iraq. >> the united states will continue to increase our support to iraqi security forces. >> don't miss america tonight exclusive reports front line iraq only on al jazeera america signs of the last gasp of the old guard. >> this looks like an iraqi army uniform that a soldier stripped off. it's front of a humm very is that looks like they destroyed on -- humm very that looks like they destroyed. leaders in iraqi territories have different ambitions. also - reliving the terror. death rolls through. >> i thought at this moment,

okay, all of us will die this night. sheila macvicar on the tragedy that nearly consumed the tiny canadian town, and why it casts a shadow over america. >> the trains roll through the night. they are unregulated. recalling freedom summer for a new generation. a look at the summer that changed civil rights in this country, and a look at what civil rights means to 20-year-olds today. . >> good evening, thank you for joining us. the solution to iraq's crisis now looks even further out of reach as the attempt to seat a new unity parliament collapse,

sunnis and kurds walking out while the president of the kurdish region announces plans for a referendum a day after i.s.i.l. declared itself an islamic stayed. iraqi prime minister nouri al-maliki may clipping to hope -- cling to hope of clienting control of a unified nation, each day points to division. in this report we show an increasing sense of independence and difines a -- defiance among the kurds in iraq. >> this is a secure and thriving city, erbil, in the north of the country. it is the capital of what people call kurdistan, a semiautonomous region with its own local government, force and security line separating it from the rest of the country. this is the border?

>> yes, this is the border. >> of kurdistan. >> no, now not the border, the security line. kurdistan. >> reporter: all right, security line. this is the lieutenant general, spokesman for the pesh merga. despite the fact that iraq has lost most of the territory to the rebels, the kurdish north is still technically a part of iraq. like most officials, his criticism of the government and armed forces grows by the day. >> translation: i mentioned the main reasons the iraqi army is week. there are splits between the shiites and the kurds. they are used to surrendering. it's like part of the culture

and has been like it science the second world war. >> given what has happened in iraq, do you see this as an opportunity for kurdistan to declare independence. >> every nation has that rite. aren't you from an independent country. kurd. >> the kurds had aspiration of gaining independence from iraq. the fighting on their doorstep may create their best opportunity yet to achieve it. we just passed the security line which separated the kurdish region from the rest of iraq. we are on our way to kirkuk, which was in the hands of the iraqi army when they abandoned i.s.i.l. forces as they started to move. as we stepped out of the car, we

could see evidence of the iraqi army on the run. this looks like part of an iraqi army uniform that a soldier stripped off. it's in front of the humvee here that they destroyed on the way. this is one gip to them by the americans that reason destroyed to make sure it doesn't get into i.s.i.l. hands. even before the latest crisis, the kurds believed kirkuk was there is. because the oil, the iraqi government was not willing to give it up. the peshmerga stepped in when the rebels came. along the an canal the peshmerga made a stand. halfway along the road is the last i.s.i.l. checkpoint before hitting the city.

has the i.s.i.l. tried to attack the city? >> translation: yes, they tried hard to break our leans and get close to -- lines and get close to kirkuk. the kurdish forces are standing fro. maimingor mohammed told us that fighting was intense and it's calmer now. i.s.i.l. decided it was not wise to face the peshmerga head on or they knew it would be difficult to hold a city like kirkuk where the majority of the population is kurdish. this is the security line. everything on this side is in control of the pesh merga, and everything on this side in control of the i.s.i.l. this soldier tells us as loppings as i.s.i.l. -- lang as i.s.i.l. staying over there they will not engage them. looking across we can see cars fleeing the i.s.i.l. territory.

do you think the peshmerga will defect like the iraqi army do. >> no, the iraqi soldiers didn't fight the i.s.i.l., the pesh merga are an army fighting for a cause. we are ready to defend this land by all means. >> if the iraqi army wants to come back and take kirkuk, would you allow them to do is that? >> this is a political decision, not ours to make. whatever our leaders decide, we will abide by. of course, when they decided to post peshmerga fighters to defend the area, i don't think they'll withdraw us again. less than 60km from the front lines, back in erbil, it's hard

to believe there's a war in the country. the streets and markets are crowded with people. men relax in cafes for hours, watching the world cup. safe from suicide bombings in mass excuses that kept others in fear of their lives. >> i'm in central erbil in front of the citadel and we'll talk about to people about kurdistan maintaining independence. 21-year-old joseph signed his name to the pesh merga to fight. whether against i.s.i.l. or the iraqi government. >> how do you feel about the possibility of kurdistan gaining independence. >> everyone in kurdistan, we want independence from iran. we don't like - we don't like - we love kurdistan. country? >>

there are three. kurdistan, shia and sunni. there are three points. . >> reporter: how do you feel about kurdistan gaining independence. >> it's a liberating feeling. our economy is independent, and the iraqi sectarian problems are exploding. it's the right time to claim our freedom. >> reporter: with all the turmoil in the rest of the country, is kurdistan looking at this as a way to take advantage of the situation. >> translation: of course. the tragedies of some work to the benefits of others this, is a political reality.

elsewhere in the middle east, worries about more (stabilization -- destabilization as three teens were dumped and slayed on their way to school. israeli leaders promised sa strong sprons targetting -- response targetting gaza strip. the tit for tat has been repeated in the west bank. israeli police raid killing a member of hamas. the u.n. human rights adhering to international law. the anger reaches the united states. one of the victims. it was a dual u.s. israeli citizen. the federal bureau of investigation opened an investigation into his death. there's worry and tension about what would happen in a region. >> nick schifrin is in gaza for us again this evening. it seems that there is a comuse there.

>> there is a little bit of come ocean and anxiety about what would happen. i have to say there's a sense that life goes on. lot of people were talking about the one , electricity shortages of which there was quite a few. there's a sense from israel, putting out signs that they had no desire. a senior military official i spoke to, and he said that. there was no desire to escalate. what they do have a desire to do was to respond, about the rocket attacks. that was launched from here. some 70 rocket attacks were from here into israel. it's about five times. so the tit for tat between the israeli army. militants here will launch strikes in israel if they land in open fields. israel will launch strikes here

in empty training grounds. it goes back and fourth. from prime minister binyamin netanyahu tonight. it is that they will only escalate in gaza if they feel the need to respond to rocket attacks. the spraegs is between here, to the deaths of people. less so to start a war on gaza. nick, we are running out of time. quickly. a note about you. it's an emotional response to the death of young men, you might anticipate a strong reaction. i think there is retaliation is. and it seems to have the support of the israelis, we've seen a national outpouring of grief. it's turning to anger. there's calls for a response.

it doesn't seem that israel is responsible. in the middle east, it's difficult to predict anything in the israeli government could decide to increase the strikes as well as go after hamas in the west bank. >> nick schifrin in gaza for us thank you very much. after the break, with record numbers headed to the holiday. dire predictions about a looming storm in the beach, too. and later they gave it all but came up short. but the u.s. me won plenty of new >> we're following the stories of people who have died in the

desert >> the borderland marathon >> no ones prepared for this journey >> experience al jazeera america's critically acclaimed original series from the beginning >> experiencing it has changed me completely >> follow the journey as six americans face the immigration debate up close and personal. >> it's heartbreaking... >> i'm the enemy... >> i'm really pissed off... >> all of these people shouldn't be dead... >> it's insane... >> the borderland marathon only at al jazeera america

primetime news. >> welcome to al jazeera america. >> stories that impact the world, affect the nation and touch your life. >> i'm back. i'm not going anywhere this time. >> only on al jazeera america. >> hundreds of days in detention. >> al jazeera rejects all the charges and demands immediate release. >> thousands calling for their freedom. >> it's a clear violation of their human rights. >> we have strongly urged the government to release those journalists. >> journalism is not a crime. >> khaled hosseini

author of the best selling novel "the kite runner" talks about his hopes for his homeland. >> no change will come to afghanistan unless it's initiated by the afghan's themselves... >> and the inspiration for his latest novel. >> the idea for the book came from painful acts of sacrifice. >> 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 fans and now everyone can go back to work, millions of americans slipped out a little early to watch the u.s. face belgium in a nail-biter. big effort. tim howard, the goalkeeper had 16 saves, most in half a century, and 19-year-old substitution julian green made a goal to give the u.s. hope. it was not enough. belgium leading to the u.s.'s death in overtime. gut-wrenching. 123 minutes, u.s. fans in washington d.c.

but there was jubilation among the belgians, even the ambassador got in on the celebration. also was correspondent jay gray watching with thousands of fans as they watched in chicago at soledier field which was a football stadium. this was a different football. you were surrounded. >> it is a different sort of football. and what a roller coaster. i always get to talk to you. how quickly that comes off the tracks. look behind me. the stadium, soldier field, filled with 28,000 fans. it's empty now, except for everybody rolling up the banners, cleaning up the little mess left behind, trying to get things back to the way they were before the spectacle of the day. boy, the emotion, the intensity very high for a long time. we saw a lot of people fired up about the game. team u.s.a. getting into the round of 16, something not a lot

of experts thought they could do. they created a wave of emotions across the country that so many fans embraced, especially in chicago. it was an exciting day, one that ended on the wrong side of the legeer. when you talk to the people, obviously frustrated and disappointed, also very proud of what this team did, and believe forward. >> big numbers out of this game for the u.s. i have to ask - we talk about the fair weather fans in all this, looking behind you, it didn't take long for the stadium to be cleared out, is it underscoring that u.s. fans will not be able to stick with soccer during the world cup. >> i think you are right. it's a great point. this is a sport that sees growth spurt this year. huge with the excitement. they touched a nerve.

sustaining that, even the hard core fans admit it will not happen, can they get an increase. they think they will. can they see an increase in the number of players starting at the junior level? yes, they have seen that. they want to build the sport. it's not a rapid climb to the top, it's slow steps. this was a big one for u.s. soccer or football. a well-dressed correspondent for the day. chicago. looking ahead we anticipate another night of rough weather. hundreds of thousands from michigan to nebraska are without power after storms brought high winds, tornados and heavily rain. hundreds of thousands along the eastern sea board are bracing for the first tropical korm of

the atlantic -- storm of the atlantic season. >> reporter: nerves are frayed in atlanta after polls were bent in half. the raw power of the storm was underway in kansas, where a storm chaser was catching this light show. the dark storm clouds eloom nated. in iowa, folks ran for cover, destructive winds turned deadly where a building collapsed, questioning one man to death. the violent winds ripped the roof of the home. like others, he rode out the storm in the base. >> i was upstairs, the wind was blowing so hart. i went to the basement. what is not blown away is damned. everything is damaged. >> in the chicago area the storms brought down powerlines, toppling 300 trees. at o'hare

port officials cancelled flights and delayed others. millions are keeping a watch on the skies for violent weather. in florida a tropical storm watch was issued for the coastal area. the storm, in the 2014 season is churning. arthur is expected to turn into a full-blown category 1 storm late thursday. the system is then expected to head north-east bringing rain to new york city. possibly putting a damper on 4 july celebrations. and now a look ahead to tropical storm arthur. kevin corriveau joins us now. what do we expect? >> well, it took a little while. we started on june the 1st. but this is our first storm. you can see it to the north of the bahamas, the problem with

the storm is it's not moving fast, it's dumping rain across three port. we see showers across florida, but not until it makes momentum and moves to the north. this is what the national hurricane center is staying at 5:00 p.m. as the tropical storm makes its way to the north, by thursday it's off the coast. it's not too much of a problem. we'll see beach aoceans in parts of the carr linas, as we go towards friday, that's why we were concerned. a lot of people were coming for the holiday weekend. we think it will be a category 1 storm. the cape is not immune to other hurricanes that came through. take a look. all the way down here. where you see the gap, it's from hurricane isabelle where it tore

through the area. it's stormy weather. for the holiday this is what we expect to see. heavy rain showers from north carolina. all the way up here. once the storm pushes through. everything to the south will be clearing up. unfortunately many people will see rain in new york and washington you will will be seeing rain as well. >> we hope it doesn't blow the fireworks for the holiday. kevin corriveau, thank you for joining us. terror in the night. when we return, the unimaginable disaster that barrelled into the community. >> this is what we were faced with when we arrived. this was like driving into he'll. it was, it was nothing comparable. the explosion that nearly levelled a canadian down and a warning for communities south of

the border. later confronting crime in camden. >> now tactics and technology take on a fight to save a violent city in america. >> this saturday. >> i know that i'm being surveilled. >> freedom at risk. >> your agency deceived the american people. >> tracking every move. >> the nsa's actually doing this on a universal scale. >> could you be next? >> if helping kids with their homework is terrorism activity, then... i guess so. >> faultlines. al jazeera america's hard hitting, >> they're blocking the door... >> groundbreaking, >> we have to get out of here... >> truth seeking, award winning, investigative documentary series: "collect it all". saturday, 7 eastern. only on al jazeera america. real reporting that brings you the world. giving you a real global perspective like no other can.

real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america.

>> on tech know, an amazing new species is discovered... >> kind of like we're watching little architects in action >> one of natures mysteries solved... >> i don't think it's a spider or mite >> in the amazon rainforest >> we're gonna try to get one in the act of actually making

the structure >> tech know, every saturday go where science meets humanity. >> this is some of the best driving i've every done, even though i can't see. >> tech know. >> we're here in the vortex. only on al jazeera america. now, a snapshot of stories making headlines. a french first, former president nicholas sarcozy is detained for questioning in a corruption probe. he allegedly sought inside information from a judge looking into illegal campaign donations, sarcozy denied wrongdoing. tens of thousands in a hong kong democracy protest - organizers say it was more like half a million. hong kong was returned to chinese control 17 years ago. the freedom promised at the time of the handover have not materialized. 25 million is the total number

of vehicles recalled by general motors, the second-largest automaker recalled another 8 million cars, involving the ignition switch in vehicles made in 1997 and 2014. officials say that the key may rotate in the ignition. it was one year ago this week, one of the worst rail disasters in notederb history -- in modern history, rocking a small canadian town. dozens died when an oil train spread into the center of town, it derailed and exploded. sheila macvicar travelled there to see how the town is rebuilding. one year on, and the center of town, there's an ugly scar. a constant reminder of the night of july 6th, 2013. the six city blocks wiped out. the 47 lives lost.

a peaceful hot summer night. to this. >> oh, my god. >> with no warning. >> i thought at this moment, night. >> kareem was driving when she saw a massive fireball in her rear view mirror. >> the explosion, and again and again and - of the tank, and the people everywhere. the - the sirens of police - it was just apocalyptic. >> a train with 72 tanker cars hauling 2 million gallons of crude oil from north dakota's back end field. a train with no engineer on board. when the brakes failed the train rolled out of control for almost eight miles

down hill and right into the center of town. investigators say when the train came down the tracks, it was travelling at 63 miles per hour. that's six times - more than six times the allowed speed limit through this town. 63 miles per hour, hits the curve, the cars fly, and over there was a cafe. the cafe was a nightclub where this woman was supposed to work, where her friends were. >> i was in front of the disaster and i said "no, it's impossible. i want it to stop now and rewind and never happen." >> reporter: it's so shocking. >> yes. the waite res i was supposed to switch with her, she died. ress i was supposed to

switch with her, she died. i always saw some of this and think she decide at my place. it's strange - sorry. >> massive devastation. this is what we were faced with. it's like driving into hell. it was like 9/11, their inch. for canada. >> tim has been a professional firefighter for 35 years. he leads the volunteer force, two hours from this area. he and his crew aped the call for help. these are never-already-seen pictures taken from a crew from inside the blast zone. >> we saw some towers. we didn't know what they were. we asked what they were, what building that was. he said it wasn't a building, they were the tanks, they wept in so hard they embedded and

stood up and oil. >> reporter: into the nightclub, the music cafe. injured. >> he said "no, there was one injurie", everywhere lived or died. >> it's so big. last 30 friends, and customers in the same night. employees. friends. it's too big. i cannot swallow it. >> reporter: even now. >> even now. >> reporter: this map was the opener of the music cafe. one year on, he's trying to rebuild - not just his cafe, but his life. and for other people here. >> it's the same. it's the same. it's so small, the

tragedy so big. we talk with someone, he knows another, he lost a friend, a daughter, a son, another lost his father, his mother everyone knows everywhere here. >> reporter: crude oil doesn't normally explode and burn. this did, with such force the canadian prime minister described it as a war zone. train wheels were blown off. tanker cars split open like soda cans. oil running into the sewers, igniting and exploding, blowing apart the town's water system. >> no one would be set up to handle the disaster. they don't have the equipment, money, no fighter pilot does. >> reporter: as life is rebuilt, the construction zone reminds everyone of the disaster that map.

>> translation: it's a tragedy of unbelievable magnitude. it was the heart of the town, decimated. >> the mayor says the impact of the explosion is still being felt. >> translation: more than 700 lost their jobs much some are under shock because they closely. >> dozens of businesses are closed, many suffering from trauma. there has been suicides and divorce. then there's the fear of contam in addition. 1.5 million gallons of crude oil were spilt. the tracks in the town were never meant to transport hazardous materials. in the last five years, shipment of crude on canadian royal ways increased.

in 2009 there were 500 cars of oil. in 2013, 160,000, an increase of 32,000%. a boom that echoed in the u.s., where the same tanker cars, dot1-11s roll in their hundreds carrying millions of gallons across america. for fire chief the growing business of moving oil in mile-long town is a worrying trade >> the industry has not been regulated. we are shipping millions of gallions going by homes, neighbourhoods, schools, hospitals and people are sound asleep in their homes, and the night. >> reporter: in the wake of the accident the canadian government imposed regulations, forcing the

rail industry to update the cars used to transport petroleum, standard unchanged from when they were built in four decades ago, when they were built to haul non-hazardous materials like molasses. the united states is yet to do the same. >> at some point it will happen again. there'll be another news store and more fatalities. we need the federal regulators, they need to write regulations that make sense to keep the people safe in their homes. >> there are trains rolling through, but they are carrying goods that the city is assured are safe. there's plans for a rail bypass. meanwhile there's talk of letting traipse with dozens of petroleum tanker cars role through the town, and that has

people here reliving their worst nightmare. >> i think . >> reporter: we don't deserve this, not with all that happened, all that has lost. that's what this man says. >> i'm conscious the train has to pass somewhere, but town. >> reporter: the mayor acknowledges that many in the town are uneasy about the proposed resumption of shipments, but says the new rail line opener promised the traps will be as safe as possible and moffat the slowest possible -- speed. >> it's a small town, but a lot of people who lose their home, family, friends, their job. nothing will be the

same. next time on the programme - "america tonight"s sheila macvicar follows up with an having into a rail system under pressure, and primed for disaster. a crude oil boom. and fears of a disaster here will be repeated. that report on thursday, on "america tonight". coming up next - crimestoppers camden style. >> shootings, homicides in the alley up here. there was a homicide, a shooting in the store behind us. >> reporter: there's a lot of crime in this area. >> absolutely. "america tonight"s adam may on the beat as comden police -- camden place try to save the most violent >> al jazeera america presents the system with joe berlinger >> i think the prosecutor has the greatest power of anyone anybody in our society >> lawyers are entrusted to seek the truth... >> i did't shoot anybody, i don't have anything to do with nothin'

>> but some don't play by the rules >> the way the courts have treated him, made me sick >> and it's society that pays the price >> prosecutors have unique power to take away your personal liberties >> i just want justice... >> the system with joe burlinger only on al jazeera america

>> consider this: the news of the day plus so much more. >> we begin with the growing controversy. >> answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> why did so many of these people choose to risk their

lives? >> antonio mora, award winning and hard hitting. >> people are dying because of this policy... >> there's no status quo, just the bottom line. >> but what is the administration doing behind the scenes? >> real perspective, consider this on al jazeera america america. what do you do when your community is named america's toughest city. camden new jersey took a radical approach, beginning by firing the whole police department and replacing the team. is it working? crime has dropped 25%. adam may with an indepth look at what's made a difference. >> what did i tell you? >> reporter: a camden police officer confronted by a wom jnls hiding in a -- woman hiding in a

shower with a 12-inch knife. the daners of the job are very reel, nothing like it used to be. shoot ucks, homicides in the alley -- chutings, homicides in the alley up here. there was a shooting in the store behind us. >> reporter: there's a lot of crime in the neighbour hood. it's hard to believe because it looks very clean. >> very different. >> reporter: this officer walks the beat. >> done for the summer? good. >> reporter: newly hired, he's one of 400 officers under patrol in america's most dangerous city. last year cam dep dismantled its police department and brought in new blood. they had more boots on the ground, eight-hour patrols on foot. making rests like this more common. so how does walking the square reduce crime. how does that work? >> as opposed to being in a vehicle, walking helps.

if i was in a vehicle i wouldn't spend much time in the square. i'd pass through it. and leave. >> reporter: since the reforms there's not been a shooting in the square. >> we know who lives here, who doesn't. we see the same people all the time, inside. playing with the kids. that's what it was designed for. >> reporter: the city introduced a state-of-the-art surveillance system, more than 100 life-streaming cameras monitored 24 hours a day. >> we have mobile beats, walking beat. these officers are doing it through a camera. >> reporter: the new assistant police chief says the cameras are not only helping to solve crimes like this shooting. but police are using them to predict crimes. what is known as the broken window theory of policing. >> we look for those things indicative of crime. when we see people conduct themselves in a way that

suggests that they are about to fight, rather than waiting for a fight to break out. we want to be in front of it. whether there's yoourinnating in -- yoourinnating in public, littering or other things. not a crime, but creating a nuisance. we want to be in front of it. if you attack the little things, it impacts the bigger things. we believe that. if we use the cameras for the needle in the haystack, like a shooting, the impact is minimal. what we want to do is be out in front of it. >> reporter: camden county police are taking the network of cameras to a new level, launch k a virtual neighbourhood watch, allowing residents to tap into the cameras, a first of its kind programme in the nation. >> i can access a camera and

watch the playgrouped. if there's a -- playground. if there's a group of individuals displays suspicious that. >> reporter: brian coaches little league. it used to be a haven for prostitution and drugs. now surveillance cameras watch children at play. >> he's playing baseball and playing on a swing. what is more natural. surveillance. >> reporter: you can do it on the phone. >> that's the cool things. those of us connected to the league and other groups have the ability to log into the virtual camera system. a few hundred residents screened in advance have been given access to the community alert network known as i-cam, tips and anonymous. users can move the cameras and zoom in. >> a good police officer will never know the neighbourhood as

well as the resident. they know the historical relationships, things that go on when we are not this. they are able to put it in perpossibilityive for us, and help -- perspective for us. >> reporter: since enacting the changes, cam ben reports a -- damn den reports a 25% drop. homicides down 30%, rapes down 50%, aggravated assaults down by a quarter. there are detractors. the police call it community policing, what do you call it? >> community terrorizing, pushing the community, provoking them. creating a hostile violent. >> this man is an activist and has lost trust in the police for and says officers are under pressure to perform, so their tactics are often heavy-handed. >> there's a lot of client against the police officers, how

they harass young people. how lawyers are looking for people who are stopped and frisked illegally, trying to challenge and push that. they stop young people that don't have records and harass them, putting them into a lot of trumped up stuff. it's a negative. >> reporter: one thing everywhere agrees on, camden's crime problem is not just about law enforcement. jobs are scarce, and poverty runs generations deep. >> loves it. >> reporter: there are signs of change. police interacting with people, working together to make the city safer. camden was named most violent city in america. you work here. change? >> i personally, you know, like watching it. from when we came until now, i see the difference, and i hope

that name goes away soon, for camden. >> if the homicide raid falls, they could have the lowest homicide rate for a number of years. >> it's remarkable to see this. adam, you are looking at foot money. >> and twice as many officers. it's expensive. camden new jersey does not have a large tax base, there's high unemployment. they have been getting by with a lot of help were the state government, who is basically subsidising the cam dep police department. i asked the chief why should the taxpayers care. and he said as camden goes, so does the rest of the region, if you make cam den safer, others will be. model. >> is there another state saying

we have a dangerous community, can we pour money into that. let's break up the police union. na is one police they say they are saving money. could they try this at another place, it would take a lot of will power and issues. a lot of people had to give things up. we are talking police officers. they said "i'm going to sign up, try the job, i want the job and believe in the community, some of those officers are not making the money they used to: correspondent adam may, thank you. we look at other approaches to making a difference in the fight against crime on "the system", airing wednesday, 9:00 eastern on al jazeera america. >> ahead - summer change and making a difference. 50 years after the civil rights act signed a new generation of what young minister think of civil rights today. >> this, is what we do.

>> al jazeera america. timely, a treasure look at a

shared and painful history. wednesday marks 50 years since the civil rights act was signed by l.b.j. it's many young americans stood against prejudice and discrimination. it's marked with a number of event, while you may hear about the speeches and commemorations, re wanted to take a small melt. we turned to some of the young people we know best. that work with us as interns on "america tonight". most are 20 years old - two generations away from the fight that changed america. >> reporter: the searing images of that freedom summer, and the years of drug struggles that came before never those their power. the hard truth is 20 year-olds, the days of struggle and strength are two generations in the past. agreed om summer and the signing

of the civil rites act are the stuff of history classes. >> what do you know about freedom summer? >> i don't know. >> i know it revolutionize the the way we looked at protesting. there's a big amount of students that played a part. they know something about the movement, but their civil rights issues are of a different time. when an african american girl and an asian guy and arab american and the arabic speaking daughter are of a cuban immigrant can work with white students to lerp about that summer 50 years ago. >> you're 20. those people were about your aim, does that strike you. >> i'm thinking about getting a job, but these 20-year-oldses were thinking about the same

thing but also about getting more rights for themselves. that. >> do you see the civil rights movement today as the same as movement? >> i don't think i see it as the same. i see it as something that built on the foundation of that civil rights movement. they were familiar, they said, with the big unanimous of the civil rights movement. we asked them to look into the civil rights exhibit at washington museum and learn heroes.. >> is there a particular imaging that stands out in your mind? >> yes, like on the tv they are spraying a lot of people with water, hose, and having the dogs attack people, and i wish i could get the images out of my head, but i can't. >> the dog attacking a guy that is stopping there, accepting it. i get emotional when i think about it.

i have, like, looked at all the people's faces and see the strife on their face, but see them sanding tall and proud like they are fighting for a clause they believe in. >> so this struggle was largely about race, right and race. is that what file rights is today? i think when you look at a person's identity it's intertwined with their race, sexuality and glass of wealth. there's a lot wealth. >> obviously people say gay rights. there's a bigger majority of people that say it has to deal with women's rights as well. rights. >> are we really in a post racial society? >> i don't think so.

we are still there as an arab american. i had a lot of people asking if i had ridden a camel and rode to school on a carpet. it's having a lack of knowledge. >> there is still racism. >> i think people are more secretive about how they feel, because they have a protective wall, you could say, from face-to-face interaction, and they could hide behind a computer screen, they are having the racial slurs, saying horrible things to people. the violence is still there. hate crimes are still very real. just because it's illegal it. >> john lewis, the greens bro four - when you look to these guys, are they historic figures to you. >> crazy that it happened so recently.

i wouldn't be here in school. i wouldn't be able to eat in the restaurants that i can eat in now. if they didn't do what they did. >> should there be another freedom summer. >> we had so many - we had the occupy movement, we had the l.g.b.t. gay pride parade. i mean for myself as his panic, there's so many other things that his panics really are trying to work towards. this idea that, you know, the person that cuts your front lawn is an illegal immigrant is a stereotype. >> do you think a 17-year-old, 18-year-old, 20-year-old would risk their lives for the rights of others? >> they might not go out and say

"i'm going to take a bus", and ride to alabama. >> i think it's more difficult now than it was, each though we have a million ways to talk to people and social media makes it's easy to talk to people, i think it's difficult to organise a march. i'd like to believe we live in a place where people fight for something that we believe in. to the point of risking your life, dying for the cause? >> i don't know. i have to see if in myself there's something i cared about so much, that i would be willing to deadtat my life -- dedicate my life to that. >> our generation is so self-absorbed. i don't know anyone that would go out and die for what they believe in, and fight so hard. i don't think anyone would do that now. >> a bird's eye view into a not so didn't past. an opportunity for these students to understand that

their present and future are standing on the brode soldiers of other students who thought it was worth a fight. >> and that's it for us here an "america tonight". next time on the programme "america tonight" sheila macvicar's having into the rail system, and the crude oil boom. is it a disaster waiting to happen here? that report on thursday on "america tonight". pleat remember -- please remember if you would like to comment on any stories log on to our website aljazeera.com/americatonight. and comment on twitter and facebook. goodnight. we'll see you again.

>> consider this: the news of the day plus so much more. >> we begin with the growing controversy. >> answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> real perspective, consider this on al jazeera america morning and bombing dominate the middle east as israel deals with the murders of three israeli teens and trades rocket attacks with hamas. i'm antonio mora, welcome to "rsh, and here is more -- "consider this", and here is more on what is ahead. >> israel's prime minister vowing hamas will pay. >> israel launching streegs in the gaza strip. >> retaliation for the death.