ray.t all called him jimmy. >> by his mid-20s ray was a two-bit gunman. this is ray on a hospital table shot by a chicago cop after the botched robbery of a taxi driver in 1952. ray went to prison for two years. then three more years in federal prison at leavenworth for stealing post office money orders. ray turned down a transfer to an honor farm. prison records say he did so because he didn't want to live in an integrated honor dorm. in 1959, caught after a grocery holdup in st. louis, ray was declared a habitual criminal and sent to the missouri state prison for 20 years. you have a guy who wasn't very bright, wasn't a good criminal, wasn't the sharpest tack. >> he's smart, he's plenty smart, intelligent. >> smart enough, jerry said, not to get caught most of the time. >> they don't catch him on the other crimes, you know. so he had done a lot of things he got away with. >> almost eight years later in 1967, james earl ray escaped from prison by smuggling himself out in a bread truck. he

>> reporter: we caught up with ray a few days later. he had just received a letter from ray.was written the day before he violated his parole. >> parole is hard for me. if i go back i am giving my computer to raven. she is cool. i like this part, too. i have been talking to her on the phone. this is my daughter, i love her so much. i love her little baby. she is a good kid. it's a trip he's getting on my ass and he's on his way back. you do right by her. don't drink, dog. i love you, brother. it will get better. roy. oh, my goodness. i ain't going to lie now. after i read it and laid down, i started practically having a panic attack thinking, am i going to make it? >> reporter: it was really interesting to hear ray slipping into the mindset of what i assumed roy must have gone through. it showed me what goes through someone's mind when they're on parole. >> if i didn't have my daughter, i would tell that parole board let me stay here and not even get out of here at all. i always thought man, if i could just revoke, and if it wasn't for raven because i don't want to break her

i'm ray suarez. if you would like to spend a few depressing moments on this king birthday holiday pull out a map of the world and run your eyes over all the places where people are oppressed or killed becaus because they profess one faith or another, people rivetted over resources and poverty, power, and things people can exclude, fight and kill over. demonstrators in cairo's t an ahrir's square shouted that they were all egyptian. a wild later mobs were killing coptic believers and burning churches. the conflict had far more to do with identity than what the religions teach. when receiving his nobel peace price, he said: >> 50 years after dr. king spoke those years, religious-related attacks took place in one in every five countries in 2012, hostilities increased in every major region of the world except the americas. the survey found threw quarters of the world's population now lives where overall levels of religious restrictions hostil hostilities were high or very high. the survey pointed to one

hello, i'm ray soares. with government coffers bare, the government got a bailout, not by looking west to the european union, but looking north to moscow, staving off discover short-term, buzz not a permanent solution. demonstrators in the heart of the ukrainian capital are not giving up. after weeks of water hoses dousing in the sub-freezing cold. opposition parties got an audience with yanukovych, with protests that have begun to spread to other regions. it's locked in a tug of war over its future. a truce between protesters and government forces held for much of thursday. it followed the most violent clashes since the crisis began in mid november. now for the first time protesters have been killed. today, ukraine's prime minister tried to avoid a coup. former heavyweight champion boxish has called on president yanukovych to fuse the crisis. ahead of meeting the president, he was optimistic. >> what is your hope for the president? >> right now, stop the conflict in -- and basis for starting political nego

i am ray sworees. put a plug in a wall socket. an e licktricity powers an appliance. it's the same juice applied to your neighbors in maxes or shacks. head into a hotel lobby, people who stay more often have their own check-in line, get a different level of service and access to a nicer room. you can stay but you may not get the same service reserved for better customers. a federal court was asked basically: is the internet like a regulated utility or a private business, free to provide different levels of service? that eyes-glaze-over term, net neutrality may not make your pulse race but the court's decision may slow down some web traffic. here is how it all happened. >> the fcc has to go back to the drawing board if it wants to keep fast, broadband internet service open to all. a ruling for the district of columbia struck down federal communications commission rules protecting the openness of the internet. it's the latest twist in the battle over net neutrality. >> i remain firmly committed to net ne

people are tired of ray nagin, but don't want to see him fade away. they want him to pay for what he did. >> if he pay, it won't be in dollars, it will be in day, months and years in prison. >> let's talk about the case in maying's future. we are joined by a professor. how strong of a case does the government have against the former hay junior. >> you never know until the trial, but the government charged multiple schemes of kickbacks and corruption and coconspirators pled guilt ci and admitted the behaviour was critical and is testifying against the former mayor. >> why do you think he does not accept the plae bargain. >> you never know. some of the white collar defendants have a hard time wrapping their mind around going jail. you don't know what deal the government offered him. he's known as a guy who is fairly arrogant, and i think likes his chance, even if that's inaccurate. >> you talk about the fall from grace, a lot of suspects have trouble dealing with, especially with sun of ray nagin's character, now in a courtroom facing corruption charges

in washington, i'm ray suarez. i could've chosen better underwear. are you prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice? >> you can do anything except for politics. >> when you kind of imagine what a nuclear disaster would look like, it's something like this. so how long have you been coming and getting pedicures for? >> you gotta take care of these bad boys. >> don't worry mum, everything's cool.

. >> former new orleans mayor ray nagin became a familiar face during hurricane katrina. now he's facing bribery charges in exchange for taking money. his trial gets underway on monday in new orleans. ben has a bre view. >> within a few days after hurricane katrina it seemed the world new of new orleans mayor, ray nagin. >> he had a shining moment. he said mr president. get your arse downhill. he was criticised for the decision. >> on trial for corruption the mayor was ready to put his fate in the hands of a jury. >> a lot of people did not feel that the rebuilding was going as ex-bed issuesly or as smoothly has they liked. it was a difficult process. >> with the city in shambles, ray nagin shifted his reelection approach, making a speech calling to new orleans to return to a chocolate city. >> what he did in 2006 was play the race card. the issue was about the right to return. that resonated with african-americans who had been displaced. >> the people liked the direction we were going in. by 2011 six people with city contracts had been convicted or plead guilty to corrup

i'm ray suarez. in 1964 the university of michigan president lyndon johnson used soaring words to commit america's great wealth and power to solving it's d domestic problems. he said a great society depends on its abundance, and end poverty to which we're totally committed in our time. he told the audience to picture an american where the cities are beautiful, environment is cleaner, schools are better and people healthier. he talked in economic and spiritual terms of what a better and healthier america would look like. now it's 50 years later. did the great society programs hit their mark? did we get close to johnson's vision? or did it put a tax burden for the next 50 years. >> our task is to help replace their despair with opportunity. >> january 8, 1964, president lyndon johnson's state of the union address. >> this administration today here and now declares u unconditional war on poverty in america. i urge in congress and all americans who join with me in that effort. [applause] it will not be a

i'm ray suarez. we're talking about the president's ability to make nominations when the senate is at recess. in the nlrb and many other departments were of longstanding but unable to either get a hearing or unable to pass the relevant committee. the question is had the advice and consent power been used to make the nlrb non-functioning as an agency of government? >> i think that was the plan. there was, the nlrb, the supreme court previously held unless the agency has a quorum, three members, they're not able to junction, and they dip below that. they are not able to decide matters properly before them. and notwithstanding that the senate was refusing to take nominees before them. this was a case of holding up nominees was very much by design, intended to slow or halt functioning of the agency. >> and it was defeated because ultimately the president did nominate and the senate confirmed the full roster of nlrb commissioners and they're moving on. if these particular rulings were invalley, the new bo

>> ray, i think we have to worry about your credibility and that's what we have to make. you ought to support, for example, making these cart rems anrem -- cartridges and fillers child proof. aspirins are much less danger and i can't see any reason why your industry would disagree that there has to be an appropriate warning to keep these things away from infants and toddlers. >> at the end of the day, any product that's for adults and adults only need to stay out of the hands of children and non-adults. but let's be very clear. that the toxicity level of any product is determined by the dosage. we're trying to support an industry that >> within 30 minutes, your risk of smoke, suppose i was sitting where you were, and the two of us were puffing away and you're inhaling the nicotine from both of us, far more than you get from the restaurant, and there's no question that nicotine is a drug, and if you good ask the world health organization, the surgeon general, the center for disease control, and the heart association, anybody reputable will tell you. >> ray, aren't there a

i am ray suarez. feel about edward snowden and what he did, there is one thing that can't be denied. he opened up the world of national security agency surveillance to public scrutiny. in the years after the september 11th terrorist attacks. government officials and elected officials have asked themselves and each other, sometimes even the rest of us, what does the united states have do to protect itself from conspiracy and attack? what works to thwart terrorist plan something what fits with our legal system, traditions, our liberties and expectations of privacy? and can you steer a path that passes all of those tests? edward snowden's theft and release of classified information has led to a national did h debate, a commisn report and soon to come a presidential response. after months of straddling the lines between privacy advocates, big internet firms and his own intelligent services, president obama will share his plans for the national security agency friday. according to a recent report from the

i'm ray suarez.yrians are continuing to fight and die in hellish conditions. even as some of the world's best-known diplomats descended in geneva. the powerful gathering is talking about peace but have presented very different ideas about whether bashar al-assad stays or goes. meanwhile iran able to continue to fuel the fire, are publicly doubting the chance for success. and assad is ready to fight to the last syria. foreign negotiations gathered in the stated hopes of drafting a plan to bring peace to syria, but right from the start, he hard lines of division between many of the participates, especially the syrian government and leaders of the opposition, cast doubt on the success of the conference. >> translator: the syrian people aspire to have a strong army that protects their assets, land, and ethnicity, protects it's borders and land. >> the syrian foreign minister, denounced the proceedings and the participants. >> translator: in one in the world has the right to give or take legitimacy to a p

. >> hello, i'm ray suarez. for many american cities the big municipalities for the core of the metropolitan areas it was a rough half century. from the 1950s on many of them watched as people, investment, infrastructure, corporate headquarters all fled to the suburbs or newly zooming cities in the sun belt. the government propped up sagging cities with programs, housing support, transit and educational funding all kinds of taxpayer funded support. as the axis swung to the suburbs resentment of the cities grew and they tumbled into decay and decline. since then many places have started to grow again. many suburbs have long since gun to have the same problems as their urban neighbors. even as economic growth has been uneven, sporadic, many cities are healthier financially than their states, healthier than their federal government. an urban report card on this addition of "inside story" we begin with this background. >> thank you very much. >> some of america's major cities are waving good buy to their veteran may

i'm ray juarez. on this edition of the program, we're talking about crime and youth in america, and a study examined government data and found that 50% of black men were arrested before the age of 23, for hispanic, 48%, and for women, the numbers are much lower, and when sorted by race, the differences are relatively minor. dennis parker, we ended the last segment with you, but you used the phrase that caught my ear. the school to prison pipeline. but for all of the methodology, it wasn't talking about those convicted of a crime and sent away. but just arrested. what are the affects of being arrested and are they different than they were in earlier decades? >> in the school context, the affects of being arrested are like they are in the rest of the world, it increases the likelihood of further involvement in the criminal justice system. it exposes you to the system x it makes it more likely that you'll be recognized or identified as a suspect. it really starts the whole process of your involvement in

i'm ray suarez. that's outgoing federal reserve chairman ben bernanke.e's talking about unemployment, inflation, and highly accommodative monitory policy. and even today he mentioned that he set transparency as an important priority for a the time that he served as fed chair. when he talks like that is the public meant to follow or is he talking in -- >> during the press conference it's difficult for him not to get technical because we ask him somewhat technical questions, but i think he has done a great job. his predecessor alan greenspan believed in policy by discretion, and it was sort of we're doing this because we think its best. we're not going to tell you the reasoning behind it, and ba bernanke has gone out of his way to discuss the policy. he has not use the average person's vernacular, i think he does his best to describe why the fed is doing what it's doi doing. >> in this case what does this mean? >> very low interest rates for a very long time. the fed is going to remain supportive of the economy regardless of this small retreat from the won

hello, i'm ray suarez. in thes are looking at all the promising data and forecasting better job growth in 2014. the economy added 1 8,000 jobs in 2013 up until december. maybe the u.s. jobs market had finally turned the corner after years of promised corners that didn't work out. then a not so great number. we'll talk about what it might mean and what it doesn't. first let's set the table. it was a disappointing jobs report from the department of labor on friday. just 74,000 jobs were added by u.s. employers in december, the lowest number in three years. the announcement came as a surprise as economists were pr pre-addicting double that figure. october and november saw more than 200,000 jobs created. >> last month's reports under scores what the president has said repeatedly, we need to pick up the pace of our recovery. >> reporter: retail added the most jobs with a busy holiday season. other expanding industries, manufacturing, mining and business. but growth was marginal in comparison to months before. so

. >> hello, i'm ray suarez. america cities didn't escape the national recession, and at a time when their residents needed government more money coming in from sales and property taxes plummeted as millions lost their jobs and homes. running a city means thinking about the urgent needs of today and about what the city is going to need 10, 20, 30 years from now. money spent today will have an impact today and have a big say in how people will commute, learn, work, and play for years to come. looking to the state capitol isn't very promising these days, and the glory days of you are man investment from the federal government seem over for good. what the city has got in the 6060's can look in retrospect le a mistake. so america, how is it going? we'll spend the rest of the program looking at the answer. 280 mayors descended on washington, d.c. hoping to persuade congress the president and his cabinet to pay more attention to american cities. on thursday president obama pledged to help mayors and not wait on a divid

i'll she you how fast the cold blast is coming in for the rest of us. >> former new orleans mayor ray nagin says, "no deal, taking his chances in court instead of accepting a plea bargain. ray nagin led the city through hurricane katrina, but is accused of taking $2-00,000 in bribes in exchange for city contracts. jury selection begins tomorrow. >> within a few days after hurricane katrina, it seemed the world now of new orleans's naior ray nagin. >> he had one shining moment when he went on radio and said, "mr president, get your arse down here." >> he was criticised for his decisions and lack of follow-through. now on trial for corruption, it appears he opted out of a plea deal and is ready to put life in the hand of a jury. a lot of people blame him. >> a lot of people didn't feel that the rebuilding was going as expeditiously and smoothly as they liked. >> with the city in sham bles, he changed his approach making a speech calling for new orleans to return to a chocolate city. >> in 2006 certainly it was play the race card. the issue was about the right to return. that resonated w

i'm ray suarez. pete seger had been at it for so long plunging himself into the political passions with so many decades it felt like he had been around forever, and would stay around forever. he died monday night at 94. he kept abreast of movements and struggles worldwide, and spread the love of music of the world to the world. he deplored the exaltation of the rich over the poor, exclusion and snobbery. he was a man of many thoughts. he went to harvard although he did not stay long enough >> seger put musical notes to a call of change, labor rights and the environment. he used elementarie elements ofl songs and his hit "where have all the flowers gone" is a standard of antiwar days in vietnam. >> i think the world is going to be saved >> folks stars showed up to salute him. bruce springsteen showe spring g archive. seger charged up the occupy wall streeters in did yo zuccotti pa. he believed in the power of song, but more importantly he believed in the power of community to stand up for what is righ

. >> hello, i'm ray suarez. the powerful gathering of international leaders is talking about peace but presented very different ideas about whether bashar al-assad's stays or goes. meanwhile iran's leaders invited and then uninvited from the swiss conference unable to fuel the fire are publicly doubting the chances for progress. and judging from the delegation appearance in montreux, assad is ready to fight the last syrian. foreign ministers and negotiators from som several nas gather. right from the start, the hard lines decisions between syrian government and leaders of the opposition cast doubt on the success of the meeting. >> the syrian people aspire to defend the borders of the sovereignty. >> reporter: representing the government of bashar al-assad denounced the proceedings and the participants. >> no one in the world has the right to give or take legitimacy to a president or government or constitution or law or anything in syria except for the syrians themselves. this is their right and their constitutio

. >> hello, i'm ray soares. a group of scholars are getting taken. they show that half of black men are arrested. and latino men at 44%. they raise provocative questions. do the large number of men reflect the rising law enforcement at schools? if crime has been dropping for a generation, why are are those numbers so high in the first place? or has crime been dropping so much because young men have gotten so much attention from the criminal justice system in and after years of it a tough attitude on even minor crime, young men are finding it tough to get around. a study has a striking phenomenon in the lives of young americans. a surprising number of young men, regardless of their race, have been arrested by law enforcement at least once before they reach age 23. the journal, crime and delinquency, has published a study done by justice professors. it found that 49% of black men have experienced an arrest. 44% of hispanic men, and it 44% of white men by age 23. the study is an analysis of government data, which track 9,000 teenagers and young adults o

i'm ray suarez.ying in america can be complicated, expensive and accompanied by questions that are hard to answer. if a person is unconscious and unlikely to ever be conscious again but their heart is beating, their fate can hinge on family members, the state where they live, hospital rules, legal documents and the struggle to understand their wishes in the absence of key documents. as a nation the united states already spends a lot of money on people whose lives are almost over. one out of every $4 spent by medicare, more than $125 billion is spent on the tiny minority of patients in their last year of life and costs don't just fall on the public system. many families are shocked by the out of pocket costs that accompany keeping a dying loved one alive. two cases, two very different situations bring end of life decision-making into focus this week. on december 9 she had a con sill electricity and adenoid removal. she began to bleed heavily from the nose and mouth and went into cardiac arrest. her fa

people are tired the ray anything begin, and they want him to pay for what he did. >> if he has pay for it, it won't be in dollars. it will be in days, months and years in prison. >>> still ahead on al jazeera america, although the super bowl is taking place in new jersey, a lot of people still have a new york state of mind. in the village the deputy mayor remembers him and wond >>> good afternoon, and welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford live from new york city. >>> in geneva mediators meet with syrian government and the opposition trying to bring humanitarian aid to homs. brahimi will meet jointly with both parties on monday. >>> demonstrations in ukraine heat up after protesters attack a government building with police officers still inside. they reject the offer to join the government vowing to continue their demonstrations until the president steps down. >>> police identify the gunman in the maryland mall shooting at 19-year-old darian marcus aguilar. he shot two workers before kills himself. >>> the super bowl is just a week away. as fans get ready to walk the se

ray nagin next. >> former new orleans mayor ray nagin in court today for jury selection. was mayor much new orleans, accused of having lucrative building projects in exchange for $200,000 in cash, wire transfers and vacations. ben lemoine is in new orleans with the story. >> former ray nagin walked into court, all smiles and confident. 12 of these jurors will decide the former mayor's fate. all the world knew of new orleans mayor ray nagin. >> one shining moment when he went on wwl withdrew, saying mr. president, get your why sex down here. >> now on trial for corruption it appears the former mayor has opted out of a plea deal. and wants to put his fate in the hands of a jury. >> a lot of people could not feel that the rebuilding was going as expeditiously and as smoothly as they liked. and it was a difficult process. >> with the city still in shambles, nagin shifted his reelection approach, to call for new orleans to return to a, quote, chocolate city. >> what did he in 2006 was certainly play the race card. the issue came about the right to return and that really resona

i think people are tired of ray nagan but they don't want him to just fade away. they want to see him pay for what he did. >> if he does have to pay, it won't be in dollars. it will be in days, months and years in prison. ben limon. >> the super bowl is a week but there seems to be some confusion over exactly where they will be playing. alan shaufl he feel r explains why >> reporter: the official logo says njnj, new joy/new jersey. but ask people where the big game is being played this year and they will likely tell you. >> new york. >> being held in new york. >>> north. >>> the big apple. >> new york. >> unfortunately, the super bowl is being played in new jersey. unfortunately. >> well, that's the problem. isn't it? there is the city over there. gotham, the big apple, the city that never sleeps. and it is a hell of a town to be sure. but the game is do going to be played over here. one state line and a couple of rivers away in east ruth you are ford, new jersey. >> so, new jerseyites within sight of but so far from the center of the super bowl universe across th

i'm ray suarez.raq's president saddam hussein used a mix of police surveillance, terror and murder. when iraqis removed his head from his shoulders, the shia took power that it had long been denied. the united states left the country in 2011. the new government has struggled in the year since to run all of iraq in the interests of and to the satisfaction of all iraqis. recent weeks has brought resurgence in conflict. >> reporter: american forces are gone. and in their absence iraqi you's violence escalating by the day. suicide-bomb eggs killed 14 iraqis and wounded another 34. united nations said 7,800 civilians were killed in 2013. that's the highest death toll since the u.s. surged in iraq in 2007. tensions have mounted between the government and sunnies who say they have been discriminated against. in a concession to tribal leaders, al maliki left local police to handle security. militants then took over police stations, freed prisoners and set up check points throughout the city. since then the i

i'm ray suarez.n this edition of our program we're talking about the new deal between boeing and the machinist union that keeps the production of the 777 x airliner in the state of washington. the state gave boeing big tax breaks but the union als also ge concessions, particularly on retirement. the company will shift to a 401k style plan. we'll go to a professor at university of cauniversity of california-berkeley. and from seattle, scott hamilt hamilton, managing director of liam company. professor, let me start with you, apart from the scale which is new and big, aren't these trends already established in american manufacturing? right-to-work states trying to pull work out of closed shops, the end of benefit pensions, moving to 401ks and workforce is interchangeable. if we don't make it with you, we'll make it with somebody else? >> they sure are there in force. this isn't a new story. there is a poisonous atmosphere when it comes to unions in the private sector throughout the united states and in

i'm ray suarez. since he became president but more specifically since the republicans won back control of the house of representatives after the 2010 midterm electio elections, the president has seen initiative stalled, appointees blocked and his own political fate attached far monday than he would choose to the congress in history. if you were the president is there anything that you can do about that, legally, constitutionally. president obama has talked about his desire to stop waiting for congress to see things his way. >> senators of both parties are working together on tough new laws to prevent anyone from buying guns for resale to criminals. police chief are asking our help to get weapons of war off our streets because these police chiefs they're tired of seeing their guys and gals being outgunned. each of these proposals deserves a vote in congress. [applause] >> president obama at last year's state of the union speech. >> but for the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to co

ship, the "cape ray," and then that u.s.e sailing o o ining out to international waters, which nobody knows, and that's where the destruction of the chemical weapons will happen, using this process for chemical weapons that has never been done before. the process is expected to take 45 days. they're allotting themselves twice that time to account for bad weather, during which time they will stop the process if they need to. this is brand-new technology. this is technology that has been used on land here in the u.s. to destroy chemical weapons, but it has never been tested at sea. it has never been used at sea. it is unclear, precisely, as to what we should expect, but this is a brand, brand-new thing. joining us now to help us understand is darrel kimball. he's executive director of the arms control association, which is a national nonpartisan group, supporting arms control policies and programs. mr. kimball, thanks very much for being here tonight. nice to have you here. >> good to be here. >> i am somebody who is intereste

and why is it important, ray? it is important because of the magnificent introduction that you gave. the internet has been open and free. no company regardless of its size, no matter what it's stock price is, should not be able to block content that perhaps doesn't belong to them, and someone else wants to have access. nor should the public, the consumer, the american consumer be subjected to slow lanes or fast lanes simply because a corporation finds that that is more profitable for them. so these are very, very important principles. >> congresswoman, i'm glad you used that phrase "open and free," it's the same one that the president used. the big providers say the internet will take a lot of investment in the coming years, and it may be open and free, but somebody has got to pay to do that technical upgrade. they think if they pay they should get the inside lane. why not? >> well, i'm thrilled that--and i've seen this, i've witnessed it since i've come to the congress that over$1.2 trillion has been invested in

i'm ray suarez. you can find it right there in the institution, which is the handbook for running the country, article 2, section 2, the president shall have power to fill vacancy that is accept during the breaking of the senate. what did those framers mean? at a time of horsepower transportation that the president could fill a job without waiting for everyone to get back to washington, or the president could not be held hostage by the senate's advise and consent role. it's an interesting clash of executive power, legislative mechanics, and the ups and downs between the president and the congress. the supreme court has been asked to make a precedence-setting decision. in 2012 president obama named three people to the national labor relations board or nlrb while the senate was not working but instead was in per form ma session. the three seats had been vacant for a long time because the senate had not approved the nominations while in session. >> this was a clear attempt not to put into place official

other beneficial uses of x-rays follow.-rays captured everything from fractures to conjoined twins and captured the imagination. from the 1920s, many shoe stores featured x-ray machines, supposedly help to assure of a fit but also. michael kane used it in the film "million dollar brain." >> in the 1978 superman movie the visitor showed off his x-ray vision. >> what color underwear am i wearing? >> osgood: to the lois lane. >> pink. >> osgood: back in the real world. a back scatter x-ray. >> debut in 2007 of airport security scanners that produced all too explicit widespread safety and privacy concerns. the risk to the individual is zero. the tsa assured the traveling public just last month the staning software generic outline of a passengers. also none is in place from crip ton. . >> osgood: coming up, a lesson to a work of art. no matter how busy your morning you can always do something better for yourself. and better is so easy with benefiber. fiber that's taste-free, grit-free and dissolves completely. so you can feel fr

ray and mike both.don't you believe that iran and saudi arabia they haven't both done anything to preserve american interests in the region and they have closed as we now know supported terrorism throughout the last two decades. even through september 11. do you agree with that on one more thing and you can answer this. if we have three elections in iran and saudi arabia what would be the outcome in both elections? if we have free elections in the islamic republic i am reasonably confident that the islamic republic would be rejected by a large swath of the population. i think there is an unusual gap between the ruling elite in iran and the larger public. the ruling elite subscribes to a certain islamist ideology and has a certain vision along the masses that are cosmopolitan western oriented so there's a huge gap between the state and society in iran. i just don't know what elections look like in saudi arabia but i suspect in a free election in saudi arabia relies on the moderate government. mike and sp

i'm ray suarez. now, full disclosure, the "inside story" team is off this new year's day so i'm not even really here. and to make that possible we dipped into our archive for a show that may pair well with family and football. we're talking about american craft beer. today there are as many working breweries in the country as there were in the late 19th century as consumers search for new flavors and experiences beyond the big brewers that you know like coor's and budweiser, the handmade beers brewed across the country are generating billions of dollars in retail sales. boulevard brewing has been sold to a huge belgium brewer, and some are wondering if craft beer will become too big to remain distinctly american. >> this is a great time to be in craft beer. it's a lot of fun. >> reporter: americans have a nearly insatiable historic love of beer. 400 million kegs brewed in the u.s. annually. but not all beer is the same. craft beer is not your father's suds. craft doesn't belong in your red to go cup.

." >> hello, i'm ray suarez. if you're a baseball fan you may remember the 1990s with sheer joy, great players beginning or ending careers. or you may have memories that are ambivalent. mark mcgwire and sammy sosa combining for 136 round trippers in one season. baseball trying to wrap its head around a new normal only very late in the game. today the decisions of the voting members of the baseball writers association of america were announced who among eligible players would be honored with the plaque on the walls of the baseball hall of fame in cooperstown, new york. they are greg maddoux, the winner the cubs and braves fame, and the great chicago white sox greg thomas with 521 career home runs. what to do with the players whose careers are in the shadow of the tainted era? the writers have decided not to decide. barring the gates of cooperstown glory to the most heavily rumored names and allowing players who had reputations for playing clean to emerge from their arcane balloting. >> reporter: players are voted

. >>> former new orleans mayor, ray nagin, became a familiar face during hurricane katrina. now he's facing federal bribery charges, accused of taking contracts. a jury selection is underway. good afternoon. >> hey there, stephanie. ray nagin walked into federal court a few hours ago, seemingly all smiles and comfortable with his attorneys. when asked if he had comments about the case, he said, i wish i could. meanwhile, 150 potential jurors are being questioned right now. 12 of whom will decide the former mayor's fate. within a few days of hurricane katrina, the entire world knew of mayor ray nagin. >> he said mr. president, get your ass down here, and everybody cheered him. >> but he was soon criticized for his lack of decisions and followthrough. now it seems that he has a plea deal and is ready to put his fate in the hands ever the jury, in a state where many blame him for crippling their recovery. >> a lot of people did not feel that the rebuilding was going as expeditiously and smoothly as they would like, and it was a difficult process. >> with the city still in shamb

hello, i'm ray suarez. when the polar vortex plunged places into unusually bone chilling territory, americans nodded knowingly, pointing out that small amounts of snow cause havoc in some places, where minneapolis detroit and denver just shake it off. but how much of it is not brought on by a natural event but taxpayers and home buyers, was plenty of notice enough to engineer one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in american history? was it the snow or an unwise toy to grow? there were helicopters in the sky and authorities on the ground racing to help stranded drivers along a debilitated southeast coast and it was all over some two inches of snow! the storm essentially crippled the american south, leaving drivers locked in traffic jams and their children sleeping on gym floors. governors issued states of emergency. >> i was in my car 18 hours. >> 18, almost 20 hours. >> 24 hours later, the blame-game isen in full throd l. >> why weren't they more prepared for this? >> in georgia the governor took t

ray ray, stay strong. quaid, stay strong. i love you all. i'm trying to get back to my family.n the streets. i can be making money. i own a candy truck, mobile candy truck selling coffee, candy, potato chips, white t-shirts. >> but when henry was arrested, he was in possession of more than just candy and t-shirts. >> i ended up in prison for 30 rocks of crack cocaine and 150 ecstasy pills. i'm currently serving 14 years for it. >> another thing that keeps me going is these right here, letters from my family. >> brushy mountain receives hundreds of letters a day addressed to inmates. but first every piece of mail is scanned for materials prohibited by the tennessee department of corrections. >> we've had panties come through. we've had letters with perfume and then pubic hair with body fluids. of course, they're allowed to have pictures. some pictures we do have to deny if it's nudity. >> it's real graphic. >> the officer found two nude pictures. >> a lady in columbia sent those. >> columbia. she writes some -- she's missing him. she's missing him bad. we'll reject it, and he'll

i'm ray suarez. americans' attitudes about marijuana have changed a lot since the worst days of the drug war. they've come to think of the drug as more benign and less dangerous than cocaine, heroin or methamphetamine, but the federal government still classifies marijuana as a narcotic that can lend its users, sellers in jail. now two states have legalized marijuana for medical and recreational use. how can state law, revenue collection, law enforcement, be made to mesh with the federal code. another win for weed. a spot on november's ballot to determine if marijuana could be used for medicinal purposes. opponents challenge its language in court. >> this particular initiative has nothing whatsoever to do with medicine. it is not tightly restricted. it is wide open. it would allow pretty much anybody to use to treat any condition whatsoever. >> the legislations language spacifies that medical marijuana can only be used in, quote, debilitating diseases like cancer, a.i.d.s. and parkinson parkinson's. >