but to thrive and to do so with some passion, some compassion, and some humor and some style. mission accomplished. i'll miss you, maya angelou. that's our show for today. i'm ali velshi. thanks for joining us. >> hi everyone, this is al jazeera america, i'm john siegenthaler in new york. scathing report, military veterans left waiting for care for months. the angry reaction. use of power, president obama says the u.s. must lead but also limit its military adventures. speaking out. nsa leaker edward snowden on his compileexile, experience and his

intent. and arctic ice might release thousands of pieces of plastic. and maya angelou, a few things you might not know about her. >> we begin with a scandal at the veterans administration and stunning new details tonight as to how long veterans were forced to wait for care. at the phoenix va hospital some veterans waited four months for their first appointment. the white house says the wait was closer to three weeks. randall pinkston joins us. randall. alleged patient death at the phoenix health care system. for men and women who served in the military and needed care by

about veterans affairs, the report is not reassuring. a review of the phoenix veterans center revealed 1700 veterans were not registered properly which left them at a risk of being forgotten or lost. average wait times of 14 days. but the inspector general's review of a sample of patients found asignificant delay in access to care with an average wait time to care of 115 days. the report confirmed what whistle blowers and others had recently reported, two sets of lists to conceal wait times. the inspector general's report doesn't go far enough. >> i believe that this issue has reached a level that requires the justice department involvement. these allegations are not just administrative problems. these are criminally problems.

we need the fbi and the department of justice to be involved in this investigation. i also, with some reluctance, believe thattists given the lack of d owners that it's given the lack of responsiveness to secretary shinseki to numerous inquiries from senator flake and me, that it's time for secretary shinseki to step down. >> the review began after allegations that as many as 40 veterans died while waiting for care at the phoenix facility. relatives of dead veterans held demonstrations and called on congress to look into the va and to fire officials responsible for manipulating records and miss managing health care. the inspector general recommended that veterans affairs secretary eric shinseki take immediate absence to provide care for the 1700 veterans not on any waiting list, that he should establish a system to identify veterans at

greatest risk and initiate a nationwide review of all veterans on wait lists. secretary shinseki called the findings reprehensible, and promised tofully implement the ig's recommendations. chuck hagel has also ordered a top to bottom review of the va. secretary shinseki recently announced his intention to stay ton job. one unanswered question: what is the motive for manipulating records? >> our lobby casey -- libby casey is in washington, d.c. libby. >> president obama has been briefed and that the president found the findings extremely troubling. now, the statement went on to reiterate that the president is calling for action, getting to

the bottom of just what has happened and make sure that veterans seeking care are able to be seen by doctors. no call from the white house at this point for secretary to resign but there is a growing movement on capitol hill many legislators outraged. we heard from senator john mccain, also as randall pinkston reports. >> bewildering that the president of the united states should wait three or four weeks before making a comment on it. it's incomprehensible and frankly an abrogation of his responsibilities of leadership. >> this season john, house veterans aifertion committee is talking at this hour taking testimony about what specifically happened in phoenix. it's not just republicans who are part of this growing call for secretary shinseki to resign. democrats as well are joining

them. we're hearing from some senators who are in tough reelection fights like mark udall, kay hagen. and others. who are calling for him to step down. >> in president obama's speech to graduating being cadets, mike viqueria has more. >> it was a sprawling address with one central theme: terror still the number one danger and the united states shouldn't go it alone. >> the most direct threat to america at home and abroad remains terrorism. but naive and unsustainable. >> reporter: instead mr. obama wants to partner with countries where terrorists operate, asking

congress for $5 billion to fund counter-terror programs around the world. but in syria where the president says trim stre extreme is have e haven. >> i will ramp up those in the syria situation to offer the best alternative to terrorists and brutal dictators. >> force should be used, president stressed, sparingly. >> just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail. >> reporter: he says cooperation with allies is the first alternative. >> we have to broaden our tools to include diplomacy and development. sanctions and isolation. appeals to international law and, if just, necessary and effective, multilateral military action glrp mr. rk.

>> reporter: mr. obama sites ukraine as an example. and mr. obama pledged more openness citing two controversies that have plagued their administration. had drone strikes and nsa spying. >> but when we cannot explain our efforts clearly and publicly, we face terrorist propaganda and international suspicion. we are avoid legitimacy with our partners and our people and we reduce accountability in our own government. >> reporter: mike viqueria, al jazeera, washington. >> heather it's good tow to see you. >> john gm to be back. >> what is your reaction to this speech? >> this speech points out something the american people have been asking for since this president was elected which is a foreign policy that is effective without sending americans abroad

to die. in recent months as we've seen crises in ukraine and south china sea and syria and africa that they haven't been hearing much about so the president goes out and gives a speech which is really trying to restates something that is pretty intuitivelintuitively obvious. you have a great hammer not every problem is a nail. we have lots of situations where sending in the marines is not the appropriate response. >> i wonder whether or not this is a little late for the president to be doing this in his second term with two years left. >> well, you know, the other way to look at it is they've spent six years trying to govern according to these principles and some of the things he talked about today, a peaceful deal stop iran' iran's nuclear progre may be close on that. moving from a war footing to a postwar footing where most of what you're doing is helping other countries fight terrorism,

it's fresh thing up the framework as we've gotten to a place where the world looks pretty different to americans than it did two, four, six years ago. >> is this a speech you think would have popular support in this country? >> look, let's be honest. a commencement speech given on a wednesday morning, you know most americans are hard at work on a wednesday morning. having said that -- >> but given the vision he laid out is this something you think that most americans can really get behind? >> actually if you look at the polling numbers yes, very much so. iran is a great example. americans don't want iran to have a nuclear weapon and they don't want to use force against iran unless necessary. americans don't like seeing the horrible humanitarian tragedy in syria and they don't think americans on the ground is the right response. ditto ukraine, ditto nigeria.

this is very much putting into diplomatic terms putting real tools and power behind something americans feel instinctively right now. they don't want to be absent from the world. they still like the idea of u.s. leadership and the benefits of being the world's largest economy, having the world's strongest military, being the leader in innovation, other things president said and they're tired of wars. >> what's missing from the speech? >> two things, one is the next stem is really how do you -- step is how do you implement these things? you've said recently you want more openness on nsa on surveillance on our targeted killing program. how are you going to do that? how are you going to close guantanamo? what is it you are going to do to bring about a more stable outcome in syria? so policy specifics? the other thing in absence was the middle east peace process. >> heather hurlburt, thank you so much.

a marine blew him up apparently in a suicide attack. this man whose identity is being withheld, postings on youtube and twitter show him in syria, three known suicide bombers, he apparently carried out his suicide mission on may 25th. he's suspected in fighting along al qaeda, with being syria's bashar al-assad. voting for liters in both countries underway and yet many in the world outside those elections are seen as anything but legitimate. richelle carey has more on this. richelle. and john early results from egypt's presidential election are in and they're not a surprise. the former general abdel fatah al-sisi is the apparent winner. the votes 68 ploaforts are a pra

sham. >> three years after the arab spring, neither vote is free nor fair. syria's election is happening in the middle of a civil war. that's forced at least two and a half million people out of the country. egypt's comes less than a year after the military overthrew the country's first freely elected president, mohamed morsi. the leader of that coup, the former army chief, abdel fatah al-sisi is virtually guaranteed to win. trying to boost low voter turnout, the vote is extended to another day. >> the people think these votes are illegal, five elections

before, all had gone in vain. >> sisi's critics say he needs a high turnout to legitimize the results. the vote in syria nearly assures that bashar al-assad will have another term. yrnz outside the -- syrians outside the country, one fifth of that population in lebanon, half of them have been displaced because of the war. thousands of syrian refugees are voting in lebanon, most of them for saud. they worry if they -- assad. they worry if they don't vote they won't be allowed to return to syria or that relatives stiff

living there will be punished. have to deal with the reality and that is why they are here. >> assad's forces are gaining ground over the rebel fighters in syria and once the results are in the vote will likely give him the stamp to continue that crack down on the opposition john. >> all right richelle, thank you. up next, the passing of a an american eye coffin. we'll look at the legacy she leaves. in his own words. the man who leaked nsa secrets says: he wants to come home.

>> i open my mouth to the lord and i won't turn back, no ♪ i will go ♪ i shall go ♪ ♪ i'll see what the end is going to be ♪ flaw [applause] >> tonight we remember one of the most powerful american voices of the last century. maya angelou died at her home in

winston-salem north carolina. tony harris has her story. >> across the river saying the beautiful song, it says come, rest here by my side. >> maya angelou's introduction to most of america began decades after she launched her career. when angelou became the first woman and the first african american to preen present a poet the presidential event. >> you, have crouched too long in the bruising darkness. have lain too long face down in ignorance. >> born marguerite ann johnson dropped out of school when she was 14 years old, never attended college but became an author, play right and poet. her memoir, i know why the caged bird sings, was another first.

a first by an africa american woman. angelou stopped speaking, but then began once again, as a tireless search for racial equality and women's rights. she inspired generations. >> you may bury me in the borough of manhattan. i i will rise. my people with it get me i will rise out of the huts of history's shame. i rise. >> she received the highest of american honest, the presidential immediate afl freedom, was nominated for tonies and emmys. professor of american studies at wake forest university in north

carolina. >> i recovery that i used to think i was a -- i realize that i used to think i was a writer who could teach, but i found out i'm a teacher who can write. i am a teacher, mainly that. >> maya angelou had one son. she died in her home in north carolina, she was 86. >> he wrote today, michelle and i join millions around the world in remembering one of the brightest lights in the world, a brilliant writer, a fears friend and an amazing woman. >> knew maya angelou well and today i asked him about her greatest contributions. >> maya angelou must be considered an institution. she made a lasting contribution

to make the american community a better communities. she helped us move closer to the better community. she used her pen, she used her mind. her books, her poems, her ability to speak to the heart and the soul of america. she dit, and she did it well. >> you and maya angelou received the presidential medal of freedom. what do you think that award meant to her? >> she was so deservedly honored. i can see it in her face. it meant everything to her. for someone who was born in st. louis and grew up in her younger days in arkansas, and later to become part of the civil rights movement, to work with martin luther king, jr. she felt more than lucky. she felt very blessed. and she used the time that she had on this little piece of real estate well. she used it well. she did everything she could to

motivate, to inspire, another generation of young people, to stand up to speak up and to speak out. >> congressman, she is also remembered for her poem at the clinton inauguration. why do you think that moment in history is so important? >> it was so important for maya angelou to be the one to deliver the poem at the inauguration of president clinton. it was the arkansas connection, but it also represented the grit. the soul of the american south. that she could spread to the rest of the country and the rest of the world. >> congressman lewis, it's always good to see you .1thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you very much. >> and joining us to talk about the life and legacy of maya angelou is her friend julie ann malveau. good to see you and sorry for

loss of your friend. >> thank you and it's good to see you also john about. >> what do people know about maya angelou that you know? >> she left the african continent to work with martin luther king. he was killed. and she had to use her activism in other ways. she opened up her home to folks, i met so many of them there at her house. and you -- >> how did you get to know her? >> in about 1989 she was in the book, "i dream a world" and a woman named connie motley was in the book as well. i went with conni connie to they that was held.

i was standing with connie alone and dr. angelou said would you like to join us for dinner and we've been close since. >> what did you think about dr. angelou? >> intense. she used stories to make a point. i'll tell you one story. she was with porgy and bess internationally. every day she walked past a dirty lot. with gypsies. she is a six foot tall woman and very imposing. they offered her coffee, and she convinced herself being hill kc thinking she had eaten a roach or something like that. when she asked someone, what was in her coffee, they said raisins. it was a high honor to get

raisins in their coffee because gyp sis consider them very rare. so don't assume anything when you are given something. >> like the moment when she was in the inauguration of president bill clinton. >> that was amazing and i think end of her poem is -- speaks to the love that she had for everyone. she said, and i say to my brother and i say to my sister, good morning. and that's the base of civility. is to speak. and that's what she was speaking of. you know if you ask her what the greatest virtue was, she said courage. the courage to love. and at a thanksgiving dinner she had every year about 150 of us there, she would often say i love everyone. black and white, asian and hispanic, the blind man and the woman who's had her leg amputated and i challenge you to love everyone as well.

>> how do you think she wants to be remembered? >> as a teacher i think first of all. as she said. as a wonderful poet. but there are so many things. i think she would want to be remembered for her love. i think she would want to be remembered for the fact that she exhorted us to love each other. i think that was her ultimate message. is that some of us are in such silos, african american folks, white folks, latinos, and she mixed it up. if you went to her thanksgiving dinner, everyone was there. young not so young every race you can think of famous people not so famous. i always say she loved the princess and the pauper. >> julie ann malveau. it's been too long. thank you. >> thank you. >> places where lesbians and gays could be honored, featuring

people in the lgbt community. a panel of scholars will research the movement of outspoken lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual americans. historic landmarks even national monuments. the study is expected to be completed in 2016. coming up next: taking his best shot. the chicago mayor's sweeping new proposal, to get guns off the city streets. and, new climate change danger. melting arctic ice could release an enormous amount of garbage into the ocean.

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>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler in new york. coming up this hour, snowden speaks on whether he will ever come back to the united states. obesity epidemic. nearly a third of the nation overweight or obese. we'll go into detail what it means for health and health care cost. and remembering maya angelou, more about her life and the many people she inspired. it has been nearly a year since the biggest intelligence leak in american history. edward snowden is again speaking out in defense of his action he.

jonathan betz is here with that story, jonathan. >> john after staying quiet for so long edward snowden is now justifying revealing u.s. spying secrets. and the most wanted fugitive in the world says he wants to come home. >> this is a terrible failure of leadership. >> these are important national security programs. >> look he's confessed to trea treason. >> the man confessed to be a trait or and a criminal is interested in patriot iism. >> they don't pack up and walk away from their extraordinary, extraordinarily comfortable lives and burn down everything they love for no reason. >> edward snowden says he had no choice but to blow the whistle after seeing massive violations of america's constitution. in his first u.s. television interview the 30-year-old contractor raised the idea of clemency or amnesty. >> i don't think there's been

any question that i'd like to go home. i've from day one said i'm doing this to serve my country. >> snowden realms in exile wanted on espionage charges. but after pulling off the bikest leak in history, legislators are not are. >> if he wants to come home and face the music he can do so. >> just two weeks ago, glenn gln greenwald unleashed the story. although the u.s. government has been at times dismissive. >> i'm not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old hacker.

>> snowden's revelations were explosive. to reveal a level of snooping never before known. snowden shows he deserves leniency. >> my priority is not about myself. it's about making sure that these programs are reformed. and that the family that i left behind, the country that i left behind, can be helped by my actions. >> now, snowden's asylum in russia expires in late july and he says he'll apply for an extension but he also said if he could be anywhere in the world it would be home. although many strongly believe he belongs in a generate cell. >> greenwald says he will spend the rest of his life in russia but we'll see. just because, president

obama said, you have a hammer doesn't mean every problem is a nail. strength before military missions and said the u.s. should work with other countries to stop attacks. >> the most direct threat to america at home and abroad remains terrorism. but a strategy that involves invading every country that harbors terrorist networks is naive and unsustainable. >> he's asking congress for $5 billion to fund terror programs around the world. some argue that this could throw a wrench in american policy. libby casey has that question. >> the question we face, the question each of you will face, is not whether america will lead

but how we will lead. not just to secure our peace and prosperity, but to extend peace and prosperity around the globe. >> reporter: but how to strike that balance is the question. and wrestling with what a powerful america look likes. mark jacobson. >> my concern is that the american people don't yet fully grasp what the world in the 21st century is going to look like. it's not going to be one where we retrench across both the atlantic and the pacific and simply sit in our continent. >> reporter: president obama tried to assure a nation weary of war, a precise way. >> i believe we must shift our counterterrorism strategy drawing on the successes and shortcomings of our experience in iraq and afghanistan. to more effectively partner with countries where terrorist networks seek a foothold. >> reporter: but former reagan

staffer gary schmidt says don't look to the future but to the past for president obama's strategy. >> it's not clear how the president himself has tried to implement those policy over the last few years. >> schmidt points to syria as a foreign policy failure and he calls for the, overdue course correction. >> the twaition in syria has gotten worse -- situation in syria has gotten worse not better. it's hard for the president to ignore the deteriorating situation. he's right to say it's a complex and difficult problem. >> reporter: the president pushed back against critics, the multinational situation is holdovers of the cold war. >> the effectiveness of multilateral action, institutions like the u.n. respecting international law is a sign of weakness. i think they're wrong.

>> mark jacobsen agrees that the international response to violence in ukraine sets a model for the future. >> what the president did was a balance of not only diplomacy but action. >> but critics say just how effective president obama's foreign policy is has more to do with shifting international politics. >> series of events from benghazi, ukraine, south china sea and the like put into question the administration's foreign policies or at least their effectiveness. >> reporter: with his political elections behind us, mr. obama is setting the stage for his final two years in office, a period when he tries to burnish his legacy and the u.s.'s vision abroad. more subtle and complicated than just military might and react to growing threats like that of al qaeda that he described as scattered across the globe, hard

tore reach and it will take a lot of precision to send in forces in ways that are not just mighty but accurate and effective. >> a number of hot spots to deal with in this world. libby casey, thank you. global obesity figures have just been released and it found that nearly a third of the world's population is either overweight or obese. 157 million overweight peeb peon the world. and this year it's over 2 billion. over, 50% increase in childhood obesity. joining us is dr. sue dakota, a weight loss specialist at new york university medical center. dr. daks dakotas, welcome.

>> i think are obesity is spreading and we have to get together and do something about this. >> why? why is this spreading? >> this is it. i don't think we've been honest with ourselves about what's happening. i know when i first studying obesity i was really shocked at the curve that i saw. when you plot the graphics on your typical graph what you're seeing is this very linear increase in the incidence of obesity really since the early 1970s. in the united states. and then in the 1980s it really started skyrocketing. >> what happened in the 1980s? >> well, i believe that we certainly were eating a lot of foods that were not good for us. a lot of our foods were being tainted with chemicals. >> processed food? >> processed food and the way our foods were being grown. there are a lot of toxins in our food. chemicals such as gligoes fate.

aniphosphate.and a lot of peoplg lifestyle and the fact that people aren't eating together as a family and they're going to fast food restaurants three or four times a week. but then again, when you look at the incidence of obesity in a baby, john, it's really shocking. babies under the age of 2 have a 10% increase in -- 10% incidence of obesity. >> so how many of this is diet, and how much of it is lifestyle? >> well, this is it i think it's more than diet and more than lifestyle. i think many of us are being exposed to toxins in our day-to-day lives. how do you explain this incidents in babies? >> the world getting fed by agribusiness or by food companies that are processing their food and a bigger population of the world is actually eating that food?

>> exactly. we have been able to demonstrate disphenol a found in plastics, cans, credit card receipts, how many of us haven't touched a credit card receipt in the last day, right? they have been able to demonstrate in an article credit in jama, that disphenol a exists in the are systems of children. >> we could talk about this all night. thank you for coming. >> good evening. >> federal courts have ordered that city to plow gun sales so city leaders are looking at how to regulate the new gun indust industry. ash-har quraishi has the latest. >> as the city prepares to allow gun sales for the first time since the 1980s.

>> the city of chicago does not have a problem of too few guns. there are way too many guns from shops in cook county, from neighboring states that come into the city of chicago and any given weekend our police officers take more guns off the streets than either new york or l.a. >> chicago police and mayor rahm emanuel are calling on restrictions to illegal gun sales to ultimately flool flow o legal guns. city leaders point to a report released this week indicating nearly 20% of guns recovered from crime scenes in chicago were originally sold legally by only four dealers outside chicago. riverdale one of the sources of guns used in crimes, no one there wanted to talk to us. happened last month, 14-year-old

endea martin was allegedly shot and killed by another 14-year-old girl over dispute over a boy. >> that gun that killed that 14-year-old girl had been bought legally. if she had been responsible for that gun she mite not be dead that day. >> sold it on the street. appear aimed to combat that practice by requiring gun dealers po gun sales, and require a 72 hour waiting period for handgun purchases. as things stand now even gang members we spoke to like brianna who works with an antiviolence group says, it's too easy to get guns. >> guns are legal. like gary, indiana, you can have a gun, bring them back to chicago. >> now the mayor and police have to hope that the city council passes the new regulations and that they hold up if challenged by gun rights groups in court.

ash-har quraishi, al jazeera, chicago. >> al jazeera am new special called the system, tonight its episode examines america's gun laws. >> it's crazy, no matter what happens, if you fire a gun, 20 years, doesn't matter why. >> reporter: in 2009, 53-year-old orville lee waller was convicted of assault with a firearm in the state of florida. >> i firmly believe had i not done what i did that day my daughter sarah would be dead. >> you can watch the entire program, tonight 9:00 even 6:00 pacific. racial. >> some military veterans waited for medical care in phoenix. the average wait was about six months. significantly more than what the hospital he claim of only three

weeks. the investigation was prompted by the death of 40 veterans waiting for ecialght had a. john mccain. calling for -- for health care. >> john inge comma,. >> on may 25th. also imply that he had been fighting against syria's government before the attack. maya angelou american poet and author, passed away at age 86. her most notable works, i know why the caged bird sings, awards, honors, the presidential award of freedom, the country's highest civilian honor. back to you john. >> richelle, thank you. more than 1 trillion pieces of plastic could be released into the ocean in the next ten

years. according to a new scientific report on climate change. science and technology editor jacob ward explains. >> disoferred that in each cubic meter of sea ice there are between 38 and 234 trapped particles of plastic. this in a part of the world where you wouldn't think there would be any, right? this new report mrs. notes that as that sea ice melts, that plastic is going to be released into the environment. let's see how that ice happens. plastic doesn't decompose but it will break down into tease kinds of tiny particles which are great for forming ice around

there is the problem. scientists predict that either 2 thousand trillion cubic meters of ice will melt and 1 trillion pieces of plastic will float away. plastic is harmful for several reasons. for one thing when organisms like fish or seals or birds swallow the larger pieces it injuries, sometimes harms them. they're micron size, nothing and even at that size those particles can do terrible damage. research has suggested that plastic tends to pick up and absorb surrounding toxins and when animals consume those particles, the particles enter the food chain. arctic and antarctickitis is melting, we knew that much. we are looking at a cascade of other problems, from the ray onn

in our shirts and the plastic bags, all that is a new kind of bad news. >> that is jake ward in san francisco. she rose to become one of the most prolific authors of our time. more on the legacy of maying maa angelou after this.

shinseki,. >> good evening, i'm meteorologist kevin corriveau. rain increases and threatens over the next couple of days. mississippi to louisiana and texas, threat of flooding. over the next few days but in the next three days we expect to see another six to ten inches in rain here across louisiana circulation mississippi. so if you are traveling this area on highway 10 expect flooding on the highways, along the rural routes as well and delays at the airports. so that's going to be a major problem. now up here towards the northeast we're looking at something very unusual happening

right now. take a look at the current temperatures. in philadelphia, 57°, wawsh, 83° --washington, 83°. well below average across the region and we are seeing some very rainy conditions in washington, that is going to get much better over the next couple of days. that is a loot at -- look at your weather, news with john right after this. after this.

>> you may bury me in the bottom of manhattan. i will rise. my people will get me. i will rise out of the huts of history's shame, i rise. >> tonight we continue our coverage of maya angelou her life and her legacy and our own ali velshi is here host of "real money." he worked with maya angelou and he joins us to talk about it. tell us the story. >> nobody really knew about it. maya angelou approached me during the financial crisis, she watched me on tv and felt she liked the way i explained thingless. she associated of force -- sort of forced me into a conversation that i wouldn't have typically have. she created an accessibility to her viewers of financial literacy. she believed that financial literacy was a major component of empowerment and wanted to speak to her listeners about it.

>> we just spoke to julie ann melba one of her friends and said she wanted to be a teacher. >> that was veile valid to me. she would have created more accessibility than i would have arrived at, on my own and made her listeners more literatur lin it. >> what did she ask much you? >> how to get out of the financial concerns, a lot of ordinary americans had no idea where this came from and how they got into this mess, she wanted the conversation over here. it was my pleasure. it was hard work. she wasn't an easy woman to deal with. she wanted her questions answered. >> you hadn't spent much time with maya angelou had you? >> not at all. >> what was it like?

>> she invited me almost four years ago to the day to her home in north carolina where she passed away to a birthday party. it was a beautiful garden party and she found everybody and she had great direct conversations with all of them. when she spoke to you it was like poetry. it was just prose, it was conversation but her force of personality was so remarkable. she has had a last being impact of how i report because i now know i have to reach maya angelou's listener, different than the impact i thought i had. >> great to see you. today president clinton said of maya angelou, america has lost a treasure. he invited her to recite a poem during his inauguration. here is a portion of her poem. >> each of you dean dant of some past owned traveler has been paid for. you who gave me my first name.

you pawnee, apache, seneca, you cherokee nation who rested with me then forced on bloody sea left me to the employment of other seekers, desperate for gain, stashing for gold. you the turk, the arab, the swede, the engineer plan, the eskimo, the shat, the ashani, the uriba, bought shot stolen arriving on a nightmare praying for adream, here root your sestles beside me -- yourselves, i am the tree planted by the river which will not be moved. i the rock i the river i the tree i am yours. your passages have been paid. lift up your faces. you have a pierce being need for this bright morning dawning for you. history despite its wrenching pain cannot be unlived. but if faced with courage, need

not be lived again. lift up your eyes upon this day, breaking for you. give birth again to the dream. women, children, men, take it into the palms of your hands. mold it into the shape of your most private needs. sculpt it into the image of your most public self. lift up your heart. each new hour holds new chances for new beginnings. do not be wedded forever to fear. yoakd ealternatively to brutishness. the horizon leans forward offering you space to place new steps of change. here on the pulse of this fine day, you may have the courage to look up. and out. and upon me. the rock, the river. the tree. your country. no less to midas than to mendicant. no less to you now than the mass athemastadon then you may have

the grace to look up and out and into your sister's eyes and into your brother' brother's face, yr country and say simply, very simply, with hope, good morning. >> maya angelou won a grammy for that recording of her poem. coming many up later tonight at 11:00 eastern time. a throart assad, why a state senator is singing the praises of syria's president. and spying on nelson mandela, keeping tabs on the african leader in the united states. freeze frame, courtesy of graduates, a thousand graduates,

graduating from west point. richelle carey has the headlines after this. after this. is what we do.

>> al jazeera america. >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey. here are tonight's top stories. a scathing new report out today says phoenix veterans hospital. the average wait for some vets

was about four months. significantly more than the hospital's claim of three weeks. arizona senators john mccain said veterans affairs secretary eric shinseki should resign. laid out a vision for his last two years in office, president obama said the u.s. needs to exercise restraint, and is asking congress for $5 billion to fund counterterrorism efforts around the world. edward snowden's conversation on abc nightly news, insisted he's a patriot not a criminal. has been living i in exile in russia. maya angelou, notable works, i know why the caged bird sings, made her one of the first black best selling authors, throughout

her career she received numerous honest, including the presidential medal of freedom, a civilian's highest honor. coming up next is joe berlinger's the system. and you can always get the latest news on aljazeera.com. azeera.com.