have to make sure that the truth is t and that accountability existing. >> president obama wants a thorough investigation into the downed passenger plane. russian president vladimir putin still touching, while the dutch grief. >> they were -- grieve. >> they will never come back again. >> and it seems like this is a

really tight knit community. >> "america tonight"'s lori jane gliha, is keeping with not the loss of one family but three. also on "americ "america "amerie blood spilled in gaza. the casualties are mounting on both sides. secretary kerry headed to egypt for meetings but the crisis has no sign of letting up. crisis in the middle east. good evening everyone. thanks for joining us. i'm adam may in for joie chen tonight. we begin with two big stories that have dominated the headlines. the downed passenger plane in ukraine and the ground invasion of gaza. first tonight let's start out in

eastern ukraine where we still don't know who shot down malaysia flight 17 or why. that was the major question before the united nations security council today. that body passed a resolution calling for a thorough, independent investigation of the crash. pro-russian separatists have turned over those black boxes absolutely critical to the investigation. most victims' remains have started to home. a refrigerated rail car carrying the remains is headed out sheila macvicar has the story. >> five days after malaysia

airlines flight 17 came down in fields of sun flowers and wheat in separatist-held eastern ukraine, the bodies of most of the 298 people have been found. the doors of the refrigerated morgue train were sealed beginning the journey home. in the fields without are proper investigators, debris has been moved and belongings have been taken. >> they fired their weapons into the air. these separatists are removing evidence from the crash site. all of which begs the question, what exactly are they trying to hide? >> some aviation analysts say they believe pitting and other

remarks are signs of damage from a missile. in moscow, senior aviation officials say their instruments tracked a ukrainian plane. fired by a buk launcher, operated by a trained russian crew. russian media is front -- full of stories, conspiracy theories, dead bodies and missing planes. ukrainian missiles going wrong. they have a buk launcher, don't know how to operate it. >> as long as there are no conclusive explanations for what happened to this aircraft, the better it goes for moscow, as long as there is no other

definitive answer they can come up with the answer that anybody but moscow is to blame. >> it turns out that putin's support of armed separatists have had a huge impact on his popularity at home. an astounding 87% favorable rating. that's one renal why a series ever increasingly blunt phone calls from foreign leaders, demanding he rein in the separatists, made putin wait until today to speak out. >> we can speak with confident of confidence that if fighting had not stopped on june 28th, this wouldn't have happened. >> and even then, tried again to shift blame. >> and "america tonight"'s sheila macvicar with us tonight. up until this airline crash the european union had been fairly

quiet regarding the ukrainian crisis. are we seeing a change now? >> well, europeans have a different view about how much sanctions should be imposed in part because the european uniona lot more business than we do here in the united states. malaysia airliner 17, you have to listen to the netherlands foreign minister, speaking at the united nations security council, the emotion was palpable. >> the final moments of their lives when they knew the plane was going down. did they lock hands with their loved ones? did they hold their children close to their hearts? did they look each other in the eyes, one final time? in a wordless good-bye? we will never know.

to my dying day: i will not understand that it took so much time for rescue workers to be allowed to do their difficult jobs. and that human remains should be used in the political game. if somebody here around the table talks about a political game, this is the political game that has been played with human remains and it is despicable. >> very emotional statement there. let's bring into the discussion foreign policy disper expert ana extent. thank you so much for joining us. do you believe that vladimir putin actually has a lot of control ore these separatists, can he do what he wants them to do? >> well he certainly has some control over them. this is a hybrid warfare. this is a group of mercenaries, russian has supplied -- russia has supplied them with very

sophisticated missiles including the buk, they could certainly close the border and put a stop to this by not supplying them with all these weapons. it is a divided group. we know that the different insurgents are fighting with each other. the kremlin doesn't have complete control over them but it certainly has some control. >> what kind of cost do you think it would be to vladimir putin if in fact he did try to rein in those separatists? >> he has created a situation within russia where he has 85% popularity rate because he has appealed to this nationalism, this patriotic fervor by destabilizing ukraine and by annexing crimea. the cost to him domestically would be certainly a loss of support but i'm not sure it would be that crucial to his ability to stay in power. >> well you talk about a loss of support there. vladimir putin hugely popular right now, in russia and then i'd want to ask you about the kind of strange information that

has been coming out from their state-run media regarding this. sheila and angela i'd like to have you both chime in on this. is this meant to create some sort of confusion or -- assemble i don't think this is confusion, i think this is a deliberate attempt to distract. the disaster of malaysia airlines 17 isn't front page news in most russian newspapers. only if you are reading english language newspapers are you getting any sort of a story. a previous disaster, kal, the korean airlines flight was downed by the russians in the then soviet era. >> angela could you weigh in for us? >> ever since the crisis has started there has been a 360° different narrative. they describe the government in kyiv as a fascist nazi june a j.

you can't have a discussion about what's been happening in ukraine with most russians because you are talking about a completely different set of fact. that's what most russians had, state run electronic media, state run newspapers, that's all they know and they're not getting the other side of the story unless they have access to the internet and are willing to believe what the united states or the europeans are saying. >> "america tonight"'s sheila macvicar and foreign policy expert angela stent. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. global outrage. now finally those refrigerated train cars are in route to dutch authorities. "america tonight"'s loingz traveled oone community that was struck lori jane gliha, traveled

to one community that was struck incredibly hard. >> reporter: in holland, the dutch are known with carrying on with life. business an usual. even when tragedy strikes. >> hallelujah ♪ ♪ hallelujah >> the names of the passenger list they became a face and stories begin to be told. how people were. what they did. >> reporter: but in the acquaint city of over 80,000 people -- >> are damaged by this crash. >> -- the ache is especially raw. >> it's weird, more than that. it's beyond all nightmares. that's the feeling. and people are from the inside, really sad. and so am i.

>> reporter: the missile that took down malaysia airlines flight 17 completely wiped out three hillpersome families and one boy. >> they bring flowers over there because they know the families left the houses and they were happy and they will never come again. never come back again. >> it's really devastating to this region that so many families came from here. that were on board the flight. >> reporter: our own "america tonight" producer nicole grether, attended high school in this town. >> right now we're in the city center where all the shops are, and everything. this seems like a tight knit community. >> it is, pretty much everybody you meet on the street will know somebody who has been affected by the disaster. >> the football clups clubs, the soccer clubs, everyone is.

>> two of the victims were students there. >> describe for me what that was like to hear those words that there were actually two kids from this school. >> well, that was really a shock. because you think it's a long distance away, ukraine. and you hear more often about great accidents and it's always far from home. and now, suddenly, it's very nearby. so that's a big shock. >> reporter: over the weekend groups of the boy's friends, already out of the school for summer trowrnd campus to grieve. >> i -- returned to campus to grieve. >> there are no words. it is such a big tragedy you can almost believe that this happens even for us.

let's say for them. that's even indescribable i think. >> reporter: word of their deaths spread fast. you know it's kind of eerie, when you say the facebook posts come in, we saw him last monday. i clicked on his photo, you have 12 mutual friends, all of a sudden it hits you that, a plane crash in our careers, we've covered numerous times. but all of a sudden it hits you you can put an identity to one of the passengers it's -- you know it changes things. >> reporter: how did you find out about the plane that got shot down? >> first i saw it on tv, want to come down and look at the this. first of all i didn't know there were people from my school on the plane. >> it was very shocking. we thought it was just another disaster, like another plane crash not like some things that

involve like kids of our school. >> reporter: days earlier moncie and mariana, watched their facebook pages fill up with wishes. now, the messages are very grim. >> his 16th birthday. yeah. >> then to see live people posting on his wall about his death. >> and so you know you're coming back now as a journalist, is it unusual for you to be here in your home town, with people where you spent a lot of your childhood? >> i didn't think it would be. but being at the memorial service this morning it did have an impact on me. these are the streets that i walked with my grandmother when i was a young girl. to see the photos of the plain wreck something that is so far away be so close to those memories that i have, i hold so fondly, it has an effect on you.

it's a profound effect. [ church bells ] >> for many residents here, comfort may never come. but father julius is doing his best to help guide people through their grief. >> say to one another, i'm sorry. make peace again. before going to sleep. because perhaps, there is no new day for you to say that. [♪ singing ] >> hillforsome he says will heal. >> normally it's closed during those hours. the priest said he opened it up because the people really needed it. that's what we saw memorials all over the country. people were waiting for the king to address the situation. monday was the first time he actually spoke publicly about this tragedy. first time he has spoken

nationally about a national tragedy, since he inhaishte inhe throne. this is the time he needs to be close to each other and be comforted from each other. they felt comforted what he had to say. remember he's a symbolic figure here in the netherlands and doesn't have power when it comes to policy. >> i read statement from the royal family. are we hearing more forceful words from the prime minister there? >> reporter: yeah, well the prime minister also met with the victims today. and i have learned that a lot of these people felt he wasn't very strong at the beginning, wasn't very powerful and they are wondering judge he hasn't done more. he has said he had three phone calls with president putin, the latest one very intense. he's got them back in the

netherlands then he may be more free with his actions and with his speech. >> well, the families deserve that at the very least. "america tonight"'s lori jane gliha reporting from the netherlands. thank you. well now to the very latest in gaza. after a bloody weekend in which several israeli soldiers and hundreds of palestinians were killed, intense shelling continues in eastern gaza strip. today an attack on a hospital left five dead. it is the third such attack on the hospital in this latest round of violence. international efforts for a ceasefire have stepped up as that humanitarian crisis continues to expand. nearly two weeks of israeli bombardment by land, air and sea have killed at least 551 palestinians and injured 3300 others. the majority of them are civilians. the israeli army says that 25 soldiers have been killed, two of the soldiers killed in the

fighting over the weekend were born in america. and closer to 100,000 palestinians have now been displaced by the fighting. they're being sheltered in u.n. schools all across the gaza strip. tonight we have team coverage. let's begin with nicole johnston. you have discovered some of these safe zones simply are not so safe in reality. >> that's absolutely right. the israeli army had told people who live in the areas of shujayea who have been hit hard during the past few days to move into the central part of gaza city for example where our office is. now we drove this afternoon to an area quite close to here in the central part of the city and there was tense shelling going on. only meters behind us as we drove up a street we saw one home hit by this tank shelling.

two people were killed in that particular incident. we know in another area that israel warned people to move to, they said it would be a safe area, israel has since released a statement about that attack. they said that that hospital was hit because in was a women's cache in the vicinity of it. >> nicole, the white house calling for a ceasefire. what is the reality there on the ground? >> reporter: the tank shelling has been quite heavy this evening. sometimes it's quiet for half an hour but then it will pick up again. we can hear that the shelling is moving much closer into gaza at thicity. so israel said it would be expanding its operation and that is what we are seeing and we are hearing. we know that there has been air strikes going on in the central part of the city as well, and that tank shelling is really going from the north of the gaza strip all the way to the south.

>> all right that's al jazeera's nicole johnston reporting, nicole thank you very much so much. and the conflict shows no sign of ending soon. nick schifrin, closer look at the violence this in gaza. >> scwhrr in this war -- >> reporter: in this war, ask any gazan. their homes are not safe. one mile from israel and getting bombarded. the abdul dime family received lealeaflets. >> we brought just this bag, my phone and the clothes i'm wearing. >> reporter: are you scared when you hear the bombs in your neighborhood? >> translator: we have no place and nowhere to go. when they bomb we are scared and frightened. >> reporter: they have no

family or friends who can take them in. the only place that's willing, a u.n. school but it's already overcrowded and running short of supplies. as we arrive palestinian fighters fire a barrage of rockets from a nearby launcher. two of them fly towards tel aviv. these kids cheer. they tell me they hope they land on israel. but in the united states. stopping those rockets is israel's main reason for this war. the second reason: to destroy tunnels that fighters use to sneak from gaza into israel. both the rockets and the tunnels are are located in the shujayea neighborhood and this weekend israel took dead aim. all night and all morning, israelis bombarded the shujayea area. onmore than palestinians died in one night than in the previous

time of the conflict. the deeper we inteen went into a the emptier the streets. a school that has been completely gutted by an israeli strike. can you actually hear the sound of israeli zones. can you see this, a house that's been destroyed. rayed bacher erchl went in to ck his home. >> where will you go? >> there's no place to go, no place to stay. >> it leads gazans to ask, if home isn't safe, where is safe? are the war is at shifa hospital.

medic died as an israeli shell struck his ambulance. another died in the same strike. for a memo they mourned them together. -- for a moment they mourned them together. this person has 14 relatives being treated for wounds. >> when we die god shows us hell but we're already seeing hell when we are alive. >> reporter: and it doesn't spare the mother who lost her husband. her arm is pierced with shrapnel. she tries to tell her son not to be scared but for her, it's overwhelming. and on the very next bed, mohamed al jamal, holds up his brother. they moved from house to house, they say each one was bombed. >> they began bombing near my uncle's house and so we ran

away. we went to the neighbor's house and we got bombed there too. >> on sunday, the hospital hosted, but it was safe. about ten miles away this was the site of the al axa hospital. walls can cause chaos. dozens ever patients left. >> we can't take care of any patients. >> you were in this room when the shell hit. >> dr. yassir takes us on the tour of the damage. he's practiced for 20 years and survived three wars since 2008. he says israel's never been this aggressive. this room is, was, in the postsurgical ward. israel says the target was a nearby cache of antitank weapons and the fighters who put them

there are responsible for the four gazans who put them there. if their hospitals aren't safe, if their homes are not safe, where are they supposed to go? nick schifrin, al jazeera, gaza. >> the escalating and deadly conflict in gaza. hospitals caught in the cross fire. still to come: doctors and nurses putting their lives on the line to save others. and: detroit homeowners shooting and fighting back against criminals. the city's police chief has given his blessings but could a murder trial change chief's tune?

>> on techknow... >> we're heading towards the glaciers >> a global warning >> is there an environmental urgency? >> that is closer than you think... >> even a modest rise, have dramatic impacts on humankind. >> how is it changing the way you live today? techknow... every saturday, go where science meets humanity... >> this is some of the best driving i've ever done... even though i can't see. >> techknow... >> we're here in the vortex... only on al jazeera america >> start with one issue education... gun control... the gap between rich and poor... job creation... climate change... tax policy... the economy... iran... healthcare... ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is...

>> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony... >> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america >> welcome back to "america tonight." we'll have more on the situations in gaza and the ukraine in just a moment but first jury selection is currently underway in the murder of 19-year-old ranisha mcbryde. that teenager crashed her car in a detroit suburb. when she went for help, she was gunned down by a homeowner. now a controversial statement by detroit's police chief. more to this story that "america

tonight"'s lori jane gliha first reported. encouraging homeowners to shoot first and ask questions later. >> so where's the safety on this gun? >> this is safety, so when it's showing it's off. >> lorida mitchell hadn't touched her family's semi automatic rifle in years. but the mom knew exactly how to pull the trigger when a group of teens tried to break into her detroit home. >> that's the first hole you shot? >> that's the warning shot. this one i made my next few shots just right here out the door. >> you fired from here? >> i fired from here. >> surveillance video showed the boys had been casing the house in the february snow for a half hour before they made a daring move to force open her back door. mitchell was ready for them. >> right now!

>> were you prepared to kill someone if that was the end result? >> killing someone was far from my thoughts. i didn't think i was going to kill no one. i didn't want to kill anyone. i was just trying oscare them. >> mitchell is one of several detroit homeowners this year to shoot at an intruder before police could arrive. five of those intrurders were killed. mitchell didn't hit anyone but she knew her gun would protect her more than the police. deadly force, when they honestly and reasonably feel their life is in danger inside their home. in detroit for years ranked the most dangerous big city in america, many homeowners say just having a gun makes them feel safer. >> this is my weapon of choice. >> yvonne mcgee bought a handgun two years ago. a 50-year-old mother only fired it at a range until a pitch

black morning. >> i was right here. >> you were standing by the window? >> i was right here. >> she says she was on the phone with 9/11 when a man with a crowbar broke through her window. >> i said if they come in, i'm going to shoot him. and my son was going, shoot him mama, shoot him. i said no, he needs to come in. when he reached in, he saw me, i saw him and i discharged my weapon. he yelled so loud! >> what was that moment like when you realized i might have killed this guy? >> i just think i would feel bad had he died. but at that moment, i felt anger like how dare you come in my house! i was so angry at that moment, so i felt good. i felt great! >> you know police officers cannot and with not be on every corner in front of every house

every minute of the day. >> reporter: detroit police chief james craig joined the force in the bankrupt city a little over a year ago. >> i joint about ten months ago. many who live in detroit have no confidence in this police department. >> during craig's short tenure there have been some successes. violent crime in detroit is down 10% in 2014 compared to this same period last year. but these days craig is getting the most intention for encouraging law abiding homeowners to defend themselves with guns. recently he proudly appeared on the cover of an nra magazine. he has also repeated his position in appearance after television appearance. >> this is about self defense. this is about a person confronted with imminent threat. >> what are your message to

teens out there considering to break into someone's house, will they get what they deserved, shot and killed? >> that's a terrible statement to say, get what they deserve. the message should be make a better decision. >> ron scott worries the chief has made it too easy for shooters to claim self defense. >> you think he's encouraging the gun? >> yes, i think so, i really do. chief is not highlighting options that people have taken as opposed to shooting someone. i think he can retreat to an area in the home which is a little safer than the other places. i think can he use other weapons if you have to use them that are less than lethal. >> do you think that the police are doing a good job when it comes to helping assess whether these are justifiable homicides? >> no, not when the chief comes out after a shooting when the shooting is fresh and says, that's what you get for breaking into someone's home. >> my comments are not to incite. this is about self defense. people in detroit are sick and

tired about being victims. that's the real story. >> women like yvonne mcgee and elmira, faced with the same situation, each would pull the trig inner trigger in a heartbe. lori jane gliha, al jazeera. tuesday on "america tonight." if you are born poor in america, is the american dream dead? for certain americans? >> i hate to say it, but i wouldn't raise a dog in that part of town. >> your kids, where do you want them to end up? >> where they want. >> where they want? >> where they want. my sons always talk big. they have out of this world aspirations. my son wants mansions with ten rooms and seven bathrooms and -- >> they want the extreme american dream?

>> exactly. >> blocked from reaching the american dream. that's tuesday on "america tonight." and still ahead on the program this hour, the downing of malaysia flight 17. while investigators are trying to peace together exactly what happened, the intelligence community is trying to gather intell, the failures and how to prevent a similar tragedy from happening in the future.

>> now available, the new al jazeea america mobile news app. get our exclusive in depth, reporting when you want it. a global perspective wherever you are. the major headlines in context. mashable says... you'll never miss the latest news >> they will continue looking for survivors... >> the potential for energy production is huge... >> no noise, no clutter, just real reporting. the new al jazeera america mobile app, available for your apple and android mobile device. download it now

>> now a snapshot of other stories making headlines here on "america tonight." in washington state, firefighters are calling on calmer winds and schooler temperatures to try to stop a raging wildfire.. the carlton complex fire in central washington, more than 100 homes and structures have been destroyed. one person has been killed. president obama signs an executive order protecting the lgbt community from discrimination. the order makes it illegal to fire or harass federal employees or contractors based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. a big food safety scare in china. officials there suspending operations from a food supplier for repackaging and selling steal beef and chicken. mcdonald's, kentucky fried chicken and pizza hut

unknowingly purchased the tainted meat. the companies have launched their own investigations into the matter. caring for wounded has become increasingly difficult for doctors and nurse necessary gaza. hospitals there are getting caught in the cross fire and as you heard earlier in our fire, israeli tanks shelled a hospital today killing at least five people and injuring dozens of others. dr. has an calaf, the doctor of one of these hospitals, joins us doctor, we are trying to get you on by skype but you apparently don't have any electricity. >> life is very, very difficult in gaza. there is no safe place in gaza. you know, today the israeli bombarded the al axa hospital which is a visitor zone of gaza and they stopped work that hospital for a few hours but

because there is no other alternative to 300,000 situation we insist for this small hospital to continue working. >> doctor when we look at the images coming out of gaza one of the striking things is seeing these injured children trying to get medical treatment. what is that like for you personally having to treat these young children who are getting caught in this conflict? >> yes, the flood of killed children and women, the injured civilian population, it's you know, is ever increasing. and piling up. but now, nobody is cares about what's going on. to children of gaza. >> do you feel that nobody cares about what's happening to the children of gaza? >> i'm waiting to afford the international community to stop the israeli aggression and to let's lessen the siege from

gaza. >> doctor, politics aside for just one moment, definitely a humanitarian crisis on the ground. are you concerned that there are people injured in gaza that simply can't get to hospitals because it is not safe to transport them? >> for sure. also the hospitals are very, very busy. the israelis are attacking the civilians and the houses, as a real situation. regarding the health, 40% of the drugs needed for health work, our stock is zero. >> and dr. kalafi, former deputy minister of health in gaza. speaking for the israeli defense forces. well, investigators in ukraine are trying to piece together exactly what happened to malaysia flight 17, intelligence

agencies from the west are now trying to gather as much intell as they can from separatist eastern ukraine. we are joined, both of you lindsay, let's start out with you. what sort of information is intelligence agencies gathering right now? >> that begs the question this is a very tricky situation. there aren't sources we can gather information from. >> michael ross, let's bring you into the conversation here. how critical is the intelligence community in piecing together

allied services get together and cover information. my intelligence services may not have any direct conflict in ukraine but i think that would be possibly important or crucial, or even just laying some sort of insight to our fellow -- or allies. >> lindsay, were there missed opportunities by the intelligence communities, leading up to this? perhaps they couldn't stop the plane crash but putting are innocent people in danger? >> what good is collecting intelligence if it's not getting to the people who need it in order prevent a catastrophe like this? i mean just the mere fact that there were planes shot down in this region, and we still had commercial aircraft flying over this region is preposterous. so i think we see here, how western intelligence specifically the united states, our intelligence has been diverted away from russia from

the former soviet republics. and now we see that catching up with us. we haven't been keeping an eye on what's been going on there. we probably did not have on any kind of watch list this guy igor strelkof, the shooter, the self-proclaimed defense minister of the area. he is wielding a lot of power and i would venture to guess we are once again caught behind the eight ball. >> michael, is the proliferation of the sophisticated antiaircraft missiles and technology can the intelligence community stop this from happening again? >> we should absolutely be concerned. i think lindsay made a very salient point. here we are on europe's doorstep. we didn't know what was going on. we didn't know these weapons were threatening the national security construct, and that's

national commercial airliners. >> thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. >> thank you. nk you. >> time heals all wounds. i guess you could put it this way. it doesn't heal all wounds paws if you have a scar it's still there to remind you of it. how big a scar is how big it is how deep it is, makes all the difference in the world. >> another airline tragedy. what it means to wait for answers and the remains of your loved ones, next.

>> welcome back to "america tonight." our continuing coverage of the crisis unfoamedding in ukraine. in a strange twist to an already

complicated story, last thur's attack -- thursday's attack on malaysia flight 17 came on the same day as another aviation disaster. july 17th of 1996 that twa flight 800 exploded in mid air over the atlantic. for investigators it was a puzzle that took years to put together. but from victims' families the healing will never end. "america tonight"'s sarah hoye has the story. >> it's 7:30 p.m. on july 17th. a yearly ritual is taking place on fire island. friends and family have come here, for many it's the 18th time in a row. but this year the mood is especially somber. 18 years to the day after the crash of twa flight 800, the world is now trying to piece together another disaster. >> i actually got a phone call from someone i know that's involved with aviation, they had called me and told me there was

a malaysia plane down over ukraine and they thought it was shot down. >> reporter: , were visibly spooked by the news. others like jim heard turned his thoughts to the families. >> it went through your mind very quickly. it probably affects 10,000 people, relatives and people they know, work with. they're in a family that they didn't want to get to, but they're there. >> alice, richard g. campbell. >> one by one the names of 230 people are read aloud. 230 people who shouldn't have died. names forever etched together by a single senseless moment. the crash of twa flight 800. >> when enjoy up there it's like i get about as close as to where he was last. at least i have that opportunity. >> jim lost his only son on that

day, 18 years ago. jamie heard was going to france to visit his girlfriend. >> it was just a normal day to come to work. my wife and i drove an auto repair job. we said your mother and i hired you so we could take vacations, you were the one that takes a vacations. >> reporter: jim got the call from his daughter, a passenger jet had crashed. >> she says you're watching tv? jamie was on a flight. i didn't realize that when he left our airport he was going to jfk. >> there was no mistaking what had happened. twa 800 had crashed into the atlantic. killing everyone on board. >> the red streak in the sky had

the shooting streak. >> jim became obsessed with finding out why. >> the rumor was that the ntsb really svelte that it was an internal tank explosion. the fbi was not satisfied with that thought at the time. the fbi felt that it was a possibility of being a terrorist, you know you think about all the different scenarios. such a complicated situation. >> reporter: for anyone with family members board twa flight 800, fire island became a place of solidarity. divers would spend the next several weeks looking for wreckage and human remains. >> there was always a possibility we would never recover anything. there was a suggestion we go home and have a memorial service. when i got home and we talked with about it, it didn't seem right. we didn't have jamie back. >> it took months for jim to

have a funeral for his son. his dna was found in a boot, fished from the ocean, 100 miles from the crash. it would be four more years before investigators revealed what happened to twa flight 800. they said that an electrical spark caused the fuel tank to explode. >> i'm not a weapons expert or anything, but kind of look at simple physics. it really does make sense. and if it's not right, they find out many years from now, it's not going to make a bit of difference. it still will be 230 people that are dead. and a lot of families that went through a lot of grief. >> a grief now shared by thousands of families who saw their whole world come crashing down with that plane. >> the cliche that you say time heals all wounds. well, i guess you could put it this way: it doesn't heal all

wounds, because if you have a scar, it's still there to remind you of it and how big the scar is and how deep it is and how much it hurts makes all the difference in the world. you still think about it. i mean i have a life. and i'm not trapped in this house and i'm not trapped in jamie. i still eat and drink and have fun and take vacations and do things like that. but i still remember my son. >> sarah hoye, al jazeera. >> and we'll be right back.

al jazeera america. we understand that every news story begins and ends with people. >> the efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. >> we pursue that story beyond the headline, pass the spokesperson, to the streets. >> thousands of riot police deployed across the capital. >> we put all of our global resources behind every story. >> it is a scene of utter devastation. >> and follow it no matter where it leads - all the way to you.

al jazeera america, take a new look at news. >> start with one issue education... gun control... the gap between rich and poor... job creation... climate change... tax policy... the economy... iran... healthcare... ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony... >> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america >> finally tonight, we want to end on a more hopeful note. it is no secret that people across the world are living longer. but in five specific cities in so-called blue zones people are living unusually longer and healthier lives. now researchers are studying what makes these blue zones so

special. in one area of coas costa rica, people are living well over 100 years. andy gallagher traveled to search the fountain of youth. >> portsa vita means pure life but in this area it gives the phrase new meaning. residents here live long, happy and healthy lives and in this exercise class those in their 80s are considered youngsters. >> we are a joyful people and enjoy parties and other recreational activities. when there is a party everyone dances. at family reunions you hear the older people telling stories and jokes from times past to our younger residents. this helps preserve our value of life. >> in each five blue zones, the

geographical area people live longer healthier loves. amador and his wife are a couple that have been married 60 years. amador tells me eats simple foods like rice and beans he grown locally but other factors are at play here. it isn't that people are just health here, but the disability and need for prescription drugs. researchers say it's down to a couple of occupy things like -- obvious things like diet and exercise. but community and family play a big role. this man is 104 years old, still physically active. people in blue zones put family first and have a strong sense of community. they also cook with fresh ingredients and use the local water which is found to be rich in nutrients. but what can the rest of us

learn about blue zones? the doctor has study they had for years. >> they also have a lot of healthy habits since they are children. not only on the exercise part they live very active lives but also they do have very healthy eating habits. >> so all the research points to simple changes that people can make. but in nacoya many believe that laughter is the best medicine at all. andy gallagher, lacoya, costa rica. >> that's it for us on "americaa tonight." "america tonight" explores is the american dream dead? that's tomorrow on the program. thanks for watching, have a great night. >> israel's invasion of gaza

continues tonight. >> we have been hearing a lot of bombs hit a hospital in gaza as the death toll soars for palestinians and israelis, but now hopes for a cease-fire. also, pro-russian separatists finally release victims' bodies and the black boxes. welcome to "consider this." those stories and much more straight ahead. >> the bombs in gaza got more ferocious.