>> and borderland... >> a lot aof people haven't got a clue what goes on near the border >> al jazeera america presents labor day marathons >> this is not over... this is al jazeera america, live from new york city, i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. a new ceasefire, israelis and palestinians agree to an open-ended trust in hopes of stopping 50 days of fighting. and the u.s. begins flights in a move that could pave the way for air strikes against the islamic state. and the department of veteran affairs say no evidence shows that lack of care lead to any

veteran's deaths. celebrations in the streets of gaza city seconds after israelis and palestinians announced a ceasefire agreement. the agreement ends 50 days of violence. humanitarian aid and building materials are expected to start arriving through reopened border crossings. palestinian president says rebuilding gaza a long-term peace are now the priorities. >> translator: i would like to announce that the palestinian authority accepted the egyptian initiative to agree to a permanent ceasefire in gaza, starting farm 7:00 pm local time, and we hope this will be the beginning of the ending of the suffering of our people.

egypt is backing the ceasefire deal. delegations from both sides will continue negotiations next month on some of the larger issues, but this deal seems to have worked out a previous sticking point. jackie has the latest from west jerusalem. >> reporter: spokesmen for the israeli government have understoodably sought to present this as a victory for israel, and they are saying that hamas ended up having to accept a ceasefire that did not include some of its key demands, notably the creation of a sea port and airport. however, it would appear that the ceasefire nevertheless had a lot of opposition inside the israeli government, but the prime minister, benjamin netenyahu, steam rolled it through anyway. also people are very much aware that the longer-term objectives, namely to secure a long term

quiet, especially for the people living close to the gaza strip, these long-term objectives have not been addressed and will not be addressed until talks begin again in a month's time. families who live close to the gaza strip haven't come back yet, and in fact a local council leaders in that whole region are warning people don't come back yet, and they are also saying that they won't open schools on september 1st, so clearly a lack of confidence as well on the israeli side about just how durable this ceasefire will be. >> the spokesmen for ben says the success of today's deal lies squarely on hamas's shoulders. >> the hamas movement committed today to non-violence to end all rockets being shot at israeli cities, to end terror tunnel

attacks on our people. in that finishes for us, that's achieving our goals, because our goals were to protect our people, and if this agreement means there won't be attacks from gaza if hamas does in fact honor it, will mean there won't be attacks anymore on israeli civilians from gaza, that's a good thing. on the issue of demilitarization, this is not just an israeli policy, the europeans, the americans, many others have endorsed the idea that gaza should be demilitarized. and that's very important. it's time the commitment was implemented. we won't want another gaza war a year or two from now. in the framework of non-violence of a cessation of all attacks from gaza into israel, of course we can move forward to easing the restrictions and sanctions that were only put there in the first place in response to the

violence. if the violence is no longer there, we can move forward in these restrictions. we never saw the people of gaza as our enemy. our enemy was hamas and those trying to kill israeli people. they accepted the egyptian framework on july 15th. hamas rejektded it. had hamas accepted what we accepted on july 15th, how much of this bloodshed and suffering could have been avoided. police are searching for a new jersey student who disappeared on friday. he was last seen when he went for a hike in the jerusalem forrest. police have launched a massive operation and are conducting an investigation. the united states could be laying the ground work for possible air strikes against the islamic state group in syria. president obama approved the

flights to obtain more information on the group. i.s. fighters have ceased more areas in recent months. >> the limited strikes we're conducting have been necessary to protect our people and have helped iraqi forces begin to push back these terrorists. we have also been able to rescue thousands of men, women, and children trapped on a mountain, and our air drops of food, water, and medicine show american leadership at our best. libby casey is in washington for us. is this an about face here? the white house has you know has long on posed the assad regime. but could this be that the united states and syria are about to start working together? >> well, tony, u.s. officials are dismissing the possibility of working with or even consulting with the assad regime. today they said that is just not happening either directly or

through a third-party. that's despite the fact that she and other officials recognize the growing threat that the islamic state or isil poses beyond iraq's boundaries. >> this is one that is beyond the borders and that's why we are considering a range of options that are not limited by borders, and it's a threat that we have concern about for all of the reasons that i outlined today. that doesn't mean that our view has changed of the brutality of the assad regime and the brutality of the actions that he has taken against his own people. >> reporter: jen says the islamic state has grown as a significant threat in the last six months sa not respecting for acknowledging boundaries, in fact it is trying to reform boundaries. the u.s. said it launched two more air strikes today in erbil in iraq, this brings it up to 98

total that has been launched this month over iraq skies. >> libby one more on the first point here. what does the u.s. go have to weigh in even considering -- it doesn't sound like the government is thinking about working with the assad regime, but if it were even considering it, what would be some of those considerations? >> reporter: you know, tony, the state department say they are not even considering it, but a lot of questions are being raised. there are a host of reasons not to work with the assad regime, and they are obvious, including the fact that the u.s. was considering air strikes about a year ago because of chemical weapons used against his own people. and many countries have broodly condemned assad in his leadership there in the country. and even talking to assad or coordinating could be a bigger

affront to the sunni population, and the u.s. sees that as a crucial group to win over. now launching air strikes brings up a range of other problems including the fact that the assad regime may see that as a direct threat and so makoun tries like iran and syria. air strikes may not seem like that bad of a thing to assad. it's just a real question. and i have to point out that yesterday, syria's foreign minister cracked the door open for some sort of international coordination, but he said any unauthorized actions in syria would be seen as acts of aggression, tony. >> libby thank you. meantimes syria's president bashar al-assad is stepping up his campaign using barrel bombs.

sheila macvicar has exclusive footage from inside that battered city. >> reporter: the helicopters circle slowly, beyond the range of any rebel guns. suddenly, a black dot drops from its belly, tumbling towards the city below, then the explosion. [ explosion ] >> reporter: for a small group of volunteers and rebel held aleppo that sound means their work day has just begun. they call themselves the civil defense force, or c df, their self appointed mission: to help victims of bashar al-assad barrel bombs. an increasing number of these cheap indiscriminate aerial ied's have been dropped on the regime in aleppo in recent months.

two barrel bombs have just exploded in this residential neighborhood. the volunteers manage to pull some survivors from the rebel. for this 12 year old boy, it's too late. all the team can do is offer him some dignity in death. >> reporter: in its battle to retake the city of aleppo, the assad regime has relied heavily on barrel bombs, dropping hundreds in the last few months. the terror inflicted by the bombs has driven tens of thousands of civilians to flee the area. a tactic many say is deliberate. aleppo has fewer than 300,000 residents left. the barrel bombs have killed over 2,000 civilians in aleppo

alone this year. in february the u.n. passed a resolution condemning their use. the syrian air force responded by doubling the number dropped. in the midst of this battle what they are trying to do is save those caught in the cross-fire. a simple idea, so difficult to do. >> translator: even though we have lost a great deal of friends, acquaintances and family, we are staying because our work is humanitarian. family members and u.s. officials say the islamic state group has been holding a young american woman hostage since last year. she had been working for several humanitarian aid groups. she is one of at least three known hostages being held by the islamic state fighters inside syria. now to iraq. where there has been more violence in the country's capitol. at least 11 people were killed

when a car bomb exploded in eastern bagdad. the attack comes a day after dozens of people were killed in a series of bombings. the islamic state group again took responsibility for the attacks. this comes the day after vice president joe biden urged the all groups to come together to fight the islamic state group. iraqi forces have rescued a group of women and children from a town that has been under siege for two months. >> reporter: the iraqi army is only able to reach this area by air. the land below is under the control of the islamic state group and other rebel groups. this video shows helicopters

dropping aid supplies and evacuating people. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: some 12,000 shiite turkman live in this town which has been under attack by i.s. group for about two months now. turkmen shiite are among the many minority groups who have been forced in large numbers from their homes in the north. some found their way to this camp in the outskirts of erbil. >> translator: i have six children. life is very difficult for us. we would like to be back home. that is what we want. >> reporter: the fate of iraq's minorities just like the country is uncertain, and people no longer feel safe unless they are among their own communities. this is a transit center where internally displayed families are waiting to be repatriated, but they are not going home. they are waiting to be flown to

other shiite areas where they say they will feel safe. but life in the iraqi capitol is violent. a series of car bombings killed dozens of people in shiite areas, the attacks keep happening despite the security around the city. >> reporter: i saw fire put up a big plume of smoke. god protect us. only poor people are suffering from such continued violence. >> reporter: and that violence is continuing in sunni areas outside of the control of the government. the government has been largely relying on air fire to fight the islamic state group. but still many are dying, and with less than two weeks before a constitutional deadline to form a government there are growing concerns that iraq is descending into all out sectarian violence.

christians are now staying in neighboring jordan. many refugees are hoping to settle permanently in the west. >> reporter: these helpless people are among the first iraq eye christian refugees to arrive in jordan. all received death threats from the islamic state group just because they are christian. 72 people are now living in this church, but most are too afraid that to be film. this man came here with his pregnant wife, their children and the elderly men and women in their family who were able to get south. what he wants is a basic human right. >> translator: we dream of security, stability, and freedom to live like normal human beings without intolerance and constraints. we wish to live somewhere where people with relate to each other. >> reporter: most people here

had to flee mosul on foot when islamic state groups seized the city. they say they stole their homes, cars, shops and jewelry. this man is afraid to show his face because he still has family members trying to leave iraq. >> translator: we want to live in any country that accepts us. we have been under threat in iraq since 2003, and no one is protecting our rights. we're considered infa dels. >> reporter: iraq's christians are one of the oldest christian communities in the world, now it's hard to accept that mosul no longer has a christian presence. jordan has agreed to host 1,000 iraqi christians. but jordan is only meant to be a transit point for these iraqis who's plan is to request asylum and resettlement in western countries. the ngo affiliated with the

catholic church is providing food, health care, and lodging. but it says it can only afford to do so for up to a year. >> for the future i don't know, because maybe [ inaudible ] can do something to interfere and o register them as refugees, you know? at least for the future. >> reporter: and then there are the internally displayed in iraq. aid is being air lifted to refugees who fled to the kurdish region. the fighting in iraq is leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless, desperate, and shattered. russian and ukrainian leaders met for the first time since june. they held a bilateral meeting in belarus. the two leaders at tended a meeting in an attempt to end

fighting in eastern ukraine. meeting took place as ukraine said it captured ten russian solders in an area of intense fighting. >> reporter: interrogated on camera, ten men ukraine claims are russian paratroopers. the ukrainian military says the men were on a special mission when they were captured. the men say they are soldiers from a russian city. moscow says the men were patrolling a section of the border when they accidentally strayed into ukraine. kiev insists that this is the strongest evidence yet of russia's hand in the ongoing conflict. elsewhere in the region, the aftermath of fierce fighting in the border town. kiev said an armored column sparked into ukraine. four border guards were killed from fire from two russian

helicopters. the battlefield has changed rapidly, kiev accuses moscow of helping the separatists to open up a new front in the south of the region. the fight for control of the east has taken a new turn. and coming up on al jazeera america, a new investigation that says delays in care for veterans did not lead to their deaths. at the hospital at the center of the va scandal. details next. and what may be the funniest ice bucket challenge yet, featuring sarah palin. huh? that is next? power politics. stuart! stuart!

stuart! stuart! ♪ check it out. this my account thing. we can tweet directly toa comcast expert for help.

or we can select a time for them to call us back. the future, right? ♪ this doesn't do it for you? [ doorbell rings, dog barks ] oh, that's what blows your mind -- the advanced technology of a doorbell.. [ male announcer ] tweet an expert and schedule a callback from any device. introducing the xfinity my account app. so the veteran's affairs department says investigators have found no proof that delays in care lead to deaths at the phoenix va hospital. the inspector general has been looking into allegations that as many as 40 veterans died while waiting for care. veterans affair secretary robert mcdonald said today that more

work needs to be done. >> our strategic plan says it clearly, va is a customer service organization. we serve veterans. and it's by how well we serve those veterans ultimately that decides the value of our organization. the truth of the matter is that we failed in a number of ways, and we need to do better. we have to do better, much better. >> also today, president obama promised veterans that he would take further action to improve their access to health care. and good economic news sent stocks higher today. well, not by that much. the s&p closed above 4,000 for the first time ever. burger king said today it has reached a deal to buy tim

horton's it will create the world's third largest fast food company. it will also move its headquarters to canada, which will lower taxes. in today's power politics it is 10 weeks until the congressional midterm elections, and when it comes to a possible g.o.p. takeover of the senate, fears are growing. david shuster joining us with more. >> republicans need a net pickup of six seats to take control of the senate, and derail the final two years of president obama's term. the latest polls show that some of the democratic firewalls are in trouble. mark pryor appears to be slipping in his reelection efforts. if tom cot ton flips the seat, the odds tilt heavily to a republican senate. and another democrat the party

has been counting on is now trailing republican challenger jody earnst. earnst has been one of the surprises of 2014. and in north carolina kay hagan is in the race of her life dead even against speaker of the north carolina house. spending in that north carolina race thanks largely to outside groups is on track to reach $100 million. just in north carolina. that would be a senate record. the latest attack ad in the harhill state hits hagan. >> senator hagan says she want fiscal responsibility. but there is nothing moderate about her spending priorities. she has voted for trillions in wasteful spending and debt. >> and mark warner is starting to see his lead begin to narrow, some democratic groups have opened fire on ed gillespie.

>> he is everything that is wrong with washington. he worked in the white house and used his connections to be a corporate lobbyist. >> if he can withstand the k attacks and make this virginia race competitive, battle is coming. and a democratic candidate in up state new york is running an ad featuring equal pay for women. >> here is $10. >> yes. >> and sally did the same work. and here is $8 for you. >> what? >> you don't have to be a grownup to know that isn't fair. we have to make sure that women get equal pay for equal work. >> that's not a bad spot.

vermont senator bernie sanders just announced he will be heading to iowa for several events in mid-september. he will be there at the same time as hilary clinton. sanders told yahoo news a clinton campaign is not something that is going to stop him from running. >> the working class and middle class of this country are facing enormous problems. we are going to end up, and i use these words advisedly as an oligarchy society. and i will do everything i can to prevent that from happening. >> finally on the republican side, sarah palin is also considering a 2016 presidential run, and she may have just done something that may boost that likability factor.

she spoked about the ice bucket challenge, signed a check, and app mered to get caught off guard after issuing her challenge. i also challenge senator john mccain. cheers. [ screaming ] >> whoo! [ laughter ] >> that funny video has now generated over 300,000 views on youtube. >> that was good. can we see that again. >> i think it's the sleeks -- >> can we do that? we got to see it again. yeah, yeah, here we go. cheers. [ screaming ] [ laughter ] [ applause ] >> good for her. good for her. >> raises money to fight lou gehrig's disease. >> absolutely. absolutely. coming up is u.s. surveillance over syria a precursor to air strikes? and if that is the case, why now?

we'll tackle all of those questions next. and an after shock hits california as the cleanup continues from sunday's earthquake, and how this may put the building of the new bay bridge in serious jeopardy. ♪

so president obama says fighting the islamic state group will be a long and difficult task. he has ordered surveillance over syria to determine the islamic state's assets there. the group has carved out its own territory within the country that is in the midst of a bloody three-year civil war. but the u.s. government says it will not coordinate with syria's go even though they said they would be willing to accept help to fight the islamic state.

what do you make of the president seemingly authorizing surveillance flights over syria? is it a foundation, a precursor to air strikes in syria? >> well, i think what he is trying to do is find out where their headquarters are, and some of the leaders, so that if he wants to attack, he knows -- he knows where -- where to go. i don't think you are going to have a sustained air campaign, like we have for example in iraq where we're aiding the troops on the -- on the ground. >> yeah, but this is interesting, and the rationale, help me understand the rationale for such a move if the president decides to go in this direction. in going after the leadership of isil in syria, that would mean establishing a link, wouldn't it, between that leadership and the death of james foley, otherwise why not take these particular steps over syria

three years ago? >> well, i think you have got a couple of issues here, three years ago, isis was not there. they did not come in until the so-called moderates started fighting assad. then they joined with them, and then separated and took some of the so-called moderate fighters with them, and took some of the arms that the ah -- saudis sent in there to help fight assad. >> but am i correct in saying that if the president is considering this, there needs to be a case made, right? there would need to be a rationale for -- for ultimately, if the decision is made -- and that's a big if, and i get the caw viets necessary here -- launching air strikes to

foll follow isis's leadership in syria, right? >> well, i think given what they did to james foley, that becomes the war rationale. but if you are going to expand it more into syria, i think really you should go into congress, because that's a whole new front. >> and larry if you make the decision -- again, a lot of ifs here -- if you take the decision with or without congress approving, air strikes against isil fighters in syria, why would you stop there? why would you degrade the ability for assad to kill his country's citizens. the president has been clearly on the record as saying assad has to go. >> well, the fact of the matter is, then you take responsibility for syria like we did in iraq,

and i don't think we're quite ready for that. i mean if we're the ones that get rid of assad, if it's not done by the people there. >> yes. >> but what you have now is assad and us have a common enemy in isis because assad was not a threat without of the region. the syrians fought with us in the first gulf war. whereas the headquarters of isil they are planning some attacks here or in europe or with some of the folks that have gone over there to fight for them. >> and let me try one more on you, could the u.s. launch these air strikes -- say they started in iraq where there is a willing and cooperative government and though those strikes move to syria, could the u.s. launch those air strikes in syria if the assad doesn't approve -- right now the language is conciliatory -- and

without a u.n. chapter 7 resolution? >> well, i think you could go in, again, because they did execute an american, and so i think that that becomes your international legal justification. our relationship with assad is going to be very dicey here. if we go after isis leadership, we're in effect helping assad, but we're not going to do it with him or get his permission, because that would make us, you know, complicit with some of the things he has done. but, you know, the whole area, we're working with iran, the saudis are working against isis even though they originally helped them. you are qatar who helped us get mr. curtis out. so the whole area, there is no our guys, and their guys, and the good guys, and the bad guys, we have to protect our own

interest. >> is that because of the threat that isis poses? what is your assessment of the threat of isis poses to the united states, and it poses to that region? >> well, i think it poses a much greater threat to the region. >> okay. >> i mean if they were to take control of syria and iraq just the oil supply for example, it would spread more because they are coming up with this idea of reestablishing the callafit, and people look at it and say well, maybe we ought to join. and then that will cause problems back here and in europe, and so you want to eliminate them and show that they are not on the right side of history. >> which remains replacing that

ideology with a better stronger ideology. larry great to see you thank you. egypt and the united stated arab emirates are said to have carried out air strikes in libya, but egypt denies it. the new u.n. envoy to libya says meddliing will not help the crisis. >> what is important is to support libyans who want to fight chaos and to do it through the political process. no more confrontation, because this will only create a more chaotic situation, which is the worst situation for neighboring countries, for the europeans and

the international community. >> the u.s. and international nations have also called for countries to stay out of the operations. britain's head of counter terrorism is asking for the public's help to identify people who have traveled to or from syria, or show signs of wanting to fight with groups like the islamic state. they are asking people to report any suspicious opinions. the call for action comes after videos surfaced showing the murder of james foley. there are concerns that the man who killed foley may have been british. the u.n. sponsored audit has been going on for weeks in afghanistan. the election has been under international scrutiny.

both sides accuse the other of fraud. the audit will determine who will replace hamid karzai. and nigeria says it has its ebola outbreak in check, but across the region, the death toll has surpassed the 1400 mark. and health officials fear it could be months before the virus is under control. >> reporter: the medical chief officer at liberia's largest hospital is now one of the ebola victims. he was given an experimental drug, but it was unable to save him. >> he finished the full course. >> reporter: but then what went on? >> well, he also has [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: what is that? >> i mean, he had other problems

other than just ebola. >> reporter: the liberian president has been visiting monrovia where tens of thousands of people are being held in quarantine, reliant on food aid. >> you need protection even for people who are [ inaudible ]. but we are really getting collaboration from the communities. much of our communities have been quarantined. >> reporter: in neighboring guinea, many people are too abraid to travel. borders are closed and fear is affecting business, especially the export of palm oil. >> translator: today there is no work. business people are not coming to buy palm oil because everybody is afraid of ebola virus. >> reporter: a number of airlines have stopped flying to affected countries. but the u.n. says the

restrictions are making it difficult to treat the virus. >> an understandable decision of some airlines to not continue to fly into free town or monrovia, has enormous impact on our ability to bring in staff, and to bring in goods. so on the one hand, yes, we understand it, but on the other hand, it's making the job a whole lot harder. >> reporter: the u.n. says the oh ebola outbreak is still spreading and all need to work together to stop it. but with communities becoming increasingly isolated that will be a continuing challenge. judges in chicago want to know if a ban on gay marriage helps society.

roxana saberi has that story. >> tony same-sex marriage bans are facing a challenge today in a federal appeals court in chicago. judges heard arguments and asked lawyers for the states how their bans on same-sex marriage helped society. one judge bristled when one lawyer repeatedly pointed to tradition. the judge pointed out it was once tradition to ban blacks and white from marrying. detroit's water department launched an aggressive campaign to collect more than $90 million owed from 90,000 customers. the move sparked outrage and protests. so the department gave people a month to work out payment plans, but that ended yesterday. >> people have come in and entered into payment plans and getting on top of their water bills, and that's all that we

wanted to see happen. >> reporter: about 15,000 customers had their water shut off between april and june. the man in charge of the ohio water department is retiring three weeks after an algee contamination seeped into the water supply. and in utah a champion sumo wrestler is now the heaviest man to swim across bear lake and back, he did the 14-mile, 15-hour swim to show that anyone can accomplish great things. >> i'm living example. look at this. 430 pounds. but i'm swimming and running marathons. i think i bit off more than i can chew at this time. once you are backed into a

corner, you have to fight like a dragon. >> reporter: he is a five time u.s. sumo wrestler, and the heaviest man to finish a marathon, something he has done three times, doneny. >> he has done it three times? >> three times. >> i haven't done one. >> that's something you have to work on. >> add it to the to-do list. look at him. oh, he has earned that belly though. >> he burned 13,000 calories too. >> wow. thank you. the magnitude 6 quake hit sunday near napa in california. jacob ward joins us live from an island that sits in the san francisco bay. i have never heard of the island. tell us how the infrastructure is holding up in that area since

sunday's quake. >> tony, behind me here, you are seeing the new span of the oakland bay bridge. this was $6.4 billion in the making, and it is designed specifically to resist earthquakes. it replaces this bridge over here. this is the original old span of the bay bridge. i got the opportunity to go up on this bridge a few months ago, and i have learned that they are scrambling to take this thing down, because there's nothing more dangerous in an earthquake than a half disassessabled bridge. disassessabling the old bridge is just as hard and maybe harder than building a new one. the demolition project is a sprint in engineering terms. >> the westbound section has collapsed into the eastbound section. >> reporter: a section collapsed in 1989, but engineers are far

more worried about its safety now. it is certain that in a big shake, the old bridge would be terribly dangerous, especially to the new bridge. the old bridge uses a classic design. it's central portion is a long span, suspended between two towers. those two towers lean in toward one another, so the engineers had to use enormous four-ton jacks to pull back on the spans separating them. then they cut the span in half. while we were on deck, the crew caused the whole structure to vibrate and sway underfoot. as i'm talking to you, i'm sort of feeling terrified because the whole thing is moving, and it's a very scary thing to be on an obviously unsupported bridge like this.

first the western most part, then the middle, and finally the mud line at the bottom of the bay. until that point, san francis franciscoans will continue to hold their breath. tony it was absolutely terrifying to be up on that bridge on a nice day. >> yeah, jake, inquiring minds want to know, how did the old bridge not crash into the new bridge during the quake? >> well, that was absolutely everybody's great concern. i mean when the structural engineers were woken up at 3:20 am on sunday morning, their great nightmare was this very part of the bridge. this part of the bridge comes only a hand's length away from the new bridge.

so it turns out that it didn't move in that way. it didn't move in the way that everyone was worried about. the engineers came out on sunday did a visual inspection, came again on monday morning and did a site inspection and there was just another extremely lucky break. >> i don't see many people around you. maybe you should get out from under that thing. >> yeah, as soon as we're done, we're gone. >> yeah, it's time to go. ahead on al jazeera america, the world health organization pushing for new harsh regulations on e-cigarettes. roxanne is back with that story. j

so you know the market for e-cigarettes is booming right now. there are more than 460 brands. the world health organization is really concerned and called today for more regulations. but supporteders say they help smokers quit. roxana saberi is back with more on this. >> tony the world health organization says it is not yet clear how dangerous the e-cigarettes are, but there are a lot of risks so it wants governments to stop use in doors

and to ban sales to young people. so now it is calling on governments to restrict ads like this, ban sales to minors, and prohibit e-cigarettes with fruit flavoring. >> i like the taste of it. the taste is probably my favorite part. >> reporter: the proposals are part of a report that found while e-cigarettes are likely to be less toxic than conventional cigarettes, the use poses threats to minors and pregnant mothers. they are calling to prohibit smoking e-cigarettes in door places, and it also wants them to stop claiming they help people stop smoking.

>> there's no sufficient evidence as to whether electronic cigarettes help or not smokers to quit smoking. >> it's time smoking changed forever. >> reporter: but proposents argue they are safer than tobacco, because they rely on heating and vaporizing a liquid with nicotine. 179 countries agreed to raise cigarette taxes, and ban or limit ads on cigarettes. but a similar agreement on e-cigarettes is probably far off. the who says finding out whether they cause diseases like cancer could take decades.

the fda has suggested a ban on sales to people under 18. philip morris got back to me and criticized the who report, and say that e-cigarettes could play an important role for public health. >> all right. we'll see. there is new evidence that the national security agency is sharing the information it collects through its surveillance programs. the agency built a google-like search engine to share information on cell phone locations, and internet chats. the fbi and nsa are among those said to have contact. coming up, one company is changing the tradition of white

dancers, including one woman who listen to this, was told she didn't have the right body for ballet.

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>> this is not over... ♪ >> how nice is that? you know, classical ballet in the united states has a problem when it comes to diversity. there are very few african-americans in dance companies. and dancers at the top companies are almost entirely white, but the american ballet theater is trying to change that. daniel lack reports from new york. ♪ >> reporter: change doesn't come easily to ballet, just ask misty, the soloist at american ballet theater. she is one of very few african-americans to ever be in this art form. >> as an african american ballerina in the 21st century, it's still rare to see us. and so i think it's about opening up people's eyes to

understanding that we can all be a part of the classical ballet world. it doesn't matter what your skin color is. >> reporter: in the past african-americans have gone to europe to dance where their skin color matteredless. some blame race. others the demand of training in belay on work class families. the student here have heard all of the familiar arguments. >> i feel like people weren't used to seeing african-americans in white art. they are used to us doing hip hop or modern. and that's too expected from a black person, so i don't want to do it. >> reporter: here they are explicitly searching for young dancers. misty is the force behind project plie as it is known. in less than a year there is a

10% rise in minority students. >> as long as we don't have that representation, i don't expect there to be a diverse audience. >> reporter: soon misty will dance the lead in swan lake, the first time an african american has done so at this level. she cites a well-known role model who also didn't let race get in the way of success. >> i think he definitely set the bar for change, president obama, and it's -- it's nice that we have someone like that to set an example that african-americans, hispanics, minorities are capable of being leaders in our communities. >> art it is said reflects art. if that's true, this art is well on its way to looking a lot more like the society around it. misty copeland. in dublin a schoolgirl was

trapped between the train and the platform. some passer buys pushed the train away helping free her legs. that's all of our time. "inside story" is reflect. ♪ california and the rest of the southwest are so short of rain, it isn't just making lawns brown and leaving boat docks high and dry, it is changing the earth's crust. it never rains in california. it's the inside story. ♪ hello, i'm