of government done. we can only hope. i'm ali velshi. thanks for joining us. >> hi everyone. this is al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler in new york, and coming up tonight: >> stephen has no control over the actions of the u.s. government. >> a desperate plea from the mother of an american journalist held by the so-called islamic state. thousands have taken up arms in syria. how the islamic state is recrueltying so many from all around the world. tragedy. a nine-year-old girl

accidentally kills her instructor, learning to fire a usi submachine gun. situation could be getting worse. we begin tonight with a painful plea from the mother of an american journalist held by the islamic state group. shirley sotloff released this desperate video today, begging the group's leader, abu bakr al-baghdadi, to let her son go. she addresses him as caliph. roxana saberi has more. >> i am shirley sotloff. my son stephen is in your hands. >> reporter: in this emotional plea, shirley sotloff addresses

the leader by his preferred title. asking him to let him to come home. >> you as the caliph can grant amnesty. i ask you to please release my son. stephen is a journalist, who covered the suffering of muslims at the hand of tirants. >> the sotloffs kept his captivity secret. they thought if they publicized his case his captors in the islamic state group would kill him. last tuesday the group released a video showing the execution of another american journalist, james foley and threatened to kill sotloff next if the u.s. didn't stop targeting iraq with

air strikes. now she's speaking out. >> since stephen's capture i've learned a lot about islam. i've learned that no individual should be held responsible for sins of others. stephen has no control over the actions of the u.s. government. he's an innocent journalist. >> reporter: as shirley sotloff pleas for stephen's release, peter theo curtis was released this week. >> i'm overwhelmed with emotion. i'm overwhelmed with another thing, that total strangers are coming up to me and saying, hey, we're just glad you're hom, welcome home. >> peter's mother is relieved,. >> i want to have every mother see their children.

i want you to help with this. >> family has asked that she not be identified out of fear for her safety, john. >> roxana saberi, roxana, thank you. you. a u.n. commission, says that carrying out mass atrocities. nearly 200,000 people have been killed since the conflict began in 2011. the panel set that syria's government has used chlorine gas, barrel bombs against its citizens, both are illegal under international conventions. barrel bombs are often packed with shrapnel, chemicals or oil. air strikes on syria targeting the latter of the islamic state group. libby casey is in washington with more on that. libby. >> reporter: john, the white house is by news agency's reports seriously considering

air strikes. it's not going it alone. white house spokesma spokesman h ernest today, says the white house is keeping its option he open and ernest says they're engaging other countries on this issue. >> there are large numbers of ways that countries around the world can csht t -- csht contrio this effort around the world. >> a handful of countries are already providing or have promised to provide supplies and arms to kurdish fighters in iraq battling islamic state so there already is a degree of coordination. and white house officials says it's not only up to western

allies but regional governments can have a role when applying to sunni leaders. white house is saying it's not military action alone john, it's pointing to a country like turkey which has air bases. that could be useful to a coalition effort trying take action in syria. it's also of course got a border with syria where a lot of fighters are going in and out. >> libby, the white house is looking at humanitarian aid correct? >> that's right. the turkmen fighters have been coping with an onslaught of these all week, the yazidis have sought shelter on mount sinjar. the head of the u.s. assistance mission in iraq says the

situation is urgent and is calling for action. the white house spokesman would not give specifics on if the president's moving forward on this but he says this is the type of situation that has warranted military action in the past. and remember: the u.s. has authorized air strikes and use of aid for humanitarian purpose in iraq already, john. >> all right, libby thanks very much. we are learning how syrian rebel groups are filling their ranks from fighters around the world. tonight the white house confirmed that douglas mcarthur mccain died in iraq fighting for the islamic state. jonathan betz has that story. >> well, jonathan, 12 -- john, 12,000 fighters, they may pose a greater risk than al qaeda.

the recruiting drives use slick videos to spread urgent pleas. >> feel depressed. the cure for the depression is you have to -- >> campaign tools that apparently are working. the u.s. says thousands of people from all over the world are streaming into syria. to join the fight into the assad regime. >> my name is abu ramara. from america. >> reporter: dozens of them are americans like doug lak dous mccain. >> my cousin is not a terrorist. and this is the first that i've heard that he was equity canned to the jihadi or whatever. >> reporter: the syrian observatory for human rights said 6,000 joined the islamic state group last month alone. it's extremely savvy using facebook and twitter. >> my brothers living in the

west -- >> appealing mostly to men. the so-called jihadi coolidge promoted on line. >> they have a sense of wanting to belong to something. so a lot of the imagery that is used by the radical folks, the radical mullas is attractive to them. i think we all like the idea of being liked, being involved. and for whatever reason these folks feel very detached from society. >> reporter: a recent study found a surprising number of european recruits, 6% are new to islam. many are second or third generation immigrants. have no experience fighting. and no connection to syria. they're drawn by dueling images, both welcoming, posing with cats and also violent. >> social media and other types of evolving technologies allow them to do these things much easier and much faster. in the old days they had to

involve couriers and write letters. >> raising fears of what they might do if they return home. >> they may have again a place to organize a major attack on the united states and that's very serious. >> reporter: a lot of those fighters are inter entering thrh turkey in the north. the islamic state group grew in power. turkey is now struggling to contain its massive border. >> mark kimmet, served as assistant secretary of state for political military affairs in the george w. bush administration. general, welcome. >> sure. >> what do you make, do you agree that the internet and social media is important and how important is it to recruiting these people? >> well, it's not just important, it's vital. i think jihadis recognize that propaganda and communications is a weapon and that the internet

and media is a battlefield. and they're trying to win that battlefield. they use it not only to promote their ideology, they not only use it to expose what they believe is hypocrisy in the gulf region but they use it as a very, very effective recruiting tool by putting out these images and by putting out these videos that attract young dispossessed males that are looking for apurpose in life. >> what countries are hot spots for this recruitment? >> i think those areas where the fighting is going on particularly in places such aas syria, iraq, somalia, yemen. any time you can use the media you can use the internet as an opportunity to attract young people, primarily and to some extent young women to come to a life of glory, life of excitement. that's where you've got to be worried. and we've seen that being played out today in syria and iraq with the extremely high number of

jihadi fieders that are being -- fighters that are being pulled into that conflict. >> what kind of risk do you think that poses to the united states? >> well any time you can increase the ranks of these types of jihadi groups with usually very educated people that cannot only fight in the current fight but can take that fight back to their home nations that is something that our fbi, that is something that our homeland security organizations need to be concerned about. the europeans have been concerned about this for many, many years. i think we in the united states are starting to wake up to this danger. >> more dangerous than al qaeda? >> well, it's not just more dangerous than al qaeda. al qaeda was very, very clever in how they used the internet and used the media to form their group in the '90s and the early 2000s, so this is in many ways al qaeda 2.0 tactics that are used more efficiently to

recruit fighters but more willing fighters. >> how do they stop this recruitment? >> part of the problem is we have open societies, open communications that are challenged by the press and other groups that will take you to task for propaganda. the state department has the center for strategic counterterrorism communication he. we try to fight back with psychological operations and counterpropaganda operations. but by and large when you come from a closed society where nobody challenges your communications, it's hard to defeat that when you come from an open society, especially one that has a functioning free press. >> you know, when american people watch this, and suddenly, islamic state is on the radar, how do we -- how does america judge the risk, the seriousness of the risk to americans? >> well, i think first of all, we judge by the words that are

being used by the group. by the capabilities of the group that's using those -- words and by the past experience. i can't necessarily tie a direct thread from 9/11 to what we're seeing inside of iraq and syria right now. but it certainly is one that's being propagandized by that group that says we will be washing our hands in the blood of americans. they certainly have the intent to invade or attack the u.s. home land. there is a question of when they will have that capability but it is certainly something we need to keep an eye on. >> it's good to see you. general kimmet thank you. >> sure. >> director of outreach at islamic center and he joins us tonight from washington, d.c. welcome. it's good to see you. >> thank you, it's good to be with you. >> how -- first of all, what does the islamic state group, how does it appeal to these

recruits? >> well, you know, i want us to take a moment first to recognize that america is a very different country than the u.k. or other places, where you're in a society where people have a notion that all of us are citizens of this nation. not first class, not second class. and that we have our own american ways of resolving our conflicts. i think the appeal that some of these radical groups have, first, is the idea that they can talk to young people who feel guilty about how free and open we live in america, while they see people suffering from disease, from poverty, from war, and saying, is there something that they can do to eradicate that, and they're played upon by their guilt. and i have experience with young people, college students who

have been drawn in from the internet by people who are saying, how can you live as an american and enjoy the freedoms of america, while others are suffering? >> and yet it seems so contradictory because, the clear mission of these islamic state group is to kill, and massacre, and take over countries with force, so different from the way they're pulled in. >> well, you know, the other part too, and this gets into a larger issue. and that is that young men today really feel not just muslims but young men in general feel a sense of alienation. their young men in jeopardy, these are opportunities for young men to be soldiers of fortune. the video games are promoting hypermasculinity. many much these are drawn in --

>> and many of these are muslims and drawn into it because they are muslims, right? >> well, i think the appeal is a specific appeal, to young men who are muslim. but if you look at other radical groups in america, aryan brother hood and others, that the young men are drawn by the same sense of masculinity, hyper-masculinity. i'm not saying it's right. i'm denouncing it without a doubt. and i also know that there are many young men who have been recruited by this sort of sensationalism. they get over into the field of battle and discover that the leaders that their compatriots are not there for the high moral vision that they talked about, that they're involved in drug trafficking, they're involved in violence against women. and this -- >> but do -- >> i know one young man who was an engineering student at howard

university. and he finally wound up coming back home dejected because he realized he had been deceived by these people. >> do you believe they are responsible for the radicalization and is it happening inside mosques in this country? >> let me tell you what i think. we have an issue now, of people reading a literal medieval interpretation of islam and this is dangerous. in my mosque, we are teaching people and myself included and others, that you have to contemporize the message. the message has to be -- the islamic word is hdhad. the groups like islamic whatever they call themselves are actually trying to draw people back to a medieval interpretation of faith. no christian would say i want to go back to the crusades as a christian way of living but

there's an approach to bring muslims back to that medieval world where you are either a crusader or a muslim. that is not the world we live in but that's the world they are trying to draw these young people into it and a reading of the koradic message. >> you already say you condemn what these groups are doing. but an imam was killed by the cia in yemen. >> and his teenage son too. >> and his teenage son, because the cia said they were involved in terrorist activities. >> yes, sir. >> i go back to the question about whether or not there are muslim leaders in modification in this country -- in mosques that are radicalizing these people. >> i want to go back to anwar al

adi, was radicalized, ultimately after being tortured in yemen and released in prison, when he came out of prison according to scott shane from the new york times he came out of prison after being allegedly tortured a very angry young man and as a result of that fueled his journey into radicalism. >> but how -- >> i want you to stay with me. after 9/11, from the pulpit in my mosque, he denounced the attackers, and said the united states has the right to defend itself against enemies and it's legitimate to attack afghanistan. now, that is not the anwar alaki that was killed in the drone attack years later. >> clearly he changed his mind. but how can there view this

recruitment of young muslim men this this country? >> i think the first thing is by conveying the islamic message in the time and place and context that we live in and to empower people to engage in that work in this society. that's the first. i think the second is to send a message that is a clear message that violence against innocent people is not acceptable in the koradic narrative and we have a chance to model in america how to make social change without violence. >> imam, it's good to have you on the program tonight, thanks. we hope to have you back soon. >> thank you and keep up the good work. >> thank you. coming up next, a nine-year-old girl accidentally shoots and kills her instructor with an uzi submachine gun.

how much is too much to handle? in lives and dollars what it will take to rebuild the worst war damage gaza has ever seen.

y. >> it was a tragic accident in arizona. an investigation now underway after a nine-year-old girl accidentally killed her gun instructor with an uzi submachine gun. jennifer london is there with exactly what happened. jennifer. >> john, she was with an instructor who was teaching her how to fire a fully automatic uzi also known for its stiff recoil. in cell phone video taken by her parents you can see her with the instructor. you can hear him telling her to adjust her stance. and fire off a single shot which she does without a problem. then, the instructor asks her to switch the gun to automatic mode. at this point she loses control of the weapon as it lurches

upwards. john, instructors are considering this a horrible accident and not considering filing any charges. >> can children handle something like an uzi? >> reporter: john, i went in search for that answer. uzis are outlawed in california and he is only one of a handful of people who are licensed to fire one. he wouldn't let any children fire a fully automatic weapon. >> under any circumstances could you see a reason why a child should be handling this type of weapon? >> not really. i'm full automatics are very hard to shoot because they ride up and to the left. and unless you got somebody with enough weight and enough upper body strength it's impossible to control it.

>> reporter: he also pointed out that the grip of an uzi is much larger because it has to hold the magazine. larger than smaller handguns. he showed me how to fire a smaller hand gunned s un-- gun o i could feel the difference. it's hard for small hands to fully grasp and control. the shooting range where this accident happened said the age requirement was eight years old so the girl's age was well within what the shooting range says is the legal age range. it still doesn't answer the question, should she have been there with that kind of weapon in the first place? >> thanks jefer. jennifer will be back at 11 with this story. where it's legal to possess a long gun, like rhythms and

shotguns, children cannot buy them on their own but can receive them as gifts. coming up next, tallying the heavy cost of war. gaza pays for 50 days of fierce fighting. libya is warning of a full blown civil war. next, what it wants the international community to do about it. stuart! stuart!

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>> hi everyone, this is al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler in new york. coming up, an open ended ceasefire ca is holding in gaza. each side is claiming victory but at what cost? plus, the cdc says the ebola outbreak in west african is even worse than reported. and why shrinking leg space in airliners could get worse. >> israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu claiming vicity in the 50 day conflict with gaza. but he's facing heavy criticism. he said israel served its goals.

>> this ceasefire has been achieved without any of the terms being given. in addition to that i think that also hamas is isolated. >> hamas is declaring victory in the seven week clash. thousands gathered for more celebrations in gaza today. hamas leaders pay tribute to women and children killed in the conflict. >> translator: they are all our symbols. they are the symbols of our victory. they are the symbols of our glory and they are the symbols of the dignity of our people and our nation. >> hamas leaders say their battle with israel gave them more credibility, as leaders in palestinian politics. the people of gaza are once again left to rebuild after war with israel. it was the case in 2008. again four years later in 2012. but the damage this time is worst of all. more from jane ferguson. >> reporter: in just 50 days

much of gaza was destroyed. the morning-after peace returned here, the dust was literally settling. 1.8 million gazans are surveying the worst damage ever experienced, it should be a boom time for cement being dealer but his business was bad hit. >> first of all we have to rebuild our factory before we can contribute to reconstruction. we are waiting for crossings to reopen. this will help us to get the construction materials we need to repair the factory, metal, cement and other materials. >> reporter: importing such items has been heavily restricted by israel throughout the siege. part of the ceasefire deal involves easing such rules so reconstruction can begin. but similar measures were also promised in the 2012 ceasefire. they were rarely far reaching

fluff to make construction in gaza any easier. money from the international community will be needed to rebuild gaza but this won't be the first time. again and again here infrastructure projects paid for by foreign donations have been bombed by israel when conflicts break out. the ya yassir arafat internatiol airport paid for by international community. just over there where that dome is, that was the vip section of the airport. beyond that was the runway. it opened in 1998. but it was only open for a few years before it was bombed by the israelis and has never been functional since. three times over the last six years, gaza has needed reconstruction after conflict. this time, says the u.n, is the last time. >> we are all tired of this cycle. the secretary-general said a couple of weeks ago that this must be the last time that we

are repairing gaza. and you know, even before the war, there were plenty of things to do here. 52% without work. young people without hope. 95% without potable water. >> reporter: but without a real political solution to the palestinian-israeli conflict people in gaza will end up rebuilding their lives from scratch many more times. jane ferguson, al jazeera. gaza. >> the war's taken a costly toll on israel having a major effect on its tourism industry. we get more from jackie roland in west jerusalem. >> reporter: a shopping mall close to the area of old jerusalem. the few tourists we complete were either jewish or people who like adventure. >> i feel israel is the safest

place in the world despite of what's happening. therefore i brought my family to show the people of israel that we're with them. >> translator: i'm not afraid because i love to travel and war doesn't stop me. >> reporter: these visitors bring in vital foreign currency. confidence among tourists and investors are affected by sentiment. so even if the immediate threat has passed they will stay away and that can affect israel not just this year but also next. tourism is the life blood of the israeli economy. pilgrims of all religions come to the old city. while some worshipers head to the beach. but for most tourists, war is the ultimate turnoff. >> i used to make about 5,000 shekels a month. this last was in june. and then after that, tourism started dying. like my july pay was about like

2500 shekels and this month it has been completely dead. i haven't made 500 shekels lately. >> after 50 days of conflict, the images of killing and destruction from the gaza strip have tarnished the country's reputation and the inconclusive ceasefire which leaves bigger issues unaddressed has damaged israel's military deterrence. >> israel came out as the goliath. as the superpower, if you like, an elephant that is fighting a fly. and not even succeeding. >> reporter: israelis satisfaction with their prime minister has dropped dramatically. on july 23rd after ground troops entered gaza, 82% said they approved of his performance. on august 25th with the conflict dragging on only 32% said they were satisfied. so a few days of rest before the

summer break but it's only a brief respite. israeli and palestinian negotiators will soon have to grapple with the big issues that the ceasefire does not address. and if they fail oagree, many descraims -- to agree, many israelis feel the ceasefire will be short livid. jackie roland, west jerusalem. shelling today in a southwestern town came from both pro-russian separatists and russia itself. there's been no comment from russia on this latest allegation. previously it's denied that it's directly assisting the rebels. tough words from doctors without borders, the west african response to the ebola outbreak is inadequate. the newest clinic there opened just a week and a half ago,

already at capacity with 120 patients. doctors without borders says it plans to bring another 120 beds to that facility. john epstein studied the spread of ebola in both asia and africa. glad you're with us. >> thanks john. >> what are the resources? >> in the whole region the resources are thin. obviously this is a much larger outbreak than anybody prepared for. there's not enough in health care facilities to treat patients or health care practitioners. ebola is a treatable disease but it requires isolation and supportive care and there's not enough doctors or facilities to make sure that will happen. >> the world didn't respond quickly enough or with enough

support. >> it was several months before this outbreak was even detected and by that time it was in several countries. more needs to be done. >> what do you think about the possibility of this spreading throughout africa? >> it is important to realize that this is a distinct outbreak going on in congo unrelated to the other outbreaks. we should also be paying attention to the spillover. >> what you mean, there was nobody that traveled from liberia or sierra lee own. >> this may be a separate strain. >> how is that happening? >> this is through wildlife reservoir through hunting. >> what measures can be taken to stop this? >> it's very important that we launch a very strong education and awareness campaign. people need to understand the risk whether they capture and butcher wildlife that there's a risk of infection.

not that they should stop but that there's a risk of infection. >> every week we are reporting of more deaths from this crisis. do you see an end in sight? >> it is possible but we need to marshal the world's resources. >> oong a long time? >> months to a year. >> this is the worst outbreak of ebola ever right? >> yes. >> do you think tens of thousands could die from this? >> it's hard to tell. people need to know how ebola is spread and limit their contact, and help contain this. >> why do you think doctors without borders put out this warning today and talked about the chaotic nature of what's going on in for instance liberia? >> msf knows there's not enough on the ground today and there's a plea for more resources to

have enough to contain there. >> how many people would it take? how many doctors would it take? >> it's hard to say exactly. we're still learning the full extent of this outbrak break. but it's going to take hundreds of millions of dollars to educate and get practitioners on the ground. . >> if you container these outbreaks now what you're saying is that unless some changes take place in the way in hunting and in the way the society moves into these wildlife areas that it's going to happen again. >> absolutely. the conditions are in place right now in other parts of the region to have another outbreak and another spillover so while we're busy trying to contain this one, things could still happen that could start a new outbreak. that's what happened in congo. make practices safer, like hunting fufn rahunting funeral d

health care practices. >> john epstein thank you very much. thank you. >> the situation in libya is complicated and yet the situation since the 13th of july has become even more complicated. and the situation might unravel into a full blown civil war if we are not very careful and wise in our actions. and that needs to be true of all parties. i have always secluded the possibility of civil war but the situation has changed. >> libya's divided government has struggled to deal with arrival militias fighting in the country. kristin saloomey has that story. >> as a sign of the international community's growing concern about the escalating violence in libya the u.n. security council passed a resolution on wednesday expandinexpanding sanctions.

it allows the council to sanction individual militia leaders, like those responsible for taking over tripoli's airport in the last week and it also requires countries to notify the sanctions committee and get their approval before they sell any arms or transfer any arms or arms related material to the country. the u.n. special representative for libya tarek mitri says he is concerned about the situation. he painted a very grim picture of what's happening there and said the u.n. has been unable to bring the parties together to get a ceasefire to discuss the political way forward for the country. and the representative of libya to the u.n. ibrahim tabashi told the council that for the first time ever he is dhearnd his cont his country could be on the brink of a full scale civil war. >> that's kristin saloomey.

side by side in the northern town of guar. but facing the islamic state group has strained their relationship. zena hoder reports. >> the islamic state is here to stay, that is writing on the wall. but its fighters were only able to occupy guer for a few days. u.s. air strikes helped the kurds regain the region. but guer is a town where airbus and kurds lived side by side for years. there has long been political distress between them but after the recent fighting there is little trust left. the cirsdz are accusing some of -- the kurds are accusing some of the arabs of joining the islamic state. >> we confiscated arms from

airbus who don't have licenses. >> reporter: we can't film outside because the islamic state group is on that bridge. but other sunni armed factions, the people of mosul, they are fighting alongside the i.s. and that's the danger. because this is not just a front line. this is now a border between two communities. on the surface, it may seem fine. but guer is disputed territory. airbus and kurds claim this land as -- arabs and kurds claim this territory as theirs. they insist that they are relieved now that the kurds are in control but they were speaking to us under the watchful eyes of the control on the ground. he denied claims that arabs sided with the islamic state group and he explained why many fled to mosul, the islamic state

stronghold instead of erbil. >> there were air strikes. people had no choice. the islamic state group allowed them to go inside their territories. still not returned home and there is growing antiarab sentiment. >> kurdish troops were shot and killed. some arabs inside the town helped them. >> i.s. and other sunni factions pushed night guer. there is animosity between sunni arabs and kurds. i.t. has now resurfaced. zena hoder, al jazeera, guer. >> u.n. recount of votes, now unclear if either candidate will recognize the results. jennifer glasse has more. >> reporter: the ballot review process was briefly halted when representatives of candidate

abdalla abdalla failed to arrive at campaign headquarters. the ghani team agreed. >> until the abdalla team comes back to the proa process. >> there's a deadline. the inauguration is scheduled. the 70% needs to be recounted and ghani says it needs to continue. >> we should not succumb to threats, there are many ups and downs. and the groups that threaten us because they are losing power, their threats will be short livid. >> reporter: the uncertainty is stagnating the economy.

>> the impact on economy and security is devastating. taliban attacking in several provinces and they are making progress. >> outgoing president h presided karzai. >> whatever the outcomes some afngafghans feel whoever was eld is elected unfairly. jennifer glasse, al jazeera, kabul. cuts in the police force more than 25% setback the efforts. jonathan martin joins us live from new orleans with more. jonathan. >> reporter: hey there john, a lot of people are upset about this.

when you speak to people from new orleans many people who have lived here a long time say violence has been a part of this for a long time. but what has changed is bold violent crime that is happening. for instance, just a couple of months ago, ten people shot in one night on bourbon street. a lot were tourists. drive by slightings, incident children and mothers are hit. those are the crimes that have caught the attention of the governor and the mayor asking for help. life for kyle and georgi and jal never be the same. kyle is permanently blind and his two-year-old brother jamal is brain damaged. they were shot in the lower 9th ward. >> took our breath away. my wife started, and what was going on and where they were and the condition they were in. >> the shooting two weeks ago killed two people and also wounded the boy's mom, sister

and another young girl. it is an outburst that gained attention, spotting violence that's long plagued the area. >> it's getting where this is recall we're hearing. the day after this, i think it was in the seventh ward there were four people that were shot. >> we have a culture of violence here that is totally unacceptable where young people have very poor conflict resolution skills. and it goes to a lot of things. it goes to economics. it goes to education. >> reporter: following hurricane katrina in 2005 new orleans consistently had one of the nation's highest murder rates but that's dropped over the last three years. in 2013 there were 256 homicides, the lowest number in over three years. you still the wave of gun volunteers this summer prompted new orleans mayor to ask for help. in june a shootout on crowded bourbon street injured nine people and killed a young woman

visiting from out of town. governor bobby jindal, sent national guard in. recruiting is a top priority for nonls new police chief. >> you have more vehicles so the disability factor would be greatly increased, sphrers offis respond at an extremely fast rate which affects our rate. >> beefed up its homicide unit. community activist john roberts says there needs to be more social outreach. >> they have small pockets that are doing well here that have great programs that provide help for the community, that provide social and mental health. >> wayne roberts says he's relieved that the police have arrested people accused of

shooting the members of his family. but culture of violence won't change soon. mayor michigan landrieu wants areas in this like the french quarter to free up the real police officers to do the more serious work and investigate some of these violence crimes. how that will be paid for is still up in the air. but the mayor is hoping that a hotel-motel tourism tax will help pay for some of it. john. >> thank you, coming up next airline passengers fighting for space. it got so bad, it forced one airline to land. why space could get even tighter. ftc .

>> good evening, i'm meteorologist kevin corriveau. we've been seeing not just days but weeks of rain across the southwestern part of the united

states. in some places we've seen massive amounts of flooding. just yesterday, tucson this is what it looked like, inch and a half of rainfall, doesn't sound like a lot, in 35 minutes! a lot of crowds were stranded in the region. this area does not handle it well, the drainage systems do not handle it well. it has cleared up since then and we will have clear in the next couple of days. yesterday at this time, most of this map was green with warnings or watches dealing with flooding. we have here for part of utah, colorado and parts of kansas as well but rain is expected to move more towards the east over the next couple of days. and speaking of the east where those temperatures have been extreme over the last couple of days, finally we are starting to get a break. now it's still going to be 90° over wichita in the next couple of days in omaha, 93, but as you can see they're beginning to

come down in st. louis, more rain showers are in your forecast. that's a look at your national weather. your news is next. >> a united airlines flight was diverted over the weekend, forced to make an unexpected landing and it happened because two passengers got in a heated argument about leg room. our science and technology editor exert joins us from san

francisco jake ward, he's rather tall, so jake, at the center of this debate something called the knee defender, i know you've got one of those things right? >> you know i hope to be unbiased as i can. i'm 6'7". two meters tall. the knee defender keeps the seat in front of you from reinclining. i know that passengers have jammed quarters in the hinges. i personally just lean forward and say hey can i buy you a drink or please don't come back. >> the leg space has clearly gotten smaller. >> yes, it has. >> is there a limit to how tight they can make it? >> there is undoubtedly. airlines are work around, they

make more money the more people they jam on the plane. it is a game of tetris, the sky writer which is something that floated around at an air show, a leaning system. it's like you'd lean against a railing for entire flight. there is sort of a pod-like system that people have talked about. all of these things have a limited in terms of you and i going crazy but that is not what's keeping the airlines from packing us even close heer toge. john stat created a high g experiment and showed that humans can take really really high gs. he planes won't come apart even to a 16 g event. the more tightly you pack those seats, it becomes more like

swiss cheese and it can come apart, the asiana crash in san francisco, the reason it held together was because of this standard. the plane would be too brittle otherwise the airlines would be stacking us like chickens. >> yeah but why leant the faa done something like this? >> well the faa's rules are mostly about safety. they do do that. they make sure you can't take it apart but as soon as an engineer find out that in fact you can jam more people in, without damaging the structure of the plane, you and i will be like this, face to face. >> jake ward, thanks very much, ogood luck on the next flight. the jackie robinson, little league u.s. champions, huge rally in chicago was held in their honor. the first all black team to win the u.s. title.

that's our broadcast for tonight. we're back here at 11:00 eastern time. "america tonight" with adam may is coming up right after this. don't go away. t go away.

>> on "america tonight": heavy artillery in the hands of police. who's okaying the funding for hundreds of millions of tax dollars spent on military equipment? tonight we examine the militarization of america's police forces. also tonight. a mother's worst nightmare. her children abducted taken to a foreign country by their own father. >> they walked into the room very shocked. they