>> the show may be over, the conversation continues on the website. aljazeera.com/considerthis or facebook or consumer plus. see you next time. . good evening, everyone, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler, is affirmative action dead. the fall out from the supreme court ruling. what the decision means for minority, the law and getting into clem. dangerous cargo, trains carrying oil - the string of fiery derailments, and safety questions about the risks on the rails and beyond. home ward bound. if you think you have a tough commute, wait until you hear

about the journey of the mule deer. the longest animal migration. back to the future - underwater homes and moon cole jobbies - predictions that missed the mark and came true from the 1964 new york world's fair. >> and we begin with a supreme court ruling against affirmative action. in a 6-2 decision the court upheld michigan's ban on using race as a factor for administration to state universities. seven other states have similar bans. with the ruling many more may follow suit. what's now? in a moment i talk to former u.s. assistant attorney who helped to pave the way for affirmative action. first this report from bisi onile-ere. >> jennifer gratz has been

active on the issue since she was an applicant to the university of michigan in the 1990s. after being denied administration she sued over the affirmative action plan and won. in 2006 michigan voters passed a law barring publicly funded colleges. today jennifer gratz welcomed the high court's ruling. >> i think today's decision is a wonderful decision. it's a victory, personal and for the voters of michigan, and the issue of equality. >> the university released a statement reading in part: >> after the law took effect many mish gan colleges stepped up recruiting campaigns to attract minorities. the number of black and latino

students entering public universities dropped by a third in the years since the man. >> at the universities of michigan, 4.6% of undergraduates are african-americans, compared to 8.9% in 1995. michigan professor matthew countryman is a proponent of affirmative action for educational institutions and was a plaintiff in the case challenging the ban. >> this is now the law. it doesn't mean we can't be more creative and effective with better policies that will reverse the decline. >> california, florida, washington have four other states with similar bans. legislate ifs or institutions by executive order. the decision could open the door for other states to follow suit. >> now, stan pottinger served as assistant attorney-general for the department of justice and

joins us in new york. welcome. >> thank you. >> what is your reaction to the ruling today? >> my big reaction is that this is - this is more evidence that what we have created in the country is an education equivalent for the hunker games. what we set up is a notion that food and education are important to our survival. the problem is there's not enough places to get enough food in the hunger games and not enough places to get diplomas and education. we set up the middle class, white and black, against each other, so the wealthy in the country, the kids of oprah winfrey, if she had some, will smith and michael jordan, no problem. same for the kids of bill gates, warren buffet and hedge funds manager, no problems. but the middle class kids have to fight each other - some live,

some die. and the supreme court is doing its job, it's doing the best it can do with the situation. it's taking a case that comes to it, it doesn't look for it, but they are the last institution in america that should be fixing the problem. until education is in a supposition in urban areas that let's kids compete, whether they are white or black, with each other. you'll have affirmative tinkering, action this way and that. we'll go on with this. >> what of the argument that students say i have my scores, i have good grades, i have better grades than an african american student that got in. what do you say to the students? >> depends what you are trying to achieve. if you gone on the basis of s.a.t.s, the white kid may have an advantage because he may have a better preparation below. if you are - on the other hand, if you say education

institutions are supposed to develop kids and graduation into society, you can't separate men's into different groups based on race, colour and sex. depends on what your objective is. if you are a tester and about testing and believe tests predict ability, not just to be tested but ability to perform in society. let it go, that's the end of it. i don't think it's remotely what the country is about. >> does this decision take the country back as separate and unequal. >> not that far. it's more limited. it says that a state can, through popular vote, deny public institutions the ability to use race as one basis for inclusion. you may remember the fisher case in texas says affirmative action was appropriate if race was one

of many factors. you can't use it as the sole factor. that would be wrong. you can take it into account and say that the experience of black and hispanic kids has something to offer to society as a hole. and therefore you can take that into account. even though you have to have good and passable grades. that's especially stayed the same. the court food said if the population of a particular state wants to stop the process of limited affirmative action, they may do so. >> is the case closed. >> yes, this particular case is closed. >> i don't mean this, i mean affirmative action. >> i don't think so. you'll find more creativity again. it's a game going back and forth. um find universities that believe there should be diversity. we'll find ways to bring in urban kids, not because they are black, but they live in urban centres.

they'll say "that's incidental. we are not doing it because they are black, we are bringing in urban kids in farmers. they are saying that's what we are doing, we are not taking race impact. it will be tested and the supreme court will have to come up with an iteration of how to divide the pie when it should be the congress and people of the states and country that should deal with this. >> stan good to see you. another supreme court case which has not been decided, is being argued. it could change the way we watch television. lisa stark has that store yiment >> aereo changes the way customers watches international over the internet. it represents an antenna, and they can watch dvr from what they store on a cloud. it's targeted to people that

don't want to watch or pay for a cable channel but want the local station. airo is not paying broadcasters such as a.b.c., nbv or c.b.s., and they say it violates copyright laws. >> i think what is at stake is the nature of broadcast information as we know it. >> aereo, which is two years old, available in 11 cities argues it's not jilenting content, but renting equipment - the tinny antennas. >> the issue is whether consumers have a right to have an antenna and d.d.r., and make copies of over the air broadcast television. it should be infringed by moving the antepa and d.d.r. to the cloud. >> the justices seemed conflict. chief justice john roberts said the technical model seems

designed to circumvent copyright. but justice brier worried about finding against it and what it meant for cloud industry. a thought echoed by supporters of airyox. >> it's hard to draw a distinction between aerio and crowd services and internet based services that are now unquestionably legal. >> because of the concern, the justices write a narrow decision, if they rule against aereo, so they don't impact cloud computing services. aereo says if it loses it, it may have to close up shop. if broadcasters lose, they are threatening to move programming off the network to pay cable stations. a decision from the court expected in june. >> coming up, we'll tell you about what might be the most fascinating supreme court case. it's a fight over, of all

things, pomegranate juice, and the outcome could have a far-reaching impact on food and drink. that is ahead. >> the president is on air force one on the way to japan. a first stop in week one. it's an asian-formed policy trip. attention on the nuclear programme and regional conflict. we have more from mike viqueira, travelling with the president. >> first stop for president obama, japan, where rising nationalism raised alarms in washington and south korea and washington and china. >> now a high-stakes dispute between japan and china over a set of remote islands threatens to become a live fire conflict. >> what could generate through a mistake or miscalculation into conflict first of all between japan and china. because of our alliance relationship with japan, the

united states confirmed that we were beyond china's side. south korea, among 30,000 forces. seen in joint exercises. they serve as a trip wire. on a possess peninsula technically at war. >> kim jong un - the erratic pattern of confirmation continues. china is its closest ally. china says it has last focus. >> unfortunately at this point discussion and engage. is seen as reward. we need to get over that in the united states. north korea needs to remain high on the priority list. it has nuclear weapons. >> some day mr obama arrives in malaysia, criticism around the tragedy led to resentment. as the search ends for the missing plane.

>> some of the accuse at tri statements. it harms china's soft power and makes the neighbours desirous of a strong u.s. president. we have to respond to that. >> last stop, the philippines. locked in a bitter dispute with china, this over another set of islands, the spratt lis, parts of which are claimed by six nations to china's south. >> they have problems with the neighbours. everywhere they have problems, they find the u.s. cultivating new friends. they see this as a fundamentally constraining attempt. >> as china continues to broaden its power and influence, the president's trip has an influence. >> this is about reassurance and letting china know that we are committed in the region, and letting them know that china's neighbours want us there. the mission to tip the scales in the rebalance to asia. on each stop along the way,

rising china looms large. >> now, the president's last stop before heading to asia was oso washington, where 41 mr killed in a mudslide. allen schauffler, who has been covering the story joins us from oso washington. obviously we are having difficulty with allen schauffler's audio, we'll try to get back to him in a little while. the disaster in washington triggered memories of another deadly mud slide, john hendren reports, people living in a californian community fear it could happen again. >> it took 15 seconds for the earth to swallow the latter of la conchita. in january 2005 a 100 years

tomorrow, 26 inches of rain in 16 days unloosed the hillside. mike bell remembers a mountain of earth descended on the town. >> it breaks our heart for the people in washington. we absolutely understand how helpless you feel, knowing that relatives and friends can be buried up there, and you don't know where they are. >> the la conchita slide stopped at ernie's house. >> that is your house there. >> yes, this one here right across the street. >> so these - that one is crushed here. these are gone. >> yes. >> these are gone. this one here, and this one here. see this big dirt here. bulldozer digging. it came down in a pitch level like that. >> with the landscape of still-buried homes and tributes to the dead.

la conchita bears many resemblance to the slide in washington. it was forewarned, proceeded by a smaller slide and geologists say it's almost certain to happen again. >> the community is at risk for deep-seated land slide and debris flows. we don't have an avenue to move them. >> in 1995 contractors built at wall 20 feet high. 10 years later another landslide took down the right side of the hill and the wall came down like a house of cards. >> officials say the wall was never designed to stop the major slide. to make the hill safe a study concluded it would cost $56 million. >> the county has done nothing to fix the hill. >> it remains as it was after the slide. >> what the study said was this

hill will fail again, it will fail in the same location, and it will fail for the same reasons. the dirt is too steep for the mountain, for the hillside. >> residents learnt if they pressed the government, you can get a study done, but not the safeguards the study recommends. now they help themselves. they wait, watch for heavy rains, and prepare to leave in a hurry. >> john hendren, al jazeera. >> as we mentioned in washington state today, the president visited the family members of the victims in oso washington. allen schauffler is back with us and hopefully has his audio worked out to tell us more about the president's visit. >> i hear you loud and clear. the president brought a big morale boost to the valley. he got a chance to get up in the air and look at the oso slide, a mud slide that's about a mile

square. 70 to 80 feet deep in places, a remarkable force of nature that blew down out of the mountains, killing 41 people at this point. still a couple of people out there missing. he had a chance after landing, after the aerial tour to talk do 60 first responders, local firefighters from the station in this valley, who have been putting in so much time, and talked to relatives or people, rather, who had lost property and lost loved ones in the slide. >> i have to say that the families that i met with showed incredible strength and crays through unimaginable pain and difficulty. uniformly though, they wanted to say thank you to the first responders. they were deep lip appreciative of the efforts that everybody has made. i know that many of the first responders have heard that directly, but it doesn't hurt to

repeat that we are appreciative of what you've done. >> doesn't hurt at all to repeat that for the folks. we talk to the emergency workers, local firefighters after they had a chance to meet the president. one said his politics, personal beliefs couldn't be further from barack obama's, and couldn't be more honoured to have the president there to shake his hand and spend time with him. it was a boost for him and others in the area. >> thank you once again. coming up, danger on the tracks. tanker cars, old rail whiches and the rick of a catastrophe. what is being done to make the trains safe. >> power up. one university assigned for technology. what is being used to light up the campus.

zeina khodr . now to a developing story

about the dangers of transporting crude oil by train. look at this exploded. a train deroyaled, exploded causing a town to evacuate. the amount of crude oil transported by rail is up. 440% sips 2005. according to the national transportation safety board. it's holding a series of hearings about oil trains and safety. on thursday the secretary of transportation is scheduled to visit the site of the north dakotas explosion. reporter rob davis of the oregonian is joining us to talk about it. he has written about oil train safety. welcome. >> thank you. >> what have you learnt about dash in your writing, what have you learnt about the safety of the trains that surprised you? >> well, fundamentally they are not as safe as they could be. it's been discovered after the

fact. there has been an increase in the amount of oil moving by rail. 8,000 tank cars in 2006. 400,000 tank cars moving oil last year, going through communities in oregon and across the country, catching regulators firefighters, public officials and regulators. >> is it the tanks or how they are driven? >> it's a combination of a couple of things. the tank cars that are moving the oil were designed decades ago. they are not safe as they could be. newer ones are available. cars are not modern. oil drawn out of north dakota is saturated with more flammable gas. people distinct think crude oil

could explode until it did in the trains. >> how do the communities along the rail that carries the trains and oil - how do they respond to this? >> i think with a fair bit of alarm. there was an accident in july, in quebec. an oil train crashed in the middle of an up to, killing 47, levelled part of the town. you know, for oil by rail, that was its version of the exxon val deez. it mobilized regulation to address oil moving in tankers. the question now is whether states and the federal government are going to mobilize in the same way to address the risks of oil moving. what information do folks have. if you see an explosion, obviously the train tracks are carrying oil.

if you don't have a problem, how do you find outside whether oil is coming by or through your neighbourhood. >> rail roads are secretive. it has been very difficult for me to learn what is moving around oregon. i have been reporting about this for months and am still fighting the department of transportation about the amount of oil mogg around. no one wants to talk about it. >> is it for security reasons? >> they say that, but it's moving in mile-long trains in public areas with a label saying it's crude oil. it's not moving in secret. >> in your opinion, it's not safety versus security. >> no, i think that the community where this oil is moving has a faddal right to know what is a mogg through the communicate -- moving through the community. firefighters need to know what is a moving so

they can respond to an accident. it's difficult for us to pry the information loose to find out what is moving in one state in the country. >> states and local fire departments don't have any idea there may be a train carrying this hazardous material. >> they didn't know it was coming. they are aware now. they know they are here. they were here for nine months before anybody knew what they were moving or the potential for it to explode oil will continue. there's a proposal to build in the north-west of the we are in the early stages of figuring it out. >> great to have you on the

programme. >> coming up, fruit juice fight, about a pomegranate drink, and it's going all he way to the u.s. supreme court. we'll tell you why. the thrilling view of the future at the 964 new york's world at the 964 new york's world fair. [ grunting ]

i'm taking off, but, uh, don't worry. i'm gonna leave the tv on for you. and if anything happens, don't forget about the new xfinity my account app. you can troubleshoot technical issues here. if you make an appointment, you can check out the status here. you can pay the bill, too. but don't worry about that right now. okay. how do i look? ♪ thanks. [ male announcer ] troubleshoot, manage appointments, and bill pay from your phone. introducing the xfinity my account app. xfinity watchathon week was the biggest week in televisionhone. history. but just when you thought it was over... what now? with xfinity on demand you can always watch the latest episodes of tv's hottest shows. good news. like hannibal... chicago fire.... ...and bates motel. the day after they air. xfinity on demand. all the latest episodes. all included with your service. it's like hi-fiving your eyeballs. xfinity...the future of awesome.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. much more to come this half hour. vladimir putin's backyard putin's troops heading to eastern europe. what is in the bottle that says it's pomegranate juice. the supreme court weighs in. taking the long way home. the journey of wyoming's mule dear. first, richelle carey with the top stories in the briefing. >> a landmark decision by the supreme court stood in a 6-2

ruling. the court uphead a michigan amendment banning affirmative action. the justices found states have the rights to decide whether you public university should take race into account when accepting students. president obama is in the air on the way to japan, for the first stop of its week-long foreign policy. an issue, a tense standoff over who controls a set of remote islands. on the agenda, the nuclear threat posed by north korea. >> the country is thinking about all of it. and has been throughout the tragedy. >> before he left for asia the president stopped in oso washington, where 41 tide in a mudslide -- died in a mudslide. he met with families of those people and offered support. he took a tour of the areas devastated by the mudslide. it's the one month of that horrible tragedy. >> tonight the ukraine crisis.

the nation's acting president ordered military action against pro-russian separatist. the confrontation is growing and there's now development. a local politician was found dead, with signs of being tortured. barnaby phillips reports from kiev. >> the day began with an american show of support. any government in a desperate situation as ukraine's would be grateful for america's backing. vice president joe biden was warmly received. the vice president and ukraine's acting prime minister had tough words for russia. >> no nation - no nation has the right to simply grab land from another nation. no nation has that right. and we will never recognise russia's illegal occupation of crimea, and neither will the

world. >> translation: russia should stick to the international commitment and obligations. we demand russiafulful its obligations and not behave like gangsters. >> americans are promising more support. to tep ukraine reduce dependence on russia's gas. that will take time, something that the government in kiev does not have. the latest news from the east is ominous. in the city of slovyansk, pro-russian groups fear an attack by government forces after ukraine's acting president oleksandr turchynov said the body of a local politician, tortured and murdered was found near the city. he blamed russia for the killing. >> oleksandr turchynov called for a resumption of anti-terrorist activities

against armed pro-russian groups. they had been suspended over the easter holiday period. the geneva agreements intended to de-escalate the crisis is in danger of unravelling before it was implemented. >> vice president joe biden encouraged the ukrainian government with the strong language. he has gone home to washington, leaving the ukrainians to deal with that powerful neighbour to the east. >> and it appears the u.s. is sending a message to russia, that in the form of a bigger military presence in eastern europe. rosalind jordan has that story. >> the u.s. military is taking a unilatserral action to shore up the defences of four states which share a common border with russia. poland, latvia, lithuania and estonia get 150 power trappers

from the 173rd airborne, part of the army based in vin chensa. all will conduct infantry exercises with the local military counterparts for the next four weeks. it will continue over the foreseeable future. more on the programme. this is rear-admiral john kirby, a pentagon spokes personal. >> russia's aggression in ukraine renewed resolve to strengthening n.a.t.o.'s defense plan and capabilities, and reinforcing n.a.t.o. allies in central and eastern europe. a company-sized contingent of paratroopers from the u.s. army's 173rd infantry brigade combat team, airborne, based in vin chensa will arrive in poland to begin exercises. >> this does not mean that the u.s. is trying to go it alone.

in the states with a border with russia, he says that when n.a.t.o. comes up with a set of exercises and deployments, that it feels that it should take as an alliance, that the u.s. will be front and center, taking part in the exercises. the uss "taylor" is in the black sea for a routine visit as well. >> retired brigadier general mark kimmitt talked to us from d.c. he was the assistant secretary of state in the george w. bush administration and i asked what message america is sending with the military exercises in eastern europe? >> well, i think it's sending two messages. it's unfortunate that neither that we need to send. number one, that we are willing to put 100 me in a couple of countries to defend the borders of n.a.t.o. that we are willing to put troops in not - in only those

countries to which we have a treaty obligation. i don't see how it sends a message to vladimir putin with regards to ukraine. i don't the see what it sends at all. >> what would you do? >> we have to understand that russia has done this either as a soviet union or russia for years and years. they attack hungary in the "50s, wept choo czech in the '60s, the list has gone on and on. russia tried to expand bored erts to provide territorial application. if we want to send a message of deterrence and not provocation, my recommendation would be to put american troops inside of ukraine. >> they put the forces is attempted to expand the border in crimea, right. >> they have. >> that's why it's important to understand that crimea, which did have a historical

affiliation with russia, that's as far as it goes, and the russians cannot use the current antagonism between east and west as an excuse to innovate further. >> you say that's as far as it goes, else what? >> else i would expect that if the situation deteriorates any further inside of ukraine, absolute jip will see it -- vladimir putin will see it as a reason and provocative action to send his troops on the border of ukraine upped the guise of restoring stability and order, but restoring ukraine into the territorial sovereignty of russia. >> let me push back. if the u.s. puts forces on the ground in ukraine, is the united states flirting with world war with russia? >> we have 12,000 troops going to bed-sitting on the boarder between north korea and south korea. the reason north korea doesn't

invade the south is they understand that they are not just going against south korea, but the united states of america. they have 300,000 troops along the east german border, and because of the deterrent effect the russians never came further. it's the deterrent effect we are seeking to send to vladimir putin, that message, not one of provocation. >> what if the deterrent doesn't work? then what? >> i see no examples in history where it doesn't work. i don't think vladimir putin is irrational. he is taking what is given to him. any time someone pushes back, he pulls back himself. >> fascinating discussion. i'd like to continue it in the future. thank you. >> and we want to get back to the supreme court cases heard this week. one that is not getting a lot of attention is dispute over fruit juice. richelle carey is back to tell

us this story. i'm interested in this. i don't know about it. it sounds interesting. >> it is. it's a particular juice drink that is key to this. one that has us taking notice. a question for them and you - is it the real thing. >> in product is front and center before the supreme court, called mg maid pomegranate blueberry flavoured blend of five juices. the emphasis is on pomegranate and blueberry. the ingredient list tells a different story. 99% of the drink comes from other fruit and vege tables, mostly apples and grapes. 0.3% is pomegranate, 0.2 blueberry, not going over well with pom wonderful, selling a drink that is 100% pomegranate. pomegranate sued coca-cola, the parent company of minute maid arguing. the lawyers for coca-cola said:

>> the remark was met with a quick from the justice saying: >> the outcome could have far-reaching consequences. if the justices ruled it was false advertising, companies liable could face lawsuits from other businesses and private citizens. the obama administration sided with coca-cola saying consumers are not conceived if the drinks' name comes from one flavour in the product. i hope people followed that. >> i want to go back. 3%. >> 0.3. 0.3%. >> that's all that is in the pomegranate juice. >> that's all. that's it. yes. >> thank you very much. today is earth day scrks to honour the environment some cities turn to new greener

technologies. the university of california, davis, debuted a new process, taking food waste and transforms it into number like heat and gas. our science and technology correspondent jake ward is in davis. >> in the distance behind me you see the hills that form the beginning of napper valley. on this side is the central valley, one of the most agriculturally productive parts of the united states. the food grown is about to provide electricity to 500 homes, thanks to the biodigestors which opened today. i could have shown you amazing things, but i chose to bring you up close and person with a futuristic and clean fuel. there's a little water melon, lasagna, bananas. it's the sort of token garbage. what sets the system apart is that this doesn't have to be mixed with water. it will go into the digester in

solid form, get spun in this system, and get slowly pulled into the chambers that collect methane gas. garbage puts out about 12,000 kilowatt hours of power. >> in a community light davis, it's perfect as a sort of closed system. that's what sets this apart, is that in 10 days it produces enough power for 500 homes, when typically a land fl requires months. >> the technology is designed for solids. organic waste treatment. it can take solid ice without adding water. can digest microbes quickly and efficiently. and so a lot lower cost. >> from where the garbage is shovelled in over there, it moves into a big tank where the

digestion begins. they eat away at it in a process that doesn't use oxygen. it moves into this tank here. which is where it gives off the biogas, such as methane. that gas escapes into the atmosphere if it is suiting in the landfill. over the course of 10 days it gives off enough gas to power 500 homes. 500 homes give off a solid food waste, it goes into the system and enough electricity to power the homes goes back. it's a closed look. >> when uc davis started the project they did a feasibility study. to build 25 tonnes per day capacity digester from the grouped up, it would cost 24 million. this facility using products, technology, we were able to build 50 tonne per day facility for under 9 million.

anaerobic digestion has been getting rid of what we don't want. the newtown creek facility. it processes about 1.5 million gallons of sewerage, and doesn't collect energy off it. imagine taking this facility, you are talking about something that can put a dent in humanity's energy problems. >> thank you to jacob ward in california. >> now to a story that got our tension, it's about wyoming's mule deer and how they trek 300 miles. the longest mammal migration. they walk across deserts, mountains and highways. julia is an advocate for the outdoor council and gives our first person report. >> wyoming is harsh and beautiful. the climate ness tats that animals like the mules have to move through a variety of lapped escapes to --

landscapes to survive. in the spring they go south to north, following the green-up of grasses and plants they need to eat. as the snow melts, they move in the direction, ending up in the mountains, where they can exploit and use the lush grasses that come out. animals move south and they end up in the desert, where they can find enough forage and open space. >> for this, winter in the red desert. we understood that they stayed in one location throughout the year. it was a surprise to find they migrated 150 miles, it's incredibly long. all the parcels of the corridor from federal to state to private land. we wanted to make sure we have fencing modifications, and look at the traffic. patterns on highways making sure they cross, and including

building underpasses or overpasses for the mules to cross. we want them to have stop over habitat that is not developed industrially, and they can stop and have state habitat to eat. defining the second-longest terrestrial migration blew us away. there's areas that have open space. 150 miles relatively unimpeded. there are threats. they are making the migration every year, speaking to the protections that wyoming has done, and the way people value open spaces. animals need to move through landscape to five. it's a legacy of the united states. we have open spaces and populations of wildlife that thrive, and future generations to enjoy and view. >> julia says the discovery of mooul deer migrations says a lot

about wyoming's landscape, that it can support a long corridor of animals, strengthens hunting heritage and wildlife fewing. next - the photo of the day. and what the future looked like 50 years ago at the new york world's fair.

>> earth day, set for cop servation and sustainability.

we is seep all kinds of events from planting trees and doing things outdoor, cleaning up. sustain ability is the main topic. as we look outside. not everywhere has been the greatest. especially idaho. they have had strong storms. the wind gusts coupled with dry conditions. we'll talk about drought. this is a big topic this year. we look at central california, san francisco, and only 31% of normal when it comes to rainfall. so the drought continues in an extreme area to the south and east of san francisco. and also further over into the midwest and south. dallas forted worth and waco reporting that they have had their lowest year to date. so far for 2014. dallas sitting at number 7 for the driest year. a couple of wind gusts tomorrow. we have big concerns. globally because of wildfire. we have concerns and warnings

for the south-west. fireweather watches and red flag warnings to indicate dry windy conditions that spread wildfire quickly. al jazeera america conditions.

>> the first world's fair was held in london. while they don't pack the punch they used to, the events continue to inspire, and it was half a century ago this week that new york hosted the world fair with striking images, and a hint of what might be in the future. >> this is what the future looked like 50 years ago. a ferris wheel shaped like a rubber tyre. multiro jector screens and an expedition to the moon. it was spectacular, colourful. in 1964, tens of millions of visitors gazed at the wonders stretched out across the park in queens. the theme of the 1964 new york

world fair was peace through understanding. and while there were pavillions show casing customs and provisions, the baying draw were the predecision, a few missed the mark like an impact. the experts said we'd use them to get to work. they were wrong, and wrong about living under water. here is what one colony would have looked like according to the general motors future ramma ride ii. the world's fair was close on some counts, like computers. there were exhibits where people would ask computers questions, long before skyping and facetime, the bell system offered up the picture phone. the world's fair gave us this putty, the ford mustang. it was a smash hit there, it still is half a century later. as for the fairgrounds itself, the towers remain, as does the globe, and surrounding everything the relics of a

future envisioned so long ago. >> pierre joins me in the studio, standing the 1964 york's fair when he was 12. >> i was nine and went to it as well. >> back in 65, when i was 13. >> this is one of the most interesting segments. i'm glad you are here to talk about it. what was the most interesting thing you remember. >> general motors future ramma. >> why? >> it was spectacular. it took you on a conveyor belt. you were taken to six scenarios of the future, somewhere in the 21st century, it was fanciful, like fantastic, but it was a display, the preparation was unbelievable. >> i remember a rob other portraying link -- "the lion king." >> why was -- abraham lincoln.

>> yes. >> why was that news at the time? >> no one had seen anything like that. the disney people had been working on it. >> emphasise a full-sized... imented full-sized replica, accurate replica of mr lincoln. he stood up, talked to the audience and had - joked with the audience and the whole thing. they were critics that thought it was a fake, a man. >> it looked real. no question about it much it was amazing. >> at that time it was. one of the other things it struck me, a lot was about the future, and some of the most interesting was about the future. then it was the small world, the pepsi small world. >> pepsi cola. it's a small world. another walt disney exhibit. >> it was one of the most popular, right. >> the song, "it's a small world", was written by the sherman brothers, who worked for disney at the time.

it was a jingle everywhere remembered. the puppets, a little doll, they all sang it in their language. the tune everyone picked up, and that, again, was very popular. the four disney shows at the fair, after general motors were the most popular attractions. before we came on i k aed you about an exhibit. i couldn't remember who sponsored it. you said it was general electric. describe what the exhibit was like. >> the carousel of progress was a statement that - i think that the audience moved to each - there were four scenes. it was basically to show the development of the american kitchen from the 1890s, life-size human robots, including a dog as a pet. and the first thing they were told - how a kitchen looked in 1890s. then a kitchen in 1920s, and

ended with a 1960s much the modern kitchen of the '60s. >> there was a lot of souvenirs. and one - we have a guy working on our staff who got a dime - a radioactive dime. tell me about that? >> yes, it came from the hall of science. >> why did we hand out radioactive dimes? >> i think it was exotic. i wouldn't take one, because it was radiated, you know, but people have them to this day. they kept them. >> lots of dinosaurs, and oil was a sponsor, and something you could take away was a small toy. >> yes. you could - i got - the fes day... >> i did, too. >> we went to the exhibit. it was a garden. they had nine fibreglass dinosaurs, scale of what they'd be inside. there was a machine, you put a quarter and it poured the liquid

and out came the st clair bronto saur us in green, saying new york world's fair. >> i had it until i was 30. >> i have mine. >> you still have it. >> great to reminisce and have you on the programme. you know a lot about the world's fair. >> two years. >> it was so wonderful that it was almost like a fantasy. and the public couldn't get enough of it. no matter how many times you went, you wanted to come back. >> great to have you on the programme. thank you again. >> now to the picture of the day from arlington. chuck hagel reviewing the latest technology out of the defence advanced research project agency. looking at the atlas robot. part of the robotics challenge that may end up helping national security. rochelle is back with the headlines after

welcome to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey, here are the top stories - the supreme court dealt a blow to affirmative

action. upholding michigan's fair of taking race into account in college admission. several other states have similar bans. ukraine's interim president is calling for action in the east. kiev suspended military involvement in the east. the call from kiev came after vice president joe biden's visit. the united states offered ukraine a $50 billion aid paingage. u.s. forces will begin exercises near other russian borders. u.s. paratroopers will train with polish and baltic soldiers. the white house promised to support allies. the pentagon says the drill are a follow up. a few hours ago. president obama boarded air force one. it's the first stop of a week-long trip. one of the major issues a tense standoff between china and japan

over who controls a set of islands. the nuclear threat posed by north korea. they are the headlines. joie chen, "america tonight" is next. you can get the latest news from the website. check out 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 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