♪ hi, everyone. this is al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler in new york. going to iraq, the white house says hundreds of new u.s. troops are headed for bagdad. out of control, the iraqi leader who is taking the heat for the chaos. freedom, egyptian authorities promise to release one al jazeera journalist. missing teens, dozens of palestinians detained as the search for three israeli boys intensifies. five days, guns around the world, our series begins in

switzerland, a gun-happy country with a surprisingly low crime rate. and team usa has just wrapped up its first win at the world cup. ♪ a surprising announcement from the white house tonight. president obama is sending up to 275 u.s. military personnel back to iraq. also a senior u.s. official confirms that itself has been talking to iran about how to resolve this crisis. on the ground in iraq, the rebels are advancing, and the death toll is rising as more iraq cities fall. we'll have more from our reporter in bagdad in just a moment. but first mike viqueira has the latest on the developments at the white house. >> it should be emphasized that

those 275 military personnel will not going to be sent there to assist in the battle. they are there to secure the safety of the u.s. embassy and the airfield should an evacuation be required. president obama arrived home from a long weekend in california, the first item on the agenda, a meeting of his national security council, we have just seen tough officials leaving the left wing. they are going over the options, none of them are good, some of them are down right distasteful. and the united states government wants this to be more than just about military strikes in iraq. the crisis has come to this. john kerry says the u.s. is willing to work with iran, a country his department lists as a state sponsor of terrorism. >> i think we are open to any

constructive process here that could minimize the violence, hold iraq together, the integrity of the country, and eliminate the presence of outside terrorist forces that are ripping it apart. >> for now that does not include military cooperation with iran this as the pentagon sends more warships to the arbabian gulf. the state department has already moved some people out of the embassy. and the administration notified congress it was sending some 275 personnel into iraq to secure the embassy and airfields. wait monday afternoon president obama arrived back from his weekend get away in california. aids say he was briefed several times there by national security advisor, susan rice.

officials continue to incest that any efforts will coupled with action from maliki. >> when you have people murdering, assassinated, in -- in these mass, massacres, you have to stop that, and you do what you need to do if you need to try to stop it from the air or otherwise. >> and john we learned this evening that the first tenttive talks with iran directly, face-to-face between the united states and the government of iran have already taken place. they were on the side of a previously scheduled meeting in geneva to talk about iran's nuclear program. but american officials are emphasizing, john, they are not going over the heads of the iraqi people. it is up to them to determine the future of their country. the rebels appear to be tightening their grip on iraq.

there has been a major battle for a city in the northwest. iraq's government says its forces have taken it back from rebels. >> reporter: john, the iraqi prime minister is confident that his forces will win this fight against what he called a terrorist conspiracy, lead my members of the islamic state in iraq. now the government forces say they have carried out different air strikes in different locations. they say they have killed around 150 fighters in different parts of iraq. further north to the west of iraq's second-largest city, rebels there say they have captured the town. we have reports of tens of thousands of people fleeing that town. what makes this important is that it is a predominantly shiite town, and it has some

sunni community in it. both sides, both sects were fleeing the fighting. the government, however, is refuting that claim. they say its forces have recaptured the town and cleared it from all of the rebel fighters in that city, so you have conflicting reports now. the mood in the capitol, john, this one of worrying and tenths. people are scared that this fighting could really development into a civil war. >> that's omar reporting. the new deployment of about 275 troops is the latest move by the pentagon to bolster the u.s. military presence there. >> yes, 275 extra troops going back into iraq. there are 100 marines already there. here they are.

they are giant embassy that the united states has there. right now they are overseeing the disappearance of various members of staff who have been taken away to safe houses as a precaution. the president can call on the fighter jets with a station on board this giant aircraft carrier. it entered the arabian gulf over the weekend, and with it came the guided missile cruiser. also with the philippine sea is the destroyer of the uss truck dszston. also with them, the pentagon told us the uss mesa verde, which means green table, and she

has completed her transit now, and is capable of conducting a verity of quick response operations. she has marines on board, and these on board. these are the mv22 osprey. they were used to rescue that stranded pilot -- the air force pilot of the bomber that crashed in libya, back 2011. so those are on hand now in the gulf. meanwhile on land and in the area, the president might want to call on drones. the locationsover these drones, of course, are secret, but based on reporting and various comments made by top brass before the congress, it's pretty clear these are based in the u.s., in turkey. also some of the gulf arab

states like qatar. and eyebrows were raised at the fact that they are in saudi arabia as well. >> joining me is the former u.s. assistant secretary of state for public affairs. welcome. >> thanks, john. >> what is the meaning of any announcement of 275 troops or u.s. military personnel are going to iraq. should we read more into that? >> i don't think so. the american embassy in bagdad is the largest in the world. it doesn't encompass a vast amount of territory. i think it's too secure, the diplomats who are remaining behind. you have consulates in the north and south, if the united states needs to find a way to rescue american citizens who are still in iraq, they can do that.

>> is it just for rescue, or are there other ways that the u.s. military could help do something in iraq to stop this conflict? >> well, does the united states have the capability-to-help the iraqi military or security forces with some sort of counterattack? of course. yes. that can have ripple effects. so there are military elements you can do. obviously, iraq is facing an inregular army. so finding a target to hit, you know, these are individuals and isis, they are mixed within the civilian population in some respects they are getting suort from the civilian population. so there are military capabilities that could be relevant here. but fding targets and accurate intelligence will be very, very difficult. >> what about the leader of

iraq, anything he ask can do to be part of the solution. >> he has had eight years to find a solution, and since the united states left, he has turned into part of the problem. there was a dynamic where constructively bringing the sunni tribes into the equation of beating back what was then al-qaeda, and that strategy was successful. now in -- essence he has turned a lot against these populations. so i'm very skeptical whether he can unify iraq any time soon. >> there interest reports the u.s. is talking to iran. can the u.s. and iran work together on this? >> if you think about the challenge that iraq is facing

and the comparable challenge in syria, the one thing that all of the major players probably agree on is no one wants to see the likes of isis or isil prosper. now can they find a way to cooperate in this one narrow sliver of these conflicts? very, very difficult. >> how does this change the relationship between the u.s. and iraq? >> well, a lot depends on how maliki responds. he has sounded like that unified figure over the last couple of days. but in his heart he has been ruling as a shiite leader as opposed to an iraqi leader. is he going to be that figure

that unified iraq, and makes everyone fight for iraq as opposed to fighting these sectarian battles as we have seen over the past several years? the track record says to be skeptical. >> in many ways this conflict is also about oil, and the impact it could have on older oil prices. so somehow big of a part does oil play in this? >> well, iraq has resumed its place as a leading exporter of oil. i don't think it is the driving factor here. i think you have to look at the dynamic of the potential for iraq to further -- fight this.

and you combine with this syria, and you have the makings of other dynamics in the region. that's what you have to focus on any time you have these ungovernmented spaces or governments that are weak and cannot control these territories and invites these kinds of conflicts and the likes of isis to take advantage of it. >> all right. thanks for your incite p.j. good to see you. >> good to see you. as fighters move closer to bagdad, several nations are pulling out of the city. the u.s. is removing dozens of employees from his mission as soon as possible. >> just a few days ago the un said it didn't feel that bagdad was at risk. now tellingly they are pulling their staff out. so far 58 staffer evacuated. that's about a quarter of the

total. and more are to leave in the coming hours. this is how the statement was made. >> i can say over the coming days, u.s. staff are being relocated temp tearily to other areas. today some 58 staff have been moved. the intention is to relocate them in urbell in iraq. >> for now we understand the staff being evacuated from iraq are being taken to the jordan capitol. the plan is to move them to northern iraq to the city of urbill. and the un says it will try to continue as much of its work as possible. it won't tell us how many staff it plans to keep in the iraqi capitol. or whether the chief will be staying in bagdad. the un seriously concerned when it remembers that its headquarters was blown up and 22 staff members were killed.

>> our coverage continues at the half hour. we take a look at iraq's prime minister. facing intense criticism. and stay with alabama -- al jazeera tonight for more. after 130 days on a hunger strike in an egyptian prison, egyptian authorities say they will release. abdullah al-shami. >> reporter: for ten months abdullah al-shami said he has done nothing wrong. he was working as a journal list when he was detained in august, held without any charges or court appearance. in january he went on a hunger strike. within four months he lost almost a third of his body weight. evident in this video. >> i was doing my job, and despite the courage of going

that i have been detained for 2 -- 266 days, without any charge, and without committing any crime -- >> reporter: just days later, abdullah al-shami said he had been placed in solitary confinement. in a letter he said he vomited and passed out after being force fed. he wrote . . . when a court extended his detention last week, his family warned his health was declining. three other journalists are still behind arms in egypt. peter greste and mohammed fahmy, and baher mohamed have been in jail for more than six months. they are accused of supporting the outlawed muslim brotherhood. on monday the three stood again in the courtroom cage. >> translator: the defendant is

innocent until proven guilty. a rapist or murderers has a television and four hours of outdoor time. we'll being locked up all day. this is unbelievable. >> reporter: the prosecutors are backing for 7 years for peter greste and 15 years for mohammed fahmy, and baher mohamed. al jazeera rejects all charges and continues to call for the journalists' immediate release. the trial is postponed until next monday. i spoke to journalists here in new york they told me 16 journalists are now jailed in egypt. >> all right. roxana thank you. after so many mass shootings in the u.s., we look at other country like switzerland. and a beloved kenyan elephant killed by poachers for its

tusks. ♪

the supreme court cited with gun-control advocates today, the court upheld a federal law designed to foil so-called straw buyers, when someone buys a gun legally and passes it on to a convicted felon. ♪ >> ever hour according to the centers for disease control and prevention, three people are killed by guns in this country. and after so many mass shootings in the united states, we decided to look at other countries where people own guns but where violence is rare. we'll calling our report, five days guns around the world. jonathan? >> the number of guns around the world has been growing, but

without question the united states has the most. but number 3 is switzerland. canada is not far behind, ranked 13th in gun ownership per capita. now places like israel, where tensions are high, still have relatively low gun ownership rates. it ranks at 79. but australia comes in at 42nd in the world. it has many guns per capita as mexico but less crime. a string of massacres lead australia to revolutionize its gun-control laws. take a look at this, these countries all rank relatively low in terms of gun ownership, yet they have the highest murder rate theres the world. but when you look at the developed world, the united states has more guns and gun deaths than any other, number 1. and americans are 20 times more likely to be killed with a gun

than people in other developed countries. john? >> all right. our first stop in guns around the world is switzerland. there the gun culture is rooted in national security rather than personal protection. dana lewis has more. >> reporter: 40 minutes outside of zurich, guns are zipped in sports bags, and carried off like baseball bats to batting practice. steven is here three days a week, squeezing the trigger on targets. in switzerland they say gun play is a national addiction. only america, yemen and serbia have more guns per capita. >> you have to really concentrate and breathe right. >> reporter: swiss officials have lost track of how many guns are in private hands here. but it's estimated there are 2

to 3 million guns in a population of only 8 million people. that makes switzerland the model of gun-happy countries, without the hair-trigger culture that many say exist in america. like most men here at 20, stephen did his mandatory army service, and was issued an assault rifle which the army gives away to service members when they are finished. at the foot of its bed in a flimsy wardrobe, it's part of his collection of a dozen rifles. he spends every morning with his wife and kids and then religiously he is off to the local range. in the swiss apples, hermann is a member of the pro-gun lobby. he lead us inside what was once a hidden army fortress designed

to resist german invasion in world war ii. he says they can remain neutral with little fear of invasion precisely because no fear of invasion. but it turns out switzerland is really not the global model for gun safety many believe it is. in 2001, a man used his army-issued rifle to assault a state government meeting. he killed 14 before he killed himself. over the last decade, martin has studied guns and crime here. while street crimes and robberies using guns are very rare. he says guns are involved in 90% of domestic murders and suicides. >> they are used for killing relatives, wives, children, and usually these events preceding suicide. >> reporter: in recent years the government has tightened

restrictions. hand guns are more difficult to acquire, and it's virtually impossible to get a permit to carry a hand gun, but rifles can be bought with an id and a criminal check. so what is the key difference between gun use here and in the u.s. stephen's opinion, it's psychological. it's about keeping a gun for national defense, versus personal protection in america. and training to shoot targets, not people. dana lewis, al jazeera in switzerland. that 2001 mass shooting in switzerland lead politicians to lobby for stricter gun laws, but the lobby was defeated. i talked to a man who was injured in that event. >> i was always very critical against guns. i was like most swiss army

soldier, but i always knew that arms are dangerous. it didn't change my opinion, but it convinced me to be more active. it gave me more energy to fight for changing the laws. >> so what do you think about america's gun laws? >> well, american gun law are very irresponsible. the high number of deaths every year, shows that there's something totally wrong. the main problem is that the united states, a person, a citizen can have an arm to defend his -- to self defending. in switzerland that -- that is the question of the state, of the police. >> after the mass shooting that you survived in your country, there were a lot of gun rights advocates in this country who

said if it can happen in switzerland, it can happen anywhere. what do you say to them? >> we have this tradition that the gun is only to defend your country, but this tradition has an erosion. we have an americanization of gun culture, that more and more people say i have a gun to defending myself, my house, my garden, my family. >> joe lang it is great to have you on the program. thank you very much for joining us. we appreciate. >> not at -- thank you as well. tomorrow part two of our series a report on guns in israel. the country has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. up next, maliki on the spot. the role the iraqi prime minister has played in the

crisis now pulling his country apart. and twin tornados, kevin corriveau with the latest on a storm system that produced this. the performance review. that corporate trial by fire when every slacker gets his due. and yet, there's someone around the office who hasn't had a

performance review in a while. someone whose poor performance is slowing down the entire organization. i'm looking at you phone company dsl. check your speed. see how fast your internet can be. switch now and add voice and tv for $34.90. comcast business built for business. that corporate trial by fire when every slacker gets his due. and yet, there's someone around the office who hasn't had a performance review in a while. someone whose poor performance is slowing down the entire organization. i'm looking at you phone company dsl. check your speed. see how fast your internet can be. switch now and add voice and tv for $34.90. comcast business built for business.

this is al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler in new york. a lot to cover this half hour. fleeing the chaos, the growing humanitarian crisis in iraq, as more industries fall to rebel forces. russia stops the flow of natural gas to ukraine. and poisoned and poached, a world famous elephant slaughtered for its ivory tusks. ♪ tonight the white house says it will send up to 275 u.s. military personnel back to iraq. they are going to securities american interests in bagdad. rebels are gaining ground in iraq. part of an offensive that

started a week ago. the government looking for help before those fighters can reach bagdad. >> situation is bringing u.s. and iran together. the two countries are talking. iraq's political system is seen -- by many as part of the problem. lisa starks is live in washington with more. lisa. >> john as you know the origins of the turmoil in iraq are years of sectarian strife and hatred but many in the u.s. are laying the blame at the doorstep of the prime. president obama has indicated that the u.s. should not act unless maliky does.

some see a window of opportunity to push the prime minister to build a true unity government one that includes his shiite faction as well as sunnis and kurds. >> we are adamant that prime minister maliki and his government must do a better job of reaching out to all of the rep senttive entities in iraq and bring them to the table. >> reporter: when maliki first took office in 2006 his government was considered inclusive. but that began changing nearly the moment u.s. troops left with the government issuing an arrest warrant to the vice president, the top sunni leader. we spoke about that with paul salem of the middle east institute during iraq's recent election. >> he has really built a very

authoritarian concentration of power, alienating the kurds completely. the sunni community was up in arms politically and now they are up in arms physically. >> reporter: mu believe that the -- many believe that the isil thrives because of maliki's actions. >> many sunnis who would like to be evented in bagdad have been disaffected and they have then shown more receptivity to these more radical islamist coming in. >> reporter: in the past president obama has pushed maliki, but now the white house may have more leverage. >> i think the message is becoming stronger and stronger that you are not behaving as an

effective leader now, you have to do something different. we're not going to do it for him. but i think our influence is a little bit in our disapproval as well as our support. >> reporter: the former top diplomat is calling on john kerry to go to iraq to help broker a unity government. >> we have to do what we can to keep iraq, whole, united, stable, restablize it, and keep it democratic. those are our main interests in iraq, but in the region, if this spreads it will be much, much worse than just a civil war in iraq. >> that's the situation the u.s. clearly wants to prevent. all of this is happening as maliki is support to be forming a new government. there was an election in april. he did not win a clear majority. so this does give an opening, john, for another government.

the question is, is it really just too late for that? >> lisa stark in washington thank you. joining us now is rick nelson. welcome. >> thanks for having me on. >> if the u.s. wanted to strike back at the rebels in iraq, where would that happen? >> well, john, i think that's the conundrum the u.s. faces. who would they attack and what would they be trying to solve. if they killed some of the leaders the question would be what is next. i think we lost a lot of intelligence when our troops pulled out. it's a very large country, the side of the southeastern united states with tens of millions of people, and keeping the kind of level of

intelligence that you need to conduct pinpoint strikes just doesn't exist. >> other than pinpoint strikes what other options does the u.s. have? >> militarily, there is not a lot. right now i think they are taking steps that they can, which is to fortify the embassies and consulates to ensure they are safe. but at the end of the day there will be very little militarily they can do. perhaps put some advisors to help exercise some control over the regions, but we really are limited. >> so if the u.s. doesn't have any other options than -- let's say pinpoint strikes and they are not going to really put boots back on the ground is it possible this is already down the road too far and the rebels may -- may have the upper hand here? >> well, i think that they do to some extent. i think the thing working against them, though, is the countries in the region -- this

is where the iran dialogue comes to the front are in agreement that no one wants to see isis in power. so that's a common thread. and also a great number of countries in the region don't want to see a destabilized iraq. so nations can get together and help stabilize iraq. >> what might that mean or look like? >> i think iran can certainly put pressure son maliki and the shiite elements. the united states very close relationships with saudis, and some back channel dialogue can happen to bring the sunnis and shiites back into a better position. i think at this point it's important to let iraq handle its internal dynamics. it's not what is happening with the isi, they are going to go all the way to bagdad, they

won't be able to penetrate the shiite and kurdish areas. >> there is a lot of second-guessing going on these days. could the u.s. have stopped this? >> i don't think so. some are blaming bush for getting involved. and now people are blaming obama for leaving too quickly. but where we are today is based on centuries of sectarian conflict that is coming to roost once again. >> the iraqis still -- even -- if the u.s. launched drone strikes, doesn't necessarily mean it pushes the rebels back. >> that's exactly right. i think the united states has to be very careful not to take a tactical action that comes up with the wrong strategic effect. if we want to kill some leaders, that might incite further action. and that's not where the u.s. wants to find themselves.

more than half a million of iraqis have fled their homes. fighting this weekend sent thousands more running. >> reporter: this is a strategic gate for the sunni rebels and a huge loss for the government. but translates into more people on the move in the country. most of these have arrived from tallafar. and they tell you stories of how they got here. but the pressure is too much for the kurdish authorities here, and they have to make choices at this point. a lot of people are waiting and wondering, but this at the moment is the only safe region for them. this area has been spared.

here you can go in -- whether you are sunni or shiite, but the wait at the moment a long, and all over the borders you see people arriving from tikrit to people arriving to [ inaudible ], people arriving from wherever there is a fight. it's a huge crisis. the iraqi government says its forces have taken back the city where those people fled. those reports still have not been a verified. let's go to washington now. joie chen standing by to tell us what is coming up on "america tonight." >> tonight we'll bring you an "america tonight" special report, iraq in turmoil. with rebel fighters pushing closer to bagdad, the white house is raising questions about how far the u.s. will go to return stability to iraq. we'll have reports from iraq, from the capital city as well as from areas to the north. chiefly lead by a group called

the isil. we'll also hear from diplomatic and military experts. join us for this america tonight special report. iraq in turmoil. that's coming up at the top of the hour. thanks very much. in brazil the first match for the u.s. national soccer team has just ended and the u.s. has defeated ghana, 2-1. let's go to lee wellings. lee how did you see the match? >> this is a fine victory for the united states team that is so often underrated. they are in a really tough group, so not too much was being expected of them. but they are ranked 13th in the world. so they had the confidence to go in under coaching that is doing very well, and started so well. it was 29 seconds when dempsey

scored. he becomes the first american to score in three world cups. ghana managed to fight their way back into the match. it looked like it might finish in a draw. but then they got the united states victory. and many thousands were in the stadium, vice president biden among them. >> where does this leave the united states now? >> it leaves them in a much better position than portugal. what a shock for portugal with one of the world's best players. he didn't look himself against gurney. and they lost 4-0 against salvador. with renaldo not playing very

well, germany took full advantage. portugal had a player sent off for violent conduct. nothing went wrong for portugal. they find themselves bottom of the group. it's the united states and germany in fine position. >> one quick last question, lee, how is the tournament going in brazil? how is it working? >> well, eventually with the tournaments and big events people focus on what is happening on the pitch, and it has been sensational in terms of action, entertainment, surprises and goals. the best since 1958 in terms of goals at this stage. it hasn't stopped the protests or people worried about the cost of this tournament, and some of those protests will go on, but ultimately has a chance of being remembered as an incredible bubble tournament. >> lee thanks for staying up

with us. here in new york dozens of people gathered in a vigil for three teenagered believed to have been kidnapped in israel. one of the teenagers is an american citizen. benjamin netenyahu accused the group hamas of kidnapping the boys, and has launched a large-scale policy to find them. >> reporter: scouring the occupied west bank for the three missing teenagers. israel soldiers have been scouring the area, and over 150 arrests have been made. one was this man's eldest son. soldiers blew open his front door, injuring a child and turning the house upside down. he says his family was next. >> translator: i was handcuffed

and thrown outside for hours. when we came back in, the house was trashed. >> reporter: most of the search has focused on the city near where the three went missing. the israeli government maintains that these soldiers are searching for hamas activists. they are adamant that hamas are responsible for the kidnapping. hamas themselves are being very vague not giving any assertions as to whether they are or are not involved. israel has condemned the group's recent inclusion in a palestinian government. benjamin netenyahu has been holding daily meetings with military officials. >> translator: we are at the height of a complicated operation. we must be prepared for the possibility it could take time. it is a serious event, and will have serious repercussions. we are operating together in an

balanced, responsible and very determined way. >> reporter: some palestinians think the kidnappings could be an opportunity to negotiate for prisoner releases. several hundred prisoners have been on hunger strikes. but negotiations cannot happen until someone claims responsibility. so the intensive manhunt continues. jane ferguson, al jazeera, occupied west bank. the new president of ukraine says he will reveal a detailed peace plan this week calling for a ceasefire in east ukrainian. tensions are higher than ever now that russia has stopped the flow of natural gas to ukraine. kim vinnell reports. >> reporter: ukraine's gas tap has officially been turned off. they have failed to solve a price dispute that has been bubbling away for months.

ukraine's interim prime minister is accusing russia of using gas to destabilize the country. >> translator: it's absolutely clear that yesterday's behavior of gas pram is an attempt to put economic pressure on our country. >> reporter: kiev cried foul, calling it political pay back after street protests in february ousted moscow backed president, viktor yanukovych. but moscow says they had been paying well below market rate, and says now all gas must be paid for in advance. >> translator: in full accordance with the contract, the decision was taken, and today from 10:00 in the morning

mass cow time, they will receive gas according to the paid volume. as of now no payments were paid. on all of the graphs we see zeros, so today nafta gas receives gas according to the paid volumes. >> reporter: kiev says it has enough gas to last until december, but they are warning there should be shortages in the coldest winter months. pipelines like this one can be seen across ukraine. many are pumping russian gas to europe. around a third of the eu's gas supply come from russia, and around half is pumped through ukrainian pipes. ukraine will continue to transit gas to europe, so supplies there shouldn't be hurt. but ukrainian's are tired they saw supplies cut in 2009, and believe this should be quickly solved. >> translator: i think they will manage to negotiate and find

some compromise, maybe it will not satisfy everybody, but at least they there will be come some -common agreement. >> translator: gas is good, but they use it as a political tool. it's not acceptable. >> reporter: moscow says it is willing to return to the negotiate table after ukraine pays its debt in full. that as the death toll continues to rise, finding a compromise could be difficult. outrage and sadness, the beloved kenyan elephant slaughtereder for its tusks. a photographer who spent a lot of time with the animal explains the loss.

good evening, i'm kevin corriveau. we're looking at a very serious evening in terms of weather across the central and northern

plains. i'm going to show you a little bit closer towards parts of nebraska. take a look at the video that came in earlier today. a double tornado. these tornados were about a half of mile in width. take a listen to some of the video as the storm chasers were watching this. >> it's right there. >> you can see how impressive those tornados were. we haven't actually got the damage reports out of that, but there are new damage reports coming out just out of the northwest of this particular tornado in the town of nebraska, and reports are saying that particular town is dez -- decimated. come back to the weather wall. this is what we're looking at tonight. we have had about 20 tornados touch down in this region right

here, we expect a lot more. we're talking about moderate risk, and this is one of those areas that will continue through nebraska, and iowa, parts of wisconsin and into minnesota as well through the evening. this is going to be quite a very serious night in terms of weather. that is a look at your national weather. your news is after this.

tonight kenya is mourning the loss of a legend. the elephant was known for his mammoth tusks and also made him a prize for poachers. he was killed in a national park. we spoke with a filmmaker about his encounter with africa's last great tusker. >> i saw this huge bull who would constantly turn and put his head in the bush. he was trying to hide its tasks. i came to the conclusion that

this giant tusker new what he was carrying on his head. he knew his tusks might be a downfall. he was killed by a poison arrow. it was friday night when we were -- when we found him. it was the next morning when he came back, by that time we knew roughly where he was. from the air he looked almost like a sleeping puppy. his legs splayed. i can't bare to think how agonizing the loss -- he would have felt alone, exposed, and vulnerable, knowing that the poachers had got him. as we set course, we saw carcasses of two other bulls within a mile or two of where he was lying. and it just brought home to us the fact that, you know, without additional protection and

without a complete change of attitude and a ban on the trade, we are going to lose all of these absolutely elephants. the heart breaking thing was we flew another couple of miles down and there was this beautiful, beautiful tasker, leading a head of others, and they were walking straight towards the area, and that just made me weep. one of the extraordinary things aboutel facts is they have this recognition of death. and you'll see them come across a pile of bones, and they'll all stop and become very reflective and contemplative, and one by one they might go and touch and almost sort of fondle the bones with their trunks, and i'm sure that's what will happen with him in time they -- when they go past that place, they'll make a deter and say good-bye to an old friend. i just pray that people don't

forget him, and i think there's a huge ground swell now of love and concern forrel facts, and the question now is how we best direct that into doing something positive to ensure their safety. >> kenya's wildlife service say poachers kill more than 30 elephants in that country last year alone. coming up all new tonight at 11:00 eastern time. we continue to follow the deadly tornado outbreak. plus not enough to prevent skin cancer, the facts you need to know about sunscreen. and the state looking to limit gay conversion therapy. coming up at 11:00 eastern. tonight's freeze frame comes from england where the boy who may be king is taking his first steps. here is the family at the royal charity polo event on father's day where the young prince

wobbled about horses and players. "america tonight" isment -- is coming up.

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