>> it's digging deeper it's asking that second, that third question, finding that person no one spoken to yet... >> you can't tell the stories of the people if you don't get their voices out there, and al jazeera america is doing just that. good evening to you. welcome to al jazeera america. live from new york city. i'm morgan radford with a look at the top stories. billionaire petero poroshenko declares himself the victor in ukraine's elections. the pope works on middle east peace. comments on palestine triggers controversy. president obama makes a surprise rip to afghanistan, thank -- trip to afghanistan thanking the troops for their service a positive otal week as

presidential elections are prepared for in egypt. that's the subject of "the week ahead" - our sunday night special. i know it's a little late, but i was in the neighbourhood and thought i'd stop by. i'm here on a single mission - that is to thank you for your extraordinary service. well, he was in the neighbour hood and u.s. troops in afghanistan were in for quite the surprise. they got a visit from president obama who thanked them for their sacrifices and the sacrifices of their family. they addressed the question on everyone's minds, which is when are the troops coming home. mike viqueira has more. >> reporter: it was president obama's fourth trip to afghanistan. each and every time it's cloaked in secrecy for security purposes much the first trip in almost

two years, visiting the troops, their commanding officers, the american ambassador there, speaking to the troops at bagram. it was decidedly focused on american troops, this memorial day weekend, not getting involved in meeting with afghan officials - for an obvious reason - they are in the middle of a run off. hamid karzai, a thorn in the side of the obama administration for some time on his way out. it is a crucial time for another reason. the united states government and the afghan government appear to be inching closer with hamid karzai's departure with a status of troops agreement. what is their role in 2014 - that is is a long-time promise for president obama to remove american troops, ending their combat roll. president obama saying that the afghan forces - it's turning out better than expected.

by no stretch of the imagination is the situation in afghanistan can completely secure. here is more of what the president had to say. >> for many of you this will be your last tour in afghanistan. and by the end of this year the transition will be complete and afghans will take full responsibility for their security and our combat mission will be over. america's war in afghanistan will come to a responsible end. president obama has a previously scheduled speech. we understand from officials that there could be a major announcement about the status of forces. how many, where will they be, what will the mission be and what are the arrangements between the u.s. and african governments for troops should they get into difficulties. that is a sticking point.

the president, a big speech to look forward to on wednesday at west point. all right. both candidates in the afghanistan election run-off made it clear that they'll sign an agreement to keep u.s. president on the ground. we hear why the president's message was important for the afghan people to hear. >> the top candidates running off on 14 june are confirming that they will find - it will be in the left, to sign a bilateral security contact. president obama called it a single mission, but the speech has an important message for afghanistan. it's a speech, a commitment for the future behind 2014. he said that he will never allow av to become a safe advent for those threatening america, and he pinpointed lots of success

and achievement of 13 years americans here, and talked about how strong afghan forces are, and how the girls are going to school and the women. it's the only achievement. that is fragile. if there is no president or foreign forces, with all the afghan army which they dent have, it will be hard for them to keep the achievement. it is a big chping, and now afghanistan is waiting for another acknowledgment from president obama to know how many troops president obama will let to stay in afghanistan behind 2014. >> more than 45,000 ukrainians cast their votes in the presidential election. now it appears there is a victor. tensions in the east are high. some say the new president is not really there for them.

jackie row and has more. >> the screen at petero poroshenko's headquarters sends a message - exit polls give him well over the crucial figure of 50%. these are not official figures. all the same, they suggest strokely that the billionaire may be poised to win the election outright. >> translation: you see that all exit polls without exception were held by credible polling organizations in the country and the world. they show that the election is over after the first round, and the country has a new president. >> rarely has ukrainians gone to the polls with so much enthusiasm. in the capital long queues formed as people waited to cast their vote for the president. for many, this was the most important election since ukraine left the soviet union. >> i think it will be big step to stablilize the administration in the country.

>> translation: i expect life to be better, peace and unity. >> reporter: petero poroshenko promised to reform the economy and fight corruption. his role in the protest against former regime gives him credibility. he presents himself as a unifying candidate who reconciles the east and west. pro-russian separatists in the east say the election is relevant to their region, and they will not report the result. one quart are of polling -- quarter of polling stations are able to vote. >> he is not our president, we didn't vote for him. those in the west might have voted. here we didn't. we didn't hold the election as far as i know. >> the problem with the east probably won't be solved. they have likely realised that their territory shrunk. if results confirm the exit polls, ukraine has a new president after a single round of voting.

that will be a release with many fearing that waiting for a run-off will add to instability. now petero poroshenko looks like a president in waiting and his first official trip will be to the east to draw a line under six months of division. that was jacky rowland reporting from kiev. europe is counting the ballots after voters went to choose a european parliament. exit polls are rolling in with official results tonight. pro-european parties are predicted to hold the vote. but critics may maybe gain, thanks to high unemployment and government cutbacks. it's election day in columbia where 33 million cast their votes for president. the two main contenters are juan michael santos, and former finance chief zulaga.

both urge col om bians to get out and get to the vote. >> in this election we hope all that will do so will exercise the right to jet. i have faith in winning the election. >> columbia's race has been full of drama. there has been allegations of corruption, espionage. the drama doesn't end there. there are elections scheduled this week. this is the very first election after the ousting of president mohamed mursi. the two contenders are abdul

fatah al-sisi and hamdeen sabahi. we'll discuss what is ahead in "the week ahead". on day two of the pope's holy land visit, five palestine families enjoy a lumming with him on sunday. the samly says they've been armed by policies in bethlehem, and while in bethlehem francis held a large mass outside the church of nativity and made a surprise visit to the wall separating the west from jerusalem. nick schifrin is there. what was special about the trip today? pope francis says he comes as a pilgrim.

this evening with history iing meeting with the spiritual leader with the orthodox christians. the two events reenforcing a desire to bring peace to the middle east. >> pope francis walks into a crowd of the faithful and stops in shock. then walking past the palestinian flag he looks summer. israel separated bethlehem from jerusalem with a 25-foot high wall. israelis say it provide security. palestinians say it stifles light and steals land. >> my sterption of this is -- terms of interpretation of this is let god bless palestinians and israelis in order to destroy the wall. >> pope francis promised the trip would not be political. the actions are seen as recognition of the palestinian

cause. he was the first pope to arrive in bethlehem without first arriving in israel. and he referred to pal stipe over israel's objections. >> translation: the time has dom put an end to the situation which is increasingly unacceptable. >> he met with the children of palestinian refugees, including this 7-year-old. before the visit she showed me narrow alley ways the home, the refugee camps. for 60 years 13,000 palestinians lived in a neighbourhood that was supposed to be temporary. >> we struggle with the occupation. when ever it wants, you'll find them in any street. >> this is the only life this woman has ever known. it's a song about peace. pope francis says he hears the

refugees message. [ speaking foreign language ] . >> reporter: after all the politics pope francis came to jerusalem to focus on the spiritual and continue a reconciliation born 50 years ago behind the walls. in 1964 the heads of a billion catholics and 300 million orthodox christians ended a 900-year-old rift. today francis renewed that unity on the site where jesus was believed to have been crucified, francis and bartholomew prayed. they presided over a mass and in christ's tomb they lit candles together. >> the pope wants to show people there is the will, the spirit to foster unity, to foster a new

relationship among christians. >> by tearing down walls. >> reporter: and i asked israeli officials to respond to pope francises trip to the wall and his endorsement. official said they were not happy but were not surprised. in the past the pope endorsed palestine. israeli officials feel they'll get an endorsement when the pope visits mt herzl, and they say that's an endorsement of their right. >> now, let's talk about the

offer of the pope to have shimon peres at the same time at the same place, at the vatican. what can you tell us about the meeting. is there an indication that the meeting will be different. >> reporter: well it's unprecedented for a pope to step in the middle of middle east peace. that, alone, is a symbol of what pope francis is going to try to do following the trip. he's clearly been inspired by something, or his aids inspired by something they have seen or come across. they promised that this was not a political trip. what can really happen from the meeting? not a lot perhaps. president perez is stepping down by the end of june, and so that meeting will probably be the last official meeting as a senior israeli official. he's not the most senior politician. he's more of a ceremonial post.

he's not supposed to negotiate peace with the palestinians. however, president mahmoud abbas of the palestinian authority said that he feels comfortable negotiating with president shimon peres, and it's an indication that pope francis thinks a meeting can move this peace process forward. otherwise vatican officials say the invitation wouldn't have been given. >> thank you nick schifrin. meanwhile a large-scale manhunt is underway in belgium, after the deadly shootings at the jewish museum. three were killed, another in critical condition. authorities release this surveillance footage, and the shooter acted alone and ask the public for any or all information. a crowd of 2,000 people gathered outside the museum to pay tribute to the victims. prosecutors say they are unclear as to whether anti-semitism was a motive in the shootings.

speaking of shootings, authorities in southern california identified all the victims in friday night's killing free. the santa barbara sheriff's office says the three me stabbed to death were students at the university of california, santa barbara. two lived with the suspect. and that is elliot rodger. police say this 22-year-old killed the man at his apartment before shooting three other victims. the neighbours say the 22-year-old kept to himself. >> the few times i seep him around, living -- seen him around, living in the complex, it was like he wasn't like a nice space. he didn't say hello. >> deputies checked in on elliot rodger last month, but he convinced them he was homeless next - as the v.a. scandal

unravels we speak about personal experience. egyptians set to vote in a presidential election. we profile both candidates in the sunday segment "the week ahead". stay tuned.

as we mentioned before the break, president obama is visiting troops in avering. here at home -- afghanistan, here at home he is dealing with a scandal involving the department of veterans' affairs. here is what happened. a v.a. hospital position, kathryn mitchell warned that the phoenix emergency room is overwhelmed. she filed a complaint and in 2013 sam foota doctor of ipp general medicine retired from his position and blew the whistle saying that were falsified wait times and record were manipulated. in april the v.a. system in fooepism was a -- phoenix was accused of misconduct.

40 deaths were linked to delays, and a dozen other states made misconduct claims. congress placed a subpoena on eric shinseki. this same day eric shinseki ordered record audits of all v.a. health care facilities across the united states. now there are calls for eric shinseki to resign. president obama defended him and eric shinseki says he has no plans to step down. yesterday the department of veterans' affairs said it will allow veterans to receive health care at private facilities, it is enhancing clinic capacity to help vets get hep. richard allan smith is a veteran serving five years in the afghanistan war. thank you for being with us. as a vet yourself, how do you feel about the scandal unfolding at the v.a. offices where some veterans died whilst waiting for

treatment? >> i served five years on active duty in the army. i spent 14 years in general. >> got it. >> i'm glad eric shinseki is staying on board. i worked for the department of veterans' affairs for less than a year ago. there's a culture clash creating problems, between folks who are used to doing business the old way, when v.a. was mismanaged and started to turn around when eric shinseki took over. i'm glad he's staying on board as a candidate president obama promised that veteran care would be a top priority, do you think he kept his promise? >> absolutely under eric shinseki the quality of care improved greatly and received higher marks on patient satisfaction surveys. we have a problem with access to care. in most that improved. there are outliers where for decades the department was

mismanaged. it will take a while to turn the ship around. >> you said access improved. how so? >> if you look at the numbers, almost 2 million new veterans are enrolled in v.a. care that weren't enrolled when general eric shinseki took over. that's from the v.a. outlook efforts under the leadership amped up after five years under funding from the budget request. >> do you feel port of the problem is it's too hard for the v.a. to keep up with. should veterans she more doctors at the v.a. - what should happen. >> we need to get more funding, facilities. republics killed a bill that required funding for education programs and other things. a new bill was introduced and passed last week allowing the secretary of the veterans'

affairs to terminate members from misconduct same as members of congress can do in a much more extradited way. >> do you feel like that is a step in the right direction. >> i know general eric shinseki has reservations about that inhibiting his ability to attract top talent. i understand that, but it's a step in the right direction to think about how to improve the quality of the personnel working for veterans' affairs. >> give me a personnel perspective. have you spent time personnel lip at a v.a. -- personally at a v.a. hospital or the men you served with. what was the experience leek. >> i have a friend in a facility - i haven't talking about this specific interest. it's from spot to spot, as with any health care system this large - there isn't one this large. you are going to get different

results based on where you are. i received great care at the huntville clinic in alabama, and in denver colorado. i took a friend to the emergency room at the pittsburgh medical center and he was seen right away. it's important to remember these are isolated. it's not plaguing system wide. >> all right. thank you so much. richard alan smith joining us live tonight. tonight on "america tonight" we continue an indepth look at the american criminal just system, it's called "the system" with joe berylinger. he focuses on mandatory sentencing and a father sent to prin for 20 years all for firing a warning shot to protect his daughter. look at this preview. >> i tried to do the right thing for the right reason no matter the consequences. that i can live with.

>> when i saw the condition that my husband was in, and the tact that he'd resigned himself to spending 20 years in prison for shooting a hole in the wall - i went from being sad and depressed to being angry. i think the system failed me stay in your seats. you can catch "the system" after news. next on al jazeera america - our sunday segment "the week ahead". voters prepare to go to the polls for a crucial election in egypt. we'll break down the major players and ask the panel of experts what it means for the future of the country. and rebecca with the weather.

what can we insect. >> there's thunder storms in different areas of the country. i'll show you where that is happening - coming up next.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. live from new york city. i'm morgan radford with a look at the top stories. president obama on a surprise visit to afghanistan, telling u.s. troops that america's war will come to a responsible end by the end of this year. obama said he made the 13-hour trip to thank the troops for their service. and more than 35 million ukrainians took to the polls to vote for the country's next president. the latest polls show pro-european billionaire petero poroshenko with a decisive lead. he appears to have more than 55% of the total vote, and that is ahead of his competitors by more than 40%. plus, pope francis is in jerusalem after an historic trip to the birthplace of jesus christ. the pontiff held a mass in bethlehem outside the church of

nativity. later he made is a surprise visit to the wall separating bethlehem and jerusalem, and invited both presidents to the vatican. it is sunday night and time for a look at "the week ahead". tonight a look at the egypt presidential elections. there are two candidates competing in the first vote since the ousting of mohamed mursi. many are looking to them for leadership. questions remain as to whether the elections will, in fact, be free and fair. we begin with this report from courtney kealy. >> reporter: for abdul fatah al-sisi, who formally retired from the army to stand for election, victory is a certainty. security concerns kept the former general and defence minister from making personal campaign appearances around the country. he gave a nationally televised address urging egyptians to vote. >> among those supporting abdul fatah al-sisi, and a coup, the food is jub u lant.

they are happy to go to the polling stations and cast a ballot for abdul fatah al-sisi. there's a collective spirit of mass conformity around abdul fatah al-sisi. abdul fatah al-sisi and leftist politician are the only two canned dits. if -- canned dits, if hamdeen sabahi has a respectful showing, it could be an indicator that abdul fatah al-sisi doesn't are the support that is assume. >> among the youth and revolutionaries of the taksim square era. some will vote for hamdeen sabahi. but many will stay at home. >> reporter: it's been almost a year since hamdeen sabahi was ousted in a coup, then the commander of egypt's armed forces. since then the military-backed government arrested more than 21,000, and many died in

protests. the muslim brotherhood has been declared a terrorist organization, hundreds of followers killed and thousands arrested. >> a fair election is possible. election observers will be at the polling station. the carter center sent a small observer mission. carter said in a statement that he is gravely concerned that egypt's democratic transition has faltered. >> the democratic process is pretty much non-existent, especially when you consider the current leaders excised a major political groupings from political life, the muslim brotherhood, and allied islamists who were a part of political life under hosni mubarak, are now outlawed. >> reporter: abdul fatah al-sisi's campaign platform is a previous number of bullet point listed on the website.

he promises new strooul zones, city, eight airports, 20,000 schools and investments in health care and agriculture and made it clear there'll be no mooted during his -- muslim brotherhood during his tepure. european union observers are in egypt ahead of presidential elections. they met with the foreign minister. this is the first election sense the ousting of president mohamed mursi. since his removal the muslim brotherhood has been banned and it's iing nated a terrorist organization. for more, we are joined by james, professor at u.c.l.a. , and another gentleman. >> james, will this in fact be a free and fair election? >> i think you have to look in two directions. the first is what is going to take place at the polls.

i don't think that there is going to be a lot of fraud that will take place at the polls. i think that the fraud has taken place before the elections by the banning the muslim brotherhood, by the elimination of all political demonstrations, by the way in which the media have manipulated, et cetera. in those terms, this is not going to be a free and fair election. >> do you agree with that. did this happen before the elections? >> yes. technically the election tomorrow will be a free and fair process. the problem is the environment in which the election is taking place. it's certainly not a free and fair one. there's little opposition that is allowed to take place, little campaigning by opposition that is taking place, and i think the majority of the people who oppose the front runner are planning to boycott because they feel the voices will not count.

>> we have seen two presidents toppled and six elections, since the arab spring. how will these be different to the six that have come before it? >> well, you know, i think abdul fatah al-sisi has a different strigs to what hosni mubarak or -- vision to what hosni mubarak or mohamed mursi did. he hasn't told us hi plan - i think that's on purpose. he has a lot of interest in how religion interacts with governance, and he has written a thesis about how you can operate from politics in muslim countries. he's definitely not a hosni mubarak hold over. he's his own man and we are going to see a different egypt to the one we have seen in the past three years or previous 30 years.

what it will look like five years, 10 years from now is xip's guess. -- anyone's guess. >> do you agree with that? abdul fatah al-sisi hasn't told us his plan, why is that? >> that's probably because he doesn't have a plan. the important thing is no one can succeed as president of egypt. the elephant in the room is the economy. it's in a state of collapse at the present time. what we see is these vague plans about, you know, energy saving light bulbs, and things like that while at the same time, for example, abdul fatah al-sisi can't get rid of subsidies that people depend upon. they burn through the money, $20 billion since abdul fatah al-sisi took over, and at the present time the only option out there on the table is either more gulf money poured after what they have done before or

going mat in hand to the i.m.f. which abdul fatah al-sisi has been reluctant to do. do you think they are the only two options on the table. the truth is it may be the elephant in the room. both men promised this is something they'll deliver on. is that a promise they can keep? >> not at the level that people expect. the reality is no outside help will be sustainable for the egyptian economy. they have to start running internally. we have to see new jobs, programs, and unfortunately until there is a much stronger sense of stability and security in the country, the economy is not going to rebound. abdul fatah al-sisi's approach is let's do whatever is necessary, whatever he feels is necessary to get the stability in place, and then turn to the economy.

now, whether his approach will actually lead to stability or lead to more instability, i think is still in question of but certain he won't be able to do anything about the economy at a structure level until there is more security established in the country. >> we know that abdul fatah al-sisi is the front runner here. backing up a minute, which candidate has the best profile to attract international investment? >> i don't think either of them have a profile that will attract international investment. i don't think international investment follows an individual candidate. there's structural problems that have to be seriously addressed. i'm not sure they can be addressed. and so, therefore, both of these guys, who have similar programs, actually, state intervention, thingslike that, they'll not be able to do much to turp things

around -- turn things around. one more thing, during the period sha abdul fatah al-sisi took hold, you have seen more strikes and labour actions than during the mohamed mursi eros. we are seeing the rebellion of workers, it was, after all, labour activism that made military intervene in the first place. they view this as being dangerous. >> i see you nodding your head to james's comparison. what do you think about that? >> even more. the level of dissatisfaction in the country according to the pew research study is at the same - to the same level as during mubarak's time. people may be more dissatisfied and pessimistic about the economy and the future of the country than they were during

mohamed mursi's time when there was hope for post revolutionary egypt. structural problems are deep and require significant changes both to the way the government runs the economy and the way people work, and the kind of sacrifices, the level of sacrifices needed are overwhelming to egyptians. in a way abdul fatah al-sisi has done one good thing in his campaign, which is to go out and tell people he has nothing to give them. "i have nothing to give you, this is about what you can do to help egypt, the sacrifices you do." that's what he has to do. he has to sell people on accepting sacrifices in their personal lives in order to get the economy as a hole going.

>> i want you to hold that thought. speaking on selling an abdul fatah al-sisi presidency, i want to take a moment to talk about what an abdul fatah al-sisi presidency would look like to the united states. let's look at a report from mike viqueira. >> reporter: the past year saw the classic american foreign policy dilemma, to support democratic ideas and punish allies that suppress them or put regional stability above all else. the barack obama administration has been on both sides. they never labelled mohamed mursi's ouster a coup, but suspended part of the $1.3 trillion military aid. last month half of that was restored. the u.s. stopped the transfer of abraham's tank and deliver of fighter jets. but green lighted the sale of 10 apache helicopters and hell-fire missiles. the administration spoke out against crackdowns on civil right, holding out the promise

of resuming precoup levels of aid if elections go well. why the mixed message? it's about regional stability, security along the suez can am, where american warships transit. and in the sinai, keeping a lid on raddic calls. they share a border with israel. the peace treaty between israel and egypt is in force. on all the fronts cooperation with egypt is essential and threatened by a cut off of aid. on the eve of the vote american officials insist they'll move to a transition if aid is to be restored. as egypt movements from democracy, aid continues to flow. so given what we just heard, gentlemen, let's go back to you. specifically, how will the united states respond to an abdul fatah al-sisi presidency. >> i think we have seen already how it would respond.

one month after the military cout de tar, and let's call it a cout detar in spite that the white house won't, john kerry meets abdul fatah al-sisi and says how the army restored democracy. i think the united states is chomping at the bid to resteroid, in spite of the horror -- resteroid in side of the horror show that egypt has become. there is something less that is very, very important here. i think that your lispers should understand that the region is in a great deal of flux, that the united states made overtures to iran to see whether or not they can bring iran into some sort of understanding which means that the united states is distancing itself fro the gulf countries

and egypt, trying to bring about a post cold war order allowing major players that-excluded from the participation in diplomacy, such as iran, a voice at the table. this will have a major effect on american alliances in the future. >> the post cold war is an centring is thing. do you consider it a horror show, what is happening in egypt. >> one thing that has never been accepted is the region is religious. it's conservative. you cannot impose a secular democracy on people who are religious. the idea of democracy in the middle east includes reliage job, and the idea of democracy

in the west is very much liberal, and the separation of religion and state. that will not fly in the middle east. policy makers and political leaders in the region will have to accept that a stable future and democratic future in the region will have to include political is lambs. moderate ones who are willing to work within the democratic structure. they have to be part of the solution. they actually represent how a lot of people feel. so the order will have to include that much the u.s. and other western liberal democracies and leaders in the region have to expect it. into the spectrum is interesting. what about the muslim brotherhood. it was one of egypt's powerful political groups, how does labelling it as a terrorist

organization impact the politics final word? >> i think that it makes it outlaws and the organization banned, assets confiscated and at this point the organization is finished as a functioning organization i would like to bring another way of looking at this, the compatibility of islam inkm okay rahsy. let's -- islam and democracy. you can see in tunisia you have a rule by the government, reaching out to the opposition, the secularist, resigning when there was opposition to it, and called for new elections. islam and democracy are compatible. what is incompatible with democracy is the way in which the muslim brotherhood and mohamed mursi attempted to rule in egypt. they were exclusive, didn't reach out or use technocrats that were there and were locked

in a bitter battle with the deep state, the judiciary, military and security forces from which they could not emerge victorious. >> thank you both for being with us this evening. now, as our guests mentioned, the muslim brotherhood - three al jazeera journalists are locked up in an egypt shop gaol. this is their 149th day behind bars, that's peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamedal awe accused of conspiring with the outlawed muslim brotherhood, which we talked about. their trial has been adjourned one more time until june 1st. >> we had the pleasure of speaking to peter greste's growther via skype and he gay us an update. >> baher mohamed and mohamed fadel fahmy are in the same spell. they are spending 23 hours a day

together. that's the conditions they are kept in. yes, look, they are obviously supporting one another. it's difficult living in such a close and confined space with two other people for that length of time. they are manage, and again they are coping well. so they have been - i guess, you know encouraged by, again, what we saw on thursday's court session. there was nothing incriminating. it's a matter of toughing it out, getting to the end. >> andrew says they are optimistic, staying positive and relying on a fair trial. >> the fact that peter knows that there is a massive worldwide interest in the case, and worldwide support is helping them keep their spirits up knowing the colleagues and world

media is behind them, is something that is keeping them going, and they are really - knowing that they are in there for a cause, and that being a free press, is, again, something that helps keep them motivated and strong. now we'll take a look at other events on tuesday. on tuesday, the n.b.a. board of governors look at terminating his ownership. thursday, world environment day. the focus on small island developing states. >> we'll introduce you to america's oldest world war ii veteran. his words of wisdom about service this memorial day weekend.

with the most interesting people of our time. rosie perez >> i had to fight back, or else my ass was gonna get kicked... >> a tough childhood... >> there was a crying, there was a lot of laughter... >> finding her voice >> i was not a ham, i was ham & cheese... >> and turning it around... >> you don't have to let your circumstance dictate who you are as a person >> talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america

o firefighters in arizona face harsh conditions as they try to contain a fire. they were hopeful that rain would help to douse the flames, it didn't happen. the fire was about 5% contained. rebecca stevenson is here with a look at the forecast. what can the firefighters insect. >> the winds have been shifting because of a big area of low pressure spinning rain over them. the rain they were hoping for shifted to the east. the winds changed to a northerly direction, and that storm system continues eastward, spawning

severe weather. we have been getting it from texas to nebraska, and getting weather in parts of florida. we'll continue to see the rain. what is remarkable is how much rain is coming down. we have had over on inch of rain, and we have been getting areas up over half an inch in parts of colorado. we are concerned about flash flooding outside. we see the storm systems blow up along a converbalens line through florida, and through the peninsula. strong storms earlier near the line. we had a tornado warning. that has gone. we are keeping an eye out for whether through the evening and tomorrow. tomorrow the threat is in temaze prime air -- texas primarily, but there'll be rain pushing into the great lakes and mid atlantic. some will be heavy. thunder storms thrown in there too. note, too, that we are seeing rain coming down around the

northern part of new hampshire and parts of maine. memorial day not dry for everyone. some folks will have dry breaks before the afternoon fires up the storms in texas where we have a chance of storms. wet weather has come back to washington. not quite to portland. it's getting there. it moves across the cascades and we'll see showers off and on through the eastern washington and oregonar. low temperatures, 61 for new york. get ready for hotter weather, high temperatures soaring into the low to mid 80s. al jazeera america conditions after the break.

fault lines the deported only on al jazeera america the difference between first and second place at this year's indy 500 came down to less than a second. american driver ryan hunter ray

beat out ellio castro by 0.06 of a second. look at that. this is the second closest finish in indy 500 history. after the race hunter-ray said he watched the race since he was in diapers, and today's win was a dream come true. >> speaking of groundbreaking americans richard overton was 36 when he went to war, back in 1942. he spent three years in the south pacific and is the oldest living american veteran. al jazeera's correspondent had the honour to meet him. >> reporter: if you are looking for richard overton, this is where you'll likely find him, on his porch with a cigar. >> i don't inhale them. >> reporter: by early afternoon the chores are done. >> every morning i sweep my driveway, have to keep the

muscle going. >> reporter: richard overton is the oldest world war ii veteran, last year he was 100- years-young. >> i've been shot at. all around the side. not in the head. >> reporter: richard overton doesn't like to spend time talking about his time in service. >> you tell everything you done. the more you tell, the more it comes to you. as for what he believes hept kim alive? >> that's god's business. they were shooting at you. >> that's what we owe veterans like richard overton. >> president obama honoured richard overton last veterans day. >> i want you to know about richard overton here much he was there at pearl harbour when the battle ships were smouldering. he was there at okayy nowa and emow geema.

>> reporter: although brief he got meet the commander in chief. >> there was a lot i wanted to talk about, but he was in a hurry. >> reporter: oklahoma remembers times when whites were hesitant to interact with blacks. they drive out there. coming in, making themselves at home. as for what he credits staving off medications. >> it gets in the system. it weakens your body. richard overton never had children. he's been married twice, but his wife passed 20 years ago. although he comes from a big family. >> six sisters and four brothers. richard overton spend most days enjoying his own company and is not opposed to getting married again but she must be age appropriate. >> if i find a woman old enough that wants to be married. >> reporter: that age must be

around 90, he says, finding someone at that age able to keep up with him may be too much of a challenge. thanks so much for watching. "the system" with joe berlinger starts right now. >> what took place that night? >> my eldest daughter runs along here and she gets her father and says, the young man is attacking sarah. my husband is holding the pistol down at the floor and he says to him, "you have 4 seconds to leave this house."instead of leaving the house, the young man decides to come forward. >> if the state of florida requires the rest of my life in