>> welcome to aljazeera america. i'm stephanie sy, and here are the stories we're following for you. the battle for iraq rages on. we'll have reaction from washington. brazil prepares for opening day of the world cup. security is tight as millions arrive for the matches. and plus, a colorado town with a once colorful past now could be wiped off the map. we'll talk to the last man standing.

in iraq, a third city has fallen to a group of fighters called the islamic state in iraq and lavant and they have advanced on a fourth city. advancing to crete and kirkuk, and they have moved onto the oil rich town of bayji. they are worried that baghdad may be next. and they're calling it terrorism. meeting at this hour to discuss the situation. >> they are backed by fighter jets, out chasing fighters from isil north of tikrit.

and the forces in tikrit say that it's still under the control of isil. you saw the fighters, and now we have a statement. and according to that statement, they call themselves the fighters of iraq, and let me read you a little bit of what came in that statement. it said, we liberated mosul, tikrit and kirkuk, and we are continuing this liberation until we liberate all iraqi cities. it's called on the iraqi people not to be scared. and they promise them they will protect their lives, the public property and buildings. so it's a pretty strong development to have a group that is determined to carry on what it says is the liberation of

iraqi towns and cities. a senior member of the prime minister, maliki, told me over the phone that this situation is pretty clear. he said there is few political blocks within parliaments that prevented the number of reaching the core um quorum, and that's y they're backing the events in mosul. i spoke to him and he said they do not want to give more authority and power to prime minister nuri maliki. this guy, he said there are political affiliations and political figures who are collaborating with the isil fighters, and it's a strong

development. and even the prime minister is saying that this is a conspiracy aimed at the new government of iraq. >> the u.s. is acknowledging the situation on the ground in iraq is very grave. and the question remains what role america will play in the conflict. and for that, mike viqueira joins us from washington and how is the government responding to this escalating situation in iraq? >> well, there's obviously a growing urgency in washington not only to avert it. but hot potato in washington. senators are being briefed behind closed doors, in a classified briefing, being brought up to speed. and president obama is meeting with his australian counterpart. we could hear from him in a matter of minutes as soon as the photo opportunity is complete. and john mccain, a frequent critic of president obama's policy, is on the senate floor

saying for president obama to get rid of his entire security team. saying a failure to reach an agreement with iraqis upon withdrawal in 2011, an over the horizon, and iraqis say that that would make no difference whatsoever. a report that the iraqi government has asked over the course of the last few months, not only for arms, but for american airstrikes. aircraft, and bombing dropped or drone aircraft. and we asked the president's national security team to react to that and here's what they said. while the national security team always looks at a range of ongs, the kurt focus of iraq and our policy considerations is to build the capacity of the air okay he's to successfully confront and the threat moved by

isi ill. and it's clear that the u.s. is not going to be posing any strikes with the american military. for a number of reasons. president obama campaigned in 2008 to end combat in iraq and he did so in 2011 and he fulfilled that in 2012. and we're war weary in the united states, but nevertheless, there are options on the tabling considered and mostly arms, and already, there's a substantial flow of arms and money going into iraq. and they're looking at ways to beef that up or address these problems specifically. >> mike viqueira, reporting from the white house. thank you. a short time ago, the supreme court handed down a ruling that may led to a change in the way our foods and drinks are labeled. in the way that coke labels it's drinks, they're trying to have the lawsuit thrown out. but the justices said that the

lawsuit can proceed. lisa stark joins us from washington and tell us about this ruling. >> well, stephanie, a california company, they made a big splash with pomegranate juice, which they tout as quite healthy. while others decided to get into the business, coca cola, they made their own pomegranate blueberry juice. less than 1% of the products actually contain pomegranate or blueberry. and the supreme court said you can sue over this particular act, which allows companies to sue if there's unfair competition and the justice said that this lawsuit can go forward. >> it's not just about pomegranate juice. are there larger ramifications? could this set a precedent, especially if they win with lots of changes in the food industry and labeling? >> i spoke with mcclearey, and

she said that this could be a big win for consumers, depending on what companies do. she said she's hoping it spawns a lot of lawsuits because there are a ton of misleading labels out this, and companies should be aggressively suing other companies, which would help consumers and may change the way companies decide to label their products. >> lisa stark reporting thank you. the gop is still reeling from congressman eric cantor's defeat. he will step down from his position as majority leader. and how the fall from power could effect capitol hill. >> well, the reaction is all over the map, you have the tea party rejoicing and the democrats saying that the

republican party is taken over by extremists. >> the first in history to lose a primary election, congressman eric cantor forced to step down from his post, which he will give up on july 1st. >> it's with great humility that i do so, knowing the tremendous honor it has been to hold this position. >> the man who toppled him from that position, dave brat. despite only spending $120,000 to fund his campaign, the tea party believes that the underdog won because the republican party is "out of touch. >> this team rode a tea party wave to office, and there's a growing concern that we haven't followed through on that. >> brat said his strong stance on immigration is the main reason. saying that canter backed amnesty. the house minority leader

rejects that claim. >> i've never known mr. canter to be an advocate for immigration reform. so i think that the whole thing of it being dead is exaggerated. so i'm always optimistic that it can happen. >> the day after brat's victory, the republican was pressed on other issues. when asked about it, this is what he had to say. >> i don't have a well crafted response on that one. >> some tea party members hope that this primary pick is more changes on capitol hill. >> people are tired of who is going on in december in both parties, and that's the message. >> as far as the canter loss hurting democrats. >> no, not at all. because we're close to our districts. the opponents said that he's too close to wall street and not close enough to main street. and that's what we have been saying all along about republicans. >> as for the republican

leadership position, two congressmen have to bed their hats into the ring. you have mccarthy in california. and sessions in texas. >> in pakistan, another u.s. drone attack struck a compound this morning, killing at least ten people and wounding four others. this comes after a drone strike yesterday in pakistan. the security officials say six suspected militants were killed last night in the town north. >> the last strike was christmas day. there are reports that a girl was found hanging from a tree in india today. it happened in the northern state. and the teen's team said she was raped. this is the fourth indian woman to die from sexual violence in recent weeks. just yesterday, the prime minister said that the country must protect the rights of its women. in his first speech to

parliament since being elected last month, he said his country would act immediately to repeat women's security. and the police had not investigated the crimes. rape has been used as a weapon in wars around the world in history and still is today. and now there's an internationalert to stop sexual violence. angelina jolie and british foreign secretary, william hague, announced new standards and they called on governments to endorse the blueprints. >> we all know how hard it is to secure convictions for rape even in democratic countries. so we have to work even harder to make justice in fragile countries. >> leaders are in london. tensions are flaring up along the border of rwanda and the democratic of congo.

alt five soldiers were killed wednesday, and both sides are blaming each other for starting the battle. the u.n. has accused rwanda of supporting the n23 rebels in the sea. right now, so you paolo is the scene of riting. the police are confronting a small group of protestors. you can see it in live pictures, and this is going on to a certain degree. earlier, demonstrators were throwing rocks, and the riot police trying to gain control of the situation, and this is in the world cup stadium. we'll have more on that as it becomes available. but you can see there are riot police there, and they're wearing gas masks and you can see protesters there. >> union workers at rio de janeiro airports are demanding pay raises and better wages

during the month-long soccer tournament. it won't affect the world travelers. 600,000 tourists will visit rio during the worl world cup. and maintaining order, the military has been deployed to the shanty town that surrounds rio de janeiro. 2500 soldiers will patrol the streets while today it's underway. >> the world cup stadium in the city of sau paolo is 25 kilometers outside of the city center, so it's expected that the vast majority of the 61,000 fans will arrive via train or metro, and this is the main metro station here at the stadium. it's already being decorated in the spirit of the world cup. and this is the official world cup ball. and the fans are gathering to get a glimpse of it. just out of the stadium, you see

how much last minute work is being done, the construction crews polishing the stadium and getting things outside ready. critics and pessimists point to scenes like this, with poor planning by the government. and that brazil is really rushing to get ready for this. i'm not sure they are, but the government said these are minor last minute adjustments, and the government says as soon as the first ball is kicked, there will be so much excitement here in sau paolo that none of this other stuff will really matter. but the stadium will be ready to host the matches. 57,000. that's how many army soldiers will be deployed all over the country, providing security for this world cup. and guarding everything from hotels to airports to stadiums. here at the stadium in sau paolo, there are already several hundred troops inside doing a final security lockdown. here inside of the stadium, this

is where the eyes of the football world will be tuned to thursday afternoon local time when brazil kicks off against croatia and opens the world cup. they're putting the final touches on the pitch below me there, and this will be 61,000 people packed in the arena here. outside of the stadium, we're starting to see excitement build, tour resists from around the world showing up, and fans kicking balls, and enjoying the pleasantries, and getting into the brazil football spirit. finally, seven years after brazil was awarded the world cup, we're hours away from kickoff. >> american troops training in australia. coming up on aljazeera america, what this means for the country and it's neighbors. and people in colorado fighting to bring a ghost town back to life.

>> the prime minister of australia is visiting the white house today. tony abbot's first face-to-face meeting with president obama. the two leaders have a lot on their agenda, not only the economy, but the environment and immigration. the growing military alliance between the u.s. and australia. >> the first deployment as a u.s. marine came as a bit of a surprise. >> i had no idea i would be going to australia. i have to admit, i thought my first deployment would be afghanistan. >> but australia's northern territory is where 1,000 troops are right now. >> we go back 100 years and fought in every war together. incredible partners, and we're in that relationship. >> including four helicopters, evacuation exchanges is one that they're practicing. the marines are training, but

they're battle ready, ready to be deployed straight from here if required. australia offers a challenging training environment and sending u.s. troops here sends a powerful signal here with the u.s.' pivot toward asia. as china rises militarily, the united states wants to strengthen it's presence in the region. u.s. troops would rotate through northern australia. >> i think that they have accepted that when it came to military activity, reflecting the u.s. rebalancing to the region, the fact was, and is that america is a significant military presence in the asia pacific. >> but australia deeply ties with the u.s., with a australian neutrality and disputes with u.s. allies like japan and china. some say that they should have

strategic independence rather than strategic depends. >dependence. >> australia is taken for granted. any country that foregoes its sovereignty to have another country's military on its territory, it's already not neutral. you can't be neutral under those circumstances. >> he calls the u.s. a dangerous ally. and these wore games in the outback are positioning. tony abbot is urged to think carefully about what the next moves mean for australia. >> in detroit, the pension board for police officers and firefighters is expected to vote on the city's bankruptcy plan today. they're asking the members to take a cut. and 18,000 workers and retirees would have to gree to a 4 and a half percent reduction in their monthly check. it's a restructuring plan from

an oversight committee for the next 20 years. >> nestled over 9,000 feet in the rocky mountains is a ghost town with a romantic name it. bonanza, colorado. it was once a silver mine. and some want to save it. but not everyone thinks that's a good idea. >> welcome to bonanza, colorado. population, 1. >> when i moved here, there were 12 people. but they have all died or moved away over the years, and it crept up on me all of a sudden. and it's like woah, i'm the last guy. >> 20 years ago, mark was looking for paradise and found it on a dead end road. he hand built this place, tucked into a national forest, surrounded by deserted cabins and silver mines. >> it was a bonanza for the

people who discovered the mine. >> jim owns property in town and he's smitten with bonanza's romantic past. >> there was a smelter, and the miners would come in and probably use the saloons, and there was a hotel. and there was almost a railroad, but it never got here. >> bonanza is a snapshot in time. in the good old days, there were over 1,000 people here. and today, many of the houses have been abandoned. and like many of the other ghost towns in colorado, it may soon be wiped off of the map. this whole scuttlebutt happened last year when someone posted this notice on the bulletin board. it proposes the abandon. the town of bonanza. and everyone had cleared out for the weather and no one noticed it. >> one note on the board, flapping in the breeze, is not

adequate. >> they are trying to stop the state from stripping the town of its legal right to exist. to do that, they have to elect a council and prove that the town actually conducts wednesday, so they have reached out to part-time bonanzaens like themselves. >> the town, about it could have a rebirth, it's beautiful. >> the state says for this to happen, they would have to start from scratch, figuring out services and taxes. >> if there's not a functioning government, the duties that would go toward that government in the county. >> and that's okay for bonanza's last man standing. the county tax is already paid for the street light and for repairing the roads in the winter. >> just because the abandonment, it's not because of the wind or nuked or something. it's not going to be bulldozed over. >> bonanza has until september

or it will be fellowed into the unincorporated county. but the echos of its past will remain sent in stone. aljazeera, bonanza, colorado. >> fans from all over the globe are gearing up for the world cup. coming up on aljazeera america, even fans in space are joining in the celebration.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm stephanie sy, and here are the headlines at this hour. in iraq, a third city has fallen to isi of l. and they are worried that baghdad is the next target. and meanwhile, the security council is meeting to discuss the situation on the ground. the world cup is getting underway today. the first match will be played in sau paolo. and croatia will take on the

host country, brazil. the first game is on monday. >> we're keeping a close eye on the mid-atlantic states, and the temperatures for the most part have been warming up. close to 80° except for the cool air that's stuck here. we're looking at steady rain developing, and that rain will be heavy. north carolina, pushing up to virginia and maryland. and some of that rain heavy at times. a lot of rain could come down in a short period of time. and a large area is under a flash flood watch. it hans quickly. and you get the rain coming down over the same area. a flash flood watch today. and it clears out. it's moving out and comfortable temperatures and drier weather moving in for the weekend.

across the plains, severe weather is a problem in dallas to east texas. there's a severe thunderstorm warning in effect and flooding, and the cluster of storms will continue to pushing off to the south. speaking of thunderstorms, a problem out west will be this. a little bit of rain and lightning, and sometimes thunderstorms develop in the west. and it's so dry that you get the lightning, but the rain evaporates before it hits the ground. dry thunderstorms could be a problem with the dry ground. and fire warnings and red flag warnings are in effect from california to utah and a weather watch in arizona and new mexico. so we see these developing, and we can't see it on the radar. so there's rain, but that could be a problem for forest fires. >> there's no doubt that soccer fans from around the globe will tune into watch the 2014 world cup, but a few will be watching out of this world.

crew on the international space station will be cheering on their teams from above the earth. some hogue off their microgravity space soccer skills. i'm stephanie sy and "inside story" is next. . >> mick up the paper, watch the news, there is probably another shocking story demonstrating that the lives of women are cheap. when will they change that picture? that's the inside story. >> hello, i'm ray suarez.