this is "real money," and you are the most important part of the show. tell us what is on your mind by tweeting us. also facebook. cities or suburbs - since 2011 americans have been moving to cities at a faster clip, a reversal of a trend favouring suburbs for a century. numbers released by the sepsis bureau shows growth continues to outpace growth in the suburbs. here is the thing. the gap is shrinking, suggesting that suburbs are poised to take the lead. in 2013 american cities grew by 1% cam paired to 2012. fractions of a per cent means a lot. america's population is up to 360 million. let's look at the maths. in 2013 the fastest populations were in the big cities. in numbers, new york city led the pack, adding 61,000 people. houston, los angeles, san antonio, texas, phoenix, arizona followed adding between 25,000 and 30,000. one big city outlayer was chicago, the third-largest by population, only adding 5,000 people last year. that is still beating detroit, which actually lost almost 10,000. now, the five fastest growing suburbs are on the map. the biggest population spirits were in communities in utah and texas. around the texas state capital austin got the capital for population growth title. in san marcos it rose by 8%. cedar park 5.6%. fridays coe near dallas, 6.5. two burbs outside salt lake city added 6.1 and 5.5%. middle class americans are moving to the inner sis to live. long neglected corridors from los angeles to chicago are being develop. suburbs have appeal - space, backwards and good public schools. let's look beyond the city versus suburbs and understand the economic reasons that some areas of the country attract areas in droves, and others lose ground or run in place. we go to a state expected to enjoy solid growth, arizona. joining us from phoenix, is lee, professor of economics at the arizona state university school of business. welcome to the programme. is this a case that the drivers of the population being jobs, and is that why we see this in the south-west? >> you know, this is one of the major research questions that academic economists studied for years and years. is it jobs following people or people following the jobs. it's chicken and egg analogy. i think what we see now is the recovering continuing to pick up some speed. we are seeing people following jobs, and the states that seam to attract population are the states that are adding jobs at the fastest clip. that's why you see texas and utah in there. >> i was going to say the recovery was pronounced in the south and west. all 15 of the nation's fastest growing communities were in the south and west. >> that's right. what we are seeing is a return to a growth pattern that has really existed in the country for the last five or six decades. the west and the south-east have led growth in the united states, and all of that came to a sudden halt in the recession of 2008/2009. because all that growth, of course, was accompanied by single family, multi family and commercial building, all of that coming to a stop, and states like georgia, for example, arizona, being one of them, suddenly slowed down. but now all that it reversing and we are going back to a model where we see the west growing rapidly, and i would expect to see the south-east coming on strong in the next 2-3 years. >> in the meantime in the pacific north-west, seattle, when you look at the top 50 popular cities, seattle grew at heightest rate and is close to re-entering the top 20, what is it that seattle has, that say a place like cleveland does not? >> when you analyse what is driving the growth, you have to recognise that in the last 2-3 years, we have seen strong growth in the knowledge-based jobs. areas like austin texas, seattle, denver are well-known for the knowledge based jobs, and that is attracting a lot of people that are looking for these good high-paying knowledge-based jobs. >> for every knowledge-based high-paying jobs, there are indirectly related service jobs. what is the approximate ratio? >> you are right. the high-paying jobs are the drivers of growth, and, for example, when you look at web development jobs, every 10 web development jobs would support industries. >> these web jobs - are they sustainable. a lot of these cities experienced the tech bubble and burst. is this something that can provide longer term growth than a lot of places have seen in the past? >> you know, i think definitely those high tech knowledge-based jobs are here to stay, and, you know, look around the country. and you find that the areas that are doing level, income growth, population growth, housing coming back, it's tied to the knowledge jobs now. >> yet there are cities in detroit, cleveland, memphis, baltimore, attracting high-tech jobs, but the four cities lost population. how come? >> one of the things going on is we have the millennial generation has different - just a different perspective on what they want out of their career, where they want to live. for example, we saw just last year something in the range of 15-17,000 people moved right into san francisco. into areas that are quite dense, where you have housing that is - has no suburban look to it at all, but it offers all the amenity of down-town living, and those cities that are most attractive and really seem like a hip destination for young people, those are the cities that will be growing over the next five years, i think. >> a professor of economics at the kerry school of business at arizona state university, thank professor. >> thank you. it may not have been gangbusters, but april was the level month for home sales. a realtor group report said that sale of homes rose 1% in march, the first increase this year, as inveptry picked up, the rise in home prices cooled off. spring is a crucial time for the housing market as families look to move to a home and new school district in time for the school. america's energy boom is producing oil and gas. we are still getting hit with a price hike at the gas pumps, in time for the driving season. we'll look at why coming up we'll head out on the highway for a look at a great american brand. . >> harleys are freedom, a way to express yourself. it's an iconic name plate like the harvey davison name and shield but the level part - the chicks dig it. >> there are challenges for the company down the road. that story and more as "real money" continues. : >> al jazeera america presents the system with joe berlinger >> mandatory minimums are routinely used to coerce plea bargains >> mandatory minimums >> the whole goal is to reduce gun crime, now we've got people saying "this isn't fair"... >> does the punishment always fit the crime? >> had the person that murdered our daughter got the mandatory minimum, he wouldn't have been out. >> the system with joe burlinger >> every saturday join us for exclusive, revealing, and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time. abe foxman >> we'll fight for your right to 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chevy chase stale vacation . expected. >> reporter: as the energy boom takes hold new pipe lines are delivering oil to gulf-coast refineries where it's converted to gasoline. with demands slowed, refiners are looking for markets abroad, where gasoline prices are higher, creating global competition for u.s. fuel. >> we are seeing developing countries - china, india, they are using petroleum products, and that makes prices higher in the united states. >> despite an export ban that limits u.s. crude oil sales overseas, petroleum exports have soared. largely buoyed by gasoline and diesel. investors are betting gas prices stay high and supplies at home are low levels. >> pretty much all the surplus supply in the united states is shipped overseas in the form of export money. >> a resurgent demand for higher. >> when they are working more, we are seeing disposable income. they are out on the weekends doing shopping, travelling. there's a correlation between more people working and driving. >> and that can further drive up prices. >> triple a forecast gasoline prices to average between $3.55 and $3.75 compared to a price of $3.58. that is below prices in europe. in france the average price for a gallon of gasoline is $7.90. $8.21. >> the u.s. is catching up to the rest of the world, paying what everyone else is if gasoline prices creep higher, american households will likely cut back on spending, having greater implications for the economy. that's according to the chief economist at standard&pors and joins us from their office. talk about the economic impact that you foresee based on the way gas prices are going? >> unfortunately we had a lot of experience with this, what happened in seven when oil hit $147 and gasoline to $5. last year we had it. this year we are looking at - first, we have to say that the u.s. households are fuel efficiently than they were in the past. energy consumptions as a personnel of personal income is 5.5%, blow the 8% level seen in 1982. but still, it's going to hurt. if we see gasoline prices get closer to $4 a gallon. across the u.s. what you are going to see is people carpool, sharing the ride to work. people will start to double up on errand. don't take the trip to the mall unless you have two more errands to run. in the holiday season people will be cautious about take the the trip or vacation, maybe they will not go to california from new jersey, maybe they'll just go to the new jersey shore. >> the caution could dampen the economy. is it a good sign for the economy that there's more demand for gas, and that may cause prices to push higher. >> i think one good peace of news is the u.s. economy is holding up well. we have gone - if - when this happened in 2009, or 2010, we were going in to the worst recession since the great recession. it was hard to withstand. when it happened a few years ago we were at a weak recovery. this year we are coming out of that weak recovering and i expect growth ahead. we have more jobs, 200,000 job gains her month last year and more this year. i think we are seeing jobs coming back, and that means a bit more comfort at home. >> it was intriguing to hear you mention a figure about gas efficiency and americans becoming more efficient. is the trend continuing regardless of where gas prices are going? >> i think it will increase. when gas prices go higher, people who are looking for a new car - what do they do, they'll look for a more fuel efficient car, and a smaller car. we have seen that in previous environments when gasoline prices shot up higher. people think, "i'll be a little more fuel efficient", maybe the number of 5.5% of energy as a share of personal income, maybe it will dip lower. >> does the number drop if gas prices don't go up. is there a trend right now even if prices stay the same, for americans to look for greater gas efficiency? >> well, we certain are enamored with electric cars, we are enamored with hybrid cars, for example, all those things. we don't have the infrastructure to support that on a major level. i think that americans, as much as we like to be fuel efficient, we like the big hum veries. >> we like the humvees and riding in the jeeps. i wonder if americans are less concerned about where gas prices are headed given the reports that gasoline is around $3.65. it's not as bad. i wonder if there's not going to be as much exact on the economy as otherwise. >> i see your point. there's a psychological threshold where households, americans go oh, my god. i don't think it's $3.65 a gallon. you have to look at something like $4.25 or $4.50 to start to spook the american household across the u.s. i do think that $3.65 will hurt when you go to the pump. i think we'll survive it and i don't think it will change the lifestyle. >> good news. chief economist for standard & poor's, thank you for coming on. say goodbye to the familiar gas station scenes. a retail arm sold by the largest gas and retail sold to marathon petroleum in a deal worth $3 billion. marathon owns the speedway changes. so they'll be rebranded. hass is slimming down to focus on finding and drilling for oil. part of its retail operation lives on. it will sell its popular toy trucks. they've been a holiday gift tradition in the north-east. the toys will be sold online starting next year. call it the great train blunder in france - the state-run rail service bought a fleet of passenger trains for more than $20 billion. here is the problem. they are too wide for the older train stations. almost 1300 station platform, like the one here, need to be shaved so the new trains will fit. the total cost running $68 million. oh, dear. the middle class was hit hard during the session, and the middle class jobs is a fragile part of the economy. we'll take a look. and an iconic brand selling more than motorcycle, but the outlaw brand in it. we look at rarley-davidson when we continue. >> investigating a dark side of the law >> they don't have the money to puchace their freedom... >> for some...crime does pay... >> the bail bond industry has been good to me.... i'll make a chunk of change off the crime... fault lines... al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> they're locking the door... ground breaking... >> we have to get out of here... truth seeking... >> award winning, investigative, documentary series. chasing bail only on al jazeera america >> on techknow... >> i'm at the national wind institute, where they can create tornados... >> a greater understanding... >> we know how to design for the wind speeds, now we design for... >> avoiding future tragedies >> i want a shelter in every school. >> techknow every saturday, go where science, meets humanity. >> this is some of the best driving i've ever done, even though i can't see. >>techknow >> is there an enviromental urgency? only on al jazeera america a mixed picture for the job market. the labour department says the number of people filing for first-time jobless benefits rose by 28,000, the largest weekly gain this year. but there is some reason to be optimistic. the number of workers drawing continuing unemployment benefits fell by 13,000 to the lowest level since december 2006. the national jobless rate last month fell to 6.3%. with all the data out there, it's hard to get a read on the health of the labour market. ali velshi spoke with moody's chief economist and asked him to situation. >> i'm glad to be in a world, mark, not like the one you and i talked about in 2008 and 2009, when all economic indicators showed one thing, and it was all bad. we are in this weird economy where there's economic indicators showing a strong economy, and others that show a weak or weakening economy. what is your sense of where we are when you take it altogether? >> much, much better. for me the level statistic is job, and how many jobs we are creating. on a monthly basis we are creating well over 200 jobs just for context. in a typical time to maintain a stable rate of unemployment. we need half the amount, $100,000. in the recession, the '08/"09 we are losing several hundred. we have come a long way from where we were. the level measure jobs is indicating where all the trend lines are pointing in the right. >> it's a good top job measure, creating more jobs is better than creating less. once we are into the gain of 200,000 plus on a monthly basis, we are compelled to look deeper and talk about the quality of the jobs. it's a common trope that we replaced - and we do in we sessions - we replace good quality jobs with lower paying, possibly part-time jobs. what is your sense of that? >> it's a good point. since the recovery five years ago the preponderance of job creation is among lower paying occupation and jobs, in retail, leisure hospitality. we have seen good job growth in high-end occupations, some of the technical skilled work that is out there. it's middle income jobs that are crushed. a lot goes to the losses and anything housing related. it goes to the declining government jobs. all government jobs, k through 12, all the the jobs are middle paying, and they have been hammered in the last five years. >> middle paying jobs creating middle class families, consuming, educating the kids, paying taxes, pay down deficits if governments manage that properly. are you worried, is there a longer term implication to the created? >> yes. no, i'm worried. i think there's a cyclical component. we will get housing back. it will create paying jobs. the government job losses are coming to an end. state and local jobs are doing better, some faces are hiding. longer run - i worry a lot. a lot of the middle paying occupations will be wiped out by technology. if people don't have the right skills and education they move to lower paying jobs and not the higher paying one. we need to do a better job of educating and providing the skills and training that our workers need to lose the jobs, so they go up instead of down. >> who does that? when you say we have to do a better job. i look to germany, where they do a good job. it's a combination of government policy and private sector participation. we don't have that sort of thing when it comes to jobs in america. not on a national level. who does that. who says we have a clump of people not as employable or highly skilled and have jobs if they were? >> yes. a great point. we are not good at this at all. obviously a lot of onus falls on k through 12, on the universities, on community colleges. anything we can do to support those centers of higher education, is going to benefit us in the longer run. we have underinvested in education, that is obvious. we have to reverse that. the other source of skilled training are businesses, and businesses also pulled back on the amount of resources they are devoting to raising the skill levels and educational attainment of their workers for lots of reasons. that's something we need to focus on. we have to get more creative. there are ways for a government and the private sector to partner, to put more resources to work, it raise the educational team. at the end of the day that's the only way to address the problems the middle and income groups face in the future. >> i read an oped you wrote about a pull-back in the one thing that america generally speaking does better than most place, and that is entrepreneurship. what is that about? >> yes, i do worry about this. it goes to the 20 somethings, i think, that have been locked out of the workforce because of how bad things have been going. those 20s are very, very important to getting the experience and skill set necessary to start new companies when they get into the 30s. i mean, ali, the average age of a person that starts their first business is 30 and 35. if you can't get a job in your 20, you are not going to start a company in your early 30s. this is a serious longer-term problem this we have to address and face up to. >> mark, good to talk to you thanks you for joining us. >> thank you. coming up, when severe weather arrives as it has across america this week, you want to do everything possible to be prepared. coming up we talk to a builder who says he can construct a hurricane resistant home for you and your family the average joe ready to drop everything for a one way trip to mars. wait to you hear how the group behind the mission will pay for the whole thing plus, revved up for a great american brand. we are going hog-wire with harley-davidson and its drive for world domination of the motorcycle market. keep it here. >> we're following the stories of people who have died in the desert >> the borderland memorial day marathon >> no ones prepared for this journey >> experience al jazeera america's critically acclaimed original series from the beginning >> experiencing it has changed me completely >> follow the journey as six americans face the immigration debate up close and personal. >> it's heartbreaking... >> i'm the enemy... >> i'm really pissed off... >> all of these people shouldn't be dead... >> it's insane... >> the borderland memorial day marathon only at al jazeera america >> these protestors have decided that today they will be arrested >> these people have chased a president from power, they've torn down a state... >> what's clear is that people don't just need protection, they need assistance. so here's the good news about the atlantic hurricane season that starts june 1st, the federal forecast says there is a good chance it will be normal or below normal. the bad news is forecasters got it wrong last year, when they predicted a busy season, and the number ended up being just two. this year they expect between 8 and 13 named storms, 3 to 6 hurricanes, and 1 to 2 with winds above 120 miles an hour. one reason for the relatively mild forecast is the expectation of an el niño weather system this year. el niño can reduce the intensity of tropical storms. the forecasters warned it only takes one hurricane to have devastating effects on a community, and are urging people to prepare. one year ago this week, massive tornado hit moore, oklahoma. in 1996 a tornado wiped out the home of this man. and now he is building disaster-proof homes. what does that mean, richie? >> well, thank you very much for allowing me to come in. my home back in '96 as you said did get destroyed by a tornado. me being the builder, i built it as strong as i possibly could like everybody did, with wood. but i used 4-by-6 walls. but when the tornado came, there was just no weight. and what the engineer told me is the weight is your friend in production. so right then i realized that building with wood isn't going to work, isn't going to protect your family. we have been building the same way for over 100 years, and it's completely and totally antiquated and now we have a system here in the united states that is built to protect homes and lower insurance and lower everything else about the house utility cost. >> the system i understand you got it from the philippines. explain how it works. >> yeah, i have it right here. it's basically a very simple system. it has hardy board on it. it also has recycled spacers inside. so it's very green effect. the insulation is right here. and on the outside you can put whatever surface you want. on this particular one, down in the gulf stucco is very prevalent. and we put brick or rock on the bottom. this home was about 2500 feet and to give you an example of weight difference. a stick-built home will weigh about 9,000 pounds on the exterior walls, whereas this system it weighs about 165,000 pounds. so weight is your friend. >> does weight also though drive up the cost? what is the expense compared to regular homes? this >> oh, that's a very good question. before this system, trying to build a concrete structure was very expensive. normally, maybe 50% more. with this simple system that we do train builders for free and is available to home buyers, the cost will be very comfortable to a well-built stick home. but yet per month will be less because the insurance and utilities will be less. >> what is the market that you are seeing for these kinds of homes with this special construction that you have come up with? >> well, here in the united states of course all along the gulf coast from texas all along the gulf, louisiana, mississippi, alabama, florida, all up the east, insurance is getting higher and higher every year, and getting to where it's almost not affordable for the average person to live close to the water, because the insurance could be 6, 8, 10, $15,000 a year just for insurance. with this system, we're experience insurance costs about 40% of what a normal home policy is, and again, we're about 50% less on the monthly utilities. >> what are the potential down sides to this system? >> i have not found any. i looked very hard, because i'm kind of a skeptic. but this has been around 15 years. and been in 15,000 homes and commercial structure in 15 countries, and so it has been proven. it's not something brand new. it's brand new to the united states, but it has been around the world for 15 years. here in the united states, because my dad or grandfather or great grandfather didn't build that way, so we built the same way. >> reggie good luck to you this hurricane season and the hurricane seasons to come, we'll be catching up with you to see how you do. >> thank you very much. >> the apartment-sharing site air b&b has been ordered to turn over information on some new york sites. they resisted handing over anything at first, but ultimately agreed to provide host data without revealing dhentty of their users. if prosecutors expect someone of using -- one of the anonymous hosts violating state laws, air b&b will be choired -- required to provide names and addresses. harley davidson is known for building big powerful bikes like this one, but to win over new rider, the company is switching gears and may be looking to what consumers have long been accustomed to in europe and asia plus a we'll look at how the hoosier state could cash in by courting a new kind of racing fan. this. ♪ >> weekday mornings on al jazeera america >> we do have breaking news this morning... >> start your day with in depth coverage from around the world. first hand reporting from across the country and real news keeping you up to date. the big stories of the day, from around the world... >> these people need help, this is were the worst of the attack took place... >> and throughout the morning, get a global perspective on the news... >> the life of doha... >> this is the international news hour... >> an informed look on the night's events, a smarter start to your day. mornings on al jazeera america is justice really for all? ♪ it is time to talk harleys. it's too late for officers ponch and john from the show chips, but the california highway patrol for real is bringing back harley davidson motorcycles to its fleet. they decided to buy more than 400 harleys to replace aging bmw bikes. the last time the chp used harleys was back in 1997. harleys appeal to a vast range of motorcycle riders. and the company is one of the best known brands in the world, but the product's popularity hasn't always translated into solid financial performance. and while harley davidson is in stronger shape today than during the financial crisis, its core riders are aging. so the company is starting to redefine what it means to ride a hog. >> reporter: harley davidson, an american icon has long billed itself vert virtually synonymous with the open road. harley once tried to trademark the town with its bike's exhaust. that lead to an out lawed image. >> harleys are freedom. it's a way to express yourself and it's an iconic name plait like the traditional harley davidson bar and shield, and the best part of all, chicks dig it. >> there's a lot of great bands that we know, that we have grown up, that we see are part of the american dream or american narrative, and harley davidson is one of these great brands. >> but it wasn't always easy rider. harley's mojo took a big hit during the financial crisis, and was forced to lean on a more than $300 million high-interest loan from warren buffet to help finance its new buyers. >> the company really hit bottom if we go back to the 2008, 2009 downturn, and since then sales have been bouncing back. >> despite the harsh winter, u.s. sales jumped 3% after the company cut production costs. but the real success story may be overseas where first quarter sales soared more than 20% in asia, 9% in latin america, and more than 8% in europe. harley davidson is known for building big powerful bikes like this one. but the company is switching gears and may be looking to what consumers have long been accustomed to do europe and shash. >> they still have the bikes we have come to know and expect from them. but they realized they were going to have to take down the size and price point. there are markets that want to participate in the harley brands but they want it on their own terms. >> reporter: the new bikes are smaller, lighter and more affordable and are being shipped to new markets in spain and italy, as well india. >> the very heart of the harley brand is a single word, and that word is rebel. harley owns that equity and that's what they are selling overseas. not americana. >> and yet roughly two-thirds of company revenue still comes from north america where baby boomers like damon have long driven up sales. the problem now is demographics. baby boomers are a shrinking segment of the population. while foreign competitors have gradually made inroads with america's growing minorities and younger riders. >> one of the big concerns investors have had about harley is it is so big among the aging white male and as that group is getting older, well, gosh is there going to be demand as we look forward. >> sales have steadily improved up 6% last year compared to 2012, but company sales in the u.s. are still low, about 35% below precrisis highs. and that has led some investors to say not so fast in deciding whether harley davidson is truly on the road to recovery. hog heaven became official last year, when pope francis blessed thousands of riders at the vatican. it celebrated the 120th anniversary of the milwaukee-based manufacturer. what is not clear if any in attendance were actual hells angels. now to cars, very fast cars. the greatest spectacle in racing happens this sunday. i care a lot about the race, the drivers and even jim neighbors who sings "back home again in indiana" near the start. about 350,000 spectators are expected to show up again this year. last year the indianapolis area reaped about $20 million in direct activity from race fans, but the hoosier state wants to cash in even more. gary joins us now from indianapolis. gary great to have you on the program. what is indianapolis, what are the hosts doing to try to squeeze more out of this. >> a lot of changes indeed. you know the tradition, the iconic nature of the indianapolis motor speedway and this race, the 98th running this year. it has suffered in recent years as other -- forms of motor sport has as well. they are looking to attract a younger audience. they are trying to get younger people into the indianapolis motor speedway. among the things, glamor camping. so folks can come in and camp overnight at the speedway on the infield. certainly the food service and the vendors around the speedway they have been upgraded. are new vendors there as well, and the suites from the pagoda to the luxury suites along the main straight away, those will continue to offer high-end offerings. but as you know this is a true melting pot of america. you will see a glamour people -- david letterman will be there, one of the team owners, but also the grassroots hoosiers as well on the infield. >> it use todd be growing up, my friends would say, david shuster why would you ever want to go to the indianapolis 500 because look at all of those rednecks. but it really has changed, you mentioned it has become much more upscale? >> yeah, yeah, it really has. and i think there's a real focus on catering to a more upscale crowd and a younger crowd as well. the demographics tended to skew older, trying to get a younger demographic there. so aside from the glamorous stuff and those high-end things, they are really trying to ramp up things like what is known as the snake pit. and ali you may remember that from your days. this year a big country star will be at the speedway they have already sold 45,000 tickets for that. so lots of changes. >> and it's becoming much more of a festival? what is the overall economic impact that it has on indiana? not just this but events around the year. >> yeah, absolutely, ali, and motorsports are estimated more than 400 businesses are somehow related to or teach motor sport. there have been estimates anywhere from 400 to $600 million in determines of direct and indirect impact. and the nascar race, the brick yard 400, there was the grand pree as well. >> i know ali velshi likes to claim he is from inn, but david shuster i'm the one that gets to claim indiana as my home. so who is going to actually win the race? >> david i will tell you, a lot of favorites out there, but ed carpenter, the fuzzies vodka car, a good young drive, steps on actually tony george from the george family which is in an ownership position at the speedway. so i'm picking ed carpenter to win it all. the weather, david is going to be great. so that's a plus. >> all right. gary, thanks so much for coming on. great to see you. >> all right, david same here. how would you like to take a one way trip to mars? sounds lying something your big brother would say, but the catch is the astronaut cannot come back. after this. ♪ i think that al jazeera helps connect people in a way they haven't been connected before. it's a new approach to journalism. this is an opportunity for americans to learn something. we need to know what's going on around the world. we need to know what's going on in our back yard and i think al jazeera does just that. >> now inroducing, the new al jazeea america mobile news app. get our exclusive in depth, reporting when you want it. a global perspective wherever you are. the major headlines in context. mashable says... you'll never miss the latest news >> they will continue looking for suvivors... >> the potential for energy production is huge... >> no noise, no clutter, just real reporting. the new al jazeera america mobile app, available for your apple and android mobile device. download it now >> start with one issue education... gun control... the gap between rich and poor... job creation... climate change... tax policy... the economy... iran... healthcare... ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony... >> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america imagine signing up to take a one way trip to another planet? as cbs news reported today, that project is in the works thanks to mars one. the non-profit organization is reportedly planning to send four people to the red planet four years from now. after the group touches down, followup groups would replace them and stay every two years. they would grow their own food using hydroponic techniques. all mars bound astronauts would be making a one-way trip, and yet more than 200,000 people from around the world applied to the program. and the first round of cuts have narrowed the group to less than a thousand. more cuts are coming before a group of finalists begin eight years of training. and then fares one will select the first travelers based on among other things to be able to get along with others in tight quarters. they plan to pay for the entire program through private donations and by selling broadcast television or movie rights. i'm sure it would attract an enormous audience, but is the plan feasible. joining us is dr. pits. derrick, i have a feeling that you and i and billions and other people might be glued to our television sets if we're looking at an image of people landing on mars, but what is the chance that they can survive the flight and get there. >> this is the ultimate television reality program for sure. it involves action and adventure all the way out to the prospect that they might not survive the trip. this would be the longest trip that humans have made in space. i'm not saying the longer period of time humans have spent in space, behave been doing that sort of thing, but making the trip out to mars is very much different. so the question about survival of the trip is a really important one. if something goes wrong with an astronaut on board an international mission, they can turn around. but this trip to mars, it's seven months away. so if something happens they are in it for the long haul no matter what. next question is can they survive on the surface. >> and go ahead ands than. they have some pretty sophisticated plans. they are talking with all of the big industries involved in producing these products. can they put people in these pods and have them walk out in their space suits and survive? >> sure. well, you know, it's actually a really interesting plan that they put together. because they are going to send all of the equipment they need to survive ahead of time and make sure it's all working. equipment that can produce water, produce oxygen, start to grow food, everything they'll need to survive will be there and working. if you want to think of a great analogy is what is life like for the scientists that work at antarcti antarctica. if you think about an environment like that, it is very much the same. you can live in doors and go outside as long as you are well protected. so we're talking about people that are very, very hardy, and have sort of an ingrown sense of what it is like to live in these kinds of environments where they are self dependant on their own survival and they are willing to accept that. >> what does this group know about the latest data or research about how you find people that have that right dna, the right stuff as the movies talked about, to be able to live in such close quarters, and then literally spend the rest of your life on a planet with a few people until more come along? >> it's a very unique individual. as you said 200,000 people have applied. they have cut that back to a thousand so far. but these are the kind of people who are representative of those people who explored this planet very, very early on. we have to think back in time when people were just beginning to circumnavigate the oceans, and they had an aed there was something out there. they took their lives into their hands, fully understanding the risk that there was a really good chance they wouldn't come back. yet they felt the trip was still worth what they could get out of it if they could survive. all of those things figure in to figuring out what kind of person can be that self sustaining. >> they would certainly be famous but as cbs news points out, the people would not be able to get autograph seekers to help boost their morale. us. >> thanks, david. we have talked about the outrageous sums of moneys some corporations are willing to pay their executives. according to published reports mr. jacobs while serving as a top executive at reliant energy made more than $34 million during an 8-year period when reliant turned a profit only twice. and during those profitable years the toet aernlings came out to just $5 million. $5 million net earnings for shareholders, and 10s of millions for mr. jacobs. it's not sustainable in the business world, and in the political world it means boom. now to be fair, jacobs says he help reliant avoid bankruptcy, and claims he was paid the industry standard for his position. executives who rake in a huge salary even when their companies struggle often don't farewell when seeking public office. he has spent about five times as much money as his oppope innocents. and jacobs now his political work cut out for him. i'm david shuster, in for ali velshi, on behalf of everyone at watching. thailand's ousted prime minister summoned to a meeting with the country's new rulers. >> she's one of more than 150 politicians summoned by the general to this army base. i'm veronica pedrosa live in bangkok. [ ♪ music ] this is al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also ahead - tension in china's western xinjiang region after five suicide bombers k

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