>> this is al jazeera america. i'm tony harris. we have a shooting at arapaho high school. one student with injuries and another with light injuries. anthe sheriff believes response

works perfectly as designed. michael dorn is with us as we report on this shooting at arapaho high school. there is another news conference scheduled where we'll get a more detailed briefing in just another hour or so. but what did you hear from that briefing? the first thing that came to mind from me was that we were talking about an active shooter

plan. there was clearly one in place here in colorado, and it was implemented to the satisfaction of the sheriff. >> yes, and since we talked last i've been able to see much more of the aerial footage, one of the first comments i would make is that it was good that they got the press conference organized and done so quickly. the sheriff gave very helpful information. he did confirm officially, they're classifying it as an active shooter situation. the process that they put in place, watching the footage, it would appear from my experience in law enforcement, that you do as we talked about before, there are probably quite a few different agencies as you look at the uniforms, the equipment, the officers of the vehicles, it looks like a multi agency response. that's often the case i like th, there is coordinated training.

the officer said that they had different training and applied ithe protocals. >> we saw on orderly movement from the school. we also heard from you and something that was echoed from the sheriff this idea of a meeting place where there could be a reunion between the students and the parents. that is happening on shepherd at the high school church. you checked that as being a good move by the officials. i think you mentioned you would like to see buses rolling in to get the young people who have been cleared, who had been padded down away from that particular location. but we also heard that the sheriff department is working as diligently as it can to make that happen which was right on the point that you mentioned to us a short time ago. >> yes, sir, and the footage i've been seeing does depict

buses in the area. the staging i'm not familiar with the specific scene where some of these shots are that i'm looking at, how close they are to the building. but i have seen two different shots. one with three buses, one with two. the buss did not appear to have police escort, so they may not have been load. we like to see police escort when buss are loaded. it's hard to say but they likely be buss in route to pick up the students. we do like to see the buses moving quickly. in this case, they pat the students down and make sure they're secure before they load them on the buses but then we like to see the buses loaded and moving where the students will be waiting. we've had several case where is students have not been reunited for two or three hours, and as a parent, of course, that could be upsetting. they want to establish that quick but safe, organized

movement. >> we heard from the sheriff describing the officers moving in to the school very quickly here and ready to engage the shooter if need be. let's listen to the arapaho county sheriff, and then let's talk about this on the other side, michael. >> an individual came to the arapaho high school on the west side, entered the school with a shotgun. he was looking for an individual teach that are he identified by name. the teacher began that he was being looked at and exited the school. one student confronted the armed student and was shot. that student has been transported. >> well, i'm trying to get the very top of that, and maybe we can run that again. that was grayson robinson, the arapaho county sheriff. let me know when that can be run again.

i want to see the top of that one more time. let's roll it. >> an individual came to the arapaho high school on the west side. entered the school armed with a shotgun. was looking for an individual teacher that he identified by name the teacher began to be understand that he was being looked at, exited the school. one student confronted the armed student and was shot. that student has been transported in serious condition. >> so michael dorn we're getting more information. you mentioned a moment ago that the sheriff provided real good information here. it seems that we are getting more of the pieces of the puzzle fill in here. this was a loa lone shooter whoe to the school armed targeting a particular teacher. >> well, and great interest to us, and a lot of concern is the indication that the student tried to apparently may have

tried to attack but then was shot. very controversial training and videos out right now. there is a run, hide, flight video put out by the houston, texas, police department that teaches people to attack under certain conditions, and we're concerned because we've had--depending on how you count t five or six people killed already trying to contact persons with a gun on school property. >> what is your advice on this? michael, what is your advice from your law enforcement experience and background on this? >> well, not just 20 years of background as a law enforcement officer, but we're the world' largest school safety center, and we run over a thousand school simulation centers. those concepts are not working out very well. we have people attack when there is not an active shooter

situation. if the student had not actually fired, and the student attacked that could have prompted the shooting. that will be looked at in great detail. it may not be the case. the technique is to attack only as a last resort. if you're trapped in a space and can't get out. you attack. on its face that sounds logical. under stress what we've seen in simulated situations and in real cases where people have attacked and prompted the shooting. this incident will be looked at very close. >> i as you're talking about that, it just flashed into my mind wasn't there a recent case outside or maybe in atlanta where there was a shooter in the school, and someone in the office actually took the time to talk to the shooter and

eventually--it took some time, talked the shooter down? >> yes, you're correct. that was a bookkeeper in an elementary school. she did a remarkable, remarkable job. i've seen a very lengthy video where she describes in detail for about 16, 18 minutes where weather happened. she did a tremendous job. he appeared to be fully intent--he definitely from all statements he made wanted the police to kill him. he did engage in gunfire with the police when they initially arrived. she was able to calm him and speak to him and get him to surrender, lay down on the floor. he had quite a few weapons. we've also recently had a teacher shot and killed in utah who according to reports, and i don't have any personal involvement in that case, but according to the media reports, he approached the student who was armed, and brandishing a gun, and tried to get him to give the gun up, and he was shot

and killed. you know, this is a very, very touchy area, very controversial area. there will be a lot of people looking closely as what transpired there. we have had--i worked a case where a student actually did successfully disarm an active shooter case at the time did he so. that concept can work. the problem is people can he seely misapply it. time will tell in this case. the sheriff is identifying the weapon as a shotgun. when someone brings a long gun, rifle, shotgun or a shoulder weapon in contrast to a handgun, typically when they bring it, they've got it out, they're typically--they're going to take hostages, threaten someone with a weapon or they are going to use the weapon to shoot someone. the fact that this was a shotgun and not a handgun is very

significant in this case. >> michael, let me do this. i want everyone who is watching our coverage here to understand who you are and the kind of work you've been doing, i'm assuminger for years now. michael dorn is on the line. michael is a school safety consultant. you mentioned a couple of times as we've been speaking with you that you worked this case. didn't work that particular case. talk to us about your work, who you work with, and the kinds of things you do in terms of assisting schools and municipalities and how to respond to situations like this. >> certainly, briefly i'm the executive director for safe safe-haven international. we've worked in 42 counties. we conduct security assessments for more than 5,000 public, private, independent, charter

schools. we've worked on a lot of state projects, we wrote the active shooter curriculum for the is 360 web course. we have a broad base and focused on k through 12 grade schools. we're a non-profit. >> i'm not trying to draw you into the political debate of guns in schools, but i do wonder from your organization's stand point is there a view that you take on the idea of arming school safety officers? >> well, you know, our stance has been for many years, and we've worked with hundreds of districts where we helped them establish or improve their school resource officer programs, school security programs when it's done properly and when it is the appropriate response based on local conditions, risks, and assessment process.

you know, armed and properly trained and screened police officers have often made a difference. i'll be securous, this school probably did have a school resource officer. it would be very close of where columbine occurred. and a high school of this size, 2,000 students, they're indicating. there probably was an officer and we'll see if it had bare thong case. the officer said that the shooter committed suicide. when challenged many shooters will kill themselves. it's based on an assessment process when we determine what our biggest risks are an risks . i personally have been able to stop six planned shootings. so properly trained and equipped

law enforcement security personnel have stopped a lot of these tragedies from even happening and have minimized the damage on a number of them. obviously here the sheriff is indicating one victim being shot, apparently the student who, if i understand the sheriff correctly, the student who tried to disarm or attack the gunman. he was the only person shot. we're thankful there weren't more injuries. we'll know later why that occurred. >> michael, i can't thank you enough for your time and insights. boy, it's been great to have you on the program to walk us through the live pictures out at centennial colorado, and your analysis of this issue in a more broad context. michael dorn is a school safety consultant. i don't want to release you just yet because there may be developments but at the moment and for the moment thank you very much for your time. >> well thank you, sir. >> my pleasure. the school shooting in colorado comes one day before we mark a year since the deadly school shooting in new town,

connecticut, 20 children and six adults were murdered at sandy hook elementary school on that day. al jazeera is looking this week at guns in america. we begin with a look at gun control efforts this past year. for that we turn do bisi onile-ere, who is with me in new york. >> tony, after the new town tragedy the president vowed to do something. it forced a lot of law enforcement across the country to take action. while stricter gun laws have been put into effect tha that actually has loosened restrictions on guns. meanwhile the number of victims continue to grow. >> i never knew pain like this consisted. >> reporter: natasha christopher, mother of three, lost her son last year. the 14-year-old was shot in the back of the head after leaving a new york party. the gun was never found. and neither was his killer. >> i'm not going to sit here and

lie to you. i live in constant fear. >> reporter: despite new york state ace strict gun laws christopher believes more needs to be done it get illegal guns over the streets. >> i feel like the system has failed every mother who has lost a child to gun violence. no mother should ever have to bury a child. >> reporter: in the year since the sandy hook elementary school shootings in neighboring connecticut the gun control debate has raged across the country. >> we're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this regardless of the politics. >> reporter: new york was the first state to impose a stronger assault weapons ban requiring additional registration and reducing the number of bullets allowed in magazines. according to the law center to prevent gun violence 21 states passed bills strengthening firearm restriction this is year but over all more bills passed that expanded begun rights, and

70 bills to expand and 39 to he strict them. taking a stance on either side of the issue can come at a cost. in colorado two democratic lawmakers were recalled after pushing for tougher gun laws. jennifer kearns was behind that successful grassroots campaign. what she says is spreading. >> the night of the elections here in colorado our phones started ringing off the hook with people in california saying please come help us. you have to help us do this here. >> reporter: that scares leah barbarrett. her brother was shot and killed at his business. through the public health crisis. this is not about politics, this is about keeping americans safe. >> reporter: barrett remains frustrated congress has failed

to pass stronger federal gun laws. >> we have a very bin problem. >> reporter: gun rights activist say stricting gun laws don't equate to a drop in violence. >> as far as school shootings and that kind of violence, to me it seems very, very shallow and superficial to think that by having more restrictions on firearms you're going to be able to restrict people from going into schools and going into malls and things like that. >> reporter: meanwhile, natasha christopher continues to push for tougher gun laws. >> all i know we have to come together and stand together and say enough is enough. >> reporter: every year a non-profit group called the brady campaign releases a score card rating every state dealing with ladealingwith gun laws and. california scored the highest with an a-minus.

>> there is still a push for changes on the state level, correct? >> reporter: that's right, a number of states are pushing for tougher gun legislation. one of them being the state of washington. next year voters could see an initiative on the ballot that could call for more extensive background checking for anyone looking to purchase weapons. >> and the white house pledging millions in response. >> the obama administration are promising $100 million for mental health, that is seen as another solution, a way to curb the number of shootings. >> bisi onile-ere, thank you, appreciate it. here now to help us walk through gun control policy changes in the years since sandy hook, director of a nonpartisan think

tank. non-battenonpartisan t it does . we have heard from both sides, gun control activists and supporters wanting to protect gun rights. but if you will take us inside the beltway. what a lot of us didn't see is just how quickly lobbyists mobilized. >> yes, gun control legislation has long been and very much remains a political hot potato in washington and officially in congress. lobbying is a big part that have equation. there are millions of dollars being sen spent on lobbying, and there are additional funds contributed to candidates members of congress who might take the lead on one side or another, and the money being spent for or against them in independent buyer or supposedly

independent organizations, but the lobbying scenes it going day in and day out and it's the gun rights advocacy side, $12.2 million in this year alone so far. we have not even reached the end of the year, so a lot of money. >> the numbers, the dollar amounts are staggering. let's continue to follow the money. you have $1.6 million going to gun control. $12 million going to gun rights. on the other hand you have millions of americans willing to have a conversation and do something in a common sense way to reform gun laws in the wake of the mass shootings. and yet it seems that those voices get drowned out by the funding. >> well there is that imbalance, $12.2 million of lobbying begun rights groups and $1.6 million

by gun control advocates. that's magnified by the incredible power that gun rights advocacy membership and the passion that those members bring to engagement at all levels of government, state, local and federal. >> is this another one of those areas where we have a red state-blue state divide for folks in some of the rural areas of the country who really feel strongly about these issues of gun rights. they look at the problems that are happening, that are happening in big cities, and they're saying don't try to legislate against what is happening in those big cities. it's not happening here. so is there a bit of a red-blue divide here? >> absolutely. there is a geographic divide, and it's red state-blue state, also as you point out and perhaps more strongly metro verse urban versus rural area. there is a problem coming to a

national consensus. the point of view, the perspective people bring is so distinct. there is the pressure that outside money is bringing to bear particularly on democrats in red states who are defending their seat in trying to help their party keep the majority or gain the majority, and they are being targeted. there is a litmus test going on for instance, mayors again illegal guns outside of independent spending against those candidates who won't take a strong stand for gun legislation. >> is this one of those third rails of american politics? if it wasn't is it developing into a third rail where if you want to get tough--look at colorado, for example. two lawmakers were voted out. that's a state with a few mass shootings to talk about, aurora, littleton, and are we in a situation if you touch this issue you run the risk of paying a heavy political price,

including the possibility of losing your career? >> it's absolutely a litmus test issue not unlike abortion and other issues where politicians come to politics having taken an establish their stance their views on this. while money is not necessarily going to be helpful in changing those views, it would be too much of a political liability for them to sell their views for contributions. the money is influential in making people really defend their views. and of course that passionate membership, the money that is going into organizing at all levels of government cannot be understated. that is a powerful resource. >> sheila, executive director of the center for responsive politics. let's say it again. it is a nonpartisan think tank that she's joining us from washington. thank you. the white house has released a statement in response to today's shooting in colorado. let's get that from mike

viqueira, our white house correspondent. mike, over to you. >> reporter: just a previous statement from the officials here. at the time of the shooting, they happened to be meeting with the nation's mayors. the president has been briefed about the situation. the white house will remain in touch with federal, state and local partners and the president has directed his team to keep him apprized of the developing situation. that's the comment from the white house. >> thank you. there are some other developing stories that we're following this afternoon. federal authorities have foil a plot to attack an airport in kansas. we have more on this developing story, randall. >> reporter: it was a sting operation. a man who thought he was talking to a muslimy hard di muslim jihy

talking to a federal agent. they disrupted a plot to explode a car bomb at the wichita, kansas, airport. terry lohan was arrested after he drove whats thought was a bomb-ladened vehicle. actually agents gave him fake explosives. he worked at the airport. he was apprehended as he attempted to use his own security car to access airport grounds. officials say that he said he wanted to die as a mart center the cause of violent jihad. >> today's arrest, however, emphasizes that homegrown terrorism is a continuous threat. while we feel protected in the heartland, we have a certain sense of security but today again it reminds us that terrorism remains a very real threat. >> authorities say he studied airport schedules and timed his

planned attack to hurt the largest number of people. he's charged with attempted murder and attempts to use mass destruction. >> i understand that you read the complaint. >> reporter: he came to the attention of the fbi in may. there were frequent conversations and apparently he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do. listen to a quote from the complaint. i have rough ideas but i know nothing about explosives. i understand that i have experience in things like this, but i'm willing to learn. a lot of what he learned came from the undercover informant, the fbi. >> there will be questions about that. randall pinkston, thank you. another winter storm is bearing down on the eastern part of the country. >> meteorologist: the time is getting closer because we're seeing winter storm warnings being expanded and moving forward meaning that it will happen in the next 24 hours. we're looking at this storm developing now. there is the radar showing a lot of rain. as it moves into the colder air we're seeing that mix.

it will start as light snow beginning tomorrow morning but as another storm develops and moves in order, very intense snowfall is expected, and that will impact the roadways. look at the time and see how much snow we have expect. that's all coming up later. >> we appreciate it. thank you. it's a very busy news day. we're back with the latest. this is al jazeera america.

fight drug trafficking and forbid marijuana consumption, or let the

>> a gun machine, we understand from the sheriff open fired on that student, and that is the student who is in serious condition being treated at a local hospital right now. the pictures you're looking at now are of the response of law enforcement. we should tell you that we also learned in the press briefing from the sheriff that the gunman

has been found. the gunman was found inside the building. the gunman is dead, the victim of a single gunshot wound. the students are being let out in a very orderly fashion into a recreation area. in a field, a track that is around at that field. and a number of students virtually all of the students we can assume that all the students were patted down. what is happening right now is that the students who have been cleared are being moved out of the area. they're being taken to a local church. the shepherd's on the hill church where they will be reunited in the next few minutes. it's probably happening right now with their parents. there continues to be a very detailed search that have school right now. it continues at this hour. but that is the latest information that we have. we have one student in the lower

third--the sheriff said h that e was in serious condition. the police are still searching each and every room of the arapaho high school. you've been helping me with what is happening in social media. >> reporter: yes, tony, and i just want to show you some of the tweets that have been coming out. ryan parker with the denver post. he tweeted this an enormous line of parents waiting near the school to get their child. earlier he also tweeted this image. just kind of gives you sort of a picture what have parents an are going through. and public affairs tweeted that traffic will take a while to get back to normal in dry creek

area. parents and students being reunited. the initial response from law enforcement at arapa ho high school and earlier. they sent out this pictures students contained on the athletic field earlier today in the aftermath of a shooting. and tony, you wanted to know exactly where this school is located. it's located 20 minutes from denver, colorado. here you see in centennial, colorado, it's about 30 minutes from denver. >> so wait a minute. my understanding is that this about a 15 minute drive from littleton, and that everything, we're talking about aurora colorado where so many people lost their lives in that theater shooting, in littleton and centennial, they're all suburbs of denver. >> right, this high school is one of the largest, one of the

very largest high schools in the suburbs. >> mia, appreciatmaria, thank y. when we hear of one school shooting, we can't help but be reminded of others. it was a year ago at newtown, connecticut. in a moment we'll take you to georgia where there have been a law on the books since 1982 requiring every house to have a gun. the city says it has helped keep crime down. the first to san francisco where you see on the other side of the spectrum, gun owners there face some of the most restrictive laws in the country. melissa chan is there for us. melissa, what laws have been passed in california? >> 18 bills were put forward in the california state legislatu legislature, and it gives a sense of the momentum of the pro

gun control here. to give you an example of the kinds of laws we're seeing in california. it's illegal to upgrade your weapon to an assault-style weapon. and now if you own a rifle or shotgun you have to take the firearms safety test. and of course there is a lot of discussion in a narrative about mental health and it's connection to gun violence. in california a new law has allowed therapists, the possibility to report to police within 24 hours if one of their patients made it clear that he or she would like to harm a specific individual they've identified. >> it looks like there is not a lot of opposition to these gun control measures in california, but is that really the case? >> definitely there is a lot of momentum as you can see from proponent of gun control, and they have made is very clear that they want every intention

of putting forward more bills in the next legislative session. having said that definitely there are hiccups to the legislation most recently a federal judge has questioned the constitutionality of one of the laws that says that the background checks of a ten-day period can be extended. we don't know what will happen with that piece of soldiers. piece of legislation. >> you know, when laws enforce laws that are already on the books. enforce those laws. do we have a sense of the impact of these new regulations? >> it's too early to tell. i think it will be a couple of years before quantifiable information is available to see whether there is an impact. this state is very particular in the intensity with which the gun control legislation has been passed. >> melissa chan for us in san francisco. let's get to you robert ray, we'll get to robert ray in just a moment. there he is. robert ray is in. are you in kenesole?

>> yes, this is the only place in the united states that has a mandatory firearm law on the books, so to speak. every resident here is supposed to have a firearm in their possession, head of household. if you have a mental disability or physical disability or if your religion says that you don't believe in guns, then they're okay with you not having that. in cobb county, they

patrol the schools with armed officers, and law enforcementi . >> there was a potential shooting. they talked the short down. talk about situations like that. were you ready to spring into action? >> well, situations especially

are always volatile in changing quick, we would respond quickly, and we have a variety of ways to respond. fortunately in this case it never got to the point where it became a violent situation as far as anybody getting hurt. one thing we do caution when civilians try to intervene, tragically i think today is an example that sometimes it doesn't turn out the way we would hope. but it's ultimately up to each school system, how they're going to train people to respond to these. >> under the kennesaw law, getting back to that now. it's a law but it's not really enforced. not at all, actually. >> i not at all. it was never intended to be enforced. it was more or less a political statement, a resolution in ordinance form. it was basically passed to show support for our residents' second amendment rights to own firearms, but it was never intended to be enforced. >> and i heard you talk earlier about the red and blue divide,

the north and south, i mean, you know, you passed this law in '82 in response to the suburbs morton g globe up suburb banning firearm. >> i think the argument pro and against guns go very much along political lines. kennesaw is a very conservative community, but we're much more diverse since 1982. we have an university town and it's much more diverse but there is wide support for our ordinances. >> well, this is the south. >> he's absolutely right. as you know, i lived in that area a long time, and kennesaw is a lot more diverse than it

was even ten years ago, but the liberal bastion outside of the atlanta, it's still a very conservative state. robert ray for us in kennesaw, georgia, 30 minutes north of atlanta. coming up on al jazeera a look at the day's other top stories and the day when drivers become passengers behind the wheel is literally around the corner. a closer look at this high tech technology coming up next.

have been telling you in the san joaquim river, freeze warnings in effect. never seen too much in terms of rain. los angeles, you are going to be seeing some beautiful weather all the way to sunday even into the low 70 did or high 60s, partly cloudy conditions, overnight, about 44 degrees. texas also dry for you as well. we saw rain showers and a mix of precip just a little bit up here towards the north. temperatures for dallas at about 42. san antonio at 55. for houston, well, you are going to be seeing rain by the time we end the week. 59 degrees there. that will will last one day. your weekend should look better with a high of 63. over here towards the southeast, some rain showers pushing through orlando right now. atlanta is going to be about 56. an american auto maker making history. the newer ground general motor is making as it names its latest ceo.

>> let's give you a recap of our breaking stories from seaso ce

centennial, colorado, there is one student who is in serious condition after being shot in the school. we understand from the sheriff department that an armed shooter entered the school and was looking for a particular teacher, targeting a particular teacher. this student was confronted by a student and shot by the shooter. the police ultimately did find the shooter dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. you're looking at law enforcement evacuating the school. there is a meeting place set up at a local church for parents and students at shepherd's on the hill church. right now there is a room-to-room search going on in that building to make sure it is safe, secured, and locked down. secretary of state john kerry says he is confident that the israelis and palestinians will reach a peace deal by the end of

april. he also says israel will release more palestinian prisoners on december 29th. it's part of a deal that relaunched negotiations. those talks began in august, and are expected to continue into the beginning of may. the pentagon said that all states are issuing i.d. cards to same sex spouses of military members in order to get benefits. nine states initially did not follow the pentagon's ruling to have issued i.d. cards. hundreds of mourns of in south africa tried to rush through barricades to see nelson mandela before they closed his casket. viewing times were limited, so more than half of mourners were turned away and you see scenes like this. the ceremonies show how far

mandela's work reached. two men who were affected by mandela's philosophy. >> reporter: on the notorious robben island, two men who did time with nelson mandela on opposite sides of the prison bars. >> every day the prisoners would havwould. >> reporter: he was mandela's guard. at first the prisoner scared h him. >> there was no mention. >> reporter: every day he worked the limestone quarry. and chri kritos was his guard. >> they would talk. >> reporter: the guard-prisoner relationship might sound adversarial, but mandela initiated friendship. in his cell he used to smuggle

bread and his favorite hair oil. and then later he would smuggle i am "n" his granddaughter. >> in return, he was very generous to him. >> very nice, never cross. >> reporter: mandela used that relationship to literally learn the language of his enemy. >> the system of the wardens. >> they might have helped, but the white men were still guards and the black men were still prisoners. when inmates heard guards talk politics, they mocked them. >> it was from this cave that mandela taught and plotted.

>> was there any doubt that you would one day rule south africa. >> there was no doubt. >> reporter: they said they knew whites better than whites knew them, and they used that to their advantage. >> we speak the language, we studied the language, and then we spoke to them. >> it was mandela always taught. to know your enemy better and you must know the language. that's what did he to chri chri. >> reporter: by the end you trusted christo. >> no, you don't trust too much in the enemy. >> do you think mandela trusted him? >> he kept the mind open.

>> he really saw you as his friend. >> afterward, he would see me as a friend. >> you see him as a friend. >> as a father. >> to this day he doesn't feel like mandela used him. he feels that mandela offered him the same olive branch that he extended to all whites. >> he was something for the people to believe in, to look forward. >> did you believe? >> yes. >> reporter: a man who made believers of his friends and foes to free his people. nick schriffe. south africa. >> you can see full coverage of nelson mandela's funeral live here on al jazeera america starting at 2:00 a.m. eastern time on sunday. no. the coming hours china could make the first controlled landing of a spacecraft on the moon since 1976. it is an historic mission, but

the chinese may have some company. let's bring in al jazeera's science correspondent jacob ward to talk to us about the potential cosmic conflict here. he's joining us from san francisco. jacob, good to see pup firs see. why is china trying for a lunar expedition at this moment in time? >> that is really the question on everybody's mind. why is china doing this? they're 60 years behind the game. we put men on the among in the 1960's, 1970's. but in china's case it's a similar motivation that we had in mind. china's military and aerospace military has collapsed into one budget. anything that is coming out that have budget is going to have an application in both arenas. china is very interested in the research that can come off the moon. but i think this is a matter of nationalistic pride. china, which is very, very

interested in its image abroad, very interested in asserting itself really wants to get to the moon perhaps for the very same reasons we wanted to under kennedy. >> how does this interfere with nasa's research, is this a big deal? >> nasa's vessel is mapping out the dust on the moon, trying to learn more about the topography of the moon. what the chinese is attempting to do is very interesting and very complicated. they're trying to do a soft landing on the moon and they're trying to do it remotely. the problem with the moon is it's a little bit like imagine being in a closed room and blowing a hand full of ta lcum. the dust is going to get kicked up and go everywhere. there is going to be all kinds of disturbances, and i'm sure there are a lot of scientists smacking their head. >> is there any way that china

will alter their plan in any way? >> i just can't imagine it, the amount of money and effort they've put into doing this, this is going to be one of the biggest deals in the world. imagine when buzz armstrong somebody, the french or somebody, we're looking at space debris, can you hold off? i'm sure we would not have said okay, we'll wait. i'm sure they're going to go ahead any way. >> thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> no driver required, the latest car craze that automakers are chasing. you costas took one out on a test drive, is this just another gimmick? or could this stick and take hold here? >> this is going to change a lot of things. >> oh, come on, really? >> it's going to change a lot of things. you're going see truck drivers who might lose their jobs. but we're going to see much

faster transportation, much safer transportation, and a lot more things getting done. >> you prepared a piece for us? >> yep. >> let's take a look. >> reporter: nissan's race for the fist autonomous production vehicle is in the hands of top japannees engineejapanese engine figure out how it works. this is your laser scanner and it sends out raise o out rays od it determines 17-meters, whether objects are approaching a car or leaving a car. it is totally a prototype. if i open this up. >> this is a kind of secret. >> i won't touch it.

>> so you have no hands. [ laughing ] >> the cameras are reading the speed limit by now. we're going to watch it slow down. >> how did it know to go left instead of going to the right. >> because reads the lines. it follows the road using the cameras. what happens if a kid comes out chasing a ball. [ brakes squealing ] >> oh my gosh, we almost got that guy. >> it checks to see if anyone is behind us, anyone next to us. it makes a decision whether to brake or swerve. can we park it now. >> we can do that from the backseat. >> yes. >> now it's parking. i love watching this steering wheel. what happens if i interrupt it? >> it stops the computer stops.

>> and then it will go back to where it started. >> yes. >> how many years until it's in all cars. >> 2020. >> by 2020 this will be ready? >> what's what nissan is saying. >> dubado you buy that? >> they have a road map, it's very exciting. >> is it gps. did they tell what you kind of technology. >> tons of technology. it's radar, laidar. >> what is that? >> it's like lasers. >> did you try it? >> i sat if the back of the car while it parked for us. it was like being in the future. >> what is going to be the trickiest part of this for drivers, occupants moving forward. >> one of the biggest challenges is what happens if the car needs to hand back control back to you, the driver. because we check out. i checked out. i got on my phone. >> did you really?

>> yeah, it's just so easy. you feel safe. the car is driving for pup they're trying to figure out how at stanford specifically how to make sure the car can hand back to you. >> that is fascinating. that is probably the coolest thing i've seen in a long time. and you tried it, and it didn't shake you at all. you didn't feel completely and totally out of control? >> it's like being in an airplane. you don't know there is an pilot. >> i love the show, man. i love that stuff. don't miss this weekend's "techknow." it's 7:30 and 4:30 specific right here on al jazeera america. we'll have the latest on the school shooting in colorado. one student seriously injured, and meteorologist dave kare warn has a look at the weather.

>> the county sheriff, the arapaho county sheriff grayson

robinson. and in just a moment we'll get the very latest update from the sheriff. >> i'm grayson robinson, i'm the arapaho county sheriff. with me are several representatives of the many public safety local, state, and federal agency who is have joined us in the initial response and the investigation of this tragic shooting at arapaho high school. i would like to give a very quick briefing on what we know at this time. once i have given you in a information, superintendent of schools scott murphy will make a brief comment. governor hickenlooper would like to make a comment, and i would like to come back and answer any questions you may have regarding this particular situation. today, a lone gunman entered the school on the west side. the gunman came into the school and immediately asked for the location of a very specific teacher, and he named that teacher by name.

♪ >> he left that school in an effort to try to encourage the shooter to also leave the school with the focus of safety and security and well-being of our students in his mind. when that happened one student was shot by the shooter, and that student is currently under serious condition undergoing surgery. a second victim was shot. that individual suffered a very minor gunshot wound, and is being treated at a local hospital. we believe that individual will be released before the end of the evening. our active shooter protocol was immediately