and you start all over again... >> every saturday join us for exclusive, revealing, and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time. >> talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america . >> i'm a morgan radford, and these are the stories we're following just for you. a group marchs for the iraqi government, and th white house in the bottle of illegal immigration. and the pope has a message for

the mafia. iraq "n" iraq rebels advance towards baghdad as american military adviser touchdown. after the biggest refinery fell to islamic state in iraq and the levant. this as thousands of armed shias are promising to fight back and they're holding a show of power against those rebels. we have reports from baghdad. >> reporter: major uses far from baghdad budgel, they can bring in weapons. al-qaeda was a place that the

u.s. marines have extensive knowledge off. early on they were fighting al-qaeda there and managed to win it back. well it's gone back again as have a lot of cities and towns in central and northern iraq. here in iraq prime minister nouri al-maliki has been under pressure to bring together the government. in years past has has not happened. tens of thousands of young men march sadr city in baghdad and other places in a show in support, a message that they're ready to go out in the streets and fight for the country. >> we're at one of the biggest demonstrations.

>> reporter: clearly this is a show of strength by the sovereignists. what they're saying they're willing to go out for baghdad. take a look around you. i'm surrounded by heavily armed men. now these images will worrisome people. a reminder of the mohdi army i in 2006, 2007, and 2008. but this is not the mohdi army. >> as fighting escalates there is a new problem. it has become more difficult to transport medical supplies and that's making it hard to deliver those supplies. secretary of state journal kerry is headed for a tour in

the middle east tomorrow, and lisa stark joins us live. good afternoon to you. first off, what are these u.s. advisers going to be doing once they arrive? >> reporter: according to the white house they are there to advice and assist. they'll set up two joint operations. they are really our eyes on the ground. they want these advisers on the ground to see what is going on in the cities, in the fight, and that will help form what the u.s. will do going forward. now president obama has made it clear that he thinks that iraq needs a political solution not a military one. and he talked about that on m msnb. >> what we have is growing

mistrust, some of the issue forces that have pulled iraq apart are stronger. the forces that could keep the country united are weaker. it's ultimately going to be up to the iraqi leadership to try to pull the politics of the country back together again. >> that will be a tough job, indeed. the interview with the president will be seen monday morning. now president obama is stressing more inclusive government in iraq, and that will be the message that secretary kerry will be taking on his visit to the middle east in europe as he talks to our allies and some of the gulf states. >> a tough road, indeed, lisa, but the iraq war took a toll on u.s. forces who were in iraq. what are we hearing from those invests? >> well, as you can imagine many of them are very disillusioned, very disturbed at what they're

seeing in iraq right now. i spoke with one army officer, and he told me that it's a bitter pill to swallow. >> reporter: running a boys school is far from iraq. >> we saw our camps being shelled and our young men were dying. >> reporter: that was in 2004 when the war seemed like a lost cause, but nagl along with general petraeus helped turn the tide writing a manual, a strategy that was used in a surge of troops and iraqi militias. >> we turned it around at

enormous cost in the search and operations that followed. >> reporter: now the images of isil and other rebel groups are devastating. >> this is hugely difficult. very emotionally draining. i had a bunch of friends die in places, died to siege from insurgents. >> reporter: nagl, a 11-year army veteran believes the u.s. fumbled at the goal line. failing to keep the peace has it has in years past. >> in korea, germany, japan, jog laugh yugoslavia, so when america fights a war, we keep the peace there. we hold what we've taken. >> reporter: it's a political decision that nagl hopes will

not be repeated. >> where i will really get mad is if we make the same mistakes in afghanistan. we're planning to do the same thing, and it will happen again. >> reporter: as for iraq, president obama's move to send 300 special forces troops as advisers has nagl's support, but he said it may be too little too late. >> this is a danger to the american people. it was preventable. it was predictable, and it's going to be dan hard to undo. >> reporter: and nagl told me he believes there is plenty of blame to go around, he believes the iraqi government and the administration is to blame. he said what is happening in iraq right now is what his friends fought and died for. >> lisa stark, it's a pressur pleasure having you.

dozens of women are calling a texas bus stop home. the women there are undocumented migrants from central america who were detained by border patrol officers. there is no room for them at the detention center so they're allowed to stay in the u.s. until their cases are heard. with in are where else to go they have been staying at a bus stop. meanwhile the white house has taken steps to help those women and hundreds who are entering from mexico. that includes the uncompanied children from central america. >> reporter: the as the humanas the humanitarian crisis unfold, if they are apprehended, they will be send back. the rumor that is trying t for

those who are trying to get to the united states, there will be no amnesty for those who come. if they come to this country there is no legal mechanism by which they can stay. in the meantime the administration is sending millions of dollars to those same countries to assist in the repatriat repatriate those who have come, and the funding includes $40 million to reduce gang membership in guatemala. $25million to build youth outreach centers in el salvador and $18.5 million for youth outreach centers for honduras. we listen to josh earnest in his

briefing on friday. >> we're trying to address the problem at the root. some of that is informational campaign. and countering this misinformation campaign that's being propagated by those sin kates. >> those who have been apprehended at the border they can't be turned back by u.s. law and sent back. many are at military basi bases around the country. >> a soldier in the south korean army is on the run after he shot five comrades dead and wounded five more. it happened at an outpost south of the demilitarized zone.

>> the egypt court has handed down the mass sentence for those who were involved in violence that erupted in july. this comes weeks afterra after after al sisi was voted president. >> stay tuned. the holy father is traveling to five i can't territory on a mission of peace. and identical twin brothers right down to their boy scout merit badges. we'll tell but the major difference between them that is forcing one of them is quit.

>> over in ukraine a show of strength against the new ukrainian government.

dozens of pro russian separatists are taking an oath of allegiance to the self proclaim dontsk's possibly republick people republic. the self-appoint governor of dontsk said the crisis fire never happened. >> this cease-fire that poroshenko is talking about is just fake. the ukrainian forces are either not under his control or he's just a liar. >> just hours after the cease-fire was called, separatists attacked along a russian border. launching airstrikes from the gaza strip for a fifth year in a row.

that least six people have been injured since those airstrikes began but no deaths have been reported. meanwhile, boko haram continues to break havoc on northern nigeria. military officials are turning to ordinary citizens just to get help. and it may be the last line of defense against the growing rebel threat. is. >> they're not well armed. they have little training, but this is a vigilanty force that is growing in size and determination. to try to defend the capitol of borno state against boko haram attacks. tens of thousands of young men are at check points and on patrols and joint missions with the nigerian army. they're provided with equipment, some are paid wages. >> we know every one of them. when we see them people will

die. >> reporter: recruits have been easy to find. like mohammed, he joined a year ago after boko haram attacked his district. he lives in a deprived part of the city where the young have very little. it's in areas of abject poverty that boko haram has thrived, but this is a place where mohammed and many like him maintain their vigilance of anything suspicious. his family is still traumatized by the attack of which boko haram shot dead seven people including mohammed's father and three younger brothers. >> so many people. >> reporter: many are tasked with intelligence duties spy

duties. spying on potential informants. >> reporter: boko haram are commanding the ground outside of the city killing at will wherever, whenever they want. >> many seek shelter where they can find it. two weeks ago boko haram made this man watch as they shot his 17-year-old son dead along with 47 other people. >> i'm helpless now. i can't do anything. i don't have any way of fighting back. >> this is raising alarm among human rights groups but these are desperate times and the

vigilanties already vasty outnumber of the soldiers here and unlike the army they know their neighborhoods well. al jazeera. >> pope francis is condemning mob violence after talking with a father of a three-year-ol three-year-old boy killed in a mob ambush. >> reporter: making their way homeward after the pope came down on the heartland mafia and made some stinging criticisms of the way that organized crime operates in southern italy. he said that the church has to do more and more for the common good to prevail. he said the young people in this audience expected it. that's what they wanted, and of course it was the death of that youngster, that three-year-old in that mafia shootout that

prompted his visit. he said enough is enough. we really have to end this violence. he made that speech after his mass here, but earlier he visited a prison where he spoke to hardened criminals. in fact, some of the family of the young boy who was shot dead. the question now is will it make a difference? some argue that the mafia is far too hardened to challenge, but it has brought hope to people here that the violence will come to an end. >> boy scouts has very controversial policy. gay scouts are allowed to participate but not be leaders. we spoke to twins. >> there is a bond that some bib

lengths have, and then there is the bond of ideal twins. >> we've always been together. we don't know what it's like to be--yeah, it's always been this way. >> born four minutes apart, they've always been side by side as honor students, cleats. >> on my honor i will do my be best. >> now eagle scouts, the highest rank in the boy scouts of america. a rank that one in ten scouts achieve. but the two are not exactly alike. august is straight. and liam is gay. he first told his family when he was 14 years old. >> i told them i needed to tell them something, and they looked very worried. when i actually told them, mom, dad, i think i'm gay, they were, like, oh my god. we're so relieved. we thought you got in trouble with the police or something like that. but the boy scouts were not as accepting.

the official policy no gays allowed. >> it's been kind of rough. to be part of a cool organization, and then at one point hearing no, we don't want you. that's not cool. >> reporter: he shared the story with his high school newspaper. >> he was willing to stand in front of everyone and say, this is who i am, i know the possible consequences, but this is important to me. >> there are challenging conflicts here. >> reporter: the official policy on guys in boy scouts has changed. scouts who are gay may participate, but leaders who are guy may not. they are now 18. >> the standards for adults are different. the leadership role is a different role. >> it sounds to me that one day all of the things that i learned in boy scouts.

all of my morals suddenly changed. >> reporter: 9 boy scouts of america declined our request for an on camera interview but in a written statement it does say it does not ask boy scout leaders about their sexual preference using the don't ask/don't tell policy once embraced by the military. going into the fall the conflict remains. >> liam has been struggling with it a lot. i, too, have been struggling with it. >> scoutwill they move on from an organization that may ultimately split them apart. >> thousands of people marched in berlin's annual gay pride march today and the day parade featuring singing, dancing, and some eye-catching costumes. it honors the center of the protest by the sexual community

back in 1969. coming up on al jazeera america summer is finally here, and hundreds are gathering for the summer solstice.

>> good afternoon to you and welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. and here are today's top stories. iraq's biggest refinery has fallen to members of the islamic state in iraq and the levant. thousands of armed shia march as america's military advisers land on the ground. a south korean gunman has shot five people and remains at large.

undocumented women are staying at a bus stop because there is no room at the desentencin detention center. we go to the longest day of the year in the hemisphere. the solstice always draws a crowd to stonehenge. and it's been around for 2500 to 3,000 years but it's purpose is still unknown. >> meteorologist: now summer has officially arrived, and that's thanks to the surmisa summer solstice. the southern hemisphere tilts

toward the sun and gave way to intense waves. but then it's more in line with the tropic of capricorn and that takes us to winter months, but today the heat is on and we're femaling it across much of the southeast. we'll continue to warm up. right now in minneapolis we're in 77, and denver, 71. across the southeast temperatures will climb in the lower mid 90s. in savannah, 96 degrees will be the high. so some dangerous heat along georgia into south carolina where we have heat advisories this place. that's the only place we have the heat advisory in effect. as you head over to houston it feels like 107. it's a day to take it ease, find a place to keep cooling, and otherwise it's going to be

sticky and uncomfortable. here's a look again at some of those heat advisories that includes savannah, and we'll keep the ahead around as we head through this weekend. keep that in mind as you plan your visits. we have areas of tennessee where we have severe thunderstorm warning in place. that will be in place for another 15 minutes. watch out for strong winds. another area of concern will be here across parts of minnesota, down into iowa and nebraska where flood warnings continue thanks for all the wayne we've seen as of late, and we'll continue to see more rain upwards of three inches in spots. >> it looks like a great beach day. >> meteorologist: it does, a great day to take a dip in the water. >> hundreds in the philippines are rolling in the streets on

their skate boards. check this out. those in manila are hoping to get the attention of local officials because they want the government to provide skate parks for them to practice safely. thanks so much for watching al jazeera. i'm morgan radford. >> for centuries, some west african communities have branded children born deformed or with disabilities as evil spirits. they are seen as a drain on limited resources and so ... medicine mre