>> a new call for an immediate and unconditional seize fire in gas. this is were you ever islam's holiest feast beginning. >> investigators prevented from getting to the site where malaysia airlines flight 17 was shot down. one american official pushing for new protections to protect a similar tragedy on u.s. flights. >> the trial over the sinking of a south korean ferry, the

captain and crew charged with murder and now new arrests. >> severe storms tear across the country, spawning tornadoes and hail, destroying homes. on the west coast, lightning leave as man dead. >> good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. >> today marks the 21 day of fighting between israel and gaza, and also marks the end of ramadan. >> the ceasefire is over. the israeli military carried out three air strikes this morning. overnight, a rocket was fired into southern israel. >> in a rare light night meeting, the u.n. security council called for an immediate ceasefire for the sake of the civilians caught in the crossfire. >> the security council expresses strong support for the call by international partners and the secretary general of the united nations for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.

>> more than 1,000 palestinians and at least 43 israeli soldiers have been killed since fighting began. israel confirms it resumed air strikes today. what's it been like over the last few hours there? >> we've heard a few booms. that rocket that flew from here in gaza to israel, three air strikes, two on rockets, one on factory. on the streets, we have seen pretty much emptiness. all the people who would be here on the day like today, on this holiday are stuck in their homes. there's a lot more fear and shock instead of holiday cheer. >> this is what the holiday is supposed to look like. today is the equivalent of

christmas where children are supposed to get gifts, sweets and spend time with family. each of these children is homeless, evacuating their homes to escape the shelling. for gaza, this is no day to celebrate. this morning outside shops that normally would be open, families wait for charity. their parents have no way to buy the children clothes. a government coupon will let her get her cake. >> do you have the ability to get your children toys and sweets? >> nobody can, he says, because we've had to leave our homes. no way. so many are still leaving their homes. these brothers walked through their neighborhood's main street, on either side is rubble where homes stood. they salvaged what they could, baby births from what once was a large flock. that this is a tunnel.

israel vows to keep destroying them as those entrances are in the middle of residential neighborhoods. he takes us back to his home. his neighbor was the target of an air strike, his house is gutted. he has no water, food or mattresses to sleep on. >> for three days, i haven't been able to speak. i just put my hands on my face. >> his neighborhood still isn't safe. as we were leaving, the israeli military fired a warning shot. this war stops for no holiday. >> you talked to each family and they say on this day, especially, they want people like us to send message to say president obama, to the west, pleading with them to stop the violence. >> dip low at that timic efforts do continue, nick. i wonder if hamas has said anything recently about the chances for a ceasefire. >> we've seen differing opinions here in gaza.

yesterday, we saw the rejection of one offer of ceasefire, a few hours later, the proposal for another ceasefire. it's not clear if anyone here is on the same page, complicating efforts to get some kind of permanent ceasefire or at least three or four days of humanitarian ceasefire. u.s. officials say they are trying to convince hamas one thing, that there will be international guarantees that in the future, the borders into gaza will be more open and the israeli siege lifted. so far, hamas doesn't trust the promises that the u.s. or turkey or qatar are making and that's why you see resistance to any kind of ceasefire. >> libby casey joins us live from washington. there's been international pressure on both sides to end this conflict since it began. is there a belief that this latest call for a ceasefire from the u.n. will impact the conflict? >> this is a man mouse vote but

just a statement, not a binding resolution. both sides in the conflict have concerns. the palestinians hoped for something with more teeth. the israelis for their part are concerned, because the statement does not make direct mention of hamas or the attacks that are being launched towards israel and so israel says it doesn't go far enough from their perspective. here's how the israeli and palestinian ambassadors reacted to the statement. >> we heard a presidential statement right now from the security council that miraculously, not mentioning hamas or rockets or israel's rights to defend its citizens. >> they should have had a solution a long time ago to cob deem this aggression and to call for this aggression to be stopped immediately. >> both sides with concerns. it does not seem to have gotten closer to a long term ceasefire.

>> president obama recently spoke to israel's prime minister netanyahu sunday on the phone. what messages was he trying to convey to the prime minister and what was the significance of this phone call? >> >> i will we're having technical difficulties with libby casey live in washington. we'll try to get back to her a little later. >> the conflict is sparking a debate in europe. supporters of both sides came out en masse, both sides are mourning the deaths from this conflict. we'll get another live report from gas coming up. >> more help is reportedly coming from opposition fighters in syria. the washington post says the

u.s. is now supplying more arms and ammunition to say groups along the turkish border, calling the group receiving the weapons carefully vetted. more than 170 million people have died in the clashes with president bashar al assad. >> fighting in tripoli left fuel tanks on fire. residents near the airport were told to evacuate. the u.s. has pulled its embassy staff from libya. >> ukrainian troops launched a major offensive against pro-russian separatists in the east, trying to gain control in the air where malaysia airlines flight 17 went down this month. the u.n. human rights chief calls the downing of malaysia airlines flight 17 a possible war crime. an international police team abandoned its efforts to reach the crash site. we have more from donetsk and eastern o ukraine.

>> the dutch police investigators are here, finding it very difficult to get to the site. there is fighting all around the site for control of that area between the ukrainians and the separatist forces. we are hearing some possible new evidence emerging from the flight data recorders. you remember they were handed over to malaysians, they were in the separatist hands. we are hearing that the area around the actual plane had damage, which seems to show that shrapnel from a missile actually caused the downing of the plane. that is just evidence which is coming in right now, but the key to the investigators at the site, really, is to get hold of that debris, analyze it, look for the shrapnel holes to work out what kind of missile shot down the airliner.

for the moment, they are unable to do that. >> international investigators this morning are pouring over data from flight 17's black boxes. one european official says evidence so far does seem to confirm the malaysian airlines jet was brought down by a missile. signs point to massive explosive decompression caused by shrapnel hitting the plane. >> there's a call for a closer look at putting missile defense systems on passenger jets. senator chuck schumer said the f.a.a. and homeland security should study installing those systems, because there could be unthinkable damage if separatist groups take aim at more commercial jetliners. >> they should examine two things, first the danger from the sophisticated missiles, second the danger to man pads. it is known that terrorists possess thousands of these shoulder held missiles. >> federal officials studied the

issue after the september 11 attacks but found it too expense irto implement, $1 million per plane. that's roughly the same price tag as the jet's entertainment system. >> french investigators arrived at the crash of flight 15 flight from algiers. 118 people were onboard when the plane crashed. >> students of testifying today at the crew's murder trial of the ferry that sank. police have made a new arrest in the case. a woman called a close associate of the ferry owner was picked up for helping him avoid police. the owner's body was found in an orchard last month. >> the wrecked cast con cruise liner has finished its final journey, arriving in genoa.

>> it is set up to be scrapped. >> it took an error to sink the costa concordia, but more than two years, $2 billion and hundreds of salvage experts to right her again. held up by bouyant chambers and cruise boats, she lurched into port before being broken up for scrap. >> she's safely inside and i think everyone's relieved. >> about twice the size of the titanic, it took the biggest maritime salvage ever. as much as 80% of the vessel could be recycled or reused. salvage experts will remove furniture and personal effects first, even items such as the

ship's piano could be retrieved. they'll take the footings, bathtubs, doors and 3,000 sinks. the real value lice in the estimated 40,000 tons of steel in the ship itself. that's enough to build at least six eiffel towers. it will be done over about two years and recoup some of the loss, but likely only tens of millions of dollars worth. that the vessel made it at all is a source of pride for many in the industry, including the prime minister. >> we need to thank those who worked over two years on something that previously seemed impossible, a product that many people did not believe in, including some of us. we knew what happened was due oh to an error someone made and this was a tragic event. we are not here to celebrate today. >> the welcome home is a stark contrast with the pomp and ceremony that launched the ship nine years ago. this time, remembering those who died, including one crew member,

who's body is still to be found. aljazeera. >> 32 people died when the concordia ran aground two and a half years ago. its captain is currently on trial for their deaths. >> hard to believe it's been that long. >> this weekend brought wild weather across the country. >> one thunderstorm caused chaos in southern california. >> a sunny day at the beach quickly turned into a dark and deadly afternoon. a rare lightning strike killed one person and injured a dozen others who were enjoying a day on venice beach. the popular tourist destination was packed with 20,000 people when the weather took a dangerous turn. >> you heard this crackle, this giant bolt up in the sky, i've never seen like that, i've from midwest and we've seen lots of lightning. it was the loudest thunder i ever heard, like a scene out of jaws, all the mothers going in to grab their kids. >> dozens of rescue workers

spank into action. a bolt of lightning hit the ocean and the current traveled across the water, hitting swimmers and surfers. a man in his 20's died and several others were hospitalized, including a 15-year-old boy. forty miles away on catalina island, a 57-year-old was playing golf when he was struck by lightning. he's in stable condition this morning. >> it's so rare to get thunderstorms in california, but during the summer, it never happens. that's just a tragic event. >> severe weather slamming the mid atlanta and northeast. hail and thunderstorms pushed through illinois and kentucky and a tornado touched down in connecticut with winds up to 85 miles an hour. storms could flare up again this morning. >> there's more risk of severe weather today. let's bring in meteorologist ebony dionne with more. >> it's going to shift south, but even this morning, we are dealing with severe storms rolling through this area. this is a look at yesterday's rain and storms and we had a number of severe weather

reports, over 300 in all with at least a half dozen tornado reports, a lot in the eastern area of tennessee. this morning, as low pressure rotates through, we have active weather. this batch of storms moving across western massachusetts on into new hampshire has sparked a severe thunderstorm warning this morning. watching out mainly today for hail and wind. damaging wind at that, as this system continues to move through. we have warm, moist air in advance of it. going across the deep south, it's going to be hot, steamy and right along this front, it will be the focal point for more severe storms. stretching from the carolinas to georgia, we'll keep an eye to the sky, mobile included in that. if you have outdoor plans, keep in mind conditions are going to deteriorate. this morning, not too active. if you have travel plans along i-20, you're going to be in line with wet weather. monsoonal moisture across the

southwest, we will see scattered showers and storms developing to do, so another area to watch the skies. the rain is going to be quite heavy at times in a short period, so flash flood watches are in effect for the four corners region, including the las vegas area and northern areas of arizona. >> sounds like typical unpredictable summer weather. >> fixing the health care system. >> what it will take to push the plan through congress and will it reduce wait times for veterans on the country. >> a father killed and his 9-year-old critically injured when a small plane crashes into them. >> there is no short cut to success. hard work, dedication, commitment, stay true to who you are. >> the big hurt showing some big emotions. he's just one of the stars inducted into cooperstown this weekend. we'll tell you who else joined him. >> today's big number is five

and a half billion dollars. >> it's the lawsuit that's been a decade in the making.

>> a multi-million dollar dispute is head to go court. >> today's big number is how much johnson and johnson wants boston scientific to pay in damages. the two companies have been fighting over a medical supply company for a decade. >> johnson and johnson agreed to buy it. >> then boston scientific swooped in with a higher offer. >> boston scientific ultimately bought it for $27 billion. >> a new deal in the works to try to fix the problems at the v.a. the chairman of the house and veteran senate affairs committees announced a plan to make the v.a. more accountable. what do we know so far? >> after making significant progress over the weekend, they came up with $5 billion that they want to spend for new doctors and nurses for the v.a.

to help relieve what led to the appointment scheduling scandal in the first place. also, what they call a veteran's chose card, something that was in the senate version that passed several weeks ago. it would allow vets to go outside the v.a. system if they can't get an appointment within 14 days, which is what they're guarantees or if they live more than 40 miles from a mass skill. those are the two big parts of the bill. they've got 27 new leases for new facilities and a number of jump dated things for people seeking care and counseling within the system. >> what hurdles will it have to overcome to get to the house and senate. >> well, the main thing we don't know is cost. beyond the $5 billion that they want to spend, how much is this going to cost? the bill hasn't been scored yet and that could be key in whether

or not they get support from house republicans. they're going to want the numbers before they vote. >> the waiting list scandal cost v.a. secretary shinseki his job. >> they have other things built in, like more audits. it may not completely solve all the problems. we expect a final senate vote for bob mcdonald later this week. they have four days to get this done before the august break. >> tracy, thank you. >> a florida beach takes a tragic turn in the blink of an eye, a man walking along shore is killed when hit by a small airplane making an emergency landing. >> john henry smith is covering the story. you have disturbing details. >> absolutely. sunday started as a happy day

for this father of three celebrating a special occasion. as they walked on a beach in florida, a small plane was losing power looking for a place to land. >> at 2:45 p.m. sunday, the pilot of this plane radioed the venice airport control to your he was having trouble and wouldn't make it back to the runway. >> there was a matter of minutes between the time that the tower was alerted, the sheriff's office alerted and venice police department, everybody en route to respond and the plane went down at the same time. >> i was not expecting to come to the beach and see a plane on the ground. the propel lower was bent pretty bad and there were dents on the wing. >> while the damage to the plane was minimal, it managed before coming to rest to hit a man and his daughter walking along the beach. >> they were performing c.p.r. on him. he had blood on his face. it looked like he wasn't breathing at all. >> the 36-year-old died from his injuries. his daughter, a 9-year-old was

taken to the hospital. she's in critical condition. the pilot, 57-year-old carl cokemore and his passenger were not hurt. no word on why the two victims were unable to get out of the way. he was a father of three, living in georgia with his kids and wife rebecca. they were on vacation in florida, celebrating the couple's ninth wedding anniversary. hours before losing his life. he wrote this on his facebook page, today nine years ago, i tied my life to my beautiful wife rebecca. i am very happy, and can't wait to see what the next 100 have in store for us. i love you, becky. >> his facebook page 20 from being filled with congratulations on his affairs to expressions of shock and sadness over what happened. his wife rebecca asked people to pray for their 9-year-old daughter, who's fighting for her

life this morning. >> certainly will. thank you. >> fire officials in california are hopeful they can make more progress today against two huge wildfires. the sand fire is now 50% contained. it's destroyed 10 homes and burned 3800 acres. another fire near yosemite national park is threatening about 100 homes. the park itself is not in danger. >> the question is will fire crews get help from the weather this morning. >> meteorologist ebony dionne is back here and that is crucial information a lot of people are waiting to hear. >> they are going to see more moisture, that's good news, it's been incredibly dry. we're going to keep temperatures on the warm side. heading out this morning, we have widespread 60's and 70's across the west. we have a big cool down on the way. we're going to feel that cool air filtering southward through the middle of the country and then eventually shifting to the east starting today into tuesday, as well. this after, around chicago,

72 degrees, that's at least 10 degrees or a little more below average. we're going to make it into the mid to upper seventies in minneapolis. across the southeast, today heat advisories in place will get the cool down later this week. this afternoon, do expect it to feel more like the triple digits. mid 90's in orlando, warmer than what we expect here. >> the united nations calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in gaza. >> more trial air strikes as hamas rockets take aim at jerusalem. we'll have a live report from the ground in gaza. >> growing fears over the use of oil tanker trains across the u.s. the steps taken to make them safer and what the government is doing to prevent a potential catastrophe. >> a hamburger shortage and

other stories making headlines around the world.

>> we'll have a live report from gaza in just a minute. >> flash flooding in china leaves dozens trapped in cars and buses. we'll look at a timely rescue, saving babies and the elderly. >> we're looking at facebook soaring stock price and rupert murdoch's latest plan to buy time warner. >> another american infected with ebola. a doctor from texas is the latest that it has killed close to 700 people. >> lets look at our top stories. severe storms slam the mid atlantic to the mideast with thunderstorms, hail and

tornadoes. at least 10 homes were destroyed in tennessee. one man died in a lightning strike on venice beach in southern california. >> the ukraine government launch add major offensive in the east trying to out of the separatists from a key city and ensure access to the crash site of malaysia airlines flight 17. the u.n. human rights chief said the shooting down of that plane may constitute a war crime. >> the military says one rocket was fired into southern israel. the u.n. security council is calling for a humanitarian ceasefire to resume in gaza. we are joint live now from gas. with no ceasefire in place currently, what have you seen this morning in gaza? >> well, actually, michael, compared with what we have had over the last few weeks, it was a relatively calm and quiet night in gaza. that has changed somewhat in the last couple of hours.

we've had three israeli ire strikes that have hit areas of land, no specific tares. there's been fighting in one of the refugee camps in gaza, taking on israeli soldiers, two people killed by tank shelling, including one child. there is as kind of ceasefire that has been in place for the last 24 hours. the palestinian factions account together and said they wanted to have a break in fighting for the beginning of the religious period. that ceasefire has just ended. we're not really sure what's going to happen next. >> the security council mentioned working toward a lasting ceasefire based on the egyptian proposal earlier this month. hamas rejected that plan. is there a belief now that they would consider it again? >> hamas has also said it wants a long and lasting ceasefire.

it doesn't want a ceasefire unless it includes a lifting of the siege on gaza, a lifting of the blockade, reopening of the borders. this has been the demand in gaza for a long time now. it's just every time there is as flare up in the violence and a ceasefire, this demand is never met. sometimes it happens for a few days or weeks, and then the siege is tightened again. for the last year, gaza has been completely cut off from the world. the egyptian border crossing it at rafa have been totally closed, the people trapped, stuck inside here with no way to get out of gaza to another country and from there to anywhere else in the world. >> joining us to discuss the latest is a professor at the center for middle eastern studies at rutgers university. he joins us this morning from

ramallah. sir, thank you so much for joining us. i want to ask you is hamas united when it comes to the conditions it wants for a ceasefire? >> it's not only hamas united, it's all the resistant groups in gaza are united and all the palestinian people are united, including the official leadership who issued a statement completely identifying the goals. the issue has been repeatedly come back again, the siege, the embargo, the crossing. gaza has been under siege for eight years, every single being in gaza has been suffering. gaza went down to 80% under poverty line. this cannot be sustained. it has to be addressed head on. the whole palestinian people are united behind these goals. >> is hamas overplaying its hand in your view by demanding an end to the blockade, which as you mentioned has been in place

since 2007, do they have that leverage? >> i think they do. in fact, although there is so much human suffering in gaza, but still the people are rallying around these demands. it's not a big faction. factions could be living -- compared to -- united nation, they have sustained 808,000 people living with subsidies. the whole gaza strip is under complete cut off and complete poverty line. >> it sounds like what you're saying is they feel they have nothing to lose there in gaza. >> what else they can lose, especially after the egyptian border has been cut off completely for the last year? i mean the people asking them for how long we going to take it. they cannot address the demands

and the basic needs of the population in gaza. what else they can do? i mean the whole population, although they are paying a very dear price, they are still rallying around the resistant groups who are taking their demands to the public opinion. >> what is the situation where you are in the west bank and are you concerned that the israeli offensive is going to spark a wider uprising that could include the west bank? >> yes, i've been moving around in the west bank. i went to jerusalem, bethlehem, to many parts of this part. i mean, therear lot of demonstrations especially two days ago when the news about the massacre, whole country here, the whole population went into the street about it. i mean, every person he spoke with, they said we have to identify with gaza, we have to support them. there are a lot of now today people are putting so much contribution to support the gaza people, but if this continues

and more news about massacres and with those israeli atrocities come got to public, i think the whole west bank and east jerusalem will move toward another or third in. i think hamas is also supporting itself with other factions like the jihad and the fatah groups and small faction, they all accepted to have ramadan, to speak on their behalf with the egyptian authorities, but they all greed to end the blockade and open the crossing. if they give up these demands, hamas will be the biggest loser. >> professor at the center for middle eastern studies, i hope you enjoy your holiday there, sir. >> coming up, live to gaza for

the latest on the ground and we'll speak with the israeli secretary general. >> an urgent call for peace around the world from the pope, saying his heart was with children who suffered. he said never war, and it's time to stop, please. >> a weekend protest against the toll ban brought hundreds to the streets. the marchers say the government needs to do more to protect ethnic minorities. 14 members of an ethnic shiite group were killed by taliban gunmen friday. >> thousands of residents in sevastopol watched thousands of russian military. russian president vladimir putin is calling for strengthening of russias black sea fleet, wimp is

based in crimea. >> we have purchased 11 new hulls of battle ships. our priority is to strengthen the combat capabilities of the black sea fleet. russia with the modern military infrastructure and social facilities will be built up. >> europe and the u.s. are still searching for a way to persuade putin to change course. >> fireworks overnight over north korea marking the 61 anniversary of the armistice that effectively ended the korean war. north korea calls it victory. leader kim jong-un was seen watching a short range missile launch. >> a general is back in caracas this morning despite attempts to bring him to this country to face charges. he was held in aruba on charges he funneled weapons to fighters in columbia.

he's the former head of intelligence in venezuela. aruba announced it would not extradite him because he has diplomatic unit. >> muslims are celebrating the holiday marking the end of the holy fasting month known as ramadan. this morning, it is tempered by the turmoil in gaza, syria and iraq. how are the people celebrating in lebanon? we're here at a refugee camp for syrians who fled to lebanon. it's almost they're third holiday here and they live in very miserable conditions. our cameraman will try to give you an idea of how things are here. most of the people are inside the tents. it's very hot outside. most of them are living off the food rations they get from the united nations. very little celebration here and

people don't even have the money to buy their kids toys or new clothes. they don't have money to buy food that people need or to send their kids. the problem at gaza is on most people's mind. we ask questions about jair and the situation back home. he refer to the situation in gaza and they feel everything is connected together in gaza and iraq and that the problem with them which makes them very frustrated, they don't see an end to the violence or turmoil. >> with so much violence and turmoil across the region, not in a celebratory mood despite the holiday. i wonder from the people you talked to, what you witnessed, what are they operating for on this holiday? i would assume it would be an end to these hostilities. >> one of the major slogans that the syrian revolution and

refugees come up with is god, you are the only person left for us, you are our only hope. it shows the desperation they feel. everybody else they have asked for help has not helped them. they are waiting for a miracle. by the situation on the ground, they see that there is no end in sight. they don't see the violence ending soon or that the fighting between the government and opposition is ending soon. many are frustrated because this violence is not getting them anywhere. some of the people here, their kids have not been to a school in three years. next year in one month, school will start again and the kids still have no school. they feel a whole generation is affect. this is one major thing. they want safety and security for thor children. live from lebanon, thank you very much. >> never mind getting gifts, they can't get the basic essentials in some of those places. it has been over a year since an oil training explosion in quebec

killed dozens of people and destroyed a small town. >> there have been more accidents involving rail cars carrying oil. we look at the growing cost to deal with the problem. >> twice a day, trains roll into philadelphia. the oil trains residents call them deliver more than 190,000-barrels of crude oil for refinement. last january, a tank car jumped the track. because of the explosive cargo onboard, it threatened the water supply and the safety of residents. >> very anxiety provoking, if you're driving down the expressway and you see tanker cars that you know are fragile hanging over the highway and river that flows to the center of your city. >> many share that view across the u.s. a growing number of residents have been protesting against the

trains, which they say threaten public safety. they fear an even bigger accident, like this one a year ago in canada. crude oil flooded the community when a train erailed. the explosions killed 47 people. the tank cars used to move the flammable liquids are called dot111, designed in the 1960's, safety flaws were revealed more than 20 years ago, but more than 75,000 of the tank cars still in service. >> u.s. rail companies say they're committed to public safety. that's why they say they put in place volunteer measures like transporting at slower speeds to move crude oil safely. >> what the railways have less control over is the cargo. as the u.s. becomes more energy independent, the type of oil transported has changed from traditional crude to a crude which is more volatile. under pressure from the

railroads and consumers, the u.s. department of transportation wants to phase out or retrofit older tank cars over the next two years. canada has banned the cars from carrying the crude oil by 2017. the residents say the changes don't come soon enough. >> we're carrying in substandard cars on old infrastructure very dangerous oil trains that go right up against where people live and work. >> she and many others fear the next u.s. derailment, potentially catastrophic loss of life. >> in addition to requiring trains to slow down, federal officials are calling for improvements to brake systems and making trains more resistant to leaks. >> california governor jerry brown is in mexico today for talks on the immigration crisis. brown plans to sit down with the mexican president and religious leaders to discuss what more can be done to stop undocumented

migrants from crossing the border. brown is set to discuss climate change and trade with mexico. >> lawmakers paid a visit to a border town this weekend where officials say many migrants stop before making the trek total arizona border. one top official in the mexican senate said they are considering giving children humanitarian visas to stay there legally. >> a flash flood in china, dozens trapped in the middle of the road. they had to wade through waist deep water to get to safety. firefighters helped with rescue operations. >> other headlines making moos, mcdonald's customers in china may feel they've been hamburgled, running low an beef because of food safety. the food supplier last week found that they had been giving

mcdonald's expired meat to serve in the ham burgers, so now there's a run on beef and chicken mcnuggets. the word is you order a hamburger, they say you can have one, but it's actually fish. >> conspiracies believe they are trying to get people to buy some of the other items. >> they have rice on the menu in china. >> they made changes to the menu. bug to a hamburger place, you typically want a hamburger. >> the dalai lama and president obama are 50 bumping. researchers find it's healthier than a handshake. it's been traditional through decades that we have proper hand shakes. the cool people come up with something new. the 50 bump, if it's safer, maybe we should all do it.

>> the colorado rockies had good intentions with game day promotion. the rocky shortstop's name was misspelled on the free jerseys given to the first 15,000 fans. they printed out 15,000. they skipped the second t. >> he's one of the best players the rockies have ever had. >> how do you misspell his name. fans can exchange the jersey for one spelled correctly at a future date and a free ticket. >> not a good sign for rocky fans. he's hurt, they think he may be leaving colorado. >> wireless carriers are not too

thrilled about a change. >> a beautiful but dangerous display lights up the sky, one of the world's most active volcanos erupting in identity. >> a new theory about what killed the dinosaurs and how they could still be alive today if the timing had been a little different. that's our discovery of the day.

real understanding... >> where you scared when you hear the bombs? >> al jazeera america real... news... >> it's time now for our discovery of the day. a new theory that suggest dinosaurs died off because of bad timing. a asteroid crash into earth triggered tsunamis and earthquakes. scientists believe dust and material in the air blocked the sun, killing the planet and eventually the dinosaurs. one researcher suggests a weakened eco system may have contributed. he believes the asteroid hit

earlier or later, dinosaurs would have actually survived. >> there are big business stories making news this morning. first, a $9 billion deal announced, dollar tree and family dollar are set to merge. this morning, facebook stock is being watched to see if it continues its climb. rupert murdoch putting together a plan to buy time warner. it could soon be easier to unlock your cell phone. joining us is an economist and professor. thanks for being can us this morning. first, your reaction on this dollar tree deal. it's a $9 billion deal. what do you think? >> it's a great story. thanks for having me, always a pleasure to join you. i think we're seeing difficulty on lower u.s. families and seeing a consolidation in the discounters that address those. we see wal-mart constantly shift to figure out it's sweet spot. we see that with k-mart and less

competition with the same audience allows you a way to push folks to buy slightly more expensive goods in your store. the irony being often is where the profit comes from. >> let's move to facebook. facebook stock hit an all time high after the social network pulled in $2.9 billion in revenue for the quarter. what was behind the spike? >> facebook's doing a great job. they really kind of moved to mobile. they used to be a desktop story. there were fears around what was a difficult idea. they proved the mobile environment is better than the desktop. 1.3 billion users on mobile every month. those people are seeing an awful lot of ads. that's how we're getting to the $800 million earnings in the quarter and $3 billion in revenue. facebook's doing a good job and also taking money away from

other players in town. >> what's next to keep that revenue up? >> i think we'll see them turn on the messaging platform they bought for $17 million, what's app, i think you'll see folks able to send and receive voice message to say each other soon. >> president obama moving to another topic, expected to sign a new bill making it easier to switch mobile carriers without buying a new phone, which you usually have to do if you have a mobile carrier. what does that really mean? >> it's probably good news. we're fixing a stay from 2012 where we made it really hard for folks to repurpose their season. most of the word buys the phone, pace full price and recharge as i am cards. the united is a subscription model where the phone's upfront price is subsidized. we're moving away from that model and need to take our phones with us. probably a good things for consumers. >> maybe not great for the cell phone industry.

>> reports are coming out to rupert murdoch may have a new plan to take over time warner, reportedly going to offer more money, plus seats on the board. what will it take for a deal to be reached? >> this might be more of a publicity stunt and flex of muscle than likely to result in an actual deal, perhaps i'll eat my words. but rupert murdoch has a long history of saying an asset is worthless as he tries to buy it. it is likely that as big media companies are shaken up and as we've seen time warner proportion out units, there's a moment of vulnerability and rupert mourdoch is known for dealing with weakness in his business plans. >> the baseball hall of fame has six new members this morning, three managers and three players were enshrind sunday.

former braves starting pitchers greg maddux and tom glavin went in together. the two winners won six cy young awards between them. frank thomas, known as the big hurt belted 521 home runs with the white sox and was never linked to steroids. >> thanks for pushing me, and always pushing me. you can be somewhat special if you really work at it. i took that to heart, pops. look at us today. >> three managers were also called to the hall. joe torre, bobby cox, and tony larussa. a history making performance for racing legend jeff gordon, the first driver ever to win the

brickyard 400, five times. he held on to earn the title that second motor coveted to the daytona 500. this is his second sprint cup victory this season and the 90th of his career. he's an indiana native. >> the longevity of some of those drivers is pretty incredible. >> it's time for another check of the weather. ebony dionne is back. >> it's going to be active across parts of the southeast this morning. we have storms rotating through, taking us into at least this evening. it's here right along the frontal boundary where we'll see the threat to the strong to severe storms. much of the gulf coast will need to keep an eye out. this morning, a few spotty showers along the front. the bulk of the rain is across the northeast. an area of low pressure will get across the region today with slow moving storms, heavy rainfall especially in the western areas of new york. we expect to see possible flooding across the area with

flash flood watches issued. >> scientists are watching italy's mount aetna. the volcano opened a new vent, pumping out lava and shooting ash into the air. it is one of the most active volcanos in the world. it's one of the city's most visited tourist attractions. >> here is what we are following, the united nations security council calling for a ceasefire between israel and hamas. despite a brief truce, the two are fighting again. >> high school students who survived the south korean ferry disaster that killed more than 300 people have been testifying today at a trial for crew members charged with negligence and abandoning ship. >> wild weather from coast-to-coast, tornadoes, heavy rain and hail destroying homes and california's venice beach a lightning strike left a man dead. calls for the national guard on the streets are america's third largest city to combat a rash of deadly gun violence.

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>> a family day at the beach ended in a freak accident when a plane fell out of the sky. >> a new hollywood blockbuster is breathing new life into an age old debate. do we really only use 10% of our brain. separating fact from fiction. >> the security council expresses strong support for the call by international partners and the secretary general of the united nations for an immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire. >> a plea from the united nations calling on israel and hamas to stop fighting. good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. >> hours ago, israel began bombing gaza again. >> it broke a lull in the violence that's raged 21 days now. israel says hamas fired a rocket overnight. >> the united nations is calling for a long term ceasefire.

both sides were urged to put down their weapons. libby casey joins us live from washington. what kind of power does this statement by the u.n. actually have. >> michael, while the vote was unanimous on the u.n. security council, it is not a binding resolution and both sides in this conflict have concerns. >> this morning, israeli tanks rumbled toward the gaza border, even as the united called for an immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire. >> the security council expresses grave concern rewarding the deterioration in the situation as a result of the crisis related to gaza and the loss of civilian lives and casualties. >> hostilities resumed this morning as muslims celebrate the end of ramadan. the security council voted unanimously in favor of the ceasefire statement, but sharp

differences remain. >> we will see whether israel will respect to humanitarian ceasefire and whether they will continue with this aggression against our people. >> every single time international community calls for ceasefire, we cease and hamas fires. >> after meeting with both sides in the middle east, secretary of state john kerry is back in the u.s., unable to broker a long term agreement to end the violence. sunday, president obama phoned israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and echos the call for a ceasefire, expressing his concern over the mounting palestinian casualties, but standing by the u.s. ally. >> if there are rockets fired at israel, they have a right to defend themselves. >> with israel demanding demilitarization of gaza, ending

the violence is a long way off. >> i'm not a spokesperson for hamas, but whatever they build, whether ton themes are otherwise, they have the right to self defense. palestinians have the right to self defense. you cannot place them under occupation, shell them, bomb them, destroy them and tell them if they react they are terrorists. >> they are digging under our border and trying to blow up our people. we will do whatever is necessary to defend ourselves. >> both sides termly entrenched in their positions with no sight to an end. does not look like we are seeing a any end to this conflict soon. >> secretary of state john kerry is back in the united. he was not able to secure a long term ceasefire agreement. what's his next move? >> secretary kerry spent a week in the region talking with the parties directly involved as well as others who could act as

negotiators. the goal would be more short term ceasefires in the hopes it could build into something longer term. there's a real question of what role the secretary of state could play and if the parties want him involved, whether or not, for example, israel sees that he could serve a good purpose at this point is a real question to that. stephanie, back to you. >> reporting from washington, thank you. let's go to nick schiffron on the ground in gaza. good morning. a few hours ago, we got word that israel resumed air strikes. the military says a rocket was fired into southern israel this morning. what have you seen today in gaza? >> it's important for people to understand that this is not the level of fighting that we have seen for the last few days or the last few weeks. this is intermittent fire, but we are hearing big booms off into the distance. that's the sign that israel is striking targets. we've seen rockets flying out of here from gaza into israel.

cording to the israeli military, the targets have been rocket launchers as well as one rocket factory. officials in southern israel have said there have been two rocket attacks near cities, but both rockets landed in empty fields. in this neighborhood where we are right above me, about an hour on the ground, an israeli helicopter dropped leaflets. they are spreading throughout the neighborhood. generally israel has used those to warn people to leave or to deliver a political message to the residents of gaza. clearly, the israeli military continuing in terms of actually firing at tares, as well as communicating with the people. >> this late night call for a humanitarian ceasefire comes as muslims in gaza are celebrating the feast. after three weeks of air strikes and palestinians deaths, what are you hearing from the people on the streets of gaza?

>> this is a holiday that is equivalent to christmas, basically. people are supposed to spend time with their families, they give their children gifts, clothes and sweets and almost every family said there is no reason to celebrate today. this is no holiday. the reason of course is that some of this strip, so many of these families are displaced. there are more than 200,000 people who have been displaced from their homes, some 40,000 according to palestinian officials, homes damaged over the last few weeks. we followed one man into a neighborhood in eastern gaza just a couple of miles from here. he was overcome. he said that absolutely, this is no holiday, we have no food, no water, no mattress to say sleep on. his house is gutted because his neighbor's house was the direct target of an israeli air strike and his family is spending the day in a shelter on a day there should be or when these people

feel that there should be holiday cheer, there is simply fear of what's going to come next. >> nick schiffron reporting from gaza, thank you. >> >> the conflict in gaza is dividing opinions across the u.s. protestors packed the streets in pittsburgh. those who support israel showed their solidarity for the invasion, those who backed the palestinians slam the u.s. for providing aid to israel. >> just ahead, we'll talk about the latest calls for a ceasefire with the former israel consul general in new york. >> israel is fighting for its right to exist and it has been since its inception. >> after that, palestinians are also fighting for their rights to exist. >> they were born on opposite sides of the conflict. two young men, sworn enemies,

now finding common ground in some unlikely places. >> the u.s. is reportedly sending more arms and ammunition to opposition fighters in syria. the washington post said the u.s. is ramping up efforts to "carefully vetted groups" along the border. commanders call it a critical moment for the free syria army. it's been a three year fight against president bashar al assad. >> in libya, new clashes around the airport over night, fuel tanks set on fire there, this as the government calls on residents near the airport to evacuate. the u.s. pulled its embassy staff from libya. >> we have to prepare ourselves for the possibility that not all remains will be recovered. >> australian officials say police officers and investigators have been unable to reach the site in eastern ukraine where malaysia airlines flight 17 crashed. this morning, ukrainian troops

launched a major offensive against the pro-russian separatists, keeping those investigators away from the flight 17 crash scene. government forces are surrounding the city about 20 miles from donetsk. this is the u.n. human rights chief said the downing of the plane may be a war crime. we have more from donetsk in eastern ukraine. >> you remember the flight data recorders were handed over to the malaysian authorities by the separatists. they have been analyzed in britain. they would listen to the final moments inside the cockpit and heard possibly the sounds of shrapnel being peppered across the plane from a possible surface a air missile, which exploded close to the aircraft. this is the first official confirmation we're getting of evidence pointing to the fact that possibly a missile did bring down flight m.h.17.

the key evidence really is on the ground at that sprawling crash site. once again today, the investigators have been unable to reach the site because of fighting around the crash area. from what weaver seen from our own pictures and photographers taken by journalists and some investigators, there are remnants and holes from shrapnel in parts of the debris, which are rely holds which do appear to show that there were possible remnants or shrapnel from a missile. investigators won't be able to conduct a proper inquiry until neck spend time at that site. >> data pulled from the black boxes shows evidence of a missile strike, so says one european official. the official says an early analysis points to "massive explosive decompression caused by shrapnel hitting the plane." new calls for defense systems on

passenger jets. a study was conducted 10 years ago. federal officials need to look at it again. >> they should examine two things, first the danger from the sophisticated anti s.a.11 missiles, second, also the danger to man pads. it is known the terrorists possess thousands of these shoulder-held missiles. >> schumer said it would cost $1 million per plane to install a missile defense, the same cost as putting in the in-flight entertainment system. >> two americans fighting the ebola outbreak have come down with the deadly disease. dr. kent brantley has been working in liberia since october. he is talking with his doctors and working on his computer while undergoing treatment. a second doctor has contracted the disease in liberia. >> these are modern day heroes.

we often talk about heroes, but these truly are heroes. our hearts go out to them this morning. i asked our congregation to pray for them. >> both are said to be in stable condition. they were working with a north carolina based group. >> a liberian man was the first to transfer the virus by plane. his wife living in minnesota said she hopes his death is a wake up calm. >> i don't want all of this to be for nothing. i have three girls. they'll never get to know their father. patrick could easily come home with ebola. easy. easy, ebola. it's as close as at our front door. it knocked down my front door.

>> sawyer is the first confirmed ebola death in nigeria. >> police in maine are investigating the murder of a family of five. the bodies of a husband, wife and their three children, ages 12, seven and four were found in their apartment in maine south of portland. police have not ruled out that it may be a case of murdere suicide. >> the first full week of testimony is underway this morning in the racially charged trial of a detroit man who killed an unarmed woman on his porch. the 55-year-old says he shot a 19-year-old last fall in self defense. mcbride was apparently drunk when she showed up on his doorstep after she was involved in a car crash. >> more progress is reported in the fight against two huge fires in california near sacramento. the sand fire is 50% contained. that destroyed at least 10 homes. it burned 3800-acres. a second fire is threatening 100

homes now near yosemite park. >> a rare lightning strike as a beach has left one man dead in southern california and several others injured. the beach was packed with 20,000 people when the weather quickly changed. the lightning hit the ocean and the electrical current traveled across the water, hitting swimmers and surfers. we'll bring you the latest on the series of storms tearing across the nation. >> the secretary of the veterans and house affairs commitee will announce a new plan to lease new v.a. medical facilities and hire new doctors. it comes in the wake of a scandal that cost secretary shin as he can key to step down. >> it was a fearful goodbye to an 11-year-old girl killed by a stray bullet at a slumber party. ♪ >> she is one of more than 100 people shot in chicago since the

fourth of july weekend. now calls for emergency action could involve heavily armed troops. we're live in the windy city. >> plus. >> we'll tax see out there any way you want if you tell us to, i don't like your attitude. >> a cockpit clash raising eyebrows about what your pilot's doing while he lands your plane. >> also. [ screaming ] >> a clip captured by one of our citizen journalists around the world.

>> it took years to build, seconds to destroy. just one of the clips captured by citizen journalists around the globe. that is a cole fired power plant, demolished with 400 pounds of explosives. the two massive cool towers crumb bring after controlled -- you can hear the cheers. they've been standing since the 1970's. >> terrifying moments in san diego, a car flowing through a

crowd of people taking part in the annual zombie walk for the comic con festival. a 64-year-old woman was injured by survived. >> the mona lisa tasting the rainbow, a massive mosaic made of ask iles in the land down under. it took more than 50,000 of the little canneddies and 67 man hours to create it, all part of the campaign to support cancer patients by getting people to go alcohol-free for a month. >> chicago has been dealing with a rash of gunfire they are.

there are calls to bring in the national guard. >> diane esther brooke is in chicago this morning. who is calling for troops? >> there have been letters to the editors of the local papers. this is a very controversial idea to activate the national guard. >> it's a weekly ritual on chicago's far west side, neighborhood activists handing out anti violence flyer to say motorists on their way home from work. the neighborhood, known as austin is a hotbed of crime. >> my son got killed in violence. >> there have been 140 shootings here this year. >> how are you doing? peace in the streets. you all for it, right? >> a illinois representative said the bloodshed has to stop. he's on a task force and wants the governor to call in the national guard.

>> they would provide a presence, just a presence in the community. anytime you see law enforcement, military, it automatically puts people in a position where they feel that i better move along. >> ford isn't the only one raising the idea of bringing in the national guard. it came up in a chicago tribune editorial but shot down by the police superintendent. >> we have more police officers than any large city in the country per capita. let's not do that. >> the national guard is activated by the governor at the request of communities. it's commonly used in natural disasters. >> the national guard can help patrol neighborhoods. they can enforce curfews and control riots, but what they can't do is make arrests. >> political science professor dick simpson said using the national guard in crime infested areas could create a war-like atmosphere. >> you normally think of the

national guard or army as a military force. you need them in a place like gaza or you need them in maybe to combat the problems in the ukraine, but to try to use them effectively as crime fighters in chicago is simply not going to work under normal circumstances. >> governor quinn said he's willing to bring in the state police to help chicago cops patrol neighborhoods but hasn't yet mentioned the illinois national guard. he thinks the chicago police could use additional help. >> i think we should make sure all hands are object deck and learn from every agency, every type of security force that's available, and the national guard is a security force. >> in the austin neighborhood, residents just want peace, no matter who provides it. >> the last time the governor

activated the national guard to help local police was during the democratic national convention in 1968 when there was all the rioting. >> thank you. >> tragedy on a florida beach, a man walking the shore with his family is killed when they are hit by a small plane making an emergency landing. >> the accident abruptly ended a very special day for the family. john henry smith is now here with more details. >> the 36-year-old died after hit by a small plane on englewood, florida's beach. his 9-year-old daughter is in critical condition this morning in a nearby hospital. the 57-year-old was pile lotting this 1972 piper cherokee but soon after takeoff radioed the control tower saying he was having trouble and would not make it back to the runway. he put his plane down on the

beach. he and his passenger walked away unharmed. >> there was minutes between the time the tower was alerted and vin necessary police department, everybody en route to respond and the plane went down at the same time. >> i was not expecting to come to the beach and see a plane on the ground. they were performing c.p.r. on him. he had blood on his face. it looked like he wasn't breathing. >> it's sad somebody died today, unfortunately. you never know when these things are going to happen. >> he was the father of three. he and his wife rebecca and their kids lived in fort stuart, georgia. they were all on vacation in florida celebrating the couple's ninth wedding anniversary. hours before, he wrote this on his facebook page "today, nine years ago, i tied my life to my beautiful wife, rebecca. i am very happy and can't wait to see what the next 100 have in store for us. i love you, becky."

his facebook page went from congratulations to expressions of shock and grief over what happened. on her facebook page, his wife asked people to pray for their 9-year-old daughter, who is fighting for her life this morning. >> every day, air traffic controllers keep track of 20,000 commercial airline flights in the u.s., every now and then, things can get a little heated. listen to this exchange between an f.a.a. controller and a delta pilot at atlanta's airport. >> there's another plane out there, like six miles away. >> we're going out there right now. we'll taxi out there any way you want, you tell us to.

>> that last testy comment was from one of many pilots listening. delta is looking into the exchange and customer safety was never in jeopardy. you wonder however they have those testy exchanges. >> he had a bad morning. >> it is scorching across the nation now while other sections of the country are seeing unseasonably cool temperatures. >> we have more on the forecast. >> we have a cold front to thank for the cooldown we are going to see into parts of the deep south as well as the other parts of the country. it will be a welcome cooldown where temperatures are soaring. they have been really through the weekend and will continue to do so today. right now outside in houston, it's 78, we're at 78 in atlanta. chicago, we're at 60 degrees, mild for the start, but not much of a warm up expected later today with a high of 72. detroit will barely make it to

70 degrees. we still have the heat on going across the northwest, 10 degrees above average. mother 90's, triple digit numbers and it will stay mainly dry for now. >> cool, hot, cool. >> a trail of destruction in several states from the weather. >> that's kentucky, just one state feeling the brunt of the storms. on the west coast, a deadly day at the beach sparked by a lightning strike. >> i consider him like my brother. >> very nice words. >> from worn enemy to say best friends. two young men on opposite sides of the israeli-palestinian conflict finding common ground. >> marking the end of the holy month of ramadan, a somber celebration for many in the holy land. >> that brings us to our images of the day, celebrating ramadan ending. muslim families breaking their month long fast by eating

traditional sweets, giving gifts and listening to live music.

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diving. >> act stress scarlett johansson's new film, losey, do we only use 10% of our brains? i think i use less. we are separating fact from fiction. first. >> it sounded like a sonic boom. >> and then moments later, all hell broke loose. >> more than a dozen people on a beach jolted by lightning when a rare summer thunderstorm rolls through southern california. across the country, several states were battered with tornadoes and hail. that bad weather is he can specked to continue today. >> let's bring in erica pitzi now. thunderstorms are rare in southern california, even more rare to have a deadly thunderstorm. >> absolutely. lightning is also just as rare, but on sunday, as 20,000 people were enjoying a day at the world famous venice beach in los angeles. a single bolt of lightning killed one person and injured

dozens of others. >> what sounded like a bomb turned out to be thunder that came right after a both of lightning hit the ocean, sending an electrical current across the water, shocking swimmers and surfers. >> you heard this crackle, this giant bolt up in the sky. i've never seen anything like that. i'm from the midwest, we've seen a lots of lightning. it was a scene out of jaws, all the mothers grabbing their kids. >> dozens of rescuers spraining into action, combing the water for victims. some felt the shock on the sand. >> all of a sudden, there was a big flash of light and a boom. i felt someone punched me in the back of my head. it went down the whole right side of my body and my calf locked up and i fell over. >> a young man in his 20's died. several others were hospitalized, including a 15-year-old boy. powerful storms plowed through several other states, too, large hail and high winds hit illinois

and kentucky while tornadoes tore through tennessee. one twister destroyed at least 10 homes in the eastern part of the state. you can see transformers exploding as it winds through the area, at one point, ripping apart a woman's home. >> my dog was in the house. i was worried about my dog. i looked for him and couldn't find him. ten minutes later, he come running out of the house. >> also in central connecticut, where tornadoes are rare, a twister touched down with winds of 85 miles per hour. >> it's coming right toward us. >> fortunately, no one else got hurt in any of those storms, but people in more than 18 states are bracing for the threat of more dangerous storms throughout the evening. >> amazing pictures, thank you. the threat for dangerous storms is not over. >> it certainly isn't. it's going to shift south and the northeast dealing with

stronger storms this morning. this is a look at damage left behind yesterday, all of our severe storm reports, it was mainly wind and hail. in two eastern areas of tennessee, also in west virginia and connecticut, confirmed at an ef0. in kentucky, storms blew through the area, putting down hail the size of quarters up to tennis balls in some instances. a lot of dangerous weather there. the threat for severe weather has passed from your area. we are watching many areas across the eastern u.s. the storms here across the northeast, slow movers. heavy rainfall will be an issue. across the gulf coast states, we will see storms really turning severe as we go into the late part of the afternoon, once we get day time heating to destabilize the atmosphere. strong to severe storms

stretching into alabama. not expecting to see the threat of tornadoes much today. the rain is really going to be heavy and it has been so already this morning. some areas of western new york, flash flood warnings, we are also dealing with the threat of flash flooding across the midwest. we are expecting heavy downpours as that flow continues, so lots of moisture to work with as the storms get going later in the day. right now some spotty activity, you can see a lot of cloud cover in place indicating a lot of moisture in the atmosphere. >> several areas that people need to keep their eye on, ebony, thank you. >> the conflict in gaza is sparking a fierce debate in

europe with supporters of both sides taking to the streets this weekend. these pictures of from brussels where thousands chanted their support for israel or the palestinians. >> new israel air strikes, the milling tear says earlier one rocket was fired into southern israel. >> the u.n. security council is calling for an immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire. we have more from gaza. >> it had been a relatively and calm night in gaza. that situation has changed in the last few hours. we've had three israeli air strikes on empty areas of land. there's been fighting east of the refugee camp, two have been killed, including a child. there's been rockets fired from gaza toward israel. it's the muslim religious holiday in gaza, people would normally be celebrating with friends and family, but there isn't that mood here at the

moment. people are in mourning for the more than 1,000 palestinians killed since the fighting began and more than 6,000 injured. instead of people driving around the gaza strip to visit their extended family, the city is very quiet, while most people are staying at home. >> joining us now to discuss the fighting in gaza and a chance for a ceasefire is the former israeli consul general in new york. ambassador, thank you for being with us again. president obama and prime minister benjamin netanyahu spoke on the phone. an international ceasefire is called for also by the u.n. how do you think israel receives this pressure? >> the answer has to be divided into two. on the one hand, i think that anytime the u.s. and israel cult

on these issues and there is an official american request or time line or a draft resolution, israel is always inclined to favorably look at it. on the other hand, the phone conversation and the demands contained in it and the transcript that the white house released came on the tails of a confrontation of sorts between israel and secretary of state john kerry, that the president, president obama intervened to put the record straight or set the record straight, i'm sorry. so in this respect, if you look at the demands that the president made or the suggestions and proposals that he had laid forth, a humanitarian ceasefire, something that israel was always advocating and looking favorably into, a lasting and enduring

ceasefire that will come after that, as goes the president's statement is also something that israel is looking at. the fact at a missile and rockets launchings from gaza and the use of tunnels should not be tolerated, that, too is something israel was supportive of. and lastly, the president calls for a demilitarization of the gaza strip in due time, and that, too is part of israel's demands. despite the appearance of confrontation or israel is uneasy with the president's demands or proposals, i think that all in all, this is something that israel should, i don't know if it will, of course, israel should look at with a strong inclination to accept. >> an op ed claims the draft of a ceasefire agreement that kerry presented to israel on friday

shows a deep crisis in trust between israeli senior cabinet members and the american secretary of state. do you agree that secretary of f state john kerry now has a credibility problem with israel? >> i actually wrote an op ed on draft that go today, but i respect that op ed very much. here's the thing, stephanie. i think there is a misunderstanding, an ongoing misunderstanding or miscalibration or misexpectations between israel and secretary kerry that goes back to secretary kerry's intensive involvement in the failed or doomed peace process. i think that this particular israeli government, led by mr. netanyahu, and the u.s. administration under obama, the first administration and then the second one in which kerry served at secretary of state do

not see eye to eye on a host of issues, and there has been a critical mass of misunderstandings and friction and disagreements and almost a divergence or a seemingly divergence of interesting that leads to the point where the premise of your question is on the money, that there seems a be a serious credibility issue between israel and secretary kerry. i think this is bad news for israeli. i think secretary kerry has other things to do in terms of u.s. foreign policy, be it ukraine, syria, iraq or east asia, yet israel at the same time needs america's support and is reliant heavily an american diplomatic cover. >> i will certainly read your editorial this morning right after the show, ambassador. joining us from tel-aviv, this morning, thank you very much,

ambassador. >> two young men in florida hope their friendship show others a pass to peace, one an american jew, the other a palestinian american. they have gone from fear and mistrust to calling each other brother. we have their story coming up a little bit later. >> for now, muslims around the world are praying for peace on a holiday typically filled with celebration. it marks the end of the holy fasting month known as ramadan. this morning, many minds are focused instead on the turmoil in gaza, syria and iraq. we are with refugees in lebanon. >> we're here at a refugee camp for syrians who fled to lebanon. it's almost their third holiday here. they live in very miserable conditions. our cameraman will try to give you an idea of how things are here. most of the people are inside the tents. it's very hot outside. most of them are living off the

food reactions they are get from the united nations. very little celebration here, and people don't even have the money to buy their kids toys or clothes. they don't even have money to buy food that people need or to send their kids to doctors. the problems and violence in gaza is at most people's here mind and most of the people we spoke to even asking questions about syria and the situation back home also refer to the situation in gaza. they feel everything is connected together in gaza and iraq and syria. the problem with them, which makes them very frustrated is they don't see any end in fight to the violence or turmoil. >> several babies and seniors had to be rescued after a flash flood in china. dozens were trapped in the middle of a road. they had to wade through waist deep water to get to safety. firefighters used ladders to pull people to safety. >> a major ivory crackdown in

thailand, customs officers seized $300,000 worth of ivory products in the bangkok airport. two men were trying to smuggle more than 100 pounds of ivory into the country, including 18 elephant tusks. >> elephant poaching is still such a huge problem in the world. >> you probably have heard that humans only use 10% of their brain. >> a new hollywood blockbuster lucy, we'll celebrate fact from fiction with our own in-house doctor. .

>> the hills were live with the sound of wooden horn music. thousands braved the heights to be as her nateed by the soothing sounds of more than 100 players. >> i don't know if i'd call that soothe be, but all right. >> found it, bump it, don't

shake it. scientists are weighing in on how we greet each other. the common handshake spreads germs, can transmit double the amount of bacteria as a high five. some of our famous leaders are ditching the handshake. >> millions of americans went to the movies to see the new thriller lucy, the story of a 25-year-old drug mule whose secret cargo actually unlocks her brain. the movie revise the old tale that humans only use 10% of their brains, but is it true,downing us to tell us more is a doctor from the nyu school of medicine. it makes for great theater, but is there any fact in it whatsoever? >> it's not true, so no, there isn't a fact there, but it's appealing. we like to think we have a lot of potential and we're not using

our entire brains. it comes from a couple of different things. there are neurosurgeons that said we are not using our full brains. these were based on faulty areas. with new technology, we can see we use our full brain. >> 100%? >> yeah. >> there's not a whole lot of unlocked potential. >> there is still potential. in terms of technology, if you do m.r.i. arizona pet scans, there are different type that is show we have blood flow to our entire brain, if you have a streak, even a minor stroke, you can use function in terms of moving your arms, legs, being able to speak. there's still to president obama 10 she will we can tap into. that part is true. part of it may be how we use our brains. >> i have not seen the movie, but the trailer several times. it gives the illusion if you can tap into this unwanted part of

your brain that you don't use, you can actually move things with your mind or stop time, which obviously sounds great for theater. i wish i could do it, i'd be very good atlasvasion gambling. the idea that's possible, we've seen in movies for decades now. >> that part i'm not sure about. she was able to learn things faster. we'd like to think we'd be more efficient at processing. >> faster downloads. >> that might be possible. interns of moving stuff, i'm not sure. some of the other things in terms of being a child and growing to become an adult, use different parts of your brain more efficiently. when you're younger, you can pick up languages more quickly. >> you might not be ail to have e.s.p., but the brain is a muscle. you hear that there are things you can do to further your potential if not exactly reach super power status. >> it's technically not a

muscle, but if you practice with it, use it for different things, you'll self on that further different areas. we develop more wisdom in terms of judging character, that part is there, too, the most important thing is to remember, we focus on what our brain is actively doing. we think about our thoughts and think that's what the brain is focused on. think about everything else it manages in the meantime, body functions that we don't to have think about and ignoring all the things that go on in the environment. if you think about driving, you're focused on the road but know what to recognize. you're not thinking about all the other stuff you to have ignore, the temperature in the car, the radio, all the distractions that could mess you up. the brain is actively focusing on something and actively ignoring other things. >> all right, doctor. a fascinating discussion this morning. thanks so much for coming in. >> a little earlier, we told you

about the story of two young americans, one jew, one palestinian, hoping to use their friendship to find a path towards peace. we have their story. >> when these 20 somethings first met, he didn't heed the often heard advice to avoid talking politics with strangers. within minutes, he began drilling him on the palestinian conflict. >> i think it was a way for us to judge each other. >> that first conversation between an american jew and a palestinian american was the start of a six year friendship. it's based on bonding over the typical mail things, such as sports, and dating, but both young men have families living through the current israel-palestinian conflict and feel a genuine desire to engage one another on what's happening there. >> did either of you have

viewpoints that changed as a result of your friendship? >> absolutely. i didn't look at muhammed like he wanted to kill me. >> he could agree with me on some issues. i found our commonnalties outweighed our differences. >> with the current fighting, emotions are especially charged. they confess talking about their friendship has stirred hatred among their respective friends, but they seem unfazed. >> i consider him like my brother. >> very nice words. the same goes for you. i know that we've been encountering a lot of judgments upon ourselves and had a lot of pushback, but we have had a lot of support. >> yes. >> i think what we're doing could hopefully lead to something special. >> the men are passionate about their beliefs and fiercely disagree about points. >> that israel is fighting for its right to exist and has been since its inception. >> palestinians are also

fighting for their right to exist. >> when it comes to long term peace, the men agree on the fundamental issues. israel needs security, hamas needs to stop firing rockets and the palestinians need quality and a country to call their own. >> our principle agreements are the foundation of what's going to solve this conflict. >> i do agree. >> despite their long friendship, the men have never met one another's families. they hope one day they can bring them together. aljazeera, miami. >> more than 1,000 palestinians in 43 israeli soldiers have died so far in the gaza fighting. >> let's get one more check on the weather and wildfires in the west. >> we are going to see a little more moisture, so that's going to help, a little bit of a breeze to help cool some areas down, but overall, widespread, the fires still ongoing. we still into have heat in a number of places and that moisture although in the form of cloud cover, just a few light

sprinkles across northern areas of california, and not expecting to see much across the northwest where we still ever 26 uncontained fires. i do want to show you video off the sand fire in california. it has been improving over the last couple of days, gone from 20% early saturday morning to up to 50% contained, so at least we are seeing those firefighters getting and get handle on this, although there is still a lot of area to cover this. as far as what's going to happen, we still see monsoon moisture. that's going to give way to a little more moisture, but mainly dry air. in the northeast, active weather, slow moving air of low pressure will continue to rotate through the region triggering more showers and storms, some could become strong today. we are watching the southeast, as well. >> strong storms were over my house. >> air pollution is the world's largest environmental health threat.

since 2012, air pollution has killed 7 million people. >> mexico's capitol city is making a huge push to stop the trend. >> rolling out the green carpet on her rooftop. she says dozens of gardens are becoming a mexico trend. they purify the air and help regulate the temperature inside homes. >> these are excellent. i feel like i'm contributing to making the city better, greener and cleaner. this is a small area, but i feel a difference already. >> she said the hole foam is less screed out, including the dog. the company behind the rooftop gardens say authorities are banking on the project and giving sample benefits to residents who install them. >> plants and everything that is green help us to improve the air to get more oxygen. because they capture carbon dioxide, which is bad for us.

>> decades ago, people said breathing mexico city's air was as unhealthy as smoking a cigarette. >> while mexico city has an almost permanent cloud of fog. authorities want to change that. the rooftop garden initiative is one of several programs they want to implement this year. >> bicycles are available around the city and local authorities are regulating car emissions. a new law says that cars that are 15 years or older must change their exhaust in order to reduce pollution by half. >> we must be responsible. having a car doesn't mean just filling up with gas and driving. the owner of a car must be accountable for the car's emissions, too and people are becoming aware of that in part thanks to government policies. >> many here say some of the policies are designed to help the city's 20 million residents to become more environmentally friendly. that explains the growing

demands to build small gardens wherever there's available space, even on rooftops. aljazeera, mexico city. >> pollution in mexico city can be so bad the city often restricts which cars can drive on any ditch day. >> some breath taking cliff diving to show you from portugal. it's a competition sponsored by red bull with lead divers from around the world taking part. usually they launch themselves from a man made platform but this time went old school, jumping from the actual cliff. an american won the competition. >> tomorrow morning, from transformers to top gun, we'll look closer at hollywood's long relationship with the u.s. military. >> that's going to do it for now. >> the latest on the crisis in the middle east live from our

newsroom in doha. >> happy monday. py

[♪ music ] >> hello, welcome to the news hour. we're at al-jazeera's headquarters in doha. 9 airstrikes and the shelling goes on. more palestinian children are killed and wounded on the festival o. and environmental catastrophe, libya appeals