every saturday go where science meets humanity. this is some of the best driving i've ever done, even though i can't see. techknow. we're here in the vortex. only on al jazeera america. this is al jazeera america, i'm thomas drayton in new york. let's get you caught up on the top stories of this hour. taking charge - the new president of ukraine is sworn in and promises to stand up to russia. the death toll rises after flash floods kills dozens in afghanistans and forces thousands from their home. >> she touched me, she touched all of you a memorial service celebrates the life of poet, artist and activist maya

angelou. actor tracy morgan is in hospital after a deadly crash on a los angeles highway. good to have you with us. we begin in ukraine where a new president is facing a country torn by crisis. petro porashenko was sworn in, and called on russian separatists in the east to lay down the arms. vice president joe biden was at the ceremony and promised millions in aid to ukraine and neighbouring countries. fighting between kiev and rebels in the east continues. an official in donetsk was shot dead. we have this report. >> reporter: he may have the red carpet, but petro porashenko has a mountain to climb if he is to save ukraine from conflict and

economic ruin. >> at his ipp august ration the international community was there to show support for an elected leader at last in ukraine, after months of uncertainty. president petro porashenko promised to take the fight to the rebellion in the east, and to russia and crimea. >> translation: who comes with a sword will fall from the sword. citizens of ukraine will never enjoy the putty of peace, unless they setting relations with russia. russia occupies crimea, which was, is and will be ukranian soil. >> on europe, he said this time there'll be no turning back. >> translation: what do we have to do to live free lives? free and prosperous lives. all this is enshrined in the

agreement on political association and free trade zone with the european union. [ clapping ]. >> translation:. >> translation: many of you and myself were part of a team putting this together. now it's our job to make it a reality. >> reporter: petro porashenko pledged economic reforms, resolved power and parliamentary elections. this is the parliament this invested presidential powers in petro porashenko. today, this is the parliament that stripped those powers from viktor yanukovych after the revolution. this is the parliament that president petro porashenko now wants dissolved, so that he can have new deputies to press forward with the reforms he says ukraine needs. these are the men he commands. a solution to the violence in

the east may lie with russia. talks are expected. there's hope the diplomacy, but the country is virtually at war. the new commander in chief has to choose which path to tread. fighting between the government and separate its in of the east has been on the rise. there's no science that is will end soon. >> reporter: people are divided over whether petro porashenko can create a change in the east. many people, for a long time, felt alienated by kiev. the donetsk people's republic says it's an independent country, and the chairman of the country is dismissing petro porashenko's offer to hold local elections in the region. >> they couldn't arrange president yam elections year. there were no elections of petro porashenko. what local elections are we talking about.

yet again he's throwing around words and making promises he can't keep. >> reporter: it is said that the donetsk people's republic is in talks about becoming part of the russian federation and is continuing to ask russia for a peace-keeping force to come across the border. the fight in the east will continue until ukranian troops withdraw. >> kim vinnell reporting. i spoke to nina, an associate professor at international affairs at a school in new york. she said the new president must put forward a plan to deal with rebels in the east. >> the first order of business is to provide a roadmap to solve the crisis. we haven't seen the world map. hopefully within the first week he will say something and explain how he's going to deal with that. yesterday he did that with vladimir putin. that was a good step forward. it is important to have russia on his side if he does want to

solve the problem. so we - those of us observing ukraine and russia are hopeful. >> i think ukraine is going to be a western country. it will be strategically planned on ukraine, and the president now has a great opportunity to prove that he's different from his predecessors. the transparency is something that he welcomes and is going to stand by. now he got the benefit of the doubt, but soon he will be judged by his performance. >> the u.s. can play a long-term role in the region if it engages with russia diplomatically. >> a series of car bombs kills 52 in iraq. bombings took place in the districts. more than 100 were wounded. young people were targeted. 23 killed. >> militants took dozens of students hostage. three police officers at the gates to the university were

killed. militants held police at bay. the u.s. and iran meet in geneva next week to restart stalled nuclear talks. the interim deal is said to expire next month. in talks led by the yooup failed to -- european union failed to arrive at app agreement. william burns, vice president joe biden's security adviser is being sent. he negotiated talks leading to the interim agreement. dozens have been killed in flooding in afghanistan. 74 bodies have been recovered in the latest in a series of flash floods hitting the remote northern area of the country. officials warn the death toll could rise after thousands have been forced from their homes. we have more. >> reporter: trying to salvage what is left. these people's homes were damaged in flash floods after days of rain. this district is the

worst-affected area. the government and aid agencies struggled to get to the remote region. most of the surrounding roads and bridges have been washed away. >> so far the reports we have show 74 people have been killed and body handed to families. the search operation is continuing. hundreds of houses have been destroyed. >> residents who lost loved ones began to bury their bodies where they could find dry ground the the vulnerable suffered the worst. these people were given first aid after the house collapsed. a government minister promised to air lift them to a nearby hospital. many say they don't just want aid, they want their houses rebuilt. >> translation: i want president hamid karzai to know we don't just want food. we want a house to live in. we deserve this. don't just feed us for a few days and forget about us. give us homes. >> reporter: given the scale of

the disaster, which has badly affected four villages, it's unlikely that will happen soon. floods and landslides are common in afghanistan. 2014 will be remembered as being particularly bad. over the past several months thousands of people have been displaced and hundreds lost their lives in natural disasters, raising questions about the government's ability to take care of those at risk. michelle obama, bill clinton, oprah winfrey, some of the hundreds gathering to remember writer, civil rights activist maya angelou. talking about her inspiration and impact of her life. >> if you know spirit, you know she's here. ♪ didn't i tell you i wouldn't ♪ hold you down ...

>> reporter: an emotional celebration of a life of maya angelou, in california attended by hundreds. >> the loss i feel i cannot describe. she was my spiritual queen mother. and everything that that word imreplies. >> reporter: maya angelou passed away. a poet, novelist, actor, dancer, teacher, civil rights act visit, an inspiration to millions across the globe. the memorial service was a trip through her life. first lady michelle obama did the you lodgy. >> words to powerful that they carried a little black girl from chicago to the white house. >> reporter: born to pov ert your and seg re kags, her life included writing poetry by age nine, becoming a single mother by 19, and becoming the 1 san

francisco street car conductor. she worked with malcolm x. martin luther king junior and nelson mandela. >> she had the voice of god. he decided he wanted it back. >> president clinton requested she compose a poem to read at his inauguration. now considered one of the most famous. >> she called our attention to the fact that things that matter dignity, works, love and kindness are things that we can share and don't cost anything. rmpingt in her famous book published in 1970 "i know why the caged bird sippings", she detailed her childhood hardships. >> for the first time reading a story about me. i was the girl that loved to read, i was raised by my southern grandmother. >> reporter: the pioneering work

helped to give black women a literary voice and became required reading. >> she was the original, she was the master for at a time when there were stif lipping constraints on how a black woman could exist in the world, she serenely disregarded the rules. >> reporter: maya angelou served on two committees, was awarded the medal of arts and the lincoln medal, the presidential medal of freedom as awarded by president obama whose sister was named after her. a life celebrated with joy by family and friends. an american icon. remembering a true legend. still ahead - the cot of syria's -- cost of syria's war. we look at the conflict and how

it changed millions of lives. and megachurch are growing across africa. >> here is california chrome, on the far outside. and california chrome comes up short in a bid for the tripple crown. which horse spoilt the party, and why california chrome's owner say the race was not fair. 

welcome back. it's time for a deeper looking at the civil war unfolding in syria. the uprising against bashar al-assad began in march 2011. since then the number of people fleeing the country reached nearly 3 million. lebanon hosts the largest number with more than 1 million, followed by turkey, jordan, iraq and egypt. the scale is overwhelming many counties. as nick schifrin discovered on a trip to the syrian-lebanon border, the will has not been taken away to fight. >> reporter: after three years of war few survivors have

escaped without injury - many marked for life. in syria this man was a farmer, walking through his fooled and -- field and hit by an air strict. he woke up wounds to his leg and pride. >> translation: i think how i was and how i am. how i used to work, how now i can hardly pick anything up. >> the war made it nearly impossible to find a working hospital in syria. lebanese hospitals can't cope with the influx. they are evacuated to clinics in lebanon. this is on top of a mosque, two miles from the bodder. nearly everyone here loft -- from the border. nearly everyone has lost a limb or like this man is paralyzed. >> translation: the syrian army fired on us, i was hit on the vertebrae in my arm.

>> reporter: he fought in the cradle of the revolution. they battled the regime furiously. homs suffered a campaign of strikes, shelling and seizures. the government's victory was written in ruin. this man was in one of homs bloodiest battles. even though the rebels lost, he's defiant. >> i don't feel redepret or fear -- regret or fear. this is my fate. i accept it. >> today they tick a huge -- take a huge step towards recovery. in lebanon 10,000 refugees need prosthetics or a mechanical brace to hold him up. >> how do you feel? . >> translation: thank god, i'm happy. it's getter than laying down. >> reporter: that's a big mile. the damage is not only physical, it's psychological.

new legs provide hope. >> translation: when you do this your heard is strong. >> reporter: when you are strong again what will you do? >> reporter:. >> i want to go back to my country and continue jihad. >> reporter: for these men the next step is on an election considered a fraud, it's taking steps to return to syria after a vote vowing to fight. nick schifrin joins us, good to see you. >> you too. >> so many devastating stories post election - what do you see for syria and its people? >> i think the sad fact is the suffering will continue. most of the analysts i speak to most in the region say the war will continue. the fighting will be worse, and the humanitarian fighting will get worse. it's the worst crisis since world war ii. hundreds of thousands flee every month. you go to lebanon and the

boarder and beirut, and syrians are everywhere. the stories they have are horrific and, sadly, those stories will probably get worse. >> when you visit the examples and hear the stories, what do you here from the syrians, especially post election. >> we spoke to dozens of people in the country. no one cared about the elections. they didn't care that it matters or that it was an election. all they were worried about was survival. they fled a country because in their opinion what the government is doing the cities, and they are in lebanon, they feel safer somewhat, but they don't see their future as hopeful. you talk to a lot of people in lebanon and jordan. where i was a few weeks ago, and

some returned to syria to vote in the election because they felt they had to vote. one day they wanted to return, and if they prove they couldn't go back, they feel there'll be a problem you bring up a good point, is there an allegiance to bashar al-assad or is it out of fear. >> fear. the refugees fled. they were targeted. there's a huge amount of fear. they have to overcome the fear and go back to vote, or they had to go back to wrote to prove their allegiance is to bashar al-assad. inside of syria the story is ditch. bashar al-assad survived in part not only because of his natural allies, or because of russia, iran and hezbollah, but there are sunni allies. he is a she item leader, but there's a lot of sunnis benefitting economically and

geographically. >> stand by for a moment. i wanted to bring in james, a professor from u.c.l.a. and wrote extensively on the crisis. i want to start with was bashar al-assad trying to gain international legitimacy and did it work. >> it didn't work at all. any election, if you use north korea and zimbabwe poll watchers, it's a fraudulent election. it will not be held. there were a large part of the population, as you reported, are in refugee camps. if they didn't cross a border crossing, they were not allowed to vote. so that was not an election by any means imaginable was free and fair. >> many call it a sham. >> does it demonstrate that baz bashar al-assad is holding ground. >> the election doesn't.

but bashar al-assad is holding ground. he's wins at the present time. he'll never retake all of syria. there'll be large pacts. plrl in the north and east that will be under a form of opposition control. there'll be areas that will be under kurdish control. >> you mentioned gaining ground at the moment. do you think bashar al-assad is stronger now than two years ago. >> definitely so. there was an exercised of time in which the momentum was with the opposition. that seemed to have shifted a year ago, in favour of bashar al-assad. a lot has to do with a large amount of support that he is getting, from hezbollah, iran, keeping a steady supply of armour helmets going into syria the momentum is there. syria will be a state in name

only. it will be a paper state that bashar al-assad will never control the entirety of the country. >> you spoke extensively with the people. is there a message for the u.s.? >> i think the message is "we need hep." that's a message that the syrian national coalition, the opposition, has been begging for for a few years. more weapons, more money, more support. na is something that -- that is something that president obama refused, the kinds of weapons and the extend of the help that they want. the syrian refugees are normal people, civilians. they need a lot of help too. what the u.s. is trying to do is trying to infuse the u.n. and infuse the neighbouring countries with money. secretary of state john kerry was in beirut, giving them 250 million. the u.s. is trying. there's a sense of abandonment. that the west abandoned them and russia, iran, those are the ones

winning, they are the bombs falling on the houses. >> what long-term role do you see the u.s. playing? >> none. fundamentally we have one policy. the policy was fostering negotiations. the negotiations failed and we have no fall back policy at the present time. now, that being said. let me say i'm not sure that the united states has any good options available to it. the united states wants to make sure that syria does not end up like libya, they call it a hard landing. there were no institutions intact. there was chaos, libya is on the verge of civil war. they want to create a situation in which the two sides can get together, reach a form of compromise. that will not happen, and will not happen because both sides have to feel the victory is not on the table for them. at the same time the united states, saudi arabia, russia, iran, hezbollah have though agree as well that there is no

battlefield option. only if those two things take place, can there be a negotiated settlement. >> bashar al-assad will include members of the opposition in the new government. what do you think that will look like? >> there's an internal opposition that is in syria. there was the national coordination committee. there are old-time dissidents. some are leftists. they were the ones who fundamentally stayed behind when members worked in the syrian national council. they are people who will probably be the ones integrated into a form of transition government or phoney transition government. they know very well what the limits of their capabilities are in syria. they'll keep within the limits. >> is the re-election a grim outlook for the syrians?

>> i'm not sure if it's deprip, but as shaims -- grim, but as james said, it shrines bashar al-assad more in power, giving him a statement saying "i'm not going anywhere." so the u.s. called for his ouster for years, and he is more entrenched than ever. the opposition is, perhaps, at least militarily more fractured than ever. you have members of the opposition fighting each other. very often you have radical opposition fighting radical opposition, and moderate opposition fighting moderate opposition. regardless of the lnction, the trend -- election, the trend has been that bashar al-assad has more strength and support. a solution that a lot of people talk about is can we expand this outside of syria, can we talk to iran about a larger barring april, to rush -- bargain, and russia about the region. and you bring in ukraine and the nuclear programme. short of that, there's no reason that bashar al-assad has to stop. there's no one making him stop -

whether it's the potential or the united states. >> final moments - where do we go from here? >> sadly, journalists are bad at solving problems. and i think the west, right now, doesn't have good options. ultimately the only thing that people are talking about with a shred of chance of working is some kind of regional discussion, because the two sides inside of syria are never going to make that bargain. >> final word here, where do we go from here, how do you resolve the conflict. >> i want to go back to nick's report and let the viewers ponder this - last year saudi arabia made $311 billion in oil sells. they gave the abdul fatah al-sisi government in egypt $4 billion almost immediately, yet they pledged for human tri substance $60 million, qatar the same thing. that's a shame.

professor, and nick schifrin, our al jazeera correspondent - gentlemen, i want to thank you both for being with us. next on al jazeera america - miracle workers or frauds. the mega-churches in ghana and why police are cracking down. activists are not shy in texas, where people are bringing out the big guns in support of the open carry law.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. here are the top stories we are following. in ukraine a new president has been sworn in, he promised to take a tough stance against separatist fighting in the east. vice president joe biden was at the ceremony, following $60 million in ukraine. car bombs kill 52 in the iraqi capital. seen bombings took place, mostly in shiite district of baghdad. more than 100 were wounded. politicians and celebrities were among the hundreds

remembering poet maya angelou. former president bill clinton talked about her life as a single mother, civil rights leader and accomplished writer. she died at the age of 8 of. we are getting details about an accident involving actor tracy morgan. >> a truck driver is under arrest. >> reporter: county prosecutors identified a truck driver as 35-year-old kevin roper of georgia. he faces four counts of assault. his bail set at 50,000. his tractor trailer allegedly policemaned into tracy morgan's vehicle. new jersey police confirms morgan is in intensive care at the robin hood johnson hospital.

his family is with him. he's receiving excellent care, a spokesman said in a statement: the comedian and former star of "saturday night live", and "30 rock", was on his way back riding in a bus after the launch of a tour. one of the passenger died. arnie, from comedy central is also in critical condition. this condition was posted: the pile-up included two tractor trailers, a sports utility building. morgan started his career on "martin - with martin

lawrence", years ago. he joined "saturday night live" in 1996 and was a regular in 2003. he founded a long-running role in "30 rock", created by tina fey. a statement from wal-mart about the employer of the truck driver saying that they are cooperating with law enforcement to aid in their investigation. >> it's a horrible incident. >> police in ghana are clamping down on pastors that can't guarantee a miracle. we travel for the story. >> reporter: meet the international ministry and 36-year-old superstar bishop. he's known as a miracle worker. many say this is why? it takes one of his blessings to be

heeled. this woman is here because she has dity being pregnant. >> he is amazing. he helped so many people. i believe in his power. >> sermons are on the demret and re -- internet and relayed across the country. >> translation: if you help a person, someone will help you. i believe if i heel people, they'll help me and my staff. >> that man is being prosecuted for aggravated violence after assaulting a radio journalist after questioning his ability to perform miracles. he asks followers to make donations for miracles. in this service he office a free cop sultation, perhaps -- consultation, perhaps because i'm filming. people here tell me they will not leave the church until the preacher has left. that is not going to happen

until nightfall. it is deeply religious, and preachers have an enormous amount of power, influence and money. >> too much, so, say the police who are clamping down on the fake preachers, duping people for money. >> it's big business. we have arrested them on a weekly basis. people that call themselves pastors - we treat them as yourselfeduals who committed a crime. if found guilty, preachers face up to 10 years in prison. despite allegations, he is not worried, his church is thriving. his followers believe this in itself is a miracle. in egypt a court sentenced 10 muslim supporters to dated. they were charged with inciting violence and booking a road during protest. the muslim brotherhood was outlawed and labelled a

terrorist organization following the ouster of mohamed mursi. the convicted men are believed to be in hiding. >> a plea for the release of detained journalists peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed who have been held for 161 days. reporters without borders wrote to the new president abdul fatah al-sisi on their behalf. another al jazeera correspondent abdullah al-shami has been held without charge since august. meanwhile abdul fatah al-sisi will be inaugurated tomorrow, winning 96% of the vote in egypt's election. he's coming under fire for his crackdown on freedom for expression. he bans unauthorised preachers from giving sermons and preaching. >> dozens are dead after a massacre in the democratic republic of congo. the attack took place in south kooeb u. some claim armed millishers were

near the village and the government did nothing to stop it. in nigeria residents demand the return of 200 school girls kidnapped by boko haram, more than 50 days ago. many are upset about an army crackdown on the media. officials denied reports that senior military officials have been court marr shalled on charms of backing the rebels. the u.s. navy rescued hundreds of migrants from a sinking vessel. they got a call from the military. the. ss "batan" and "elrod" responded. more than 2500 migrants have been rescued trying to make the dangerous trip from africa to italy since early thursday. celebrations of d-day's 70th anniversary conditioned. u.s. secretary of state john kerry laid a wreath honouring

fallen troops. three soldiers died liberating the town. >> crowds gathered for an operation, overer lord. french and british planes took part in an airshow over a landing beach. it was bold, bloody and risk i invasion. i spoke to a historian about how critical the invasion was to ending the war. >> at this stage it was germany's last chaps to win the war -- chance to win the war or come to an inclusion. when the invasion succeeds and the allies took normandy, it is the pivot pointed leading to the -- point that leads to the beginning of the end. >> it was an invasion unlike others. 156,000 troops, 6,000 sea vessels. >> it was an enormous invasion, the largest they had in the european theatre. it may have been eclipsed by the

invaugs of okanawa in terms of sheer numbers of people. i don't think there's disputing that as far as the consequences and what was at stake, that this is probably the most significant invasion in human history gun rights activists are not hiding demands in texas. supporters of the law are open in full force of the convention. john hendren has the story from fort worth. gun gun. >> reporter: this man believes the answer to gun violence is more guns, out in the pope where everyone can see them. >> if someone sees a pistol, they are not going to do anything. we think instead of reacting to cil, it's better to prevent it. >> reporter: in bistros and bars, americans are carrying guns and unnerving their neighbours. here in texas guns are part of the cowboy culture are here, for

some, carry them in restaurants and bars is a little too much. even at the state republican convention in texas. >> me, personally, to walk into a place and just see, you know, several people with their guns out, it would be a little intimidating. the first question is are they the good guys or the bad guys. >> reporter: open carrying is so popular that some restaurants asked their customers to leave weapons at home. the national rifle association called it counterproductive and weird. the n.r.a. apologised. open carry activists have a texas-style complaint. >> if i opened-carried my handgun, i would be considered a fellion. >> you have a holster there. >> and as you see it's empty.

>> reporter: 44 of the states allow americans to carry weapons open openly. somehow texas allowing concealed handguns is not one of them. there's an exception. texas says that is a firearm. this civil war era pistol is not. many open car yours carry replicas of black powder revolvers as they try to implement the war. i'm safer when i carry a firearm, it gives me the ability to protect my life and my family's life. >> the only solution to a bad guy with a gun? >> is a good buy with a bun. >> reporter: as the movement gains momentum. the open carry tex jps have a good -- texans have a good shot. i witness testimony, many think of it as critical.

what happens when the witness gets it wrong. "the system" explores what happens. >> every day thousand are identified by eyewitnesss. a shocking number get it wrong. two gentlemen purchased gun, gun fair ensued and the resident was killed. the police looked for the suspect. two black males, one tall, one short. >> reporter: how accurate are eyewitness identifications? >> studying people in the research lab and witnesses in the real world. 30% of the time witnesses that pick someone saying yes, that's the person that committed the crime, are wrong. >> what jennifer and others believe is that the identification procedures used by the majority of the police departments are outmoded and upscientific. . >> they put me in front of a big glass window, door-like,

handcuffed me to the bench, but everyone else in the room as pushed on the other side where they couldn't see the individuals, just me. >> watch "the system" tomorrow night here on al jazeera america, 9 eastern. 6 pacific. one race too many for california chrome. the thoroughbred failed in a bid for the crown. wait till you hear the owners comments after the race. >> rebecca steeches joins us with the weather. >> beautiful weather, but not the midwest. we have storms and damage to a localized gym and homes north of st. louis. i'll show you where it hit and where some may trike now.

>> start with one issue education... gun control... the gap between rich and poor... job creation... climate change... tax policy... the economy... iran... healthcare... ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony... >> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america

they are into the stretch. it's california chrome. tonalalist. here is california chrome. on the far outside. hopes were high for a tripple crown winner after a four decade dry spell. all eyes were on california chrome. he had back-to-back victories at the kentucky derby and preakness. the fairytale ending wasn't to be. >> reporter: there is a reason it's called the test of champions, three race, five weeks and not everybody can go the distance. the jockey rode in 1977 in the tripple crown and when he saw california chrome, he didn't look like he wanted to run the trap. he said this - tonalalist - coming out on top, a horse that

was prepared and a long distance and tight horse to win a ris like this. california chrome finished fourth against wicked strong the competitor in the race chosen to beat him in this one. >> he didn't have it in him, apparently. he's been in three - this is his third big race. these other horses they sat them out. they sat them out to upset the apple cart. i'm 61 years old, i'll never see in my life time another tripple crown winner because of the way they do this. it's not fair to the horses that have been in the game since game one. i look at it this way - if you can't make enough points to get in the kentucky derby, you can't run the other two. >> had california chrome pulled off the sweep it would have been worth $11 million for the tripple crown. still not a bad bet for the

owners that bought him for $11,000. he came close. the world cup is about to get underway. ugly scenes are threatening the event. less than a week before the match transit workers in sao paulo are in site. several violent picket line battles were prompted. >> reporter: we spoke to leaders of the union representing some of the metro workers. they are hoping to strike app agreement with the mediaton or sunday. the metro workers want a 12% raise. they hope as early as sunday they'll find a middle ground that can end the strike. a lot of damage has been done. thursday and friday it caused chaos in sao paulo, and over 250 kilometres of traffic backups as people scramble to catch buses

and get in wars to get to work and school. and their places of business. now, people are watching this closely. because the vast majority of tourists going to the world cup stadium in sao paulo will do so via metro and train. if the strike carries over, spells on thursday when the opening match is expected to be played, it will cost a traffic nightmare here in sao paulo, trying to get the fans to the stadium. that will be a disaster for f.i.f.a. and the brazilian government. >> we should mention tomorrow we'll take an indepth look at the world cup, the controversy surrounding the event in soccer's governing body. join us for "the week ahead." time to talk about the weather. rebecca joins us tracking storms. >> they've been swinging in hail

and wind gusts. there's tornado potential in arkansas. they were hammered by storms. now they are making their way across the midwest. they are popping up in kentucky, tennessee. the most intense, the rain fall in tennessee. that's where we have tornado warnings in place. when we look at where we have tornado reports, they started in new mexico. as it tracked, it created a history of hail and wind damage. as it tracked north of st. louis, you have a significant amount reported. it's something to keep an eye on. we have a tornado warning in central illinois, because the statement of claim tracking either wards bringing flash flooding, lightning and hail. as we go across the globe i wanted to show you where in southern turkey we had a bit of

rainfall moving through here. so much rain fall that we had some very rapid flooding here as well. so much flooding that a lot of pictures that we common see have had cars under water. we had this one that floated off the sized of a bridge that was here, going head-first into the water, and other places of streets flooded out. buses stopped. stopped people's lives all across southern turkey. i thought, you know, let's compare some things. june rainfall on average for turkey is an inch of rain. it's for the month. now, consider how much rain you got today. i'll show you. also, compare missouri, your average month of june - you'll get over an inch. a lot of times the rainfall that occurs in june for the two places will be caused specifically because of thunder storms. that can dump a lot of rain from

the storms. turkey is bigger than st. louis missouri, but when you look at the rain that came down, it is impressive. it indicates to us with over an inch and three-quarters of rain fall for turkey, we know that this is a very, very dry area. so there's going be problems if that amount of rainfall comes down quickly. our forecast for thunder storms in the u.s. will pick up in texas tomorrow. it's going be wet and stormy. we'll watch out for weather in the meantime. and the cool down will be welcome relief. >> it will be hot, we looked at phoenix over 100. >> yes, tripple digit. >> many americans are dipping into the 401 k accounts. using the savings as a piggy bank is not a great idea. we explain why the penalties you pay now are part of the problem. >> like a piggy bank. 401 k accounts cap be an easy

source of rainy day money. when someone taps into their 401 k the irs hits them with a 10% penalty fee op top of faxes they owe on the -- taxes they owe on the money. which is now income. the retirement act is a piggy banks for folks and they have to crack it open. no one wants to do that. people don't have other options. >> the 57,000,000 that americans withdrew earned the irs 5.7 billion in penalty why is. all that money withdrawn from retirement accounts is making americans less prepared for retirement. according to a recent gallop survey 48% of americans say the 401 k perhaps is a major source of retirement. prematurely withdrawing $16,000 from a 401 k at age 30 and not

paying it back could cost $471 per month in retirement income, or more than 51,000 in over 20 years. assuming a retirement age of 57. for decades americans used their homes as piggy banks. rising home equity meant second mortgages, refinancing and home equity were an easy way to pull cash. all that changed with a housing collapse of 2008. when americans were locked out of using their homes, they turned to the 401 ks to access easy money. outstanding loans were worth $704 billion, down 38% from the peak in 2007. irs penalties from premature 401 k withdrawals are up 37% since 2003. >> 401 k plans are flawed. they are do it yourself savings plans that have failed millions

of americans miserably. >> reporter: one thing is certain - with the economy running in slow motion, minister are running oust -- americans are running out of piggy banks to crack open. >> saving coral off the coast of miami. the project under way to find the reef a new home.

welcome back. the port of miami is one of the busiest. delicate coral is at risk of being destroyed. as we reportest are under way to save it. >> reporter: belief it or not this colourful thriving reef is living in the water of the main shipping channel of the port of miami. >> it's beautiful and exciting and sad a little bit because you know that they are going be gone. >> reporter: that's because on saturday the army corp of engineers is dredging the channel as part of an expansion

project, destroying the coral qualities underneath. on the edges army core divers retrieved coral transplanting it to an artificial reef north of channel. they'll be out of the path of cargo and cruise ships. the effort was mandated by the state of florida. marine biologist andrew baker says there's a large number of coral roofs at risk. >> we have one of the largest urban populations in the world n to a coral reef echo system. they are very valuable. one of few left. economic concerns will win again. >> for almost two weeks, the university of miami professor and his students have been diving for coral. despite days of bad weather and poor visibility they retrieved 5-00. the state that issued the permit to dive says it was subject to

dive. the state can't afford the extensions. >> it is missed opportunity. we could have gotten more, saved more. we could have this years and years worth of research at our disposals. >> they arating it the pool. baker and his team hope to study them and learn how more can survive in inhospitalible environments. >> if we save florida's reefs, these are the corals that we should prct. they might -- protect. they might represent the future. an army corp of officials says the coral colonies will grow back as they did after the last dredging project in 1991. baker says that logic is faulty. when mother nature is showing us around the world that it doesn't

always bounce back. >> it's a beautiful area. thank you for joining us. i'm thomas drayton in new york. i'll be back with another hour of news at 11:00 pm eastern, 8 pacific. "consider this" starts now. thanks for watching. [ ♪ music ] a quarter of a billion pain-killer convictions were killed. a lawsuit to kick an increaselingly deadly addiction. extreme science - finding stark realities of change while braving deadly risks former new jersey governor and e.p.a. head christine todd whitman on where the g.o.p. is getting into trouble. who decides what you eat. how food trends get started. hello, i'm antonio mora, welcome to