jazeera.com. >> welcome to al jazeera, i'm richelle carey from north carolina. reports of chemical weapons used in syria while syria government said they found chemicals in tunnels of rebels task is not done. >> martin luther king iii continues to call on the work of his father. and the fire at yosemite park could be a threat to san francisco.

>> this is al jazeera, i'm richelle carey. mounting evidence this afternoon about the possible use of chemical weapons in syria. doctors without borders say more than 3500 people were treated for neurotoxic symptoms. 355 of them died. meanwhile, syrian tv say soldiers have found nerve agents in tunnels rebels in damascus. president obama has been meeting with national security advisers to discuss a possible response to these incidents of chemical weapons in syria. earlier we spoke to richard murphy, ambassador to syria. >> the likelihood of an attack of this scope mounted by the opposition as the secretary of foreign ministry said vanishing

and near zero. some feel the syrian government is accountable. you united statethe united statd that but they are getting ready for action. >> we have seen the pictures, they're difficult to watch. tell what's some of these stomps arsymptoms that we're seeing. >> let me explain what we're doing in syria and what our deployment is there. >> please. >> we're running six hospitals in the country and running six facilities. so the information we got about the potential exposure to some agent is actually coming from those remotely supported health facilities. so the symptom being reported

about are symptoms including some blurred vision, some headaches, and in the most severe severe. >> are the symptoms more difficult on children or the he elderly? is there any group that it's worse on than any other group? >> unfortunately we have not been able to get this detailed information. communication is very difficult.

70 of the medical staff have already presenting symptoms. they're in a state of shock. so we've been--we have focus on trying to provide them some more drugs that they are needing to support these patients. but so far we have not been in a capacity to gather detailed information about the types of patients. >> before i let you go, i want to be sure. you said this is even taking a toll on the medical professional as well. >> unfortunately, unfortunately, one of them died in the structures we've been in contact with. >> please keep us posted on this. thank you. >> al jazeera's mike viqueira is outside of the white house where president obama has been meeting with his national security team on a possible u.s. response with what we're hearing. mike, this is really difficult tough. we see the video, we are hearing

from the doctors without borders. what are you hearing out of the what's? what's?--white house. >> reporter: when you're talking about the principles of the national security council, the defense secretary, the secretary of state, the c.i.a. head, on down the line. we've seen comings and going throughout the day and we're not sure, frankly, richelle, who has been meeting and for how long. we did see the director of national intelligence james clapper leave the white house a while ago. this could all prove to be the game changer in terms of the united states response and the international response. we've heard over the last several days the arguments against getting involved in syria in a serious military away in stopping bashir al-assad's regime. we heard about the cost and what

it would look like after the military action, and we heard from the president on unilateral reactions and hasty reaction that brings resentment in clear reference to the war in iraq, and certainly reflecting a greater broader war fatigue in reluctance to get involved with anything like this. this is a red line, he said it a year ago in august, a red line that assad cannot cross, and this is the deployment of chemical weapons that agedly the assad regime. no one else seems to believe that anyone else could have done it, including the american administration, so it becomes a question of credibility. we know the national security council meeting in the building behind me, the white house, in the course of the morning through the afternoon are considering a range of office. this is all they said going into

the meeting according to a white house official. we have a range of options available and we're going to act deliberately. >> when you talk about that red line, the tipping point, if you have to take the temperature of the situation this seems to be that situation that there does seem to be mounting pressure, mounting outrage, really every day about this from the international community if nothing else that there is something about this that is just not going to stand. >> reporter: when you consider the fact that this has been going on for three years. two years ago the president called for assad's ouster. he had set down that red line, some 200,000 was the last estimate of people who have been killed in this conflict, and ongoing refugee crisis destabilizing, to say nothing about the humanitarian aspect, 1 million children spread around

turkey, iraq, and jordan, this chemical attack that has taken place and the images that have flashed around the world have so shaken public opinion, and shaken policymakers in washington that it could very well end up being the gang changer. in terms of the short-term tactical strategy whethe whatevy end up doing, whether it nothing or cruise missiles strikes which could be a possibility since they have cruise missiles ships in the mediterranean or all-out war, there is no way to question. >> indeed. there is knowing and then seeing. thank you. thousands are traveling to the nation's capitol commemorating mutter mutter's landmark "i have a dream

speech." >> reporter: as the sun came up over washington the stage was being set on the steps of the lincoln memorial to honor a speech by a civil rights icon. many here today were only children when dr. king made his speech 50 years ago. >> during the march i was six years old, and i thought it would be very exciting to come and be a part of this. >> when i heard about t i was on board. we know the situation of the state of affairs, and we're just looking for a stage. it's time for a change. >> it's a continuation of the dream. the dream we still have. i think there are a lot of opportunities for us to do that. >> reporter: the reverend jesse jackson, long time civil rights leader and friend of dr. king, was here for the first march. he spoke about moving forward on current civil rights issues. >> keep dreaming of the right to vote, stop the madness in north

carolina and texas, keep dreaming. keep treatmenting on th dreaminn poverty, keep dreaming. >> their march is now our march, and it must go on. our focus has broadened to include the cause of women, of latinos, of asian americans, of lesbians, of gays, of people with disabilities, and of countless others across this great country who still yearn for equality, opportunity, and fair treatment. >> what has been accomplished and where do we go from this point forward. >> reporter: the widow of slain activist medgar evers calling on supporters to flip the meaning

of stand your ground laws. >> stand your ground in terms of fighting for justice and equality. >> king's son, martin luther king iii also addressed the crowd. >> this is not the time for nostalgic commemoration or self congratulatory celebration. the task is not done. the journey is not complete. we can and we must do more. >> the reverend al sharpton was the keynote speaker and talked about the political issues facing minor today including the recent supreme court ruling that eliminated key provisions of the landmark voting rights act of 1965. >> we earned the right to vote with protests and we will regain what we lost in the supreme court, and we'll protest that is focused an on its way. >> reporter: so while the commemoration of the march and dr. king's speech comes to an end, the mission to fulfill his

dream continues. del walters, al jazeera, washington. >> as del said many people in the crowd saturday were on the mall 50 years ago to hear dr. king deliver his speech. this is a picture of kathleen johnson on the mall back in 1963. she accidently fell into the reflecting pool during the march. she described what happened before this picture was taken. >> he was reaching out to try to take a picture, because you know, we were standing near the edge of the reflection pool. so i was reaching out to take a picture of the people up on the podium, and i slipped. i guess i got too far over by reaching out, and i just fell. when i fell, i thought i could get right up, but i kept slipping backward. >> she said she had no idea that her picture would become so popular. she looks great. getting there was half the journey. for some of those gathered at

the mall, of course, al jazeera got on the bus in the middle of new orleans. >> in the middle of the night of new orleans, students, pastors, students prayed. heading to the nation's capitol for the 50th an evaluator o anne civil rights march in washington. this group took to the road singing, reflecting. [♪ singing ] >> reporter: nine hours later a stop at a church in tallahassee, florida. they talked about community organizing, civil rights and how things have changed in america. >> one of the things that dr. king was talking about, in my opinion, it was not so much civil rights for us but civil rights period. >> reporter: a marine who served in afghanistan and iraq, and now

he's a senior at the university of southern new orleans. >> we've got a bus loaded foul o--foul--full of african-americ. let's bring everyone down here. i don't care. >> reporter: on the bus many reflect on the stride made since 1963, people are also asking the question how much has been done, and how much can be done? >> people are people. everybody is the same. if america wants to be the country, a great country, everybody has to be equal. everybody has to have opportunities. >> i have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning. >> reporter: in 1963 marchers arrived by bus, train, car and

foot. today 50 years later it's the same. and for the people on this bus the celebration of king's dream is the expression of hope for even greater strides towards guaranteeing the rights of all americans. robert ray, al jazeera, tallahassee. >> and raymond henry join us now. mr. henry, has the trip lived up to your expectations so far? tell me about it. >> well, honestly they have exceeded my expectations. i think i kind of counted my chickens before they hatched. i've come down here, and honestly i'm thoroughly, i'm amazed, i'm tired, i'm excited, the adrenaline is still pumping. this is great. you can't put this in a movie the way it happened today. >> tell me, we don't have a lot of time, but i want to know who has been your favorite speaker, your favorite moment so far, tell me that. >> my favorite moment?

>> mm-hmm. >> the walk up here, the march per se, the march up here, and once i got here, and you couldn't really turn around and go back if you wanted to it was so crowded, so packed. people were so nice to each other. people were bumping into each other stepping on each other's shoes, but everybody was so nice and respectful. there were so many different races, unions, iron unions are out here, asians, latinos, black, white, it was just peaceful. i think everybody had a good time. they really, really did. >> i'm not surprised to hear you say that you were so moved by all the different race there is. i remember listening to you yesterday, and you said that you thought we should be more connected. i'm glad you had that experience, raymond. we're going to be talking to you over the next few days. keep us posted of how the trip is going for you. thank you. >> thank you. >> all right, more than 2,000 firefighters are battling raging

flames in southern california right now. it has gotten so bad governor jerry brown has declared a state of emergency for san francisco. look at these pictures of flames raging through yosemite national park. it's growing by the hour. it's one of the largest in california history. the fear now is that millions in northern california could lose their water and electricity. more now from al jazeera melissa chan. >> reporter: of course, there is concern about how all of this will affect the city of san francisco. i should caution there is no emanant danger. the city will not see blackouts but it is bad news that two hydroelectric power plans have had to be shut down. there are others means that the city can purchase electricity from elsewhere. the reservoir, the water supply

for people of san francisco, there is worry that ash in the air could pollute the water but they could source water from other places. many people are probably wondering yosemite national park, if the fire is inside the park how much of the park has been affected? 11,000 acres just to give you context in terms of what that means, the entire park is 800,000 acres. if you do the math it's 1% of the park affected. hopefully with this declaration of the state of emergency that means more resources will arrive here faster, they'll cut through bureaucratic red tape, and hopefully that means that firefighters will be able to make some head way on the fire. >> joining us now is kelly houston communications officer for the california office of emergency services. thank you so much for your time. so, as i understand it, the firefighters right now are still in a defensive mode. not really able to actually attack the fire. can you explain more what that means? >> yes, what that means is that

the area where this is burning there are few canyons, hills and cliffs, and very thick brush. it's not populated at all. it's not like you would see a neighborhood. there are houses maybe here and there maybe every 10 or 12 miles, but it is really a remote area outside of yosemite national park. it's burning through these canyons. to get firefighters in there, realistically, one, it's too dangerous, and secondly, it's too difficult. the majority of the firefighting has been done with tankers and helicopters. we're dozing lines around homes to make fire breaks to keep it from burning homes. >> what does this mean for people who maybe aren't even that close. what does it mean for air quality? are there people that perhaps should not even go outside even if they're not that close to the fire?

>> it's been interesting because it has affected the capitol region of california. in this case its affecting the foothill and some of the areas in what they call the sierra nevada mountain range. there is really bad air in those areas. there have been warnings put out for folks who are sensitive, and every day we cannot predict where it's going to go. >> where are you on manpower and resources? >> we have over a thousand firefighters and about two dozen strike teams, those are fire engines from all over the state of california. a lot of air resources that we've activated the air national guard and they're equipped with buckets and they're dumping water on areas close to these homes. we're putting as many resources as we can on it, but it's difficult terrain, and it's dangerous in areas, and it's moving so fast that you couldn't

put enough resources on it and get the upper hand on it. hopefully mother nature let's up a little bit and gets this thing to calm down so we can get the upper hand on it to where it's not progressing. >> that so much, keep us posted. >> thank you. >> meteorologist: hello, i'm meteorologist rebecca stevenson. let's dress the concerns about air quality from this massive fire that's burning so hot and so fast. almost directly east of san francisco. up into the mountains we're seeing that smoke. it will begin to get thick and settle into the valleys. on this map down in california there is a little gray area he here. practically surrounding the area of the fire. but this particular area of gray here that you see is an air quality advisory. the air is so thick and so heavy with smoke that we have air

quality that is down to unhealthy now. it was unhealthy for sensitive groups, but now it is unhealthy for all of us. but especially those with heart issues, and those with asthma or the elderly or small children. you're going to be encouraged not to go outside and not to get much exercise in this vicinity today because of that thick smoke. the areas of red are showing you this is where we have fire weather concerns because of gusting winds and thunderstorms moving up. before we get to that let me show though picture. highway 395 runs north-south through california, and going up through the area of the fire you can see that thick smoke bringing visibilities down to zero in some cases. it's not the best place to travel today. here you can see wildfires, 45 uncontained fires coming up we'll talk more about what's going on for the rest of the country. this is the 900-page document we call obamacare. it could change costs, coverage,

and pretty much all of healthcare in america. my show sorts this all out. in fact, my staff has read the entire thing. which is probably more than what most members of congress can claim. we'll separate politics from policy, and just prescribe the facts.

what happens when social media uncovers unheard, fascinating news stories? >>they share it on the stream. >>social media isn't an afterthought. it drives discussion across america. >>al jazeera america social media community, on tv and online. >>this is your outlet for those conversations. >>post, upload, and interact. >>every night, share undiscovered stories.

>> the international aid doctors without borders say there is evidence that people were expo exposed to neurotoxic agents. syrian tv say troops have found nerve agent. >> the communist party of china is accusing bo xilai that he knew about his wife's crime and he tried to cover it up. bo xilai said his wife acted on his own. we have more. >> reporter: they occupied high office together. on saturday they occupied the same courtroom. bo xilai con fronted by his long timally, tol testified that he t to his boss to inform him that

gu kailai was a murderer. and she hampered the attempts to investigate the murder. bshe told her husband bo that se was being framed, he fired him from his post. >> at the request of both the prosecution and the defense the court notified the witness to testify and he remained on the stand for one and a half hours and the prosecutor and the defense questioned him in deta detail. >> reporter: earlier in the day bo had once again been rebust against a man who said he embezzled $800,000. bo said h he would never be so stupid and blamed it on his

wife, and regretted her misconduct. they left this separate black-out advance the day began to show real cracks. >> reporter: this has gone on for a few days wher where gu kai who was accused of the murder, lasted only a few hours. but they expected bo xilai to put on a performance quite like this. al jazeera, jinan, china. >> forecasters say record flooding could get worse. conversation that challenges the status quo with unexpected opinions and a fresh outlook. including yours.

>> thanks for watching al jazeera. welcome back. the international aid group doctors without borders say this are signs that people have been exposed to neurotoxic agents. pictures of troops finding cache of what they called rebel-held chemical weapons. in china, bo xilai questioned his wife's tem against him. thousands of people were at the national mall in washington. they're commemorating the upcoming 50th anniversary of the march on washington where martin

luther king gave his famous "i have a dream" speech. americans young and old find themselves divided on issues of equality. we sat down with a group of california teens to discuss the immortal words of dr. king and what they mean today. [♪ singing ] >> i am happy to join with you today the greatest demonstration that will been down in history of our nation. >> reporter: the transformative words of dr. martin luther king. >> now is the time to lift ourselves from the quick sands of racial injustice. >> reporter: 50 years every the historic "i have a dream" speech, these students from the boys and girls club of santa monica have a connection to the man and the movement that came long before them. >> in your lives do you experience some of the things

that dr. king was talking about in his speech with regard oppression and inequality. >> i think it's still there, it's still always there. >> when you say it's always there? the separation of races. >> you feel when you're going in--well, what's the first question they ask you on a college application? what is your race, and are you of hispanic disaccident descent. we went on a trip, and they asked why are there so many mexicans there. not every is opened to the diversity. >> i don't hang out with a bunch of african-american kids, so. >> the law in arizona, i forget who code it is, but it gives the right for officers to approach anybody and ask for their citizenship. that's mainly for latinos. that's a law that is racist.

>> there are still some people, but mostly those are adults. i've noticed like adult who is have lived enough life to have these ways of thinking engrained in their brains. >> do you think when dr. king wrote and delivered this speech 50 years ago that in part he was hoping to create a dialogue and start a conversation about race? >> i think he was trying to break the barrier of being able to speak about such a topic that no one had brought up, but everybody had been a part of it. >> i think that he was trying to open people's minds up to the fact that there was segregation, but he kept it positive, and all the positive things that americans do together. >> i think as a generations go by we just keep becoming more diverse, it's a way of life to interact with other people of

different ethnicities. >> more people have become more open-minded to the idea of everyone is equal. but i think it's really important to talk to younger generations because they are the one who is are eventually going to make the difference. >> young americans sharing in a dream 50 years later. >> i have a dream that one day this nation will rise up. >> jennifer london, al jazeera, santa monica, california. >> that historic march on washington was a call for anti-racial discrimination, but how much progress has been made in the past half century? a new poll shows 49% of people says there needs to be more done and 35% of black americans have

experienced discrimination in the past six months, and hispanics have well. we go to professor jackson, thank you for your time. can you hear me okay? >> yes, i can hear you fine. >> okay, great. in your opinion how far have we come in releasing dr. king's dream, and do you think how far he would say we have come. >> that's an interesting question. there remain challenges today. it wasn't the "i have a dream" march. it was the march on washington for jobs and freedom. many of the speakers today knew that, although they referenced king's dream a lot. the center of the agenda was

mass unemployment, and the challenge of joblessness. then and now the government doesn't seem to be doing enough, and central demand of the march on washington was to do something to employ especially young minority black men in the cities. second, housing, affordable housing today is as burning an issue for not only working class and poor americans, but for middle class americans. segregated education was on the agenda then. demands on the kennedy administration as it accelerated school segregation, and today we see the resegregation of many schools and districts. i could go on and on. a central demand of the march in washington in '63 was the rac re of minimum wage and to extend

that to everyone. they were picking up on the hidden history of the '63 march and really talking about economic justice, wages, trade union rights, labor rights, civil rights, and so what you saw here today was really in many ways an attempt to reinvigorates an agenda that is largely forgotten. progress that was made, it was evident here today. you have a number of black elected officials who spoke today about their achievements and the possibilities that they have now. corey booker was perhaps the most articulate on that score really being of the joshua generation, appreciating what the civil rights generation did for him, but still facing tremendous challenges of urban poverty, urban environmental racism, and on and on. >> thank you very much for your take.

we're actually out of time. i appreciate it very much. you're saying that we have come a long way, but clearly if you were to measure this against the words of dr. king we still have a long way to go. thank you so much, professor jackson, we appreciate it. >> the issues of criminal justice are front and center today as they were then. even more so, perhaps. >> thank you. funerals are being held in tripoli after two bombings killed 47 people friday. we have this report from the scene. >> reporter: this is a city in mourning. many were laid to rest. but the tempers and many are calling on restraint but few are living. gunmen brandish weapons and it's a show of force.

the mosques that were targeted are frequented by their supporters who have been backing the opposition in neighboring syria. >> we have a message to those who are responsible for these attacks. if you think that this will silence us, it won't. this won't scare us. we'll keep supporting the syrian rebels and stand by our brothers. >> reporter: the bombings were clearly intended to cause max casualties. there is unprecedented security. >> the lebanese army is not the only force on the ground. gunmen are roaming the streets. they're setting up checkpoints, searching cars and asking people for their identification papers. they say what they're log for are their enemies. this is a city on the edge. >> reporter: there has been no claim of responsibility for the bombings but people here have already given their verdict. they're blaming the syrian

government and the shiite group hezbollah. a cleric went so far as to accuse the lebanese state of working against the sunnies. >> the lebanese state, unfortunately, are arresting our men and collaborating with hezbollah. we call on our men to exercise restraint, and we will decide how to protect ourselves. >> reporter: another commander of the movement was less diplomatic. he threatened hezbollah with retaliation. >> they begin fight, and we will return as well. they will know in the new coming days they will know. >> reporter: statements like these may be driven by anger but there is no doubt that hatred is growing in a deeply divided country. >> the government of russia has promised to do more to help people of eastern russia who have been devastated by extreme

flooding. flood levels have reached the highest lefts of 120 years. al jazeera's peter sharp went to one community that was wiped out by floodwaters in just 15 minutes. >> reporter: andre wants to get home. this small community near the banks of the river was inundated in just 15 minutes. most of the people are staying with family in the city. it's a tight-knit community, but it's never experienced a collective disaster like this. homes gone. but the family dog refusing to leave. among those returning to salvage what they could like otherwise here harboring a deep resentment against a government he feels has failed him. >> they've done nothing, just a

single tractor. everything was gone in 15 minutes. everything is floating, and the dogs are howling. they know the waters are coming back. >> reporter: in the center, the river's presence is all too obvious. each day the water has been getting deeper, life more difficult, more city streets inaccessible. more shops close down and livelihoods threatened. they were safin saving the vodkk in this store and its getting worse they tell me. the troops are put to work but the sapped bags can't seem to keep up with the rising waters today reaching 7.3 meters. >> reporter: the uncertainty continues. they believed the floods would peak on sunday but the latest forecasts heavy intensive rain down stream with the worse of the situation coming on the

thirsecond and third of septemb. >> reporter: the waters will peak in eight days time, eight more days when conditions can only get worse for those living out the ordeal on the ground. al jazeera. >> connecticut's attorney general is seeking new information that may provide answers in the sandy hook elementary shooting that claimed 20 people. another organization sought lansa's school records back in march, but school officials have not released the information. last year adam lansa killed his mother at home and then killed students and teachers at sandy hook elementary before killing himself. weiner was in a car accident this morning. there were no emergency in the

chain-reaction crash. the former congressman is seeking the nomination for mayor. keep it here on al jazeera with more on the other side of the break.

every sunday night al jazeera america presents gripping films from the world's top documentary directors. >> this is just the beginning of something much bigger. >> thank god i didn't have to suffer what he had to go through. >> this sunday, the premiere of "into eternity". >> i am now in this place where you should never come. >> how do you contain 100,000 years of nuclear danger? >> it is an invisible danger. >> al jazeera america presents "into eternity". premieres sunday night 9 eastern. >> welcome back. international aid group doctors without borders say there are signs that thousands of people have been exposed to neurotoxic agents. syrian tv showed pictures of a cache of what they called

rebel-held weapons. fire spreads at yosemite national park. the governor of california has declared a state of emergency in san francisco. the fire threatens that city's power supply. >> the championship weekend at little league world series. we have more on these talented kids. you've been hanging out with them, too. >> they're taller than me. >> 6'4". >> yes, 6'4" from california. we start off with 16 teams around the world but now we're down to the final four. the kids from chula sees at a, california, now this was a rematch with japan winning, so mexico looking for redemption, and looking here. ramón mendoza advertise it up with that monster shot to

centerfield. it will stay that way until the sixth. who is your hero? the home run and let the celebrations begin. japan is moving on to tomorrow's title game. who will they face, the youngsters from california or from connecticut. let's go to williamsport, pennsylvania. >> reporter: hey, how are you, you could speak to the type of event that this has been the last week or ten days. we've had nail biters, blowouts and extra inning walk off affairs. >> all right, we're having some technical difficulties out there. reporting from williamsport, pennsylvania. it's a rematch between connecticut and california. so the winner of that game, we'll see what happens. let's check in live again with mark. how is it going, mark? >> reporter: hey, ross, how are

you? we're having a few technical difficulties, but it's been a great couple of weeks here at williamsport, pennsylvania. it's been an exciting game between mexico and japan a little bit earlier. let's find out who japan will face in tomorrow's world championship final. japan had that two-run homer that you just showed, talking about making it count, gome with two hits and both homes runs. as far as mexico is concerned in the game earlier, it was really essentially a situation of missed opportunities all day long. we want to talk about one play that occurred in the fifth inning, this is with the score tied at two, and the bases were loaded with mexico at the plate, and a deep fly ball was hit to the outfield. again, remember tie game, deep fly ball to the outfield, but brandon montez of mexico is on third. he doesn't know whether to tag

or not. so you doesn't tag and make his way home. that really cost his team because he likely would have scored give the depth of the fly ball. his manager showing a lot of emotion because montez, he's a kid. that's what his manager said in the game. he said, these guys are kids. they're not professionals, and he essentially said we practiced that play a lot, but he brain locked. that ended up costing his team. we talk about missed opportunities, ross, one other thing earlier in this game mexico had the bases loaded, nobody out, and japan shut them down and they didn't core at all. so two real missed opportunities for mexico in that game. >> thank you very much, mark morgan from pennsylvania. it didn't take long for chris paul to assert himself as the new president of the nba association. you see, tmz reported that the point guard to test for hgh, and

make any charges to the dress code. did tmz did it right? al jazeera's michael eaves spoke to paul and he denied the report. he said, quote, they have no clue what they're talking about. he has not had one conversation union-related since the election, and he's currently visiting his family in north carolina. tyson gay tested positive, and he has tested positive for steroids and is now facing a two-year ban. are you ready for football? seattle see hawks were running wild against the packers last night. 43 yards, dive in, the rookie from texas a&m, making a push

for more playing time. williams snags it for the incredible touchdown catch as seattle would go on to win this 17-10 to improve 3-0 on the pre-season. tiger woods is dealing with a bad back but that has not stopped him from moving up the leaderboard, tiger currently at 6 under par but six shots after the leader. >> there is no such thing as pretend football. >> pre-season. >> i don't like that remark, ross, thank you. this week the most famous equestrian event shines on the tennessee walking horse, an iconic horse known for their smooth, high-stepping gait, but there are allegations of animal cruelty mitt rock the sport. we need to warn you that the images may be disturbing.

>> it's the largest horse show in the country. >> reporter: spectators and trainers from nearly every state in seven countries descend on shelbyville pumping $78 million into the small town each year. >> my first time here was 1955 when i was eight years old, and i've been coming every since. >> reporter: but it's suffering from shrinking attendance and an image problem. uncovered video of the united states went viral last year showing jackie mcconnell beating a horse and using a painful method to exaggerate the high steeping of the horse's gait. he was stripped of his hall of fame title and banned from horses for 20 years. trainers in the tennessee walking horse industry said it gave the entire industry a black

eye. >> we get categorized of all of us being bad just because you own a gun don't mean i'm you're a murderer. just because i got a horse does not mean i'm an abuser. >> reporter: at the celebration in shelbyville many are quick to defend the industry. >> today the horse is better now than they've ever been because they've got better training methods and everything. they breed these horses to do what they're doing, and they are athletes. i think they are the best horses we've ever had in the industry. >> reporter: mike is the ceo of the celebration. he said the new inspection process by usda officials. involves horses.

>> over come compliance of a horse inspected and monitored more closely than any other horse in any breed. >> reporter: but the humane society is skeptical for the first time its offering $5,000 reward for tips related to corruption in the inspection process. it's also behind a bill before congress that would ban the tall shoes and ankle chains used in some performance classes. some trainers say the scrutiny is unnecessary and further punishes the sport already in turmoil. jonathan martin, al jazeera, shelbyville, tennessee. >> when we come back rebecca stevenson has our national forecast, so keep it here.

>> meteorologist: i'm meteorologist rebecca stevenson, and today we've been watching wildfires burn raging hot and moving fast. but the problem is we're still getting thunderstorms rolling up from the southwest causing the risk of more fire starts. let's go to the map and show you where we have the flash flood warning in place. from storms rolling up from the south. we have a tropical storm farther south that is pushing these storms into the baja peninsula all the way up into nevada and then makes its way into utah. we've had a lot of problems forh these particular storms. it's dumping moisture and then

the storms get drier. that's where we have our fire concerns in oregon and idaho. so what we can expect to see over the course of the next 24 hours is more of the showers and thunderstorms rolling in through the southwest. you can see some of this is very locally, heavy rainfall especially for southern california. then you get into the northwest and you see less in the rai wayf rainfall with these storms but they're curving over to the midwest. that's a different problem in the midwest let's show you tropical storm evo. it's taking a curve across the baja peninsula. the bright green is where the most moisture is. as you get into the orangey dark colors that's very, very dry air. at a boy, there's a lot of moisture coming up from the southwest, and it's directing right into the southwest. that's why we have these flash

flood warnings in place. that's why we have humidity pushing in the upper midwestens minnesota. we have excessive heat warn negotiation place because the combination of hot temperatures in the 90s is beginning with humidity--is combining with humidities that is very high. we've got warning for folks not to go out and get much exercise because it's just too hot. up north you can see the area of yellow. that's indicating in northern dakota we have thunderstorms potentially developing from that humidity. in the south the trouble here there is a lot of rainfall, and we're going to see flash flood watches popping up from florida up into georgia flood advisories are already in place. we'll keep you up-to-date on temperatures coming up in the next hour.

request i'm rowe chech agencies more than 350 have died. syrian state tv showed pictures today of troops finding a catch they called rebel held chemical weapons. more than 20,000 firefighters are battlings the blaze in california. the massive rim fire is growing by the hour and raged yosemite national park. the