>> 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 did recognize their mom except for the

baby. >> an ploacia emotional battle to reunite this mother with her children. >> pulls at my heart. >> tonight a piece of nostalgia mixed with a bit of americana. a thundering herd of bison. back home and free to roam. >> good evening everyone, thanks for joining us. i'm adam may in for joie chen. , we begin with the fast moving developments in syria. as the white house authorizes surveillance flights and ponders other potential military action he, there are growing concerns tonight over americans drawn into this conflict. this is raising security and safety issues with some americans fighting for the

rebels and other americans held captive. first of all i want to thank you all for coming out here. >> emotional and relieved, journalist peter curtis speaking publicly for first time since his his reason sunday from jabat al nusra. >> what kindness they have in their hearts and to all those people i say a huge thank you from my heart from the bottom of my heart. i had no idea when i was in prison, i had no idea that so much effort was being expended on my behalf. and now having found out i am just overwhelmed with emotion. >> curtis has been spending his first few days as a free man reuniting with loved ones. but as one mother celebrated her son's time. >> i'm sending this message to you abu bakr al-baghdadi. >> a plea by another mother for

her son still held captive. intersteven sotloff has been held for over a year. >> i ask you to not. unish my son for matters he has no control over. follow the example of the prophet mohamed who protected the people of the book. >> sotloff appeared in the execution video of james foley. a man with a british accent said the conduct of the u.s. would dir determine whether sotloff would live or die. there are dozens of american citizens fighting for the islamic state. >> this idea that foreign fighters could get over there get radicalized, get trained and

come back to the home land in the united states or in any other nation. >> that threat from operatives holding u.s. passports. news of the first american fighting for the islamic state in syria. 33-year-old douglas mcarthur mccain was killed. it's unclear how exactly he came to join the islamic state, or what led him down that path. but friends and relatives struggle to reconcile his end with the man they knew. >> my cousin is not a terrorist . and this is the first that i've heard that he was connected to the jihadi or whatever. i think maybe my cousin could have lost his identity because that's not who he is. >> to them, he was a fun loving father and an aspiring rapper with lots of friends. family members say they knew he

had traveled to turkey from california earlier this year but they were unaware he was fighting in syria a world away from his home in america. going by the name duali. this man whom mccain identified as a close friend, troy castagar, a convert to islam who died while fighting for al shabab insurgent. omar hamami rose in the ranks as a fearless commander and skilled prop bega todayist. propagandist. a 20-something american who grew.in florida.

this an chur - group up in florida. >> then a huge blast . authorities say abu haraya traveled back home to florida once before carrying out that suicide mission. the fbi says returning american fighters remains a concern. >> they have gone there, in huge numbers, to join the fight with groups like al nusrra or i.s.i.l. the going is very worrisome. it is the coming-out that worries me even more. it is the reason that we, inte interpol and others are worrying about the so-called syria traveler threat. >> it has been estimated that more than 3,000 foreign fighters from the west have joined the

islamic state and possibly a hundred or more americans. the question is how does douglas mccain and people like him become radicalized? the author of the best selling group terrorists and love, the real lives of islamic radicals. ken, you're given unprecedented access to prisons in saudi arabia. you interviewed a number of these radicals. can you maybe shed a little bit of light on a common thread among these individuals? >> well, one common thread is they're all young men. and they tend to be between the ages of 18 and their early 30s. >> is that because they are susceptible at this particular age? >> they are susceptible at this particular age and they are looking for answers like young men everywhere. they are looking for a path for their life to take. and this radical islamic cause provides them with an answer, with a meaning in their life and with

companionship and fellowship. >> it appears on the surface ends up joining this group like i.s. >> these americans are lost, douglas mccain who was killed over there was a young man on a search on the margins of the law, he couldn't find work that he enjoyed, he couldn't find mission or meaning, until he towrn heturned to islam. he wanted to be a truer and truer muslim. >> did they feel disenfranchised in america? >> they don't feel the norm and alienated.

>> alienization is dramatic. >> you go shoot up a school or assassinate or join the islamic state in iraq and syria. >> groups like i.s. or al qaeda, what advantage do they have getting an american? >> they have this pure ideology. they have this way that communicates that this is the true islam. and if you join our cause, and you die in our cause, you will be a martyr going to heaven. and this is the doctrine that is inculcated in these young men. and now with the internet it is a way to reach out even further. >> is this a big propaganda for these groups? >> it is a ideology. >> do they get to say look, we have an american? >> oh that's wonderful. because every time they have an american it tweaks the nose of the great satan, the united states. they show that they are the ones with the ideology. they are at the vanguard, let

everyone follow. >> the question is, how dangerous is this? we are layering from the taint that there are concerns this -- from the state department that their concern is that this may come to the united states. >> they're focused on iraq and syria, they are focused on prop began today victories, americans dying, americans being beheaded. but i think the real threat is in the middle east right now. >> all right, ken bowen, president of terror free america. thank you for joining us. >> my pleasure. thank you for having me. coming up, chaos in ferguson, police with military equipment. a critical look at where that gear comes from and who pays for it. also tonight children kidnapped and hidden overseas. >> i'm very relieved to have the kids out of afghanistan. this has been a long, grueling process that has -- that we have tried to work on for months and

months and months. and so their safety was a real concern. >> inside one mother's struggle coming up. .bl . >> al jazeera america presents... labor day marathons >> our government is allowing an invasion >> our most acclaimed series.... back to back to back... toughest place... >> i call that a lot of hard work for next to nothing >> the system... >> a justice system run by human beings can run off the rails >> 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...

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aftermath. "america tonight's" lori jane gliha takes us back to one of the most hectic nights of protest. why so many agencies are getting help from the federal government when it comes to beefing up on tactical gear. >> reporter: the shouting and chanting in ferguson has quieted down. the lines of armed officers like these have gone away. and the roads are now clean and clear. but the physical reminders of the clash that littered the streets are now front and center in a debate about police strategy and equipment. the. >> okay, we have been fighting all sorts of things, smoke canister in the field which means this one right here is a right smoke multiprojectile 5 that came out of here. >> these are items left behind after some night of looting and gun shots and shattered store fronts as well as peaceful marches and this military-style

vehicle. heavily armed police crunched over roadblocks made of heavy bricks and used various tactics to disperse the crowds. >> this is a chemical irritating agent. >> law enforcement officials defended some of their tactics. >> we have been criticized for using swat trucks during protest. we did not deploy those into the crowd until things deteriorated and tonight, we use a swat truck and another large vehicle to get into a violent dangerous area to extract a gunshot victim. >> but many argue the equipment is too much like the military and less like a police department tasked with protecting the people. even the president weighed in. >> i think it's probably useful for us to review how the funding has gone, because there is a big difference between our military

and our local law enforcement. and we don't want those lines blurred. >> reporter: at departments across the nation access to used military equipment is common. a dod surplus property program allows for local departments to receive free gear. it has handed over more than $5.1 billion worth of used humvees, helicopters guns and specialized robots since it was created in the 1990s. >> how and where and under what circumstances the equipment actually get used is up to local law enforcement agencies to determine. >> reporter: but it's not just military castoffs. nick granani oversees the deployment of homeland security gear. >> terrorist activity like at

boston marathon or a hurricane like hurricane sandy. >> since 2003 the region received more than $100 million for law enforcement fire departments and public health facilities through the urban area's security initiative. nearly 18 million went for law enforcement purposes only including the purchase of aircraft, radios. ear plugs. helmets, gloves computers and tactical robots as well as some of the more visible military type equipment that popped up on the streets. >> like the big vehicle, everybody is referring the the linko bearcat, the things you see that they carry their weapons on and the night vision goggles. >> with new york city receiving the most, the department of justice also runs a program that gives grants to local police. this fiscal year, states received about $189 million, as

part of the edward burn memorial justice assistance grant program, it provides aid from everything research equipment and canines but secludes some purchase of vehicles and drones. regardless how all the equipment and gear converged on the ferguson area, congressional leaders are now vowing to take it under review starting next month. lori jane gliha, al jazeera. >> and the militarization of local police departments goes at a hef heavy price. first off do you think it's enough outrage on capitol hill? >> libertarians we criticize all aspects of government when it's overreaching and this was a very big problem for a long time and sometimes a new story has to

happen, it's unfortunate it has to happen in this circumstance but now bills are introduced and we're starting to solve the problem. >> you say it's overreaching, how so and who is benefiting from this financially? >> that's a good question. police officers themsz i think probably enjoy it, and that's not -- police officers themselves i think probably enjoy it. those who aren't benefiting are the american people in terms of being raided by cops and the crime going down. i'm one that doesn't think that the increased police force is the reason for the decreased crime rate. joe biden says crime has gone down everywhere. this is just the beginning. >> was there a big selling point, when they were rolling out this equipment during the clinton administration was the fact that they said police were being outgunned by drug dealers on the streets. >> it was an issue. but remember there was never a

bad vote from a politician. >> are and voting for police officers. >> exactly. those things have been good. for 40 years going back to the drug war to the war on crime starting in the late '60s moving forward is a bipartisan affair. we have had people voting for more police and more criminal enforcement and no one would think it would change the mill triesation of -- militarization of police. >> what about this stuff out there, there's a lot of stuff sitting in police departments. >> representative johnson has a bill to sort of stop it. they have $4.5 billion worth of this. they have it we have to take it away from them. >> take it away? purpose. >> all right trevor. trevor burris, with the cato studies. thank you so much for joining us.

the ceasefire holds for now. both sides in the gaza conflict claim a victory. but what will happen to so many unanswered demands? also abducted and taken overseas. a woman's fight to bring her children back home, the dramatic reunion next. >> on techknow... >> so, this is the smart home... >> saving the environment >> the start point for energy efficiency, is to work with the sun... >> saving you money >> we harvest a lot of free energy >> and so we're completely off grid here >> how many of the appliances were almost a little too smart for us? >> techknow every saturday, go where science, meets humanity. >> this is some of the best driving i've ever done, even though i can't see. >>techknow >> we're here in the vortex... only on al jazeera america stuart! stuart!

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>> welcome back everybody. now a snapshot of stories making headlines on "americ "america tonight." jpmorgan chase and at least one other bank were hacked by russians. the fbi believes the attack was in retaliations for the sanctions handed down by the u.s. and the eu for to the russians for ukrainian crisis. it doesn't appear that the russian government was involved. a man thought to be a serial kill cerm left four dead and several wounded. alexander hernandez was also charged with animal cruelty for allegedly shooting three dogs. authorities say the attack was random. are an american journalist, peter theo curtis, kidnapped

nearly two years ago by an al qaeda fealt affiliate was handed over to u.n. officials. gaza israeli war over 50 days of bombardments more than half a million displaced gazans are returning home. in israel, prime minister benjamin netanyahu is facing fears criticism over this costly conflict that really has no winners and leaves much unresolved. the truce may be holding up in gaza but an al qaeda group captured the sole bother crossing in the golan heights. palestinian healthy workers say 2100 people, most of them civilians were killed in the conflict.

israel's are death toll is 61 sociologist engineers and 4 civilians. al jazeera's andrew simmons has more about palestinians rebuilding their lives after 50 days of conflict. >> reporter: a city in ruins. the flags of hamas and other palestinian factions, leadership that believes it's become more popular in the wake of the seven week war, and dismisses any suggestion that its made concessions. >> what do you say to the israeli claim that you accepted now what you rejected a month ago? >> translator: it's not true. what happened before was, they wanted us to negotiate for months and years without any kind of constraints or guarantees. but this time before we even sit down at the negotiating table again the israelis have agreed

to lift the blockade to end their attacks and to ease the fishing rights and restrictions on goods coming into gaza. >> israeli is trying the same tactic, military victory. >> but as both sides are are claiming victory this is the harsh reality on the ground. families returning to what remains of their homes and trying owork out what to do next. and the united nations estimates without new lifting of restrictions rite across the board it would take something like 15 years to rebuild the gaza strip. it's thought around half a million people have lost their homes. it still isn't clear how much different the easing of israel's blockade will make to the supply of building materials and support. this man has lost his business and his home.

it will be a year before he can clear the site and think about rebuilding. abdul raha man al sheik understands why the palestinians must claim a victory after so much sacrifice but he isn't optimistic about this one being any better than the last. >> until they agree, until we find in the two sides especially in the israeli side, find some people believing that they are right, until this it will be continue war after war after war. >> so now there is calm. fishermen using their nets further out to sea and more help on the way for those in desperate need. but what's been achieved in this truce appears remarkably similar to the agreement after the last war that ended only 21 months

ago. and this deal could be more fragile than the last one. andrew simmons, al jazeera, gaza city. >> turning now to afghanistan. a major setback in the ongoing presidential elections, which have been plagued with allegations of fraud. it has been nearly two months since nearly 60% of eligible voters braved potential terror attacks to participate in that country's first-ever transfer of power in modern history. abdalla abdalla claims that his opponent ashraf ghani stuffed ballot boxes. observers from the audit say three are unhappy with the u.n. process. >> the withdrawal is regrettable but will not descrups the completion of a robust

audit. >> the independent elections commission is calling on candidates to return to the table. that audit was part of a u.s. brokered deal to ease tensions and help afghanistan's new democracy. also from afghanistan, a story about a child abduction. imagine your estranged spouse taking the kids for weekend and then dispearg disappearing. 16 months ago a british mother found that her afghan born husband had taken her three sons, including her youngest just two months okay old. al jazeera's jennifer glasse has that story. >> it's been list than a day since attorney kim motley picked up three boys in northern afghanistan where her former

husband's been hiding them. motley brought them to the afghan capital. >> i think they're very traumatized. they are speaking dhari. they are very much connected with each other. they are -- the eldest one is being very paternal with his two younger brothers so i don't think they quite understand what's going on. >> this is the first of their trip back to england, motley is their guardian now thanks to means through british and afghan courts. >> this was a grueling process. there were times when we didn't think we would be where we are but we are. >> last month the mother contacted motley. the children's afghan father had taken them for a scheduled visit and never returned. a british court jailed the father for abduction but he refused to say where the children were. the mother feared they were lost

to her forever. it's taken motley nearly a year to find them. first laying the legal work and then working with afghan authorities in an unusual collaboration . afghanistan'sing legal process is still forge. >> i really think that this, what we've done is a true blood pressur blueprint, to get children safely and also legally. >> motley herself is a mother of three. that's part of the reason she says she got involved in this case. she can't imagine this happening to her children. her biggest fear that the father's average 15 might prevent them from leaving afghanistan. motley was careful to keep her movements under wraps.

at the kabul airport, officials are uncharacteristically efficient. they want photos taken. the paperwork is ready. >> i'm happy because they are going home, to see the mother, i'm happy for this. >> reporter: their temporary passports are stamped. lifting off of afghanistan to de dubai. >> this is a long grueling process that we have tried to work on for months and months and months so their safety was a real concern. >> only the oldest boy speaks any english. he hasn't been in school for the year he's been in afghanistan. going back will be a tough transition. >> i'm worried about the time together. mom is going to need help, she's going to need hem with the children with their psychological development. she's going oneed help with the children financially and so you

know i hope that everything goes forward as it's supposed to. >> reporter: hours later motley arrives in northern england with three tired children. turned them over to the mother in a private room at manchester airport. >> they don't truly understand what has hapt, what has happened, why it happened so they walked into the room very shocked. >> very happy to have them back . >> how do you feel? >> delighted. >> there may be some tough patches in the road ahead for this reunited family but for now a rare happy ending for three boys who will now grow up in britain, not afghanistan. >> thank you very much. >> jennifer glasse, al jazeera.

former san francisco mayor gaifn newsom. he was once a rising political star. >> only paid sick leave in the united states. universal health care before obamacare. university preschool, university after school. >> bold and brash, the lieutenant governor is no longer in the driver's seat, he's in the back seat. now joie chen hits down with the darling of the democratic party to find out how he's reinventing himself, next. >> fault lines labor day marathon the true cost of cheap labor >> nothing can be worse than this people burnt to ash... >> horrendous conditions... traffic labor on us bases... management stealing wages... exploited children put to work... >> how many of you get up at 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning to go out to the fields? don't miss our award winning series fault lines labor day marathon

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>> talk to al jazeera. >> only on al jazeera america. >> oh my! >> start with one issue ad guests on all sides of the debate. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5pm et / 2pm pt only on al jazeera america are. >> in the aftermath of northern california's strongest earthquake in 25 years a familiar face reappeared in the spotlight. gavin newsom. the former mayor of san francisco and the state's current lieutenant governor. newsom is best known for leading the charge on same sex marriage a decade ago. "america tonight's" joie chen sat down with newsom before that quake hit to talk about his political aspirations. >> just a few years ago, gavin newsom was the golden boy of california politics. mayor of one of america's favorite

cities. almost unnaturally telegenic, a stunning wife at his side. but then, newsom suffered what was, for a got to be on the radar political junkie, a devastating blow. he got elected to one of the politics. >> tell me who you are and what you do. >> gavin newsom, lieutenant governor of california. that's not really who i am. but i -- >> but title wise that's who you are? >> title wise i'll give you that. i'm more than that. >> it's hard to like newsom. he's disarmingly frank. >> where has gavin newsom be been for the past few years? >> i've been busy, but remarkably, i could come up with a cure positive cancer and i'd be lucky to get a cub reporter to cover it. very different than being mayor

of san francisco. >> he's comically candid about his role as deputy to governor jerry brown who's likely to win an unprecedented four term this fall. it is a big turn around from a decade ago, then the brand influence mayor of san francisco newsom made headlines worldwide for siing off on same sex marriage licenses. agnst the law in his state. and in every other, at the time. said, 2004, the court gavin newsom, you you're wrong. >> absolutely. >> youe wrong. >> absolutely a lot of people said i was wrong. >> lots of people said you were wrong. >> and my father. and the democratic party not just the republican party. >> but newsom found a chance to push the gay movement forward. >> too fast to far too soon. and it was offensive to me. everything again what i believe

my core values and principles were being set aside for other people's political careers. but what's the point of a political career unless you're going to stand up for people? >> since then 19 states and the district of columbia have approved same sex marriage but newsom declines to say, i told you so. instead he says he's just glad his city was on the leading edge. >> the ten years that have changed so much did that happen because more liberals stepped up and made this work or because more conservatives became more aware of lgbtq people in their families? >> i think it was hundreds of thousands of conversations that were won, birthday parties at the dinner table at breakfast driving to work. >> newsom made a getting ahead of the establishment approach the hallmark of his leadership. >> when i was mayor we had the highest minimum wage in the united states, only paid sick leave in the united states,

universal health care before obamacare, universal preschool universal after school. >> but there were hire profile miss -- high profile missteps. a first maicial marriage failed. newsom's political life has bounced back, as number 2 to an equally outspoken governor. >> how many people can get stoned and still have a great state or a great nation? i think we need to stay alert if not 24 hours a day more than some of the pot heads might be able to put together. >> brown and newsom clashed over marijuana legislation. newsom favors decrilzation beyond california's current nonmedical use. against the man once named governor moonbeam. >> he made a flippant comment about stoners and i thought that

was beneath the debate. >> their relationship hasn't been pretty and newsom all but admits he's been side lined. >> so this is it? >> this is it. >> still newsom relishes retail politics. choosing a self imposed exiem at compile at home. office days most often find him in a dimly lit sparse tech incubator. >> this is your desk? >> this is it. >> lieutenant o governor of california's desk about where you work? are. >> this is tard to see how newsom will reignite his glow. he may aim for washington. if either of california's

senators retire and some imagine he has presidential ambitions. >> are you still lieutenant governor? >> they haven't kicked me out yet. >> but newsom clearly has plans to reemerge from isolation. he's written about the intersection of politics and technology. >> the best single book on moving out of bureaucracy -- >> even winning over unlikely fans on the far right. >> all of a sudden, newt ging risgingrich is your best friend. >> big supporter of the book and the message. >> and he's been popping up on cable tv. but he's well aware that he'll face new scrutiny as he launches newsom 2.0. >> i want to read you a quote. >> oh no, hopefully it is not from me. >> gavin newsom is that

quintessential california type, immensely gifted but flawed. potential goodness and potential train wreck in the same metro-sexual path. >> i've got to unpack that. half of it i really enjoy the other half i'm concerned about. >> what does it tell you about stage? >> i don't know. i don't get too schooled about what i project. life is way to short, and so if anyone looks for anything for me, if they want a safe pick there will be five or six other choices. >> introspection can't be an easy task for a man that says impatience is his greatest flaw and his inner hurry once again to push his way back into california's political sunshine.

joie chen, al jazeera, san francisco. >> look ahead on "america tonight," bone dry and tapped out. >> you can see the dust blowing, where you can see the dunes. >> the dire drought situation in nevada. there's a plan to take the water from rural areas and move it to cities, desperate for water in the desert of desert cities. and america's great plains and meeting the great beasts, in the black hills and the bad lands, next.

>> each year roughly around the had time more than 10,000 people from around the country flock to south dakota to get a glimpse of america's past. to get a peek at an animal that

has come to symbolize life on the american plains. we're talking about the north american bison. an enormous creature that has fought its way from the brink of extinction. at one point it was a source of food. but now chris bury travels to the black hills of south dakota to find out how the bison have found their way home. >> reporter: in the black hills of south dakota these cowboys and girls are preparing for work like they did more than a century ago. >> lord we ask that no harm come to man or beast. >> but the dawn light reveals a thoroughly mod ern modern care . here as custer park, the crowds are braving a bone chilling

wind, to see a spectacle only seen in the movies. >> this is probably as close to the old west as you're ever going to get. >> for 43 years, bob landis has arranged for a buffalo herd, even though its specious was hunted to nearly extinction. a wild herd of bison weighing as much as 2,000 pounds, their lineage stretches back 10,000 written. >> as long as i can keep riding a horse i'm going to be here. >> more than 14,000 visitors from all over the world come to watch. the kider family from florida arrived with their children. they are on a year long trip, part of home schooling. >> just to experience the natural history to see the

things that we've read about. >> reporter: for three kider children the buffalo become more than a dusty speck of american history. >> i would like to see them roam, that would be pretty amazing but just being able to see them at all is pretty cool. >> and for mary ann edinger proud of her lakota heritage. >> it almost made me cry watching them run past, something pulls at my heart. >> soon over a ridge top the first buffalo break the horizon, barely visible at first butter then the whips crack and the cowboys holler the way they always have. >> get up there! hey, get up there! come on bulls, come on bulls. >> and the vast empty planes come to life.

the ground itself shaking from the thundering hooves. a sound so ominous it terrifies a herd of wild elk and sends them scattering for safety. if the scene seems somehow familiar, no wonder. it was right here, in this valley, with the ancestors of these very buffalo, where a star studded cast filmed the classic, "how the west wan won." and for these modern cowboys even with modern help, trying to herd the buffalo on their turf and not getting their way -- >> watch her jeff, watch her. >> was a heart pounding thrill. buffalo are fierce and fast, able to outrun a man bursts.

>> when you are out there in the thundering herd what is it like? >> very exciting, racing along, wind flying, buffalo, everything like that it was a lot of fun. >> and after participating in more than 40 roundups bob landis knows why the crowds have grown from just a few hundred to thousands of spectators. >> they see running horses running just as hard as they can run, crack whips, yelling, you get into it, they are rooting basically for the buffalo. >> and it is no wonder: that crowds today root for the buffalo, considering its tortured past in the country. the buffalo here are direct descendants of five wild calves saved by a rancher in 1883. by then, the buffalo were this close to extinction. in one of the most shameful portions of u.s. history, a

combination of government policy and greed nearly wiped this out. inside founder susan reiki shows us a photograph of buffalo skulls piled several stories high. here? >> it is a stunning picture that illustrates perfectly the massacre. >> a massacre of millions over a span of just a few decades in the 19th century. slaughtered by trappers and tourists and hunters often with the support of the u.s. government. >> as the railroad forged its way west, and settlers began to flood the plains. the bison were in essence in the way. and so they were shot. and exterminated to make way for western settlement. >> the railroads promoted buffalo shooting excursions where bison were slaughtered not

for their meat or hides but merely for sport. >> it was made out to see just so it's a glorious event and sporting and exciting to be out in the american west and shooting these large animals and there was nothing sporting about it. >> then the army hired hunters to kill millions more, knowing the indians considered the enemy back then dependent to the buffalo for food and clothing. general sheridan, send you powder and shot if you will, let them kill and sell until the buffaloes are exterminated. >> the buffalo hunters did more than an entire army could have done by getting the indians to go onto the reservations, that source. >> more than 60 million buffalo once roamed the

west, and only a few hund survived. fell silent and empty. a death wind blew across the prairie, wrote the lakota sue ta sioux warrior. >> the skinning yards, just to know they were slaughtered just for their tongues or their hides. it makes me angry. >> it was a shame, something we should be ashamed of. even though we are not this generation, we should be ashamed that human beings did this to the buffalo. >> but slowly but surely thanks ocareful managements the buffalo are coming back. at custer state park the herd has grown so it must be culled every year.

the buffalo inspected and innoculated against infectious diseases. then branded. so the animals can be tracked over time. craig pugsley helps coordinate the annual roundup in the 40th year. >> we would do the roundup whether anybody showed up or not. we need to bring in the the herd and get an accurate number of the animals we have. we vaccinate the heifer calves for brucellosis. >> how long will you keep riding here? >> until the day i die. my goal is to be riding and hit

the ground dead as i right my horse. >> chasing the buffalo? >> chasing the buffalo. >> now the herd number nearly 400,000. it has taken a generation but the specious is no longer in danger. a vivid reminder of what this country came so lows close to losing and a stunning example of how these efforts to save an enduring symbol of the west has prevailed, despite a scandalous past. >> beautiful, beautiful. "america tonight's" chris bury. washington, d.c. is marking its 125th anniversary celebrating the bison. in fact, the zoo will reveal its new bison habit. anof the stories you havseeno here tonight, log on to r website, aljazeera.com/americatonight. you can also join the conversation on our twitter or

our facebook page. good night and we'll have more of "america tonight" tomorrow including our special report on the water wars that are brewing out in nevada. thanks for joining us. >> an eye opening america tonight special report. >> have you ever seen anybody get shot? >> one year later, correspondent christof putzel returns to the streets of chicago. >> i don't like walk ouno more... >> why is that? >> a lot of shooting and stuff... >> a community still struggling against violence. >> i did something positive... >> have people lost hope? >> this is a grown man that shot a little kid. >> or have citizens made a difference?

>> glad that somebody that's at least standing up and caring about us man... >> america tonight only on aljazeera america >> the white house races to build an international coalition to fight off i.s. what's the west's role in fighting extremism? plus the key plo negotiator joins us to talk about the fragile mid east ceasefire. i'm ali velshi in for antonio mora. those and more stories straight ahead. >> the mother of a kidnapped american journalist making a direct plea. >> i ask for justice to be merciful. >> another american journalist spoke out. >> i had no doubt that so much