tv News Al Jazeera August 16, 2014 8:00pm-9:01pm EDT
8:00 pm
of the attack took place... >> and throughout the morning, get a global perspective on the news... >> the life of doha... >> this is the international news hour... >> an informed look on the night's events, a smarter start to your day. mornings on al jazeera america >> this is aljazeera america from new york. let's get you caught up on the top stairs at this hour. >> angry outbursts as the governor of missouri imposes a curfew in ferguson. race relations with police in that city is tonight's special segment. >> islamic state slaughters dozens of male yazidis.
8:01 pm
>> governor rick perry saying his indictment is outrageous and politically motivated. >> good to have you with us. our stop story, a state of emergency has been declared in ferguson, missouri, a city still reeling from the police shooting of an unarmed teenager. police are moving into position, trying to prevent another night of violence. the governor imposed a curfew after friday night protest turned into looting of several businesses. >> last night, except for a very few, the folks on the streets of ferguson last night were peaceful demonstrators, but we saw a pattern develop where after hours of peaceful protesting, small groups took to the streets with the in tent of committing crimes and endangering citizens. that is unacceptable. to protect the people and
8:02 pm
property of ferguson today, i signed an order declaring a safety emergency and ordering the implementation of a curfew. >> one of the stores attacked, a videotape the justice department asked the police not to release. >> f.b.i. presence is now visible on the streets of ferguson. the department of justice is moving forward with its own federal investigation. let's get right out to ferguson now. we understand police, we see it in the background, are blocking off roads? >> i'm going to give you the lay of the land as night is falling over here in ferguson. to my left is the liquor store you've been referencessing. you can see a small contingency of police on both sides of that parking lot right now.
8:03 pm
we are in the main drag, where you've seen the honking and the cars coming through here traveling a half mile down the road to the epicenter of violence erupting last sunday. i'm going to point behind me. you can see that the police have blocked this street. they were letting vehicles in here after the missouri state highway patrol took over securing this area, but that's not happening anymore. there's a bus right behind this line, loaded with police officers. we assume they're going to come in this way. we hear from police one of the reasons they're not allowing vehicular traffic in this area, while they are still allowing foot traffic, they are not allowing cars in here because of what they understand, intelligence telling them weapons might be coming into this area in those cars. this is a return to strategy we'd seen in days to previous when the missouri state highway patrol had been easing up on this area. the big question is how will
8:04 pm
this curfew hold. how will this go into effect. superintendent ron johnson said they would not be deploying vehicles or tear gas, but would have officers here. the question is if this is going to erupt into a chaotic, violent night. >> there are several community members concerned and worried the media won't be able to relay information with respect to the occur fee in place. have you been given special instructions. >> we were told that we would be allowed into the area, but of course if things get out of hand, it becomes much more fluid. we're understanding that the police will work with us and will allow us in here. the governor earlier today said this has to be given the kind of attention that the media has free access to to ensure that it's a transparent operation in place here. the question obviously becomes how transparent will it become
8:05 pm
if things erupt into violence and tear gas is fired and rubber bullets. they say that's not going to happen. but we did see police officers earlier prepping, putting on gas masks, so it's a very fluid, fluid situation. >> we'll be back with you in a few moments, when we take a deeper look at the crisis in ferguson. we're going to talk about the investigation into michael brown's death and the response by police. >> turning our attention to iraq where a humanitarian crisis continues among fierce tighting. islamic state fighters stormed a northern village killing men and kidnapping their wives and children. this os mommy al-maliki steps aside. the united states may give more aid if they have a more inclusive government.
8:06 pm
fresh airstrikes aimed to drive back the group. >> u.s. military targeted islamic state group positions in sinjar, as well as around the mosul dam, but the islamic state group still controls the territory. up to 15 fighters were killed in those attacks, but the peshmerga forces on the ground have not been able to advance to recapture this territory. this is not going to be an easy fight. the islamic state group is well armed, well trained and the u.s. airstrikes really, the objective is to weaken the group, to defend the kurdish region, as well as to protect minorities, not to defeat them. this is going to require a whole new plan. they're going to need international partners. they're going to need partners on the ground, but the airstrikes have not prevented what officials here are calling a new massacre against the
8:07 pm
minority of yazidis. up to 80 men were executed by the islamic state group and they captured and unknown number of women and children, so the humanitarian crisis is continuing. the u.s. administration as well as international community pressuring the new prime minister and iraq to form an in cluesive and broad based government as soon as possible. unless the factions unit, it will be very hard to defeat the islamic straight group. >> there has ban lot of attention on the persecution of yazidis by islamic state fighter, but they aren't the only minorities facing a threat. iraqi christies also being hunted. one group fled to lebanon. >> desperate iraqi christians line up on a hot august day to receive food rations. the church is organizing the food distribution to those who fled the violence in that you
8:08 pm
are country years ago and those who just arrived from northern iraq. this woman arrived in lebanon three days ago. >> we were scared. it's very hard to leave everything behind and just flee. >> they all tell of the same stories. this man has been here over a month and living off charity. a christian lebanese family pays his rent for this small amount, where he lives with his wife and three girls. >> they threatened us with our children, our muslim neighbors said you better run, before they come and kill you. >> johnny says he was scared, and left everything he owned behind. they uprooted us from our own land, his wife says, referring to the armed group the islamic state that forced them out of iraq. >> these are not muslims. we don't know where they came from. they have no religion. we've lived with muslims for
8:09 pm
over 40 years. this group has nothing to do with islam. >> this priest is helping iraqi christians who manage to get to lebanon. he is frustrated. >> what's happening in mosul is the original people are uprooted from their land. what's just as worrying is the international community silence, so far very shy voices. we demand they be stopped. >> this family came from near mosul. now under islamic state's full control. this one room apartment became home for this family of six after they ran away from thunder shower tone. he says there is no more room for christians to live in iraq anymore. >> we never imagined anything like this would happen. nobody expect there had. >> it was like a horror move view, he tells me, everyone was
8:10 pm
terrified. his children cry every day, wanting to go back to their home in iraq, but he says he is not going back, no matter what. >> we want security and stability for our children. we need a break. >> his girls spend the day lying on these beds, waiting for something to change. aljazeera, beirut. >> in texas, governor rick perry appeared before cameras today defiantly rejects the indictment brought against him. the presidential hopeful called the prosecution of the case a fafarce. >> it is outrageous that some would use partisan theatrics to
8:11 pm
rip away at our constitutional rights. >> he says he will prevail and the case revealed for what it is, partisan politics. mike viqueira has followed this story from washington. >> we don't settle political differences with indictments in this country. >> he is charged with abuse of official capacity. >> you've been arrested for d.w.i. >> the threat of events a that led to the charges began last year when a democratic was arrested for drunk driving. lenburg pled guilty and served 45 days in prison. that led perito declare her
8:12 pm
unfit for office. unless she resigned, he vowed to veto money for the funding. that led to his charge of abuse of power. he was defiant. >> i said early on that i was going to clearly veto those dollars as long as they had someone in that office who i'd lost confidence in, and i did exactly what i said i would do. >> perry hasn't ruled out another run for president in 2016. after his 2012 run collapsed after a series of gaffes. >> let's see, i can't. i can't, sorry. oops. >> the question now, will the endictments hurt his chances for next time. many see the charges as political, brought bay prosecutor and grand jury in austin, liberal island in a sea
8:13 pm
of republican red and even david axelrod has doubts, tweeting that the charges seem pretty sketchy. even if the charges don't stick, the democrats will be given an avenue of attack if he runs in 2016. >> he's going to go through very embarrassing events, getting arraigned, having to appear in court is going to be damaging just visually. >> for texas's longest serving governor, a political future that is suddenly more cloudy. >> dave leventhal weighs in on perries chances of surviving this political scandal. >> yes, it's entirely possible that he can go forward, still have a political career. of course, he is not going to run for governor again, but everyone pretty much has rick perry on their short list.
8:14 pm
there could be a silver lining to this, republicans really can see this as a democratic witch hunt and get behind rick perry in a way they might not be right now. make no mistake, this is not a situation for him in the here and now. he is going to face embarrassing situations over the next many weeks and months. this is not going to be something to help his credibility among independents. it's going to be a rocky road. if you play the long game and look down the road pretty long, pretty far a couple of years from now, this is survivable for him. >> the 2016 field is still wide open and there could still be major hurdles for over contender to say overcome. >> a fragile ceasefire in gas, ahead, the negotiations for a long term truce. >> then our coverage continues on the shooting death of missouri teen michael brown. we're going to take a deeper
8:15 pm
8:17 pm
>> welcome to al jazeera america. you are looking live at ferguson, missouri. you see a crowd of citizens there in the streets protesting the police shooting of unarmed teenage are michael brown. this comes before a midnight curfew set by the governor of missouri. it is saturday night, good to have you with us once again. we're going to take a deeper look at the issues raised by the shooting death of missouri teenager michael brown. emotions are running high in a town that is no stranger to racial tensions. >> andrew jackson has lived in
8:18 pm
st. louis most of her life. tension between the police and young people here have been simmering. >> to police, this is a new game, treating me like your better than me and you have a badge and you have authority. no. ignorance of the law is no excuse. >> that kind of anger has played out in the streets this week after a police officer killed an unharmed black teenager. many say the police force has a history of targeting blacks. >> i'm troubled by every shooting, by the shoot, the police officer, by the shooting after that occurred. black on black crime, i'm tired of all the killings. i don't understand at all why this is happening. >> still, residents commented the police for the handling of the volatile atmosphere. >> i saw a lot of cops show a lot of restraints. the cops need to hear that, too. it's a two way street to make our community better. >> the mayor outlined some of
8:19 pm
the challenges. >> african-american officers are not a dime a dozen. they are -- it is hard to go out and get african-americans who want to be in police work. we talked about tonight the divide between young african-americans and law enforcement. you don't see young african-americans coming you the in droves looking for careers in law enforcement. >> the st. louis remains segregated, making it prone to crime rate. >> apparently this has bubbled to the surface and it's our first priority address it, to fix what's wrong. >> i guarantee you st. louis will not be the same as it is, because there are so many people and i'm one of them that is not going to stand down from this issue because it could have been my nephew. >> people say transparency would be a first step toward mending a long history of racial tension.
8:20 pm
>> once again, the protests continue in ferguson, missouri. let's go out for the latest developments. >> hello, just in the last few moments, we're right here at the intersection of west florissant avenue and ferguson avenue. this is a procession that has come from what was the epicenter of much of the protests. they have continued this way and now stopped and surrounded. what is happening behind me, there's a bus in the distance full of police officers and now basically surrounded by these protestors who have come this way and continue to shout and protest and demonstrate here at this intersection, where much of the violence took place last night with looting. this is the same intersection where that beauty supply shop was looted, as well as the liquor store. right now, the police can't make
8:21 pm
it further. you're seeing a line. i don't know if you can see this now. the police are now spreading out, leaving the bus and they are basically creating a line and they are just, you know, pretty much face-to-face with these demonstrators at this point. again, this street has been completely closed off to traffic, at least going one way, police telling us they were afraid of the possibility that vehicles would be turning weapons into the area. now as you can see, foot traffic has moved further on and is basically up against the police line that's basically here at this intersection. >> stand by for just a moment as i have it the former police officer. what do you make of the situation as a former police officer? >> i think it's going to take a lot of professionalism from the police to keep things under control there. i think most people out there, the overwhelming majority of
8:22 pm
people out there are expressing their first amendment right and out there peacefully, but i think the police and the public officials are looking out for what's best in the community. i think that's why the governor declared a state of emergency. >> can you understand the state of emergency and how it got to the boil point? >> i don't know the community. i can speak from the communities that i've worked, which would be washington, d.c. here in new york. oftentimes, i think what happens is something tragic, which is as this, very tragic happens and there's a lot of people make pretty good judgments. the police officer who was involved in this shooting, we don't know the fact. he may very well have used excessive force. we don't know. i would caution people not to jump to conclusions until our justice system, the process works. wave justice system, and people need to let the system work. >> i want to talk more about the
8:23 pm
actions of the police department in just a moment. stand by, if you will, because another concern is the militarization of the police officers across the country. millions of surplus equipment have been given to police, making officers look more like soldiers going to war with the communities they're supposed to be protecting and serving. paul beban has more. >> for days, it's looked like a war zone, but it's ferguson, missouri. tear gas, rubber bullets, flash grenades, all used against american civilians, police confronting protestors in full battle gear. >> this kind of force that was once reserved for emergency situations, when you're talking about hostage takings or active shooters is spread all over the country because a number of these federal policies, and it's become the default use of force in far too many situations. >> the federal policy is the defense department's 1033
8:24 pm
program. it moves surplus war equipment to america's local police departments, the program started small. in the early 1990s, it supplied a million dollars worth of equipment to forces each year. so far this year, the value is already $752 million, and some $4.3 billion overall. it has supplied machine guns to helicopters, grenade launchers and heavy vehicles. st. louis county law enforcement agencies, those working in ferguson are among the more than 8,000 that have received equipment through the defense department, but now lawmakers from both sides are calling for the program to be reigned in. republican senator rand paul called police militarization a very serious problem, saying:
8:25 pm
democratic representative hank johnson proposed new legislation to demilitarize police forces. he wrote to his colleagues our maybe streets should be a place for business, families and relaxation, not tanks and m16's. his bill would stop the pentagon from giving police automatic weapons, armored vehicles, drones and other equipment. it will be form ally introduced in september, too late to change the situation in ferguson. paul beban, aljazeera, new york. >> joining us, chairman of the homeland security democratic at the college. do officers see themselves more as soldiers than police officers? >> i don't think so. i think what's happened and
8:26 pm
there are key points in our history that have brought us to where we are. i would say one of the -- when i first came on the police force in the early 1990, we were transitioning from six shot resolvers to automatic handguns because of the drug gangs in the 1980s with the cocaine and crack epidemic. police were outgunned. that was a big switch over from the revolver to the semiautomatic. in 1997 there was landmark incident in north hollywood, california. the bank of america was robbed by two bank robbers. they had assault weapons and the lapd were not prepared. there's a movie out called 44 minutes. it took 44-mile an hour to say neutralize and this led into a residential neighborhood where citizens were at harm. two years to later, we had columbine, where the police were not prepared to respond appropriately to that kind of attack. then, of course, we were just
8:27 pm
coming up for air and 9/11 occurred. you have the 1997 bank robbery in north hollywood, the 1999 columbine attack and then the 2001 terrorist attack. i think that's when police departments started to realize they need to be equipped. we like to think of ourselves, law enforcement as we're out there protecting the sheep from the wolves. most citizens in this country are god citizens, they go about their business and they don't think of other people at wolves. police officers, their job is to protect the people from these really bad people. >> you were in the marine corps. >> i was. >> communities are almost like a war zone. how do you decipher between a community you're serving and protecting and what ultimately can be seen as a war zone with gangsters out there outpowering local police? >> i think now where we are in public safety in america, in a post 9/11 america, public safety and homeland security are intertwined and they always will
8:28 pm
be. we've seen internationally what happened in russia, in mumbai, we've seen what happened in aurora, colorado, the navy yard shooting, sandy hook. we've seen these incidents time and time again. it's irresponsible that the police are not equipped to appropriately defend and protect the people they swore to protect. >> i want to look at how many counties have received military grade equipment. these counts now have a wide range of equipment, including aircraft, grenade launchers and night vision goggles, assault rifles are the most widely used. what is the perception, if you will, among residents. do they feel law enforcement fully understands the community? >> that's clearly not the case at least here in ferguson. there has been tension, not only racial tension, but tension between the youth and the
8:29 pm
police, as well. given the events over this last week and the constant changing of the strategy when it comes to providing security around this area where protestors have been coming out for the last week, police are literally reacting to what they're seeing on the ground. as i just reported, they had closed off this street just moments ago, opened it up as a reaction to what happened earlier with police and protestors coming face-to-face, so there is as huge problem here when it comes to trust and understanding what the police's role is here, whether that's enforcement role or a role to make sure the citizens themselves are safe. >> how do you regain that trust? >> you have on the screen before caps and communities and the founder of modern policing in america, when it was modernized in america, it was based on involving the community with the police to keep communities safe.
8:30 pm
i think there's miss perceptions out there. the reporter just referred to whether cops are enforcing or protecting. they're doing both. the overwhelming majority of people out there are good people. there are bad elements that are going to disrupt what these good people are doing. it's the job of the police to stop that from happening. consider the businesses being looted in a community that may be suffering economically. do you think it's good to have these businesses burn and maybe not reopen? is that good for the community as a whole. it's the job of the police department to protect the entire community. >> there's been a lot said on the lack of divers city on the ferguson police department. according to the u.s. census, 53% of the population was black, a decade later, the african-american population
8:31 pm
grew. is this the core problem here, the police department not reflecting the community? >> no, because i've worked with two different diverse police department and worked beside men and women of different color, creed and religions. it's not the case. i don't see that as the case. i think there's miss perceptions. approximate the public believed the police were out there to serve their best interests. if you asked people in most communities do they prefer the police to be there or not there, they want the police there, i reassure you. >> should we reexamine racial training in the police force? >> that training has been going on for years. >> do you think white officers can fully understand the black community. >> that's hard for me to answer away it's very important that people are trained to treat everyone equal, regardless of what someone looks like or their skin color. it's very important that americans treat americans like
8:32 pm
americans. >> has that been an area of concern among residents, the divers city of the police force? >> it has, and that's something we've heard. they feel like in ferguson as we've been reporting, of 53 officers, only three of african-americans. they feel they need to see a reflection of themselves in these police officers. that is something we're seeing clearly on the ground, this crowd basically moved back away from us as superintendent ron johnson, an african-american officer from the area came in here. he's been used to a certain extent to try to diffuse the situation and say look, i'm one of you, understand your concerns and i'm here to help. regardless of whether or not a police force should or should not reflect the eye verse city of their community, residents feel there should be a little more divers city, so they can feel a little more safe, a little more like they can relate to those police officers.
8:33 pm
again, to your guest's point earlier, another sentiment we're hearing is that the police are between a rock and hard place. over the last few days, there was concern about what was consider add heavy handedness by the police department up until this change in attitude. last night, people were asking why they didn't do more, why they didn't fire tear gas and protect that he is businesses. they're caught between a rock and hard place when it comes to enforcement and protection. that is one thing that has been a major challenge in ferguson. >> looking at the break down in race, 16,000 people in the city over the age of 15, african-americans make up 63%, whites 34%. an overwhelming majority of residents stopped by officials were african-american, more than 4600 in 2013, in contrast to 700
8:34 pm
whites. the same is true of people searched by police. last year, police arrested nearly 500 blacks, compared to 36 whites. what do you make of those numbers? >> i don't like them, and again, i believe that if people feel the need to have a more diverse police force, then it's the job of community leaders, the police force and the city and county to go out and recruit and find out why don't we have more divers city on our police force. recruit and make the job attract i have to everyone, like the person said earlier, why aren't african-americans not choosing to become police officers. that's a question that needs to be answered. >> should there be more transparency in the police department? >> i think there is transparency. i believe it's a very difficult job and i'm not going to defend anyone that john the facts about, but i know this.
8:35 pm
most men and women that serve on police forces around this nation are doing it because it's a noble cause and they're there to protect people and to serve the community. >> should the officer's picture be released? >> i don't see why it shouldn't. if you're going release a suspect's picture or video, the officer's picture should be released, as well. there's nothing wrong with that. >> besides patrolling the neighborhood. some police departments make a special effort to connect with the community they serve. i want to pause and watch a story from diane ester brooke in chicago. >> chicago cop dalia is trying to keep these kids from being statistics. >> why run? >> she heads a five week anti violence program for kids in high risk nakeds. >> i don't see the police, right, and now i'm over here talking to my friends.
8:36 pm
this is what they do, look, look, look, look. don't say nothing. >> the program that is part of chicago alternative police be strategies or caps. in neighborhoods like englewood, police are seen more as adversaries instead of advocates for people in the neighborhood. the caps program is trying to change that. >> have you made friends with these kids? >> we ever. we have broken a barrier where a lot of them didn't talk, now they're talking. we can't get them to be quiet. >> she is helping teens learn about opportunities outside their neighborhood. this day, they tour a public radio station. she hopes she's made an impression that will last. >> do you worry about them? >> yeah, yeah, even when they're in the program. when they leave, they're still going back into their neighborhoods, new the elements for some of them, so yeah, i do worry about them. >> she said all of the kids in
8:37 pm
her program last year have stayed out of trouble so far. aljazeera, chicago. >> this brings up a very good point. where does community mentoring play a role and have we seen community leaders step up? >> absolutely, that's something that we learned about today and over the last few days, a lot of groups have come together, formed groups, some trying to teach children and youth how to protest appropriately, how to channel anger. that's one thing we've seen. we've also seen leaders, community leaders, clergymen come out. the community leaders set a good example on the streets here as these youths are protesting to be able to help contain anger and appropriate channel that into responsible protesting. that's one of the things that a lot of community leaders have called for and the police have called for is those relationships between not only
8:38 pm
the police and the public, but the police, the community leaders the religious leaders. >> how do we rebuild the trust of the community? >> we're right on target. the youth are key. form a relationship with the youth of america. if the police and the leaders in these communities don't have a positive impact, those wolves will have the negative impact. >> it's hard to see we're on target when we look at live video night after night, the protests, the looting, the rioting. are we on target? >> i would disagree strongly, as the police chief has said and the governor has said, this is a small number of people causing these problems. the majority of people are peacefully protesting. >> there's a mistrust among the community and police force. how do we build that gap? >> the youth, the youth are key. go for the youth, earn their trust and they'll grow up to be trusting duties. >> what more can you tell us
8:39 pm
about the curfew here in just a couple of hours? >> well, there has been concern all day for the fact that people are wondering how it's going to be enforced. again, it starts at midnight through 5:00 a.m. the governor will reassess how effective it was. there are leaders out here, clergy men and parents out here in addition to the large contingency of police officers. we aren't skiing a lot of vehicles. the police went through the crowd and walked with them and pushed that crowd back in a herding way. we saw superintendent ron johnson walking in the midst of this crowd, so they've become part of it in a sense. it's not that hard line we've seen over the last few days. we've heard possibly that to curtail or get around this curfew, that people might travel outside of ferguson, where the curfew is not in effect and whether or not that leads to peaceful protest or dissolves into chaos as it did last night is the big question.
8:40 pm
8:42 pm
>> welcome to al jazeera america. here are the top stories we're following right now. >> i signed an order declaring a state of emergency and ordered the implementation of a curfew. >> a midnight curfew in the streets of ferguson. >> rick perry called the endictment against him an abuse of power, dismissing the charges, calling them outrageous.
8:43 pm
>> islam psych state group in iraq executed 80 male yazidis today and captured their wives and children. >> a five day ceasefire still holding in gaza. negotiations on a permanent truce between israel and gaza resume sunday. the european union offered a deal to take charge of gaza's border crossings if hamas agrees to disarm its fighters and israel agrees to drop its blockades. >> hundred was trucks from russia are held at the ukrainian border, among them an aid convoy. there are suspicions it may be a trojan horse. >> a rocket almost killed this man. like many who live in donetsk,
8:44 pm
he has strong tie to say russia. he blames the region's dark history for what is happening now. >> at one point, we were one country with 14 republics. politicians divided them and planted a seed of war between us. i think what's happening now is absolutely wrong, because our ancestors took part in a war where they had the same ideals, values and beliefs as each other. >> the separatists' beliefs are murk key. some say ukraine is part of an old imperial russia. others embrace the power of the soviet union. >> when you ask pro-russian separatists what they want, some want freedom from kiev's rule. other insist they're facing fairism. most just want to get on with their lives and don't understand why ukrainians are taking up arms against each other. >> kiev proposed a peace plan,
8:45 pm
including more political and economic autonomy and protection of the russian language. separatists say this is not enough and they have local people's support. in one suburb of donetsk, we meet irene. she said most people are like her, afraid to speak out. >> i feel my life is a black cloud. every morning, i hope this is a bad dream and i'll wake up and things will be as they were. >> the ukrainian army is closing in. separatists are calling for more ukrainian and russian volunteers to join their cause. they've already lost men and many people here will now be asking themselves whether their dreams are worth dying for. aljazeera, donetsk. >> it is the fourth day of the pope's visit to south korea. his visit has been significant not just for the country, but for catholics in all of asia.
8:46 pm
during an open air mass in seoul, hundreds of thousands of people were intendance. >> their example has much to say to us. dire positivity is growing, where the cry of the poor is seldom heeded and christ continues to call out to us and tend to our brothers and sisters in need. >> 170,000 catholics had been invited from churches all across the country and were in attendance. >> billions of dollars in retirement accounts are unclaimed. we'll tell you how to find it next. >> a call for a cure goes viral. how some ice and the internet is helping thousands suffering from a deadly disease.
8:48 pm
>> now available, the new al jazeea america mobile news app. get our exclusive in depth, reporting when you want it. a global perspective wherever you are. the major headlines in context. mashable says... you'll never miss the latest news >> they will continue looking for survivors... >> the potential for energy production is huge... >> no noise, no clutter, just real reporting. the new al jazeera america mobile app, available for your apple and android mobile device. download it now
8:49 pm
>> welcome back. millions of american workers with retirement accounts don't know they exist. tens of billions of dollars are resting in lost 401k accounts. we have the story. >> estimates vary on the total number of lost retirement dollars. experts agree close to four mill accounts are owned by lost investors. according to the boston research group, the average balance of a loft account is $10,000. >> almost $40 billion is sitting in lost accounts. >> if you do math quickly, you come up with $30 billion to $50 billion. >> a person is considered lost when his or her address on a file is wrong or social security number off by a few digits. >> lost participants or disconnected accounts are part of a larger dynamic that we're
8:50 pm
trying to solve in the retirement system. >> without help, many workers lose track of their 401k's, because large numbers of people are enrolled, some don't know their accounts exist. the age of direct deposit mean many people don't examine checks to see what's being deducted. government figures show people switch jobs a lot, more than 10 times in a career and may not update addresses. >> 9.5 million people change jobs every single year. >> another contributor is a d.o.l. rule requiring investment terms send certain things through mail only. >> they are used to getting things electrically, so a lot of people aren't used to getting pieces of mail. >> the nest egg can go untouched for years, balanced threatened.
8:51 pm
>> there are so many dollars locked up in lost plans, the u.s. department of labor held a hearing and have id companies, including american airlines, honey well international, inc. to testify about locating missing and lost account holders. aljazeera. >> now we've got to talk about your forecast, rebecca stevenson joining us. >> so many are banking on this. bank, haha. >> i like it. it works. >> rainfall has been piling up, unlike my 401k. when you look in north dakota and northern missouri, flash flooding is going on right now. look at the doppler radar, estimated rainfall totals in the last 24 hours. over bismarck, we're seeing over eight inches of rainfall and in northern missouri, specifically around maryville, we have a
8:52 pm
college located there, that is coming down, totals over eight to nine inches. it has been a soggy day for those areas, temperatures definitely cooler. the system that's been hitting missouri is going to be tracking to the east. we're going to continue with the heavy rain, the gusty winds, they're gusting up to 30-40 miles an hour in some storms. that's going to crib eastward. the rain showers we're getting in the northeast are not associated with those powerful storms in the midwest, but still, this is rain showers on top of all this flooding that we've had. the rain totals so far, around the great lakes, we're getting about .01 of an inch, not what we saw this last week, heavy rainfall from detroit to new jersey to new york and into connecticut and maine. this is freeport, maine. this is what a lot of people are seeing in photos, roads collapsing, because there was so much water coming down so fast,
8:53 pm
that it just took the dirt out from under the roadways. road collapses are a big problem here. there is a lot of clean upgoing on from this storm. wave forecast to see showers diminish to the extreme northeast. we've got more rain coming in. ohio, you're going to get heavy showers on the way. low temperatures stay cooler. we've had that cloud suffer today, and then we're going to start warming up and it will still be below normal. >> a lot of people calling for fall already. thank you. >> time to pay up, ahead, new jersey taxpayers are facing the bill for their governor's legal fees in the wake of bridge gate. >> i'm in the shadow of the empire state building, about to get doused in freezing cold ice filled water. i'm having serious second
8:54 pm
8:56 pm
>> this, is what we do. >> al jazeera america. >> new jersey governor chris christie has racked up $8 million in legal bills in the bridge gate investigation. taxpayers are going to be on the hook for it. the state attorney general reds bills from the law firm that represents christie in the state and federal investigations into last september's lane closures on the george washington bridge, ordered bay former christie aid. the law firm exiled a report clearing christie of any wrongdoing. >> an on line campaign that spread awareness about a deadly disease is sending chills across the nation literally. we explain. >> if you've been on line in the
8:57 pm
last few weeks, there's a good chance you've seen someone taking the a.l.s. ice bucket challenge, dumping ice water on their heads and nominating others to do the same. too cold for you? you can make a donation. a.l.s., also is known as lou gehrig's disease. it's a degenerative disease that kills motor neurons, eventually ending the brain's ability to initiate and control muscles. today a viral campaign is thrusting the disease into the spotlight. 15 new cases of a.l.s. are diagnosed each day and as many as 30,000 americans have the disease at any given time. a.l.s. affects 20% more men than women. the life expectancy of an a.l.s. patient averages two to five years after diagnose. there's currently no cure, which
8:58 pm
is why money for research is so important. ice bucket challenges are not new, but 29-year-old patient peter, who can no longer talk or walk decided to use it to call attention to the disease. he and a friend launched this viral campaign an started the sensation. >> before this, so many people did not understand what a.l.s. was. >> i am accepting the a.l.s. ice bucket challenge. celebrities and politicians have joined the trend and it's paying off. a.l.s. associations chapters have seen nearly 146,000 new don nors and raised $17.6 million, compared to $1.2 million in the same period last year. >> isn't it incredible, the amount of money they're now raising because all of this has gone viral. you didn't think, did you, that
8:59 pm
we would do this story and nobody would get wet. you're right, and it's me, but before i do this, i nominate my two fantastic colleagues, del walters, that's walters, not waters. someone's put ice in here. begin and tonic flavored. very good. here we go! [ cheers and applause ] this is why aljazeera reporters are always totally immersed in their stories. this might not have been quite such a good idea. aljazeera in new york. >> the reaction of the lady behind him, once again, getting wet for a good cause. there is one famous name that turned down the challenge, president obama. he was nominated by ethel
9:00 pm
kennedy. he decided to forego the challenge and donate cold, hard cash instead, $100. that will do it from us. i'll be back with another hour of news at 11:00 p.m. eastern. >> the killing of an unarmed teen in st. louis and the days of of rioting that followed raised the question of militarizing of the police in america. welcome to "consider this." we'll have that and much more straight ahead oh. >> escalating tensions from the police shooting of michael brown. brown. >> tear gas canisters
102 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
Al Jazeera America Television Archive The Chin Grimes TV News Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on