right. >> it is a riveting and inspiring memoir. thank you so much for talking to al jazeera. >> good afternoon to you, and welcome to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. here are the stories we're following. [ gunfire ] >> gun battles as iraqi forces try to stop the rebellion. plus rebels shoot down a government plane. and afghans go to the polls to elect their next president.

>> the situation in iraq is continuing to deteriorate today where coalition of sunni muslim fighters now control several cities and towns in the northern and western parts of the country. that coalition included kurdish separatists and a group called isil. that is the islamic state in iraq and the levant. they're vowing to capture the capitol. iraqi prime minister nouri al-maliki and other shia leaders are calling to defend the city. >> the association of muslim scholars are very influential and popular group in iraq. the statement is likely to be seen as being key, a warning state of iraq who did threaten.

they did not specifically said they would attack the shrines there, but it is implicit that they are going to those cities. it's that kind of thing, that kind of spark that could send iraq off on the path of sectarian warfare. we've seen this whe in 2006 when there was an attack on a shrine. there are many wondering what path iraq is going down right now. they don't want to go down that path. shthey said to defend, not go on the defensive but to defend the shrines. it's not the blatant sectarian language we heard a few years

back, but certainly it's sectarian to say the least. >> here in the baghdad operations command have responded to the isil threat of attacking baghdad by putting around a perimeter, putting in increased curfews, mounting mobile patrols. a lot of people are very scared. this has been going on in baghdad for 18 months now. we've seen three to four car bombs a week here. many don't leave their neighbors. baghdad has lived through this for a while, and yes, tensions are high in the city, and people are worried about what could happen next. they're looking at cities like mosul. 2million people fell to 1300 sunni rebels. >> the fighting has yet to reach baghdad, but the city is bracing

for a possible assault. >> reporter: 63 years old and retired. he has eight grandchildren. he said that the security crisis in iraq caused by the sunni rebellion makes him nervous. >> psychological conditions are very bad. we watch the news all the time, and we hear a lot of rumors. we hear fighting progresses and thin retreats. we don't know what to do. we feel trapped. we worry about displacement. we don't know what our fate will be. >> reporter: a quick look around on the streets and not all shops were open. a sign perhaps of people's anxiety. there is no sign of increased security. life in many parts of baghdad appear to be normal, but there

is fear. many are worried that fighters could renew sectarian violence. the violence has increased the prices of food. sometimes even doubled. many say they are not scared of islamic state in iraq and the levant while others worry about the performance of government forces. >> this is not the first time that provinces have fallen to the hands of isil. nothing new about it. but the new trouble i is there is a we traditional of forces. there could be a collapse. >> others disagree. >> i don't think isil will come to baghdad. it's impossible. they don't have the ability, and our forces are strong. >> reporter: hopes and fears aside iraq is facing it's biggest crisis since u.s. forces

withdraw in 2011. a crisis that could lead to a civil war. >> the situation in iraq prompted an extraordinary response from the iranian government. president hasan rouhani is willing to help if the u.s. does not intervene. >> we said that our countries must combat terrorism. in iraq we have not seen the americans make a decision. if we see the u.s. engage in operation against terrorist groups then one can think about cooperation, but we are not seeing anything. >> the u.s. has not requested any assistance from iran but there is late word that the an aircraft carrier is headed to iraq. the president made it clear that

the u.s. is not going to solve the conflict for the iraqi government. joining us live from washington is randall pinkston. randall, good afternoon to you, and thank you so much for being here with us. first up, what military option after president obama said there would be no boots on the ground? >> certainly the announcement that the group led by the carrier. there could be launched aircraft bombing runs from the uss george w. bush, or guided missile crews, and they have tomahawk

missiles. >> was this really a surprise to the u.s.? >> well, it's been a surprise to many members of the public. if you talk to members of the military and intelligence community you hear something different. this is the response yesterday from admiral john kirby. >> we certainly have been watching their growth and development and their activities inside iraq. it's not that we haven't been mindful of the threat that they pose or what they're capable of doing, and i'm just simply not going to detail options that secretary hagel and the leadership here in the pentagon are proposing. >> and those military leaders are now in the process of working around the clock, according to president obama, to be able to present him with options for possible action. >> randall, did they not expect

because we have in some sense been here before. how is the legacy of the iraq war, which president obama did promise to end. >> first of all, president obama said there would be no quick action. he's taking days to decide what to do. the president said the bottom line is no matter what the u.s. does militarily or any other outside force, it has to be iraqis who bring it back together. >> unfortunately, the iraqi leaders have been unable to overcome the mistrust and sectarian differences that have long been simmering there. so any action that we may take to provide assistance to iraqi security forces have to be joined by serious and sincere

efforts by iraq's leaders set aside sectarian differences, to promote stability and account for legitimate interests of all iraq's communities. >> and on that score the president is also calling on all of iraq's neighbors. that includes iran to do what they can. to make sure that there is a push back against the isil. as the president puts it. an iraq in chaos benefits no one. >> we'll continue to keep our eyes on the coverage, as should you. stay with us for coverage on events in iraq. we'll have updates all throughout the day. and we'll have more right here at 8:00 p.m. on al jazeera america. ponch people have been killed in syria 50 miles from the iraq border. the explosion occurred in a

market in a town under the control of opposition groups. the blast reportedly came from a car and apparently a weapon's dealer detonated it by mistake. meanwhile over in ukraine the army is launching airstrikes against separatists in the east. that all mapping after rebel fighters were shot down in a military transport plane. that was in luhansk. 49 people were on board. >> the plane shot down is an il 76 military transport plane. ukraine's general said 49 people were killed in this incident. military personnel as they came in to rotate drops ou troops from the airport. the airport is the last major site under the control of the ukrainian army. the rest of luhansk are in the

control of or controlled by separatists. what we've seen today is ukrainian army moving. we've seen airstrikes. charging checkpoint. we've seen ukrainian ground troops moving in. no official comment made by kiev. yesterday pushing towards the border to redane control of 120 millimeters of the border that the government said was in the controlled of separatists. >> there was violence across afghanistan as people voted in the presidential run off election. ten people were killed and 99 injured in a number of attacks, and women, children, and even election officials are among those injured. we have reports from kabul. >> voters began queuing at polling stations like this one early in the morning. after registering they could

choose between two men. a former world banking economist or former foreign minister. >> as an afghan i could see that this is the second legitimate leader in the history of the country, and we all afghans hope that we would have a different democracy. >> but before the polls even opened the attacks began. first rockets were fired and then fighting broke out in a number of provinces. several people were injured and there were some reported deaths. by the time the polls were closed at least 150 attacks across the country, more than 160,000 military and paramilitary forces were deployed to keep voters safe and according to the interior minister managed to deflect most

of the violence. despite this many chose to stay home. hthe lower than expected voters has more to do with security. >> reporter: the first round in april people were not just choosing a president they were also electing pro convention leaders. that's not the case this time and it seems that many stayed away from the second round because the choice for president is seen as having a limited impact on their lives. still others were determined to vote. >> in order to have democracy we have to make sacrifice. yes there, is violence but people need to know their vote matters. we as a country has to choose a president who will serve us and solve our problems. >> problems put in sharp focus in an election mired with violence. >> colombians are gearing up to

elect their president tomorrow. and this time it's between the current president who wants to condition negotiations with the rebel farc group while the right wing candidate is "pose opposed to it. this week italian coast guard very well vessel intercepted a boat full of migrants. some say the influx is causing a strain on the economy, bu. >> reporter: one of hundreds of migrants who have turned the town into an example of integration. he collects rubbish for a living using donkeys. for locales it's a tradition. for him it's a fresh start. >> i've been in different part

of the country, you know, and it's different because people here, they are very kind. they used to everybody. they do not discriminate that you are from africa, you are from asia. they work with everybody here. >> reporter: the rising unemployment forced young people to look for work elsewhere. with an aging population this town seemed destined to disappear. it's mayor decided integration was the answer. he allowed migrants to leave work, study, and open their own businesses. >> our parents used to tell us that it's worthwhile oh so we gave them existing houses that were abandoned by immigrants and they blended in with the local population. >> reporter: the state gives $40

a day to pay each person for their basic needs. the mayor said payments often come late so he worked out credit with shop keepers until the money arrives. >> reporter: about 200 now live in this city. that's 25% of the population. these locals have seen the town slowly change from an insular society to a multi culture one. >> the old residents left looking for work. thank god they came and replaced them. >> reporter: built in the 1,600th century on the top of the hill to ward off invaders. now now immigrants are helping it to survive. >> still ahead. while they battle each other out in the field world cup athletes are also having to fight an

unexpected opponent. we'll tell what you it is coming up next.

>> guns... >> there are two to three million guns in a population of only 8 million people. >> ...and gun laws... >> after those laws came in, there have been no more mass shootings... >> how different countries decide... >> their father had a gun... their grandfather had a gun... >> who has the right to bear arms? 5 days: guns around the world

a primetime news special series all next week only on al jazeera america a. >> a look at this picturesque live shot at rio de janeiro where the world cup is being played right now. >> reporter: another training day for the national football club one of the local teams in the a the amazonnen city where temperatures run 30 to 40-degrees celsius and 80% humidity. >> it's difficult and we train every day in this heat. >> the coach knows when opposing out of town players are suffering. >> they play fast and after 30

minutes later usually can't take it any more because the heat jumps on your back. >> reporter: all of these players were born and raised here in the amazon region of brazil, and they tell me over time they've been able to adjust and adaptor the heat and humidity. but that's a luxury the professional footballers won't have. the consequences the heat on the body of athletes was the subject of research as doctors had local players swallow tiny transmitters with temperature measuring devices during a game. the findings found body heat reached over 40 degrees celsius. scary as the lead researcher described the results. >> there are athletes who have more vulnerability. who might suffer nausea,

vomiting, and neurological damage is the most worrisome. >> reporter: many wonder how footballers not accustomed to the heat will cope. >> i don't know how it will effect them but they'll have to deal with it and play good football. >> in this city the only thing that will prove difficult for many of these players is the thick muggy heat over them. >> and an update on our top story is coming up, but first let's see where the rain is coming in this late spring. >> officially summer does not start for the next few days, but we're dealing with severe weather risks in areas that will be heating up as we head into the afternoon. we have a slight risk extending from parts o down to texas.

and there is a moderate risk of wet weather. we have a threat of heavy rainfall and large hail that will be our primary threat as well. isolated tornadoes can't be or ruled out as well as strong gusting winds. we do have a wind advisory in omaha, and we're willing dealing with severe storms that have blossomed across parts of south dakota. now notice omaha we're dry for now but we've had a lot of daytime heating, plenty of sunshine and now the winds are gusting up. they could get as high as 60 mph once we have the storms develop. across texas we're quieting down and drying out. but it's right along the dry line where we can see severe storms firing up. that's where we have that threat

all the way down there. in florida we have storms rumbling through. it looks like orlando will have heavy rainfall. >> an update of our top story is coming up, including the rebels in iraq. that's next. branches branches

>> good afternoon and welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. here are today's headlines. the situation in iraq. sunni rebels and kurdish separatists are vowing to capture baghdad. shia leaders have called for help from the country. in ukraine a transporter plane was shot down and 49

people were killed. celebrating a small victory right here in new york. ford motor company used land to dump paint sludge, but some of the area has been reclaimed. >> in the mountains of new york a healing of the earth. the tribe has called these mountains home for thousands of years. but they have been fighting for decades to have thousands of tons of pollution cleaned up by one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world. from 1955 to 1980 ford motor company built more than 6 million cars at its plans i plants. >> after many years of working back and forth did they finally

agree to come in and remediate the site. >> ford motor company paid more than $15 million to remove 42,000 tons of toxic soil from this site alone. now the tribe wants ford to use this as a model for how it removes the rest of the toxic paint sludge. >> ford has agreed in word only. we know about their words. we have to make those words come real. they have agreed to a medicine garden at every sigh site that get completely remediated. >> reporter: ford tells al jazeera that it has no plans for medicine gardens. the tribe fears time is running out. many of its members have cancer and other health problems they attribute to the toxic sludge.

>> in new jersey i would say that we lost 30% of our elders. ford has robbed us of our elders which is in essence robbing us of our culture because if you have no one it share it, it dies out. >> reporter: quiet frankly i don't think new york state department of health has been stepping up to the table to deal with this. but we really need i think can categorize the effect on the population even generations since the initial deposit. >> they say that the healing cannot truly begin until ford takes responsibility for the health problems. >> we have lost a lot. we've lost a lot of family members and they're priceless. >> decades later the tribe said it continues to pay a heavy price for ford's pollution.

♪ you know who you are >> kale lynn ford, al jazeera, new york. >> thanks for watching, earth rise is coming up next. stay tune. >> i'm russsell beard, in southern kenya, where the latest development in human elephant conflict resolution is creating a real buzz. >> and i'm amanda burrell in indonesia, to see a wasteland reed