spirit. >>. >> the westminster kennel club crowned this year's best in show. the winner, a 3-year-old german short-haired pointer named cj. he beat out more than 3,000 dogs. the westminster dog show is the

second longest sporting show in the united states after the kentucky derby. >> i'm antonio mora, thank you for joining us. 2004 is up next about inside story. have a great night. >> before saturday, a surprising number of americans couldn't name a single supreme court justice. for the next couple of months, you might have to move to another country to hang onto that status. the death of justice anthony scalley a. and a process to even consider a replacement means a maelstrom and a daily impact on the importance of an american institution and daily life. disorder in the court, it's the "inside