are joining us from cairo now is journalist ruth michelson roof it's good to have you on the program very strong mandate eighty more than eighty percent of the vote for these changes. that you know makes me wonder health fear in free there was this referendum do we know. well there are certainly plenty of questions about how strange that this election was despite the say the extremely strong outcome in favor of changes. in the fasting with the u.s. he seriously won reelection last year with ninety seven point eight percent but in so you know neither of these results were expected to be quick to keep three also at. but you know i spoke to several people who had talked about being paid in boxes of food in order to go to the polls and that they certainly felt that once that they were in the polling station have a shot in their right each of the start working that if that they totally get the change means that there will be some kind of punishment that you could find out and so this is an election that as he's a terrific very strong results it's certainly likely they're oppressed now to

i'm joined now by correspondent ruth michelson in cairo ruth what are the implications of this resultwhat impact could it have on the way the country is governed well certainly a very wide ranging insult given the amendments that state people voted on the weekend they creased presidential turns to see is the creasy seize control over. finding that growth in total states and sort of you know. while that is happening at the same time there are real questions about our freedoms and will vote for them and that you know a sense of kind of how for message the same time c.c.s. increases it's true that that vote doesn't necessarily match widespread reports over. the night and so what you see since we're told is that is he crease how. that actually is so for some then this looks like a bit of a power grab by the l.c.c. government gyptian it's must be closely watching the popular uprisings taking place right now in algeria and in neighboring sadat and those uprisings have toppled the governments there what do people in egypt make of these developments. well i mean i think it's possible to say t

all right let's take you now to cairo to journalist ruth michelson ruth a very strong mandate for these changes but just how free and fair was this vote. well you're certainly right that that. eighty eight. percent result sounds like a strong mandate and also plenty of questions about how free and fair and spoke was i spoke to several people plenty of people who said that they had been paid boxes of food in order to go to the polls. that the boxes of food were not designed to get them to vote a certain way but they also knew that once they were inside a polling station and that they could show their id to officials working there that they felt in some ways that they were under pressure in order to vote some don't. and so this you know certainly raises questions about how spread the turnout is if not the overall thought it worth can you tell us a little more about what these reforms will mean. well as you mentioned they extend presidential terms from four to six years and it means that again for the next run for reelection in twenty twenty four is obviously expected to win it given that

let's head to cairo now where ruth michelson is standing by for us she's a journalist in the egyptian capital ruth so as we heard it it looks likely that these constitutional changes that they will be approved if they are will that bring more stability to the country as the president says they will. well i mean it depends what you mean by stability. there are ongoing austerity measures instituted are all present and. that proved very unpopular with many egyptians excluding. the specially polished egyptians and i saw today. egyptians who are working class neighborhoods in cairo who are being bussed to the polls and potentially open packages of food to prove they can prove be o.t. . now some would say that's not a sign of a stable regime in general a repressive regime is not necessarily a savior and that really is the challenge. his opponents say that you know it's not and i have to say and power is more than just bending the rules this could end now with him to become president to life beyond twenty twenty four even twenty thirty and so i guess you know consistent regime with the same

ruth michelson in cairo for us thank you very much. well today marks twenty years since the columbine high school shooting in the u.s. when two students on for the guns and homemade explosives killed twelve of their peers and one teacher on that tuesday morning the school in littleton colorado rose to tragic fame around the world now survivors of the attack are a grownup and many have children of their own two decades later the columbine generation is still battling the trauma and hoping that the u.s. will finally impose stricter gun laws. on the big it's a routine course of many parents day school run virginia a most picking her son up comes with a particular sense of relief she's a survivor of the nine hundred ninety nine columbine high school shooting every day the mother of three waits for this moment we have children a safe back to gregory home watching her as a parent you have no idea that she's still dealing with the trauma of what happened at her high school that day really being in the out of tori i'm in and listening to what

joining me now from cairo is journalist ruth michelson ruth today is the third and final day of the referendum how has the voting been go and how free and fair has it been. well it was certainly hard to find people at the polls that i spoke to who was willing to say that they voted against the change is anyone seemingly willing to speak to journalists said that they voted in favor of these amendments but it same time i also spoke to people who said the us into central cairo from working class neighborhood its all the periphery or even outside. and. essentially changing bags of food in order to go to the polls and but we also saw that there was someone arrested simply for holding a sign encouraging people to vote against the amendment and a lot of people i spoke with said they were unaware that you know. now at the same time. some egyptian officials have said that they're being international observation missions here at the scene of the boat including people from the e.u. when i contacted the european union they said that they don't have an election monitoring mission here. but that you know th

in a twenty thirteen when morsi was ousted well joining us now from cairo is the journalists ruth michelson to talk to us more about these developments ruth how has voting been going so far. well so far there seems to be plenty of people at the polls but i and other journalists this is also getting incredibly difficult to find anyone who says that they voted gets the treaties and that is in part because many people that i spoke with simply unaware that it no caps against these amendments and even exists and that is in large part due to suppression of the kind of opposition campaign clearly i asked and. arresting someone who held up with a sign telling people they vote no yesterday and there's also been claims from different gyptian authorities that there have been international election monitoring missions here over seeing what's happening at pubs when i spoke to the african union only of this week they said that they were not sending anybody and when i spoke to the european union they said that they do not have an official just a couple officials who went and looked at polling stations tha

are joining us from cairo now is journalist ruth michelson a roof it's good to have you on the program a very strong mandate eighty more than eighty percent of the vote for these changes . that you know makes me wonder how figure in free there was this referendum do we know well there are certainly plenty of bresson's about how strange that this election was despite the say. extremely strong outcome in favor of changes. in the classroom and even in a c.c. recently won reelection last it was ninety seven point eight percent the front seven note neither of these results were expected to speak. at. but you know i spoke to several people who had talks not being paid in boxes assumes you want to go to the phones and then they sent me felt that once that they were in the polling station i have a shot in their right to each stop that lucky that if they come to get the change it's that they would be some kind of punishment that he would find out and say this is an election and it's the same thing if you can very strong results the second line but there are precedents now to tell you i heard to