on "america tonight", a growing threat and tough decision, the president worries how far to send u.s. fire power against the islamic state. as he campaigns at home and abroad, and keeps the pressure on other forces - striking out against americans. also - the new political lightening rod and the battlefield is your child's classroom. care. >> if you like common core, you're a communist. that's what i've heard at board

of state meetings and else are. "america tonight"s look at how public school standard could play out in the ballot box. we begin with overcoming disability. we explore the differentliabled, beginning with a young woman leading a challenge against limits set by congress. >> i was an advocate for myself. i thought if i can do it for myself, i can do it for others. >> "america tonight"s sheila macvicar with an exceptional young woman overcoming disabilities. good evening, thanks for joining us. this is a critical week for the president.

he maps out a strategy to take on terror forces across the globe. the most immediate question is how far mr obama will go to bring islamic state in iraq and syria under control. the u.s. launched air strikes against i.s. in order to stop them taking control of haditha dam. the president will meet with congressional leaders on tuesday to urge support for the next steps against i.s., pressing them to back his previous call for half a billion in lethal aid for rebel fighters in syria. on the ground in iraq, a watershed day as the parliament approved a new government, setting the stage for a focus on the fight. jane arraf joins us from baghdad. how did the vote go? >> there's an immense pressure on prime minister haider

al-abadi to come up with a new government and by the deadline. the kurd came late to the session, but they came saying they were willing to sign on for three months, for a trial period. they are demanding more negotiations on things like sharing oil revenue and settling boundary disputes. the sunnis are not happy, there's no interior minister, no defence minister in the government. there hasn't been for the last eight years. this one was supposed to be different. the prime minister promise the within the next week there'll be agreement on those two key posts. the programme offered that was passed by parliament pledges to fight the islamic state group to settle displaced people. more than a million iraqis fled their homes. also to do things like provide essential services, provide jobs, and raise the standard of living for most iraqis, it's an

ambitious agenda, more so while the country is at war. there's fighting in the north, in the west. the government says with a new cabinet in place, and the new willingness by sunnis and some of the tribes to fight with them, that it can begin to fighters. it's jane arraf reporting from baghdad. on another front in the u.s. counterterrorism mission, u.s. air strikes leading strikes in somalia, against a group known as al-shabab. the pentagon confirmed a missile strike killed the leader and cofound are. al-shabab claims it -- cofounder. al-shabab claims it struck back, killing for americans. we have a report from somalia on al-shabab. >> reporter: a smouldering sign that al-shabab is alive and well and determined to make good on threats of violence. they launched two suicide car bomb attacks minutes apart -

this one targetting a convoy of african peacekeepers and officials outside mogadishu, killing 12, injuring 8 others. including those for a private security contractor. it came hours after they vowed to revege the death of ahmed abdi godane, their leader. he was targeted as he left a meeting. the 37-year-old ahmed abdi godane, trained and fought in afghanistan before assuming leadership of al-shabab in 2007. a ruthless leader, ahmed abdi godane was known to do away with anyone who disagreed with him. including an alabama native, who rose through al-shabab's ranks, until falling outside with ahmed abdi godane, and was killed. ahmed abdi godane grew al-shabab to a transnational operation, reaching beyond somalia's borders, and did it with support of al qaeda.

the u.s. responded with a $7 million bounty for information leading to ahmed abdi godane's death or capture. the most audacious matter was the kenyan mall siege, leaving 67 dead. since that incident troops of the african mission in somalia, and the soma national army have been winning back large swats of territory, allowing displaced residents last week to return home. the sights set on the last stronghold, the port city. barawa. >> al-shabab fought hard for it. you see the tyres, and where they were firing on us from the rooftops. i am sure they fled to barawi. that is the next target. as soon as i'm throw here, i'm moving to barawi. following his death, al-shabab named

ahmed omarals as the new leader. this is the last in a long running campaign. drone strikes killed other members in october and january. >> we'll use all the tools at our disposal, financial, diplomatic and intentional to dismantle al-shabab and other groups who threatened u.s. interests, and those of our allies and partners. big question now, what does ahmed abdi godane's death mean to the future of al-shabab. we speak to a professor at the university of minnesota. we appreciate you being here and talking to us about it. will there be an future. >> i'm not so sure about that. it depends, you know, osama bin laden was killed in afghanistan. saddam hussein was tackled in iraq, and the offspring populates the area. i think al-shabab will be the

same, but the landscape is different to afghanistan. they have been able to retaliate against us, the united states. and so i think it will be a long drawn out war without a country. >> previous history shows when al-shabab was attacked before, the leadership was attacked before, it came back. >> it certainly came back, and it came back by taking four americans today, and so i think what needs to be done is the somalia people are sit and tired of al-shabab, but the absence of clear somalia leaders, and support for a democratic political programme for the country seems to sustain al-shabab, and we engage into their hands by engaging them in the violence they relish. >> let's talk about the future of recruitment in somalia and the united states. we reported on "america tonight", on effort to recruit young forces from somalia,

originally tied to somalia from your area. can you talk to us about whether they'll be influenced by what has happened here? >> no, i don't think that will happen. when the previous leader of al-shabab was killed, that didn't have an impact, and i don't think the disappearance and the death will have an impact on that. what depends are two things - one is the ability of the state of minnesota, and the united states government to come to terms with a large number of young men, increasingly some women alienated from the society, bringing them back on board. the killing, i don't think, will have a substantial impact on the recruitment here. >> in somalia itself, is there any sense that it will draw more states? >> i don't think - i think it's a mutual question in the sense that as long as young men in somalia don't have opportunities

for livelihoods because of the absence of a clear political and economic programme. despite investing heavily. i think those young men will be enticed as long as there's no alternative. i don't think the killing of ahmed abdi godane will have an time. >> a scholar and professor at the university of minnesota. we appreciate you are being with us, sir. after the break - a new lesson in american education. the common core, is it a break through in raising standards, or another political football. >> how is what you are doing now before? >> old system. here is your quiz. 20 multiple choice, matching whatever. new system - explain how you did that? justify it with textual evidence. you can't copy it, you can't

fake it. correspondent michael oku in class with students and teachers, challenging the common core and the rare spread of a virus so severe it sent dozens to intensive care units. health workers warn it will spread further. >> a crisis on the border >> they're vulnerable these are refugees. >> migrant kids flooding into the us. >> we're gonna go and see who's has just been deported. >> why are so many children fleeing? >> your children will be part of my group... >> fault lines, al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> there blocking the door... >> ground breaking... >> truth seeking... >> we have to get out of here... award winning investigative documentary series... no refuge: children at the border only on al jazeera america

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>> they are truth seekers... >> all they really wanna do is find out what's happening, so they can tell people... >> governments around the world all united to condemn this... >> as you can see, it's still a very much volatile situation... >> the government is prepared to carry out mass array... >> if you want free press in the new democracy, let the journalists live. >> on tech know, imagine getting the chance to view the world. >> the brain is re-learning how it sees again >> after decades in the dark, >> i couldn't get around on my own >> a miraculous bionic eye... >> i'm seeing flashes >> great >> tech know, every saturday go where science meets humanity. >> this is some of the best driving i've every done, even though i can't see. >> tech know. >> we're here in the vortex. only on al jazeera america.

this fall it is reading, writing and wrangling in school districts across the country. common core is in effect, and the new standards caused an uproar, with parents raising concerns about ways kids are learning. "america tonight"s michael oku went to louisiana, to find out why the common core is facing so much controversy. >> how we reach our answers m various ways, okay. >> reporter: it's the first week of school, a charter school in new orleans. different. number? >> digit. >> a peak in the maths class, and you see for yourself. >> let's make 123.

>> instead of memorising multiplication tables, instead of tackling stats by writing, students are literally feeling their way through problems. >> 70, 80, 90, 100. >> some of the words are missing, why. >> english is different. in this 7th grade class students learn grammar in style, in way that is may be unfamiliar to parents. >> why can't he come right out and tell this guy "hey, the pilot is dead." >> maybe he's not sure. >> how is what you're doing now before? >> the old system, here is your quiz. 20 multiple choice, matching whatever. new system, explain how you did that. justify it with text tulle evidence. you can't copy it, you can't

fake it. >> the new approach is inspired by common core, a set of national academic standards in maths and english going in effect this year. the initiative outlined what every student should know, by the end of each grade. >> we saw our job as defining what students needed to learn. >> phil, a san francisco-based maths educator was on a team that wrote the new maths standards, modelling them after japan. >> the curriculum was a mile wide, when you prepare it to the curriculum in high countries. in japan they spend a week and a half on topics, and here three days. it's not magic why more of the students learn it. the transition is tough for teachers in school districts.

>> how difficult has it been to make the transition. >> it's been a steep learning curve, you know, teaching for 15 years. i had every lesson saying you could think of, you know, comparative adverb, i can do that, in my sleep. as a result of common core, these kids are going to be able to think critically. >> the students learn at a deeper academic level. is it. >> mickey is the executive director of choice foundation. which runs the school. the staff trained for two years, and landry is confident that students will benefit. a bipartisan group of governors from 48 states came to the same conclusion when they developed the standards in 2010. they built on the blush administration's no child left

behind policy. the obama administration embraced it and encouraged states to do the same. if they wanted in on federal race to the top funds. >> in 2012, the republican governor announced support for the common core at a choice foundation school with with mickey landry at his side. >> parents and kids should not be trapped in a school. but this summer the governor did a 180, announcing he wanted indiana to join two other states, to reject the standards. >> at some point you say enough is enough. this is where we draw the line. >> how could he in 2012 come to a school and declare that he would raise the standards and the rigor for curriculum, because that's what our children need to compete in the world they'll live in as adults and

pull the rug out. >> that's what it felt like, he you? >> absolutely. it baffled me. when you look at the political world that he lives in, and you look at the competition he has got for, you know, republican presidential nomination or vice presidential nomination, they had all pulled away from common core. he made. >> reporter: landry and a group of educators sued governor jindal to prevent him pulling out of common core. a judge ruled in their favour. not ready to admit defeat, governor jindal filed suit against obama administration, claiming it was forcing states to use common core. "america tonight" requested an interview with governor jindal - he declined.

others that signed on to the core are distancing themselves. conservatives like glen beck pushed in part. who was cast it as the latest big-government intrusion. he hosted a live event in july, broadcast at movie theatres, where he taught parents not to conform, but fight what is known care. >> if you like common core, you are a communist. that's what i hear. i'm a vietnam veteran, not a communist. i could just as easily call those people clansmen because they are keeping my kids back curriculum. >> would you consider yourselves members at a tea party. >> not at all. >> are you republicans.

>> no, a liberal. >> across the lake, in the affluent parishes, some parents and teachers organise against the common core, saying politics aside, there are reasons to oppose it. them. >> amy was so worried, she had boys. >> i have an issue with standards, being national standards. i have an issue with everybody thing. >> what really seems to bother parents like amy, she says common core methods designed to dive into subjects like maths confuse children. >> i still, to this day, am fixing his maths at home school. we have you one problem and it was like jim had two quarters and a nickel and wanted to buy a candy bar that's $0.50. we know where this is going, that's fine. it was like five questions

later, asking the same until problem and at the end saying explain how you arrive at the answer. he said "i know, because i listened", i thought i can't argue with that. >> reporter: to be clear, there is a problem phrased a variety of different ways. >> yes. >> reporter: essentially asking the same thing. >> which is a valid method, but i didn't see the let's make sure we know the maths facts so we can answer the math facts to answer the problem. >> reporter: across the country parents raised similar concern. many. >> i look at the problems and it's like bill has three goldfish, and bys two more, how many dogs live in london. something like that. [ laughs ] [ clapping ] >> reporter: common core's defenders say the methods worked in japan and singapore, the

highest performing countries in the world. >> two plus two still equals four, the kids have to be fluent with subtraction, mult i'm lickation and division. being able to calculate is no longer sufficient. >> i want to thank the board for their hard work. >> the explanation has not satisfied amy and other louisiana parents, who testified at school board meetings and the capital, pleading with lawmakers to repeal the court. >> five legislators said they'll vote to get rid of it. for now, it's the law. >> at the center of the storm, the students here are still getting used to a new way of learning. the only question, even their teachers can't answer, is how long it will last. common core, how did this education initiative turn into a

political lightening rod. it's a football. we are joined by al jazeera contributor and analyst dr jason johnson. good to see you, you know, it's been several years since we started hearing about the common core, first coming up in president obama's first administration. it seems like it's taking a while to get on the political radar, as it were. why? >> we are in the silly season. everyone is looking at 2016. a lot of people who are the republicans, and those trying to run as outsiders realised attacking obama care gets you so bar. common core is a new bogey man that people can attack and ingrashiate voters to them. that's why it's a new issue. >> they use the term obama core, making the link ben obama care and obama core. for someone like governor

jindal, how does he explain his 180 degrees. >> hopefully no one remembers your flip flop. you have a governor in new york saying we need to re-evaluate common core, and rick scott, running in florida, jed bush was in favour of the common core, and rick scott changed his tune. much of this on the ground is not necessarily whether or not the standard work or they don't, it's crafted as a message, a way to get back at washington, and president obama, and that's why the guys have been changing their position. >> it's different from no child is left behind. it doesn't apply the restrigz, the tests process. that's part of the process that is not in common core. i wonder how parents are seeing that. is this a political issue or at the grass roots level. is there a lot of public opposition. >> there's public opposition on

the lower level. parents don't like change. if you learnt fonics, that's what you expect people to learn, and your kids. there's a concern when anything will change, how and what their children will learn in school. the interesting thing is how this is a political issue. it wasn't because of a ground swell, it's because officers needed something to grab on to, to connect with with teachers and mums at home. common core was an easy way to get those paying attention. >> education is for a federal - at the federal level is a safe conversation. who will say they are opposed to improving american public education. it's paradoxical that all of a button. >> that's the issue. there's so many things you run against washington. you say obama care is terrible, and the economy is bad. let's say you have a gender cap.

you are losing to your opponent. common core might be the way to close the gap. you can't go wrong. most on the ground don't realise that governors came up with common core, not the federal government. that doesn't matter during the silly season. dr jane -- jason johnson calling us again. also on education and politics, a bipartisan approach that has been coming up. president george w. bush and bill clinton teamed up to launch a program, giving scholars a look at how presidential decisions are made. former rivals made the announcement at the museum. there's no manual for being president of the free world. sometimes it means leaning across the aisle and asking for a little presidential insight.

>> i say one thing nice about my friend here... [ laughs ] ..i'll say more than one thing, but this particular one thing - he used to call me twice a year in his second term just to talk. we'd talk, depending on how much time he had, because he was busier than me, somewhere between 30-45 minutes for several years. it meant a lot to me. we never talked about it, never talked about it in public. we talked about everything in the rite world. he asked my opinion. half the time he disagreed with it. but i felt good about that. i thought that was a really healthy thing. a little insight behind the curtain, president bush had advice for soon to be grandfather bill clinton. he said get ready to be the lowest ranking person in the pecking order of your family. when we return - not just

another back to school combed. kids in a -- cold, kids in a dozen statened up in intensive care facing a rare virus that is spreading rapidly. >> more children are going into critical care from this virus, see. and a conversation with an expert on fast-tracking a vaccine for beach volleyball. >> a new episode of the ground breaking series, edge of eighteen >> just because your pregnant don't mean your life's ended. >> intense pressure... >> i don't know if this whole dance thing will work out. >> tough realities... >> we chicago ch-iraq, because we have more killings... >> life changing moments... >> shut the camera.... >> from oscar winning director, alex gibney, a hard hitting look at the real issues facing american teens. the incredible journey continues... on the edge of eighteen

only on all jazeera america

>> protestors are gathering... >> there's an air of tension right now... >> the crowd chanting for democracy... >> this is another significant development...

>> we have an exclusive story tonight, and we go live... >> a snapshot of stories making headlines on "america tonight". the duke and duchess of cambridge are expecting their second royal baby. prince william and wife kate confirmed the news. they decided to address the pregnancy to despell rumours. the baby will be fourth in line to the throne, following george, father william and grandfather prince charles. >> baltimore ravens running back ray rice after a graphic video showing him pumping his then fiancee in a hotel elevator. he was suspended for the first two games of the season. the n.f.l. which is under scrutiny for its handling of domestic violence, suspended rice

indefinitely. former new orleans's major nagin enters prison, found guilty on charges of bribery and filing false tax returns. he received hundreds of thousands, say prosecutors, before hurricane katrina and during the city's recovering. raising the alarm, a rare virus sending hundreds of children to the hospital, even intensive care, in states across the midwest at the start of the school world. it is d68, and other ipp terro viruses are common, this strain is causing alarm. it can seem like a bad cold, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, but this mother realised this was more serious. >> he was unresponsive. he was laying on the couch and

couldn't speak to me, was turning white and had blue lips. >> the 13-year-old is one of more than 1,000 kids across the country suspected of being infect with the intero virus, dozens in intensive care units. clusters have been reported to the c.d.c. 900 suspected cases were treated in one hospital. no deaths have been reported. the number of cases and the spread leave health care workers with serious concerns. >> more children are going into the critical care unit from the virus, than say any other respiratory virus that we see. >> certainly disturbing images. how dangerous is this virus. dr william joins us from the university, and is an expert on infectious disease. it seems like we are talking about something that looks like the common cold.

stunning. >> yes, absolutely. that is the case. the intero viruses. they are a large family, and are usually active in september, october, end of august. this one is distinctive, different from the others. it's rare, and it spreads very widely and caused this respiratory infection, characterised by fever, sneezing, cough, shortness of breath and precipitates asthma, sending children to the hospital, and even to the intensive care unit. >> the best thing we can do, there's not a vaccine, what can we do? >> we don't have a vaccine. this is spread through close contact. children spread it rapidly. try to get them to wash their hands, don't share drinks and things like that. but that is hard to intervene on, as you can imagine. >> specially as kids are getting back to school.

>> let's talk about vaccine, and another illness we talked about. that is ebola, there are reports about a vaccine effective in monkeys, providing protection for as long as 10 months. this? >> it is exciting. vaccine development, two manufacturers, different vaccines, are put on the fast-track. we hope that everything going well, if they can be shown to be effective and safe, they could be, perhaps, introduced some time next year. that is a long way away. in the meantime we have to get more people there to do good clinical care and public health to bring the epidemic under control. it is not controlled yet. >> all right. we talk about vaccines here. i want to mention another area that has been interesting to us on "america tonight". we talked about measles, and the spread particularly as more and

more families in many places, particularly in the west coast, have become reluctant to have children vaccinated. the spread of measles seems to be stepping up this year. >> i don't get it. measles is a bad disease. before we had vaccine, each and every year in the united states, somewhere between 400 and 500 children died, died of measles and its complications. we have a wonderfully effective vaccines, and why it is that parents would wish to with hold parents from being vaccinated is beyond me. we have measles which is in other parts of the world being imported into this country, spreading among unvaccinated children. pead electricians are seeing -- paediatricians are seeing the eliminated.

cases. >> yes, it's the largest number. reports around the country are that increasingly parents are either withholding their children from vaccination, or stretching out the vaccines so that the children remain susceptible for a longer period of time. that is not scientific. there's no reason for that. and the safety of the vaccines has been tested time and time again. i keep saying - just talk to your doctor. get good advice. recommendations. >> doctor, it's a fortunate thing for us to talk to you to get your insight as to why the disparity. i do have to raise a question, we are talking about three different diseases, all of import to you. we are talking about the intero virus, ebola, and measles. is there something that is

causing this confluence of so many infectious disease concerns right now? >> we live in a small world. the capacity to import viruses and spread them is with us. it's part of the modern world. >> unfortunately. we do have to pay attention to all of them. infectious disease expert dr shaefer, thank you for being back with us. >> my pleasure as always. when we return in our new series overcoming disability - "america tonight"s sheila macvicar meets a woman determined to speak for herself and others with disabilities. >> reporter: what did you want the senators to know, the people listening to you. what was the message you wanted to tell them? >> i want to tell them people with disabilities, and different kinds, have the right to live on their own. >> uakers to break down the barriers forcing

america's disabled to be >> saturday >> prop 8, really made us think about this process of coming out. >> meet the committed couples >> gay marriages, straight marriages... have the same challenges. >> it's all about having the same options as everybody else. >> that fought for equality >> saying "i do" changed everything. >>every saturday, join us for exclusive, revealing and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time. "talk to al jazeera" saturday 5 eastern only on al jazeera america >> now available, the new al jazeea america mobile news app. get our exclusive in depth, reporting when you want it. a global perspective wherever you are. the major headlines in context. mashable says... you'll never miss the latest news >> they will continue looking for survivors... >> the potential for energy production is huge... >> no noise, no clutter, just real reporting.

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>> an astonishing america tonight investigative report >> why are you wearing gloves? >> ocd... taking over this woman's life... >> i don't wanna touch anything... >> now a controversial surgery can literally reprogram her mind >> we can modify emotional circuitry >> is this a miracle cure? or an ethical nightmare? >> there's a lot of mystery right now... >> rewiring the brain an america tonight investigative report only on al jazeera america millions of americans live with disabilities, but they face an obstacle that could be

eliminated with the stroke of a pen. tonight, the story of a remarkable young woman, helping to lead a campaign to allow disabled people to earn and save their own money. sheila macvicar brings us her story of overcoming disability. >> reporter: from an early sage sara has been defying expectations. sara was born with downs syndrome. what do you want people to know about you? >> i'm a good person. i like to help people. i have a good heart. i think we could put it in that thing you do. >> reporter: sara has college credits, works at a law form, is on several boards of directors and a gifted public speaker. >> we treat sara like everywhere else in the family. >> we'll do the best we can. >> her father says the family decided from the start not to let sara's condition define

her. >> you have to have something for every child. if you don't get involved, it will not work. my wife made that commitment. she worked hard. very hard. she got it done. >> reporter: her mother's persistens paid off. at the age of 18 sara became an advocate. >> as a senior in high school, her and a girlfriend started the first buddy walk. >> what is a buddy walk? >> that is set up through the national downs syndrome society to promote awareness for downs disabilities. >> my mum gave me the idea. we thought should the people come up and show up. and we have many people. >> i was an advocate for myself.

i thought if i can do it for people. >> that year sara was recognised for her work, and along with barbara walters, was honoured by society. >> that was my first speaking engagement in front of an audience, and i was not nervous. >> a lot of people would wind that experience, standing in front of a ball room full of people, completely intimidating. >> i don't know. i don't know if people think they are intimidated. i think that if you just, you know, go up and do your thing, and see you do it, and they just, you know - it's the reaction. >> how do people react? >> just amazing.

they - wow. simple as that. >> there was never a sense that sara was in any way unable to do something. she just did it. >> hey, sara, how are you doing. >> todd o'malley is sara's godfather and boss. after high school o'malley offered sara a job working at his law firm. >> she needed something to do. it was just - to me it was a here. >> i've been there for 13 years, and, yes, i do drink coffee for 13 years. that's when i started. >> she's not writing briefs, but she's filing. she goes from day to day and helps a case manager with complex things, putting together settlement packages and everything. >> today sara not only works as a law clerk, but in the advocacy office. disabilities. >> how are you.

>> don is the executive director. she is a talented young lady. and she has a wonderful skill to present to large groups of people, appears effortless. >> reporter: but this woman who worked so hard to overcome limitations is blocked by limits imposed on her by federal regulations. sara can't save more than $2,000. if she earns more than $700 a month, she loses disability and health insurance. she cannot get a raise or work full time. sara, like every other developmentally disabled person in the united states is legally obliged to be poor. >> good morning. my name is sara wolf. i'm 31 years old. i happen to have downs syndrome. mission.

story. >> testifying before a senate committee hearing in july, sara is close to doing what others could not. >> this is the fair and right thing to do. >> persuading congress to pass legislation to address long-standing disparities. >> what did you want the senators to know. the people listening to you. what was the message you wanted to tell them. >> i wanted to tell them people with disabilities, different kinds of disabilities, have the right to live on their open. >> the bills known as theable act, shore for achieving a better life experience, allows people with disabilities, and their families to create tax exempt accounts up to $100,000. sara is at the forefront of the lobbying effort. >> it sends a message to society and government, to congress, that people with disabilities in

2014 can work. specifically, like - somebody like sara wolf could work full-time, take her pay check, government it without making herself ineligible for medicaid. >> reporter: theable act would help people like gerry, who is 55, and works at the ark of nearby peninsula as a handyman. >> in times he'd make in excess of the $2,000. rather than spend that money down to get down to the $2,000, this allows him to put money aside for his future need, older. >> reporter: it would mean more security for sara. something which hit home last year when she lost her mother, her life-long support and inspiration, to cancer. what did she do that helped you get to the place where you are now? >>

everything. everything. she helped me with school work, helped me with everything, basically. >> it's hard to talk about my mum. challenging me to do better. >> sheets really important. >> yes, very. >> if this law is passed, what difference would it make to your sister's life. >> i think it will make a huge difference, and also in my life. one of my fears is, you know, with the passing of my mum, it really brings to light how realistic the future could happen tomorrow. >> i worry about the day my dad's not around.

>> financially sara needs to be able to support herself and it's hard to do that when you are pretty much linked to poverty. sara travelled the country to raise awareness about the realities of living with downs syndrome. in april she started a change.org petition to pass the act. it went viral and has over 250,000 supporters. the able act has 380 supporters in the house and 74 in the senate. in july the bill was passed unanimously. it could become law as early as september. how many people do you think will benefit from this? >> i think, you know, millions of people with disabilities will benefit from this. th theable act allows them to create a tool to fund their own dreams, aspirations and goals,

and make sure they contribute to society in the way they wish. >> i want people to know i'm just like you. i can do whatever i put my mind to. on tuesday on this program we'll continue the series "overcoming disability", with a look at the american disability act. it's been 25 years since the civil rights law was supposed to level the playing field for people with disabilities. >> i'm stuck. someone help. you come with me. >> okay. a lot of great kids out there who happen to have some kind of a disability deserve to have access to the same playgrounds, the same schools, the same opportunities that able-bodied kids do despite the groundbreaking law there's a call to increase access.

tomorrow, a place close to every kids' heart, the playground, where the fight for inclusion rages on. >> ahead here. time doesn't stand still. some of the most remote places on earth. a photographer who documented change over three decades shows us how our planet transformed.

>> al jazeera america >> this is the very tail section it was burning when we got here >> unbiased reporting... >> the violence has continued >> the violence has continued just a couple of miles from here >> in depth coverage... >> we've got a military escort allowing us to feel a further than everyone else... >> real global perspective >> this was clearly an attack against them... >> from around the world, to the issues right here at home >> ...shouldn't been brought here in the first place... >> we're not here to take over >> real stories... real people... real understanding... >> where you scared when you hear the bombs? >> al jazeera america real... news... >> consider this: the news of the day plus so much more. >> we begin with the growing controversy. >> answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> why did so many of these people choose to risk their lives? >> antonio mora, award winning and hard hitting. >> people are dying because of this policy... >> there's no status quo, just the bottom line. >> but what is the administration doing behind the scenes? >> real perspective, consider this on al jazeera america

>> audiences are intelligent and they know that their needs are not being met by american tv news today. >> entire media culture is driven by something that's very very fast... >> there has been a lack of fact based, in depth, serious journalism, and we fill that void... >> there is a huge opportunity for al jazeera america to change the way people look at news. >> we just don't parachute in on a story...quickly talk to a couple of experts and leave... >> one producer may spend 3 or 4 months, digging into a single story... >> at al jazeera, there are resources to alow us as journalists to go in depth and produce the kind of films... the people that you don't see anywhere else on television. >> we intend to reach out to the people who aren't being heard. >>we wanna see the people who are actually effected by the news of the day...

>> it's digging deeper it's asking that second, that third question, finding that person no one spoken to yet... >> you can't tell the stories of the people if you don't get their voices out there, and al jazeera america is doing just that. you and finally from us: a view from some of the most remote places on earth. a view from iceland, indicating how much our world has changed. >> reporter: documenting the lives of those whose worlds are rapidly changing, and the upforgiving land escapes they inhabit. icelandic photographer has spent the last three decades going back and forth to the coldest places

on earth. >> i paint, my paintings are my photographs. and i wanted to get something, and i just saw what was happening and thinking like this is fading away, it's disappearing. i have to document that, and i have to do it in a way like how would a painter do it. >> reporter: in doing so, rax has won dozens of awards and risked his life at times. in greenland, waiting to capture this hunter mid view, he knew things could go wrong. >> he lost his bullets from his pockets. we were there on the ice with three polar bears. we had to fight back the weather, the ice was cracking. >> reporter: this exhibition is special to rax. being in a small space he had to choose the images carefully.

these, he says, are his favourites. icelanders say rax has helped to country. >> it's great. the beautiful pictures and composition are amazing. he's one of the best photographers. and has been. >> reporter: praise that is difficult to take, as he sees his work as a blessing and a duty in the face of climate change abroad and at home. >> iceland is you have a nose on your face, but you don't see it. i see it more in other countries than here. it is changing in front of me. >> reporter: a daunting prospect for a man connected to the region, as he watches and captures it melting away. >> still a fantastic view. that is it for us on "america tonight". remember if you would like to

comment on the stories you have seen, log on to the website aljazeera.com/americatonight and join in the conversation any time on twitter or at facebook. goodnight. we'll have more of "america tonight" coming up tomorrow. >> start with one issue education... gun control... the gap between rich and poor... job creation... climate change... tax policy... the economy... iran... healthcare... ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony...

>> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america for get about the peace dividend, the crisis in ukraine, a newly aggressive china, and the new islamic state, means president obama is facing major challenges around the globe. plus calls to end a bannen bannen -- energy experts. and i'll tell you about wealthy