raging wildfires as thousands of acres burn in california. police file charges of arson. paying the price. the nation's largest automaker slapped with a multi-million fine for faulty ignition switches. a hero's welcome - india's new prime minister greeted by crowds as the world's largest democracy looks to the future. >> it makes you wonder.

>> cups of coffee as a canvas. baristas making art out of laites. good morning to you. welcome to al jazeera america. live from new york city, i'm morgan radford. thousands of firefighters continue to battle the rash of wildfires in san diego county. three me have been arrested in connection with the fires, and one has been charged with arson, two others face similar charges. some of the evacuation notices have been lifted as fire crews gain control of the wild fires. >> reporter: the weather is cooperating with firefighters in southern california. cooler, more humid positions are preventing flames spreading further. it's helped crews giping two of the child fires north of san diego under control.

>> the focus is to secure the perimeter and go interior and work on the hot spots. >> reporter: for so many the damage is done. 20,000 acres burnt. dozens of homes destroyed. in all, an estimated 20 million in damage. in one of the worst-hit towns. >> we have a plan on living our lives here forever. the stuff here are remnants of 30 years of life. >> reporter: flames broke out on camp pendleton forcing none essential personnel to leave the base. which is why some marines became firefighters, dropping water from helicopters meant for war. meanwhile, officials arrested three people on arson charges connected to two of the 11 fires. a 57-year-old man and two teenagers. officials don't know if they are connected to the other fires. >> our investigations continue into the cause of these fires.

they will continue until we are satisfied with the results that we know the cause. >> i can't imagine what would go flow someone's head to do something like that. i mean, we were going to lose everything that we worked so hard for. >> reporter: meanwhile hundreds of evacuees are in shelters waiting to go home, to see if they have a home left. >> if the 57-year-old is convicted he could face up to seven years in gaol. we turn to meteorologist eboni deon for more on the weather we'll see some improvement, but not the moisture that we need. you can see the orange shading. that's the dry air. we'll get a bit of moisture pulling in. it's not the moisture that will help us out. as you see here we are lacking the rain fall.

what we find with the onshore flow is a cool down. temperatures are getting back to where they should be. we'll see the temperatures 5-15 degrees cool are. that is great news around san diego. all the active fires - we set a record high of the 92. today temperatures fall into the mid 70s to 80 degrees. we'll find a bit of relief, the fire threat is further inland. we'll have gusty winds and it will be hot. on sunday we'll have fire weather watches in place across arizona. today is the 50th - 60th anniversary of the brown versus born education decision. the president met with plaintiffs at a meeting at the white house yesterday. president obama praised the decision, cautioning that there's work to be done. we must recommit ourselves to the long struggle to stamp out

bigotry and racism. the first lady is speaking out about the ruling. yesterday michelle obama attended a high school graduation into peeka kansas, the genesis for a federal lawsuit filed by parents against its board of education. the ruling created progress, the fight against school segregation must continue. >> those schools are not equal. especially ones attended by students of colour that lack behind - with crumbling classrooms and less experienced teachers. even in schools that seem integrated, according to the numbers, when you look closer you see students from different backgrounds sitting at separate lunch tables. in the next hour we'll hear from a plaintiff in the brown versus board of education case. after outrage over the agented mistreatment of -- alleged mistreatment of va

hospitals. a top official is standing down. dr robert penns ill resigned after delays in treatment could have led to deaths. eric shinseki issued a statement, both appeared before is senate committee to address the reports. peps ill was slated to retire. two rivals in silicon valley declared a truce. google and apple dismissed all lawsuits, and will unite for reform. it doesn't include cross-lives into pattern. the rift was smart phone technology, in which apple claims that they copied the iphone. sounding the alarm. general motors is being charged millions in fines for waiting to recall cars with faulty ignition switches. a federal regulator slapped them with a $35 million fine, a maximum penalty yip.

critics believe money doesn't come close. >> reporter: the u.s. government ordered a tune up of safety at general motors, the world's largest automaker. they have been told to own up and pay up with the heaviest civilian penalty imposed over an autorecall. >> what we cannot tolerate, what we'll never accept is a person or company that knows danger exists and says nothing. literally silence can kill. >> g.m. took years to report a faulty ignition switch in 2.6 million chevrolet cobb alts and other cars. the problem which cut off engines, disabled air backs, power steering and breaks is liked to 13 deaths. >> general motors received briefings about the safety-related defect. g.m. engineers knew about it. g.m. investigators few about the

defect. g.m. lawyers knew about the defect. but g.m. did not act to protect americans from the defect. >> under a concept agreement with transportation officials g.m. must pay a $35 million fine, the maximum allowable. a fine of $7,000 a day until g.m. answers 107 detailed questions, and the company must make significant and wide-raping internal changes to safety reviews in the u.s. >> it's unfortunate that it took 13 deaths and numerous injuries and a cover up for g.m. to pay attention. >> regulators are pushing congress to increase the maximum allowable fines to $300 million. critics say for a $155 billion, that's not close to enough. >> it should be at least a billion. because toyota paid $1.2 billion for unintended acceleration, and

this is a clear example of a company that covered up the defect. >> here in the heartland where people like to buy american, general motors cars pack parking lots. g.m., toyota, g.m., g.m. safety concerns damaged general motors reputation - even here. >> they were covering it up much too lopping. >> why, oh, why, does president obama support government motors, why not prosecute them. >> g.m.'s c.e.o., mary barra spent much of her time apologise. >> that is not acceptable. that is not the way we do business today in g m. >> whether an historic fine will slow their recovery will only be answered down the road congress proposed raising the maximum penalty to $300 million for future cases.

aviation officials are investigating how two passenger jets collided. a los angeles united airlines flight barely misses a u.s. airways plane heading to maui. the united plane was forced to descend. officials say that both flights were over five miles apart and 800 feet vert ukly. the rule says that planes must be separated by five miles laterally or five miles vertically. >> a plane carrying officials in laos crashed near the vietnamese border. three were kill, including the defence minister pt the plane took off from the capital, heading to the north-east of the country. rescue workers are searching for survivors. >> goodluck jonathan is in paris dealing with a threat by boko haram. they are trying to come up with

a strategy to contain boko haram, and other terrorist groups. it's been a month since the rebels abducted 300 nigerian school girls. officials say the group is planning more attacks. more from abuja. >> the nigerian president goodluck jonathan is in paris to attend a summit attended by the presidents of cameroon, chat and nimer. they -- nimer. they share -- niger. they share a border, inhabited almost entirely by muslims, an area that boko haram operates freely. they have been using the border to cross over when escaping the nigerian forces and to get arms and food from niger or cameroon. there has been attacks by boko haram militants and cameroon. the leaders are discussing a

common strategy on how to tackle the boko haram minutes. it's become a crisis, a regional crisis. a summit called by the french president francis hollande. and will come up with how the countries can not only exchange information and intelligence and check in combatting the boko haram militants. >> 24 are dead after fighting brock out in benghazi. military forces bombed armed rebels. thousands of troops attacked military check points. the germ says the operation is designed to get rid of militias. the government didn't order the operation and called it a coup. people, two suspects have been arrested in connection with two explosions that rocked kenya on friday. 10 were killed, close to 70 wounded. the kenyan red cross helped

those injured. no one claimed responsibility for the blasts. there has been a series of attacks by rebel groups that want kenya out of somalia. travel warnings have been issued. more bodies have been recovered from turkey's worst nine disaster. 485 miners were rescued alive, as many turks took to the streets in protest. demonstrators are angry over the response to the coal mine fire. opposition parties and humans rights are calling for an investigation. a cause is unknown. celebrating a landmark victory. the new prime minister elect gets a round of applause after a decisive win in three decades. >> i'm lawrence lee in dublin which saw the single blood yesterday in the whole of the irish war.

how come it's the single event in the troubles that the british government doesn't want to talk about. check out the remarkable issues of fdr walking at a baseball game.

good morning. welcome back to al jazeera america, live from new york city. i'm rad for. it's a -- radford. it's a new political era in india. first the temperatures with eboni deon. we are seeing temperatures in the 40s from billings and denver to minneapolis, chicago. good news across the midwest. there'll be a warm up over the next few days we'll keep it cool. mid '60s around min yam louse. finally by monday and tuesday. temperatures will get into the 70s we are feeling the heat. it's across interior sections of the south-west.

los angeles around 82 degrees for you, and cooler air is expected over the next five days. people in the world's largest democracy woke up to something they hadn't seen in 30 years. that's a new political party in power. the b.j.p. won elections. prime minister elect narendra modi received a hero's welcome in the capital city of new delhi. supporters are holding a parade to celebrate a win over the congress party which led india since the 1940s. the new leader is promising a stronger economy. [ ♪ music ]. >> reporter: a new political chapter in the world's largest democracy, welcomeded with a bang and a -- welcomed with a bang and a burst of colour. at the headquarters in new delhi, victory demonstrations started early.

party supporters came together to celebrate a landslide victory led by narendra modi. >> translation: i'm so happy with the people and i bow to you and thank you for all the love you have shown me. sisters and brothers, i'm thanking you from the bottom of my heart. i respect and salute you. >> reporter: before the announcement the party held prayers. most b.j.p. reporters viewed it as a formality, describing the win as a new start for the country. >> translation: we used to look to the west for support and development. now we are going to be the kind of country that people turn to for help and support. >> translation: we respect all religions. narendra modi will take care of people from all fates. he's done it before and will do

again. >> reporter: in stark contrast the leading congress party's office was deserted. it's the worse in the party's history. only the media stayed to hear from the president. >> translation: we respect the decision that has been made. we hope whichever government has been formed, they'll do the level for the country. i will congratulate the government. as the outcome became clear, a victory by the b.j.p. became clear. >> reporter: the b.j.p., after 10 years in opposition, india's people's party returned to government with a massive mandate. all right. let's go al jazeera's correspondent live in new delhi. how exactly will india be

different under narendra modi's rule? >> well, india will succeed under any government. just depends if the government has the policies that allow community and a population to prosper. that is what narendra modi says. he says that india's economy has stagnated over the last 10 years. corruption is rife. what he wants to do is clear up bureaucracy, cut the red tape and make governance transparent. he is a big supporter of foreign direct investment in certain sectors and will look at the international community, the united states, to invest in india. america invests billions in the it industry, and narendra modi is no stranger to the european market by attracting car makers

to its own state. he set an example, and hopes to replicate the model across the country. the issue is whether people and the politicians, not the mps, but the local politicians allow him to do his job if that's the way he wants to do it. >> you mention positive things. narendra modi is popular, but he's polarizing. he's been denied a visa to the u.s. on grounds of violations of religious freedom. the white house is moving on saying the president looks forward to working closely to fulfil the promise of the u.s.-indian partnership. how is the b.j.p. reacting to america's move on this front? >> well, at the moment the b.j.p. said little about the warm wishes that have been received by them at their hours. in fact, i'm a few hundred metres away from where

the b.j.p. headquarters are in delhi. foreign dignitaries and politicians, heads of states - not just president obama, but from the u.k., australia, india, pakistan and sri lanka have all been congratulating him on the win. for the moment he's tight-lipped. he has not taken the oath of office, but will do that next week, and announce the position people, the parliamentarians that will form part of his cabinet. if you look at the national papers, completely stunned is the population of india, they have never seen an election like this, a thumping election, and a rout for the b.j.p. they are calling it a tsunama. there is narendra modi with his 95-year-old mother. that's the asian aim, the delhi special. seven constituency seats in delhi, a union capital. they were held by congress.

now each seat belongs to the b.j.p. the hindu-stan teems did a pie chart of what narendra modi has to sort out. everything from joblessness, high prices pressure on the rupee and weak spging and infrastructure. he has a lot to deal with. and the public will give him a certain amount of a honeymoon period before they see physical results that impact on their lives. >> a lot to deal with and history in the make k. that report from new delhi. thank you for being with us it's been 40 years since several bombs exploded in ireland, going down as the single terrible day. the entire incident is believed to be a cover up. rmp. >> reporter: it's not easy to

find the memorsials of what happened one plaque near parliament where two were blown up. bernie was buried in the rubble and lost an eye. everyone around her died. >> there was a flash in the sky. i looked up. i thought thunder. i didn't get time to think, because with that the windows and everything came in and the other van exploded. the car was here. >> who did this professional and deadly work? not in british northern ireland but the republic. eventually a pro-british militia called the you'llster volunteer force said it did it, but the ipp flamentry suggestion was that british sold we ares were involved. significant numbers of members of the security forces were loyalist paramilitary. there's an overlapping membership. members of the security forces used training to carry out

attacks. >> there was an inquiry in parliament. people said it was reveping for ireland's support for the republican army. the british states refused to help the inquiry. the committee accused brit april of terrorism. >> we had foreign members give evidence. they knew about the involvement of certain people. we saw the evidence of bombs. we saw the evidence of the particular members of the security forces from designing the bomb. >> reporter: you might think it to be important. neither here nor the u.k. does it seem to be. >> some events hold trouble in the memory. the omar bombing by the real ira killing 30. bloody sunday resonates all over the world. what happened here in 1974 was the single blood yesterday in

the whole of the troubles. somehow, it seems to have been airbrushed from british political history. >> in the shadow of another plaque in the name of his mother, aiden spent 40 years for the british government to show no interest. >> of course they should apologise, yes. of course they should. they apologised in the north for the bloody sunday. >> northern ireland has been back in the news because of the arrest of gerry adams because of historic allegations of ira terrorist. they refused to go away. one of ireland's biggest atrocities remains one of the biggest dirty secrets. it was findings from an oral history project that led to gerry adams arrest. a former ira prisoner wants to sue the college because of it. thousands of residents in

the balkans forced to flee after record flooding. protecting against polio, why attempts to eradicate the disease in pakistan are shown down by security concern. >> i'm at the cannes film festival looking at how real life comes together this year, courtry of africa. -- court say of africa.

good morning to you. welcome back to al jazeera. i'm morgan radford. these are the top stories. firefighters are battling wildfires barrelling across southern california, as prosecutors filed arson charges against a 57-year-old man, and similar charges against two teenagers. a chapter for the world's largest democracy. the son of a poor street surrender reezs to become the

next prime minister. the ruling congress party booted out after 30 years in power. federal regulators slapped general motors over a $35 million fine over faulty ignitions in its car. it's the largest imposed on an automaker. g.m. must make changes and will be supervised by the government. record flooding not seen in 100 years swamped the balkans. bozya and serbia appeal for help after each declared a state of emergency. the storm triggered 200 landslides killing five people. imogen brennan reports. >> reporter: stranded on the roof took place militants flagged town military helicopters. they are working around the clock to remove hundreds from their homes. it's a dellate operation. >> i have been in rescue

missions before to help victims of fires and snowfall. this is the most difficult mission i have experienced. the strong wind is making conditions difficult. >> an inland sea swamped entire towns in bosnia and herzegovina. rivers burst their banks, including in sarajevo as heavy rain fell. it's not just flooding this devastated the communities. it's a catastrophe. when we saw the first two houses slide down, when the place started disappearing, we would do nothing but cry. this morning, my house, everything i worked for for 36 years, it's all gone. i saved my disabled daughter and wife. it davis cup matter.

>> authorities feared landmines through the war could pose a threat beneath the mud and rubble. in serbia, the prime minister says the floods are the biggest water catastrophe his country has seep. the earth is sodded and the rivers swollen from two months of rain that fell in 40 hours. with rain falling and landslides threatening homes, residents are clipping on to all they have left. russia sent an emergency team to help. luxembourg and austria also are sending help. the safe for victims in bangladesh has been called off. no more bodies have been found, but families are outraged saying 100 are missing in the vessel. there's confusion as to how many

were on board. ferry operators in bangladesh don't keep a list of passengers. 40 bodies have been recovered. a missouri inmate is asking for his execution to be videotaped. the lawyers filed a motion arguing that lethal injection can be cruel and unusual, and that the client wants to record evidence. the death penalty came under vut ni ever since an execution was botched. there is not enough information about the drug cocktail that the correction departments are using. in the last 40 years 144 death row inmates have been exonerated. maybe question how many more there are incident. heidi zhou-castro spoke with a man who knows the feeling of facing a death sentence for no reason at all.

>> my name is anthony and i'm on death row. i'm on my typewriter. there are people on death row that are enjoyment. i am one of them. >> anthony gray says during his 18.5 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, it was his letters that kept him sane. >> i wrote hundreds of thousands of letters to any and everybody asking them to help me save my life. >> he was sentenced to death for the 1992 murders of a family of six in somerville texas. despite the recan tags of the state's key witness and gray's protests of innocence, he was on death row. he says the days were filled with writing letters to his attorneys, families and friends, but the nights were filled with anguish. >> silence can be really loud, very loud.

a lot of times all you hear is an eerie silence. that's it. eerie silence. and then just like that, somebody scream. i don't think i can do it any more. you know. after two people have been executed today. then you have three more in the week coming. gray's execution was narrowly averted twice when appeals delayed the date. it wasn't until 2010 after a court overturned his conviction and prosecutors declared there was nothing connecting him to the crime that graves regained his freedom. even today, part of his mind is behind prison walls, with the map whose claims of innocence never had a chance to be hear. >> how many men do you think are in their cells at this moment, waiting, like you waited for 18 years? >> many. >> how do you know that? >> i was there. i know because i was one.

>> at the innocence project and texas, floor to ceiling bips contain more than 10,000 letters for prisoners acting for help. 500 cases are on the waiting list to be investigated. gray's attorney said after news of gray's exoneration spread, her letterbox overflowed. >> they write to me "my daughter's name is nicole. maybe this is an omen that you'll investigate my case." right now most go unanswered. >> it's heart breaking, but it's like searching for a needle in a haystack. >> i know the battle cry for inmates that lost their freedoms is that they are enjoyment. however, there are situations where men are innocent. i hope god my guide me so that

it may touch the heart of those that care about justice for me. >> for now the words of one man are echoed in the letters of thousands, and the question that lingers - who among them may be innocent. >> this weekend al jazeera america will debut an 8-part series examining the u.s. legal system, called "the system", with joe bolenger. >> we spent a year looking into the criminal justice system because we have prips. there are racial inequities, too many wrong of convictions, problems with policing. we have a great justice system, but sometimes the system runs off the rails and that is what the series is about, shining a light on injustice. maim it focuses on systematic problems. sometimes people are guilty, but the sentence doesn't match the

crime. sometimes people are put in prison for thinks they shouldn't be imprisoned for. due to things like the phenomenon of false confessions. it happens more often than you think. one in three african-americans in this country expect to go to prison at some tomb in their lifetime. that doesn't mean one in three african-americans are bad people. it means there are policing strategies and social economic strategies in place that trap people of colour and people lower on the socioeconomic scale. the prison population, incarceration rate has gone through the roof. over 700%. we are a county that has 5% of the world's population, yet 25% of the world's prison population. the police generally do the right thing. prosecutors do the right thing. with the advent of d.n.a.

technology so many have been exonerated for crimes they didn't commit. we have become sensitised that wrongful commissions happen, but there's problems to be addressed. >> "the system" premiers this sunday. the arkansas supreme court stopped gay marriages proceeding, and a county judge struck down an amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. the state supreme court said there were problems, but not before marriage licences were handed out to 400 copies. the court put a stay on friday to licences being issued. in massachusetts, a mile stone where same-sex marriages began. only three, maryland, washington and maine did so by popular

vote. the roast is despite rapidly changing opinion. in an a.b.c. news poll. 59% support gay marriage. it's about-face from a poll. only 37% supported it. joining us now is jason wu. deputy director. a group that helped make same-sex marriage in massachusetts legal. he joins us from boston. so years and 16 states later, is this what you expected when you began the process. >> i think nobody could expect what might happen, but what we have seen in massachusetts has been extraordinary. with marriage in massachusetts, we have seen same sex couples share in the joy and happiness of the wedding day and protect their families. that is what this as been about.

you mentioned the happiness. what did you notice in terms of the jornal opinion in massachusetts, does it change tore stay the surname. >> massachusetts made it real. it was no longer a scary bogeyman. once couples began to marry, i think the citizens of the commonwealth saw that nothing had changed. in fact, all they saw was joy, celebrations, wonderful weddings. they got to know their neighbours, friend, co-worker and learnt about the reality of their lives. that's impact of the in terms of changing the hearts and minds of americans. >> that raises the question - if public opinion changed so dramatically, why not put the issue on state ball odds. are gay rights groups hesitant because they fear voters could be swayed. >> we have had it on the ballots

and won it in three states as you mentioned, maryland, phil wahba and maine, and we saw that the side shifted and that's the popular majority. >> one could argue the powerful antigay lobby groups could sway the voters. civil rights was not put on the ballot. if so, the tear would have voted it down. do you think that legalized marriage would stand the test if put on the ballot. >> we know through the court cases and legislative actions, it raises on important question and conversation that all americans are having today, which is what reason is there to deny the marriage to loving couples. >> before you go, briefly, do

you expect to see gay memory about a federal right? >> absolutely. the momentum is with us. it's likely that the u.s. supreme court may decide the question in a couple of years, we are hopeful and across the country couples will be able to marry regardless of who they lost. >> joining us from boston, san sen, thank you for being was. a manmade lake in washington state has been the breeding spot of choice for tens of thousands of berds. they are threatening the exist of fish. allen schauffler reports on a win, win for both. >> reporter: nexting time. the sound never stops on east and islands. >> they are not quite burns. don lyons of oregon state university says the low-lying island at the mouth of the river, a few minutes by boat

from the washington shore is perfect for the caspian turner. that means big trouble for young fish like salmon and steal-head smolt. >> all the food comes from the water, 99% or greater fish. >> more than 14 thous turins ate 5 million young salmon and steel head. that's half the number in the late 1990s, when the army core of engineers under orders to protect the fish moved them to change their diet. >> when the re-election program began. the islands were home to the biggest nesting to caspian tur jips in the world. 15 years and 25 million later, they are. it's a big price tag, but money well spent. less than other fish application projects. for example, renovating dams

that the salmon have to navigate. lyons, and a team of biologists monitoring the programme have seep progress. the colony were moved 13 miles downstream to east sand - closer to the o, with a bigger -- ocean with a bigger seafood menu. >> anchoefie, and others. >> artificial nesting islands have been built from southeastern oregon to northern california. success has been varied. but thousands of the highly adaptable tur jips relocated. the available nesting area has been shruping. yellow mesh discouraging sites. fish survival rates improvement. >> we have work to do. the progress is slow and trending upwards. >> wildlife managers work the

turin problem. there's another challenge. the double crested kormor rant. hungrier for hall mon than the caspian turin. another plan, price tag unknown, to deal with them. a new c d.c. report says more than 10,000 toddlers between the aims of two and three are improperly medicated for attention deficit hipper activity disorder. ritalin and ad-errol are described outside of pead at rick guidelines. toddlers covered by medicaid are more propose to the practice. >> a virus completely eradicated is making a comeback. the world health organization has declared an emergency about the spread of polio. it has been diagnosed in 10 countries. many of those cases came from

pakistan. there's a heavy security presence in areas like the khyber agency. soldiers are here to protect health workers. in the past they have been attacked by the taliban, accusing them of providing a cover by spies. the problem is getting to the remote areas. >> really, more steps are required to ensure that all children are unleashed in the tribal belt. the government directed people in the tribal areas will have to be fact sinated. the wog said that people in pakistan will have to be immunized for the disease before they can travel overseas. >> whether it is karachi, or any other part of pakistan, we'll tackle the issue head on.

>> reporter: around 30 polio workers have been killed or injured. the taliban blocked teams. with the military involved, the aim is to get as many children as possible immunized. >> 4,000 children are the prime target. we have september out 20 polio teams with military and political administration to reach every child. pakistan was close to eradicating polio. it wants to get back to that point, but lost a lot of ground. nicole johnson, al jazeera. >> now that that remark i believe film of frank line roosevelt walking. he lived with polio. some claim he tried to hide his disabilities. here you see roosevelt walking, struggling in front of thousands of people. media at the time rarely filmed

him. the secret service did not want to publicise his vulnerability. this was shot by a player at the game. expressions in expresso. baristas serving up art with every drop of coffee.

good morning, welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. the cannes film festival is underway. movies about africa is the surprise hit. cannes can resemble the united nation, this film festival as international as you getment one continent flying the flag. lots in fact. africa. cannes is associated with all of this, the glitz, the clammer,

the good life. it is real life that forms part of the d.n.a. those stories pegged to current events that are harsh, stark and difficult to watch. there is a real dose of that kind of cinema from african film-makers, which has critics excited. like "tim buck tu", a tale of forbidden love and violence in malscroi. there are lashings, violence and killings. a painful story, one that the director and actors felt compelled to bring to cannes. >> it's not a big movie with big money. it's interesting, and maybe the people affect about what has happened for the movie. >> other movies rely on lead character's life. africa is a contip ept rich in untold stories.

the feeling is that cannes is better for hearing them. >> you want the underdog there as much as it's important to have african taxes. it cap be the most exciting, freshest, unusual. >> africa is not just selling its stories, it's leasing locations too. >> cannes is the place to do deals. >> like filming a good old-fashioned we were in south africa. the salvation did that, lowering the budget, doing its bit to raise the contip ept's sippa mattic appeal. >> there's a lot going for that. really going out to attract as much business as possible. >> top prizes will help. tim bucket tu is in competition for the palm door. there is no happy ending to the film. there may be smiles for its makers come the big night.

all right. in what is likely a first. bolivia president has been drafted by one of the country's professional soccer team. president morales will play midfield. he'll be paid the minimum salary of $213 each and every month. morales said to play well is favoured to win a second term as president. making a good cup of coffee is a science. maybe there's a bit of art. dozens of baristas are competing for the title of level latte. >> baristas as artists, cups as canvases. this is coffee culture in its literal sense, competitors from 32 countries.

giving their run the level shot. these are the guys and girls that represent their art and skill and industry knowledge and a cup of coffee. >> reporter: is any of this more than a froth of the industry, fair. robert nelson's haunts are the haloed hauls of the melbourne national gallery of victoria. as an art critic he has a favourite art of the. bokka chely's clarity, ruben's prolific, august's sumptuous, seption. mona, a seer, an analyst, a lirist. >> reporter: can art be expressed in foam. there's a difference between a mona and a macchiato. >> makes me think of an insignia

that belongs to the royal house of a lord. that there's toppal value inside. i love the way that the - that it doesn't stop, but it blends into the coffee. >> the critic buzzing. >> one of the things that you might look to to define art is that it grabs people enough to prompt them to say something. it's not art in the way that, you know, raphael did art. it's not having to fulfil some weighty agenda. but it is art in the sense that it makes you wonder. >> reporter: nell on is not a formal judge. they'll choose a with respecter over the next two days. it may be a while before caricature comes to a place near you. expressionism in a foam-top

expresso it is. the world's level latte artist will be announced this sunday. here is what we are following for you. fire fighters battle wild fires in parts of california. this as investigators press arson charges. a hero welcome for the new prime minister. narendra modi was welcomed with a parade as he made his way to the b.j.p.'s headquarters from the airport. g.m. is told ta pay up. the automaker paid 35 million for delaying a response to recalling cars. cooler temperatures are bringing relief to fires in the west. the heat is building elsewhere. temperatures will top 100 degrees. i'm morgan radford, back with you in 2.5 minutes when al jazeera america returns.

out of control - raging flames destroying homes in southern california. police say some of the wild fires were not an accident. >> give me an idea, $1,000. o. >> a cata trophic twister costing a town thousands of dollars.

why is fema refusing to pick up the tab. >> the last bodies removed from a mine in turkey - it's been called a mass murder. >> you see students from different backgrounds sitting at different lunch tables. >> michelle obama marking 60 years sense a supreme court ruling that change america. we talk to a plaintiff from the brown versus the board of education much. >> by the grace of good the firefighters saved my house. >> it was red, bright red - the air, the light. stories of survival from residents forced to flee the flames. welcome to al jazeera america, i'm morgan radford live from new york city. cooler, humid conditions are

preventing flames in california spreading. dozens of homes have been destroyed in one of the worst-hit towns. >> we plan on living our lives here. around here it is remnants of 30 years of life, family. >> we were going to lose everything we worked hard for. >> flames broke out on the grounds of camp pendleton forcing nonessential personnel to live. official arrested three people, connected to two. our investigations continue into the cause of the fires. and they will continue until hopefully we are satisfied with the results that we know the cause. now the concern is that the whipping winds will whip up. meteorologist eboni deon is here with the forecast. unfortunately it will be dry in some areas. there are a few that will get in on the rainfall. we are not seeing it across the

south-west. here in fact it will be a different. temperatures helping the situation out. we'll watch the frontal boundary draping south across arse of northern california. it will bring in moisture. unfortunately further ipp land it will -- inland it will whip up the fuel. as we look at san diego where we hit a high of 92, temperatures will drop into the '60s over the next few days. we need the hold down. we can use moisture. fortunately we are getting something to help things out. across the south-west the interior - it will be hot. temperatures topping the century mark. thank you so much. the federal government is slapping general motors with a maximum fine over the recent recalls of deadly cars. the automaker will have to may $35 million because of the faulty ignition switches on

recalled vehicles. g.m. knew of the problem but took years to abbing, despite 13 deaths and 32 dents connected to its cars. critics, family members say the punishment is equal to a slap on the wrist. it seems unphased by drive deaths. >> we met with mair borough, we speak and spread store -- mary barr we. we spoke. she had no emotion. at the end of the meeting she got up. $35 million is a lot of money to you and i. to g.m. or the other automanufacturers, it's a cost of doing business. and it's unacceptable. >> the defect causes electrical systems to shut down, disabling air bags, brakes and power steering. >> it's been five days since a fire erupted in a coal mine in turkey. officials say they are recovering bodies.

two pulled out. the death toll stands at 203. 45 miners were arrested. many say their grief has turned to anger at the government's slow response. a town deep in grief witnessing its police force fighting with demonstrators. earlier the protesters gathered in front of buildings. as the numbers grew. the riot place tried to disperse them with water canon, tear gas and rubber bullets. many are from outside soma. some did not want them to demoment. later the police -- demonstrate. later the police pulled back. crowds cheered. they'd been joined by large numbers. >> the deployment has brought the demonstrations into a new dim eption. many people -- dimensions. many are minors, they are angry. no one is sure whether the

demonstrations go next. >> we don't have gun, why do you attack us. applause for minors that address the police. >> i don't want to police, i want my friend back. >> this man a miner for seven years broke down and wept. talking of his friends who have been killed. >> translation: people are not allowed to express their grief. poor soma, the past four days, we have been bleeding. the water canon cannot wash the blood away. >> with newly dug graves, it had been a painful day. official estimates of those trapped in the mine have been revised downwards. the total number of dead is expected to be more than 300. >> the mine's owners say there wasn't an electrical fault as first reported. part of the cause was a build-up of heat, causing a partial collapse. however, the exact reason for

what happened is still unknown. the company continues to deny any negligence. >> there is no negligents of ours in this incident. i have not seen an event like this in the last 20 years. i worked as a mine engineer for 20 years, and 50 years for workers safety. we are a company if the allowing harm to our miners. >> reporter: back at the demonstration they stood to tappings, reciting -- attention, reciting turkey's national anthem. coal mining is the life line of the economy. the demonstrators and the bereaved want to know why it killed so many of their men. what the company had to say raises more questions, more uncertainty, no comfort. you are looking live at soma turkey, the scene of the catastrophe. it's the worst mining disaster

in turkey's historiment prior to this a gas explosion in 1992 killed 263 workers new video of barrel bombs dropped on a city in syria. an anti-asaad group released a video saying it showed government bombs dropping on a suburb of damascus. barrels packed with explosives were used. the explosions left thousands of dead in syria's war. nigeria's president is in paris for a security summit on a threat posed by reb et group. jonathan is meeting with the president of france. they are all trying to come up with a strategy for containing boko haram. a security meeting coming as 3,000 french troops are september across africa to fight al qaeda. >> reporter: lush, french

countryside... lush, french countryside is about as far from the sahara as you can get. those french troops are gooring up for the new -- gearing up for the new mission. black hawk helicopters simulate dropping small taxes in remote -- teams in remote locations in is it a french artillery regiment. they'll be taking the mortars as well. on display the tiger helicopter, french made, packed with the latest weaponry. as in mali last year the french troops will be seeking out an elusive enemy across thousands of kilometres. according to the french, the threat is agreeing. >> terrorism in africa is a global threat. we intervened in mali to ensure not just marley or regional, but our open. security in mali means security

in west africa, france and europe. >> the french military say the new deployment protect armed groups. from rearming. destabilizing. they say it's about containment. they admit they could be on the ground. the french have military presence. this new deployment will expand counterterrorism operations with bases in mali. chad, and ivory coast. government are said to welcome the move. francis hollande appears to have the backing at home for a long-term commitment. we understand that it's not just about victory. victory you need to make sure that the post-conflict phase goes well. you need to stablilize and stick around for a long time. >> the french calculates

intervention carries minimal risk. french casualties have been light. despite the spending cuts it's something they can afford. as with military cooperation, it's easy to send troops in, harder to know when to pull them out. simon mcgregor-wood - eastern france. >> we go live to abuja. the school girls have been missing for over a month now. what is the president hoping to accomplish this morning at that conference? >> well, a month is a very long time, particularly for the parents of more than 270 girls who have been waiting for the return of their girls up to now. what the president wants to achieve is a common strategy between nigeria and ith neighbours of the militant group

that has, before now, been a nigerian problem, but is becoming a regional problem with attacks across nigeria's poorest borders with its neighbours. >> you mentioned cop raugs, there was another boko haram attack this morning. is it likely that the attacks will inspire cooperation with the neighbours. >> [ inaudible ] particularly that - when that happened, forest on the edge. forest, which is about 20km away. just 20km away from the nigerian border with cameroon. and the attack was carried out on a choopees plant that - in which one person was injured, and more than 10 people

kidnapped. it's the hope of many here that such attacks frequently happen in cameroon. they'll contribute to the country's pulling in the resources in attacking the militant group. the meeting hoping to stamp out the attacks. >> people, a controversial deal between the government of arge teena and iran has been chaired unconstitutional. it would have create a truth commission to investigate. the plan outraged argentina's jewish community. >> it's a never ending investigation into the worst-ever bomb attack. it suffered another twist. the government a setback in attempt to obtain cooperation from a country accused of being behind it. a bomb exploded at the jewish community center killing 85 people, injuring more than 300

others of the prosecutors believe it was carried out under the orders of the iranian government. a chance denied. just when it seemed both countries would cooperate after reaching a controversial agreement, argentina's appeals court declared the deal unconstitutional alleging it violates separation of powers. >> we have notified the iranian government, telling them that we'll appeal the incorrect ruling and take it to our supreme court of justice. >> reporter: in 2006 interpol issued warrants for top officials, including the defence minister. argentina's influential jewish community, the largest in latin america applauded the move but criticised the government when it decided to negotiate with iran in the hope of obtaining

its cooperation to get to the bottom of the cause. >> how you can agree a truth commission with the aggressor. that's amazing. i don't think you can find any precedent in diplomatic terms, in historical terms, world wide releases. >> reporter: the bombing is not the only attack against a jewish target. two years earlier a bomb exploded at the israeli embassy, which was here. each tree represents the 29 victims, as in the case of amnia culprits have never been found or tried, even in ab sentia. now with the truth commission on hold, the government's hopes of finding out who ordered the attacks and why any time soon appear to have been dashed yet again. iran denounced a decision to

break the deal. an argentinian court is presenting an investigation into the truth behind the bombing. a changing of the guard after historic elections. narendra modi was mobbed by crowds of supporters outside the airport in new delhi, riding on a wave of dissatisfaction to become the country's next prime minister. the wind sweeping out the ruling congress party which had been in power for decades. despite being banned many hope that modi's business attitude will open trade doors. nearly $28 billion were changed in goods and services between thest and india. he's a hard line activist. some worry he may inflame religious attentions with india's muslims. >> reporter: narendra modi is seen as a device if figure, some feel he failed to protect the

muslims leaving many dead during tweets in 2002. will there be fair opportunities for one and all. b.j.p. says yes, it would. it didn't stop senior leaders from revisiting the site of a loss to a site destroyed in the 1990 the. the b.j.p. said it will build a grapd temple igniting comupal tensions again. recent comment about illegal immigrants being september home worried some of the east. victims were muslims. narendra modi said if he comes to power, those that can't prove they are indian will be deported. they want to continue a dialogue with pakistan. secu securing and a priority.

when narendra modi's victory became clear he sent out a message on twitter saying "india has won", it's been re-tweeted. it's not the only record broken. using cutting-edge technology he gave live speech via hologram to 80 locations allowing 40 million to view his speetchments and broke a gin -- speeches and broke a guinness world record. police in pushing under fire for a series of deadly shootings. >> we found officers used deadly force against people that did not pose a threat of death or harm. >> one of the officers convicted of using excessive force was promoted. the chief of the department is defending the decision. they could be the remains of one of the earliest americans, a discovery in the middle of nowhere that has scientists buzzing everywhere.

true business-grade internet comes with secure wifi for your business. it also comes with public wifi for your customers. not so with internet from the phone company. i would email the phone company to inquire as to why they have shortchanged these customers. but that would require wifi. switch to comcast business internet and get two wifi networks included. comcast business built for business. record flooding not seen in more than 100 years swamped the balkans. some from stuck standing on

their homes waiting for help. bosnia and herzegovina appeal for help after declare states of emergencies. 200 landslides have been triggered, killing many. >> recover ring and rebuilding after a catastrophic tornado. first a look at the forecast waters will recede in the north-east. a cold front came through bringing rain fall. this morning temperatures are running across the north-east 10 to 20 degrees colder than 24 hours ago. we have gone from the low 70s to the mid 50s. we'll keep it cool, especially interior sections. notice the 50s showing up. low 70s along the coast. into the mid west. frost out there. catchy. definitely showing its presence

and fargo. 38 degrees - marked 33. by later this afternoon temperatures rebounding. around the mid '60s. denver reaching a high of 70. over the next few days temperatures will warm up. it will feel better around minneapolis. closer to 80 by monday. we'll watch for the storm system to approach, bringing a chance for showers and storms. by the end of the weekend warm air staying in place across the south-west. phoenix spcting a high of 101. six months ago today a late-season tornado tore through washington illinois. 600 homes were levelled and 400 damaged as the community bounces back. diane eastabrook reports that one of the biggest obstacles is the cost. >> reporter: throughout washington illinois you can hear progress.

homes are going up everywhere. many next to those still bearing scars from the ef 4 tornado ploughing through last november. this is a front entry. >> reporter: lauraly is building a ramping-style home where her 2-storey once stood. >> reporter: how much did insurance cover. >> the basic house, everything. >> reporter: residents and businesses got $28 million in federal disaster aid. city governments got nothing. it spent 12 million clearing away debris. >> that will be the cutout. >> reporter: gary says thousands of roads and pavements need to be fixed. there's side walks, potholes and water and sewer systems that needs replacing.

costs forwarded that could bankrupt washington. >> our budget is $18.8 million. we spent 12. it could be 26 million. >> when illinois initially applied to the federal emergency management, it estimated the tornado caused 6 million in damage to mine countries. that amount was below the 17.8 million threshold. aid was relevanted. the state appealed the decision, putting the damage closer to 21 million. fema relevanted a request saying the impact was not beyond the capability yes of the state and the government to ns tit federal assistance. >> i was disappointed. >> he thinks insurance and fund will cover a cost. not everything. >> reporter: the mayor does not

want to raze property taxes because it could discourage some home owners from rebuilding. only half have applied for building permits. >> if someone is on the fence saying i'm going to build or not rebuild, they'll probably make the decision to live in the next did i. >> lauraly thinks higher property taxes are inevitable but is rebuilding any. >> reporter: you are okay with that? >> i am. when i see the taxes at work. >> reporter: they are confident that washington can emerge and put the difficult chapter behind it. the harsh wnter slowed down the rebuilding process when washington city saw more than 60 inches of snow. the arkansas supreme court stopped gay marriages from going forward. a judge struck down an amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

the state supreme court said there was problems with the ruling, not before licences were handed outlet the court put a stay on a licence being issued until an appeal can be herd. >> today marks 10 years since the first legal day marriage, happening in massachusetts. in the year since, 16 other states have taken the same steps. >> the federal court in idaho struck down a ban an same-sex marriage. 29 have bans in place. peru is trying to overhaul its education system. this is the result. [ gunfire ] we'll tell you why students are up in arms over reform. he's not quitting his day job, but the president of bolivia is about to make a professional debut on the soccer pitch.

peru is trying to overhaul peru is trying to overhaul peru is trying to overhaul

peru is trying to overhaul

peru is trying to overhaul good morning to you. thank you for watching al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford in new york. here are the top stories. firefighters are battling wild fires across southern california. arson charms have been laid against a 57-year-old man and two teenagers. the son of a poor spread vennor rises to become india's next prime minister. federal regulators slapped general motors with a $35 million fine. the penalty is a maximum allowed, and the largest ever imposed. g.m. must make changes to its safety practices and will be

supervised by the government. >> albuquerque's police chief gends his promotion of an officer despite his involvement in the case of excessive force on a homeless person. the chief says he's trying to curb violence, but hits moves are raising questions. >> reporter: facing weeks of protest albuquerque's police chief promises chance. they are prompting anger. critics are upset after the promotion of two commanders, one has a history of excessive force after partially burning off a homeless man's ear with a stun gun in 2002. a federal jury awarded that victim 300,000. >> it's a shock that police chief gordon would promote him. an officer that the d.o.j. is skeptical of. >> reporter: the 18-year-old officer admits he made a mistake and traps others to avoid --

traipse others to avoid using force. the chief promoted him after a report urmed him to -- urged him to strengthen the chain of demandismism they used force against people that did not pose an immediate threat of death or harm. >> do it. >> 39 officer-involved shootings in four years rocked the city of half a million. >> put the gun down. >> many of the suspects were armed. already the chief prohibited officers from using their own weapons, and forbids them from shooting at moving vehicles. sometimes the lapel cameras capture the shooting. other times they don't. like when a female was shot running from police. st unclear if the camera was turned on. the city promised reforms. >> there are difficult findings in the report.

we recognise that. the good news is that this is an achievable goal. >> reporter: promoting the commapders was one stem -- commanders was one step for a department facing confrontation. >> the albuquerque police chief says the officer was promoted because the det was impressed with his willingness to discuss and take responsibility for the incident. a missouri inmate is acting for his execution to be video taped. lawyers filed a motion saying lethal injection could be cruel and unusual. which is why his client wants to record evidence. the death penalty is under scrutiny since oklahoma botched an execution. opponents say there's not enough information about the drug cocktail being used. glenn greenwald, a journalist leading the reporting on edward snowden's national

security agency leaks says more revelations are to come and spoke to al jazeera's john seigenthaler asking how many agents had to be removed for were in danger because of lags? >> none that the u.s. government identified. nobody has been injured or harmed as a result of our reporting. the u.s. government makes the claims without evidence. every time there's disclosures. it turns out to be false and without evidence. that's the case here. >> glenn greenwald tells john seigenthaler about the edward snowden documents that have not been released. you can see the interview on "talk to al jazeera" today at 5:00 pm eastern. a plane carrying several senior laos officials crashed near the vietnamese border. at least three were killed, including the defense minister. it was heading to the north-east of the country. rescue workers are searching for survivors.

scroo two suspects have been arrested in connection with two explosions that rocked kenya. 10 were killed. the kenya red cross asked for blood donations. no one claimed responsibility, about the there's been a series of attacks by rebels groups that want kenyan troops out of somalia. there's a growing movement to reform politics in myanmar. thousands of activists held a rally. as lawrence louie explains, the current constitution bars the leader from becoming president. >> reporter: for years regarded as the icon as democracy, aung san suy kyi is leading the call for change. this time to reform the constitution. >> translation: this constitution was drawn up because the government and army

lack confidence. there's no confidence between the army and the people, and vice versa. some have no confidence in their own future and the constitution was drawn up to use as a shield. . >> reporter: drafted under the regime, it bars anyone with foreign military passports to become president. that excludes aung san suy kyi. 75 vots are needed to amend the constitution, giving a lot of power to the military, guaranteed 25 seats in pearls. >> reporter: this is a series of nation-wide allies. there's no indication that the government is listening. days ago the president said parties working for reform must work within the boundaries of the law. a nominally civilian

government has been in charge since 20 so. it introduced reform and has been involved in the lifting of sanctions. it's reluctant to do more. >> everything is new. we are faced with challenges. it's fragile. if you push too soon, it may be misstepped. rfferent the position tried to organise dialogue. efforts amounted to nothing. they are adamant the constitution has to be fixed. we cannot rely on the constitution because the core structure needs to provide a shield. to protect the entrenched interests of the army and contain the movements of other political parties among others. >> reporter: the national league for democracy won a landslide.

the military presented it taking power. polls are due next year. aung san suy kyi may see victory snatched from her. this time by a constitutional flaw. myanmar emerged from a half century of military recall in 2011. the military holds a fixed percentageage of seats in the legislature a student march in peru end in violence. the crowd threw rocks at antiriot police. more than 2,000 demonstrators gathered to protest a new law. students say it would take away the university's ipp depends by creating a national body. divers recovered the remains of what they believe to be one of the first americans, found in an underwater cave in mexico's

jungle. it's believed to be a small teenage girl who likely fell to her death. scientists were able to tell how old she was by coip dating her ipp tack teeth. a forensic anthroe poll gift joins us from west avalon. i understand that this skeleton links modern indians to early americans. as such, is this a gateway from past to present. why is it such a billing deal? >> it's a big deal because it - the skeleton is the missing link in confirming a theory where the native americans return if a population crossing the bridge and instead of coming in - instead of having several populations coming in, we know it's one population that slowly

populated the americas, and actually created - well, actually formed this new population that evolved into the native americans. so you say slowly populated the americas, does it challenge a preconceived notion that scientists had before it was discovered? >> yes, there were several theories, a unique migration, and another was several groups came in, and this is the reason why you had the paleo-americans looking different from the remains of the ancestor of the modern native americans who were different. >> how did they look different? >> the paleo-american had a narr narrower eye socket and

eloppingated skulls. different from the ancestors of the modern native. >> narrow and longer skulls. >> that's right. the current skull has the more fololgy of the paleo-americans, but the d.n.a. of the native modern american. so that is what makes this scoel tonne absolutely -- skeleton absolutely unique, and it is practically complete. that's rare for a find of this - that dates back to 12,000 years old. >> you mentioned d.n.a. how rare is it to achieve d.n.a. from something like this? >> nowadays it's less rare. but it's still difficult. the reason why the paper that

came out in science is because mitochondrial dna is property in each cell in multiple copies, it's easier to retrieve it from ancient remaups. on the other -- remans. on the other hand nuclear d.n.a. has one copy. it's a finer grain much information. mitochondrial dna, which the scientist recovered which identified the remain. the ancestors of the modern native americans is easier to retrieve, and only gives you one set of the picture of the ancestry of the individual. >> quickly, before you leave, do you expect this to be put on

display? >> i don't think it will be put on display soon. it has to be retrieved, which is not a smaller occupation. cave diving is dapingd and probably is brittal. >> not in time for us to see. >> from frag il. exactly. >> thank you for joining us from west bobba long. cambodia's royal ochlen prekict a good harvest season. every year for the annual ploughing ceremony two sake read oxen make that way through the sacred grounds and are offered a vart of options. what they choose symbolizes a booed for bad season. they mumped on grains this year.

a top soccer team in bolivia made a signing, the president will join one of the clubs. we have this report. >> reporter: a professional football club signing a 54-year-old is no common site. the president of a country signing for a pro team - that's almost unhard of. >> translation: i can announce, having spop to the president -- spoken to the president, that his contract can be registered. >> reporter: evo morales has been president of bolivia since 2006. he can add sports boys midfielder to his toilet. he's played in section plays with caffu. actor accept penn was a team-mate. he'll don the number so for the first division team. there'll be no presidential

treatment when it comes to salary. >> we are contracting president evo morales as a normal player with a monthly salary of it $213. the rules establish it be the minimum wage. >> there's no shortage of athletes that switch their car oars. vitaly klitschko has been a future of ukraine yap politics. before arnold schwarzenegger was a governor of california and app actor, he was a body build and mr unijuniors. and vladimir putin's love of ice hockey is well-known. making the switch to professional is imness. >> evo morales makes his debut in august. soccer has taken very seriously in bolivia, it's the country's national sport.

>> 60 years since the brown versus board of imgregs. it was maffed of of five different complaints. the woman behind one of those joins us live. >> rain moving through the east. some areas are wet. i'll have the details on where the flood risks are. >> you are looking live in turkey at the scope of one of the country's worst ever mining disasters. crews are pulling the last of the bodies out, raising the death toll to more than 500. the woman behind one of those the bodies out, raising the

aviation officials are investigating how two jets nearly collided near hawaii. a united airlines flight barely

missed a u.s. airways plane heading to maui. the united plane was forced to descend in order to avoid the jet. f.a.a. rules say planes must be spirited by five miles laterally or 1,000 feet vertically. good morning, welcome back to al jazeera america. today marks the 60th anniversary of brown versus board of education. in chicago, the closure of several schools is starting a fight for education light. >> i don't know what is happening with the house... . >> reporter: words don't always come easy for michael. >> i would not like them here or there. >> as the single moth are of a special needs student she hopes one day they'll read together.

she worries because consolidation doubled the size of his class. >> what do you think is behind it? >> you give them a shiny building, laptops, it's not overcrowded. >> reporter: in the face of a shortfall the chicago board decided to close 39 schools, all but a handful in the high crime south and west side. [ chanting ] the decision sparked outrage and protest. a coalition of civil rights group filed climates against school districts in three cities. newark, new jersey, new orleans and chicago. the groups contend charter schools, publicly funded but operating independently cherry-pick students and inflate students by kicking out poorly

behaved students. one alleges that chicago schools set schools up to civil, in order to close schools in afghanistan can american communities. points to 12 years of data. 88% of african students were affected. >> this is a leader of the civil rights organizations. >> it is so bad. they take art and physical education as online. that is a civil rights issue. >> proving institutional discrimination is tough. >> the justice department, office of civil rights will have the the claim to see if chick her -- if chicago took enough substance. >> reporter: in a statement the chicago school district says. .

jeanette taylor says she doesn't see evidence of thax. >> we live in a segregated city. if your child is worthy of a laptop, this is 2014. last night president obama met with plaintiffs from the brown versus board of education case, including joy. back in 1951 she took part in a student walk-out. she protested overcrowding and separate but unequal conditions. the n.a.a.c.p. took up their cause, combining with four others. she joins us for the weekend conversation segment from richmond virginia.

i can't tell you much i appreciate you waking up early to join us. you and hundreds of your fellow students at high school walked out in protest. what were the conditions like. what sparked your decision to walk out. what sparked - parents attended pta meetings, trying to get us a better school. we had hand me down books, we had no gymnasium, cafeteria. there were teachers teaching and the auditorium. we only had one in the lap. we didn't have the materials. we had tried to get a better school. what they gay us was tar paper shacks that they said we had to go to school in. when you went into the shacks,

on the days that it rained. we would have to hold up an umbrella to keep the rain off. there was a potbelly stove. if you sat close, you were burping um. if you were too far away you had to keep the coat on. it was deplorable conditions. >> no cafeteria, potbelly stoves, tar belly classes. how did that lead to your walk out. >> bubba johns was a 16 year-old and spearheaded the strike. she had called the assembly that morning, and sent notes around to the teachers and planned this with a committee, a strim committee, she had a student going away from the school to steer the prips pll away --

principal away. we call came in to the auditorium for assembly. we were shocked to see barbara on the stage. we expected to see the principal. she told us we didn't have to take these conditions any more, we deserved better and should go on stroke and god was on our side and we should seize the moment. she told you that you deserved better. how difficult was it to learn in conditions like that? >> how was the conditions? >> how difficult with the pot-bellied stoves, tar paper sharks, forwarding you'd get burnt too close to the heater. did it make it difficult to learn? >> it did make it difficult, but we had excellent teachers.

they gave us 150%. they ipp stilled -- instilled in us that we could be anything we wanted to be, and assured us we could go to college and achieve. ech under the -- even under the conditions in the classroom, with hand-me-down books with pages torn out. we had teachers and our parents instilled so much faith we were able endure. >> given what you said i want you to lip to what first lady michelle obama said speaking about the state of schools today. >> those schools are not equal. especially ones attended by students of colour, which too often lag behind. with crumbling classrooms and less experienced teachers. and even in schools that seem integrated, according to the number, when you look a little

closer, you see students from different backgrounds sitting at separate lunch table. >> what are your thoughts on that? are schools more integrated today? >> no, i have to agree with the first lady. i would say from 1967 to 1980 things accelerated as far as the segregation. when you get past 1988 to now, it's almost like it's reversing. you do see - because of the commission, because of all of the testing that came in, you have the testing and accountability, and with that, that's another way of maintaining segregation. when you go in, no child left behind, which was really not a good thing. then you have the sol. so many testing, and with that

testing you have groups. >> still work to be done. >> set aside that still seg re gaits a person. a child that is more gifted has a better opportunity. >> that's what we want for all of america's children. >> joy from the brown versus board of education. thank you for joining us from west virginia. tomorrow - a woman sentenced to death for converting to christianity. there were protests outside a courthouse in the capital of sudan after that ruling came down a judge ordering a woman to be put to death by happening for converting from islam to christianity. that's tomorrow morning 7:30 am eastern. that will do it for now here from new york. we'll have the latest news at

the top of the hour, including more of the landslide victory by narendra modi in india. thanks very much, have a great morning.

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only on al jazeera america >> hello, welcome to the news hour. these are our top stories. driving home his victory, india's next prime minister thanks the people for his support. plus more in turkey. >> i told my friend to leave me here. you go. i didn't have the strength to go on. >> survivors describe their ordeal and say more men could have escaped if officials had