♪ >> good morning and welcome to al jazeera. these are some of the stories we're following at this hour. syrian rebels accuse the government of launching a nerve gas attack, claims it killed hundreds, including children. this is hours after the arrival of teams looking for evidence of those very chemical agents. >> it's sentencing day for bradley manage, the army private at the center of the week key leaks scandal could spent years in prison. >> dozens of wildfires burning across 10 states in the west. the cost of battling the flames has topped a billion dollars.

>> i was a gang banger and drug dealer. i woke up once i got shot. >> law breakers turned team makers to help stop the cycle of violence gripping chicago. ♪ theme >> syrian release accuse the government of launching attacks. these images are disturbing. doctors treat victims. they claim government forces used toxic gas outside damascus. the syrian government has denied the claims. a team of inspectors is in syria

looking into previous reports of chemical attacks. we have more on the situation in syria. >> activists are calling it a chemical massacre, accusing the government of using banned weapons. opposition groups say around 3:00 a.m. wednesday, government forces fired rockets on a number of areas in an area east of the capital damascus. they say rocket warheads contained assaults of nerve gas. they have these videos at proof. they appear to show dozens of dead bodies that have no visible wounds or trauma. others show alongside survivors suffering from fits and apparent breathing problems. aljazeera cannot independently verify these videos. >> the house was destroyed. all civilians inside were

killed. i heard strange sound cominging from the rockets, like a fan. i went to the house. it was full of bodies, all laying on their backs, some shaking, some paralyzed and having breathing difficulties. some had foam coming out of their mouths. >> >> the syrian government was quick to did that the reports. state television said the claims were an attempt to derail the work of u.n. weapons inspectors newly arrived in the country. twenty u.n. experts arrived to investigate reports of chemical usage. this includes where rebel forces have been accused of using toxic gas. the u.n. team is urged to investigate this latest incident. in the last two years in syria, there have been many claims and counterclaims on the subject of chemical weapons.

it means that people may never know the exact truth of what happened or how these people were killed. aljazeera. >> to help us sort out these claims and counter claims, we're joined by nezreen. how do we prove or disprove these claims? >> it's so difficult to prove these claims. you've seen the pictures. we see people sweating and experiencing what looks like seizures and medical teams in field hospitals using vinegar and water to aid and treat these people. it's very difficult to prove these claims, because as we mentioned, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of videos posted by

activists on the internet. in the last hour, we have heard some international reaction. the british government has issued a statement saying that if this latest chemical attack outside damascus is confirmed, it would represent a very shocking escalation. it is calling on the sirian government to allow the u.s. inspectors access to the site, and we've also heard the same echoed by the arab league of states, and the syrian national coalition. >> let's talk more, though, about the u.n. there is an investigative team there and this still allegedly happened. how does this undermine their efforts? >> this attack if confirmed would absolutely undermine the united nations that has spent months in negotiations with the sirian government trying to arrive and access these sites in

syria. these negotiations were very long, and it's proven, approximate latest attack, it would be an insult to the united nations. the u.n. inspectors have said that this incident needs to be looked into, so they are basically asking for access to this site, but the agreement with the syrian government is that the team will be inside syria for two weeks and it is only allowed to visit where attacks haven't happened in months. the team is limited. they have little time to access these sites. some evidence may have already disappeared, because the attacks allegedly happened months ago, and as well, the team will not be able to confirm who exactly carried out the attack, whether it's the syrian government or the rebels. it will only be able to say where and if an attack happened in one of those three areas it's

visiting. >> thank you so much. a court in die row is set to review a petition today calling for the release of former egyptian president mubarak. he was toppled from power during the arab spring upricing. there are suggestions that he could freed, because charges against him have been dropped. he still faces the charges of killing the protestors two years ago. jonathan is in cairo. what is the mood there right now? >> to an outsider, the mood seems relatively open, shops are open, traffic is flowing. under that surface, there is certainly a lot of tension and a lot of fear. it is exactly a week after the bloody crack down on citizens. violence that continued here in

egypt nearly every day. there is news today that hosni mubarak could be released from jail. >> there was word this morning that another member, a high-ranking member of the muslim brotherhood was arrested. is there a sense of the future for this organization? >> it's very unclear yet. that high ranking member is a scholar, a leader. it comes a day after their spiritual leader was arrested. big developments within the muslim brotherhood. it is the country's oldest political organization. it is felt the brunt of this crack down since their leader, morsi was removed from office. there was talk about banning that organization again, but the muslim brotherhood insists it is strong. it has a sophisticated

hierarchy, a a lot of dedicated members. this group has organized under the surface, and out of public eye for decades. it was illegal for many years, and they say they will continue to operate and continue to hold the daily protests which they've been holding every day since the president was removed six weeks ago. >> ok, jonathan. that's live from cairo. >> the man responsible for the biggest leak of classified information in u.s. history will be sentenced. bradley manage was found guilty last month of turning over top secret files to wikileaks. he faces 90 years in prison. >> bradley manning was 20 years old when he joined the army in 2007. two years later, he was sent to iraq, working long hours as a low level analyst, giving him access to pentagon and state department secrets.

he became frustrated with the military and felt increasingly isolated as a gay man in the army. before going on leave, he plugged a camera into a government computer and downloaded 700,000 documents, then turned the data over to wikileaks, which began publishing them on line for the world to see. they included diplomatic cables, battle reports from afghanistan and this video, showing american apache helicopters during an attack in baghdad in 2007. nine people were killed, including a journalist and a cameraman. the leak made mapping a hero to some. >> bradley manning is our youth. >> i think he should be executed for what he did. >> it made him a target of federal investigators. he was arrested in may, 2010 and held for the next three years, sometimes in solitaire confinement, conditions his lawyers describe as cruel and

inhuman. this year, he pleaded guilty to lesser charges, but prosecutors pressed on with more serious charges and last month, a military judge found him guilt on two of the 22 counts, but cleared him of aiding the enemy. at a presentence hearing, manning said he only wanted to help people, not hurt people. aljazeera. >> former major army major nidal hussan begins his trial today. he admitted that he was the shooter in the opening statement. he has rarely spoken during this court martial, refusing to question witnesses or even raise any objections. >> more than 50 wildfires are burning in 10er, states, over a billion dollars has been spent fighting the flames this year. two of the worst fires right now

are in idaho. they may finally be getting the upper hand near sun valley. they lifted some evacuation orders, clearing the way for hundreds of people to go home, but hundreds more are still waiting for that same chance. the other big foyer is in idaho. >> it's dawn here at spike camp and just 37 degrees. 240 men and women are preparing for another day on the fire line, grabbing a quick coffee and some breakfast before the morning briefing. the person is charge is the branch three director of the believer creek fire, the number one firefighting priority in the country. his job corruption, deploy the troops, keep them safe and try to cape the fire. >> just be prepared to oh get ahead of this. it's started to weaken. >> so far, the fire has fought

back hard. cole has fire in his blood. he's been fighting them 37 years, 17 as a hot shot. he lives for being on the front lines, saving lives, protecting property. >> so this is just structure protection. >> this is. >> and all along this road is what these teams are doing. >> this is one structure that's taken resources to work around it and protect it. we've got 100 structures on the division that weaver got to do. you're looking at quite a few resources just to protect the structures, less on the mountain fighting the fire. >> for the people who get dirty and sweat with, there is a bopped forged by fire. >> it's not hard to get them motivated. they're running on adrenaline when they come out, you know. it gets harder to keep them motivated when you get up close to the end of it. >> for cole, it's about respect for fire and for his fellow firefighters. >> it's a bond that lasts a

lifetime. we'll go to each other's weddings and watch each other's kids being born and things like that, just life long friendships that you just don't forget. it's a bond you can't -- it's a family. it's a real family. >> after beefer creek, the next fire will call, and he's almost certain to answer. >> cole told me that he came out of retirement to come fight this fire. he said for him andern else here, it's not about the money, it's about the work, camaraderie, knowing at the end of the day that you have done something truly important. aljazeera, haley, idaho. >> major developments out of japan rewarding the water link at the plant, raised to level three. it is in excess of 10 times the annual limit for workers. this marks the first time japan

has issued a warning of this kind since the three reactor meltdown after the massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011. does this leak pose an immediate threat to anyone? >> well, certainly japan's nuclear regulation authority thinks so, calling this a deepening cries, particularly after they found 300 tons of radioactive water leaked from a storage tank put there specifically to take radioactive water that had come from the rods after the meltdown in 2011. in fact, the authority has been critical of the tokyo electric company that's responsibility for the nuclear reactor there and for the clean up, saying not nearly enough is being done to insure that the knowledge about

these leaks was forthcoming and in fact, that authority, the tokyo electric company said that it didn't know that this tank had been leaking. this raising of this level to a level three certainly indicates that the authority is deeply concerned about what's going on there. >> is there any reason to suspect that perhaps there may be more of this to come, more revelations, more leaks in the future? >> well certainly if one tank can leak, the belief is that the more than hundred there being built are at risk for leaking, as well. they haven't found the sears of this leak. they think it's come from a scene on the tank or a tap that runs from one of the tanks into one of the gutters by the tank. this has created radioactive water on the ground. the concern is that this radioactive water could lead down to the pacific ocean, where

it will spread and cause further damage. >> all right, craig, thank you live from hong kong. >> in the phillipines, residents are cleaning up after severe flooding. the monsoon left 80% of manila underwater. hundreds of thousands have been forced from homes and businesses. the rains were the result of a monsoon intensified by a tropical storm. >> under a so-called state of calamity, because it's mostly underwater. the province is suffering like much of the northern phillipines, from unprecedented downpours. >> the phillipines is being lashed not only by rains from the tropical storm, but also from the seasonal southwest monsoon, the two combining to produce record apartments of

rain. >> so far this week, nearly a lighter of rain has fallen, twice the amount that usually falls during the whole of august. trying to clear up as best she can, delos reyes. >> we get floods every year, but not like this. >> across the street, garcia is counting the cost. a business that took a couple of years to build up was gone in a couple of hours. >> i've lost my six sewing machines and my stock of fabrics, all submerged. >> forecasters predict the rain should ease by the end of the week. that can't come soon enough for him. aljazeera, the phillipines.

>> lets tart with a look at that system that before the the rain we were just looking at in the phillipines. it has moved to the north of taipei and is now a typhoon, so basically what we in the united states would call a category one hurricane right now. this will continue to move into china, so watching for flood concerns there, as well over the next couple of days. closer to home, the atlantic has been dead quiet recently, very impressive for the month of august to be this quiet. people along the coastlines like that it has been so quiet. we have activity we are watching off the coast of mexico, nothing forming yet. where do we have problems across the united states? pretty easy to pick out a frontal boundary going through the midsection of the country, you can see the clouds and rain across there.

we've had this persistent rain from the south. that's a stalled out frontal boundary. it's been day after day of heavy rain. that is starting to diminish. i'll get to that in just a second. here's the frontal boundary. before that, we had temperatures 10-20 degrees above average. far go was in the 90's yesterday, this time of year, average high is 79. that front is going to bring things a little back to normal today. far go at 84. ahead of this, we have 90's, like chicago, for example. this will bring the chance of storms today or tomorrow. it moves along. tomorrow the better chance is chicago. you can see the temperatures cool into the 80's for the rest of the week once we get on the backside of that front. i mentioned all the consistent rain that we've had in the southern tier of the country. you saw some glimpses of this yellow thing in the sky. it's the sun.

we haven't seen a lot of it with all the rain in the southeast. it's going to be back more in the next couple of days. even the flood watches and warnings, still some of them out there, but the area has diminished. after today, we'll have a drying pattern. you can see that as we take the radar projection out. coming up, i'll talk more about the wildfire weather. back to you. >> thank you so must have. they are unlikely peacemakers in an urban war zone. >> they say within the last four, five, six months, the violence in chicago has been off the chain. >> aljazeera with gang bangers partnering with police to stop the murder and mayhem. >> hundreds of hours of secretly recorded conversations with richard nixon are set to be released. >> made in bangladesh, big brand names manufacture clothing there, but it may be children who are paying the price.

>> chicago had nearly 500 murders last year, so the city police have forged a partnership with former gang members in an attempt to stop the killing. some are skeptical that this can work. studies suggest it has had an effect, reducing numbers in some of the most violent neighborhoods. >> it's a novel approach to crime, turning law breakers into

peacemakers. >> i was a gang banger. i was a gaining chief and a drug dealer, but i woke up once i got shot in the knee. my thing is to try to wake these little brothers and sisters up before something drastic happens to them like it happened to me. >> tense truces are brokered between the beginnings. the rival black disciples killed one. >> what did they stab you for? >> because i crossed their line between the gas station and the one on the other side. >> they call themselves violence interrupters. they don't report on gangs, they talk to them, which makes an uneasy relationship with police. >> i'm asking you all as a man, as a black man to put the guns down and let me try to do something before you all retaliate or go off. >> we're going to fall back, because you're asking us to, we're going to fall back.

>> chicago is called rack. we have had more people shot in chicago than in the afghanistan war. that's messed up. >> one gang mistakes began dad for a rival, who shoots up the van. his family gears up to fire back. he call a ceasefire. >> several of the gangsters surround him, not part of the deal, but not an ambush. the two gangs greed to split the $600 cost of the car repairs. began dad called off the truce. >> no retaliation. everybody stands down. we're going to be good. >> the approach works, perhaps because with positivity and a murder rate, chicago has become too dangerous, even for the gangsters. >> you know what, we saved about

at least gain brothers going to get the penitentiary tonight and maybe four or five going to the cemetery tonight. our goal is to get those guys before the police get them. >> so there won't be no killing. >> that's what violence interrupted do. >> things remain tense when it's all over, but the streets of the city's gaining land south side are a little quieter. >> that's pretty compelling there. the last of richard nixon's secret oval office recordings will be released today, covering the crucial months during the height of the watergate scandal. the tapes are he can specked to show foreign policy, while dealing with the investigation that would ultimately force him to resign the presidency. >> coming up, an exclusive aljazeera investigation, children forced to work in terrible conditions making clothes that may be hanging in your closet. we'll tell you where it's happening and what clothing

giants may be turning a blind eye. >> it's hard to be a farmer when you don't have water. one of the worst droughts in u.s. history and the impact on people growing our food. >> another sport is using technology in a major way. english premier soccer 20t 20th century style in aljazeera sports. there's more to financial news than the ups and downs of the dow. for instance, could striking workers in greece delay your retirement? i'm here to make the connections to your money real. my name is jonathan betz. i'm from dallas, texas, and i'm an anchor for al jazeera america. >>my name is ranjani chakraborty, i'm from houston, texas. >>i'm kim bondy. >>nicole deford. >>and i'm from new orleans. >>san francisco, california. when i was a little kid, i just really loved the news. >>news was always important in my family. >>i knew as a kid that was exactly what i wanted to do. >>i learned to read by reading the newspaper with my great-grandfather

every morning. >>and i love being able to tell other people stories. >>this is it, i want to be a part of this. >>this is what really drove me to al jazeera america.

what happens when social media uncovers unheard, fascinating news stories? it drives discussion across america. share your story on tv and online. >> welcome back. these are our top stories at this hour. syrian rebels are accusing the government of launching a nerve gas attack they say killed hundreds, including children. the alleged attack comes hours after a team of u.n. weapons experts arrived in damascus to investigate previous attacks.

>> bradley manning will learn how long he will have to spend behind bars for leaking classified information. prosecutors have requested 60 years. he gave documents to wikileaks. >> dozens of wildfires are burning across 10 states in the west. two are considered the top priority. the cost of battling the flames has now topped $1 billion. >> we began this half hour with an aljazeera investigation. it focuses on child labor in bangladesh where children are working in dangerous factories making clothes for companies, despite one of the worth drill disasters in april when more than 1,000 people were killed when a building collapsed. it housed several clothing factories. our investigation found 12 years old in a cramped back street workshop, sewing jeans for a

multi-million dollar retailer. >> bangladesh is the cheapest country in the world that make clothing. it's a label that comes at a price. government regulation is lax and companies aren't legally required to make sure workers are safe. we traveled to the capitol to investigate safety conditions in the factories. >> this is one of very many subcontracts factories at the bottom of the supply chain. it seems completely unregulated, there is no fire extinguisher, no fire exit. it's just a shack in someone's back yard. >> we found children as young as 12 working on old navy pants. >> we are putting the elastic band into old navy pants?

>> old navy is owned by gap, inc., one of the largest clothing companies in the world. since the building collapsed in april, there's been pressure on companies to monitor conditions in their factories. worker advocates acknowledge that if one business closes, others spring up in its place, or in other countries, where so many are desperate to help their families. >> how old are you? >> do you go to school? how much money do you make? >> it is 30 the $2 a month. the minimum age to begin working in bangladesh is 14, or 18 if the conditions are hazardous. 12-year-olds are allowed to perform light work, meaning jobs that aren't harmful to their health or development or won't prevent them from attending school. she told us she sometimes works

as long as 14 hours a day. gap declined to give us an on-camera interview. they did give us a statement, saying that the products we found were "either counterfeit or improperly acquired." through the bar codes we found at the finishing house, we matched the garments to ones that old navy stores own right here in the u.s. gap added that it strictly prohibits any vendor from employing underage workers. in 2007, a british journalist in india found children as young as 10 making clothes for its gap kids store. at the time, the company said such violations were rare and pledged the end of child labor once and for all. >> aljazeera asked someone from the gap to appear on our program. gap's lawyers said the company has investigated our story and

they gave us this response: >> you can watch more of this story this sunday, 7:00 p.m. eastern. >> students will return to class this morning one day after a gunman with an assault weapon opened fire at their georgia cool. the school was evacuated after a man carrying an ak47 walked in and took one employee captive and fired shots at officers.

the suspect eventually surrendered to police. he identified himself at michael brandon hill. investigators say the 20-year-old has no tie to say that school. >> u.s. staff sergeant robert bales pleaded guilty to murdering afghan children last year. a military judge is considering his sentence. on tuesday in court, seven afghan people who witnessed the rampage testified, including a 12-year-old boy. we were in court for this testimony. >> nine afghan witnesses were flown in tuesday. three of them were children. they wore afghan garb and spoke through translators. a 60-year-old man spoke in detail about seeing his family members shot at point-blank range. at one point, he was so emotional, he got up and walked out of the courtroom. we heard from a young boy who spoke in detail with his father being shot. he also witnessed his infant brother with a gun to his head.

we are expects to hear more emotional testimony throughout the week. >> it has been the worst drought in decades for america's southwest. mexico has been especially hard hit with more than 90% of the state experiencing a dry spell officials are calling extreme and exceptional. farmers cut off from water. we have an outlook from a farming community in the southern part of the state. >> this is what you've got to do every morning. check all the fluids, they're died. >> he has the tools and knowledge to keep the business going. >> i've got everything that i need, but actually, i don't, because i need the water. >> henry's 60-acres of land are going to waste because there's no longer enough river water for the farmers here. his neighbors survive using the deep expensive well, but henry

can't afford that. he won't produce a crop this year for the first time in his life. >> it's going to be hard later on in the future. it's going to be real hard for the future farmers in this area. it hurts a lot. it hurts me. >> his irrigation ditches used to bring water from the rio grande. the river is still flowing. dropping water levels means there's not enough for everybody. >> farmers have been using the rio grant to irrigate their fields as long as nip can remember. it wasn't until this dam was completed in 1916 before people used the river and decided who got the water and how much of it. >> professor king has studied water management. he said the drought has brought in complex legal battles pitting state against state, farmer against city and farmer against farmer. >> they're all driven by shortage and this happens every

time we get into a real bad drought, is people don't reach for their six shooters anymore, they reach for their lawyers. >> henry is also in the fight. he's part of a collective of small farmers demanding legal recognition of water rights that date back to the 1800s. >> can you survive without water? no, we're going to dry up. nobody wants to do that. you're going to fight for your water rights, for your water. >> he keeps his tractors oiled and ready, hoping america's legal system will prioritize his water rights. industrial farms, cities in the state of texas all want the same resource. henry knows what he may ultimately need is $50,000 to dig a well or a few good years of rocky mountain snow. aljazeera, anthony, new mexico.

>> good morning. we were just talking about that drought in the western portion of the country, so let's stick here. you can see there has been a little bit of monsoon moisture in this region, so occasionally a shower makes it to the ground. a lot of times the air has been so dry, that it evaporates before it gets to that level, so the rain doesn't make it to the ground. all through the west, we talked about the fires this morning. all of these pinpoints indicate large fires. there's over 50 in the continental united states, 60 if you add in the alaska region and a couple going there. so, today, because of low humidity, the areas that you see here in red are our red flag warning areas. that means low humidity and winds kicking up especially in the afternoon to fuel the fires. makes it very difficult to fight and contain fires. weather definitely plays a role in all of this, otherwise looking at some dry conditions

at the northwest today. coming up, i'll talk more about the front in the midwest. >> prolific crime writer elmer leonard has died. he authored 45 novels. the movie "jacki brown" was from his novel. leonard was working on his 46th novel when he passed away. >> call it a pot payout. legalized pot in washington is turning into a very big business. we'll show you how everyone from pot growers to sellers to state government are reaping the rewards. >> we'll show you how a failing school district is now a huge success and has become a model for schools nationwide. >> president obama honors some gridiron gates more than four decades after the winiest season in football history.

>> al jazeera america, a new voice in american journalism. introduces america tonight. >> in egypt police fired tear gas -- >> a fresh take on the stories that connect to you. >> they risk never returning to the united states. >> we spent time with some members of the gangster disciples.

>> recreational marijuana use is now legal in washington state, and that could mean big bucks not only for the people growing and selling the pot but for the state, which is going to tax it. we take a closer look at this very big business. >> somewhere in rural thurston county, jeff gilmore looks over this summer's crop of god bud. >> it's root stock of some of the oldest pot in washington. >> his marijuana roots run deep. >> midwestern born, good moral center, been a career pot dealer my entire life. >> gilmore says for years, he's been giving away pot to people who need it as medicine. that will change with the changing legal landscape and the legal business opportunity it now offers. >> i've dreamed it, just like every kid dreams of playing in the word series, i was a young adult dreaming of the day when it would be recreational.

>> what he plans now is a modest growing operation, a quarter million dollars expansion of his current farm. >> yep. >> mass perfection, not mass production, he says is the goal, keep it small, keep it local and keep the big operators in check. >> the people that want to open up 40 shops and control the market, and be the wal-mart of marijuana, you know, smaller's better. >> the state of washington is expecting a big payoff. pot will be taxed here as it's grown, packaged and sold. revenue estimates vary, but the state expects $2 billion plus over the first five years. under federal law, this will be one of the biggest illegal drug operations in the country. under state law, it's just a new voter-approved regular la story structure run by the liquor control board. >> it's the number one cash crop in the nation. >> garza runs the agency that's

writing the rooms. he is well aware of what used to be successful criminal elements will likely be a big part of washington said brave new marijuana world. >> there are a lot of people who want to enter the marketplace that have been in the marketplace and do it legally and not have the burden of the concern that i'm doing something illegal. >> get busy or get out of the way. we're coming. >> and coming soon, if all this works as planned to a pot store just down the street. aljazeera, thurston county, washington. >> it took them more than 40 years, but the only team in the nfl history, the only team to go the entire season undefeated finally made it to the white house on tuesday. president obama celebrated perfection with the 19 if he didn't two miami dolphins. the president praised them and went on that to talk about another team that was almost perfect, his chicago bears. >> a superstar broke out of his

slump in a big way last night. we have the sports. >> miami marlins might want to send a fruit basket. the dodgers star rookie had the cuban community turning out in droves, giving the marlins their largest back-to-back crowds of the year. the problem for fans tuesday is that manager benched puig for baseball reasons. he was 0-11 at-bats coming in. the marlins trail 4-2 in the sixth. all the way from second, tied this game at four republicans. puig got into the game in the eighth and belted the first pitch he saw out of the yard for the got and ultimately the game-winning solo home run. dodgers win 6-4 to break their two game losing streak. >> major league baseball suspend the ryan dempster five games for

throwing at alex rodriguez monday. dempster began serving his suspension on tuesday after choosing not to file an appeal. the league has find dempster $2,500, and manager joe gerardi $5,000 for their actions on monday. >> the more fans across the sports landscape are privy to slow motion replays from multiple angles, but less tolerant of the officials who get the call wrong. the english premier league has now reacted to this. >> the new york cosmos are back on the pitch after a three decade high 80 at us from playing on the world's biggest stage in the planet's biggest sport. the cosmos took america by storm after arguing for a transfer of ultimate goal scorer, pele. >> the cosmos have won it! >> the united states embraced soccer for the first time and it was cosmo's fever on the

international stage. even though the three time world cup winner was at the end of his storied career, pele elevated attendance and interest to an all time high. >> i had a good play at that time, had an excellent team. >> eventually, the competitive balance of the league weighed too heavily on the cosmos, causing the league to fold. however, the nasl is back, headed by pele, serving as honorary president. >> i feel fantastic, because today's soccer, american soccer in well known all over the world. >> yes. >> then unfortunately, we ever a little problem with the new york

cosmos. to me to be here, i thank god to be here. >> to celebrate this momentous occasion, the city of new york honor number 10 by having him flip the switch in the empire state building in recognition of of their inaugural season. >> i take this opportunity to ask to everyone who see us, look for us, help soccer. help cosmos to come back. >> the ultimate goal is to join major league soccer, a task that's more difficult now that there are two teams already in new york city, the red bulls and new york city football club. the goal has captured the imagination of young and old sacker fans as the sport gross across the country. aljazeera. >> now, we're talking suspension leagues between running afoul of

the nfl's substance abuse policy and getting arrested for missing a court appearance, von miller has been digging himself a bigger and bigger hole this off-season. the nfl has pushed him in. in a statement, miller says although my suspension doesn't result from a positive test, there is no excuse for my violations of the rules. miller will be free to return to the broncos for their act 20 game in indianapolis. that's your look at morning sports. >> all right, thank you. >> as schools across america suffer budget cuts and closings, philadelphia schools had a borrow $50 million just to open schools on time this september. this comes in the wake of cuts in june that forced the district to lay off 3700 employees, and close down 24 schools. philadelphia schools will open on september 9th with a skeleton staff and reduced

curricular programs. >> president obama has made improving school programs a priority of his administration. there is one school in cincinnati, ohio where they have turned adversity into opportunity and it may serve as an important example for others across the country. lori jane clea is profiling what they're doing there to make things better. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> the cincinnati school district, it's their first day of school. a lot of people are excited to get back to class, especially the teachers. at one school, we spent time there this summer to watch their gradually progress. they've really made a real big amount of progress over the last couple of pierce. a few years ago, they were way at the bottom rung on the ohio educational ladder, one of the most underperforming schools in the entire country.

they were in academic emergencies. the administrators made a commitment to turn this school around. i sat with the principle to talk with her about the challenge. >> principal alicia smith knew most schools were struggling. >> how much pressure did you feel to get those scores up? >> it's a lot of pressure. all of it comes down to one day. one day of reading, one day of math, one day of science, and in any given day, if chaos breaks out in their homes, in the community, on the day you got to take that test, the state doesn't care about those things. >> other districts around the country felt that pressure, too, so much so, many are now embefore hid in cheating scandals. in atlanta and texas, administrators and teachers have been indicted for convicted of changing answers on standardized

tests. >> there are those accused of cheating. you didn't take that route. what is your message to those schools that did? >> it doesn't just affect those school districts. it affects everybody, now people are looking at all schools are cheating, they cheated, there's no way they could have got those scores, they cheated. now that's the assumption that when schools are low achieving and do well, what did they do differently that made them do well? oh, they cheated and that's not the case. >> principal smith said cheating was not an option, instead transforming the school took work. most of the staff had to be replaced. superintendent mary ronin. >> we realized a child could start at preschool, stay there through eighth grade and never once made their federal targets. we decided as a team this is unacceptable. >> so the district has really

taken this seriously, but we focused on this one school. i wanted to give you an idea how far they've come. a few years ago, the fifth graders were in single digits in pro efficiency for reading and math, now higher to the 40 percentages and closer to 50% and 60% reading and math. still a long way to go, but a long way from a few years ago. >> it's remarkable progress. what is the secret to their success? >> there is a lot of reasons for the success. there's a big transformation that had to happen behind the scenes and physically. they have a new school partly cloudy. they brought in a new staff, specialized training for teachers, leadership training at the university of virginia. they focused on how much attention they gave to students at individuals with that they have a data-driven approach and

special tool they use to gear their special teaching methods to specific students. we're going to get into that tonight on america tonight at 9:00. >> what are they expecting for this school year. >> they are excited for the first day of school, but tomorrow more excited, because the state of ho i how is giving out their new report card for the school. there's a new system this year on how they analyze. they're going to look to see if their methods are working this year, last year and what they do to move ahead. they have put an emphasis on reading and math and really want to target other subjects like science that has fallen behind other areas. >> thank you so much. thanks for joining us. we appreciate it. you can catch the full report this evening at 9:00 eastern right here on aljazeera. >> at the end of our first hour, here's some of what we're covering this morning. it is sentencing day for bradley

manning who leaked classified information to wikileaks. >> syrian rebels are accusing the government of launching a nerve gas attack, and dozens of wildfires are burning across 10 states in the west. the cost of battling the flames has cost $1 billion. >> the nfl is doling out regular season suspensions. i'll show you who is being punished for bad behavior. >> we have a cold front moving through the midwest. i'll tell you where that means cooler temperatures and who is in line for storms today. >> thank you nor joining, aljazeera continues.

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>> good morning. it is wednesday, august 21 and these are some of the stories we're following at this hour. syrian rebels accuse the government of launching a nerve gas attack, claiming it killed hundreds, including children, this just hours after the arrival of a team of u.n. weapons inspectors looking for evidence of those very chemical agents. it is sentencing day for bradley manning, the former army private at the center of the wikileaks scandal could spend decades in prison for stealing classified documents. >> in egypt, former president mubarak hoping for freedom. >> new