issues. robert thompson, good to have you on the show. the show may be over, but the conversation conditions on the website aljazeera.com/consider-this. you can find us on twitter. see you next time. hi everyone, this is al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. red sky - state of emergency in southern california. entire communities surrounded by flames. tens of thousands evacuated as the state battles a wave of fires. we'll have a live report. >> game changer. the f.c.c. takes on net neutrality and the internet may never be the same. we'll tell you what it means in plain english and why it

matters. the sudden firing of the first woman to run the "new york times". we are family - my interview with nile reasonabliers, what he did -- rogers, what he did in the wake of 9/11 that is changing the world. we begin with a war against wild fires. more than 2,000 firefighters battling the flames. these images give you a sense of how dangerous the situation is. within two days some 10,000 acres of burns, homes, schools and neighbourhoods threaten. tonight police confirm the fire claimed its first victim. let's go to brian rooney, live in san marcos with more. brian. >> reporter: it's sup down here, i -- sundown here. i can see for miles. i see no active fires at the

moment, which is fairly typical. the winds come down, temperatures down, but it's been very busy. >> reporter: fires popped up faster than firefighters can knock them down. swirling black smoke car i the embers straight up. wind and heat create tornados of fire. firefighters had to tackle nine different fires over the past three days. thousands of residents have been advised to evacuate. some are without power, burned into the camp pendleton marine base. >> we were watching and waiting and saw the olympic games come over the hill. as soon as that reverse 911 call came in, we got out. >> the most destructive fires swept the hills, burning more than 9,000 acres, in all 14 square miles of fire. dozens of homes are damaged or burnt to the ground.

>> it was our dream house, we got it the way we wanted it, now it's gone. >> today it was a major assault from the air. 22 military aircraft and the super scooper dropping water retardant. >> this is radical firefighting. >> we are hoping and keeping an eye on the weather that the winds stay low. investigators are looking for a cause. >> most wild fires are caused by people, whether accidental or intentional. if it is a criminal nature we'll perve veer. and it's not over. everyone is on the alert for new fires. >> reporter: we should tell you that one victim appears to be a homeless person. the body was found near a homeless camp. the body was so badly burnt. we don't know whether it was male or female.

sadly it was not an uncommon owhere some homeless people have camps. >> brian rooney who has been covering the story, thank you. >> kevin corriveau is here keeping an eye on the heat and the wind. what can you tell us? >> as brian says, the winds come down. today was warm, hot across the region, we are seeing changes in the forecast. what is going to be happening is a rimming of high pressure -- ridge of high pressure that dominated the region is breaking down. you can see that from the clouds in the north. it will be in the short term. the fires, beginning on tuesday - we look at the fires to the north of the san diego. over the last three days they expanded to the north. you can see how many more. we think this evening will be the worse of what we see. tomorrow the temperatures come

down, 86 degrees. moral this time of year we see 65 degrees. by the time we get to saturday or sunday, down to 69 degrees. this is good news in terms of we are over the hump in terms of the worse weather we see in the area. the santa anna winds will die done. back to normal the a the end of the week. 72 degrees. long term - this is what we are looking at - the climate prediction says above average temperatures in this area. this is the weather pattern we have seen through last year. we have a big ridge of high pressure, it keeps everything clear and extremely warm. as you see we see above average temperatures. they are dealing with draught as well. >> looks like we get it in the north-east as well. >> there has been 1,400 wildfires in california this

year alone. with science behind the flames we turn to science and technology correspondent jacob ward. >> we are seeing totter parents in california, it's getting worse. on a grand scale we are seeing hotter temperatures, and it may be because of change. between 1980 and 1989 we have 104 forest fires. in 2010 and 2012 there's over 250. there's more and more. the season is growing longer. it used to be five months, now we are seeing it at seven months or long are, creating dry, burnable fuel. it means the grasses that would normally be gren, are dry and parched. you can see the patches of the dried grass out there. the internet has been awash in photos and video of fire-nados

as they are called, minnie vortexes, it's a miniature version of a tornado. a tornado is a high and low pressure coming together. in fire conditions you see that in membership tur. hot air and very cold air coming together in these violent conflagurations. at that point they pick up fuel, unburnt fuel or ash that has already been burnt but reignites under the incredible heat you see in the free-flowing vor texts. that kund of fire-nado is not a tornado, it's formed by the fire itself. >> it's ward reporting from california. the wild fires are not threat nipping los angeles. a pipeline burst, semeding the oil to a city street.

authorities say it will take days to clean up. no one was seriously injured. a scandal vouching american veterans and the medical care many say they never received. it came to a head on capitol hill, libby casey has that story. >> i would... >> va secretary eric shinseki started his testimony pledging to fix problems. >> any adverse incident like this makes he mad as hell. i could use stronger language, but i won't. at the same time it saddens me. i try to put myself in their shoes. >> the va faces allegations that veterans in phoenix died whilst waiting to see doctor, and administrators created a second set of the documents to hide waiting times. >> there's evidence of wrong doing within the va system.

it's more than an isolated dismans of wrongdoing, it's a pattern and practice of manipulating lists. and gaming the system. >> outrage from senator. some of whom are, themselves, veterans. >> this is created in the veterans community, a cries cess of confidence, the very agencies established to care for them. >> veterans groups testified that they are happy with the work, but the wait times for appointments is infuriating. >> this is indicate iof failed oversight. >> the americans legion is calling for resignation. others want them to stay at the hem. >> we are underfunded. that's why they gamed the system. they are under pressure not to admit there not enough doctors.

>> eric shinseki says they'll investigate happened in phoenix and will have a final report by august. >> we'll nail this thing and have a good product. >> brian turner says it's not enough. the texas whistleblower works at san antonio scheduling appointments, but the process is not moving fast enough. >> what gets under our skip, and when i say ours, the veterans skip, we are not seeing actions to resolve issues going on and on. my allegations are not new to the system. they have been around for years. >> allegations that members of congress and secretary eric shinseki say they want to resolve. there was a discussion on "inside story" about the eric shinseki hearing. the director of the american legion, and a veteran from afghanistan took part. here is what they said. >> the american legion is not

saying that the va doesn't have la tough job and there aren't a lot of veterans. the complaint is the va sat before congress saying "we have everything under control, we have this", and veterans are getting an appointment within 14 days and everything is good. congress keep coming back saying "are you sure, we'll give you more resources if that's what you are looking for?" and they say, "no, we are good", but they are hiding a wait list. if they open the hidden wait list and pump everywhere in the system, will the va be overrun. will they not have enough resources so see the veterans. >> in the last three years primary care visits rose by 50%, and the number of doctors on staff rose by 9%. is that a gap that can't be closed. >> it sounds like a gap that can't be closed until you hear from the va and they say we are

handling it fine. it sounded like they were managing their ais thes in such a way as to compensate for the increased - eric shinseki said there were 2 million more, but later said 1.4 came in for services after they registered. he has a million and a half veterans that need to be seen. we believe they are being taken care of. we find out that they are not. that's what we are upset about. >> is this more than just a bureaucratic inconvenience. something more like a breach of faith. something that young fellows like yourself are depending on to be there, and then finding it is not all that it was cracked up to be. >> i think so, yes. again, it's key to remember that - look, the va was mismanaged for decades. that is hard to describe to someone that has not experienced the environment. we are talking epic levels of

mismanagement that you can't turn around. there's accountability that needs to happen, going to congress, saying it's fine. if there's a culture at the bottom reporting up the chain that they have it under control. general eric shinseki, what is he going to say but yes, it's under control. >> you can catch "inside story" every week: . >> in turkey, growing anger over the government's handling of the mining disaster. police try to sub due demonstrators with water canons. fuelling the outrage of picture of what turkish media say shows an advisor to the prime minister kicking a demonstrator. more than 280 miners died, 140 others are missing. andrew simmonds reports. >> reporter: all over the area the grief is intensifying. young lives lost, doing a job

poorly paid. this woman encouraged her 25-year-old husband to find work elsewhere. he was a few weeks away from becoming a sergeant in the army. they married even months ago and had plans for the future. >> all over the towns, there are gatherings like this. soma is consumed by grief. the underlying anger is showing more and more. >> some of the anger is subdued. a feeling of social injustice that high risks should be taken to earn a living. >> we are very worried. they don't have a safe, secure job. we send them to work. we don't know if they'll make it back. >> translation: he was like my own son. he grew up with me, my insides are on fire. >> elsewhere in the town the amminger is spontaneous, but not physical. these are mostly miners, some retired, many still working.

they say safety standards suffered since mine privatisation in 2005. >> translation: before the privatisation it was good. now they don't value lives, they want the coal out, and the money in. >> there was nor official visit to the disaster scene. this time president abdullah abdullah gol. he called for a re view on safety regulations after a did asker. >> one individual lost a huge pain for their family. this is felt by all of us. we face a huge devastation. we need to unite and face the pain and unity. >> in soma the long list of victims and grieving families are named over the municipalities address system. this town is dependent on coal mining that supplies the thermal power station.

people here are eithering with emotion over safety questions. whether this will have app impact on the government is unclear. >> one of america's fears is coming true. syria's grautal civil war is on the verge of spilling over. there was a car explosion on the border. it killed 40, it did not involve government forces. one opposition group targeted another opposition group, trying to gain control of the border post. >> attorneys for three al jazeera journalists on trial say the prosecution has new unreasonable demands, wanting the defence to pay hundreds of thousands in fees to see the evidence. the men accused of conspiring with a terrorist group. bernard smith reports.

peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed were back in a cage in a cairo court on thursday. prosecution lawyers told their defense team that they must pay a fee of $170,000 to facilitate viewing of the video evidence against the english journalists. a demand the network describes as an affront to justice. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed are accused of being involved in terrorism and faking reports. these are charges al jazeera rejects as nonsense. >> i feel that we are hopefully reaching a conclusion soon. and hopefully it will be favourable. i still have some belief in the judge and the egyptian judicial system. and i believe that will be the essential factor at the end. >> three lawyers that no longer represent the journalists earlier told the court that the network is using the trial for promotional purposes, and they say that the defendants case is jeopardised by al jazeera's

decision to bring a legal case against egypt. the network rejected the allegations saying in a statement:. >> the court sattate times since the trial started. after each adjournment the three men adjourneded to a single 8 by 3 metre cell that they have shared. they were arrested at the end of december. the next court appearance is scheduled for may 22nd. the egyptian reported a fourth al jazeera journalist has ended his hunger strike, but the family of abdullah al-shami says it's not true. a video leaked of him shows the

26-year-old looking frail. he moved to solitary confinement. his brother said he stopped eating 115 days ago and is on a hunger strike. >> what is happening is they are trying to force-feed him, using his solidary confinement as a way to end his hunger strike through forceful methods. >> he has not been charged with a crime, despite being incarcerated for 266 days since last august. abdullah al-shami was arrested as he reported on a vigil reported by thousand supporting then president mohamed mursi. coming up next... >> those we lost live on in us. >> the thousands of lives lost on 9/11 remembered today at the dedication of the national museum. plus curing cancer. the ground-breaking method used

on one patient.

an emotional day in new york city, the long-awaited 9/11 museum was dedicated, family and

political leaders gathered for the ceremony. john terrett reports. new york's young people's chorus at the start of a dedication ceremony for the new september 11th memorial and museum, a day that was sub due and inspirational. president obama used the occasion to reach out beyond u.s. borders. >> we look into the faces of nearly 3,000 innocent souls - men and women, children of every race, every creed, from every corner of the world. >> the museum's dedication comes three years later than planned, sitting where the world trade center tours stood. the aim is to show the build up to september 11, 2001, 13 years ago when they came down, highlighting those that died and those that came to rescue them.

artefacts and video and moving tape-recordings with loved ones saying goodbye or trying to. >> a man called america's mayor rudy giuliani pointed out the random nature of those that died and those that made it out alive. >> we'll never understand why one escaped and another didn't. how random it all seems. and how powerless it makes us all feel. >> this woman was one of the few to make it out of the south tower. she took her heels off and walked bare foot 50 blocks to safety. when i heard that the museum was looking for artefacts, i thought about my shoes. i had put them in a plastic contaper, when i took them out they -- container, and when i took them out they had the smell from that awful day. i knew i would never wear them

again. >> the museum faced criticism for the fees, and muslim groups worried that a video "the rise of al qaeda" unfairly links islam with al qaeda. today was about looking back and forward, all in the same hour-long production. >> reporter: so now the national september 11th memorial museum has been open by barack obama. family members will be taken in to take a private view, to assess and take stock. then the museum opens to the public next wednesday, may the 21st. coming up later this hour - grammy award winning song wish nile rogers tells me how 9/11 changed his life, inspiring him to promote suppose a woman with advance cancer

is in remission reportedly cured by a massive dose of the measles vak each. the landmark case is unfolding in minnesota. john hendren has the story. >> stacy has gone from hopeless to history maker. >> i think it's remarkable. who would have thought. >> for 10 years she endured a cancer called incurrable. now her case has doctors using words like cure. >> we began to think about the idea of a single shot cure for cancer. that is our goal with this therapy. >> she tried every applicable chemo drug and two stem cell transplants. nothing worked. with nothing to lose dr steven russell of the mayor clinic tried a bold experiment, injecting her with a dose of the measles vaccine. >> i received enough to vaccinate 100 million people,

which was alarming and i was happy to here that after the fact. >> the idea was simply. viruss enter the body and destroy tissue. they bind cancer cells together, and kills them. >> the next step is a trial that replicates stacy's results. until that happens many are reserving their opinions uch. >> it caught people's attention, and a lot of people are talking about it. what we have in mind is the data is early, preliminary. it's a single patient. we don't have details on other treatment that the patient have. we see the headline. the devil is in the details. doctors confirmed that stacy is cancer free. >> it was very exciting. >> for her, that is historic enough. coming up next - what really happened. why the "new york times" fired

its first female executive editor. plus the inspirational story of a basketball player whose life came to a tragic end.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. a lot more to cover this half hour. women in the work place, a renewed debate after jill abramson was fired from the "new york times". plus devon's story, how a high school basketball star's tragic death galvanised a community to fight gun violence. and nile reasonabliers is on a mission to focus on the family. richelle carey with the top stories. >> wild fires in california scorched thousands of acres. one died, several homes have been destroyed and thousands

forced to evacuate. more than 2,000 fire fighters battled several fires. investigators are looking for the cause. >> veterans' affairs secretary testified before congress on the state of veterans health care. the agency has been accused of cover ups and inadequate medical treatment. the american legion called for eric shinseki to step down. others say he should stay in his position. >> in los angeles, the trouble is oil - 10,000 gallons, covering a treat after it burst. authorities say that businesses can re open. they say there's a lot of smell and residue in thear. they may not be excited about that. >> it looks like a mess. it will take a while to clean up. a day after jill abramson was fired as any editor of the "new york times", this photo posted on instagram by her

daughter implying she'd be putting up a fight. the examination - mum's new hobby - girls pushy. >> we are hearing more about the possible reasons she was fired as she complained too loudly about how much money she paid the new yorker reporting from ken oletta - that throughout jill abramson's tenure her salary was lower than men who did the job before her. jill abramson gave her last major interview to me this year. i asked her about the challenges women face in the newsroom. >> women in journalism. >> yes. >> have you broken the glass ceiling? >> no, i'm reluctant to say categorically anything like that. >> joining us to talk about - this is rachel, founder of change the ratio, working to increase opportunities for women

in tech. thanks for having me. >> what is your reaction to her firing. >> same as anybody has. >> i was stunned. it was a stunning, unexpected abrupt thing, borrowing words from the "new york times", trying to report on its own story. >> let's catch up with what happened. the new yorkers ken oletta, a terrific media journalist reported on numbers he's been given. he says as executive editor jill abramson's starting sally was $475,000, compared to outgoing executive editor, $559,000. later her salary was raised to $503 salary, but she protested and it was raised again from 503 to $525. she found some of her previous

salaries were less than men. give me a second, i'll read, to quote from the "new york times". . : sh >> are you surprised that arthur solsberger would release this information about an editor he fired. >> i'm surprised and i am sure the "new york times" management was not expecting this particular tack. that said, the process did not seem like it was well planned out in any way, shape or form. canaletta reported this today. it's pretty much a very shocking thing. these are not small differentials. these are going back in jill abramson's career. a letter reported that they

retained a lawyer to represent her in this. the flipside of that is the report was also that her doing so was basically the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of solsberger deciding enough was enough. this is not about an executive and a change in management. this suddenly is about equal pay and the pay gap, and retribution for complaining about disparity in pay, which is - i mean, this - to suddenly to think i'm ocarant with what the administration wants to see, it's taken something that could have been seen as implicit. which was - is it because she's a woman, is it that she's not a good manager which has been floated. to a very real question of okay.

why did it seem like in every area jill abramson has been getting different treatment and hold to a different standard. there has been reports. that she was polarising, mercurial, brisk. >> that would bring her in line with every single one of her predecessors at the top of the mass head of the "new york times". . >> who were men. >> who were men. >> when i talked to her a few months ago, if there was anything wrong, she didn't show it. so to you think this came as a surprise to her? >> well, according to the reports - first of all, the split coe report that you had -- politico report you talked about was published about a year ago in april 2013. that story line was out there. and the problem that a lot of people and myself had with that

report was the completely gendered way in which jill abramson's style and the problems with her were described. just like you said, being brisk and uncaring and difficult to read. these are adjectives that are almost never applied to me, or the behaviour has to be wildly extreme for it to draw attention. >> she is a tough native new yorker, and that is clear to me after i met and talked to her. >> a lot of people who love her. >> sounds like she is absolutery, however she's done it put up a fight here. >> it sounds that way. look at this picture. this picture which was released by her daughter with boxing gloves n, the day it was announced. the picture is great. the picture telegraphs someone that is not a fighter, but with

an excellent assistance of humour. i think more jermainly pushes back on the notion that she was banished, plucked from her perch. in reality - i wrote a piece saying that jill abramson was not humiliated. that's the only person in my view who looks bad coming out of this is arthur soles burger junior, the pup lisher of the "new york times". it could have been handled with grace, vision and foresight. instead, the new executive editor, instead of being able to enjoy the ascension... >> the first african american... >> exactly. it's bound up in a narrative that is getting uglier and uglier. >> great to have you on the programme. thank you for sharing your

insight. >> today general motors announced more safety recalls covering 3 million more vehicles. the latest problems including everything from tail lights to steering. the list includes chevy malibu, full-sized pick up trucks. they recalled more than 11 million after admitting it waited more than 10 years for some recalls. it's in the middle of the largest recall in the country's 105-year history. >> detroit residents arming themselves against criminals. the chief of police says the more people are legally armed, the safer the streets will be. bisi onile-ere has more. >> having me as a father... . >> reporter: rick says he was in the driveway of his detroit home when he was approach by two men at gunpoint. they stole his car, robbed him of his money and sense of

safety. >> i had a rude awakening. >> today you'll rarely find him without a gun. he made a career teaching hundreds to protect themselves too. >> extend your arms forward. stick your butt out. >> in a bankrupt city that is considered one of the most violence places in the u.s... >> pull the trigger. how did that feel. >> more and more detroiters are arming themselves. >> some of the students seemed nervous at first. >> it's not uncommon for a lot of students to be nervous. in 2005, 3,000 gun permits were issued, jumping to 8,000 by 2012. crime is going down. the city is seeing more cases like this. >> last winter three teams bloke into a detroit home and found a mother waiting inside with a loaded rifle. those teens survived, but so far

this year there have been 12 justifiable whom sides in detroit, compared to 15 for all of 2013. in the face of numbers like that, detroit police chief james craig stands by residents who defend themselves. >> that's a message to those out committing these horrific acts. they are concerned about the detroiter. the good american that said enough is enough. i'm tired of being a victim. >> reverent charles wilson trying to repeal the stand your ground law sees it differently. >> i think that we need to look for every alternative possible before we move into a place where we turn our neighbourhoods to the wild, wide west. >> the risk of danger led 22-year-old area yol howard here. >> i'm not excited to carry this. with all the crime in detroit,

me being a young woman, it probably would be a wise decision to have one. >> she says owning a gun is essential for survival, especially in detroit. >> and from detroit philadelphia, another life claimed by gun violence, devon bullock, a top student and high school basketball star was shot in broad daylight last month. bullock was an innocent bystander caught in a drive by. he died two weeks later. erin carter is a staff writer for the "fillie news" that has been covering his career. he joins us from philadelphia. you are a writer for the philadelphia "daily news", is that right. >> yes. >> i wanted to make sure i got that right. thank you. give me your reaction to this story. you have been covering this story. what kind much person was devon. >> for the people i talked to - i talked to his team-mates,

coaches, administrators at the school, a word came up when talking about devon, and that was leadership. i watched him play a couple of times. he was a guy that was vocal on the floor. you could tell that he loved the game. always a smile on his face. it's a sad thing that happened. >> what was it about basketball for him? >> basketball for him was everything. it was his life. the day that he passed, i went to where he worked at footlocker and talked to his co-worker, and they told me that devon loved basketball. i wrote a story about him. he told me that he was estranged from his parents and lived op his open since he was 16. he worked at footlocker, 30 to 40 hours a week and paid for his open apartment that way. what he told me about basketball was that that was the thing that

helped him get though tough times, and he slept with a basketball, named it michelle, told me about that. that's something i wrote about. it was a heart-breaking story. >> that gives you chills. his death - what was the impact on the community. >> i'm glad you said community, it was a community rehabilitation, not just a basketball, it was the city of philadelphia, it was overwhelming sadness, confusion. how could this have happened to devon, who was trying to do the right thing, a pi influence around his team-mates and at the school, new media shorter, it's sadness from a lot of people, and from emails that i have gotten in reaction to the story, whether you are a basketball fan or not. >> you grew up - can you talk about how stories like this affect you and your city. you grew up outside of philadelphia, and for me

personally there was irony to labor partying about devon who grew up in north philadelphia. he grew up in north philadelphia, and my dad used basketball as a vehicle to transcend violence in philly. he played for the philadelphia 76ers, and coached and then parlyed that into a career. a career at e.s.p.n. it's because he escaped the violence that i'm talking to you now. my dad is 69 years old. it shows you that this is a problem that spanned generations. >> it touches people. at the same time. it doesn'ts inially have an impact on the problem. are peopling talking about what needs to be done, if anything could be done. >> i am sure there are, i have

it in my school section. i can't speak to that specifically. and the folks at new media, they are trying to get the word out, spreading the message that this was a young man trying to do the right things, in the wrong place at the wrong time. this type of violence to have cut down a young man like this. 19 years old, headed for high school, possibly to play basketball in college. it's something that needs to be addressed on a large scale. >> maybe the stories you have written for the philadelphia "daily news" will have an impact on that. great to have you on. thank you. >> thank you. >> life in the fast lain, the f.c.c.'s proposed rules for the internet. and how they could change how they used it. plus... >> i rerecorded the song and it took on a life of its own.

>> nile rogers talk about we are family - the foundation he started after 9/11.

hello. earlier this evening we talked about what was happening in north carolina. across the northern plains the temperatures are coming down. this is an area of low pressure here. as you can see the winds are coming in from the north, to the south. and we have freeze warnings and frost advisories from dakotas to missouri. we'll see the temperatures drop to freezing or less from any location. maybe 34 degrees. if you have new vegetation, you want to make sure they are protected. in the afternoon they'll be lifted. along the central points of the united states we are watching a frontal boundary. we see a lot of rain with this. we saw flooding going on as well

as in parts of georgia. in new york, the rain has not started. it's getting close. western new york and tomorrow looks like heavy rain is expected more much of the region, it will be a messy day. on saturday, i promise things will be better. temperatures at 76. news coming up after this.

the federal communications commission agreed to move forward on a proposal that could change the way we use the internet. at risk the principal of net neutrality. cathy turner explains. >> reporter: disorder at an otherwise orderly hearing. the emotions of the federal communication commission reflect the high stakes. in a 3-2 vote the commission voted in favour of new rules affecting internet connectivity. >> the consideration that we are beginning today is not about

whether the internet must be opened, but about how and when we will have rules in place to assure an open internet. >> it is to do with charming more money to bring internet faster to certain customers. >> this is talking about a two-lane internet. a fast lane and slower for the rest of us. >> instead of putting tolls on the information highway, they should follow the european union and protect net neutrality. >> fancihands is a personal assistant service, staff can do the tveningss you diplomat have time for, like cancelling a magazine subscription or tracking down a lost package. it uses the website for business

and makes its phone calls over the internet. >> our provider that has to pay a lot of money, passing the cost to suss. how do we change our business. >> telecommunications minister george footsays customers will not be worse off. >> when you say fast and slow leap it's good, but you should talk about a fast lane and a hyperfast leap. >> it gives big companies with deep pockets the chance to lobby against a change. >> the national september 11th museum - it was called a place of healing. it inspired nile rogers to promote piece and he talks about

a foundation he founded to help children around the world. >> you may not know the name, but you know his music. rogers reduced and played from "dance, dance, dance", to madonna's "like a virm jip", to sister sledge "we are family", you have the we are family foundation. it grew out of 9/11. >> yes, indeed. >> tell me how. >> after of the tragic events of 9/11 a lot of people from around the world called me asking me to rerecord "we are family", to jump start the healing process. i was reluctant to do it. after receiving a tonne of phone calls and pressure from my friends, i thought let me do this. i re-recorded the song.

it took on a life of its open. next thing someone said "we need to form a foundation and do this. this feels good." and we focus the on teens. and it was the greatest thing we did. family foundation found its way forward by meeting this 13-year-old poet named mattie. >> mattie suffered from muscular dystrophy. before he died at the age of 13 he wrote seven level-selling books. his goal - to promote peace. each year his charity works with 30 teens who are following in mattie's footsteps to create a better world. case in point. 17-year-old elaina runs a charity for girls in afghanistan. >> tell me about what inspired you to start the charity. >> when i was nine years old i went to a speech about afghanistan and the human rights

violations inflicted upon women and girls, and it seemed so wrong. the girls - they weren't allowed to go to school or have an education. >> what did you do? >> my goal first was to raise enough money to raise one teacher's salary, and other time it was about $750. which was not enough to teach girls. elaina held a fundraiser since she was nine years old. she raked in there 1400 and little women for little women in afghanistan was born. chapters sprang up in united states and canada, and it was helping to buy school supplies and train materials. >> how did you and nile rogers come toot. >> in 2011 i was selected as part of the three dot dash.

>> it flies teen leaders to new york, teaching them how to get their message out the way mattie did. >> mattie had oprah winfrey, larry kink, jerry lewis. a big international platform. some of our kids don't have the benefits of powerful media platforms. we try to amplify their message and give them the means to do that. >> the teens learn video editing, spend the day at a marketing company. >> what else did you learn from the foundation that helped you in your charity. >> i was able to learn how to get the word out there on facebook and twitter and using different things like youtube. >> thanks in part to skills learnt in 3.dash, elana raised half a million. little women for little women trained more than 5,000 teachers and helped you educate more than

5,000 in afghanistan. tell me what elana's work was meant to the foundation. >> she is the perfect example. not only is her own programme and her own work amazing, what she does with young women in afghanistan, but she's got a huge heart and she's always there to help us. >> we are family. that's what it is. >> our picture of the day is from san diego county. it's our top story. where a family looks at the remains of their home destroyed by wild fires. several are burning out of control. it's calmed down a little bit. they are worried about tomorrow. thousands have been evacuated. richelle carey with the headlines after this. see you tomorrow.

welcome to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey. here are tonight's top stories - raging wild fires in southern california burnt thousands of

acres, the governor has declared a state of emergency, several homes have been destroyed, one is dead. in los angeles, an environmental mess, 10,000 gallons of oil leaked after a pipeline burst. the city hays a hazmat crew removed most of the oil. authorities say it's safe for businesses to rehope. veterans affairs department testified on the state of veterans health care. the agency has been accused of cover up and wait times for veterans seeking medical treatment. they are calling for eric shinseki to resign. doctors at the mao clinic think they may have a breakthrough in cancer research. a woman dying of a form of the disease is in full remission after receiving a mass if dose of the lethal vaccine. the immune system got rid of the

patient's blood cans are. those are the headlines. "america tonight" with joie chen is up next. you can get the latest news on >> new raging blazes force tens of thousands to flee. with thousands of acres scorched already, the unusually hot dry spring threatened to ignite more disaster. the state of execution. struggles to find death draws botched execution and even in a state that puts more convicts to debt than any other, doubts the system can be fixed.