patty culhane. >> on the floor of the u.s.senate tuesday there was a lot of debate about what kind of day it was. >> i think this is a sad day today. >> this is an important day. >> it's not a great day. >> many of the president's own political party are not happy but he sure is. he's one critical step closer to the trade deal being worked out between the u.s. and 11 other countries. it would be the largest trade deal in the history of the world. they would finalize it but a promise that lawmakers would not be able to change the deal, just vote yes or no. with this vote it's all but certain that the president will have that ability soon. >> theirif the president makes a deal with you can he back that deal up? or will it be subject to amendments from drunk and changes, which you didn't negotiate? so in order to have a president who can keep his word on these negotiations, you have to have. >> labor unities and environmental. >> this trade agreement is supported by wall street. this trade agreement is supported by the pharmaceut

. >> let's go now to patty culhane in washington, d.c. patty, again we hear u.s. president barack obama speaking about the need for the united states to really try and address in some way it's record with gun violence. >> he did speak about race at first. then he went into extensive comments about gun control and possible legislation. he talked about this at the white house where he said he made too many of these statements. it was the 14th time in his presidency that he has had to come out and address a mass tablety shooting casualty shooting. he said i understand the politics of washington make it difficult to do any sort of gun legislation now. he was resigned to the fact that nothing would be done. but he said he isn't resigned. he refuses to accept this is the new normal in the united states. 11,000 americans die to gun violence in 2013 alone. what he said though, is that congress cannot be moved unless the american public move them. he said that public opinion needs to change and he said it can citing climate change and changes in how people feel about gay m

a white house correspondent patty culhane reports. >> reporter: environmental lawyer david dickenson woke up friday to find out it's likely most all of his personal sense tiff informationsensitive information has been hacked. >> i think we have naively been feeling that we were protected. governments we thought would be secure would be able to afford to secure their websites and clearly you know the next guy down the street is just a little bit smarter. >> smart enough to get access to social security numbers date and place of birth job title training and performance ratings along with current and former addresses. expert jody westby says that is particularly valuable. >> it is valuable in the black market intelligence states and communities, it is valuable in identifying who might be on the other side, spice for us, who could be compromised through blackmail or extortion. >> reporter: as for who the u.s. government thinks is behind it there's the official on camera response. >> what i'm saying is i don't have information i can present to you as to who was responsible for this incide

patty culhane reports. >> amazing grace ♪ >> he's renowned for his speeches but on this occasion u.s.dent barack obama used his voice to convey his feelings. have ♪ that♪ that saved a retch like me ♪ >> a plan he knew, the reverend clementa pinckney killed. the president wanted everyone to know just what was lost. >> he was in the pulpit by 13. pastor by 18. public servant by 23. >> reporter: but the president used this speech to do more than just eulogize his friend. he said the death that happened in this church was really a call to action. the shooting spurred a debate about the confederate flag hanging in the capital. it seems likely to be taken down. the president says that isn't enough. there needs to be racial parity in jobs and education. deja thompson said she can help. >> educate people more. i work with a lot of people that they may have certain attitudes towards certain races and i'm thinking that education is the key to actually make people more tolerancetolerant of other races. >> the president called for the end of income inequality. >> i believe we should have faith on

patty culhane are be al jazeera, washington. >> and jamie mcintire is at the pentagon. jamie. >> to say that the white house and the pentagon aren't singing from the same sheet of music would be a slight understatement. you heard the white house said a training mission training troops. the pentagon says no, that's not going to be happening. most of the 450 troops are the security to protect the advisors. about a quarter are actually advisors. what they'll be doing is coordinating with iraqi leaders to help them try to get their game-on so they can go after the i.s.i.l. forces approximately it will be advising the advising the iraqis from everything from logistics to intelligence. they will be providing weapons body armor and equipment to those beleaguered be be troops to get them back into battle-ready form, to get them back for counteroffensive in the next weeks or months. >> are we talking of strategy on how to conduct a counteroffensive? >> reporter: yes to provide u.s. expertise in mounting counteroffensive. it might not be an exaggeration saying a lot of the top ad

. >> patty culhane joins us live from you from washington, d.c. >> some of the families of american hostagesthat were recently killed both by the islamic state in iraq and the levant with those public beheadings and one american was killed accidently by an u.s. zone strike in pakistan. those families have been incredibly vocal going out in public and saying that the government handled their case terribly. president barack obama has acknowledged that the u.s. government did not do enough, families felt ignored or worse bullied. many of them were told if they paid the ransom privately they would be criminally prosecuted. now that's why the president ordered this review. now the changes basically that he can families can pay ransom. u.s. government officials like the fbi can help them do it, but as you heard the president say the government won't pay. >> why is the u.s. president still being criticized? >> he tried to find the middle ground here. if they paid ransom that would make americans target for hostage takers. the hostage takers won't differentiate between the government money or privat

patty culhane has more.pbell doesn't see the history of the civil rights movement in black and white. at almost 90 years old he has lived it. he was born in charleston, south carolina at the time a legally segregate gaited city. >> i was in the company of africans who had survived enslavement. and we are pushing now in to the -- and were pushing now in to the front tears of freedom. that's quite a thing to realize. >> reporter: he says his father was the first in his family to be born free. he says it wasn't until he moved north in his 20s to a city where blacks had free movement that he realized what living under segregation had done to him. >> i was downtown in baltimore and getting ready to go to a restaurant, just for a sandwich, and found myself looking for the signs to tell me where to go. and in that instance i had to face the condition that go had happened in my life growing up. >> reporter: reremembers theremembers -- he remembers the water cannons and guns from the '50s did it make you angry? >> no

our white house correspondent patty culhane joins us now. patty, why has this change come about?>> first i want to tell you about news that came out of the white house briefing. we now know that there are more than 30 americans ma that are still being held hostage overseas. but the reason this became a public issue is because of the families of american hostages that rent lay have been killed, they've been incredibly vocal saying that the u.s. government treated them terribly. president barack obama came out and basically agreed several times talking about the fact that families felt ignored or worse, they felt bullied by their own government. in some cases the families were told if they paid ransom to get their loved one out that they faced criminal prosecution for helping a terrorist organization. that's why the president has launched this review, saying there are going to be changes. but they're being very discreate andcretediscrete and subtle with the words they're using. they're saying that no one has been prosecuted for that, no families have been prosecuted, and it's unlik

. >> let's get more now from patty culhane. atty, this has become an issue since the shooting, but it has been an issue in the past. what is the change? >> there have been calls for decades that the flag should come down. so what difference now is that dylann roof, he linked the confederate flag to the murders of those nine african-americans in their church n a sacred place place. south carolina is a very religious state. and these were pastors senators, and a grandmother. and we have seen prominent republicans come out saying that the flag has to come down. those who said it was a flag honoring heritage, many had to admit that it was a symbol of anger and hatred. now the governor has made this call. she's saying basically that the legislation needs to take this up immediately. they were supposed to adjourned after this week. but if they don't take it up she'll call a special session make them debate t but she bus have to get it passed by the legislature, so it's not clear if the flag will be gone. >> president obama has been cr

our white house correspondent patty culhane reports. >> environmental are lawyer david dickenson woke up friday morning to the knowledge that his identity had been hacked. >> there are so many instances of hackings, you think they would be smart enough to secure their website. >> national i.d. number, date and place of birth job title training and performance ratings, computer expert says it is valuable. >> valuable in identifying who might be on the other side, spice for us. who could be compromised through blackmail or distortion. >> as to who the u.s. government thinks is behind it, there's the official on camera response. >> i'm sake saying i don't have information to present to you. >> officials in china are denying they are responsible. >> without thorough investigation, you jump to a conclusion so quickly we think it's not scientific and it's not responsible. >> we no mo thanks oleaks by edward snowden the u.s. does its own elaboration. theyleaks. that is just one program. still, this is an impairsment for the u.s. president who made this a priority. asking for $freang billion

our white house correspondent patty culhane reports. >> this doesn't happen often. u.s. president barack obama was supposedly done working thursday night. the press told to go home. but then he decided to go to the annual congressional baseball game. the handshake continued into friday. the president's top priority the transpacific partnership was up for a final vote in the house. >> i don't think you ever line anything up here, it's just boom. >> he was there to ask them for fast track authority. if he gets a trade deal with 11 other countries congress can say yes or no but not change the agreement. >> facilitate another bad deal which will result in more jobs being shipped oversees. >> not smart policy and it won't help the american worker. >> nafta cost us 1 million jobs and michigan is still paying the price. >> the world has passed us by. >> the gentleman's time has expired. >> this cut one part of the bill the actual fast track authority passed which is why the you warehouse reactlike this. >> cheer up everybody. >> still the trade agreement cannot become law unles

. >> patty culhane reports from washington d.c. >> for the second time in two days u.s. president barack obama made an impassioned plea for the country to make a ochange when it comes to gun control. he said if congress had passed expanding background checks after shooting in newtown connecticut where 20 elementary schoolchildren were killed in their classrooms, some could be saved, not all but some. he's urging the american people to get involved. >> we have to have a conversation and fix this and ultimately congress acts when the public insists on action. and we've seen how public opinion can change. we've seen it change on gay marriage. we've seen it beginning to change on climate change. we've got to shift how we think on this issue. >> the president's focusing on public opinion because if you look at polls the country's pretty evenly split those who favor gun rights and those who favor gun regulation. >> peace talks collapseed in geneva, saudi arabia has played a big role in preventing the talks from succeeding. >> translator: i would like to add the influence of sa

. >> patty culhane sends us this update. >> it is not every day that you see the u. the president.led the congregation in sing the "amazing grace," a church hymn. the president said that this was personal for him. he knew the reverend clemente pinckney. they had worked together on his first presidential campaign. there now has been movement and it seems quite likely that the confederate battle flag will be removed from the capital but the president said that that is not enough. more needs to be done to bring about racial equality in this country. he said this is a pretty good example of what we've seen in charleston. the shooter said that he was ready for a police report. basically people of all colors is going it happen, it will happen. ed. before the supreme court historying rulic gay and lesbian couples were allowed to marry in 36 states. >> as the public brings out cheers outside of the supreme court, it's decision that same sex marriage ban has to go. >> we want rights for all people of all colors, all creed. all nationalities and all. >> 14 states mainly in the south and whic

patty culhane, al jazeera charleston, south carolina. >> kuwait has claird what it calls an all out confrontatione suffered a mosque bombing which killed 22 and injured more than 200. at kuwait city, mohammed jamjun reports. >> a suicide attack at a shia mosque has shattered a society's sense of security left dozens dead and hundreds wounded. >> some pictures have been shot of the suicide coward that walked into the place of prayer today, wearing the same robes that i'm wearing now. it's very difficult to be able to stop that type of activity. we are investing or we will be investing in metal deterkts and deterkts and de detechnicalitiors and thedetechnicalitiorsdetectors. >> an attack apparently meant to sow are radicalism. the be message at a was reinforced by the country's cabinet. officials have been placed on high alert. reassurances that were taken to heart. by day's end a remarkable display of solidarity. shia and sunni side by side in worship praying it would are create peace. mohammed jamjun, al jazeera. >>> white house takes on an array of colors. as gay marriage becomes legal in every

. >> patty culhane reports from washington d.c. >> president barack obama made an impassioned plea. 11,000 americans were killed in 2013 due to gun violence. he said if congress had passed expanding background checks after the shooting in newtown connecticut that some of those people could have been saved. not all but some and he is urging the american public to get involved. >> we have to have a conversation about it and fix this. and ultimately congress acts when the public insists on action. and we've seen how public opinion can change. we've seen it change on gay marriage. we've seen it beginning to change on climate change. we've got to shift how we think about this issue. >> the president's focusing on public opinion because if you look at polls the country is pretty much evenly split. for those who favor gun rights and those who favor more gun control legislation. >> u.n. brokered talks to end the war in yemen have collapsed without the two sides even sitting down together in the same room. warring factions have been meeting since wednesday looking for the fighting with houthi rebel

. >> patty culhane has more were washington, d.c. >> it's been hugely controversial. there have been calls for years eric decades even that the flag should be brought down. it used to fly above the dome. so what is different now is that dylann roof linked the confederate flag--he's the alleged shooter he linked the confederate flag to the murders of those nine people in a church these were parts a state center and a grandmother. it shocked the consciousness of that state. many had to admit that it was a symbol of anger and hatred. the governor has made this call and she's saying that they need to take this up immediately. and saying if they don't take it up they'll call special sessions and make them debate it. she has to get it passed by the legislature. not clear if the flag will be gone. >> still to come in this next half hour a heatwave kills more than 400 people in the south. >> i'm in one of the most dangerous countries in the world. we're going out on patrol with a police force that is constantly losing the battle against crime. >> a reminder of the top stories

patty culhane in washington. >> this may be the largest data breach in the united states, the office of personnel management was hacked, opm like the human resources department for the entire federal government. they do the security background checks for people who want to get security clearances. so four million people had their information compromised. to just give you the sense of the breach, there are a little over 4 million people right employees right now. exactly what information was stolen was it social security numbers, your federal i.d. or salary information? right now opm is not saying. >> martin levicki senior analyst at rand corporation he session the information that has been hacked could be used for recruiting spies. >> profiles of u.s. government employees often reveal information about them that suggest that they may be good recruits for espionage purposes. for instance, if they're in financial trubilities if troubles, if they need money, something they are back on they want to hide, all of these are potential indicators for people to suggest who is worth recruiting.

patty culhane reports. >> reporter: on the floor of the senate on tuesday, there was debate about what kind of day it was >> it's a sad day. >> it's not a great day. >> the president is a step closer to a top priority, getting the trans-pacific partnership done. it's a fra trade deal wean the u.s. and 11 other countries. negotiators are close to finalizing it, but from the u.s. congress, a promise that lawmakers wouldn't be able to change the deal - just vote yes or no. >> with the vote, it's all but certain the president would have that deal. the worry is th if the united states president makes a deal, can he back it up. will it eventuate or be subject to amendments from congress, and changes that you didn't negotiate. in order for a president to keep his word on the negotiations, you have to have fast-track authority >>> labour unions and environmental groups lobbied >> the trade agreement is to vote against the deal. >> the trade agreement is supported by the pharmaceutical industry, poor country, higher prices for medicine needed. >> reporter: the white house insists the u.s. has t

white house correspondent patty culhane has the latest. >> environmental lawyer david dickinson woke up to find out that all of his sensitive information has been hack: one of 4 million federal workers likely impacted. >> i think we've been naive in thinking that it's been secure for a long time. with companies and governments that were thought to be secured you thought they would be able to afford to secure their websites but the guy down the street was a little bit smarter. >> smart enough to get social security numbers national id numbers, birth job status and current around former addresses. that is extremely valuable. >> it's valuable on the black market. it's really valuable for intelligence community. it's valuable in identifying who might be on the other side spies for us who could be compromiseed through blackmail, extortion. >> as for who the u.s. government thinks is behind t there is the official on cameraness. cameraresponse. >> i don't have information to provide to you who could have committed that. >> but anonymous finger pointers are pointing their fingers at china.

patty culhane has more. >> this is the largest thst in the history of the united states. the office of personnel management or o.p.m. was hacked and they discovered it in april of this year. >> o perform m is like the human resources department. they do a security check for people that want to get security clearances. 4 million people. they had their information compromised. just to give you a sense of the scope. they are going to contact the people offering them a credit monitoring service. the big question is what information was stlon. was it social security. o pm is insane. >> a senior management skip tist says the information hacked could be used for recruiting spies. >> profiles of employees reveal information suggesting that they may be good recruits for esbian im. if they are in financial troubles have health issues if there may be something they want to hide. they are indicators for people to suggest who is worth recruiting. >> iraq's government suffered a setback in the war against islamic state of iraq and levant. several sunni muslim tribes pledged aleemens to

patty culhane reports. ♪ amazing grace [ cheering and applause ] >> reporter: he's renowned for his speeches this occasion u.s. president obama used his voice this woman -- his voice to convoy his feeling. ♪ that saved a wretch like me ♪ >> reporter: man he used the reverend clementa pinckney was killed in the church he lead. the president wanted everyone to know what was lost. >> he was in the palpit by 13. pastor by 18, public servant by 23. >> reporter: the president used the speech to do more than ooulo guise his friend saying the deaths that happened in the church was a call to action. it spurred a debate about the confederate flag hanging in the capital, now likely to be taken down. the p says that is not enough there needs to be a move towards racial parity in jobs and education. this woman watched the speech and came away believing it can change, it can help. >> educate people more. i work with a lot of people that - they might have certain attitudes towards other races, and i think that education is the key to actually making people more tolerant of other races. >> the president cal

patty culhane reports from washington d.c. >> reporter: for the second time in two days, u.s. president obama made an impassioned plea for the country to change course. when it comes to gun control. speaking before a conference, the president said 11,000 americans were killed in 2013 due to gun violence. if congress passed expanding background checks after the shooting on newtown connecticut and where 20 first-grade student were killed, that some of those people could have been saved and not all, but some, and is urging the american public to get involved. >> we have to have a conversation about it and fixed -- fix this. ultimately congress acts when the public insists on action. and we have seen how public opinion can change. we see how it changes on gay marriage. we see it beginning to change on climate change. we have to shift how we think about this issue. >> reporter: the president is focussing on public opinion because if you look at polls, the country is pretty much evenly split. for those that favour gun rights and those that favour more gun control legislation. >>> so

patty culhane has more from washington d.c. >> reporter: the issue of the confederate flag at south carolina has been at issue for decades. what is different is dylann roof, the alleged shooter in is court is seep in posts -- seen in posts on social meet yag holding the flag. now people are coming out saying it's time for the plastic bag somehow go here is what the south carolina governor says should happen. >> the murder looked up said he hopes his actions would start almost race wore. we have an opportunity to show not only was he wrong, but the opposite is happening, and that we can move forward as almost state in harmony, and honour the soles in heaven. [ clapping ] >>> now, the governor wants the legislature to take it up immediately. if not she'll call almost special session, bet they have to vote and agree to move the flag. the u.s. president almost saying this is unusual. he didn't interview the comedian in the garage. it was released on monday. here is what the president had to say. >> racism we are not cured of it clearly. it's not just almost matter of it not being polite to say n

patty culhane has more. >> blupt criticism from the -- blunt criticism from the president talking to an israeli president. talking about binyamin netanyahu, predisposed to look at security first and perhaps sees piece as naive and sees the worst possibilities as the best in his partners. the talk, in the run up to election if he was reelected, that there would be no two state solution. >> subsequently his statement have suggested there's the possibility of a palestinian state, but it has so many caveats, so many conditions that it is not realistic to think that those conditions would be met any time in the future. the danger is that israel as a whole losses credibility. the international community does not believe that israel is willing for the 2-state solution. the statement compounded with belief that there's not a commitment next. >> reporter: what is next, the u.s. president reevaluating the position at the meetings. that would recognise the palestinian people or set a framework for the negotiations. he said he didn't think it was time to come up with a frameworking agreement. he

well for more on this we go to patty culhane who joins us live now from washington, d.c. a bit of an embarrassment for the president but perhaps not the end of the world? >> that's right, barbara are to use the old clichÉ he's down but not out. this is a different enemy for u.s. president barack obama. he was fighting his own political party democrats. he won a full fledge lobbying campaign. to show you how different this was. the president was told go home. the president is done working. then all of a sudden he goes to a congressional baseball game to lobby members. then friday morning again another unscheduled stop at the u.s. capital. basically, if he wants the transpacific partnership done he needs authority. that's really the only way to get a trade pact done. if you look at the different members and constituencies it would be hard to get a deal done without that. he was embarrassed because one part of the provision fell. but the second part that is on fast track that did pass. >> what does it mean next for any potential deal? >> well, we'll talk about those fun deta

patty culhane reports from washington. >> reporter: there will likely be the largest theft of u.s. government data in the history of the united states. so here is what we know. the office of personnel management or o.p.m. as it's called was hacked and they discovered it in april of this year. basically, o.p.m. is like the human resources department for the entire federal government. they do the security back ground checked for people who want to get security clearances. so 4 million peel, they say former and current federal employees had their information compromised. there are just over 4 million federal employees right now. so they are going to be contacting these people offering them some sort of credit monitoring service for a year and a half. the big question remained, exactly what information was stolen. was it social security numbers your federal i.d. or salary information. >> reporter: right now o.p.m. isn't saying. >> and it is the third major breach by foreign hackers on u.s. government data in just over a year. last october the white house and the state department found

patty culhane has more. >> reporter: fairly blunt criticism from the u.s.sident barack obama speaking to an isreali reporter talking about the israeli prime spinster he says he's predisposed to think of security first that perhaps he sees peace as naive and that he intends to see the worst possibilities as opposed to the best possibilities in his arab partners. but his toughest talk came when he was ask billion dollar what the prime minister said in the run up to the election if he was reelected there would be no two-state solution. >> subsequentsly his statements have suggested that there is the possibility. a palestinian states, but it has so many caveats. so many conditions that is it not realistic to think that those conditions would be met any time in the near future. >> right. >> and so the danger here, is that israel as a whole loses credibility. already the international community does not believe that israel is serious about a two-state solution. the statement the mime minister made compounded that belief that there is not a commitment there. >> so

. >> patty culhane, president obama sounded like a preacher, didn't he, during the eulogy, and the atmosphereelebrate celebrated. but we heard statements about gun control and race relations. >> in a lot of ways the white house painted this as purely an eulogy for senator clemente pinckney. but the president veered off and said if you want to honor those in this ceremony, we would have to do more. he kept going back to gun control. but when it came to race relations he said something has to change. we can't forget about it as soon as the cameras leave and the memorial is cleaned up. it is an issue as i found out for one long-time resident in north carolina. >> almost 90 years old he has lived it. he was born in charleston, south carolina at the time a legally segregated city. >> i was in the company of african who is had survived enslavement, and we're pushing now into the frontiers of freedom. that's quite a thing to realize. he said his father was the first in his family to be born free. he said it wasn't until he moved north in his 20s to a city where blacks had free movement to realize wh

patty culhane reports from washington, d.c. >> the families of the hostages killed overseas at the hands of the islamicof the islamic state in iraq and the levant. >> we felt we were in the dark a lot. >> this is not just about the families who already lost loved ones overseas. they acknowledge that there are 30 americans being held hostage overseas. u.s. pratt barack obama acknowledged the problem. families ignored bullied and threated with prosecution if they paid ransom. instead he would only the say that no families have been prosecuted for it. >> as president i also have to consider our larger national security. i firmly believe that the united states government paying ransom to terrorists risks endangering more americans and funding the very terrorism that we're trying to stop. i firmly believe that our policy morepolicy puts fewer americans at risk. >> by lifting that long-held principle you could be endangering more americans here and overseas. >> ultimately i think you're likely to marginally increase the incentive it's for people to kidnap americans. >> after incentivizeing hos

we'll get reaction from patty culhane. she's in washington, d.c. for us right now. that's blunt criticism of him isn't it? >> pretty much the blunt is heard, and it should be recounting to the prime minister and he went on to explain why he thinks that benjamin netanyahu was revoted and he thinks that it was because they needless security and that they think the worst if not the best of number was. >> subsequently his statements have suggested that this is the suspect. suspect but there are so many conditions that it's unrealisticrealistic tings unrealistic. already, the international community does not thee think there is an it. >> what does he want to sea next? >> basically if there is had a isis reevaluation at the u.n. he said that before, but he's more specific now. he said that now is not the time for a new framework to emerge. he did not specifically say what he wants israel to do to built that confidence, i did out. >> thank you. >> in iraq, the bullets and bombs continue. fighting so severe it looks nowhere near over. the hot desert landscape, a tangled web

patty culhane in washington, d.c. >>> roll peculiar decidedopec has decided to keep up production of oil. >> in vienna volatile sit absent and everything expected at opec headquarters. >> they came to resolve the. >> the organization's commit to stick with output levels decided upon last year, the secretary general sounded a confident tone. >> the action we talk in november and. >> analysts say it's a stand being driven by the cartel's wealthiest members. countries like saudi arabia, the united arab emirates. in the past they made no secret of their irritation of output levels. now oil ministers have stayed silent. >> i don't think opec is interested at this time in accommodating from what we're seeing they just want the market share, which is more important to them when prices are low. >> the price at crude is 62-$63. countries like angola, ecuador and algeria would like to see $25. and then iran, it's economy is crippled by sanctions. iran insists they'll get their oil back on the market if and when sanctions are lifted. >> other members of the cartel would rather wait and see what

patty culhane has the story. >> this doesn't happen often. u.s. president barack obama was supposedly done working thursday night. the press told to go home but then he decided to go to the annual congressional baseball game. the handshaking continued into friday morning with another surprise stop, the u.s. capitol all of this special attention because the special priority transpacific partnership was be in the house and his own political party threatening to block him. he was there to ask him for fast track authority. basically if he gets a trade deal with 11 other countries congress could say yes or no but not change the agreement. >> tpa will facilitate another bad trade deal that will result in more american jobs being shipped overseas. >> we can't afford to pull up the draw bridges and shut out the rest of the world. that's not smart policy and won't help the american worker. >> nafta cost us one million jobs and michigan is still paying the price. >> in the end the nos ran out kind of. the part that gives aid to workers who lose their job to

as patty culhane explains, only part of the policy has changed. >> be more upfront about what they can or cannot do or will and will not do. we felt we were in the dark. >> reporter: this is not just about families that lost loved ones overseas. the white house acknowledges now there's more than 30 americans held hostage overseas. u.s. president obama acknowledged the problem, families ignored. bullied, threatened with prosecution if they pay ron scam the the new policy doesn't say it's legal for the families to be prosecuted only that no family has been prosecuted for it. the president is promising more information will be shared. one thing will in the change. >> as president i have to consider our larger security. i firmly believe the united states government paying ransom to terrorists risks engaging more kidnappings. i believe the policy puts fewer at rig. >> reporter: critics say the new policy will do that. >> the concern i have is by lifting the long held principle. you could be endangering more americans here and overseas. >> ultimately you are likely to increase the incentives

patty culhane reports. ♪ amazing grace [ cheering and applause ] >> reporter: he's renowned for his speeches this occasion u.s. president obama used his voice this woman watched the speech and came away believing. it can change. >> educate people more. i work with a lot of people that - they might have certain attitudes towards other races, and i think that education is the key to actually making people more tolerant of other races. >> the president called for action to end income and equality and poverty. augustus brown believes there will be change. >> i believe we have to have faith in changing. what are we hear for. i don't believe in giving up on anything. >> with a victim of gun violence before him. the president called for bun control, but the crowd was doubtful about that. >> not as long as you have the lobbyists with the money, and the opposing party, it's not going to happen. once all nine victims are buried. the consider, especially about race, has to sustain. >> it could be a betrayal of everything the reverend food for, i believe. if we allow ourselves to clip into a comfortable

patty culhane, al jazeera, washington. >>> when we come back an update on the heat wave in pakistan that taken hundreds of lives. >>> and we meet women held hostage by philippine armed groups who still fear for their lives years after being set free. >>> and rivalries at the region's biggest football tournament. all of that coming up. ♪ >> bold... >> he took two m-16's, and he crawled... >> brave... >> ...do what you gotta do... >> then betrayed... >> why do you think you didn't get the medal of honor? >> a lifetime without the honor they deserved... >> some say that it was discrimination... >> revealing the long painful fight, to recognize some of america's bravest... >> he say.. be cool...be cool... >> ...proudest moment in my life.. >> honor delayed a soledad o'brien special report only on al jazeera america ♪ >>> hello again, the top stories on al jazeera. at least 12 people have been killed in a suicide attack on a united arab emirates diplomatic convoy in mogadishu. al-shabab has claimed responsibility. >>> isil fighters in syria vo destroyed to islamic shrines in palmyra. >>> the

patty culhane has more. >> blunt criticism from president obama, speaking to an israeli reporter talking about the israeli prime minister binyamin netanyahu, and is predisposed to think of security first, that perhaps he sees peace as naive and tend to see the worst possibilities as opposed to the best in his arab partners. his toughest talk came when he was asked about what the prime minister said, if he was re-elected there would be no 2-state solution. >> consistently his statements had suggested that there is the possibility of a palestinian state, but it has so many caveats, so many conditions that it is not realistic to think that those conditions be met any time in the near future. and so the danger here is that israel losses credibility. already the international community does not believe that israel is serious about a 2-state solution. the statement the prime minister made compounded that belief that there's not a commitment there. >> so what is next? the u.s. president reiterated that he is re-evaluating the u.s. position at the u.n. security council where it protects israel f