>> good evening, everyone. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. >> proof of life. that is what the military is saying after a new video surfaces showing the only american prisoner of war currently held. >> benghazi to baghdad - the new report on the attack and the latest wave of violence in iraq. tonight secretary of state john kerry talks to me about america's foreign policy and the president. >> sooner, rather than later, the united states will pay a heavy price for our noninvolvement. >> missile launch scandal - dozens in charge of nuclear war heads are under scrutiny.

>> west virginia violations - the government report after the chemical leak raises questions about the company behind the accident and the facility holding the toxic material. >> plus flight formation - why do birds travel in v patterns. tonight the surprising answer. >> we begin with what can only be described as hope, hope that an american soldier held against his will since 2009 is alive. he is army sergeant bo bergdahl, who vanished from his base in afghanistan more than four years ago. he's believed to be held by fighters linked to taliban. >> today word of proof of life, the military says it has video showing him. when and where it was taken is

unknown. in a statement the military said this: >> reacting to the video the bergdahl family released this statement: def conversation susanna gomezservando >> joining us now to talk about this is mark lyons. the truman national security project, and a retired army major. welcome. >> good evening. >> how does this happen? >> you know, a soldier gets away from his unit. they are on patrol. the tactics they used in afghanistan - small unit tact s tactics, 10 to 12. his battle buddy breaks away and somehow communication completely breaks down and they lose track.

the government has not said the details about his capture. he is listed as a prisoner of war. he's not a deserter, but someone captured on the battlefield. >> why is the military talking about this at all? >> first of all it's important that they know that the government is continuing to find prisoners of war. this comes back to the era of all soldiers coming home. he is the sole prisoner of war from afghanistan. the government has a responsibility to soldiers, knowing if they are captured they'll do what they can to get him home. it's good new, showing he's alive. he's in a decreased state from before but shows that the military got a hold of the tape, not something that the captures released. >> how would the u.s. get a video like that? >> they are working on it. possibly they are close to pinpointing his locations that he's likely being held in the

north-west mountains, in an austere place. they are working on it. you have special forces. i am sure we are doing all we can tactically on the ground. >> is there any way to trace a video like this? >> they'll use metadata. there'll be clues in the video, when it was shot, in terms of a date and time. all of the other surrounding environment that he's in will give the investigator clues. >> obviously the family - 4.5 years is a long time. is this a hopeful sign? >> yes, i think it is. if we get the video, didn't have the release by the captors. he's of leverage point to the taliban in afghanistan. something has to be done if we are going to negotiate our way out of afghanistan. the enemy knows it. we know it. we are getting close to the

point. let's hope the military is close and can get him back without his captors doing harm. >> you talk about negotiations and the u.s. says it doesn't negotiate with terrorists. at the same time the u.s. is pulling out of afghanistan, moving away from that country. explain what sort of negotiation could happen. >> well, we tried to negotiate with the hakani network for some of the prisoners that are in the guantanamo bay, we believed if we released some, they'd return him. we were going to do all we can, negotiation first. i believe this administration has to get a win here and do all it can in the next six months before we do anything in afghanistan. >> can the family do anything? >> hope, pray, rally other veterans.

as veterans recognise and realise he's been held for so long, they'll see outrage. if we apply the resources on the ground, the pakistani government get everyone involved and do what we can to get him home. >> mike, thank you for your insight. >> now to the scandal involving the nuclear launch officers. 34 of them have been implicated in what a supervisor calls a failure of integrity. we this that report from david shuster. >> they are at the heart of american strategy of deterrence, intercontinental ballistic missiles armed with nuclear weapons. the head of the air force, and the chief of staff revealed 34 air force officers in montana are under investigation for drug use and cheating on proefficiency exams. they are in charge. landbased nuclear icbms. >> this is unacceptable behaviour.

it is completely contrary to our core values in the air force. as everyone knows the number one value is integrity. >> 16 officers shared the answers to a monthly test by texting them to each other. 18 knew about the cheating but failed to report it. >> we have decertified all 34 officers. they are restricted from missile crew duty. security clearances have been suspended and the investigations and level of individual involvement continues. >> the command and control system dates back to the 1950s. to this day, nearly 600 air force officers usually in pairs oversee the readiness of nuclear missiles. 5% of the nuclear force has been caught in the cheating scandal. air force officials insisted the mission has not been compromised. >> based on everything i know

today i have confidence in the security and effectiveness of our icb m4s. >> the secretary announce the that all remaining icbm officers will be retested by the end of the week. the air force has been concerned about the tedious and boring nature of nuclear responsibilities. the cheating scandal emerged from a drug investigation. two officers were accused of drug use and stripped of their duties, 10 other officers at four other bases are facing drug investigations. >> drug and cheating infractions are considered especially sensitive to the launch facilities of 400 earth-based missiles. those officers have no margin for error. >> new developments tonight involving america's foreign policy. a senate intelligence committee

is blaming the state department and pentagon for failing to protect the u.s. consulate attack. the long-delayed report said the security may have stopped the september 2012 attack. that's when ambassador chris stevens and three other were killed. in egypt. day two of a vote on a referendum. voter turn out high despite muslim brotherhood's call for a boycott. >> in iraq a wave of violence leaves 75 dead, dozens injured, car bombs exploded in and around baghdad, mostly in shi'a neighbourhoods. john mccain has been an outspoken critic of how president obama is handling iraq and he joined us to talk about the deteriorating situation there. >> john mccain, good to have you on the program. welcome. >> thank you. >> more violence in iraq today. you sat down yesterday with the

deputy prime minister of iraq. what was the consider like? >> it was bleak. the deputy prime minister made a strong case that nouri al-maliki has been alienating the sunnis for a long time in a variety of ways. he made the point that a lot of us made, that it's fine for us to give equipment and military assistance and even technical assistance and things like that, but nouri al-maliki has to reach out to the sunni. there has to be a sunni awakening, a reconciliation balls he has alienated the sunni population which spills over into al qaeda, as you know. >> is iraq a lost cause. if not, what should the u.s. be doing? >> i think we should send people there who he respects.

david petraeus is first example. to give him advice and counsel. make it clear to him that we want to the assist him in what he needs in order to regain military control. there has to be national reconciliation. there has to be the sons of anbar there. we lost 96 brave soldiers and marines in the second battle of fallujah, 600 wounded. in fallujah vehicles are driving around with black flags. that's an abyss mall failure of nouri al-maliki and the united states of america because we didn't leave a residual force. >> is president obama responsible? >> absolutely. >> other than logistical support and equipment, what can the united states do. you are not for sending troops back. >> no, we can't. we have to make this assistance

that he badly needs contingent upon a broadcast program of national reconciliation. rehiring of the sunni young people. reconciling with the sheikhs are important. also, a number of measures that would bring the economy up in these areas which have not profited at all from their enormous oil revenues that they received. >> you're on the record as saying president barack obama did not handle egypt well, abandoned syria. strong words with iraq as well. obviously, i guess you wouldn't give the president good grades when it comes to the middle east. i think it's obvious that throughout the middle east, america is declining in influence and on the wane. people are making their own accommodations for the departure of the united states. whether it be hamid karzai, or what maliki did, or the saudis

who lost trust in us. yesterday an unusual thing happened, i am sure you saw it, where the defence minister of israel basically insulted our secretary of state and the prime minister of israel did not repudiate him. >> what does that tell you? >> it tells me that the united states influence is dramatically waning and we have - they have lost confidence in us. therefore they have decided to go their own way. the best example is the saudis are helping the resistance in syria without involving himself with us. hamid karzai is looking at a neighbourhood absent u.s. presence. nouri al-maliki has done the things he has done. libya we should have helped and didn't. egypt is adopting a constitution that shrines the superiority in every way of the military. they'll have an insurgency op

their hands. >> more of my conversation with senator john mccain coming up later. next - failure to notice. a disturbing new report on the west virginia chemical leak. plus - reducing the list. five years after the miracle on hudson, new efforts to stop bird

>> minutes ago senator john mccain told me he believes that under the obama administration influence influence in the middle east is waning. joining me from tel aviv early morning in carlos tevez is -- morning in positive , is alawn pinkas. ambassador alawn pinkas. thank you for getting up early for us. >> thank you. pleasure to be with you. >> i want to address the issue that's been in the news for the last couple of days. the minister of defence in israel came out with tough

statements regarding the secretary of state john kerry, saying that he turned up in israel determined to act out of misplaced obsession and fer ver and cannot teach me anything about the conflict with the palestinians. were you surprised by that statement? >> well, i'm sorry for giving you a diplomatic answer, but it's yes and no. yes, i was surprised by the crudeness, the coarseness, the upcalled for adwhominon romp about secretary of state john kerry rather than about the policy. it was unfortunate, reckless and uncalled for in terms of the remarks. i was not surprised, on the other hand, that he felt comfortable enough to say these things because in the last three, four, perhaps going back five years there has been an ongoing bickering or bar fight

between the u.s. administration and this current israeli government. in that report, it's marked as brutal and coarse as they are, they are consistent with the last few years with these verbal exchanges. >> would you say this reflect the opinion of the government of the israel and the people? >> well, not the people, but the government zeed. let me qualify that. not in the harshesness of the expression. the government does feel very reluctant to engage in this process, as do the palestinians, but that's another issue, and there is a consensus, i think, within the government or the circles around the government as well. that secretary kerry is not

negotiating with the sides, but negotiating separately with each side. >> this that respect it's important to take the remarks made by the minister, and put them in a substantive context. he basically said to secretary of state john kerry, what you do is an exercise in futility. the agreement or the framework agreement that is reportedly presented to the sides is not acceptable. when a defence minister says something like that, you have to assume that it reflects a sizeable amount of what is sired by the prime minister. >> what does that mean for peace talks going further. are they dead in the water. >> it's never dead. it's been with us for so long. that's the simplicity. let me explain it.

there are two frameworks for an israeli palestine agreement. one was enunciated by president clinton upon leaving office. it was based on the camp david negotiations. the second set of principles which is similar, if not identical is a set of talks or a series of talks held by the then prime minister ehud olilt and hamid karzai in 2008. it's not accepted. it's legitimate for it not to be accepted. the palestines, john, on the other hand cannot accept anything less. you have to find a formula to bridge what the minimum palestines are willing to accept as opposed to the maximum that the contemporary government is willing or capable to offer. that is a high, if not

impossible task to achieve. >> in that respect the peace process is going nowhere. but there are scenarios in which it can progress somewhat. if, for example, secretary of state john kerry lays on the table a framework that the two sides have reservations about, but they are willing to endorse as a terms of reference or a document, a joint diplomat that they are willing to negotiate on. then we are looking at a year and a half's worth of negotiations. at the same time it was secretary of state john kerry who is giving this process nine months. he said that six or five months ago, which means the expiration date is around the corner in april. by november you have congressional collections has little patience if any for the

middle east. while i'm not pessimistic, i'm not optimistic about where this process is going. it looks to me that both sides have a vested disincentive to make progress. >> again, it's good to have you on the program, alawn pinkas. thank you for joining us so early from tel aviv this morning. >> thank you. pleasure. goodnight. >> it is a story we have been following since it began. the west virginia chemical leak. while there's encouraging news for some. the dangers may be over, especially when it's in an environmental protection report. ashar quraishi reports. some taps are running. many places are closed. while thousands use the water, many cannot. consider the photographs popping up on social media, showing the

water cloudy and discoloured. a week after the leak life is far from normal. residents go to emergency rooms, schools shut down and families asking is the water safe. >> it's terrible, we don't know how long it will be. >> the investigation into what went wrong, why and how is beginning. it centres around freedom industries, where the first sign of disaster started with a small of liquorice. >> the story started in a container wall and chemicals leaked into the elk river. after the still freedom industries moved the chemical to a site run by poker blending incorporated. is it sach. consider a report by the department of environmental deduction of virgin. it found several violation, including no record of employee training, site inspections,

failure to store drums containing material with the participation to contaminate groundwater. in other words, nowhere for the chemical to collect if there's another leak. the report and the leak are shocking. in west virginia, not surprising. protecting industries, not the people, comes first. >> the vatican is preparing to defend itself after a bruising report on the global sex abuse scandal. a british charity published a 48-page report saying the churn is not fully disclosing cases of abuse much the chaump -- church harbours abusers. >> peter saunders was a victim of actual abuse at the hands of his catholic priest at school. for him abuse triggered a life cursed by drink and drugs and an early death.

>> peter runs an organization helping other survivors. >> most survivors are not interested in compensation. they are interested in seeing change. they are interested in knowing that what happened to them is not going to happen to future generations. having said that, compensation is entirely appropriate when it comes to people whose child hoods have been stolen. >> the vatican has a new pope, he's popular and made promises. pope francis wants openness and transparency on this toxic issue. he set up a committee of his own to look into it. thursday's appearances is overdue. the extent to which they engage will be a test of france's papacy, and whether he can deliver on the issue of sexual abuse and the allegations of cover up. a report details how widespread

the abuse would be. the authors have little optimism that the church would change its approach. >> we have traced back over the last two decades all the promises made versus what happened. there has been many promises in the past. everything that has allegedly happened happened in secrecy. >> in 2012 the u.n. arrived the vatican to respond to questions about child abuse and what it is doing about it. many questions remain unanswered. >> if the institution acknowledges its many failings, then i, like many other people who suffered at its hands, i think, will, as you say have some form of closure and some means of moving on. >> the vatican is coming to geneva, because it signed the u.n.'s scroens on the rights of the child and it takes its treaty obligations seriously,

although its action or inaction over the issue of child abuse might suggest otherwise. this is a good opportunity for the church and the pope to signal they'll do something about it. >> coming up, taking on the n.f.l. chris kluwe says he was fired because he supported gay rights. tonight his new charges. plus, why the v? the answer to the formation may just have been solved check

... places the military in a position where they decide their own budget, they decide who the secretary, the minister of defence will be.

they are basically an autonomous organization within egypt. that is not a real democracy as you know. second of all there's serious support in egypt for the muslim brotherhood. whether it's right or wrong i'll leave for others to decide. you'll have an insurgency here, unless there's a reconciliation there, between the government and those in disagreement. many of the leaders of tahrir square are now in gaol. many of the liberals who wanted a liberal - liberal society have been in prisoned. thousands have been imprisoned. it's not the way forward for democracy. you can't do that. they are facing another algeria. you have been to syria and seen what is going on. there's a lot of talk about the rebel movement and the impact of al qaeda. is this the beginning or the

resurgence of al qaeda in a way we have never seen. >> we had technical problems. we'll try to play more of that interview later on. >> a $1.1 trillion spending plan moving forward on capitol hill. it funds almost every agency in the government - airport, war costs. a senate vote is expected by the end of the week. >> battles and bloodshed in mexico, it's been a story we have been knowledge. vigilantes and a drug cartel. the government is trying to convince the groups to disarm, but many refuse. adam raney reports. >> a shattered symbol of a cartel that lost much of the support of the people it says it fights for. once viewed by many with awe and respect, the cartel is feared for prays on those it claimed to protect. extortion, kidnapping and killing are the hallmarks of its

rule. jorge carrasco reported on knights templar for years, saying they created a new business model for the mexican cartels. >> translation: it's remembered as a group that helped give money, helping a sick family member. we have the social aspect, but we see the phenomenon of extortion and kidnapping. it is not helping the people, but extorting them. >> the knights templar make millions trafficking drugs, illegal mines and running protection rack et cetera, stretching from mexico to asia. they were born several years ago after a split between another cartel la famila, following the reported killing of the cult-like leader nazario moreno. his body was never found. many believe he is still alive. others venerrate him as a saint. the michelle knight leaders

shrouded themselves. the cartel has taken on modern tactics. it's reputed leader servando gomez is an ex-school teacher who says he's waging the war for the citizens of michoacan. >> translation: i represent the knights templar, and we are trying to ensure we live in peace. >> that is a hard sell. many have been touched by the cartel's violence. for the past year they've been in a battle with vigilante groups who say they took up arms because the government left them helpless. the government has sent in thousands of soldiers to disarm the vigilantes and take back territory controlled by the cartel. >> after years of violence, authorities in mexico city want to show that they have the control to rein in groups in what has been a lawless land. >> wishful thinking for a state

where impunity and violence rained for so long. >> earlier tonight we heard from former punter chris kluwe who believes why his support of same-sex marriage cost his job. michael eaves is back to show how he's expanding his advocacy. >> he's taking it to the olympics. it comes on the back of comments by a senior olympic committee in relation to comments about four lesbians. chris kluwe told me he thought he would be in the n.f.l. if he was gay, instead of a heterosexual male advocating for gay rights. >> it's a tough one. it makes it tougher for the team

in terms of getting rid of someone if they came out as openly gay with a spotlight cast upon the n.f.l. and other leagues. that's the thing with the n.f.l., is that there's so many ways to plausibly get rid of someone that seemed to make sense on the surface, that it would be easy for the team to say "we want to upgrade or go younger or cheaper" it's unfortunate that that is the way it works. the n.f.l. doesn't want story lines not about football. they don't want anyone talking about the team. it's unfortunate, this idea that being openly gay is going to get you considered to be a distraction, which means that head coaches do not want you. that's a perception we need to change. >> the vikings are conducting an investigation into your allegations.

was that your goal and have you been cooperating? >> that was one of the goals, to make sure that the truth comes out. i think this is an important story. not just because it's something that happened to me, but it happens on a daily basis. there are multiple states in the united states of america where you can be fired for your job for being gay. that is not right, not the foundation of a stable society. i intend to cooperate with the investigation. my hope is that the witnesses i have remain anonymous. in the n.f.l. it's easy to be black lifted for a steam to get rid of you. >> you raise an interesting point. i wonder how your team-mates reacted to your support of same-sex marriages as well as on other teams. >> it was cool. everyone that came up and talked to me was supportive. i had 60% of guys that say, "we

agree with what you did and we think it's great you are speaking out on this." the issues with same-sex rights in openly gay players are not issues caused by the players, it's more to do with coaching and management. players are young in the n.f.l. they'll always be young. you can see what direction society is moving in. front offices and coaches tend to be older white men who grew up in a certain time frame. until they look at the world a different way, until they cycle out and new viewpoints come in, it will be tough to change things >> there has been controversy surrounding the upcoming winter olympics in sochi and the russian antigay laws. how familiar are you with the laws and do you have plans for advocating for that law to be regrind -- rescinded.

>> i'm familiar, the beanie is a way to draw attention to the olympic charter that states countries that commit human rights violations are not supposed to host the olympics. the ioc, unfortunately, is more interested in money than human rights. until that is changed this will happen. we need to address the fact why do we oppress people who want the same rights that everyone else has. >> once we get closer to the olympics in socchi, we have more groups coming out in support of human rights as relates to the laws in russia. >> we have seen athletes be political. he has taken a step out front on this issue. >> he and another n.f.l. player. some thought it may be because of that. heterosexuals out in front helping gay rights. >> thank you michael. the winter olympics are less

than a month away. hundreds of american athletes are going. a colorado town has a lot to be proud of. paul beban has that story. >> forget football. this is how they do "friday night lights" in steamboat springs. the kids line up. saturday morning it's time for speed camp and saturday afternoon a cross county race. this is base camp. it's the steamboat springs winter sports club, a place to play, meet and compete. >> this may be humble compared to the big sister steam boat. but here howl -- howelsen hill is built on dreams.

they have been cranking out olympians for 100 years. a celebrated son, retired skier johnny spillane says winning is not what this place is about. >> first and foremost it's a great place for kids to have fun. >> johnny spillane grew up a few blocks from the club. at the vancouver olympics he was the first winner in the nordic conpined. >> you can't be successful without enjoying what you do. >> this is the history of the club. >> yes. this is the man that founded it. >> howelston founded the club. 96 olympians and counting. >> a large majority come back and settle and they become coaches. your mentors are olympians.

you can touch and feel the olympic spirit. these two brother are on their way to sochi. the club means more than medals, says mum. >> it's a community gathering spot, to come here and train and learn sportsmanship, their morals and ethics. >> make no mistake, the boys and girls have vision of olympic glory. >> my heros are the women ski jumpers. >> do you guys dream of having your name here. >> yes, seeing my name and going to the olympics. >> in each room each flag represents an olympic club appearance by an athlete. proof that here, more than anywhere else, olympic agreements do take flight. >> coming up, without warning -

bird strict risk for pilots. five years offer the miracle on the hudson, jake ward on reducing the danger. after the storm - being eight in new orleans and what it means

>> good evening, we have a lot of nasty weather out there. we have an air of low pressure

pushing across the great lakes. we are looking at the possibility of blizzard conditions across the states. let's break down what is happening in the area. first of all we have an area of high pressure in the west. that's keeping that area warm as well as very, very dry. as we take a look at what is happening as we move it over. you can hear the drought situation not only affecting parts of california and nevada. we are talking about 80 to 85 degrees, well above average for them at this time of year. relative humidity is into the single digits. as we go to the east coast. some systems are coming up the eastern sea board. we can see rain and snow from many locations. let's look at the storm track from florida. that will make its way out here to the atlantic. if it gets close enough to the

coastal regions we'll see rain and snow. we'll keep you informed of that

>> five years ago what was called the miracle on the hudson after a flock of gees took out both engines of flight 1549, captain sole sulanberger told air traffic control, "we're going to end up in the river", and they did. all members splashed down safely. i asked science and technology correspondent jake ward if bird strikes are as dangerous to planes today as they were five years ago. >> it may not seem that a tiny

bird can do damage, but they are incredibly dangerous. the internet is filled with images of footages from birds piercing the foos large, going through the windshield and the engines which brought down u.s. airways flight that captain soliberger landed on the hudson. they use chicken guns firing jet poultry into jet engines to make sure they can handle it and not flame out. in the years since this flight on the hudson, air plane manufacturers are better, but airlines and ports have taken enormous steps to try to minimise the danger of the birds. they have gotten in tune with nature. they higher wildlife biologists to teach them about what

attracts birds. you need to clear away standing water, make sure there's no food sources. >> in the park by the airport they ticket and throw fines at anyone who feeds the birds, which is a danger. they'll need to get better at this. at this point bird strikes are going up. the national instance is rising. as always, they managed to get to a little under control, drop it in half. the average airport has a lot of trouble with this. >> jake ward in san francisco. now to a mystery in a small town in texas, 50 miles north-west of dallas. what is causing a string of earthquakes, more than 30, including two this week. bill schneider has that story. >> hazel is a town of about 11,000 - at least it used to be quiet. >> you hear a big boom, and the

dogs bark, windows shake. >> they are describe an aerth quake between 2-3.5 magnitude. not enough to cause damage, but people around here have had enough. >> 30 in one area. >> who is going to cover all the damages that may occur in the future if we fail to act now? >> 800 residents packed the first of two town hall meetings, calling on the texas railroad commission to regulate drilling to look into the cause of the quakes. >> i can see their point, why they are frustrated, worried it could get worse. >> billy caldwell specialises in the oil and gas field for 60 years. he points out there are three point lines near hazel and the pumping of waste water into the

wells impacted the fault lines to the point of causing the quakes. in the last decade there has been little to no earthquake activity. >> if my theory is correct we out to consider pumping less and slower. >> how will that be received? >> it mr slow down everything. >> at the town hall meeting dozens of residents decided to jump on a bus. go to the state capital and put pressure on state leaders to get something done. the mayor thinks it's too early for that. >> they know there's a problem. they are hiring a siz meteorologist. the commission is aware of the problem. it's like i told someone else, i don't think it's time to bring out the pitch forks and the torches yet. >> until there is conclusive evidence from the study that the railroad commission is starting. opinions will fly. >> i think people are overreacting. i don't think it's got anything to do with the oil field.

>> if it does geologists say people don't need to fear a quake, but this type of work in the oil field can't cause one. the ecological survey is working to work out what is causing them. >> now to being eight, looking at the world through the eyes of an eight-year-old. we go to third grade students, too young to remember one of the worst disasters, a hurricane that hit their home town. >> what city were you born in. we'll take 30 seconds to answer that >> troy lawson teaches the third grade in new orleans. spell it the best way you know how. many of his students are eight years old, born the year hurricane sandy changed the big easy forever. >> even though some of them weren't born when katrina hit. they had a story.

>> they were strong winds and lots of water. there was damage to everything. like, the water was strong, too strong and knocked homes over. >> every child has their own learned version of the storm. >> 10,000 evacuees have taken shelter. >> being eight is about the journey of who you are and where you come from. a time in a person's life when learning about the world at large begins to take shape. >> they are a problem. a lot were born after katrina or in their mummy's tummies. >> for many eight yeefrld said in new orleans, hurricane katrina reshaped their lives. many evacuated flooded out neighbourhoods only to return,

and some of their stories are remarkable. >> they were telling me i was born in hurricane katrina. i came out my mum's stomach when hurricane katrina was happening. >> you guy the... >> anthony tapp's family fled to a shelter in new orleans, where his mother gave birth to him. >> we was in a shelter. my sister jumped on my cousin. >> for principal amanda aiken, she and her staff witnessed the scars that katrina left behind. >> a lot of kids are suffering effects of their mothers being under high stress. people were literally trying to run for their lives. >> the breach levee walls to the rooftops. >> as the boys and girls grow. they take with them the lesson

learnt - hardship and hope from a storm that changed a city and its people forever. >> up next - the answer to an age-old question, why do birds fly in a v formation.

>> birds fly in v formations. we know it, see it but why. we ask vern to tell us about the breakthrough. >> the birds fly in vs for a number of reasons. there is a lot of efficiency for the birds. the reason they do that is that the lead bird uses the most energy, but other birds on either side of the v have huge energy savings, as much as 71% rising on the upwash caused by the wing of the bird in front of them. if they are migrating from the

northern hemisphere, north canada. some make incredible journeys, you would go with the energy efficiency. it's a good way to travel long distances. we don't know how they switch off the leader bird, whether it's an older bird or a bird that had navigated the route many times before. flying in vs and groups is not only a survival technique, but there's a huge social aspect to it. there's a great deal of advantage to travelling in a v. we have a lot to learn from birds and the lift provided by the wings and how they are able to travel the distances. all the while they are biological organisms, they have to eat, sleep, drink. they are not jet aircraft but they perform magnificent violations. >> finally, we are in awe of this. low clouds and fog sweeping

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler and here are the headlines. new evidence that the only american prisoner of war may be alive. army sergeant bo bergdahl went missing in afghanistan in 2009. he's believed to be held by fighters linked to the taliban in pakistan. u.s. military intercepted proof of life video but yet to release it. >> 34 nuclear site officers suspended for involvement in cheating on proefficiency tests. three nuclear launch officers are facing a drug investigation. safety violations mount against a