>> running away is not the answer... >> is a chance at a better life worth leaving loved ones behind? >> did omar get a chance to tell you goodbye before he left? >> which side of the fence are you on? >> sometimes immigration is the only alternative people have. borderland only on al jazeera america de n now. >> all iraqi communities need tounite to defend their country. >> president barack obama says airstrikes will continue as long as they areness. science and determination from both sides in gaza and talks in cairo remain deadlocked. we will go inside the centers for disease control and see the latest outbreak of ebola.

african designers bring their best work to london. african fashion week. ♪ >> president obama says the latest u.s. intervention in iraq is just getting started. he said recent advances by the islamic state group in northern iraq required a military response. mr. obama said it's clear the iraqi and kurdish military did needed help to prevent a massacre of non-muslims. the latest from erbil. >> the fathers of these special forces fought for the mountains for decades to try to get rid of saddam hussein. former fighters and volunteers are reinforcing to hang on to the gains the kurds have made. it hasn't been enough. u.s. air strikes launched after

the overwhelmed pershmerga withdrew are meant to stop the advancement of the group 40 kilometers from erbil. they are meant to help kurdish forces stand up against a better-armed enemy still known by some as isis. >> they have acquired huge amounts of modern weapons, of munitions, of tanks, armored humvees, of long-range artillery pieces. you name it. there was no comparison between the fire power between isis and the pershmerga forces. there has been some reverses by this organization. some withdrawal of certain parts, but this is not. >> a spillover from the war in syria is one that no army has fought here the combination of

islamic state fighters with suicide bombers and american weapons seized from iraqi forces has made them difficult to stop. >> we need this to buy time, to regroup, to reorganize and to go on the offensive. >>. >> one of the priorities will be to retake the mosul dam, the biggest in the country, now fallen to islamic state fighters. at risk are also oil fields which had been protected by iraqi security forces and then the persmerga, now within territory held by the r5d cal group. >> mosul, a center for power for islamic state fighters is just 60 kilometers from here. the city of erbil is the kurdish capitol and a major economic hub. it's a main target of the group. the u.s. believes airstrikes will help defend the city but propping up kurdishforces will be a longer mission.

erbil. >> president obama today said there is no set timetable for the u.s. intervention in iraq. the president says he sees the operation as a long-term project that could take months. al jazeera's lisa stark is live in washington with more on this. nos? so he is basically telling people, be patient. >> reporter: absolutely. he is setting expectations, richelle. the president said there is no quick fix to the situation in iraq either militarily or politically. he said his initial goal, of course, is to protect americans in iraq and u.s. facilities and to deal with the humanitarian crisis. thousands of folks trapped on the mountain there surrounded by fighters with the islamic state. the president made these remarks as he was heading out today on vacation and he repeated what he has often said, that the only answer to the crisis in iraq is the formation of a new, inclusive government. >> the most important timetable that i am focused on right now

is the iraqi government getting formed and finalized because in the absence of an iraqi government, it is very hard to get a unified effort by iraqis against isil. we can conduct airstrikes. ultimately, there is not going to be an american military solution to this problem. >> now, the president said once there is this inclusive government in place, he believes it will be easier for the government to martial forces from all of the different sectors to fight the islamic state. and he repeated what he has said before that there will be no u.s. combat troops in iraq. the president stressing that today. >> where do the allies of the united states stand on this? >> reporter: the president, as you can imagine, would like to make this an international effort as much as possible. he was on the phone today from the oval office before he left the white house on the phone with both the prime minister of

great britain and, also, the president of france. the white house tells us that both leaders have pledged to help the united states in the humanitarian relief effort. of course, the u.s. has made two drops of water and food to those stuck on the mountain. so both of the british and the french say they will help in that effort. no indication that anyone will help in the military effort. at this point, the u.s. is going it alone on that. >> okay, lisa stark, live from washington. lisa, thank you so much. join us tonight as we talk a deeper look at how the islamic state group is changing the situation in iraq. >> that's tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern, 5:00 p.m. pacific. israel launched more than 50 air attacks on gaza today. one strike hit a mosque in the refugee camp in gaza. a senior hamas official and three others died in that attack according to a palestinian health official. they say palestinians have fired

more than 70 rockets and any chance of extending that so far, chances look stalled. let's go to west jerusalem. kimberly, what are you hearing about any movement forward on renewed talks? are they just in a holding pattern right now? >> not a holding pattern but significant challenges for egyptian mediators. what we are hearing from palestinian sources is that those mediators are working almost exclusively with the palestinian delegation, trying to work on restoring a cease-fire. here is why: because the israeli delegation, according to unconfirmed israeli media reports, it's saying the israeli delegation said it will not go back to kcairo to resume any indirect talks until rockets cease being fired from gaza into southern israel. i can tell you we have seen a decrease in the number of rockets compared to recent days

or weeks, it still has been somewhere around roughly 30 since midnight saturday. so right now, we know the egyptian mediators are trying to get those rockets to stopped. it's hoped they can bring both sides back for shuttle diplomacy to try to work on larger issues. those would be for the palestinian delegation, the lifting of the blockade in gaza and for israelis, it would be the demilitarization of hamas, which both sides have said are red lines they cannot cross. >> palestinians and israelis have said that they will not gee to the demands of the other side. so where does anybody go from there? is there any hope of a true cease-fire? >> reporter: there is still hope because there is still a discussion that is taking place, while not directly face to face, there is this shuttle diplomacy that is still, you know, hanging from a thread, but still going

on. all indications are right now that both sides may be somewhat weary of fighting and may be considering, according to our sources, the possibility of what's known as an undeclared cease-fire. this means there would be an agreement to stop fighting but that none of the other larger issues in any way have been addressed. what i can tell you from our sources is that the palestinian delegation has been told to stay in cairo, that things could be happening, that there could be something happening very soon. what we are being told, the next day could be very critical. so we have to watch and wait. >> kimberly halkett in west jerusalem. joining us is goi hamad, the deputy foreign minister. we appreciate his time. kimberly halkett is reporting that israel has said that there is no chance of a cease-fire if the rockets do not stop coming from hamas. can that happen? >> i think they should say that there is no opportunity or

possibility to continue cease-fire withoutsponding positively to the palestinian demands. it is unbelievable. >> kate rockets stop? >> i think they should also solve the bigger problem in gaza, that gaza is under siege of block aids, under punishment, people at one point, 8 million palestinian people are living in miserable situation. no electricity. this means that all of the time, people killing in this war more than 1,800 people. most of them are civilians. i think they should stop this. they should solve the problems and the roots of the problem and the situation. we have to solve the problem. the palestinians should get their state, their destiny, their future. israel should not be a commissioned force.

this, it is the source of all evils in this area. >> okay. so you said -- you said a palestinian state. would hamas be willing to recognize the state of israel? >> i think we have been asked this question many times. >> uh-huh. >> even -- i want just to give you something. the plo, since 22 years. but what we have got from them? nothing. punishment, and so i cannot give their recognition. >> a "no"? >> sorry? >> so that's a "no" to recognizing the state of israel?" >> first of all, i should be sure 100% because we spent 65 years under the occupation. we should put in the for this catastrophe and we give the palestinhome. we spent 22 years of negotiation, but we have got nothing. abbas and his organization, and

we are frustrated from israel. >> let's talk about the current talks the way that the current talks are happening. would you prefer direct talks? >> look. i think it's now -- not in touch with israel. i think now there is a mediation. the egyptian negotiation is between us and israel. we -- we believe that it's a good way, and it can help us. i think no one of the person -- in fact, now, and there is no negotiation with israel. >> do you think egypt is a fair mediator in this process? >> we try through negotiation with the egyptian authorities to ask them to be more stronger and help us and to support us in our demands because -- >> so you are saying you think that egypt could do better by you? >> i think that we trust the

egyptians. many countries would try to support us like turkey, qatar and other countries but we think the egyptian authorities because of the current situation, because of the relationship between gaza strip and egypt, i think egyptians can do more for the palestinian demands. >> okay. would you be willing to accept a demil tarized gaza if your borders were opened? >> demil tar eyes gaza? and after that, an occupation. would be under the occupation. this means that we should recognize israel, recognize and we will lose our future. this means that it's our right to struggle against occupation. it is a shame for the world that all of the 10 million palestinians be under occupation for 65 years. why do you ask for demilitarization? you don't have for the demilitarization of israel which

they target iraq, sudan. they conducted massacres. it is now for us to disarm the palestinians and keep israel to be like -- destroy, hamas, hospitals. >> okay. so you are saying -- >> no one to -- i don't want to blame israel. >> you are saying no to a demil tarized gaza. let's talk about the rockets that you have. where are these rockets coming from? they are much more sophisticated than they used to be. where are you getting them? >> look, we are as palestinians, we have the right to struggle against occupation. we have to bring the money, weapons, from everywhere. i think many organizations support us from everywhere because i think that even in some foreign countries, they support us because we are not just an organization. we are the just fighting against occupation. >> okay. you say you have the right to

defend yourself. do you have the right to fire into civilian areas? >> no. we try to avoid. how many civilians? three? but you are in gaza, 1,800 people. >> yes. >> israel has been criticized. israel has been criticized for what some say is a disproportionate response and, yes, the majority of the palestinan victims have been civilians. >> that's true. but is it -- is it fair to say, isn't it accurate criticism to say that rockets from hamas have indiscriminately been fired into civilian areas as well? >> look. you cannot make comparison between the rockets of hamas and the rockets of israel. you have to talk to them. how many have they killed? >> it is accurate, as i said, it is accurate to say that the palestinian victims are disproportionately civilians. >> that's accurate.

>> we try to avoid civilians, not to target civilians. so, if you look at this war about 69 were killed, were killed because i think that we tried with the clashes with the israeli occupation forces but israel, they have technology power to kill the palestinians in their villages, to destroy hospitals, mosques, sports clubs by these weapons and i think that this is something that's terrible now because they use it and they know very well that these rockets will go to the children or women or to the civilians in the heart of gaza. >> israel has said that they do not intentionally target civilians. >> it's a big lie. how can you explain this big number of the civilians who are killed? they are blind? i think now in gaza, it's very small area. it's overcrowded area, and they

are watching everything in gaza and they know very well that this will go to this place or to this place. they know very well that gaza is under the -- with israel, aircrafts. they can use their target specifically and they don't make mistakes. i think they kill palestinians on purpose. for example, in the day of the feast, which is a palestinian holiday or a muslim holiday. they are sending rockets that kill 10 children in one minute. they know it very well. hospital? they don't say hospital. look, last example, when the targeted the other united nation schools. >> mr. amad, israel would say that it's because rockets from

hamas are coming from those areas. go ahead. >> if they could unite to the united nations, giving pictures that hamas in the school. >> uh-huh. >> this is a big lie. all the time, they are lying and they are cheating the world nod to justify their crimes against the palestinians. >> mr. amad, how do you get to a cease-fire so the killing of both sides stops? >> look. false i said we want to live in peace and stability but we have to put end for the tragedy of the palestinpeople not only in gaza. also in the west bank. we want to put in for the occupation. the occupation is the source of all evil. i think the international community should help the palestinians now to end this occupation and to give the palestinians a chance to establish their state in order to live like any people in the

world. >> do you feel that the other arab states have stood by you enough? >> yeah. i think -- i think they support us. really, we are a from the regimes. all of them are keeping silent. they are looking at our people are killed and the conducted massacres and looking for us, watching us doing nothing. i also, united nations. you know gaza, gaza is about 75% of the population are civilians and i think that united nation, according to the international law, they should give them shelter and protection. no one protects the palestinians. >> mr. amad, do you think hamas is actually what's best for the palestinian people? >> look. i think we try to help our people. we tried to help them 20 end occupation, to receive

additional rights. we have social association tried to help people to give them -- i don't deny that we have mistakes. that's right. but i think we try to help people, try to defend our people, try to achieve our national goals. i can't say that we are -- the best one, but i think we have tried to do the best. >> okay. >> in order to do it. >> before i let you go, i am going to ask you a question i asked you a few moments ago. is hamas willing to recognize the state of israel? just yes or no? yes or no? >> i should ask why -- >> i am not -- i am not making an argument one way or another. i am asking you yes or no. >>, i want to say something. should i recognize any of my people? who punish my people? who do everything against my people? so also i want to ask the question: where are the bodies of israel? because they are saying -- >> is that -- i am going to take that as a "no." i am going to take that as a

"no". >> why don't you ask that question if you want to be fair? israel don't recognize the right of the palestinian people. >> ghazi hamad, the deputy foreign minister for hamas. >> i ask you a question. why you don't ask this question: why should -- should not israel grant to the palestinians. >> i am put that question to you. i appreciate ghazi, i am going to wrap it up now and i appreciate the time that i have had with you. thank you very much. the deputy foreign minister for hamas, ghazi hamad, a very thorough conversation there. far from the front lines of the ebola outbreak, the centers of disease control has a major role to play in fighting the disease. >> since this virus is only transmitted person to person, the way to stop the outbreak is to interrupt these chains of transmission from one person to the next. >> coming up, we will get a first hand view of the cdc's part in containing the spread of the ebola virus.

governments in west africa are closing borders to top the spread of ebola. nearly al thousand people have

died from the virus in four countries, begin knee shut off border crossings today after the world health organization called the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. now, the u.s. is buckling down to prevent the deadly disease from spreading here robert ray takes us on a look at the cbc emergency operations center. >> as the ebola virus spreads, the centers for disease control in atlanta has issued their highest alert: level 1. inside the cdc, there is an emergency operations center. it's rarely activated. when it is, it means the situation is dangerous. >> the scientists here are monitoring the west african ebola outbreak and planning their next move to help stop the speed of infections. dr. thomas frieden says you guys know how to stop the infection from moving around west africa. how is that? >> since this virus is only transmitted person to person,

the way to stop the outbreak is to interrupt these chains of transfer mission from one person to the next. >> involves identifying cases, getting them into isolation and treat. >> this right here shows where ebola is affecting here in west africa. >> easier said than done. the cdc compares this to a mayor ton with unprecedented obstacles and its work has only just gun. >> there is reports over there of citizens not going in to hospitals because they think it's unsafe. they feel like some of them feel like they are being lied to. some are leaving bodies on the streets. how do you guys change that? >> so one of the real challenges here is this health communication, health education component of this to get people to trust the messaging and to comply with what our recommendations are. we understand that it's not just developme developing the message but finding that trusted person, whether it's a village elder, a religious leader, somebody who can deliver that message in a form where people will believe it and accept it and actually act on our recommendations.

>> the center has sent an additional two dozen scientists over to west africa in just the past week. more will be on the way in the coming days. another 50 infectious disease specialists. >> 50 people? is that enough? >> our 50 people alone is not enough to solve this problem. we are working in coordination with our other partners. the world health organization, who, is providing the overall coordination. >> imagine having to work in this rubber suit with this isolation helmet in high temperatures in west africa, being around ebola-in feathed patients. it's not an easy task for the workers of the cdc. there needs to be more aid according to them, and more bodies on the ground. >> they are also stressing that there is no health risk here in the united states and its goal for the infected countries after the spread is halted is to leave behind a strong infrastructure. >> so they could be better prepared the next time to both

detect the unusual situation and to respond to it more quickly so it doesn't get to be the out of control situation that we are experiencing today. >> going to take a lot of money and a lot of health professionals, amount of scientists on the ground. right? >> so it's part of the president's budget. there is some money that's been asked for, specifically for what we call global health security and we see this as an investment globally in developing this capacity in other countries so that they are prepared. >> the world health organization is calling a panel of medical eth cysts to meet next week to debate using experimental treatments including zmap, experimental serum used on the two medical missionaries now undergoing treatment here in atlanta. >> it's promising to be a landmark election. coming up on al jazeera, presidential candidates in turkey making their final pitches today. why voters will make history when they head to the polls tomorrow.

well, back to "al jazeera america." here is a look at your top stories. president obama says the u.s. intervention in iraq is just getting started. he jibed the military operation as a long-term project, reiterated no american ground troops will be deployed there. airstrikes continue on gaza today and a senior ham official is killed. israel said it won't reduce cease-fire negotiations until rockets from gaza stop. the government of guinea has closed some of its border crossings to stop the spread of ebola. the world health organization says the outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern. nearly a thousand people have died in west africa. to the crisis in ukraine, president obama spoke with angela merkel today. both agreed russian intervention violate international law. the call came after ukrainian leaders said they stopped a russian military convoy from

crossing the border. the government in kiev claimed russian troops were about to invade escorting a humanitarian effort. russia denied that. the ukrainian army continued to push back pro-russian separatists. they took another key town near donetsk. >> in the last few hours, the newly pointed leader of the donetsk people's republic has come out and said he is willing to offer some kind of ceasefire to prevent any kind of humanitarian disaster unfolding in donetsk which has been shelled now for several days. we have spoken with the ukrainian authorities, the anti-tear operation here and they said they are not thinking that offer seriously but clearly, the craneians are gaining ground here in the taking of if that has happened because ukrainian forces have not confirmed that is of importance to the ukrainian forces because it is strategically very important:

it would seem the ukrainian forces are trying to dig in their heels but also grind down the separatist fighters here all week, the russians have been conducting military exercises along the border and the ukrainians have come out and said a large convoy of military vehicles, military personnel, were making their way to the border. they say they were coming under the pretext of carrying out their humanitarian mission here now, if that indeed was the case, that would set alarm bells ringing around the international community who have warned russia against becoming involved here in the conflict here in eastern ukraine although russia has been accused of backing the separatist fighters. russia, though, has come out and said those claims are a fairy tale. >> in kiev, demonstrators clashed with workers trying to clean up. protesters stayed in the square after the new governor took

over. former boxing champion ordered the road to be re-opened. crews cleared tents and moved bear fur that had been in place for months. a court in egypt has dissolved the political wing of the muslim brotherhood and liquidated the freedom and justice party:. thousands of supporters of the muslim brotherhood are in jail. many of them sentenced to death. thousands of libyans protested both for and against libya's newly elected parliament today in tripoli, benghazi and the western city of mizrada. it said it will act against rifle malitias whose fighting has created instability and caused several western nations to recall their diplomats. afghanistans's rival presidential cab dates have agreed to a national unity government. secretary of state john kerry helped broker the deal. it will determine the winner of the election. they accused each other of

committing fraud. but now, they say they will work together to avoid political chaos in the country. >> in pakistan, fighting between supporters of an anti-government cleric and police turned deadly. the fighting began last night near the city of lahor and continued in to today. security forces blocked a route to a planned protest. the cleric says 7 supporters were killed when police opened fire on a con vie going to the demonstration. police say at least one officer has been killed in the fighting. candidates for president of turkey wrapped up their campaigns today for the first time tomorrow, the national's leader will be decided by popular vote. a report from one of today's political rallies in konask. >> the frontrunner in turkey's first ever directly elected presidential elections finished his campaign on a high. the man who many idlized here,

they, as far as they are concerned, believe he will win these elections in the first round. a large part of that success of popularity is due to the huge successes economically that erdowan has managed to achieve in his premiership of over 10 years here in turkey where 99 universities have been built, the distance of roads that were build under his premiership doubled which were built in the entire history of the new turkish republic as well as free education and healthcare. however, his critics say that as he is popular and as he has grown in popularity, has become more thor tearian. they accuse him of curbing freedoms and point to the fact of the temporary bans on social media sites like twitter and youtube. his supporters say that those bans necessary in order to defend what they call a conspiracy. however, on the eve of these elections, those gathered behind

would hope that come the results, they will be just as happy as they are now. the challenge for erdogan is if he is to win to ensure that under his presidency, even more tushingdz are just as happy. >> former white house press secretary james brady's death has been ruled a hol side. he died monday. on friday, medical examiners said the 73-year-old's death is a result of being shot in the head during a 1981 assassination attempt of the ronald reagan. a shooting left him paralyzed. there is no word on whether the shooter, john hinkley, jr., will face new criminal charges. a follow-up to a story we brought you earlier, for the first time in five years, a group of cuban students were granted permission to study in the u.s. now seeing how one of thetude students' life has changed. >> two months ago, sam miguel made a decision that would turn his life upsidedown. he decided to defect from his native cuba.

>> the man reason i stayed in miami was because i lost everything in cuba and my life was in danger. >> since june 11th, the 20-year-old student has been live nag small aust ear room after refusing to return home. >> my father is in prison right now, and i would probably have the same fate. >> last year, molina says he was thrown out of medical school until cuba because of his opposition to the castro regime. this past january, molina was one of 17 students elected to participate in a historic program at miami dade college. they were hand picked by the foundation for human rights in cuba to attend the 6-month program. when it was time to return to the island, he told a member of the foundation, he was defecting to the u.s. because of the political persecution he faced back home. he said the foundation's reaction surprised him. >> i didn't expect them to take away the keys to my apartment. they took away my cell phone. they cut off communication. it was all very quickly. >> the organization basically told him he was on his own.

the complexity of his immigration status also prevents him from obtaining a work permit for at least another six months. >> how have you been able to make ends meet over the last two months? >> one day, someone told me that they would help me out with rent if i painted their house. another day, a woman brought me food. >> molina says he feels abandoned by the organization, the human rights foundations in cuba. >> translator: i was disappointed. i believed in the foundation. in cuba, it was a great institution. the opposition always knew they would back us up. >> miami dade college confirmed three students defected to the u.s. the foundation for human rights in cuba told al jazeera that all participants made a pledge to return to cuba at the end of their courses. these students also entered an agreement that if this pledge was broken, they would be responsible to reimburse all funds spent on their studies. >> i don't have anyone in this country. no family. all i have is the desire to get ahead. study medicine, which is what i

wanted to do in cuba. >> and, he says he plans to paying back every penny. christina puigue, al jazeera, miami. >> president obama on saturday says the u.s. intervention in iraq is just getting started. he said recent advances required a military response. he said it's clear the iraqi and kurdish militaries needed help to prevent a massacre of non-muslims. douglas alvant was iraq's director for the national security council. he is now a 7 ario national security fellow and he joins us from washington, d.c. this afternoon. he is always the person perfect to talk to on issues like this and we appreciate it. okay. this morning, the president said -- this is a quote, that ultimately, only iraqis could ensure the security and stability of iraq. the u.s. can't do it for them but we will be partners in that effort. if this effort is not

successful, this effort to contain the islamic state group, what could the implications be? >> well, richelle, i think the president has it exactly right with respect to iraq. fixing the islamic state, rejecting the islamic state from iraq is an iraqi problem. only they can really effectively do it. >> said, the islamic state is bigger than iraq and we may have an interest in pursuing them elsewhere, in syria and lebanon, in jordan. but i think he is absolutely right. in iraq, only the iraqis can fix this. >> so if only the iraqis can fix this, how critical is the election of the next prime minister? >> you know, everyone is watching now what's going on in the north and the bombings are interesting and they are necessary and they are the right policy, but the real action still is in baghdad, in the government formation. very quietly, the iraqis really have taken some interesting fundamental steps.

they have elected a speaker of their parliament, as per their constitution who have appointed a president as per their constitution. now, we are waiting for him to designate the leader of the largest bloc, in the words of their constitution, to form a government. >> let's go back to the military action that the u.s. is taking. the president seems to continue to stress -- praise it's because the american people want to hear -- that there will not be any u.s. troops on the ground. how effective can air strikes be? >> well, airstrikes can be extremely effective in the role the president has outlined. he made it clear that if isil is attacking either towards erbil or towards baghdad, where we have troops and diplomats, that he will use air power to stop that. now, the beauty of air power is it's very, very effective against attacking forces. people who come out of their holes and pick up their rifles

or hop in their trucks or get in their artillery piece and move toward the enemy. they are easy for pilots to see. they tend to be in the open, away from civilians, where there is no collateral damage. >> that's a perfect target set for air power to engage. so, in essence, the president has written a check here that's really easy for him to cash. now, when we start talking about rejecting the islamic state from the rest of iraq, from the cities of mosul, kirkuk, fallujah, that's a much, much harder battle. air power will be less effective. >> that's what it's going to take the iraqis to do. all three faxes in iraq. >> what will success look like? >> a good question. in the short-term, success is getting an iraqi government that has all three faxes. he serb ciallserbcially, you haa in the south, from baghdad in the south who have the bulk of the military equipment. not all of it was captured by isis and a lot of manpower. they are the largest demographic

group in iraq. and they are ready to push up from the south. you have the kurds in the northeast who have now been engaged who really now have some skin in this game and are incentivized to fight againstis ill as it -- isil. and the sun in this among whom isil is living. they would an anective 5th column against the isil insurgency. it will take all three groups to have something really effective against the islamic state and then and only then could outside air power be helpful on the margins. the bulk will have to be done by the iraqis. >> hopefully you can give me a quick answer. i know the president framed this as a humanitarian issue but awful things are happening in sirrias. hundreds of thousands of people have died in syria. >> that's a humanitarian issue. is this about humanitarian issue in iraq? >> well, in some ways, it is.

the hizidi pushed on this mountain. this is a crisis that's easy to solve where we can use air power to keep isil around to them and alleviate the suffering. >> that's not to say there is not a lot of suffering going on syria but that's much, much harder to solve. we could try and not succeed. you take the low-hanging fruit here and do what you can. >> okay. there you go. >> that's why we call on, douglas oll i have a nt? >> thank you very much. >> with the new american foundation. honesty. douglas, thank you so much. still ahead on "al jazeera america," taking no chances: the steps some americans are taking to prevent disaster near their homes. and looming over us all this weekend, a spectacular site in the night sky. ♪

>> you want to key your eyes to the skies this weekend because the second of this summer's three super moons will be on display sunday night. so this happens when the moon is full on the same day that it's the closest to earth. of course, the question is: when will you be able to see the moon? for the answer to that, i don't know that. the expert nodes that. meteorologist rebecca stevenson. >> it comes down to: where are you and what the weather is doing if you are going to be able to see this amazing site. the last some moon, so many pictures across the internet that were just gorgeous shots as the nice color that the full moon had. this particular moon, in eastern time, is going to hit it's full peak at about 210 in the afternoon. actually in the morning hours will probably be your best time to spot it t it's going to look very, very large even in t theening when the sun or when the -- actually when the sun is

still out and hasn't quite set yet and we start to get the moon. you can see that up in the sky, weatherwise we will have clouds through parts of idaho and montan a as we get through tonight and tomorrow. other areas of cloud cover will be through the eastern mid atlantic seaboard. boy, do we have some rain here rain totals have intend intention around the carolinas. but let's talk about rainfall across the board. we have had our eyes on the hurricanes coming near the hawaiian islands, the one hurricane that went to the south and continuing to bring quite a few quite a bit of raven. oahu has areas reporting five to eight inches of rainfall and that's coming down so fast that we are continuing flash flood watches here, still seeing anywhere from up to an inch and a little over in other portions of the island while they are track agnew hurricane coming in,

hojulio as a category 1 is what it's going to drop down to. in the pacific, a typhoon around tokyo and towards bejing and seoul. this is bringing excessive amounts of rainfall. this is your forecast for julio. the track of the hundred going north of the hawaiin islands drop from a 2, category 2 dropping down to a 1. back to the rainfall in the mid atlantic. boy, significant amounts coming down. we do have some flood washes and flash flood warnings as they have had excessive amounts of rain. >> we will check in again with you seener rebecca. citizens of quebec are raising concerns about the fallout from last year's deadly train derailment and explosion there. they say they are worried the chemicals in the air may lead to a rise in cancer rates in the town. meanwhile, some americans, they are not waiting for the

government to take action to prevent a similar disaster here alan schofler here. >> dean smith on a late night watch for oil trains monitoring tracks a few feet from public buildings. >> how many people here? >> 100,000. when he found nobody could tell him exactly how many of these trains rolled through town, he organized volunteers for a week-long train watch. >> everybody seems to be turning their back on this problem. so we feel that we, as citizens, have to do it. >> they counted 16 i am trains that week carrying an estimated 52 million gallons of crude from the baken oil fields of north dakot dakota. two years ago, they might have seen a few oil cars mixed in with other cargo but none of these 100-car unit trains with a 1267 placard denying baken crude. >> the first loaded, you know, full oil train moved in to washington in september of 2012. this is a very new industry, very new for almost the entire

country. >> an environmental think tank, eric de place, he sees oil trains like rolling bombs like one that exploded in quebec a year ago. the accident gutted a town and killed 47 people. >> you are looking a 3 million gallons of potentially explosive fuel. >> that's not something a small town can deal with. it's something the railroads aren't stepping up to deal with. >> gus malona says they are stepping up. he calls safety a top priority and spice bnsf spend okay training and infrom straubing tour and new studier tank cars like this one being phased in. >> as we speak, an oil train rolls past us through south seattle. >> right now, there is a demand, and we move those products that ney demands. >> railroads hauling baken oil have now been orred by the department of transportation to provide information about how often the big trains run and how

much they carry. many states like washington have made that information public over industry objections. >> we don't feel that it's necessary for everybody to know what we are hauling. again, it's customer-privileged information and for security. but we do provide it to the people that need to know. >> demean smith and his volunteers are hardly alone in their efforts. vancouver washington activists are encouragingly twitter reports on every oil train spotted. the forest ethics environmental group has created a map showing rail line blast zones across the country. urban train crossings are easy targetses for growing protests in the west like this one in seattle. smith says he knows his group can't stop the railroads but he wants to track the numbers they give out and wants the public to have as much information as possible as a matter of safety and he has a simple message for government, railroads and oil companies. >> you've got a real job here to do. and if i have to tell you what that is, then, okay, i will tell you. but i want you to pay attention.

>> trackside on the train watch, alan schoffler, al jazeera, everett washington. >> according to the federal government, more crude oil was spilled last year than spilled in the previous four decades. the city of new york has an initiative reduce does involving pedestrians. >> means slower speeds on some of the busiest streets. a look at the vision zero plan. >> reporter: right here. in this where seth was hit. >> he died right here. yeah. >> i'm sorry. >> the coverager of 9th avenue and 53rd street brings a flood of emotion. their son was run over by a city bus that was going too fast in 2009. they helped form the group families for safe streets. >> seth was my only child, you know, and he was who i whole life. we decided that we wanted to help other people and create a city where this wouldn't happen

to other people and we could do something about it. >> their group is behind the efforts of new york city mayor bill de blasio aiming to eliminate all pedestrian deaths. last year, 286 people were killed in traffic accidents in the city. >> the still as big and complicated is this but we did not come here to do easy things. we came here to do things that would help people. >> among the package of new laws is a crackdown on bad taxi drivers and reducing the city's default speed limit to 40 kilometers an hour. >> speed limits are a big part of improving road safety. it makes sense: the faster a car goes, the more damage its likely to cause. one study found that reducing speed limits in the city by about 15 kilometers an hour would substantially reduce the number of deaths. >> the new laws have the support of city cyclists who know the hazards of interacting with

traffic all too well. cyclist says raising public awareness will be a big part of improving safety. >> we have seen real improvement since 2007/2008 and the number of cyclists getting injured. partially because of better bike lanes we have, separated infrastructure, partially because there are more people out so drivers are more used to seeing let's of cyclists. >> sometimes a pedestrian will wave me on. >>. >> soon motorists will see more police officers giving traffic tickets to enforce the newer laws. the cons say it's a small price to pay. >> straight ahead, the last day of african fashion week in london from coast to the cape. we will show you some traditional clothes with a modern twist.

on aljazeera america start with talk to al jazeera

at 5 captivating conversation >> i think the president needs to have absolute freedom... interesting and iconic... >> the artist should say what's on peoples minds... at 5:30, stay connected >> ..lisa fletcher, and you're in the stream... >> we've got so many great stories that have come in from social media today... >> at 6, get the latest news from across the world. >> this is al jazeera america and we'll look at todays top stories... only on al jazeera america . >> african fashion week in london is showcasing some of the continent's best designers, some used by the world's top labels. simon mcgregor wood has more from london. ♪. >> africa fashion week london keeps getting bigger. there are two days of almost continuuous catwalk shows, over 50 designers, some making debuts, some of them well established and they come from every corner of africa.

on the fringes, dozens of suppliers, startups and models, all eager to make connections and get the the expos you're to take their brands and reputations out of africa. it's a long way from home, but it's in one of the world's biggest fashion capitols. >> the founder and driving force? >> african fashion is like a new fashion revolution. you can't ignore it. it's everywhere. if you go into the mainstream shops now, river island, zara, most of their prints now are inspired by africa. >> the african influence on the catwalk is very clear: bold colors and bold prints, much of it with the ready to wear mass market in mind. >> this event is all about connecting the best african designers to the kind of contacts they need to make a go of it in the global marketplace. but there is an acute sense that any future success or profits need to feedback into african economies and the people who

work in them. >> izartar harrison is a first timer. she is ambitious but she has a clear connection with her roots and with her responsibilities to the people back home who helped her. >> hopefully what i would love to do is to have like the factory in sierra leone process these pieces because at the moment, i am using a factory in poland. what would be lovely for me to be able to build a factory in sierra leone and provide jobs for the local people there. >> the harsh reality is for all of their talent, to launch globally, these designers need a place like london as a platform. the challenge is to build sustainable business businesses that feedback to the people and the places that provided their inspiration to make sure their ideas are not simply exploited by big international labels and that they can deliver these african designs to the global market on their own. simon mcgregor wood, al jazeera,

london. >> i am richelle carey. talk to al jazeera is next. for news updates from around the world, head to our website. check out aljazeera.com. thanks for your time. do keep it here. clear cle ♪ i had the intuition about the fact that human beings could heal themselves. >> deepak chopra offers insight about coping with fear and anxiety? >> stress is the perception of stress. i like to think of stress like an ocean. if you are a skillful surfer, every wave is joy. >> bringing about optimal