good evening, i'm antonio mora, this is al jazeera america. >> we are all in this together. we'll come up with solutions, and find the answers to things, and so far it cannot believe how civil it's been up here. >> setting a new tone on the debate stage. republican candidates put squabbles aside. discussing immigration, social security and more caught on tape, a trump supporter charged for sucker

punching a protestor, and building a relationship with canada's prime minister. the meetings, state dinner and differences the two nations have. we have to get ahead of the curve, fighting the zika virus in texas, inside the health clinic at the forefront of the battle we begin tonight with a republican debate unlike any other during this campaign season. the yelling and name calling that characterised many of the previous nights gave way to a respectful discussion of the issues. al jazeera's michael shure is in miami. donald trump promised to be more presidential. was the gen tilty tonight a surprise? >> i don't know, with that promise coming, maybe it was. it felt like a democratic debate because of the tone. it's a little cooler.

the airconditioning better tonight. and the fact that these people are here talking to each other in that tone almost seemed as if they got together and said hey, listen, we are not going to call each other by name. they did get to issues, and a lot of audience was happy about that. they got to issues that you wouldn't hear them talk about. veterans' affairs, climate change came up. marco rubio from the home crowd had a big - i would say a big response from the fact that he tucked about islam in a way republicans have not committed to talk about it. >> if you go to a national cemetery, you'll see crescent moons. you'll see american men and women serving in uniforms. no one on the stage served in uniform in the united states military. anyone that has the uniform of the united states on, and is

willing to die for the country is someone that loves america, no matter the religious background. >> the - not just the tone was different. the way they talked about issues like islam wag different. it was a -- was different. it was a different debate, yes. >> despite having many of the debates, did we learn anything new? >> that's a great question. you have a difference in tone. doesn't mean you'll get a lot of new information. something i think was news worthy was an issue from donald trump. talking about i.s.i.s., talking about sending troops for i.s.i.s. we haven't heard anyone talk like this or him speak this specifically before, antonio. >> we have no choice. we have to knock out i.s.i.s., knock the hell out of them. we have to come back and rebuild the country. >> so 20,000-30,000 troops is what we were calling for.

that's a huge number to send in to fight i.s.i.s. we haven't heard that before. >> have been hearing the rumours denied that he was going to drop out before the debate. after next tuesday in florida. if he doesn't win florida, do you think tonight changed his momentum. implicitly it's a good way. changed it. i was thinking tonight felt like the first debate for john kassig. back in august, that was in cleveland ohio, his home state. marco rubio had that tonight, his answer was more concise. he going after donald trump, failing miserably. he lost state after state. >> it's as good a debate as he had, he had it in front of his home town. >> michael shure in miami,

thanks, tonight's debate was important with marco rubio. that's because the boarder republican is trailling donald trump in his own state. marco rubio's numbers - he's at second place in florida. if marco rubio were to lose, it could end his campaign. it's a winner talking all state. the polls showed it tightening. a trump supporter is charged with assaulting a protestor, he was hit after being led out in a rally. police identified the suspect. he was 78-year-old john mcgrath. a number of event in recent weeks marked by protest and occasional responses. >> joining us from miami is a director at the tea party network. it will be great to have it with

you. we'll see what we saw. saying that he couldn't believe how tame it was. my question is wouldn't republicans be better off. >> i don't know. we'll see tomorrow morning, who will have a head line, anthony ray hinton tweeted out a joke saying she can't wait to debate the guys. this is a question - do the general public pay attention. they may have started out watching it, do they turn it off. this has been a problem with the republican party for the past two elections, they don't relate. they engage the american people. it is calmer, smoother, more sombre debate. it is more informative and engaging than the past. >> the question is whether they were too engaging before. what do you think about trump. do you think this helped or hurt him. because he wasn't quite the lightening rod he was in other

debates. >> it shows that mr trump will not be controlled by the political class. he's not a politician, he can be this more sophisticated political person. more presidential is the term people ask. this shows that he can. is that not the bet tomorrow. he'll be back to being fitly himself. he shows how he is with the audience. and they come back, and don't have the same fire in the belly, he's saying guys, this is the reason why i've been the way i did all along. >> after the debate a couple of weeks ago, the one where rubio had a strong night trump changed the conversation by getting the chris christie endorsement. and now he has ben carson's, a tea party favourite. seep as closest to cruz. will this make a difference maybe hurting cruz? >> no, i think it doesn't make a

difference. you have to remember ben carson was severely hurt in iowa because of what ted cruz did in his campaign. who came to his defense? donald trump. it's a natural match. they get along well. they always have. there has been prior contention with issues. in the end dr carson respects it, and vice versa, here is where it's a real issue, it's a huge crowd. evangelicals are behind donald trump, there's a crowd behind ted cruz. it was seen that when people got out. they'd go to him. will it make a difference at this point considering florida and ohio is about cass are and marco rubio -- john kasich and rubio. >> polls showed one ahead in ohio, and another down to trump.

there were two out of three showing a tightening race. any concern on the trump camp? >> absolutely not. at this point you look at ohio, and what is coming out more and more is there's major corporations that left ohio, and have gone out of this country and invested out of the country, people are hurting in the streets of ohio, with donald trump, you go to the states that he had property in, nevada, florida, new york, you look at those states, and he overwhelmingly wins. while you sit and spend millions, nothing is better than a human billboard. i like working for the trump organization. speaking a lot louder than a slick commercial. they spent millions promoting, tearing someone else down, without offering a resolution. >> are you not concerned about the resolution. the chairman of the r.n.c.

coming out. the party needed to be united. all the polls show donald trump losing to hillary clinton, and losing head to head against the other candidates, so if they drop out, could that not be a problem. >> like it is, donald trump opened and closed, you have a lot of crossover voters. you see the secretary of state crossing over. voting for donald trump, and all these show independence. in the last two campaigns, and crossing over to vote. those have not been reflective. they were straight republicans. even voting in the past. donald trump probably pointed out he hadn't begun to attack hillary clinton. we watched them go out.

when he hit, he hit hard. he had 100% success rate taking it out. we'll see what happened on the tuesday. on the tea party news network. >> canadian prime minister justin trudeau was at the white house, it was the first state visit by a canadian leader. mike viqueira looked at the warm welcome justin trudeau received. >> it's been a day of goodwill, pomp and pageantry. president obama and justin trudeau reached agreement on areas of concern, like the environment. both hope it was a new chapter of relations between both neighbours. it's been as much a celebration of a summit. leaders of two nations that could hard by be closer, liberally and figuratively. >> we are very proud to welcome,

the canadian prime minister in 20 years. a long time, hey. the presidential primaries hung over the visit. with justin trudeau looking on in the rose garden. justin trudeau arrived if he was in part responsible for the political tone. calling it a crack up. the party has no one but itself to blame. >> what you see within the republican party is to some degree all those efforts over a course of time. creating an environment where someone like a donald trump can thrive. >> justin trudeau suggested that americans proposed to trump went on refuge in canada. the relationship, friendship

between the two countries goes beyond any two individuals. obama aids in developing a special relationship. he took office in november. the leaders announced a pack to announce methane emissions. and pledged new cooperation. that agreement is contingent on politics, implementing the deal. likely lasting gmed the time in office. it would be up to sis successor to follow throw. >> the former prime minister who pushed the white house to approve the keystone pipeline. mr obama rejected that. he has a canadian partner working to what justin trudeau called a clean growth economy.

>> i'm confident working together we'll get there. in praising u.s. ally. it sounds as if mr obama was talking about it himself. >> we see ourselves in each other, guided by the same values. >> there's an agreement on the table. it involves streamlining the process, opening up the boarder between canada and the united states. allowing the free flow of trade. goods and services flowed between the united states of canada mike viqueira at the white house. as president obama begins to interview supreme court nominees senate republicans are standing by a promise to not consider any candidate. as libby casey reports, top-ranking republicans fought it up. antonio, it's impossible to

strait out the politics. republicans repeated their stance. they won't vote against it, they won't let a nominee come up for a hearing. entrenched positions. republicans say no supreme court nominee until there's a president. we are not going to draw up any nominee. i'm not going to let it happen. to the good people of iowa. on the other hand democrats say it only fair to consider president obama's choice. >> i am appealing to the better agents of their nation. when there is a nominee, do as they have done in the past. give the nominee careful. meet with the nominee, ask the nominee questions. >> reporter: thursday's business meeting of the senate meeting turned into a forum to go on the record.

no changes between republicans and democrats. the committee has the power to screen, block or ignore the president's nominee. >> the work of the committee, the congress, will be shame fully incomplete if the committee refuses to do that most important job of weighing supreme court nomination. we were given a job to do by the constitution of the united states, a job the american people want us to do, and the chairman of this committee is saying for the next year, it will not do its job. president obama used his appearance with the canadian prime minister to urge republicans to change his choice. i'm confident whoever was selected among fair of minded people will be viewed as an eminently qualified person. it will be up to senate republicans to decide to follow

constitution. >> they are making progress. and washington news outlets report that interviews have begun. among those getting attention, a d.c. based judge who if nominated and confirmed would be the first african-american woman to sit on the court. and james kelly on the home state of the chairman. >> we are seeing reports from the white house. the process is guided by raw political calculation of what they thing is a political pressure on me. republicans admitted frustration with the partisan congress, that will not stop him siding with his g.o.p. colleagues. >> we are setting a precedent here today. republicans are, that in the last year of a lame duck 8-year

term, i would say it's a 4-year term. that they will not reveal the vacancy of the supreme court. >> as spring comes to the capital, there's no signs of a bipartisan thaw soon. >> president obama said today that in republicans will not consider his nominee they'll be portraying their principles. >> libby casey in washington. rains head to the south, causing floods. thousands are people are forced from their homes.

prosecutors in pennsylvania say two gunmen are on the run after shooting six people to death last night including a pregnant woman, the death of a foetus was ruled a homicide. murders were planned and may be drug related. they scribed a screen where a gun mun fired a handgun to drive the victims towards a second gunman waiting with an assault-style rifle. no suspects have been identified a state of emergency in effect for parts of louisiana, at least three drowned and forecaster say the region will see more vain. jonathan martin reports. >> from louisiana to texas, to tennessee. much of the south is under several feet of water after days ever rain, and forecasters say the rain may not let up until this weekend. north-western louisiana was one of the hardest hit places much drone video shows water

inundating neighbourhoods near shreveport. thousands were told to leave their homes. >> those who stayed will to use boats to get around. >> roadways are flooded. you can't see the signage. feeling your way through. >> torrents of water swept cars and trucks off the highways, the national guard was called up to help residents. in texas, firefighters rescued a family from a motor home. across the region authorities say dozens of people and animals had to be rescued. >> this was an event that mistakes up on you. it was fast. much rain came down. it was one you are not proactive for, you become reactive to it. >> heavy rains hit the streams and rivers. flowing over banks. fish were seen swimming in the streets. in tennessee, rain caused a land

side. with roads flooded, in some places the schools closed. communities are trying to keep the the water at bay, and people are doing their best to cope. it could be several days before the region drives out. >> the city of flint michigan will stop billing them for water. and will try to work outside how to handle credits. the city will try to figure out how to apply the credits a top u.s. health officials says the more we learn about zika, the worse things get. next, how hospitals are preparing for a dangerous summer, and a federal proposal aimed at protecting online privacy, details on which

companies escape the regulations.

the head of the strrs and prevention strrs strrs center for disease control and prevention says zika could be more serious than thoubility. he gave a warning, and asked congress for $2 billion to fight the virus in latin america and slow the spread of the disease in united states. nearly 200 zika cases have been reported in the united states. texas confirmed 21 cases, and as mosquito cases are started. it rises quickly. health clinics in dallas are

bracing for a surge. this mother is keeping a cheese eye on news. >> it's travelling because the mothers get it. it's sad. with the moss skeeto season. stagnant water, where the bugs breathe is common. here? texas, the front line of defense looks like this. hispanic patients that are poor, uninsured and travel sides for countries experiencing the worse outbreaks. >> apart from the territory, united states has not seen a case of locally transmitted zeke area, but 30 states have seen zika caused through travel, and texas one through sexual transition. it's feared mosquitos will carry

the virus in dallas. >> if a human is bitten in south america, comes back to the united states and has symptoms and bitten by a mosquito, that localises transmission. the clinics will be key as individuals travel back and forth. >> we don't turn anyone away for any reason, in particularly insurance or income. our primary focus is to provide access to care. >> no cases of zika have been diagnosed at the clinic. doctors are vigilantly screening patients. who providers are doing is a process of elimination, what can be ruled out as a heat rash, a reaction to a detergent. or something that we need to pay attention to. >> the clinic received funding from the government. and there's concern the money will not stretch to cover zika response. >> we have to get ahead of the curve. the funding that the clinics and

everyone is receiving is enough for the current population, do you have enough funding for the uptake related to zika? i doubt it. >> this clinic is great. they are watching out for it. watching out for zika. the department of justice asked a federal judge to keep in place an order to force apple to open a locked iphone. justice building. apple says forcing it to open the phone would violate the constitution. f.c.c. chairman thom wheeler unvealed rules designed to protect internet privacy, it would require brode ban providers to disclose data collection and report security breaches, it would not ban the collection of data.

if enacted privacy rules would not apply to twitter, google and facebook. i'm antonio mora. thank you for joining us, ray suarez is next with "inside story". have a great night.