oso was his last stop before flying to japan to begin a week-long foreign policy trip. those are the headlines. "america tonight" is next with joie chen. you can get the latest news online at the website - aljazeera.com. >> on "america tonight" - fight for chicago. warmer weather leads to a heat-up in the gang wars, and a fierce debate over whether crime is up or down. >> you can't come to the park and enjoy yourself without this happening. >> also tonight - broke, and at the back of the line. as detroit tries to dig its way out of debt, an "america tonight" investigation finds some that have waited years for city payments could turn out to be the biggest losers. >> ever since the city of detroit filed bankruptcy, the

lawyers on the case will not return email, telephone calls. and rethinking h.i.v. 30 years since we learnt what causes aids - we are still learning how that vicious virus can be used to help. in a radical new approach to cancer treatment. good evening, thanks for joining us, i'm joie chen. chicago is recovering from a violent weekend leaving nine dead and at least 36 injured, including children. underscoring what folks on the streets say - warm weather brings more violence. flying in the face of what the police say, that record crime is

down. a debate heats up over whether crime is up or down. a brutal gang war is underway on the streets on the streets and online. how social media and hip hop may fuel attentions. >> violence over the weekend has residents feeling anxious. >> you can't come to the park without in happening. my kids should be able to come into the community without being worried about violence. it needs to stop. >> violent crime in the city is down this year, compared to last. not by much. a marsh reality for police recruits as they graduated this week. >> a bad week. >> it doesn't wipe out what happened over the last two years, it's a wake-up call that we have a lot of work to do. >> mccarthy says a programme of police and more boots on the ground helped the city. it was not enough to save gakirah barnes, one of 14 minors killed since the beginning of

the year. while the family mourns her lose. police and neighbours say it could be part of a problem, a hip hop fuelled gang war that is rage k, even as mayor rob emanuel boasts crime as at a low. gakirah barnes was identified as being a member of gangster disciples, a street gang that "america tonight" sat with last summer. >> marlsburg pop, shotgun. people, 40, smith and wesson, we have to do it to survive. >> you'd kill someone to survive? >> hell, yes. if it came to that, me or him. >> it's estimated that there are over 75 street gangs in chicago, with more than 200,000 armed members. over the last decade arrest of top leaders led to a fracturing of members on the streets. no one is in charge any more. on the south and west, there can

be warring clicks on every block. >> it's easy to get a gun. it's crazy, a million different groups. everybody against everybody. >> where are we now? >> we start cermak, komak, west side of chicago, cape town, we kick it back, smoke, drink, a block where we come together. >> how far do you have to walk before you are in someone else's territory. >> pass the tracks over there. three blocks going that way you'll be in the mexican neighbour hood. >> would it be dangerous for you to go three blocks that way? . >> i won't go through there by myself. they are waiting to catch, kill, rob somebody. that's what happens if you walk, me being smart, knowing that i'm not superman. >> bill and his crew call themselves the k town gangsters, an affiliation with a

large street gang, the gangster disiples. they are part of a hip hop scheme where gangs produce videos to claim territory and intimidate rivals. alvin elmore is a prolific video director. most artists are secure mainstream hip-hop preoccupation with wealth and success, for a gritty depiction of life in chicago. >> if it was all put together. it would be born. yes. >> you get the drill. >> authentic? >> yes. >> they are all dead now. >> three guys in this video that you made. >> they are dead. >> they are all dead. >> they are dead, yes. >> how many videos have you made. >> i'm thinking over 200. >> is most of your clients part of the clicks.

>> most rappers are gank officers in chicago. >> yep. >> most are gangsters. >> most of your clients are gangsters. >> yes. the whole world wants to be a rapper. used to be to get out of the hood you want to be a basketball player. >> it's easy, because you have to think about this. you don't have to have musical skills or anything to be a rapper. people get out of gaol. and they can wrap. >> many of the music videos, like this one from a click called the danny mob show members brandishing real guns and depicting execution-type killings. >> from almost every gang click in the city, there's a wrapper like will who is the public face, relating the block and taking on the game of calling out rivals online.

[ ♪ music ]. >> let me show you something. see this. this is gd here. >> gangster disiples. they throwing it up. let's say this is a gang town. if a person don't like you. they do this. >> they take your gang's name and put it upside down. >> look what he doing, dropping it, putting it up-i had down. they are bds. >> black disiples. what is the result of that. >> somebody goes and sees the video and they are looking for him. he disrespecting us. >> this video has 3.5 million hits. if you say something about me, and everyone see that, you disrespected me. if you disrespect me, i can't let you get away with disrespect me, you have to retaliate. it's sad but when you are in those neighbourhoods, you have nothing to live for, that means a lot for you.

>> in the studio with il-will, if they weren't in the boot, they were on their smartphones, tweeting, sharing instagram. >> why is the feuding on facebook and twitter leading to more violence in the streets. >> people are crazy sometimes for nothing. >> makes them feel like superman. it's a call. >> internet gangsters. >> yes. >> you say something about someone on facebook, twitter, far all these people to see, people who no nothing about you. it's like he try find me out. he disrespect me for all the people to see. don't know what they want to feel like. >> are you having words with somebody on instagram now? >> yes. [ bleep ]. >> what is that about? >> unloading.

when i see you on the streets, bang, bang. that comes around. >> he's threat nipping to shoot you. >> yes. >> we sat with a member of the gangster disiples, who is sending words after someone insulted the pictures he september. >> you have to defend yourself. >> you'd kill someone over this. >> yes, what are you supposed to do. you have to get it out. >> you have to kill the piece of cancer. >> yes. >> out here, the value of life is deteriorating. you know. it's like - it doesn't have as much value. you see someone die and then the person they laugh about it on twitter, it's like this person is not going to breathe any more. >> have you been involved in making a video where people brag about killing someone. >> yes, they do it all the time.

a lot of people brag about how they are a cancer, killing people. i didn't believe it, but the death toll is so high. maybe they are telling the truth. >> i'm on the social net quark. some love it, some hate. people talk smack about me online all the time. that's something i have to live and deal with. i don't go out and kill them. >> you ain't in the same business. you get your pay check. >> you feel your name is your livelihood. >> yes. >> is it worth losing your life over. >> i ain't going to lose my life. i'll protect myself, he needs to know how to protect himself. >> shortly after the interview with the gangster disiple. he brandished a gun in a young man's face and threatened to kill him. he was arrested. after gakirah barnes death, a haunting photo of her pointing her hand like a gun was posted to instagram. a steady stream of comments followed, promising revenge.

>> con the violence and numbers, chicago police department and mayor's office claim homicide rates were at a low. a chicago magazine say it might be due to manipulation of records. we asked about the report. the response the department september to "america tonight". . >> we look indepth at the issue with dr eli silverman, professor at john jay college of criminal justice at university of new york and co-dollar of "the crime numbers game - management by manipulation", you were in no

way involved in the chicago magazine report. you this is not the first time you heard the accusations. >> no, we have - my colleague and i have been hearing this for a couple of years from people in chicago, as well as elsewhere. in reference to chicago, the blams made in that chicago magazine have an agreed deal of authenedisty surrounding them whatever the readers digest version of the chicago magazine is that they are reclassifying things that should be classified as murders to killings or deaths, right. >> death investigation. it's part of an overall top-down pressure to make the crime statistics look the most favourable to the public when they, in fact, may not be. the pressure comes from the political and police leadership not only to change homicide but

other statistics. an inspector general report found 24% of assaults and batteries were undercounted because they counted multiple victims as one victim in one incident. there's a range of lemna domain going on there and else were. >> why does a city want to change numbers? why is that important to a city? well, it's important in terms of public imaging. a new mayor comes in, there's a high level of coim. a new mayor brings in a commissioner coming from the new york city police department, where we documented similar kinds of manipulation and comes in and says the numbers have to decrease. and in the beginning it's easy to decrease the numbers legitimately, because if the force has not been active and

smart enough, it's like losing weight. in the beginning it's easy to lose weight. after shedding the pounds, it's harder to lose additional weight. you become creative, and the pressure comes from the top and radiates throughout the department. and this is chaired with us with members of the department. they are not happy about that. >> i understand that. eli silverman from the john jay college of criminal justice and graduate center. thank you for being with us. >> coming up next - caged and confused. the trial of al jazeera journalists in egypt - with worldwide calls for justice - how the judicial process continues to follow a twisted path. and disturbing images of a war so often hidden from view. vicious attacks in south sudan. encouraged through state radio broadcasts. a turn in the violence, and what is ganned it.

>> by now we had hoped to report to you that our colleagues, journalist for the al jazeera media network in egypt would have been freed. for more than 115 days they have

been held in an egyptian prison and despite claims they were doing their job, they have faced a month-long trial. the latest appearance was supposed to be the last opportunity for prosecution to present evidence. now it appears the ordeal will continue. >> even the judge said he had a hard time hearing what was said. in the recordings the prosecution offered up as we haved. on their sixth appearance, once against im caged, peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed along with students not connected to the network could not have been surprised to again see evidence with little connection to the charges against them, ipp colliding a documentary peter greste produced for another network and a video about sheep farming. the journalists have been accused of supporting the banned muslim brotherhood, the party of

the deposed president. the current government says it's a terrorist group. the journalists and the network denied the charges. the men have been held since december. mohamed fadel fahmy spoke of health problems. >> i want my arm to return to normal. if you may, i repeat to yurn, if there is a -- yurn, if there is a possibility i'll be transported to a private hospital at my expense, because the prison treatment is a problem. i am sure yourn will not be pleased if my arm stops working. >> judicial people say the proceedings are fair and transparent. after some journalists took photos durin se journalists too photos during a recess, they were all kicked out of the journalists fear they could be the targets next. it was aired in social media. >> and another:

>> and the trial has been adjourned again until may 3rdrdrd. now a story almost too grew stom report, but one that is so shocking that we can hope to bring an end to a war in south sudan, a massacre of hundreds of men, women and children, allegedly by rebels fighting to overthrow the government. sheila macvicar with details. >> images are horrific. days after the mass anger bodies litter the streets. hundreds are dead, many killed where they sheltered in a mosque. others in a hospital and a church. there was no sanctuary. >> there were many dead bodies, construction equipment was used to move them. al jazeera correspondent anna cavell reached bentiu.

the stench of death was overwhelming, even for the soldiers standing guard. according to the government of south sudan, the preps of rebels in the town is an indication of responsibility for the mass anger. >> the victims, including women and children were mostly ethnic dinka, those that refused to support the rebel forces. united nations says hate speech was broadcast on local radio stations, telling certain groups to leave the town and urging men to rape women. a speaks woman for the u.n. mission we reached by skype, joe contreras. >> we have not been able to reach individuals perpetrating these issues. we don't know whether the individuals who worried out the atrocities are physically in bentiu or may have moved on. the u.n. is sheltering more than 20,000 people, some survivors.

the violence, say u.n. officials, was deliberate and targeted. >> i think what we have seen in the mosque and other parts of town is very, very heartwrenching. certainly atrocities have been committed on a significant scale. >> south sudan is a country formed when it voted to breakaway from sudan in 2011. it's heavily supported by the u.s. it is one of the world's poorest. it is rich in oil. >> bentiu is the capital of the oil-rich unity state. the town changed hands since violence broke out. eight of the countries have been affected by violence and the internally displaced. close to a million fled to their homes. the vast majority are sheltering in the bush, vulnerable to hunger and conflict. the roots are a power struggle

between the president and former vice president. both represent different groups, the origin of the nature. what does the u.n. think the way forward is. what is the next thing that needs to happen to protect the civilians. >> the first thing is for the main parties to honour the cessation of hostilities, that they signed of their own free will. unfortunately that agreement has been violated in nearly three months. >> it's a disturbing story. sheila macvicar we are talking about food used as a weapon. there's two paths to death. there's ethnic cleansing and massacre which we have seen and repeated elsewhere. and then there is the problem of feeding a population, where there's an long-going civil war.

this is the time to plant. people cannot get into their field. they are away from their homes. if they cannot plant, then the u.n. and other agencies warn there is a real risk of a very terrible problem. in terms of food insecurity and starvation. one that could rival what happened in ethiopia in the 1980s, in a dreadful famine. >> is there hope of a resolution? >>. >> there's supposed to be peace talks going in ababa. they've been postponed. there's no resolution. the potential is asking for the current president to step aside and they want a new government. they are refusing that. both sides are digging in, there's no prospects for talks. >> not a good sign. thank you veech sheila macvicar. after the break - short-changed again. >> being falsely incarcerated for something i didn't do, i didn't put the city in the

situation they are in now. i think it's a little unfair. >> a bankrupt detroit faces creditors big and small. j some waited -- why some who waited years for the city to pay up may find itself holding the bag. a note as to what is on the next programme - the faces and fears behind the shirts on our back. >> i want my co-worker, the children who lost their mothers and fathers to receive compensation. if i receive compensation, if my co-worker receive compensation, i want it for all of us, that we should be able to get by a little better. >> a year after the garment industry's worst disaster, a survivor relives the tragedy in bangladesh, and campaigns to save others. on the next programme, thursday on "america tonight". . and a programming note for our viewers. tune in to al jazeera presents "borderland." a new original series about average americans seeing the

realities of illegal immigration. they retrace the footsteps of those that made a run for the border, but didn't make it. wednesday nine eastern at al jazeera america.

>> a snapshot of stories making

headlines on "america tonight" - a series of funerals held in south korea for victims. ferry disaster. the number of bodies recovered has climbed to at least 121. more than 180 remain missing. in ukraine vice president joe biden met with the country's prime minister. and promised support for the embattled country. the vice president called on russia to pull back forces and stop prove ebbing unreft in eastern -- provoking unrest. it's believed that russia's special forces are behind the unrest informant east, a claim russia denies. affirmative action dealt a below. in 2006 voters supported a changes to the state's constitution that prohibited public institutions from taking act of race in administrations decisions much the latest decision voids a ruling that found the constitutional change

discriminatory. on to detroit's bankruptcy case, problems so monumental that the new york judge tasked a consulting team to follow a case. pensioner and retirees have been pitted against bond holders and financial institutions in a bitter battle over who will emerge the least scathed by detroit's debt. there's another group of people who are forgotten in the fight. creditors who are casualties through no fault of their open, and with little means to do anything about it. that report in "america tonight" investigation. >> reporter: this may look like a family moment, but for dwayne it was a moment he was denied for almost a decade when he was in prison for a murder he didn't commit. it's a nightmare that began 14 years ago. >> i thought i was pulled over

for a traffic stop. i seen cops jumping on the car with guns, raised up at my car, told me to keep my hands on the steering wheel. i'm getting smashed out the dar n. >> detroit police arrested dwayne for the murder of rene hunter. a local drug dealer. >> i didn't know anything about him. never met him. i thought it was a mistake and thought it would be cleared up. >> instead the case went to stril. >> can you state your name please? >> larry jerome wiley. >> larry jerome wiley - the prosecution's only witness was a homeless man who did handiwork in dwayne's neighbourhood and accused dwayne three months after the murder when he was arrested for a break-in. >>. >> i heard guilty of second degree murder. after that it's like everything went blank. it was like an out of body

experience. >> dwayne, a 26-year-old father of three, who had ner been to prison before was sentenced to between 32 and 62 years. >> it was very, very, very hard. you know, it was very hard. i broke down plenty of times in prison. i'm scratching my head saying wow, by the time i get out my kids will be grown, have kids of their own. is this reality for me? >> dwayne appealed his conviction with no result. then a group of law students from the university of michigan's innocence unit got involved. they found police notes contradicting police testimony. they never got to the prosecution or the defense team. >> this is evidence that shows that the person who has been arrested didn't do it, ex-cull pattery evidence or something that might empeach the credibility of a witness. >> wolfgang mueller is dwayne's civil attorney. if that had been used in the trial, would dwayne have been

convicted? >> no, i think frankly if the prosecutor had seen it, he would have dismissed the case. that's how powerful that was. had they been turned over to dwayne's defense counsel, a rookie lawyer could have got an acquittal in this case. >> there was another important revelation from the key witness larry jerome wiley. can you tell us what happened on march 24th, 2000, at pembroke avenue and green field road. >> no, i can't, i was not there. >> larry jerome wiley made a charge. he said he was coached by the detroit police officer leading the investigation. soon after a judge threw out dwayne's conviction. after nearly is decade in prison dwayne as free. >> it was a happy day of my life, a day that i was - i dreamt of, one day i would walk out the doors. >> the city he returned to was completely different to the detroit he remembered. >> when i got out of prison it

was a big culture shock. it was like "what the hell happened?" like someone dropped a bomb on the city. >> he began to put his life back together and found a lawyer to sue the city and officer who led the investigation. in the summer of 2011 a settlement panel looked at the case. >> the pan 'em with experience of probably 70 years doing nothing but civil rights cases decided the case was worth $5 million. >> the city rejected the amount. the case was headed for more negotiation or into court. >> we were right there at the goal line. >> but less than a month later... . >> the city of detroit made history not in a good way, becoming the largest city to file for bankruptcy. >> with the bankruptcy, dwayne's case stopped in its tracks, so

too 500 others. filed by citizens with grievances, with no place at the table in high-stakes negotiations over the bankruptcy. one is 72-year-old jessie payne. she is happiest with her grandkids. days in church had been the mainstay for jessie her entire loof. >> to get around the motor city she used the bus. two years ago she took the bus that changed her life >> i started across the street to go to the doctor's office. as i started, the bus backed over me and i fell to the ground. and when i look down at my leg,

it was split open, it looked like maggots was crawling in my leg. >> when jessie woke up, she was in the hospital. >> i didn't feel nothing. i couldn't feel lie legs. they told me they thought i would lose my legs. jessie was in the hospital for a year before moving to a rehabilitation home. she undergoes physiotherapy five days a week. >> i have pains today in my legs. i wake up at nights with pain in my legs. you should see the scars. >> jessie's injury is permanent. before the bankruptcy the city of detroit agreed to pay her. >> we have several judgments in this case, all of which are affected by the bankruptcy. it's roughly $3.5 million. >> jessie's lawyers at the sam bernstein were on the way to pick up the check when the city

halted the payment. now jessie's money is halted in bankruptcy law. >> we have a piece of paper, essentially, that needs to be converted into monetary challenge. in the bankruptcy process that's a complex process, unchartered territory for everyone government. >> the task of coming up with a plan for municipal bankruptcy falls to kevyn orr. his job is monumental. >> issues that we are talking about have been coming this way for 60 years. >> kevyn orr puts detroit adds debt and unfunded liable yes at a staggering 18 billion and pushes an aggressive plan of cuts and investments to change that. >> i don't want to do it. i'm here to make the hard call. that's my job. >> detroit had been in decline for years. but it wasn't until the bankruptcies that individual

creditors started to take a hit. in every bankruptcy there are losers. in this one some may suffer more than others. under the current plan, police officers and firefighters could get 100% of pensions. creditors like jessie and dwayne get as little as 20%. >> what does that mean for jessie? >> that means she's not fairly compensated. jessie payne is not a sophisticated wall street bank or large bond holder. she's a woman walking in a parking lot, got hit by a city bus and deserves to be paid fairly. >> banks, bond holders and pension funds, often blamed for contributing to detroit's decline, have a seat at the negotiating table. jessie and dwayne who did nothing to hurt the city do not. >> being falsely incars raid, i didn't put the city in the situation it's in now. i think it's a little unfair.

>> has the city reached out to you about negotiating or having input in how claims like dwayne's are treated. >> no, you can't get a city lawyer on the phone. ever sips the city of detroit fired bankruptcy, the lawyers will not return an email, call, bankruptcy lawyers will not return a call. not my call. >> they didn't return our calls either, despite reported requests, kevyn orr would not comment for the story. they are taking meetings, they are in negotiations with bond holders, unions and retiree groups. >> that's where the focus is. pensioners have a lot of attention because of unions. other people, like dwayne, don't have that because they don't have a union behind them. >> gaip's story -- dwayne's story has a costly twist. whilst in prison he was billed for child support. >> the only time they cut it off, 8.5 years when i was in

prison they woke up "he's in prison, let's stop it." at that time i was not - almost $100,000 in debt in child support. >> under michigan law, he'll owe that amount. dwayne's only hope is to get back what he feels the city owes him. >> right now i'm basically riding a wave to see how all this will pan out. >> if you could tell kevyn orr anything, what would you say to them? >> if i could just tell kevyn orr anything, i know he's doing a job he has to do to get the city up and viable, and i applaud him for that. if i can speak to kevyn orr, i'd let him know, you know, give us a little more meat on the bone so we can feel vindicated for what we went through. >> as azmat khan reported, there are more than 500 other cases involving lawsuits ranging from police abuse, employment

discrimination, unemployment dismissals. many have never told their stories publicly. kevyn orr, emergency manager, is yet to talk to them. who stands to lose the most. the city or citizens. jared ellias is a fellow at stamford law school and joins us. it seems the folks are owed a debt by the city, one that might change their lives, yet it's a possibility they'll get 20% of what they owe. how can it be? shouldn't the city want to pay it back? >> you only end up in bankruptcy if you can't pay the debt to everywhere. seems like these people will get the worst deal of anyone. >> because they are the little man on the totem pole? >> yes. >> seems like it's a substantial amount to them. >> that's right. substantial amount to them. i think you mentioned a civil

rights verdict of $5 million. in terms of the size of the city owing billions, they are not someone who matters very much. >> so in that case, if that's the case, wouldn't the emergency manager have the latitude to pay off all the debt to individuals like this, who have limited debt that the city owes them? >> he really could if he wanted to. he's probably restricted in his ability to do that, because the other creditors would get up and object. i can't imagine he would be popular with the bond holders. he could if he wanted to. there are way to do it. >> the unions in a situation like this would have greater bargaining power than individuals, even if a bunch of people were to band together. >> yes, the unions are owed billions collectively. they are well organised, they are putting up a united front and doing a good job of it.

the individuals - there are 500 of them in comparison to tens of thousands of retirees. they are not owed a lot of money as far as the city of detroit's bankruptcy goes. >> at this point, is there a chance that they would be able to come together and be able to be a bigger power in this, get more of the money they are owed? >> it would be really difficult at this point. the quay bankruptcy works -- way bankruptcy works is you become powerful negotiators. now, there's a deal that's on the table, that the bond holders and the banks are reaching increasing numbers are reaching, and the judge will be very, very reluctant to disturb the deal, to benefit the small constituency that is not important. >> bankruptcy expert, thank you jared ellias, for being with us. >> thank you. when we return - 30 years ago it was a virus only to be

feared. how doctors found another way to look at h.i.v. and how it could save lives. . >> this is a completely different way of treating cancer. it's not a drug, it's engineered cells. >> the unlikely effort to fight a killer with another.

>> it has been three decades since the discovery of the virus

that causes aids, there's no cure, aides researchers are more hopeful than ever, able to manipulate the virus to serve as a carrier for a gene that could turn a ruthless killer into a life saver. it's a similar approach that researchesers are using to fight leukaemia. >> for bob, a cyclist getting back on his bike is no small feat. last year the engineering executive was facing the end of the road. at this point were you preparing to die, getting a will ready. >> i think in 2012, it's one of the few things i did do. i actually worked on the will. pretty dismal year. >> a decade earlier, while based in singaore, a physical revealed he had a type of milan lucic, a cancer of -- leukaemia, a cancer

of the blood. >> what was your reaction? >> shocked. leukaemia, when you hear the word, the first question is when am i going to die? >> chemotherapy helped at first. the cancer came back with a vengeance, this time a nast year strap. >> it was more aggressive, moves faster, and i - i knew that. >> what went through your mind? >> boy, here we go again. his immune system was in such bad shape he wore is mask to avoid infection. you wore this wherever you went? >> yes, outside the house, in public any time. it's just on here, over the ears. bang. >> you were so worried about getting infected. >> any germs. i didn't want to get sick. >> by now he was getting blood transfusions every week. >> i am dying.

i'm living on transfusions at that point. and you can't live on transfusions forever. >> in january his time running out, bob levis decided on a hail mary, a radical new reach at the university of penns pennsylvania. >> to be eligible, you have to have no hope, no f.d.a.-approved therapy. bob had about five pounds of tumor, in his bop marrow and -- bone marrow and spleen and other org gans. >> dr carl june and researchers are treating leukaemia in a revolutionary way. taking t-cells from the sickest patients, then genetically engineering them to attack cancer. they do this by ipp fusing the t-cells with a form of the aids virus or h.i.v. that has been disabled so it cannot cause the disease. the newly engineered t-cells are

transfused back into the patient's blood. then the fighting beimmense. >> is there a war going op for your body? >> yes, it's a silent war. the sells are, you know, you see them under a microscope. the t-cells become what is called serial killer cells. they literally go from one tumor cell to the next and kill them. a few days after bob levis could feel the war raming within. >> my fever got up to probably above 104 and cycled a lot. i would be sweating the bed. my heart rate was the most amazing thing. it went up over if 100 beats per minute. and stayed there 24/7 for seven days. so i was racing. just boom, boom, boom, boom. >> but that meant the new killer cells were invading and

attacking. >> that's a whether or notted thing. >> with this -- good thing. >> it is with this therapy a good thing. it lasts a week or two. when it goes away the leukaemia has gone away. >> the year before the team at penn treated its first child, 6-year-old emily whitehead. >> she had days to weeks left. everything tried did not work. patients we treat are patients with no option for treatment. >> dr stephan grupp, a paediatric specialist took care of emily whitehead at children's hospital in philadelphia. >> at the time she came to us, leukaemia was out of control and not responding. >> was she destined to tie. >> there was no treatment option, and for patients like that, they do, unfortunately succumb to the disease. >> emily's blood was treated with the disabled form of virus.

the little girl grew sicker as the t-cells battled her cancer. she was as sick as she an be without dying. >> she what is in intensive care receiving marsh louse care and honestly at death's door. >> she was on life support, multiple organs were failing, she was coma toes, kidneys were not working. the family was told to gather in her relatives because she wasn't likely to survive to the next day: >> her doctors fought to keep her alive in the storm before the calm. on her seventh birthday emily whitehead woke from her coma. >> three weeks after giving her the t-cells we did a bone marrow test to look for cancer, there were no cancer cells in the body that we could detect, there never has been since. >> none at all. >> no cancer in her. >> weeks after his treatment, bob levis too had his bone marrow tested.

>> there's no more milan lucic. >> is that astounding to you? >> it was gratifying. >> bob and emily are not alone. in the penn trials 59 adults and children have been treated for end stage leukaemia. 31 experienced complete remissions. of those six have seen their leukaemia return. the results just published are preliminary, but encouraging. >> this is a completely different way of treating cancer. it's not a drug, it's actual engineered cells. they are growing within the patient, attacking the cancer wherever it is. >> is this a dream of researchers like you, to develop a therapy that lives on in the body? >> yes. i think that's the main attraction of cancer gene transfer therapy like this. the cells can live on for the rest of your life. >> the results are so promising, revolutionary that the swiss pharmaceutical giant nova scotia plans to -- novartis, plans to

build a research center on campus. the scientists believe it may fight other form of deadly cancer. meanwhile emily whitehead has returned to school, a smiling and healthy 8-year-old. bob levis is pruping his plum -- pruning his plum trees and taking on consulting work, his cancer behind him. >> it's amazing that something can happen that quickly. a miracle. just a miracle. a year ago i thought i was going to die. i was preparing to die. now, i'm planning forward again. numbering friend and family. >> so bob levis like others in the penn trial is back in the saddle - looking ahead to a healthier life, and no longer

staring at the end of the road. . that report from "america tonight"'s chris bury. chris tells us that, get this, bob levis has been cancer free for more than a year. little emily whitehead - she's been cancer free for more than two years. worth watching. ahead in the final thoughts of this hour, a spring disciplining in florida -- fling in florida, a project to bring back a little flower power.

finally on this earth day a bloom on the orchid. there are many exotic varieties, but some native species have begun disappear. how to spraut a future. here is natasha ghoneim. >> for many orchids are

enchanting, considered nature's perfection. they represent beauty and strength, love and luxury. these exotic showers bloomed across the state of florida. >> we have more orchids than any other place in the united states. we have about 100 different orchid species native to florida. >> today they are endangered, found in protected areas, such as here, the fairchild tropical botanic garden. a railroad over development, agriculture and people plucking delicate flowers off branches are to blame. fairchild is hoping to take it back to the 1800s, to a time when orchids were plentiful. >> we want the plant out where people can see and enjoy them. we think it's an interesting project in urban restoration. >> the goal is too plant it 1 million orchids over the n five years, and begins in a lab.

consistency of powder are plant. up to 1,000 grow inside. a shoot of green, until nine months later they are big enough to be removed from the bottle and grow in the nursery. they'll be glued on to branches of trees and within 3-5 years they'll bloom and look like this. this is the first time in the united states orchids have been planted in an urban environment. no one knows how they'll fair. you won't be looking down, you'll look up to ensure they thrive. the hope is by planting the orchids high above the grounds, along roads, schools and other buildings, the odds of survival will be greater. jane with audubon florida said the million orchid project will be beautiful. birds and bees will love the flowers. beyond that she is not sure it will have an impact on the environment. >> it's a nice thing to do,

promoting native plants. will it save the everglades, will it save florida's environment - i don't think so. >> the director of the fairchild says the goal is to give everywhere a chance to enjoy the beauty of orchids. eventually people who visit the garden will be given a free one, so they can enjoy the allure of the orchid. >> i still wouldn't be able to take care of them. that was al jazeera's natasha ghoneim reporting. that's it for us. please remember, if you would like to comment on the stories you have seen, log tonne the website aljazeera.com/americatonight. you can join the conversation on twitter or facebook. goodnight. see you again with more of "america tonight".

>> gun violence spreads fear and death threats over easter. the reverend jesse jackson joins us. does a new supreme court ruling mean the end of affirmative action. crushing numbers for the middle class has the u.s. trailing other nations. shakespeare turns 450 on wednesday - how many americans owe their names to