continues tonight. >> we have been hearing a lot of tank shelling coming from where we are, here. >> every single one of these buildings shook violently. >> for continuing coverage of the israeli / palestinian conflict, stay with al jazeera america, your global news leader. >> smoke and flames as israeli air strikes hits gaza's only power station as benjamin netanyahu promises a long campaign against hamas. >> the white house said moscow broke a nuclear treaty with forbidden weapons russia is accused of developing and testing. >> helping gets vets off the

waiting list does that. >> the compromise to fix the v.a. health system. >> a manhunt for an accused child molester ends in a gun battle on new york city. what saved three officers as the bullets flew. >> good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm del walters. >> it seems any hope for a ceasefire in gaza i see fading fast. >> overnight, air strikes knocked out a power station. hamas t.v. studios and the home of a hamad leader were hit. >> israeli prime minister promises a long and exhaustive campaign that he says won't end until those tunnels that hamas built are destroyed. nick schiffron is in gaza. how heavy were these attacks in gaza last night? >> good morning. they were very heavy. it was a relentless campaign of air strikes, artillery strikes, tank strikes and for the first time, we saw that relentless

campaign in downtown gaza city. usually we see it in north or east gaza. this was in the center in the largest city in gaza. we should warn our viewers that our story this morning contains graphic images to are difficult to watch and this i night of relentless campaign of bombardment comes after one of the most difficult days that gaza has had to experience. >> overnight, for six straight hours, this war's heaviest bombardment shook gaza. smoke poured out of sky rises. it was home to hamas's t.v. station. that building is gutted. above gaza city, a huge plume of smoke. israel struck gaza's only power station. the repairs will take a year. most of the pours overnight were symbols of hamas power here. this is the home of hamas's number two.

he and other hamas officials are jumped ground. this was designed to pressure hamas on what israel says will be a sustained operation. >> we must be prepared for a protracted campaign. we will continue to act with force and discretion until our mission is accomplished. >> the longer the war, the greater israel's cost. four times as many soldiers have died in this conflict as the previous two combined. 22-year-old captain died after being shot in gaza, a father spoke about his son. >> go in peace, my son, you are our hero. i love you, dad. >> 25 miles away down the streets have gaza city, they carried the bodies of younger victims. the bodies kept coming. on the side of a strike in a pool are blood be children's flip-flops. israel said this was caused bay palestinian rocket that missed its target.

hamas and this this girl reject that. >> he was just playing. he did nothing to them. god destroy them, i hope they die. >> one mile away, a father buries his son. he was 10 years old. he and at least eight other children died on the holiday that's the equivalent of christmas. >> coming up in our next half hour, the criticism the white house is facing about how it's going about trying to get that ceasefire. >> the european union are preparing their strongest sanctions against russia in response to claims moscow is ramping up troop presence on the ukraine border and shipping more heavy rains to separatists. the sanctions will target russia's financial defense and energy sectors. investigators are making a third attempt to get to the crash site of malaysia airlines flight 17. heavy fighting has blocked their travels. we are at the site. >> as this investigation goes

on, it's becoming increasingly unlikely for the experts to come up with a conclusive definitive report on what happened. i can show you if i step out of the way, in a week since we came to this cockpit, it has basically been tampered with. it's been torn apart. you can see the metal has been cut through on many parts of the first class lounge area and the flight deck, as well. when investigators do make it here in big numbers, they are going to go through the whole of the debris across this crash site and look for holes made by shrapnel from the missiles as well as remnants of explosive devices or wreck nance of explosives from the missile exploding close to the aircraft, but they have to get here first. at the moment, they are unable to do that. >> the u.s. is accusing russia of violating a nuclear treaty that stood for more than 25 years. white house said russia broke

the accord when it tested the launching of is missile. we are live in washington. what are you hearing from the white house concerning this alleged nuclear treaty violation. >> president obama sent a letter to president putin of russia yesterday via the american embassy, raising concerns that russia may have violated that essential treaty that's part of arms control between the u.s. and the russia. this was first reported by "the new york times" last night. it said the date back to testing that happened in 2008. at the heart of this is a treaty signed by ronald reagan and mikael gorbachev. it was how they would proceed and deal with weapons. as you said, it banned ground-based ballistic or cruise missiles that fly between 300 and 3400 feet. a report is expected to be delivered to congress today.

this has been brewing for months, and as you can well imagine, it may mark a new low in modern u.s.-russia relations coming on the heels of what happened in ukraine and russia giving asylum to edward snowden. >> the u.s. is teaming up with the e.u. for sanctions on russia. any idea what we might expect? >> aljazeera america spoke with the foreign minister on sunday, and he's talking about the same thing much of the international community is talking about, when it comes to the malaysian airlines crash site. he says there needs tube ceasefire so investigators can access the area safely. he's calling on specific desires from the u.s. he's talking about economic reforms and assistance, but also help dealing with rule of law

and the judicial system in ukraine and assistance to the military zone. expect those two to talk about what the u.s. is going to be doing in terms of supplies and help in the short term and the long term. >> on to the situation in gaza. you saw nick schiffron's report. the state department now responding to some criticism over israel, over john kerry's role in trying to put together a ceasefire. what are they saying? >> that's right. john kerry was giving a speech here in washington himself yesterday and he did acknowledge it, but he didn't really give it a lot of credence. however, the state department has been pushing back hard as have members of the white house team. we saw state department spokeswoman janet aski yesterday saying it's not the way partners and allies treat each other, referring to the concerns israel that raised about john kerry's role and perhaps involvement of qatar or turkey. we saw susan rice push back on this, as well, del. >> live in washington this morning, libby, thank you very much.

>> the u.s. has lost track of tens of thousands of weapons it sent to afghanistan, so says a new government report. it's raising concerns those weapons could be in the hands of the taliban. several databases maintained by the u.s. have missing or duplicate information about arms shipment. the afghan government hasn't kept track of the small arms its received, either. >> congress looking at a new deal to eliminate long wait times for appointments at v.a. hospitals. >> this seems like a truly bipartisan effort. >> it really is, which is why the lawmakers are convinced they can get it passed before congress breaks for august. this new agreement comes as president obama is expected to visit privately with wounded soldiers today at walter reed army medical center. the chairman of the house and senate veterans committee's outlined a $17 billion plan to ease those controversial wait times. recently, the department has been rocked by scandal when it was revealed employees were covering up evidence of the

v.a.'s long waiting lists. now independent senator bernie sanders and republican congressman jeff miller say this agreement is an emergency fix. >> this bill makes certain that we address the immediate crisis of veterans being forced on to long waiting lines for health care. it strengthens the v.a. to be able to hire the doctors, nurses and medical personnel it needs to we can put a permanent end to long waiting lists. >> the bulk of the plan allows veterans to use private doctors at the v.a.'s expense if they're forced to wait more than 30 days for an appointment or live more than 40 files from a v.a. facility. it will release funding for 28 new clinics across the country. congress will have to move fast. lawmakers begin their august recess friday. >> thank you very much. >> in libya, a huge fire at the tripoli airport raging out of

control. militia's set fuel tanks ablaze. residents have been told to evacuate. libya is asking for international help to put those fires out. >> a pakistani woman and her two granddaughters are dead after a mob burned down her home. the group was upset about a post on facebook that they say insulted islam. police couldn't stop the mob. >> the black boxes from an algiers flight were recovered. >> in south korea, more teenage survivors are testifying today about the ferry crash that killed over 300 people. six have told the court they were given repeated orders not to leave the sinking ferry. only 75 of the 325 students

onboard survived. the surviving crew members and captain face negligence and homicide charges. >> they are still talking about it in new york. a nationwide manhunt for a suspected pedophile ended in a gun battle. he was shot and killed on a busy street monday afternoon. all three officers were also shot. officials say their bulletproof vests saved their lives. >> these two marshalls and the ncpd detective exhibited extraordinary bravery. they had to deal with an incredibly difficult situation, split second decisions and they do what law enforcement person necessarily do every day, put their lives on the line to protect the rest of us. >> that suspect had been on the run since 2012 when he failed to appear at an arraignment. >> a piece of wreckage from the world trade center can stay at the 9/11 museum for now. this steel beam in the shape of a cross was found in the rubble

after 9/11. an american atheist group sued, saying the cross should be removed, but a federal appeals court rejected the lawsuit. the group is considering an appeal to the supreme court. >> the denver area slammed with three tornadoes in one day. >> let's bring in meteorologist nicole mitchell. >> those are the only reports through the entire state of severe weather. there wasn't a lot of severe weather in colorado yesterday but just to the west of the airport, there were two different reports of funnels, one at least touching the ground. it could have been mom the same cell. you can see not a lot of activity out here. there could be isolated chances today. here's a look as that came down, and no damage reported from this. that's really great news. you can see definitely at least a temporary touchdown. the report said at least it was a pretty quick one when it did happen, but something we'll watch for today. we'll have the storms through

the region again. this is the storms through the last 12 hours. you can see the greens out here wasn't really what we consider severe weather, more flooding reports through the area and that's going to be more widespread through the day today. most of colorado through mexico into oklahoma and texas. a lot of these are in drought areas, so it's some beneficial news, including heavy rain right now along the texas and oklahoma border. that's what we're dealing with, but so fast, you end up with some areas of flash flooding. the other thing that we've seen through the course of the day, a lot of moisture that we had in the east coast has moved out, still the boundary through the south, but dipping farther to the south. there will be spotty moisture with this and behind that front, definitely some cooler air, much more comfortable, more on the temperatures in a little bit. >> nicole, thanks. >> on the front lines in the battle over a divided iraq. >> kurdish forces stepping in to fight sunni rebels where the iraqi army has abandoned its

post. we'll show you where they're battle continues. >> the courtroom battle of sterling versus sterling, mrs. sterling has beaten donald sterling. i'll tell what you that means for the sail of the l.a. clippers. >> two thieves picked the wrong store to rob when they come face-to-face with a mixed martial arts fighter. the beatdown caught on camera. >> that's probably not funny, today's big number. >> what that reveals about how americans are doing paying their americans are doing paying their bills. when you run a business, you can't settle for slow.

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and find out more about our two-year price guarantee. comcast business. built for business. >> today's big number is 77 million. >> that's how many americans have debts and unpaid bills in collection. that figure equals 35% of the population. >> nevada is the state with the highest rate of dead beats and that 77 million americans in debt, collections average $5,500 apiece. >> a sign this morning that rising health care costs could be tapering off. medicare spent less on hospital

benefits despite covering a million more people. the findings show the system should be able to provide benefits four years longer than the previous estimate. >> a form of medical marijuana could get a federal ok. it legalizes a type of marijuana used in severe cases of childhood epilepsy. the bill would remove a type of medical cannabis from the definition of marijuana. cbd doesn't make you high. it is used to treat the syndrome. >> in a nationwide call to action yesterday to prevent skin cancer, the acting u.s. surgeon general urges americans to use sunscreen. some 63,000 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed each year. an estimated 9,000 people die of that disease. >> another gay marriage case could soon head to the supreme court now that a federal appeals court has thrown out virginia's ban on gay marriages.

the court said barring gay couples from getting married violates their right to due process and equal protection. >> a big win for the nba and the wife of nba clippers owner donald sterling. >> a judge ruled he can't stop his wife from selling the clippers for a record $2 billion. john henry smith is in the crow's nest with more. good morning. >> good morning. donald sterling's mastery of the persuasive argument is what made him rich enough to buy the team, but since his racial remarks became public, his gifts of speaking have failed him in the court of public opinion and now in a court of law. >> shelly sterling was all miles when a judge ruled she can sell the los angeles clippers. >> all i want to do now is get some sleep. i haven't slept in weeks. >> calling her testimony more credible, the judge ruled she

acted out of concern for her husband and not some secret plan to seize the team when she had him removed from the family's trust ocean he is mentally incapacitated. defense attorneys tried to ban his mental status from being an issue. >> it was one woman who stood up against her husband and prevailed. >> donald sterling's side vow to say keep fighting. >> this is one battle, we had hoped for a different result, but this is not the end. >> actually the end is just what this seems to be. monday's ruling prevents donald sterling from seeking a court ordered delay of the sale while he appeals. that means nothing can stand in mrs. sterling's way of selling the clippers to former microsoft c.e.o. michael ballmer for a record $2 billion. the sale is expected to be finalized by august 15. >> i think we have the best new owner that anybody could ever

find. >> although she's beaten her husband in court, shelly sterling said she looks forward to the day when his life long ban from the nba is lifted. >> i think the ban will be lifted, you know, there's a new owner, new sheriff in town and it's going to be good. >> standing in the way of any thawing of relations between donald sterling and the nba are two cases filed. >> joining us now to talk about the ruling and future of the clippers is robert bolig. he is a former sports agent and chair in bowling university. does this mentioner or later, she is going to sell the clippers? >> this means the sale is going to go through, the $2 billion number, the desire of the owners to get this done probably means it's going to get done. it's hard for him to block this.

>> there is nothing to trip up this deal, which i believe steve ballmer wants done by mid august? >> donald sterling faces a much more uphill battle in terms of decision making. >> how does the new commissioner of the nba handle it? >> the challenge is he keeps going. these owners don't want to take a vote to kick sterling out. they want the sale done without a vote to remove him. >> why that is? >> owners don't want to power the commissioner over each other. eventually they could see themselves in sterling's shoes. if he gets through this and it's now kind of hairy, but if he gets through it, i think he'll be fine. >> why do you think the judge ruled this way? how much did donald sterling's testimony work against him? >> it certainly didn't help. if you're talking about competency, his rants on the witness stand made him look very, very incontinence. it looks like the family trust

terms were very clear if you become incompetent or incapacitated. >> when this case first came up, there are fears this would open pandora's box in the nba. is it that there wasn't anything in the box or did they move quickly to make sure the box never opened? >> so far, it remains closed. a long protracted lawsuit withster lick still owning the team, once he doesn't own the team anymore, the owners are protected. >> how do the players feel? they don't want donald sterling to continue owning the team. there have been talks of boy cots. >> the players hate this. i mean obviously it's a league of predominantly african-american players and they hate this on a variety of principles. if you're in the player union, sterling is the first thing you've had in a long time that gives you leverage against the nba. they are using this as a little bit of a bludgeon. >> tony dungy made controversial comments concerning michael

sams, are we looking at the tip of the iceberg with donald sterling or is he the exception to the rule? >> i think he's an outlier, beyond the appeal on almost every level. i think if you think bit broadly, sport is one of our places we look at all the inner currents of race and sport in american life. >> you have to remember why it all started. robert, thanks for joining us. >> firefighters in northern california are making some progress against a wildfire that's now destroyed 13 homes. the sierra hills fire is now 75% contained, it's already burned through just under six square miles. a second wildfire near yosemite national park has burned through four square miles. the park is not in jeopardy. firefighters are getting control of the largest wildfire in washington state history, the carlton complex fire is now 66% contained. the massive blaze actually began

on july 14 as 4 separate fires basically spread, merging into a wildfire that has now consumed 250,000 acres. >> what might those crews be facing today? >> let's bring in meteorologist nicole mitchell again. >> there has been moisture in parts of the west, but not all beneficial now. you can see this large plume of moisture, a little more of this for the four corners region now. most of the western united states is under drought conditions. some of this a little too little too fast, and places where we really need it with the fires, not a lot of this moisture in california this morning. we can see more of the same as we head to the northwest, almost completely dry. enough of this instability nearby, though, the primary concern is we're not going to get any moisture. this is the projected precipitation for the course of today. you can see it's very dry here, but we might get the lightning out of the area, so some storms making it nearby but not close

enough to actually bring the beneficial rain, but lightning could reignite tinder dry areas. you can see in or gone and northern parts of california, we are looking at more fire dangers again today with those red flag conditions. >> that is the last thing they need, nicole mitchell, thank you. >> israel's prime minister sake the war in gas far from over. >> we'll get reaction to his comments and the impact the offensive is having on israel's relationship with the u.s. >> hundreds have been killed by the highly contagious ebola virus. we're going to talk to a doctor about the challenges they face battling ebola. >> some users of a dating website say it's not ok what the website did. it's one of the headlines around the world.

>> you are looking live in

boston harbor. this boat apparently got tangled in a lobster trap. several miles off the coast, divers helped free the boat after several attempts by the crew were unsuccessful. stranded on a whaling boat overnight, now headed back to port. >> it was a three hour tour. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. >> i'm stephanie sy. >> ahead in this half hour, battling for control of iraq, why one diplomat said the country is already split into three separate parts. we're on the front lines as kurdish forces dig in for a fight. >> restaurants are desperate for workers. there are hundred was thousands of jobs available, but no one to fill them. >> the white house saying they would not be surprised if president obama was impeached. we are going to be digging below the surface and tell you why republicans and democrats are using the threat as a political tool. >> let's get a look at a top story.

the u.s. accuses russia of violating a treaty in effect since 1987. the white house said russia broke the deal when it tested a nuclear capable cruise missile. the treaty bans the missile. >> now unveiled, the $17 billion plan to ease waiting times for the v.a. the deal would allow hiring of doctors and leasing space for 27 new clinics and let veterans see private doctors if they're forced to wait more than 30 days for an appointment. >> israel hitting a gaza power station. they also targeted a hamas t.v. studio and the home of a hamas leader. several rockets were fired from gaza toward central and southern israel. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu saying the offensive against hamas will be long. >> israel says there will be no ceasefire until hamas is stripped of its tunnels and rockets. >> that could come at the expense of israel's relationship with the u.s.

>> a rare moment of criticism directed toward israel from the u.s. state department monday. >> simply not the way that partners and allies treat each other. >> the administration is not criticizing israel for what it's doing in gaza but for criticizing secretary of state john kerry's efforts to get a ceasefire, saying israel changed its bottom line and that kerry was pushing a proposal they had already agreed to. >> the proposal accepted by that the israel cabinet did not make any mention of the demilitarization or of funnels and rockets. that was not in the proposal from two weeks ago that the israeli cabinet approved. >> israel's ambassador to the u.s. made clear at a gathering of. >jewish leaders israel will not change course. >> israel will destroy the tunnels we have found and we will not stop until that job is done. >> prominent writers close to

israel are warning its leadership it could be on the verge of losing the support of the american people. television news has been showing scenes of devastation and heartbreak, so prosecutor israeli government groups are trying to recapture the narrative. >> countering these pro palestinian rallies from the last few days with their own in new york. assembling their post powerful members in washington, they were reassured by politicians from both parties. >> a terrorist is a terrorist. we should be very clear about that. hamas is evil. >> innocent life lost is a terrible tragedy. in this case, there must be no doubt who bears the responsibility for civilian deaths and that of course is hamas and its sponsor, iran. >> the obama administration sent the national security advisor

susan rise to speak. she promised to double the funding for the iron dome missile defense system in 2015 and to send an additional 220 million this year. she called for a ceasefire, but she didn't call an israel to macon session to say get one. >> stop the bombing, stop the killing! >> the only criticism of israel's actions in gaza was from the sole protestor who briefly interrupted the speech. aljazeera, washington. >> president obama spoke with prime minister netanyahu sunday. the white house said the president expressed serious and growing concern about the worsening humanitarian situation in gaza. >> coming up in our next half hour, we go live back to gaza for a live report from nick schiffron on the fighting and the response from hamas. >> the u.s. has long been concerned iraq could split into three states ruling ethnic and religious lines. a former ambassador said it's already happening, calling them

separate states. the kurds control the oil rich region in the north. the kurds also have their own army and they have been digging in. aljazeera reports from kirkuk. >> heading to the front line, it's a battle kurdish forces cannot lose. the enemy is the islamic state group and the other rebels. here south of kirkuk, these fighters have fortified their positions. a gas field and energy complex is just hundreds of meters away. signs of fighting remain. >> our mission is to defend kirkuk and prevent advancement. they use precise mortar shells and snipers. the iraqi army abandoned weapons

and fled after an assault by sunni rebels. kurdish troops moved in and took control. that puts them at the forefront of battles with the islamic state. the flag of the islamic group is raised about 800 meters away from where i am. kurdish forces are engaged in fierce battles with the islamic group on a number of fronts. they are overstretched. the commander in kirkuk shows me the hot spots in the area under his command, but he says the battle is much wider. >> from the syrian bored tort border of iran, we are ready for them. they are all well trained, former army officers, arabs, afghans and chechens.

>> fighters from the islamic state parade the streets and town. tens of fighters well armed and determined to carry on. kurdish security officials say these fighters are armed with modern weapons seized from the iraqi army. back at the kurdish front, the person megaare preparing for a long battle. >> it is believed to have 4,000 fighters helping it gain control in iraq and syria. >> there are new worries over the spread eve bowl la. hundreds have died in africa. one victim was scheduled to fly to the u.s. u.s. officials are urging vigilance for travelers. we have more.

>> the ebola outbreak that started in west africa has left two american health workers in liberia fighting for their lives. liberia quickly shut its borders but the virus spread to neighboring countries. >> this highlights the need for us to enhance our efforts around global health security everywhere in the world. >> despite airport screenings in west africa, the c.d.c. and state department of concerned the next outbreak could be just one flight away. >> we're taking every precaution, of course, as would be expected. >> that includes providing u.s. missions with protective equipment and supplies. ebola is an extremely deadly disease, typically only one in 10 survive. in this outbreak so far, it's four in 10. it may take up to three weeks for symptoms to appear, health workers are at risk. >> there were 10, 15, even 20 hour days and in those conditions, it is possible for

someone to slip up and become infected. >> 650 people in guinea, liberia and sierra leone have died since february. monday, nigeria saw its first victim. u.s. officials are trying to make sure this deadly virus doesn't cross the atlantic. >> a senior fellow at ford ham university has made a number of trips to africa to treat disease's there, doctor thanks for being with us today. two americans working in africa now contracting the ebola virus. having been on the ground, how did it happen and how chilling is this for other doctors who want to travel to africa? >> in terms of protracting the virus, it's important to say the work they're doing is heroic and there's no breach of protocol. they are experts of dealing with this. they are short of money and human resources. these teams are working at

capacity. if you imagine this environment, 95 degrees today. they'll be wearing full protective wear, double gloves, face masks, boots, everything. it's 115 degrees in those suits. >> on the subject of monrovia, i have flown out of that airport. americans have the belief that airports are like they might see in the u.s. i walked through the airport, you hand them a piece of paper one get on the plane. how do you stop ebola from spreading to the u.s. and beyond when there are roll no safeguards in the airports. >> borders in africa don't reassemble the borders in north america. we probably shouldn't be focusing on that. >> why not, why shouldn't we be focused on it? there are concerns it may spread. >> if we think about the airports, the story that this is one plane flight away from an ebola epidemic is not the case. it's not a virus that would work

to spread an epidemic. >> why not? >> it's recognizable quickly. if you have h.i.v., you can spread it a lot before you're recognized at having that condition. if you have ebola, you'll be dead within days. people with the virus look very sick. if you know what you're looking for, you recognize it quickly. this is not something that is going to spread in a western country. >> you said somebody traveling with a fever and the other symptoms ebola might prevent could be common. >> i'm not saying it's not possible of having a case in new york, but our public health infrastructure are so good and hour ways are isolating these people are so good, it would be unlikely to spread. the gentlemen who got from liberia to lagos, he traveled extremely sick on a crowded plane and he didn't spread it to anyone else. >> yes or no, would you be afraid of going back? >> absolutely not. i think this work is incredibly important.

these teams need more money and more support and this epidemic we have to containtain. >> thank you very much for being with us this morning. >> president obama is drafting plan to say grant work we are mitts to millions of undocumented migrants living in the u.s. lawmakers say that would law those immigrants to stay in the country without threat of deportation. white house aids say they've openly discussed the possibility that the move could lead to impeachment proceedings. >> migrant workers in qatar say they have not been paid for luxury offices used by world cup organizers. it's been 13 months since they saw a paycheck. the workers say they are trapped and working illegally from cockroach infested lodgings. the network is owned by qatari interests. >> the minimum wage will be boosted to 11:50 by 2007. it goes now to the mayor.

it affects mostly restaurant and retail workers in san diego, adding $260 million a year into the economy. >> there is trouble hiring workers in big cities. >> often enough, higher wages is not enough to get people in the door. >> when new york city restaurants need extra staff. they turned to the gourmet institute. >> what do they say? what do they need? >> they say send me bodies, anybody, send me people. >> government figures show as of may, 2014, there are 660,000 openings in the food service industry. that's more than 200,000 job increase over the same time last year. the shortage of workers has been steadily rising since 2009 when there were 260,000 openings. the shortage is having a greater

effect on fine and casual dining restaurants. >> the upper income brackets because of the stock market and pretty good wages at that level of doing much better and sort of going out a little bit more. >> since the recession, most income gains have gone to people earning $70,000 or more. industry experts say restaurants have increased wages and benefits to lure in talent. some offer retirement plans and sick leave, but compensation is still low compared to the overall economy. average u.s. workers earn roughly $25 an hour, but food service workers earn only half that. that income disparity keeps the talent supply down. >> restaurants complaining about worker shortages typically in big cities like here in new york, san francisco or seattle where even the wages are rising, often not high enough to law this class of workers to afford to live by them receivers in the cities where they cook. >> to live in the city, you have to either pick up extra shifts or find or some people work

multiple jobs. >> many people are ditching the restaurant world altogether and bringing their experience to higher paying parts of the quickly evolving food service industry, like nursing homes, food tech start ups, home delivery services, marketing firms and food development companies. >> while the purely economic solution to the worker shortage would be to pay more money until every last position is filled, chris lloyd said that's not possible. he recruits and places restaurant talent in washington, d.c. >> all those restaurant groups and hotels pay people a ton of money, that would be great, but then all the consumers would end up paying more, so you're $9 burrito would be $15. i don't know if the economy can stand for that. >> i know that i'm going to be making not a lot of money and i'm ok with that, because that's just what the deal is. >> aljazeera, new york. >> america's food service industry employs more than 10 million people. >> still a big conversation around the country.

>> two men got way more than they bargained for what they tried to hold up a houston gas station. it was all out on camera. the clerk turns out to be a tell my pro mixed martial arts cage fighter. he and a coworker unleashing furious kicks and punches and sent the suspects running for their lives. one of them doesn't make it to the getaway car and winds up knocked out in the parking lot until the police arrived. >> i laughed, but i shouldn't have laughed, but yes, i probably will laugh again. >> i think the right people won in this case. >> let's look at other headlines around the world. breaking down on a maiden voyage hours after launch. the prime minister made a glowing speech about turkeys expertise and slammed saboteurs for delaying the project. the windshield was cracked. the train had to stop for 30 minutes to firm the problem. >> embarrassing because they touted this as turkey's arrival

in the g20 and how it is as advanced as other countries with that probably just some bad luck at the end of the day. >> you know the computer font, another option, the distinctive chavez pro designed to emulate the handwriting of the late socialist leader hugo chavez. while he was in office many times, he used his handwriting in presentations on white boards. it became famous, now on billboards, tee shirts and now a font you can download. >> just don't use it when you write at a letter to the white house. >> if you're looking for the special someone, you may have been the subject of experiments on line. ok cupid proudly admits they used their customers as guinea pigs. the founder posted we experiment on human beings, seems that basically they set up a phony profile, send it out to users and the'sers like the profile even though it wasn't a person.

>> they basically sent people on bad dates, knowing the formula wasn't good for that person and sit bag and giggle over it. >> it's called crisis in chicago, a big spike in gun violence this summer. >> we're going to find out how one windy city lawmaker is calling for the national guard to come in. we'll talk about that straight healed. >> a big plan to help elephants thrive in captivity. how zoos in the u.s. are changing the way they live. >> we know that octopus are smart, but researchers think some of social, as well. they posted their on line dating surveys. details ahead in our discovery of the day.

>> israel's invasion of gaza continues tonight. >> we have been hearing a lot of tank shelling coming from where we are, here. >> every single one of these buildings shook violently. >> for continuing coverage of the israeli / palestinian conflict, stay with al jazeera america, your global news leader. @j

>> talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america >> this number is incredible, there have been nearly 1300

shootings in chicago since the beginning of the year. >> deadly gun violence hit a boiling point over the july 4 weekend when more than 80 people were shot in just three days. this past weekend, hundreds gathered at a funeral for an 11-year-old killed by a stray bullet at a slumber party. hours earlier, a 3-year-old boy was caught in the crossfire, but survived. now residents and lawmakers are calling for the national guard to step in. my next guest is one of those state representative ford joins us now from chicago. representative, thanks for being with us this morning. why the national guard? some would say that's an extreme step. >> well, i mean, good morning. i think that it's important that we put all options on the table to protect the liberties that individuals have in chicago. and now -- >> what could the national guard actually do? would they be involved in the arrests, would they be involved in patrolling the streets? that

would their function be? >> first, they should meet with the chicago superintendent and find out how they could provide a presence in the city of chicago to deter crime. what we need is for people to be afraid to commit crime in chicago, be afraid to kill someone in chicago, and have a fear that if you kill someone, if you shoot someone, if you commit acts of violence, you will get caught. so i think that the presence of the national guard with the chicago police, with other law enforcement agencies could possibly deter crime. >> besides the deterrent and you have called for the national guard before, it seems like every summer, chicago has a problem with gun violence. you called north national guard in 2010. is getting help from the national guard a sort of last resort for the city? >> it seems to me that the superintendent of chicago police

feels that they have it under control, but there are lots of things that we could be working with. we could work with our cook county sheriff tom dart to deploy lots of his officers. the national guard should definitely be at the table to provide strategies on how to deal with the problems that these troubled high owe risk communities are having. we could use the national guard to root out and all of the drugs that are in these high violent communities and those are part of the reasons why these communities are violent, because there's a lot of drugs in those communities. >> right. some would say that the national guard maybe isn't the right agency to combat drug cartels, but look, you represent an area and live in an area with a high violent crime rate. do your constituents want armed troops patrolling the streets? >> what people want, they don't want the national guard of the

1960's where tanks and police coming down with guns and implementing curfews and things like that. what they want is peace officers, people that could bring peace to the communities and if the national guard could come and work and provide strategies and bring peace in the communities, then i think that the people would welcome that, but if the national guard is going to come in and be unfriendly and cause havoc, then they don't want it. what i want is more presence to deter crime. i believe that our men in uniform are respectable, and they provide human services to people when they're in trouble and i think that they could provide support for the people of the city of chicago. >> i hear everything you're saying and i hear in the many people we've interviewed in your community, fear that continues to run throughout.

we wish you the best of luck and thank you for your time. illinois state representative ford joining us this morning. >> i fear one of those guardsman would be shot, too. time to check our weather with meteorologist nicole mitchell. >> getting off toward the great lakes, 50's this morning. it's comfortable to open up the windows overnight in some cases, well to the south, those temperatures in the 70's. look at this for the rest of the day, places that were in the 80's like new york, more in the 70's and much more humidity after that boundary that's gone through the region. that's going to keep it comfortable for the next days, a lot of 70's as you get toward the great lakes, maybe a couple of places not making it out of the 60s, but a fair amount of sunshine to feeling a little fallish. >> we'll take it, thank you. >> time for our discovery of the day. it involves the social life of an octopus. >> did you know they are known at one of the smartest creatures under the sea? >> i did not know that.

>> they were thought of as loaners but that's not always the case. >> they live in groups of 40. sometimes they like to eat each other, making it difficult to monitor them in the lab. >> the aging zoo elephant population is dwindling. only 66 have herds. >> a zoo in seattle is making tough decisions. >> all these people eagerly waiting in line are about to get closer to an 8,000-pound giant. at 47 years old, bamboo is the oldest elephant here at the zoo. >> hi, sweetie pie. >> she shares this space with two other elephants, all of them have spent their lives here. you'll never see all three interact at the same time. one is unpredictable and aggressive towards the other.

>> even when we have elephants sharing the same space together, they often choose to be at opposite ends of the exhibit. >> a growing body of evidence shows that zoo elephants thrive when they were able to socialize with each other in a herd of three or more. accredited zoos are required to increase their herds or phase out their programs and donate their elephants to other zoos. because of her aggressive nature, that's what the park may soon do with the older elephant, requiring another elephant that gets along better with the rest of the herd. >> when i look at the elephants and see them, i think it's a very sad commentary on our humanity. >> eileen said the elephants are stressed with highway noise behind them and less than an acre to roam. >> what would you like to see? >> i'd like to see them retired

to a sanctuary where they can roam an vast acres of land, where they can swim in a lake, and heal from the arthritis and lameness that they have and become as much of an elephant as they can for the remainder of their lives. >> curator believes zoo's have a duty yea to breed more elephants and sanctuaries are for older elephants that will not pro create. ramirez said with 96 elephants approached for their ivory each day. >> if given the choice between zoo and roaming the wild, the elephants are safer in a zoo, because they don't have the threats in the wild. >> ramirez hopes providing an up close and personal experience will inspire everyone to join the effort to save the

elephants. tanya mosley, aljazeera, seattle. >> they are worth saving. >> we are back in two minutes with more aljazeera america. >> stay with us. s. >> a shocking america tonight investigative report... >> you take someones hopes and dreams of childhood, and then out right steal their money >> wishing to start a family >> we lost over $20,000 trying to do surrogacy in mexico >> but left with broken hearts and empty pockets >> how much money do you owe people >> around $350,000 >> praying on the vulnerable >> i have nothing to hide, if i was a scam artist, i would have cut and run from here >> surrogacy inc. an american tonight investigative report only on al jazeera america >> 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

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>> new caseations against russia, the u.s. said moscow is breaking a treaty building and testing a cruise missile capable of traveling hundreds of miles. >> benjamin netanyahu warning of a prolonged military campaign against hamas as israel strikes numerous targets in gaza overnight, including its only power plant. >> a growing movement to impeach president obama. is it a real option for just a

tool to rally the conservative base? >> the business of bringing big guns to the big screen. the man called upon what hollywood wants approval for the next blockbuster. >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. >> i'm stephanie sy. with international eyes focused on russia in the ukraine and recent downing of malaysia airlines flight 17, there are new allegations this morning about moscow's use of a potentially deadly weapon. >> the white house is saying that russia broke a decades old arms treaty when it fired a cruise missile three years ago, raising new concerns that moscow could abandon that landmark deal from the 1980's that ended the cold war. >> this alleged violation happened back in 2011, so why did the u.s. wait to bring it up for so long? >> it happened perhaps as far back as even 2008. the fact that the u.s. is bringing it up now marks a new low in modern-u.s. russia relations, a new low during

president obama's term in office. it comes on the heels of disputes over ukraine, the downing of the malaysian jetliner and russia's asylum for n.s.a. leaker edward snowden. now accusations that russia has violated a treaty at the heart of arms control. >> it helped two super powers end the cold war, now 30 years later, the same deal threatens to divide the united states and russia even further. monday, president obama in a letter to russian president putin accused moscow of violating a missile ban signed by ronald reagan and mikael gorbachev in 1987. the state department in a report to be delivered to congress today says russia has tested a missile banned by the agreement known as the intermediate rank nuclear forces treaty. that prohibits both countries from firing any land based or across missile capable of reaching a distance up to

3400 miles. while washington wants direct talks, moscow said the matter is closed. it's the latest chapter in a year that has seen increasingly strained relations between the u.s. and russia especially over ukraine and the recent downing of malaysia airlines flight 17. >> there is evidence of high precision artillery pieces fired from russia into ukraine and the malaysian airliner was shot down in separatist held territory by a surface to air missile that we are confident was provided by russia. >> as a result, the u.s. and european union are considering more sanctions. those are meant to hit key energy, financial and military sectors even harder than prefers penalties. as the u.s. and other countries continue to insist russia is arming separatists in eastern on you crane. >> our purpose here again is not to punish russia, but to make clear that it must cease support for the separatists and stop

destabilizing ukraine. >> state department officials say secretary of state john kerry talked about this for the first time with his russian counterpart, sergey lavrov on sunday. we'll watch to see what happens as congress gets information about this from the white house today. >> possibly just another chink in the relationship. with these new sanctions, what kind of message is the white house trying to send to moscow, libby? >> this would definitely be a steph up, stephanie, because the u.s. has been taking the lead on this, and the e.u. has been slower to react. mostly because europe has very close economic ties with russia, so there's a question of what it would mean for the economy of countries like germany. in the aftermath of the malaysia jetliner getting shot down, many country witness, including germany is talking about imposing sanctions. we saw president obama holding a joint video conference with leaders of germany, italy, also greats britain and france trying

to get on the same page so that they can indeed speak with one unified voice in sanctions economically but also to hit philosophically, hitting with muscle rather than countries going it alone. >> libby, thank you. >> let's get the russian reaction to these new sanctions. aljazeera is in moscow. russia said foreign minister seems to be defiant despite the announcement. how has sergey lavrov been responding? >> sorry, could you repeat the question? the sakes that are being talked about in the european union at the moment. >> sergey lavrov, what has his response been, defiant. >> well, it's, yeah, what he's saying essentially is that russia is going to be waiting, watching, and monitoring what these sanctions might be, how much pain is going to be leveed

against russia by the european union. only then will they come out and give a full response, but lavrov yesterday was saying that russia is not going to get lured into a tit for tat boomeranging of sanctions backwards and forwards, the eu.'s doing this, russia's therefore going to do that. that's not the way at least publicly that russia wants to play this. it wants to take a moral high ground. it wants to essentially tell the european union, tell america that these sanctions that are being pushed might be tough in the short term, but in the long term, they're not going to make a difference. actually, lavrov said they might make russia more cohesive and economics more secure. >> the e.u. does an awful lot of business with russia and sanctions will be costly to the e.u., especially germany, which has been reluctant to impose stronger sanctions against

russia. what changed this time? >> i think mh17. it's the one event that has really galvanized the european politicians from their previous position, which essentially was sitting on the fence. many people in the eu in countries that do a lot of business with russia were trying to wait and see what happened, trying to give rauch is that the benefit of the doubt. they didn't want their own domestics to go heard. it has turned the tide in europe and made it much more hawkish in the way that it's going to deal with russia. >> live in moscow this morning for us, thank you very much. >> coming up in 25 minutes, we'll talk to retired brigadier general on these allegations against russia and the motive for breaking this treaty.

>> israel unleashed its heaviest bombardment in gaza yet, knocking out a power station, hamas t.v. studios and home of a hamas leader. several rockets flew from gaza into israel. benjamin netanyahu is promising this campaign won't stop unless hamas's tunnels are destroyed. nick schiffron in gaza. how were today's bombings more extensive than prior strikes? >> they were absolutely relentless and they targeted the symbols of hamas' power for the first time. that's why they were different. they targeted the home which hamas' number one official here, the number two officials in the organization. the house is completely rubble. he wasn't there. he's underground like many hamas officials. these designs pressure hamas. hamas t.v. has been destroyed, the offices right in downtown gaza city were hit by at least two air strikes, according to

officials there, as well as government offices run by hamas. now the other big incident in terms of the violence this morning, as you said is the power plant. israel officials cannot confirm yet that they actually struck that power plant, but it has a huge impact on the people are gaza. that power plant provides gaza some two thirds of its power, and local officials there saying they have no capacity to put this fire out. stephanie, it might take a year to actually firm the power plant before this strike. most gaza people only had two or three hours of electricity and a lot of people tricking to have no electricity coming up in the future. >> under the blockade, power had already been sporadic in gaza. how much pressure is prime minister netanyahu under to appease israeli hardliners in the government who want a more aggressive approach in gaza? >> there's pressure on netanyahu from both sides, from president

obama, who was very in diplomatic language strong with netanyahu the other day, urging him, telling him that this operation needs to calm down, that there needs to be a ceasefire, there needs tube negotiation for a permanent ceasefire, and as you suggest, a lot of pressure from the right, from his right. netanyahu's obviously a conservative prime minister. there are members of his cabinet that are farther right from him, and they are urging him to not stop before they can finish the job and that means going off the tunnels, going after rocket launchers, but clearly this morning, stephanie, the targets are expanding beyond tunnels and rocket launchers. >> reporting from gaza, nick, that you can. >> to the crisis in ukraine, international crews trying to get to the site of the downed malaysia airlines flight 17, but heavy fighting blocking them. we're hearing that a dutch police mission there has now abandoned plans to go to the

crash site. what happened? >> the problem is that the war is raging very much in and around the vicinity where malaysia airlines flight 17 came down. that's to the east of donetsk, the city where i'm talking to you from. it is a crucial area for the government. they're trying to punch through that area, isolate this city, and cut off the lifeline for the separatists militia who control the city, which is linked contiguously to russia. if they can pass through the area where the mh17 came down, they would make a clean break. it has been frustrating for those observers, for the dutch and australian policemen. they've made repeated forays to the crash site. each time they felt they had to come back, it wasn't safe. they were hearing shell fire and light gunfire in the vicinity of

the crash. >> what is the security situation like where you are in donetsk? >> donetsk is a pretty spooky city at the moment, to be absolutely honest, probably more than half its residents, maybe two thirds have fled in recent weeks, fearing the worst, as the government gets closer and closer, its military gets closer and closer. there has been shelling and artillery, the sounds throughout many recent nights, but today, we heard, we think five rounds landing rather uncomfortably in residential areas in the city center. we're still waiting for casualty details, but understand that one shell went right through an apartment block, so the short answer to your question is it is not a very safe place to be anymore. >> aljazeera in donetsk, thank you very much. >> the u.n. security council black lifted the owner of a north korean ship seized near

the panama canal it was it was found to have cuban weapons onboard. ments insisted they were being transferred to pyongyang for rare. it will initiate an asset seize and travel ban. >> a trial will take place for the sunken ferry that killed 300 people, many from one single high school. some classmates told the court they were given repeated orders not to leave the boat as it sank. >> a stranded whale watching boat has just returned to boston. it was moments ago. the ship was tangled in a lobster trap, forcing the 153 people onboard to spend the night several miles off the coast. divers freed the boat after multiple failed attempts. passengerring will be getting a full refund. >> a massive wildfire in california now 75% contained. the sierra hills fire near sacramento burned through 13 homes and just under six square miles of round.

most of the 1200 people under evacuation orders have been told they can go back. a second wildfire has burned through four square miles around yosemite national park. >> for more on the conditions fire crews are facing, let's bring in meteorologist nicole mitchell. >> weaver talked about fires so far this season and we're really just now getting into what is the more typical fire season out here with the dry conditions in the latter part of the summer. through the four corners region, we have had a moist flow. enough to bring heavy amounts of rain from time to time, but more for the four corners region, the whole west needs it, but not to some of the fire areas. you can see this is very spotty, some of of the places have gotten heavier amounts, heavy enough that you might see temporary flooding from time to time and the northwest, as well, we talked about the large washington fire, very try here. the concern is still with areas of lightning, not a lot of moisture making it here but possibly some of the storms and if they don't make it to the

ground, we're going to see the potential for more of those fire risk areas and lightning reigniting things, so something we'll to have watch during the course of the day. >> high profile republicans raising the possibility of impeaching president obama, and the white house says it's taking the threat seriously. we'll talk with an expert about why. >> it came in and ripped the heart out of our community and it is so bad that i got my fat self up and i'm going to walk to washington, d.c. about it. >> he is a mayor on a mission walking 300 miles to sound the alarm. he is upset about the decision to shut down the only hospital in his town. >> a series of tornadoes tear through colorado. that video and the others captured by our citizen journalists from around the world. worl vé

>> time for a look at votes captured by citizen journalists around the world. three tornadoes touching down in denver monday, one funnel cloud is here. >> boy, she's close. >> an estimated 45,000 people

gathered at the mosque in jerusalem to demonstrate in support of people in gaza. this video was taken at the protest which took place at the start of the muslim holiday. >> thousands of people taking to the streets in the philippines were protesting the president's state of the nation address. police can be seen using water cannons on the demonstrators, many calling for the impeachment of the president. >> the idea of impeaching president obama is being floated. >> a murder case is making nationwide headlines. 55-year-old theodore wafer admits to killing and shooting ranisha mcbride, claiming self defense. his case has become a hotbed for racial tensions. who are we expecting to hear from today? >> we are expecting to hear gun

experts this morning. yesterday, the prosecution called a total of nine witnesses to the stand, which included testimony from one of wafer's neighbors, as well as one of mcbride's friends. >> jurors heard from a young man who was among a few people to speak to mcbride before she died. he said when he spoke to mcbride on the phone, late on the night of friday, november 1, she sounded disoriented. >> i think around that time, she might have been drinking. >> what made you think that? >> she first talking, she was slurring. >> hours later, the 19-year-old crashed her vehicle into a parked car. according to earlier testimony, mcbride had spent the afternoon before her death smoking marijuana and drinking vodka with a friend. questions still remain as to how she ended up on the front porch of theodore wafer's home in dearborn heights banging on his door the next morning.

>> he's in the kitchen and over there again and then what happened? bang bang bang, side door? >> the neighbor heard the fatal gunshot. >> after this gunshot, do you notice police? >> yes, sir. it was pretty quick, about two or three minutes. >> there's no question wafer shot mcbride. wafer's lawyers say it was self defense. the prosecution is trying to prove the 55-year-old had other options opinion in addition to two cell phone experts, both sides also questioned several forensic scientists. investigators waited more than a week to dust the scene for fingerprints. the defense asked if this could affect evidence. >> if you don't collect the fingerprint evidence quickly enough, it candace appear. >> it can. it depends on the circumstances, yes. >> the judge had some very strong words for some of those in the courtroom, saying that it was inappropriate to gasp, as well as walk out during testimony. tomorrow, we are expected to

hear from the medical examiner who looked at mcbride's body after she died, and from there, this trial is expected to wrap up. back to you. >> joining us live from detroit this morning, thanks. >> house republicans are working overtime to pass a border bill before friday's august recess. g.o.p. leaders say they're confident they can get the vote to say pass the bill before leaving. the legislation is expected to cost less than $1 billion and will include recommendations made by the house gop border working group. >> the house working on a plan to give work we are mitts to millions of undocumented migrants, saying the goal was to let immigrants stay in the country without threat of deportation. the white house aides say they have openly discussed the possibility could lead to impeachment proceedings. >> that is the provocative question some are asking in washington, should president obama be impeached. >> some republicans say yes. a majority of republicans agree.

while leaders say they are not thinking about it, the white house said it is taking the threat seriously. >> i think a lot of people in this town laugh that off. i think it is, i would not discount that possibility. >> here to talk about all this is professor of campaign management at new york university. always great to have you. let's just get this out of the way. could republicans get the votes in the house to proceed with articles of impeachment right now. >> it would be very difficult. they could do it, because, was, it's up to members of the house how you define high crimes and misdemeanors. that said, what has the president done that would rise to that level? they've had a very difficult time answer that go question. look at what john boehner is doing with this lawsuit. they're filing a lawsuit because they say he didn't implement, he delayed parts of the affordable care act and yet in ironically, they are the ones who don't want the affordable care act. >> they are saying there's an abuse of executive action.

>> because he delayed that. they're having a hard time articulating what they would be impeaching him for. >> are you alleging there might be partisan politics at stake? >> never. >> a recent poll said 57% of republicans say the president should be impeached. that compared to only 13% of democrats. what exactly does that say now. >> it says it's all about politics. the same numbers when bush was in office, when the democrats were floating this contracted about bush, so absolutely this is all about mid term elections and not only republicans playing games on this, the white house is, as well. >> because the white house says they're taking it seriously. are they expecting this to backfire? >> or rally their base. >> they are sending out fundraising emails and letters, the white house is enjoying this tremendously. since obama has come into office, if you are talking about the issue of the birthers on up

to this, every time they think the republicans are acting a little bit crazy, they want to talk about it, it gets their base out to vote and gets them money. >> i want to get to the facts of impeachment. the bush administration lied about weapons of mass destruction, we went to war against iraq. it cost the country dearly in terms of men and women to died on the battlefield and bank resulted the country. is anything rising to the level of an impeachable offense. >> nothing that i can see. an impeachable defense is very difficult to get to. that said again, it's important to remember it's the house members who would be casting that vote, so what they define as impeachable defense could lead to that. that's where there is a serious aspect here that the white us are right to be concerned about, that this could move there. john boehner said they wouldn't shut down the government, they did. he said they wounded use other means and they did. when he says this isn't going to happen, we don't know that for certain. >> depends on your definition

of-is." >> a new sign this morning that health care costs could be start to go come down. medicare covered 1 million more people last year but spent less on benefits in 2013 than the year before. a new federal forecast says medicare should be able to provide benefits for four more years than once thought. >> while we were on the subject of forecasts, let's find temperatures across the nation today. we turn to nicole mitchell. >> dealing with chilly air towards the great lakes region, a couple of 50's out there this morning. overall, with that front that went through, that was the same one that brought showers and storms to the east coast yesterday, maybe a little southward today with the storminess, but a lot of that is moving off the coast. it brought in cooler canada air. we are going to be watching for temperatures, chicago, for example, 79 degrees, you get into the northeast, all this air was already a little moved in for the midwest, but now more is moving to the east coast, so

these are the temperatures we are going to feel the most traumatic change. pittsburgh might not get out of the 60's today, but a lot of sunshine across the region. crisp temperatures with sunshine feels pretty good, especially this time of year, a little break from places like houston, 92 and high humidity. i'd rather take the 70's. back to you guys. >> the u.s. laying out new allegations against russia, saying moscow broke a decades old treaty. is russia gearing up for an international conflict? we'll talk about that with a restored brigadier general. >> a $17 billion plan to fix the department of veteran affairs. the details of their prescription for the agency. >> giving hollywood access to the u.s. military. we'll talk to the man charged with that task about why it's so important to both sides. >> a look at our images of the day. are you ready for some football? do pig skins fly? training camps underway around

the country. the countdown is on, just one month to go before opening day. that is on september 4. tember 4. >> israel's invasion of gaza continues tonight. >> we have been hearing a lot of tank shelling coming from where we are, here. >> every single one of these buildings shook violently. >> for continuing coverage of the israeli / palestinian conflict, stay with al jazeera america, your global news leader.

>> hundreds of days in detention. >> al jazeera rejects all the charges and demands immediate release. >> thousands calling for their freedom. >> it's a clear violation of their human rights. >> we have strongly urged the government to release those journalists.

>> journalism is not a crime. >> you're looking at live pictures from gaza with a plume of smoke there. israel's military continues to strike numerous targets in the area. good morning and welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm del walters. >> ahead, a legal blow for donald sterling in his fight to hold on to the l.a. clippers. john henry smith joins us for what it means for the sale of the team. >> one new york city rich in culture is now helping create culture in the tech industry. >> one little drummer boy showing off. yes, he can play. wow. with the best of them. >> prime minister benjamin

netanyahu is making good on his promise for a long and compositive campaign against hamas. israel hit a power station, setting it on fire, also targeting hamas t.v. studios and the home of a hamas leader. >> rockets from gaza also flew into israel. we have more on the latest rye lens. >> flares light up the night sky. a government complex and building housing several media companies were hit. early in the night, israel warned people in five areas of the gaza strip to get out by making phone calls and sending text messages.

they were told to leave their homes and go to central gaza city. people could be seen walking to safety, with the children and with whatever they could carry. the home of hamas leader came under fire, the missile caused damage, but no one was hurt. >> rockets were fired from gas into israel territory, too, but they were intercepted by the iron dome or fell on empty ground. with technology and a strong early on their side, nighttime is a far less frightening prospect for israel citizens. to people in gaza, the sound of drones, a constant reminder of the danger in the night sky above. as the run rises, it brings another day to assess the damage and see how many homes and lives are gone. >> the israel military said 70 targets were struck in gaza

overnight. >> the u.s. and europe are now taking a united stand against russia this morning, working on some of the strongest sanctions against moscow yet. they target financial defense and energy sectors. the move is in response to claims that moscow is stepping up troop presence on the border with ukraine and shipping more heavy weapon to say separatists. the u.s. is leveling new charges against the kremlin saying russia broke an arms treaty signed more than 25 years ago. this was the reset with hillary clinton and sergey lavrov. the white house saying that moscow tested a ground-based cruise missile system in 2011, all of this in violation of an accord signed by president reagan and gorbachev. moscow said the matter is closed. let's talk about it now with a retired brigadier general. how serious is this alleged treaty violation? >> it's not only important in

and of itself, but it's an indicator of a larger organs on the part of putin that he sees an indecisive europe and split united states and can take advantage of that situation. >> is he targeting specifically a weak barack obama? we are hearing reports that this violation happened three years ago, perhaps longer when the president took office. does that indicate russia is ramping up for some type of international conflict. >> i don't think russia is ramping up for an international conflict as much as being taken advantage of what is offered to them. if there isn't a pushback, he's going to take what's being offered. >> i want to talk about the state of the war in syria. opposition activists now saying 2,000 people die in just the last two weeks. if these reports are correct, what is the status of the war there now? it seems it has been ramped up considerably. >> it has been.

i think it's tragic that the world focuses on different issues on different days. ukraine one day, gaza another day and yet we haven't been focused on syria. the number of casualties is tremendous, but i think it's important to recognize that the equipment provided by the united states and other countries is starting to have an effect, the missiles certainly are having an effect. if we want to help the vetted syrian rebels, air defense weapons would make a significant impact on that situation. >> general, it seems this war dropped off the radar in recent months. why? >> well, again, i think it's the media's attention being focused on the crisis of the day and there is no lack of crises between ukraine, gaza, tripoli, and syria and iraq. it's really unfortunate, because it's going to have long term consequences, particularly between the way the situation in syria and the situation in iraq is becoming part of a single

hole, a single sham, which is a direct threat to the united states. >> are we now nearing a tipping point in syria and could the islamic state group take over that country and out of the president bashar al assad? >> well, the islamic state is becoming stronger and stronger. the few vetted rebel groups that were supporting are getting weaker and weaker and bashar al assad is taking at advantage of that situation and he's driving home his offenses, as well. we have to pick the devil that is offered. we can either side with bashar al assad, the islamic state or the free syrian army. it teams to me that the most reliable and the most favorable of those organizations to the united states security interests is the free syrian army. >> retired brigadier general joining us from washington, d.c. thank you. >> libya is asking for international help battling fires at the international airport in tripoli.

the flames raging out of control this morning, warring militia's set fuel tanks ablaze during fighting and the fire spread to other nearby tanks. residents nearby have been told to evacuate. >> new worries that weapons sent to afghanistan could fall into the hands of taliban. the pentagon has lost track of tens of thousands of weapons and the afghan's can't account for them, either. the documents revealed the u.s. provided more ammunition than requested. >> today, the u.s. senate expected to take up president obama's nomination to the veteran of -- secretary of veteran affairs, robert mcdonald. >> lawmakers on both sides are pushing a bill to overhaul the v.a. system. this really sounds like a bipartisan deal for once. >> it certainly does, plus the white house is urging congress to pass this bill, too, just as president obama is slated to visit privately with injured vets at walter reed army medical center later today.

it's not a done deal. in my it passes, the lawmakers who put it together are convinced it will. >> a rare compromise between an independent senator from vermont and republican congressman from florida who say their $17 billion deal is an emergency fix for a broken system. >> this agreement will go a long way to helping resolve the crisis that exists out there today. >> a national disgrace, veterans died waiting for care that never came. >> in recent months, the v.a. has been plagued by scandal, a major backlog of veterans waiting for care, including some who died while waiting, along with allegations of a cover up. >> you can't do veterans like this. >> this deem is designed to drive down patient wait times and hold v.a. leaders accountable. $10 billion of it would pay for veterans to use private doctors. that care would only be available to patients who live more than 40 miles from a v.a. facility or face a wait time of more than 30 days.

another $5 billion would beef up more hospitals, hiring more doctors and nurses. more community based clinics would open, 27 locations in 18 states and puerto rico. it's the private doctor part of the deal that could make the biggest difference to veterans that need care. >> utilizing private providers is something that's going to immediately alleviate the access crisis. >> this deal does not include money to upgrade the democratic's outdated scheduling system which is what the acting secretary gibson sloan said was crucial. still, this is a start and the clock is ticking. friday congress breaks for the summer. >> he was a man with a mission. the mayor of bell haven, north carolina embarked on a 300-mile walk. >> he said he wanted to protest the closing of the town's only hospital. >> we visited the town where

residents fear they may be cut off from modern medical care. ♪ ♪ >> along north carolina's river, a gospel singer belted out a civil rights anthem as a group of unlikely allies protested the closing of the only hospital for miles around. bell haven hospital served more than 20,000 people across a huge rural area. the head of north carolina's naacp joined the republican mayor of bell haven as he set out on a 275-mile walk to washington, d.c. the mayor is on a mission to shame the company that closed the hospital and pressure the government to do something about it. >> they came in and ripped the heart out of our community. it is so bad, the that i got my fat several up and i'm going to

walk to washington, d.c. about it. that's how egregious it is. >> early in july, a north carolina hospital chain shut down the hospital. it said the hospital was losing up to $2 million a year, but the mayor and the naacp claim the company broke a promise to keep bell haven open. >> only a few days after this sign went up at the newly closed hospital, 48-year-old portia gibbs was suffering chest pains. with the hospital closure, the nearest emergency room was an hour and a half away. >> when she started having chest pains that morning, it was out of the blue. >> hope to go save time, gibbs raced 20 miles to the nearest ambulance station. his wife was still breathing. paramedics called in a helicopter. it had to come from a town 45 miles away, just before it landed, a paramedic delivered

the dreaded news. >> the paramedic come out and said we've done all we can do, her heart just cannot take it no more. at that point, they called it. >> the county e.m.s. director said gibbs would not have been taken to bell haven even if that was an option, because the hospital lacked the facilities to treat her critical condition. doctor charles, a family physician here for 50 years and the hospital's former chief of staff disagrees. >> if we had this hospital open, she would have been able to be in our emergency room in 30 minutes and she would be attended immediately. >> do you think your wife would have survived had the hospital still been open? >> i look at it this way. we didn't have the option. >> bell haven's mayor and other local officials negotiated to take over the hospital. health officials reversed to talk to america tonight.

in a statement, it was insisted: the mayor chance. >> for two weeks, mayor o'neill kept walking all the way to washington, where he'll be looking for help to reopen his towed hospital. his mission is literally a matter of life and death. aljazeera, bell haven, north carolina. >> it's another problem with health care in this country you don't often hear about. the mayor arrived in washington, d.c. he finished the two week walk on monday. >> we have an update for you on another story. a texas man is under arrest, charged with sending hundreds of threatening of letters containing white powder. since 2008, he sent more than 500 letters to schools, government buildings and embassies in the united states and overseas, as well.

the white powder was harmless, but he face is up to five years in prison if found guilty. >> the new york city police department again in hot water this morning. there are new allegations that one of its officers placed someone in a chokehold, this time a pregnant woman. roseanne miller was breaking city law grilling in front of her home when she was stopped. the nypd bans the use of choke holds. earlier this man, a man died after being put in a chokehold. activists say the nypd did use that technique on him. >> the ku klux klan addressing the recent central american migrant crisis. we get an inside look at the hate group and recent rise in k.k.k. membership. >> donald sterling's ownership of the l.a. clippers could come to an end. >> his wife was given the green light to sell the team. we have more.

>> here's a quick recap. not long after shelly sterling negotiated a record $2 billion sale of the clippers to steve ballmer, donald sterling began to fight the deal. mrs. sterling hired two doctors who ruled sterling incapacitated. donald sterling sued his wife. a judge in los angeles ruled she acted out of concern for her husband and not some secret plan to seize the team. the judge ruled that the sale to steve ballmer may proceed and donald sterling may not seek a court ordered delay while he appeals. >> this is going to be good for the city, the league, my family, for all of us. >> it was one woman who stood up against her husband who had the courage to go to court and she prevailed. >> he didn't see this as the final battleground, so this is, you know, one stage of a long war. this is one battle.

we had hoped for a different result. >> donald sterling still has two court cases pending against the nba, an anti trust case filed last month and new suit filed against the nba for damages. >> john henry smith, thank you. >> those promising tech start ups often make their homes he where the money is in affluent neighborhoods. >> cities are taking a pretty sure approach to the business of innovation, targeting an historic neighborhood long considered one of the poorest. >> it's a harlem renaissance for the 21st century, a tech boom fueled by a new generation of entrepreneurs. >> we opened last fall and we have 20 start up companies in our space now, and about half of those companies work on developing new therapeutics. these could be cancer drugs. the other half of the companies work on diagnostic devices, new implantable devices, or better

research tools for other life-science researchers. >> harlem bio space is a teching could you bather offering researchers a collaborative work space for finding new business ideas. >> they provide us access to a whole bunch of professionals, experts, lawyers, investors. it's basically a great place just to do work where people can see us in our own he will plenty. >> blocks away at the new harlem garage incubator, start ups and business leaders gather for seminars. others take advantage of the wi-fi and work space for as little as $15 a day. >> this huge media buy. >> both opened in 2013 with roughly a million dollars in seed money from new york city. they are part of a wider five borough initiative launched by the former mayor. the plan is to nurture small businesses across a variety of industries from tech to food and

fashion. with a current network of finnan ewe baiters, the new york economic development corporation claims its helped 600 start ups raise more than $125 million in venture funding. in harlem, the focus is on the tech industry because of its proximity to top universities. in the past four years, new york city has added 25,000 high tech jobs, most found in tech hot spots like lower manhattan, brooklyn. by encouraging the techs to start up in harlem, it boosts to resurgence already underway. today's tech transformation is a win for many in the industry, as well. though still among new york's most affordable areas, it offers luxury high rices and beautifully renovated brown stones. coupled with restaurants, the naked is on the fast track to becoming new york's hot new place to live. that's the ultimate goal.

we want harlem perceived the same way you would perceive any tech and innovation hub, a positive place to raise your family and work. david shuster, aljazeera. >> america is innovating more than ever. before and not just in harlem. there are more than 300 businessing could you biters across the u.s. >> straight out of a movie script. >> the man in hollywood charged with helping military scenes make it to the big scene. >> keeping the beat with an orchestra of duties, he's three! ♪ ♪

>> you don't have to run a

marathon, you don't even have to run a mile, just a quick jog around the block could save your life. a new study shows just five minutes of running every day can have a major impact on your health. researchers say runners had a 45% less chance of death. >> two words, nicole, mitchell. just ahead, one little boy's big moment in the spotlight. any movie producer can tell you, it takes a lot of people to get a big budget film to the screen. >> some called on are wearing military uniforms. we explain. >> transformers, revenge of the fallen, a blockbuster movie full of action. who supplies the military hardware? >> all courtesy of the u.s. armed forces. a mutually beneficial

relationship enjoyed by hollywood and the pentagon, film producers send scripts with the hope that the department of defense will help on their projects. support is conditional. the navy office of information said it rejects 95% of scripts that come their way. the pentagon more interested in projects that make the u.s. military look good and may help recruitment. top gun, starring tom cruise ticked all the right boxes. three kings was not the right image of the armed forces. the hurt locker nabbed and oscar. pentagon officials say the movie was unrealistic. on the flip side, captain phillips boosted the image of the u.s. navy, the cost negligible. partnerships aren't always on such a grand scale.

the military also advises on t.v. shows, like ncis. it dates as far back as 1910, the relationship may have changed over the years but for the most part, war and glitz is a march made in hollywood heaven. aljazeera. >> here to talk about how the pentagon works with hollywood is phil, the man in charge of those collaborations at director of entertainment media at the department of defense and a focus on the matter now up at aljazeera.com. he joins us from washington this morning. i notice you're not in hollywood, but you have a lot of power when it comes to deciding which films are going to get access to help from the department of defense and their assets. what's the criteria? >> well, we have deliberately broad criteria. when we get a script, we ask ourselves is this something that

may increase the u.s. public's awareness and familiarity with the military, and is it something that could help military recruiting and retention programs. >> mmm. so there is a mission that you're looking for. what kind of movies are denied access? in the piece, we mentioned a movie like hurt locker would probably not engender cooperation with the pentagon. captain phillips with tom hanks did. why? >> it's a difficult question to answer in a short, straight forward manner, because there are all kinds of factors that come into play. not the least of which is the genre of the picture or t.v. show. obviously we're not going to be looking at a godzilla or a to answer formallers script in the same way as a blackhawks down script. also logistics plays into it. are the things that the filmmakers are wanting to get

from us readily available or even possible to provide, where is the picture being shot, so there's many factors that enter into our decision whether or not to press on or not. >> transformers and godzilla are two big blockbusters that you did cooperate on. what kinds of military equipment can the pentagon provide to a filmmaker you collaborate with? >> really, it's the whole gamut. there were eight combat helicopters that were very much involved in the production of blackhawks down. there have been aircraft carriers, military bases, fighter aircrafts, rescue helicopters, real estate of all kinds. military personnel as extras in off duty status. it depends totally on the production at hand. >> i understand it all comes as no cost to the taxpayer. it's really interesting, director of entertainment media

at the department of defense in washington joining us this morning. thank you so much. >> romania, a lot of movies shot on the cold war side, they've made a lot of money after the fall of communism. let's get a look at weather, we turn to nicole mitchell. good morning. >> good morning. the front that caused problems yesterday has moved off. you can see that's moved off the east coast, pushing through the south. there may be spot. >> i activity. most off the coastline. could impact you if you're voting today. more widespread stability if we get to the western tear of the country. this is an area that needs rain, but lightning not great in those fire airs. on the bigger picture out here into the atlantic, a little disturbance we're watching come across the water, not developed yet, but decent chances for that. something we'll have to pay attention to the next couple of

days. a tropical storm is going to be passing very close to guam, could be a typhoon by the time it does that. >> a 3-year-old boy from russia is getting a lot of likes this morning in a video that shows off his amazing drumming skills. ♪ ♪ >> he first won fame on a russian talent show, now is playing with a professional orchestra. >> he is so cool. >> and cute. >> tomorrow morning on aljazeera america, we're going to preview an investigation from our partners at america tonight. they uncovered a surrogacy company that couples say took their money but didn't do anything in the way of producing any babies. >> we caught up with the c.e.o. of the planet hospital. he'll be here to tell us about it. that's it for us here in new york. i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm del walters. >> in two minutes, more from

doha, the latest on those israeli air strikes. >> have a great morning.

>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ >> hello from do -- do doha, this is al jazeera. there is reports of a unilateral truce by palestinian factions. however, 100 palestinians have been killed on tuesday in some of the most intense attacks yet. and once again among the dead and injured, are dozens of palestinian