aking. hello. and welcome to al jazeera. i am thomas dradon in new york. our stop stories. >> we have a stake in finding out the truth. the u.n. security general issues a clear call to action in wake of the chemical attacks in syria. california wildfires try to stop the wildfires outside of yosemite national parking lot. chicago schools open monday after a tumultuous year. thank for being with us. the obama administration is

almost certain the syrian government is responsible for the chemical weapons attack last week according to a senior state department official. it's the message secretary of state john kerry has delivered to his foreign counter parts in a series of phone conversations on sunday. the attack last wednesday reportedly killed hundreds of children including small children. the suspected chemical strike took place near damascus in the eastern parts of the al ghouta suburb. it has seen heavy shelling since the alleged chemical attack. that poses a challenge to inspectors. in just a few hours' time, u.n. inspectors could get the first look at the site of an alleged chemical attack. the syria government says its agreed to grant them access >> every hour counts. we cannot afford any more delays. we have seen horrifying images on our television scenes and

through social media. clearly, this was a major and terrible incident. >> but is it may be too late. five days after the attack, the obama administration has questioned whether any evidence the inspectors find will tell the real story. gene mizurve reports. >> u.n. weapons inspectors will soon be at the scene of what appears to have been a chemical weapons attack outside damascus. the syrian government has agreed to cooperate and to suspend fighting in the area while it continues to deny responsibility. >> we've said it once, twice, and we offer begin o did -- agan our ashunsz we have been not used cham cals in any way, shame or form. >> but they say there is little doubt they carried out the attack adding they are too late

to be credible because evidence has been destroyed. >> we cannot in this century allow the idea that chemical weapons can be used with impunity and that there are no consequences for it. >> but russia says there is evidence syrian rebels were responsible for the attack. the foreign ministry warns the assad region e-mail would be a mistake and would flame the volatile region but military action is among the options being considered by the obama administration with encouragement from some members of the u.s. congress. >> you can destroy the runways. you could destroy his munitions and you could destroy his fuel. there are lots and lots of things we could do. we could even destroy the syrian air force. >> it can't be unilateral american approach. it has to have support internationally but not just

politically but militarily. >> to that end, u.s. representatives will meet with defense officials from european and middle eastern officials on jordan on monday. that gathering was scheduled before the apparent chemical weapons attack, but that event had a response to it and how to prevent another will be at the top of the agenda. al jazeera, washington. >> i want to bring in general wesley clark, the former nato supreme commander. he joins me from little rock, arkansas. >> good evening. >> you are no chanstranger to t types of attacks. you were in kosovo. it may be a blueprint to syria. given what's on the table -- and there are many occasions -- what would be the best option moving forward >> i think the most important thing is to make sure that whatever you do militarily has some political purpose to it and moves us toward a resolution of the situation. so, there is no point in just firing a weapon, dropping a bomb

to drop a bomb. so i think you have to start by building a coalition of the willing around a regional organization. i think nato and the arab league should join together. i think there should be some strong resolutions in the u.n. security officials cannot act because of blocking by russia and china then these regional organizations together must act to restore stability in the region and to prevent the escalation of the conflict. with that in mind, then what we did in kosovo was kind of the opposite of shock and awe. we didn't go in with overwhelming force the first night. what we did was went in with a minimum package and then we escalated and we made it clear to slovadon milosovic until he agreed to a democratic package, the withdrawal of his sforsz and the ethnic cleansing there. you have to link the diplomacy

to force. you don't have to begin with a massive strike. you have to have thethrow weight behind you to make sure that the first strike, that your adversary knows it's inevitable that escalation will follow and there will be no relenting on the pressure. >> you talked about international support. as you know, general clark, the president has reached out to his international counter parts, the british prime minister, the french president. the u.s. has moved a fourth warship closer to syria. are these the signed the u.s. is laying the groundwork for an imminent attack >> well, you know, that's -- that's something only the people on the inside can know. but certainly, moving forces in, sure, that helps and that as to the pressure on the assad regime but we have to also bring dem pl diplomacy to bear on this. we have to get our allies on record. phone calls are good. that's the first step. but got to have something that puts these governments on

record. in kosovo, we did that, of course. nato set up the operation. nato unanimously endorsed it and supported it throughout, and we defied the odds. the russians told the serbs that nato would break apart when the first bombs began to fall on serbia. of course, that didn't. nato hung tough and serbia did. we know you have to have the diplomacy in line first. it's not so much about the military options. it's really about how the whole package comes together. the news media always focus on what's visible, which is the military option, but that's in some respects not the most important. >> given your experience, if the u.s. goes in and conducts these pinpoint bombings, what, then? how long are we committed? what resources are involved? >> well, you know, what we've got to do is we are committed. our interests are committed there. the president has made that very clear.

allies, turkey, sawudi arab i can't. everybody is engaged in there. this is very desdestructive to the region. but just because we fire -- when we fire the missile, it doesn't necessarily mean that ground troops are going in or anything like that. what it really requires is that we put a package together that starts with the diplomacy. what are we trying to achieve by firing a missile? are we just going to target some dumps of nerve gas in there that we believe are present? or are we going to put the pressure on to try to bring a piece agreement through a -- through a negotiated settlement? that includes an exit strategy for bash or assad. we don't know yet. the administration is still working at this blind closed doors. >> do you think u.n. investigators will unearth any evidence after chemical attack given the fact of the delay by the syrian regime

>> i think there will have been an effort to erase that evidence or trans plant it in some way to i implicate the other side. it doesn't mean we shouldn't go in there and look. >> president obama warned that chemical weapons by the syrian government would be a red line. he has faced international criticism that the u.s. hasn't acted sooner. do you think that criticism is warranted? >> i think the president was doing what he thought was right to be able to to hold down the possibility of the syrians using those weapons. i think his intent was that the syrian government wouldn't cross that red line. now, they have separate, and so we are going to see probably a much -- a much tougher u.s. post temperature in the region and some engagement. that engagement may be military.

significant, but it will certainly be diplomatically significantengagement. that engagement may be military. significant, but it will certainly be diplomatically significa significant. general wesley clark, we appreciate your time this evening. in california roads and campgrounds in yosemite national park are being shut down as the rim wildfire moves in. the wind-driven flames have forced many to evacuate. it's already scorched nearly 134 ,000 acres and the windy dry conditions mean it's likely to spread more. nearly 3,000 fire fighters are working, some around the clock, to save more than 4500 homes and businesses. winds have pushed the rim fire dangerously close to major homes and highways surrounding yosemite. so far, the fire is only seven % contained. al jazeera's melissa chan is on the front mines of this fast-moving fire. >> lovely clouds, but over the mountains. this is as close to the fire line as wedged get. we watched teams battle the flames on the ground and with

help from above. we are just west of yosemite national park. fire fighters have been fighting the flames but they are going to pull back down this road. the fire has jumped the highway. steep terrain and dry ones have transformed this wildfire into one of the biggest in california history. fire fighters and meteorologists say it's so immense, it possesses its own weather, able to generate wind, rain and lightning making it unpredictable. >> we are worrying about this fire getting larger, pouring aircraft, engines from all across california and across this country. it is the number 1 fire prior to in the nature -- in the nation and we are hoping to get it out. >> deals from around the country are here mapping out plans to evacuate residents. >> more help arrives by the power to reef leave those who worked for days. a typical shift lasts 24 hours.

>> the first, probably, 30 hours out for a subdivision right by the fire. they were air dropping all around us? >> on structure protection, trying to prevent the fire from moving to the forest to the residential neighborhoods, themselves. >> the fire moves north. fewer fighters will build containment lines ahead of the flames to stop its advance towards homes. more than a week in, what is known as the rim fire has left charred evidence of its. >> path cutting a line across the green, leaving black ended oak and pine and smokey debtslation. it may be difficult to imagine when spring rolls around, new plants will sprout, though it will be decades before the trees will stand mighty once again. melissa chance al jazeera west of yosemite national park, california. fire fighters are keeping a very close eye on the weather forecast. kevin korvo joining us now with what we can expect. >> that's right. i will take you down here kipling across the map and show you yosemite in this map right

here, you can see the border betweencal and nevada. there were some showers up towards the northwest but for yosemite area, we are dry. so that is going to be the big procedure there. t for the rest of the region dealing with the wildfires, we have had some improvement in terms of rain coming into the area. it has been fairly slight but better than what we had previously. it has shown in our red flag warnings across the region. they have diminished compared to just a few days ago. we are still seeing a few montanas here in idaho and parts of oregon. down here towardsios, it is the dense advisories as well as the air quality alert in that area. so we are getting a little bit more improvement to the north but not so much down towards the south. now for the southwestern part of the united states, it is getting a lot of moisture from a tropical system here in baja, california. look at the satellite radar for parts of address. look at all of the moisture that is streaming in across the country. the big problem here is flash flooding, five states,

california, nevada as well as utah, new mexico and arizona, all dealing with the potential of flash flooding. actually, we have seen flash flood ing happening in california. san diego county over here has had some problems with it. over the next day or so, the rain is going to be quite intention where you see the darkergreens anywhere between an inch and possibly inches. locally, most of the region seeing a half to an inch, in that area. temperatures are reflecting the clouds and rain. right now, las vegas all the way down to 70 degrees. >> teacher strikes, job cuts and the largest mass school closing in u.s. history. it has been a rocky year for the chicago school district. asha kureshi looks at the challenges ahead as the students return to the classroom tomorrow. >> reporter: 8-year-old crystal hall expects to meet new classmates. >> i am going to have to make friends all over again. >> for mom, it's a bit more

harrowing. >> it is very dangerous around here that's why even though my daughter is in 3rd grade, i still walk her to school. >> last may in the face of a $1 billion shortfall, the chicago school board voted to close down 49 poorly performing and under utilized schools. all but a handful of them are in the comically depressed west and south sides. the consolidation mean kids from different blocks will meet for the first time. >> kids are come from everywhere, you know, and rival gangs. parents don't get along and cousins don't get along. big brothers don't get along. and when they see each other, it's not about the law. >> safety is so much of a concern that the city has torn down dozens of vacant houses and boarded up hundreds more along designated safe passage routes. >> when you get in there, you are going to see needles. you are going to see, you know, used condom did and mattresses. you will see discarded alcohol

bottles. you will see where they have been tagged by different gangs. >> after 17 years on a.m. academic probation, betsy ross showed some improvement. enrolledment dipped to a third of capacity forcing the district to shut it down. reverend andre smith lives across the street from the school. >> they are making a good school, a safe school, now a warehouse. >> no longer a place for students, the building is now a storage space for beat-up district furniture. >> at receiving schools where it displaced students have been reassigned, new furniture has been moved in over the summer. they have also been outfitted with wi-fi and air conditioners in every classroom. school district officials declined repeated requests to speak on camera about the changes or the concerns, opting to talk only after the school year begins. parents are waiting, too, to see if any of it works. >> i don't think a sign would

stop a bullet. i don't think a sign would stop a fight. think you are going to be safe? >> yes. >> yeah, because i am going to be here to protect you. >> grown up worries for a little girl head today 3rd grade. usher kareshi, chicago. >> decision to go to college is one of the most important decisions a person can make, so is how to pay for it because as you know, taking on student debt can affect you for the rest of your life. there is a real debate now about whether college is worth it for everyone. jennifer london reports. >> it's a catch-22 because i can't go to school without the loans. >> 39-year-old mother of four, nona fowler is looking forward to a degree in business management >> the amount i owe in student loans san about 2 go,000 at this point. >> at this point, and she's only two years into her studies at l.a. city college. >> it's going to affect my

saving for retirement and things because the money that i am -- i am behind in student loans could be allocated to my retirement and savings and things like that. >> from, like, private schools you might get more money because they are private. >> across town at the university of california, los angeles, third-year student savannah is paying for school with student loans which means every semester comes with a sacrifice. >> i couldn't study broabroad o the summer. it makes me angry and it sets a restraint. you don't feel freedom. i can't stay in school forever. >> reporter: students find themselves in a difficult decision even if it leaves their long-term financial future uncertain. across the country, 39 million students are stuck between debt and a diploma. a report released in august from the public policy think tank, dimos shows student debt has

quad resumed from $240,000,000,000 in 2003 to more than 1 trillion in 2013. >> when students in school with tens of thousands of dollars of debt, they are forced to spend the first 10 years of their lives repaying this. >> robby hilton smith is apom analyst with dimos >> 10, 15% more going to the student debt. >> that's not going to other things. so it's not going to saving for retirement or for a down payment for a home. because they are not able to do other things, that money doesn't recirculate in the economy. >> economist christopher thornbird said getting the college degree is going to be worth the price >> that will be one of the best investments. if you borrow a money, that is a good thing for the person and it's a good thing for our economy overall. >> it's just so matter of like you are sacrificing how much you are willing to take. >> a sacrifice more and more students are making at a higher and higher cost.

jennifer london, access, los angeles. >> still ahead on al jazeera, a key summit meeting monday. the leaders of afghanistan and pakistan are holding talks.

al jazeera america - a new voice in american journalism - >>introduces america tonight. >>in egypt, police fired teargas at supporters of the ... >>a fresh take on the stories that connect to you. [[voiceover]] they risk never returning to the united states. >>grounded. >>real. >>unconventional. [[voiceover]] we spent time with some members of the gangster disciples. >>an escape from the expected.

>>i'm a cancer survivor. not only cancer, but brain cancer. >> afghanistan's president heads to the first high level meeting hamid karzai says he is open to peace talks before the with drought of the nato troops. jennifer glass reports from kabul. >> this will be president karzai's 20th trip to pakistan. he is hoping this will produce results because he says both countries want securities? >> so the people are safe from acts of terrorism, so our relationship gets better and these to do with countries can

live in a brotherly manner. >> hundreds of students to battle afghan security forces. they have takenhe casualties. the head of the army said they could end the fighting in weeks if they want it. karzi is likely to enlist pakistan's help to initiate some sort of dialogue. >> i think it is wise for president karzai to have the expectations. if those expectations are high, frustration and freezing of relationship comes in. >> tbut president karzi remains optimistic >> i am sure the prime minister of pakistan has all of the right intentions for stability and peace in pakistan and in afghanistan. i hope we both can use this opportunity to advance the good cause of both nations.

>> last month, pakistan's national security and foreign affairs advisors came to kabul to restart the relationship and to formerly invite him to islamabad. the national team traveled to kabul for the first time in 36 years for a friendly match aimed at improving relations. >> president karzai said there can be no peace in afghanistan without pakistan. he seems optimistic they will offer him the kind of support he has sought from pakistan for years. jennifer glass, kabul. a 51-year-old man from saudi arabia has died from an ailment that has killed dozens. it has been traced back to a single bat in saudi arab i can't where the first victim got sick. since it was first reported last september, at least 47 people have died from the virus. nearly 100 others fell ill across the middle east in europe. >> a state of emergency has been

declared in hon did youas after a search in dengy fever cases. it may have spread to more than half the country. children are especially vel numberable. rachel levin reports. >> reporter: fighting a killer disease, these children are in the advanced stages of dengay, a virus spread by mosquitos that can be deadly. checking on its patients, this doctor says that the young and the old are particularly vulnerable. >> the critical days are the first three or four days >> okay. >> once the fever is gone, the platelets get down. >> okay. >> so the patient can have a lot of pleading and start having a sharp and might die. >> hon dueras is in a state of emergency. over 14,000 cases have so far been reported this year. more than a dozen are dead. people come to public hospitals

like these to be treated if thing. but the healthcare system here is over stretched and underfunded. people are literally being treated in the hallways and, oftentimes, they have to buy their own medicine. the government says it is tackling the outbreak. neighborhoods where cases are reported are fumigated. government workers go door to door educating people about dengy prevention. in this tropical country, months of heavy rains provide the perfect agreeding ground for the mosquitos. they lay their eggs in still water. inc.rid torres' younger brother is finally, in recovery. she says the government is more focused on the upcoming e elections than the health emergency. >> they are not helping the health system or education. there is no money because it's all going to the campaigns. >> the last severe outbreak of

dengay was in 2010 when over 103 people died in the region with at least 120,000 suspected cases so far this year, officials are hoping 2013 doesn't surpass that number. rachel labin, san pedro sura. >> still ahead, protecting san francisco's infrastructure from the wildfires threatening yosemite national park.

>> welcome back to al jazeera. i am thomas dradon. here are headlines, the secretary general of the united nations says the inspectors are hours away from visiting the site of last week's alleged chemical weapons attack on the outskirts of damask a. a senior obama official says there is little doubt chemical weapons were used. >> karzai visits islamabad on monday. this will be the first high level meeting from both sides since the swearing in. in california, forest tree officials say the wildfire ranging north of yosemite national park is about 7% contained. the fire has grown another 7 square miles. california wildfires are so huge and volatile, they are creating their own weather. that has been a big problem for firefighter. the flames are moving into yosemite national park on the eastern side of the state. the fire is about 180 miles from

san francisco, where a state of emergency is still in effect. the concern there is a threat to the bay area's water and power supply. reporter ashley jennings explains. >> reporter: flames from the rim fire already spread into a corner of yosemite national park far enough away from tourists but only a few miles from this reservoir. it provides hydro electricity and 85% of the water supply to the city of san francisco nearly 180 miles away. >> there is some threat in the northwest to the hechechi water she had which provides water to san francisco as well as infrastructure in the area. we have got a lot of infrastructure and along the route 108 corridor that we are working to go and protect. >> from the national guard aircraft. >> coming in behind you. >> black hawk helicopters. array salts are backing up the front lines on the ground. >> the concern there is that it's actually starting to back down into some canyons that

could make some big runs and that's where we get large fire spread. >> more than 2600 fires are battling the blaze. more are arriving daily. >> it's like back draft, the movie. it sucks the air out and all of the sudden you get a wind coming from nowhere and it's not windy up here. it's just the fire pulling the oxygen so it can breathe. >> in the strike zone 45 residences are threatened homeowners on edge. flames get too close. coming back when it's safer. >> iesis twice we went into pine mountain lake and it got bad for pine mountain lake. we went back home again. >> the fire is believed to be one of the biggest in california's history. it's smoke already drifted across state lines into reno, nevada prompting the cancellation of out door events. ashley generally, axis. let's get back to the top story, the alleged chemical attack in syria. u.n. inspectors may soon get access to the site where

hundreds of people were reported killed. the white house says it may be too late to determine what exactly happened at the site of the attack. here is al jazeera's white house correspondent, mike viquira. >> after insisting on access for u.n. inspectors, now, the white house says it's too late. any belated decision by the regime to grant access to the u.n. team would be considered too late to be credible. a senior administration official says, adding there is very little doubt at this point that a chemical we hope was used against civilians. this as the navy as fire power. defense secretary chuck hagel traveling as the military is ready. >> president obama has asked the defense department to prepare ops for all contingencies. we have done that. and again, we are prepared to exercise whatever option, if he decides to employ one of those

options. >> since the k4e78 cal attacks and the horrific images of death and suffering seen globally, the white house has toughened rhetoric and acted with more urgency. two meetings of the national security council in the last four days and a flury of calls including one between president obama and british prime minister david cameron. according to a cameron spokesman, the two leaders reiated that would merit a serious response from the international community todd, two senior members of congress. one a republican, one a democrat called for. >> do something in a surgical proportional way, something that gets their attention, that causes them to understand that we are not going to put up with this kind of activity. >> i social would do cruise missile strikes. i think you can do that with woodmonts boots out ground without having americans in harm's way. you can destroy the runways, assad's runways, his munitions

and you could destroy his fuel. there are lots and lots of things we could do. we could even destroy the syrian air force if we wanted to. >> one year ago this month, mr. obama said the utes of chemical weapons by the assa 2k6789 regweibull cross a red line. with his administration convinced that line has been crossed for a second time, the u.s. and its allies after to be moving closer to a military response. mike viquera, arningsz, washingt washington. general wesley clark earlier told me that whatever action the obama administration takes, it's important that it resolve the situation in syria politically and not just militarily. >> are we just going to target some dumps of nerve gas in there that we believe are present? or are we going to put the pressure on to try to bring a peace agreement through a -- through a negotiated settlement that includes an exit strategy for bashar assad.

we don't know yet. >> he said we need to build a coalition of the willing, nato and the arab league and it work to bring stability to the region. people in the lebanese city of tripoli are protesting a double bomb okay friday. the attack targeted two of the city's mosque did during friday prayers. officials say 47 people were killed. the attack marks the deadliest fallout from syria's civil war to hit leb anon. a string of attacks across iraq has killed at least 46 people. the sites targeted include a wedding party convoy and a car load of duty soldiers. in cairo, two separate trials in one, egyptian president hosni mubarak was back in court sunday for allegedly murdering civilians in the 2011 revolution. his trial continues next month. another trial for leaders of the muslim brother heedhood accused of killing protesters has been postponed until october.

meantime, many egyptians are worried about family members who were arrested in last month's military coup. as wayne hey reports, there are fears thousands of other anti-coupe protesters are being held. >> the damage at the main site of the muslim brotherhood's protest is quickly being cleaned up by the army. the crackdown against supporters of the deposed president mohammed morsi killed hundreds of people. the sweeping powers handed to security fors under a state of emergency is also having impact. somira mohammed said her court was caught by police breaking the in that tight are curfew. she says ma'ammud abduhla has been beating by police. >> they blindfolded him, tied him up, and started beating him hard and kept asking him who he is and what he was doing. >> he's not alone.

rights groups estimate almost 2,000 people are being held without charge under the state of emergency. those in power have right to detain anyone without prosecution. they can put people in prison for a long time without any investigation. the interim government justifies measures as crucial in its fight against terrorism despite the arrests, small anti-coup protests are continuing. but they are held away from sensitive areas where security remains tight. the muslim brotherhood vowing to continue despite the arrest of its leaders. iman's husband is the spokesman for the brotherhood. she said he was taken by heavily armed police who burst into their home in the middle of the night. but she says they won't be deterred. >> every day, all around egypt,

people are out on the streets protesting, and they are not waiting for the leaders of the mineral wel muslim brotherhood. >> there are many people who have supported the state of emergency and the presence of security forces on the streets. others worry it's another sign of a return to the police state they fought so hard to dismantle. >> some speak of a culture of fear returning to egypt. for the moment, these protesters are ignoring that even if numbers have been reduced. wayne heyax cairo. >> two people are dead. there are reports others may be trapped under the rebel of a building collapse in the egyptian city of alexandria. there is some speculation construction work nearby may have caused the collapse. it is the latest of several similar incidents in alexandria. last january, an apartment building came down, killing 28 people. now, it's the 5th and final day in the trial of disgraced

politician bogi liam accuse did of taking bribes and abuse of power. on sunday, bo accused the man who was once his top aid of leaving in his testimony against him. harry fawcett joins me in eastern china where the trial is taking plates. harry, good evening. >> hi, there. we have heard the order of play that we are expecting as far as the covered is concerned. there would be a prosecution summing up first then bo shili speaking himself and the then the lawyer and another debate between the prosecution and defense in this case. we understand bo shili started his speech about two hours ago or more and so far we have had no transcript yet of what b bo shili was saying to courts. oh, my goodness, this is the final time he has, we believe, to really make his point in this courtroom. what we do is a is a transcript of what emerged earlier from the

prosecution case say that b bo shili hasn't acted when he had known that money illegally had gone to his wife and son, that he might have disagreed with the prosecution's case but the prosecution's case was based on objective facts and so that agreement was moot and as well as that, that having denied responsibility for these very serious crimes, he could not expect any leniency. there would have to be a severe punishment for this one time very powerful communist party politician. >> harry, what should we take away from the fact that this trial is being done so differently? >> well, i think a number of -- the fact that bo shili is being allowed to speak out in quite such an aggressive manner and the fact that those words are being published on the court's micro blogging site has taken many by surprise. perhaps this is a way of allowing bo shili who was extremely popular politician in his hometown and with extremely

powerful allies at the hiett levels of the communist party, this allows him to make his case, but the authorities, having allowed him to do that can then say, well, we proved his guilt. >> that's what the prosecution is going to say. i think the interesting thing will be exactly what he says in his final summing up. we might not get the full text of that. certainly there has been some report quoting people inside the courtroom or who have been briefed by people who were saying that bo sh. ili, some of the more co tron versial aspects have been expergated from what we have been reading. the question is whether he has been allowed enough room to make his own case but not such as to really embarrass the communist party too. >> harry fawcett. thank you. tens of thousands of soccer fans gather for a major showdown in seattle and it was a battle of the best in little league baseball of the sports is coming up next on al jazeera.

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.

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.

>> slfrn look for broadway. julie harris was 87 years old. her career expand nearly 60 years. she started in "east of eden" and t"the last of mrs. lincoln." there is a church in new orleans that played a special role in the civil rights movement and in launching martin luther king, jr., as a national leader. as robert ray reports, parishioners have been remembering the man and his mention. >> at new zion baptist church, pastor cs gordon preached his message while his congregation prayed and rejoiced it's been 50

years since the march on washington and martin luther king, jr.'s "i have a dream" speech. for many, it has a deep meaning. it was here at this place of christian that the southern christian leadership congress was chartered, 1957 and martin luther king was 28 years old. the civil rights movement was gaining strength. hit was about to be made. >> most of the books you read on the civil rights movement and on the life of dr. king somehow that point is overlooked. it may not even be known by many people. >> the organizers decided on new orleans as a place of momentary retreat, a safe haven, given death threats against king and his supporters. elwood davis was a new orleans police officer assigned to protect king. >> because, you know, threats

that they had on his life and stuff that he was -- he had bodyguards throughout the time he was here. >> when you heard him talking, you listened. >> for gloria bryant banks who knew king and whose husband was closely involved with the civil rights movement, the anniversary brings back memories of a very different time in america. >> was an inequality for us in the various areas of our lives, and it was time for us, as negros at the time to come together in piece and order and make a difference. >> for many in the new zion congregation, this week is time to pay homage to a generation that endured segregation, police be beatings, voting restrictions and insults. though most agree here there has been much progress since king led the movement, pastor gordon says, there is a disconnect and that is a problem in our

community today. but it's to follow the steps. we have to keep stepping toward it. i don't think the tragedy comes in that we haven't made it. but the tragedy will come if ber not striving. >> pastor gordon's congregation will be watching wednesday on the anniversary of king's march, an african-american president will speak at the steps. bowls will ring at 3:00 p.m., the exact time king spoke in 1963 and changed civil rights in america forever. robert ray,ays, new orleans. is sunday a big day in sports? >> that's right. thom, japan has done it again. they are ichiban. that means number 1. the kids from the land of the riding sun beat the world

championship. our mark morgan has a recap. >> it was a tough loss for california, japan silenced bats but after the game, rick tibet told me how much the experience meant to his players. >> it's a good team, you know. and i know they are going to hold their heads high. a couple of them are in there a little disappointed. they will be fine. >> what's the significance of this experience right now? i know it's ally. you just completed, you and your players, this little league experience, what does it signify? >> they will never forget this the rest of their life. neither will i, you know. but you know what? we will be off and running. we will be fine. it's just a game. you play a game and they played very well. and we gave it a sporting chance and that's all you can do. >> the japanese team used everything in its arsenal, church hitting, a disciplined approach and stellar defensive played and allowed japan to carry the world championship banner for the 9th time.

the zjapanese players stayed on the field for a long time, stoking in their championship moment. and then, a few hours after the game, the japanese team re-emerged on the field in full uniform, continuing their celebration under the lights with family and friends. we have seep this journey 7,000 little league teams and 45,000 games later, japan is the last team spelling. >> tiger woods has been dealing with a bad back and he tweeted from a soft hotel bed. on number 13, oh, boy, can you say back spasms, tiger in obvious pain, sails into the swamp. believe it or not, this is his second straight year he has had a stiff back in the very event from a bad mattress. in the meantime, adam scott, two

birdies sitting pretty in the lead at 11 on power. tiger would man up. check out his approach on number 17. tiger knocks it stiff within gimme range to tap within one shot of the league. tiger needed this to force a play. looky here hate when that happens. tiger, though, can keep his man card because he gutted out a second place finish. >> i started it all before that my little tee shot there started, and 13 just kind of accentuated it. >> like a back stavm >> yeah. definitely spasming. >> you battled back, the last three holes, birdied on 17 and 18 >> i wanted a chance. i don't know how i hit that 8 iron that far and 90 total and almost to the flag. surprised about that. i hit a good putt, thought i made it, a little double breaker. i thought i poured it. >> they are sleepless in seattle

because soccer star clem dempsey for the sanders, adam shoveler is live at the big event. what's the atmosphere like out there, alan? >> ross, absolutely electric. 66,000 plus century stadium and it is a foot stomping, song-singing, flag waving mass of energy. it is a scene old trafford or wembley would be proud of. >> clem dempsey is the highest paid player, making some $5 million a year. a lot of people are comparing him to david beckham. how much of an impact would d p dempsey make an immediate impact. this game sold out almost immediately when people, fans of the seattle area found out that dempsey, the national team, the guy who has been in the english premier league for six-plus

years is coming here. he already had an impact putting butts in the seats. can he have an impact on the field in if he can't, they have miss spent their $5 million a year. we expect him to have an impact on the game i know sounders have passionate fans, draw 41,000 fans per match, double more than any other team out there in the mls. why is seattle such a hotbed soccer town in america? >> it's not just seattle. it's seattle, portland and vancouver bc to the north. there is a lot of history here, a lot of soccer here i am standing where the kingdome used to be and the sanders of the north american soccer leave used to pack the kingdom when pelei would come to town or when portland or can couver came to town because there is a great regional rivalry. some of the players who came here from europe to play 35, 40 years ago, stuck around. a lot came into coaching, helped with the youth leagues and this

3-way rivalry has been maintained through a series ofmine leagues and blossoming in the mls. thank you very much for alan shoveler reporting live from seattle. clint demp sec, hopefully he can do it for the sanders. >> in sports, that's all you need to know. one of publishing's greatest mysteries may be solved, we may learn what officer j.d. salinger was working on. authors say the authoror instructed his estate to publish 5 additional bucks beginning in 2015. the new books will revisit catcher in the rye protagonist and salinger's world war ii's experiences and eastern religion. he withdrew from public life. he died in 2010 at the age of 91. the son of deceased author

he will moore leonard may finish writing his father's last novel. he have died before fin issuing blue dreams. it was to be his 46th novel. his son, peter leonard, said, he talked to his family about completing that book. leg leonard is best known for novels like "get shorty" and "out of sight." he died after suffering a stroke. he was 87 years old. lingering problems with nuclear power. the documentary into eternity explores the world's first permanent preposition tory. the facility is being built to last as long as the radioactive material does: 100,000 years. into eternitity is coming up next. before that, kevin korovo has the national forecast for the week

>> hello again. welcome back. july was the wettest july florida has ever seen. august was very wet as well but we didn't have any tropical storms pushing through. they are concerned how it will play out for september. as you can see on our satellite map and ray dar map, we did have a lot of rainy specially across the pan handle due to a frontal boundary stationary here along the area. unfortunately for new orleans, pensacola as well as into panama city, it is wet, probably going to stay that way tomorrow as well. i want to talk he toward parts of texas and show you what we will see because of weather. it's warm. the rain is here along the

coastal regions 679 temperatures look like this, 94 degrees in dallas and it is just a couple of hours away from midnight. temperatures tomorrow, look at this. we will see 97 degrees the temperatures are beginning to spike as we go toward the weekend. we are going to be very concerned about a heat wave that is starting to build in not only for texas but also across the central and northern plains here temperatures possibly by the time we get towards labor day weekend are going to be reaching into the 90s and hundreds. right now, bismarck, 93 degrees as we go towards the end of the day. tomorr tomorrow, 94 degrees is the hi there. and for chicago, well, it's going to be quite warm monday and tuesday but as we go towards the rest of the week, friday, we expect those temperatures to drop down to about 86 degrees. very nice here across the northeast. we will be seeing temperatures into the 80s for new york tomorrow. >> that's a look at your national weather. we will now go and take you towards the headlines. re

welcome to al jazeera, here are your headlines. the wieltd fire north of yosemite park is 70% contained. the fire has grown. the upun says there is an agreement with syria to inspect the site. a senior official has very little doubt chemical weapons were used. this is the first high level