kids are facing in school and beyond 15 stories, 1 incredible journey >> in this envelope is my life right now... >> edge of eighteen coming september only on al jazeera america >> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm michael yves with a look at today's top stories. israel says it not stop its ai military offense. deadline day in detroit. determining the city's future path. and lebron returns home, leaving the heat to play once again in cleveland.

>> michael: israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said his country will not bow to international pressure to stop it's offensive against gaza. many killed were civilians, including children. the raid continues for its fourth consecutive day. [ explosions ] >> michael: israel said it has attacked 300 targets in gaza, and it could decide soon whether to launch a ground invasion in gaza. this as the u.n. human rights

office said that israel could be violating international menu rights laws by bombing gaza. james bays, what is the specific on the air raids. >> reporter: they couldn't even come up with a statement that they could cre agree to. it was the americans who could not decide on the language. they would draft a resolution, but what is not clear whether they'll table that resolution and circulate it, we're watching it extremely closely. but if they do it creates a problem with the u.s. what is the u.s. going to do if the u.n. security council comes up with an immediate cease-fire. the white house has not said it wants an immediate cease-fire. would the u.n. ambassador have

to raise her hand and veto such a resolution. it's an interesting prospect, and we'll have to watch this for the next coming days. >> michael: they had pretty strong words about the effect the conflict is having on civilians. what did they say. >> reporter: the high commissioner for human rights, the senior human rights official in the world. she put out a statement talking about the situation in gaza calling on both sides for restraint. but i think it's the comments about israel that are most interesting. let me read you exactly what she says. she says. we need read deeply disturbing reports of strikes on homes. it raises serious doubt about whether the israeli strikes are in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law. suggesting that perhaps what

israel is doing is illegal. >> michael: james bays, live, thank you. let's go to gaza, john, as we mentioned netanyahu not backing down on the assertion that they'll continue their airstrikes into gaza. what sort of rocket-fired targets have you witnessed today? >> reporter: well, michael, when the lights went down, as usual, the rockets went up. we saw a number of explosions and smoke. and we went to some of the houses that had been destroyed. the neighbors were not blaming the people who were in some cases militant force hamas.

they continue to blame the israelis. one of the men i spoke to said this is the price we pay. and you're seeing that kind of determination despite the threat of the ground assault. you have israeli troops along the land border and then you've got naval forces on the water side. there was a statement as well from a spokesman for islamic jihad who said we'll continue defending our people. this is our right. the this is our announcement of open war on the israeli occupation. he called for arab and muslim nations to support that call. as you're seeing here, people here have gone through this in 2008 and 2012, and there is this sense of determination. nevertheless the united states said this could be a humanitarian disaster. there simply is not the facilities for everybody to come here to gaza city. the fear is that a ground war would not just be deadly but

there would be problems here in the city with all of those people. even those who were not injured in that war. >> michael: speaking of that possible ground invasion, are the residents of gaza fully expecting it to happen. if so, how are they preparing for it? >> reporter: well, the israelis have dropped leaflets warning them, not that there would be a ground war specifically, but warning them to leave the area. that has everyone thinking that ground wars will come next. they've seen the israeli reservists around the border. there is that expectation that there will be a ground war. people are hunkered down for that. but the facilities simply will not prepared for that type of occupation. they say that is the price they will pay. you have a lot of talk about ending the occupation. that has not happened in the

previous incarnations of this conflict, nevertheless, people here are determined. we did talk to a man today who said look, this is the ramadan season. this is supposed to be the time when both sides hold off and respect this religious tradition. he said, i hope that something happens that there is some intermediatary before there is a ground war. that is the expectation here, that there will be a ground war, and there is hope among many that they will avert it. >> michael: based on the statement you just read, what hope would anyone have that hamas is willing to stop their bombings? >> reporter: well, since netanyahu spoke we saw smoke on the horizon. that's the answer toe that question. they have not stopped. they're not likely to stop through the morning. both sides are talking about unilaterally ending the conflict. there would have to be some kind of intermediateaire, president obama and the u.s. has offered

to play that role. likely the u.s. would have to sponsor a process in which another country perhaps egypt would be the intermediatary as has happened in the past. >> michael: live from gaza. well, in terms of fire power this is a lopsided conflict. gaza is massively outgunned. israel has used gun, drones to fire into gaza and tanks and 20,000 troops near the border of israel and gaza. israeli warships have been firing missiles from the mediterranean sea. and the gaza, the rockets are largely unsophisticated, they have often been made by gazaens themselves. israel controls nearly all of

gaza's borders, shoreline and air space, they are virtually surrounded by israel military. now israel's air and sea offensive is making a desire situation even worse. nick schifrin giants us live. nick, you spent the last four days on the israeli side. i wonder from your perspective the difference you see once you cross the border into gaza. >> you see terror, fear and panic. where we saw the last 72 hours watching the rockets fly into towns. watching people run into shelters. watching people absolutely be panicked as those code red signer sirens go off. while the rockets are terrifying and loud, they actually don't do much damage and have absolutely no technology behind them.

they're relatively crude. on this side we were outside of a mosque during a funeral, a bomb dropped 300 to 400 feet from us. these bombs are earth shattering. they're sometimes 300 pounds often dropped by american-made f-16s. they shake the neighborhood. they blow things up. the smoke out of the houses goes 60-70 feet high. that's the maintain difference between the violence. >> michael: israeli military said that hamas is hiding amongst the civilians. what have you seen in terms of evidence that would support israel's claim? >> reporter: as john was saying there is a spot of 300 feet to 400 feet from mere. frankly maybe we shouldn't be that close where we've seen rockets flying out from this city, from this residential or

commercial neighborhood. those are the rockets targeting tel aviv. as those rockets fly we'll get an alert saying rockets have just flown from tel aviv. some 69 other fighters have embedded themselves inside of communities. there is a sense from the israeli side, certainly, that hamas uses human shields in the israeli army's words, and use what is little space there is here to hide itself amongst civilians. >> so you have fighters. you have civilians all co-mingling in gaza. i wonder how the people, not the fighters, but the people, the civilians, how are they coping with these seemingly constant attacks? >> reporter: that is the most important question tonight. that's what we've been trying to get at today and through the last few days trying to understand how these people are coping, and frankly as john said

they do have some defiance. there is definitely a lot of fight amongst the gazaens. however, you talk to women or more to the point you see the faces of children, you see the faces of women who are mourning for their husbands, who have been killed, mourning for their brothers, who have been killed. then you see the aftermath of these strikes. 40% of the people killed are women and children, but that's not the story. the strikes are inside those neighborhoods, as we talked about, and all of those neighborhoods, all of those homes are full of large families. this is one of the most densely populated places on the planet. that means lots of mothers, grandmothers, aunts, kids, and in the aftermath of one of those attacks that i witnessed just a few hours ago you see women screaming. you see children with faces that are absolutely in shock. and so all of those people will carry those images with them in the future. and obviously they will make very stark determinations about

your lives and also the notion of how israel treats gaza. >> nick schifrin live in gaza tonight, thank you. well, congress may not approve president obama's request for emergency money to deal with the surge of undocumented immigrants from central america. $3.7billion request is too much. meanwhile, homeland security secretary jay johnson has a message for immigrants thinking about coming to the u.s. >> our border is not open to illegal migration, and our message to those who are coming here illegally, to those who are contemplating coming into south texas is we will send you back. >> johnson toured a temporary detention center in mexico. they say they will run out of money next month unless congress approves the president's reque

request. afghanistan is forcing secretary of state john kerry over time. he's spending a second night in kabul. he'll again hold meetings regarding stand offs from a second count. >> reporter: they'll brokered an end to the deadlock that is threatening the first peaceful transfer of power. secretary of state john kerry along with afghanistan's outgoing president hamid karzai are working to find a solution on who will be the next president. the vote will be cast but they are contested. karzai said that they have to be are agreed upon by both candidates and be in line with afghan law. kerry agreed. >> we're deeply interested in an unified, democratic, and stable afghanistan. we obviously have high hopes that the questions about the election will be resolved quickly.

>> reporter: candidate ashraf ghani wants the review of 43% of the vote. >> our commitment is to ensure that the election process enjoys the integrity and legitimacy o of afghanistan and the world. and to restore faith. >> reporter: that's what the people want, too. faith in the process. some chained themselves together to block the road to kabul's airport, demanding a resolution. political uncertainty has damageed afghanistan's fragile economy. abdullah abdullah said his priority is to separate fraudulent votes from valid ones. he wants them reviewed by a third party. he doesn't trust the afghans who are in charge.

jennifer glasse, al jazeera, kabul. >> michael: the center for disease control has shut down two of its labs after reviewing it excellently shipped dangerous germs five times in the past decade. roxana saberi is here with more, and it sounds a little scary 2347 i. >> reporter: it is a little scary and the cdc has said as much. today the cdc director admitted some mistakes were made he called them totally unacceptab unacceptable. >> reporter: they said it should never have happened. >> i'm disappointed by what happened, and frankly i'm angry about it. the american people defend on us 24/7 to protect them. >> reporter: the agency handles

bacteria safely. it also accidently shipped a dangerous strain of the bird flu to another lab. >> to have this happen and put our workers potentially at risk is totally unacceptable. so i'm upset, i'm angry. i've lost sleep over it, and we're working around the clock to do everything possible to resolve it 2347 the flu and anthrax labs have shut down as a result, and they have stopped the shipment of all infectious agents. they list mistakes at several levels, but it doesn't name those responsible. >> there is a problem, and it's a some of of a broader--it's a symptom of broader laboratory safety. we need to fix and do everything humanly possible to make sure that events like this will happen again. >> michael, the head of the cdc said those responsible will be

disciplined, but he did not say how. >> michael: he seems very sincere in correcting this problem and seeing that it doesn't happen again. that's good news. >> he was very sincere during the press conference today. >> michael: good news. a big vote in detroit that could lead to pension cuts and reduced healthcare. what the haul out could--fall out could be next.

>> michael: stocks i higher in the final hour of trading, nasdaq was up by 19. amazon is getting serious about using drones to make quick air deliveries. they asked the faa for permission to test drones. they're developing aerial vehicles as part of amazon prime air. they'll be able to deliver packages to customers in 30 minutes or less. today is the last day for public employees and retirees to vote on a detroit restructuring

plan. bisi onile-ere is in detroit. what is in the nuts and bolts of this vote? >> reporter: hi, michael, the city's restructuring plan is geared at eliminating billions of dollars of debt. among many things this plan would allow the city to restructure it's budget. they had months to vote on the $18 billion debt cutting plan. now it comes down to a yes or no vote. the results mr. play a pivotal role for detroit's future. determining how an once thriving city will emerge from bankrupt bankruptcy. >> it's a huge deal from the

pensioners whether or not they're accepting of what is proposed by the city. >> reporter: the plan calls for pension reduction by 4% and cost of living increases for police and firefighters. if approved the state would kick in hundreds of millions of dollars. it's money that would offset pension cuts and protect a collection of prized art work at the city's renown museum. >> there is nothing proposed like it anywhere. granted there have not been many municipal bankruptcy. >> reporter: russell has worked for the city for 15 years. >> reporter: are you worried? >> i'm not worried? >> reporter: he said his pension already does not amount to very much. >> i came to the conclusion that no self-respecting person votes

to give up their rights with a gun to their head. >> reporter: but there are some who feel what the city is offer something fair. detroit's two retirement systems are urging members to vote for the plan. if not approved cuts could go deeper, up to 30% or more. a proposal to save the art would be withdrawn, straining the entire bankruptcy process. if approved the city would have crossed a major hurdle moving ahead. and those involved in this vote will require be required to send their ballot to a consulting firm in california. this firm will tally the votes. and there was another event on th, this is a victory for the city. >> michael: you mentioned the tallying of those votes. the city is not required to release the votes for a few

weeks. what can we expect there? >> reporter: yes, that's right, michael. the city of detroit has until july 21st to make the results of that vote public. but what is very interesting, even at this vote goes through, this plan passes, it's the federal bankruptcy judge who has the final say on the matter. so it won't be overjust yet. >> michael: bisi onile-ere reporting live in detroit. the u.s. is in the midst of the worst heroin epidemic in history. it is the drug that americans abuse the most. we'll go to new jersey where drugs are killing more people than those killed in car accidents. >> reporter: growing newspaper a strong and affluent family did not stop him from becoming a heroin addict, but it helped him

come back. >> i put them through hell, and they never gave up. they just kept pushing and pushing. >> reporter: arrest photos show the extent of the problem in daniel's home state of new jersey where drug addiction is now kill morgue people than car accidents. publicizing these pictures is one way law enforcement hopes to fight the growing epidemic. >> we're trying to put the face of heroin addiction out there so that even part parents that have good kids, that don't believe they will ever be a problem in their household understand that at one time the parents of those kids whose names appeared in the paper, they thought that way, too. >> reporter: the drug enforcement agency said arrests and seizures like this one are up, but it isn't enough to stop the problem. new jersey is looking at expan expanding mandatory treatment for first-time offenders. >> law enforcement is not going to be able to arrest ourselves out of this problem. it makes more than that. for someone who is an addict.

they need help, they need treatment and more treatment. >> reporter: there is a shortage of treatment options. that's overwhelming the case for parte patterson, new jersey. here treatment far exceed demands exceed far than what is available. without private insurance people have to wait eight to ten weeks, which is an eternity for someone with an addiction. daniel said the support that comes afterwards is crucial. that's why he and his family have opened their homes to other recovering addicts. >> it hurts you. you feel very left out. you're getting sober you can't hang out with any of your old friends. >> reporter: they formed their own support group to find how to enjoy their lives again while

staying drug-free. al jazeera new jersey. >> michael: fans in cleveland burned his jersey when left cleveland. now he's coming home. and the plan to

>> the king returns home to cleveland. lebron james announced he's leaving the miami heat. he grew up in northern eastern ohio and believed he would return to cleveland to finish his career. this despite the fact that fans burned his jersey when he announced he was leaving the cavs four years ago.

this was huge all around the country. >> reporter: lebron james, from the time he uttered the words that he was taking his talents to south beach, the tears that were shed, the jerseys burned by the state of ohio. they felt betrayed by their native son. no doubt james felt it too. this turn around, the decision came in the form of a first person letter to "sports illustrated" said my relationship to northeast ohio is bigger than basketball. i didn't realize that four years ago. i do now. he went on to say my first goal is to win as many titles as possible. what is most important for me is bringing one trophy back to northeast movie. after two titles in four years lebron is returning home to a team that has never won an nba title. after all the criticism for leaving his home state they get to say all is forgiven.

now as cleveland gets back the best player arguebly to ever play the game, and they're getting him in his prime. this is a huge day for cleveland cavaliers. >> michael: good day for the cavs. bad day for the heat. this signing effects the entire league. >> reporter: yes, we've been waiting for lebron to make a decision. they were handcuffed until he made a decision. now everyone is moving and shaking. all of a sudden with this move all of a sudden the cavs not only could become a contender but they could be the favorites in the east. now carmelo anthony has to decide where he's going to land. everybody is saying chicago bulls or new york knicks. the knicks might lee lebron move and we could see chris bosh will be move leaving the miami heat, and it sounds like he's going to be moving to houston, and deshawn to pacers.

after nothing was being done now it's a big plinker board. >> michael: will dwyane wade, where will he go. >> reporter: he may retire, who knows. >> michael: covering lebron james in the first seven seasons. we appreciate the time today for people who are not necessarily familiar with the cleveland area and akron, which is lebron's hometown. tell us about the affinity that lebron holds for this area. >> since although broken played high school here, this is an area where they love their high school stars. especially football. it's a close-knit community. it loves sports and it loves family. the fact that he's coming home and it's one of our own, it's a big deal in cleveland.

>> michael: when he left a lot of emotions in cleveland and surprisingly, publicly from the owner of the cleveland cavaliers, he posted a letter, and funny enough, it was just taken down a couple of days ago. let's read some of the comments. he called lebron leaving a cowardly betrayal. he said the shocking act of disloyalty from our homegrown chosen one. sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. i would assume that letter--there had to be some type of resolution between those two parties for lebron to come back to the cavs. >> oh, without question. lebron is a pretty sensitive guy. he's not a guy who holds grudges if there is some type of apology, which i'm sure they had some type of conversation. now would dan gilbert said was

totally wrong in my opinion. he was emotional during that whole process, so i think right now they've had some type of reconciliation if you will. that may be one of the main reasons lebron is coming back. of course he wants to win. he talked about doing things for the community. but the first thing is for lebron and dan gilbert to talk things out. >> michael: since then gilbert has issued some tweets, not quite apologizing, but seemingly moving on and he congratulated king james coming back. when they had the public announcement of this sinning dan gilbert will be asked to apologize? >> i hope so. that will be one of my questions today. if someone else in the media doesn't beat me to the question. he has been on some interviews, he needs to make something for the whole world to see that

basically these two guys have come together, and they've let bu bygones be bygones. >> michael: this affects not just the cavs but the region. and the region has been the butt of jokes, you have heard those living there for so long. what does this do for the region and the entire sports scene in cleveland. >> reporter: we have to start with johnny football. he basically represents them as far as things like that. i think right now its cleveland is on the map again. the stars are in dallas, well, right now the stars are on cleveland when it comes to sports in basketball and football. it's become the destination now. >> michael: let's talk about the decision to leave miami, not just going back to cleveland. if you remember they had the big announcement when he and chris bosh joined dwyane wade we're not going to win one, not two,

not three, but four. now winning two, and now he has a chance to compete for another championship. i spoke with an nba exec and asked if he was surprised that he left. he said no, it's like he's abandoning ship. does he have a plausible reason. >> dwyane wade played 50 games and it became a burden for lebron to carry the team as much as he did. the first time he said it was too much on his shoulders. he talked about getting help. he went to miami. dwyane wade was not the guy as he was when he first got there. it was getting in position with a younger team, a more athletic team, talking about the cavaliers, something that the miami heat isn't more.

>> michael: when he left cleveland for miami lebron james became probably the most polarizing figure in sports. now that he has returned to cleveland how do you think his image will now be portrayed? >> well, as far as cleveland is concerned they don't care what anybody else thinks around the world. the fact that he's back in cleveland they love him. he is the son that is back. but i think worldwide i think people could understand. now michael, if he had went to another team? if he had went to the lakers, the hatred would have resurfaced. but the fact that he went back home even the miami heat fans can understand. >> michael: i have a feeling this is going to be a nice party weekend in cleveland. thanks. >> thanks. >> michael: now to news around the world. in iraq the political divides are growing deeper by the day. kurdish forces seized two oil fields. arab workers were ordered out and replaced by kurds.

in baghdad prime minister nouri al-maliki said that the workers were now boycotting his government. we go to iraq with more. >> reporter: another day passes in iraq and the opposing sides continue to be divided just 24 hours after the senior kurdish members after the government suspended its participation, they suspended their participation prime minister nouri al-maliki's government. in response prime minister nouri al-maliki appointed a new foreign minister, a man known for his very close ties with iran. a clear demonstration that the prime minister was not going to back down under the pressure that the kurdish politicians were trying to exert. they say that maliki is to blame for the current chaos in iraq. they said to describe the eight years in rule is a failure. the prime minister on the other hand the kurds have been trying to be opportunistic in light of the crisis, in light of the

surge of armed opposition fighters and the sunni groups up north by taking more land. he points to the fact that the kurds just in the past 24 hours or so took over large oil fields in kirkuk. they took over those oil fields because they have credible intelligence that the rebels fighting in maliki's army were planning on moving in on them. the situation remains divide: they have been giving statements that have been scathing of prime minister maliki. all indications from maliki's camp is that he's not going to back down and it will become a more and more divided country by the day. >> michael: meanwhile by ukraine president petro poroshenko has vowed to hunt down separatists responsible for killing 23 service men. fighters fired missiles early this morning, more than 100

ukrainian troops were injured. kiev has been turning the tide since taking slovyansk last weekend. the government offered a cease-fire but the separatists refused. in cuba return president vladimir putin begins a tour. he met with former leader fidel castro. and they hope to begin oh offshore oil reserves drilling soon. >> and in italy, 10% of asylum seekers are unaccompanied children. it costs $12 million every month to house and care for these children. because they're overwhelmed italy has turned to private

contractors. >> this is home to 138 child migrants. they come from across the african continent and elsewhere. >> i come to senegal to across the sahara. >> now the local council provides food and drink and fresh clothes. they pay 1400 to get to sicily. the operation is costing the government $12 million every month. just down the road from the center is the naval station. it's ships help bring rescued migrants to reception centers across the island.

in the countryside it is guarded day and night by the military and run by private individuals who are paid by the state to care for them. if that is right it means that the people running this center get $5 million a month to operate this. how much of this money is spent on the migrants is open for question. some ngos in sicily has criticized this practice. >> people who have never worked in the field of migrant reception are building up organizations and cooperatives just to get a share of this colossal business. >> reporter: business is far from the migrants' minds. their main worry is how and where their journey will end. dominick cane, al jazeera, sicily. >> michael: a subjected mexican cartel enforcer is in custody.

maria ines ferre has that news and other news from around america. >> reporter: he's suspected of being a leader of the sineloa cartel. he was arrested after trying to use a phoney passport in amsterdam. ronald haskell fell to the ground twice as prosecutors announced charges against him. he was search forgive his wife when he forced himself in a house. he's accused of shooting four people and a survivor called the police. a local chapter to represent workers at a volkswagen plant. it's an unusual move since 53% of uaw members moved against the

move earlier this year. the formation of the local union received the approval of volkswagen. and glass companies and insurance agents are evaluating the damage of a recent hailstorm in nebraska. hail stones as big as baseballs led a trail of broken windows and damaged houses wer. farm fields were damaged. >> michael: there is a lot of damage there. thank you. >> reporter: thank you. >> michael: . >> michael: john seigenthaler sr. has passed away. he led his paper, an open and honest coverage of the civil rights movement. he exposed elicit activities of the klu klux klan throughout the state. john passed peacefully at his home surrounded by his family. he was 86 years old. - all the .

al jazeera america, take a new look at news. >> michael: las vegas is having it's worst drought in a generation. reservoir that supplies 90% of the water is down to its lowest level. the city has an ambitious plan to pipe water in from the north, but residents there aren't buying it. >> reporter: home on the range and the skies are not cloudy all day in nevada's cowboy country. a few hundred people living in old fashioned life ranching and farming in snake valley. in addition to raising live stock tom bakers family grows alfalfa, corn, barley, wheat rand oats. he said the challenge is taking

limited resources to produce as much as possible. >> water is the limiting factor to any kind of growth whether it's agriculture or the city or industrial growth. if our water resources are debleated at all we'll lose things like this pretty meadow, and and a lot of economic viability of the area. >> reporter: what tom baker worries about is this: 300 miles away a dehigh grated las vegas has plans to build a pipeline running north that would access ground water in snake valley and success the water out from under residents' very feet. >> we are the economic i think of the state of nevada. it is a balance that you have to have from where you are going to allocate your resources to where they're going to get the most benefits. locals consider this a water grab. taking from rural nevada to support urban nevada. at a cost of $15 billion u.s.

some call it a pipe dream. but some believe that eastern geoff could supply a third of its water supply. and they say that they do not as much water as las vegas believes. >> this is an area when the wind blows you can see the dust blowing. you can see where it has made the dunes. >> reporter: an earlier generation drained this place dry. baker ranch is not alone in its fight. almost the entire community has come together against the southern nevada water authority. they've cool together in this parade. the event raises money for legal fees. rural nevadans believe the best way to win the battle will be in court. >> we're in court at the state level and at the federal level. and we feel we have a chants in both areas.

>> the environmentalists and ranchers generally are not on the same page a lot of times. and so we've had--it's brought us all together. >> reporter: the southern nevada water authority has spent millions of dollars buying up nearby ranches and their accompanying water rights. the bakers decided not to sell. >> we could make a lot of money, but we don't know what we would do with it. and the thought of selling, you know, we really don't want to do that. >> reporter: away from the glitz and glamour, the bright lights of las vegas, the area is also dry. they will fight for water before letting the desert swallow them up. al jazeera, snake valley, nevada. >> michael: crews in north dakota are trying to clean up 1 million gallons of saltwater. it spilled from a pipeline that

officials believe came apart. it has spilled on 200 yards of vegetation. the epa will make sure that the water will not destroy the drinking water of a nearby reservation. this sunday germany against argentina. but even argentina's arc archrival brazil will be rooting against the germans. first, president obama wants $4 billion to stem the tide of children crossing the border illegally. ray suarez looks at the causes behind the surge on tonight's "inside story." >> these people are coming from guatemala and el salvador and honduras, children are making the trip without their parents. we're getting to the source live at the top of the hour.

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>> michael: soccer fans across the globe will watch argentina take on germany. and people will have to choose sides. which side they includes will depend on which continent

they're from. >> reporter: we set off to see if fans would like the rule possible broken. first we asked the brit. >> i hope germany can do it. they deserve it. >> reporter: but when we approached these mexicans to find out who they'll support this sunday. >> argentina. >> reporter: because they are latin american brothers. indeed, technically everyone in latin america feels the same way. everyone except the brazilians, of all people. look at this newspaper. it says the germans. we're germans from childhood, and it shows a little am zonan child in the lab of a german player. the same players who humiliated brazil just a few days ago. >> our rivalry is just too strong. as much as i watt the cup to stay in latin america, if it means argentina winning i'll

have to cheer for germany. >> reporter: last week argentine and brazilian fans dreamed of only facing each other on sunday's final game. to the extreme that a brazilian dressed like this to cheer on his archrival to win. >> you're really brazilian? >> yes, i am. >> i can't believe it. why are you a brazilian dressed up as an argentine? you want to play the final against argentina? >> yes. >> reporter: that was before. and now the local media can't stop ridiculing brazil's team for allowing their arch football enemy for making it to the final without them. even the brazilian flag is supporting the german colors. >> i just can't imagine argentina being crowned the world championship in our

stadium. it is too horrible to contemplate. >> reporter: but there are some who just want to see a good game. >> you know, in is what the world cup finals is all about. it's about excitement, tension, everything. you have to experience it. >> reporter: and regardless of regional and continental rivalries, it's that emotion that football fans the world over are waiting for. al jazeera, rio de janeiro. >> michael: 200 citizens of ghana are seeking asylum in brazil, days after their national team was knocked out of the world cup. there were people from ghana for the tournament. the asylum seekers say they're fleeing religious persecution. earlier we told you will lebron james' decision to return home to play for cleveland. maria ines ferre is following the action and reaction, i assume there's a lot of talk going on. >> reporter: oh, a lot,

michael. the return on coming home, back to cleveland have been trending all day long. and welcome back, bro, your city awaits you. for fans, some guys are thanking this guy. james blair went on the court with this t-shirt, 2014, come back and we miss you. he then created a fan club asking lebron james to please come back. and fans that are in downtown cleveland can look up and see this sign. this is on prospect and east nine. and also you'll recall michael burned their jersey, well, nick is glad he didn't. fans from both miami heat and the cavs most reaction. >> how do you unburn a jersey. if i put it on ice will it mend itself back together? >> everyone here in cleveland will know that lebron switched, miami.

>> reporter: what else are miami fans saying? one fan said, miami heat fans said let the jersey burning begin. but others are saying, no, d wade writes, we don't burn jersey. we hank the hang them and thank king james. four finals, two championships, thank you for all that you did in south beach. i'll always be a fan. >> michael: those cleveland fans burning those jerseys were the same ones who were hoping he was going to show up. what are those pictures, the guy who kept it. it seems that he has grown a l lot. >> reporter: he said call may bandwagon fan with my youth-sized jersey. >> michael: a big day for cleveland as lebron james returns home. he grew up in akron just outside of the city, and will try to lead them to the first-ever championship after winning two in miami heat.

this will do it for this edition of al jazeera america. for more news and updates go to www.aljazeera.com. . >> from the relative comfort of most american homes, spending a fortune to smuggle your kids from one vast country into another seems hard to imagine, but the conditions in el salvador, honduras and guatemala would be hard to imagine. that is the "inside story."