issues in this show. thank you for joining us. from washington, i'm ray suarez. >> on "america tonight," on the line. the wary warrior tries to grow support for his bid to cut down islamic state fighters. can the president persuade the u.s. congress that he does have a plan now? against a growing terror threat? and how will mr. obama's own words undercut his attempt to lead the fight. also tonight, down on the farm, a new twist for animal rights activists. sheila macvicar is in iowa, and we're going undercover to expose abuse.

we can land the whistle blower behind bars. >> it's nearly impossible to get authorities, especially in rural areas, to bring criminal charges in farm name cases. >> i think its malicious when they show up, intent on putting you out of business. >> and at play: even when it's not easy to be. >> i'm hiding from you guys, so you can't shoot me. >> in our series, overcoming disability, "america tonight's" adam may, on kids climbing a jungle gym of challenges, why play spaces make it so difficult for some kids to play. a. >> good evening, and thank you for joining us. i'm joie chen. the clock is ticking as the president prepares a key

address for the nation at this time tomorrow. and the shift in terrorist strategy and putting u.s. forces front and center in a bolder and broader mission against the islamic state. mr. obama as always been seen as a wary warrior, and it's a big shift. campaigning for the heavy announcement. he met private plea with capitol hill, planning on inside syria, and he met with several from previous administrations. he's under pressure from republicans. the senate minority leader, mitch mcconnell, seeking that he seek approval. but the president's own words may be the greatest challenge to overcome. just last winter, the president's tone was decidedly dismissive.

in an article, he likened islamic state to a junior varsity of aljazeera. aljazeera -- al qaeda. but then in an offensive through northern iraq, the president's rhetoric changed. >> it's going to need more help from us, and the international community. >> isil, as it was known then, swept out of syria, capturing much of mosul and iraq, and stories began to emerge of a mobile force seizing control of town after town. from christian communities in the north to the out skirts of baghdad itself. in august, the trigger for the first real u.s. action, thousands of members of the sect, on the top of a mountain with no food or water, and president obama orders airstrikes to beat back the

militants so they can escape, but he's adamant, this is not the start of a new iraq war. >> i know that many of you are rightly concerned about any military action in iraq, even military strikes like these. i understand that. i ran for this office in part to end the war in iraq and welcome our troops home. that's what i've done. as commander in chief, i will not allow the united states to be dragged into fighting another war in iraq. >> reporter: isis is driven back, but not just u.s. interest in iraq, but to the united states itself. >> we have got a national security interest in making sure that our people are protected and making sure that a savage group that seems willing to slaughter people for no rhyme or reason, other than they have not kowtowed to them, that a group like that is

contained, because obviously it poses a threat to us. >> still he insists, no boots on the ground. that same day, a tweet from secretary of state, john kerry, spelling out the scale of the challenge. the islamic state he writes, must be destroyed, will be crushed. and then horrific news, american journalist, james foley, beheaded by isis fighters. >> in the middle east, there has to be an attempt to extract this cancer so it does not spread. >> and then what the united states and the president intend to do. >> i don't want to put the carpet before the horse. we don't have a strategy yet. i think what i've seen in some of the news reports, suggests that folks are getting a little further ahead of where we're at than we currently are. >> the president tried to clear

up the confusion with a firmer declaration of intent. >> our objective is clear, to degrade and destroy isil so it's not just a threat to iraq, but election the region and to the united states. >> michael hammond, director of research for the program at brooking institution, joins us at this hour. and michael, you need to talk to us a little bit about what a big step this would be for the president, who has tried so hard to reduce the level of military engagement in the middle east. if his move is to make airstrikes in syria against islamic state, how big of a move is that? >> well, its big in some ways, and not in others. nobody is going to talk about the presence we had in iraq in the 2003 to 2011 period. that's not in the conversation, and it's not being advocated by even the most talkish people i know, so i don't think that the

president has to worry about his overall narrative, but his presidency will talk about the draw down overseas, and the greatest offensive for our domestic needs, so it's not so much a strain on the federal budget but a strain on strategists, and those who have to conduct oversight and new ideas and have to critique. it's going to affect the 2015 presidential race, and it's something that this country would rather not have to do, and clearly this president would rather not have to do it. but unfortunately, the world gets a vote too, and he has to realize that iraq and syria are countries that he's not going to be able to turn away from, and i think that president obama is moving in the direction of more action. after all, he has dropped bombs on isis 150 times since late july or early august, and he's now talking about a major speech to the country, involving a more last night

strategy, and he has asked for half a billion-dollar in aid to the syrian opposition that i hope that the congress will act on this september. the president has been too late to come to this position, especially in regard to syria. but there's no doubt that he's direction himself. >> and you have written yourself that pinpricks, as history shows us, make a difference on the ground. and could you make a case for u.s. forces on the ground something beyond, for example, some advisers on the ground? something beyond the airstrikes. could you advocate for that? >> i already advocated more. i wrote an article in the washington post where we should consider two additional options above and beyond what we're already doing, the airstrikes inside of baghdad. and i suggested one, putting mentoring teams in the field with the iraqi army.

and secondly, even more risky, would be my support for some degree of american special forces to help iraqi commandos in some raids against isil targets in the coming months. >> michael hammond joining us from the brooks institution. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> and we'll hear what the president has to say tomorrow in the decrease to the nation on the islamic state fighters, and what the u.s. plans to do about it. that's 8 p.m. eastern, and 5:pacific. >> . >> on a story that america tonight has been watching very closely for the past few weeks, the growing and deadly ebola outbreak. in west africa, daily life has come to a standstill because of the virus. no shaking hands, and in the next weeks, thousands will be infected, more than the regional treatment centers can possibly handle.

and to combat the epidemic, the united states has sent 100 more workers to the ream, and setting up treatment centers in liberia. a fourth american aid worker in atlanta in sierra leone. the u.s. air marshal attack in nigeria is now quarantined at a hospital in houston, early tests show that he's not in early danger. there are more than 1400 confirmed cases in west africa. more than 2200 have died. we spoke with dr. anthony fauci, . >> well, the reason that it's

expanding and accelerating so greatly is that there are a number of perfect storm factors coming together. we have an outbreak that's in an area where there are porous borders among three countries at least, where people just go back and forth across borders. it's a highly populous area, and it's not a rural village, and it has not gotten into big cities such as monrovia and freetown and other cities, so when a person gets infected, it becomes that much more difficult to do the contact tracing and the isolation where appropriate. and in addition, and probably the most compelling factor is that the healthcare system in those countries is not at a stage where it can handle this type of thing. it is poorly developed. and in some cases dysfunctional. they don't have the

capabilities of doing the isolation, of the contact tracing or even the hospital beds to accommodate. >> overwhelmed west african governments have been trying to cane the spread. ser leon will have a three-day lock down, but it's not a quarantine. >> i think there's misinformation about the three day so-called quarantine in ser leon. what it's saying, they're going to have 24th teams, and they're going to have teams going from household to household going to educate people for infection, and talking to survivors that will not be able to transmit. and the importance of washing hands, and cleanliness, and

yet, that has been interpreted as a three-day nationwide quarantine, and that's just not the case. >> and dr. fauci warns that quarantine could cause more damage if it's not executed properly. >> that's not to mean that you accorden off people and don't give them access to food, to water, to care, which happens sometimes if you try to block people off, you then disincentivize people to say that they have been exposed to an infected individual. so in certain circumstances, quarantine approaches can work, but if done inappropriately and not properly, they can actually be counter-productive, create more fear, and drive people to not be honest about their exposures.

so i think that we need to be very very careful about how one implements a quarantine approach. >> when we return, hard to watch images of animals being abused. but a key part of making the case. >> without video evidence, it's often nearly impossible to get authorities, especially in rural areas, to bring criminal charges in farm animal cases. >> "america tonight's" sheila macvicar's efforts to expose abuse. why i left, and why i stayed. >> 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

>> over seven months, they recorded pigs beaten with an electric prong. >> if i had this on my farm, i would be outraged. we don't tolerate that kind of behavior, we shouldn't. >> craig hill is a hog producer in iowa at a family farm that he runs with his wife and son, and he's also president of the iowa farm bury.

>> you want happy pigs, and when you walk in the door, you know by their activities, by their behaving and their actions. >> in iowa's capital, de moines, the peta video prompted action by state legislators, but not what you might think. they passed a law, not in animal abuse, but anyone going undercover to investigate abuse. the law was initially authored by lobbyists by the agricultural industry making it a crime punishable by jail time. peta shot the videotape. and you now have to answer this question on your job application. are you a member of peta? the humane society of the united states, or any other animal rights organization? opponents of the

law -- . >> we support the law because we didn't want individuals coming to our farm, coming to work and telling us that they had a history or experience in animal care which was not true. and their intent was to maliciously capture some footage or some video that could be used against you and put you out of business. >> why do you use malicious? >> i think its malicious when they show up, intent on putting you out of business. >> pork is big business in iowa, the nation's number one pork producing state. $5 billion to the state's economy. this in a state with only 3 million people. iowa's bill was the first such bill law in the u.s., and since then, six other states have passed similar legislation. idaho, canada, north dakota and

utah, all designed to prevent videotaping without a farmer's consent. paul shapiro is vice president for farm production in the humane society of the united states. >> this is a very clear effort by the meat industry to prevent whistle blowers from gaining entrance because they don't want them taking photos of animal cruelty and safety problems and more. >> he's alive. >> last year in utah, animal rights advocate, amy mire, shot this videotape from the side of the road on public property, of a cowing moved with a tractor outside of a slaughterhouse. >> the police weren't interested in the slaughterhouse workers. instead, mire was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor. agricultural interference, becoming the first person

charged in one of these so-called ago gag laws. >> am i free or being detained? >> the case against her was dropped. >> the humane society has used undercover video like this investigation at a slaughterhouse in new jersey. as a result of the foot annual, the u.s. department of agriculture temporarily suspended operations in new york city. they helped establish a pattern of abuse in criminal cases. >> without video evidence, that's often nearly impossible to get authorities, especially in rural areas, to bring criminal charges in farm animal cases. >> in total, i spent probably five years in nebraska, iowa and minnesota.

>> he has written a book this fall called pork production in the united states. undercover peta operative spent months with this hidden camera footage. >> the result of that investigation is that eventually, there were six people who were charged with livestock abuse. and there were several convictions. and this was the first case of livestock abusing successfully prosecuted in iowa. and in fact, the first time on a midwestern farm. >> and how important was the video? >> the video was critical. the sheriff's department, what they were able to do is come out and interview the workers here, and to show them the video. and to say, here's video of the abuse and what do you have to say?

>> shawn lions was the first work that are the sheriff's department talked to and the first convicted. we found him in his home nearby, unemployed, and angry about what happened. >> i needed something to do. >> lions said that he was mad at peta for gathering the evidence that cost his job. >> there he was. filming me, and getting me in trouble. >> iowa farm bureau president, craig hill, says that workers should get in trouble for abusing animals. >> you would hope that the individual witnesses, employee or passerby or anybody in the community sees something like that taking place, they would report it immediately. and they would go to the owner first of all and say that's not right, and you shouldn't be doing that, and if you don't get any recourse, then you go to the deputy sheriff or the sheriffs' office. >> it's a real issue for concern is for animal we have,

why not report those abuses as soon as they're seen? why not carry out an investigation which can last for months, where animals are repeatedly abused. >> we would never ask undercover police officers one or two days after they have begun an investigation. we would allow them the ability to continue their investigation for sometimes weeks or months to gather the evidence. >> jenna way says that when he finally reported the abuse to a supervisor, he was fired. and as an initial blow, he contacted peta. >> these are the facilities where the workforce is largely unskilled, and untrained. can you replace people very quickly. and so it doesn't take anything to decide that somebody is being a troublemaker by reporting something, and to get rid of them and hire somebody

who doesn't complain. >> peta is unapologetic about its agenda. it wants videos like these could bring an end to animals like these being raised for food. the meat industry has different goals. >> the meat industry views them as units of production, as commodities. and groups like the humane society of the united states view animals as living creature, who deserve to be treated with some compassion and decency. >> the animal farm care coalition, with a hotline to report abuse. >> this is something that i think people miss. our goals are aliped. the better i care for an animal, the more healthy they are, the more productive they are. >> but farmers and the groups that watch over them have very

different ideas about how to stamp out animal abuse, and there's no sign they will be seeing eye to eye any time soon. sheila macvicar, aljazeera, iowa. >> when we return, flashpoint ferguson ignites a new conversation, about all of those very well armed police department. and how to keep them from pulling the trigger on excessive force. later in our program, making a place to play. our in-depth series, overcoming disability. the challenges of being a kid on the jungle gym, when it's tough enough to get on it. >> what's frustrating for me right now than it is for him, just watching him watch other kids. quickly get up and move from one thing to the next, but he doesn't have that luxury. and sometimes he's found

looking up and watching his friends runway. >> adam may on kids and play spaces, overcoming disabilities. there's more to financial news than the ups and downs of the dow. for instance, can fracking change what you pay for water each month? have you thought about how climate change can affect your grocery bill? can rare minerals in china affect your cell phone bill? or how a hospital in texas could drive up your healthcare premium? i'll make the connections from the news to your money real.

>> now, a snapshot of stories making headlines on "america tonight." malaysian airline flight 17 which crashed in eastern ukraine, was hit by high energy objects from out of the aircraft. that's the conclusion of the preliminary report from the dutch safety board. and no sign that the crash was caused by technical or human error.

all 298 people onboard were killed. for the third time, trump resorts has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. and the company, which trump founded, is expected to close it's taj mahal casino as early as november 18th. and that would be a heavy blow for atlantic city, which has lost three casinos, and 8300 gaming industry jobs just their year. >> . >> home improvement giant, home depot, confirmed it's data systems were hacked. they won't say how many were affected but it could be the biggest data breach in history. home depot said that it's customers won't be held responsible for fraudulent charges. cameras pulled out of ferguson, missouri, but a month after the death of michael brown, gunned down by a police officer, the crashes that followed his death have not been forgotten. a look at what the community

and national leaders are doing in the aftermath of flashpoint ferguson. >> reporter: ferguson, missouri, the st. louis suburb where protests erupted following the shooting it death of michael brown in august, wants to move forward. although the confrontations with the police have gone away, the work has just begin, and there are plenty of questions to be answered. on capitol hill today, the issue was pentagon hand-me-downs, from radios to armored vehicles. all on law enforcement wish lists around the country, but the force displayed in ferguson has made questions about deplaying weapons of war on streets. claire mccastle described it as a war zone.

>> rand paul. >> the npr investigation of the 1033 program, they list that 12,000 bayonets have been given out. what purpose are bayoneting given out for? >> senator, bayonets are available under the program, and i can't answer what a local bayonet. >> i can give you an answer, none, and really, it has gotten out of control. >> according to a report from the american civil liberties union, the use of military equipment by police forces is a growing trend. the report estimates that in 1990, the department of defense provided $1 million worth of military equipment to local and state police. last year, that amount has risen to more than $450 million. but it's more than just surplus military equipment. there are other federal programs that provide grants to

help departments purchase tactical gear. for instance, homeland security grant money paid for the $360,000 bearcat armored truck in ferguson, and other leaders are looking to address long-standing complaints. the citizen review board, mate up of residents to work with the police. reducing city fines, including the $25 fee for towing abandoned cars. and changing court procedures and fines, such as eliminating the fee for failing to appear in court. councilman, mark burns, said in a statement, the overall goal is to improve trust in the community and increase transparency, particularly within ferguson's court and police department. meanwhile, michael brown's parents are keeping up their campaign for the officer who shot and killed their son to be arrested. a st. louis grand jury is still

reviewing the case for possible criminal charges against officer wilson. sarah hoye, aljazeera. >> one witness who testified at the hearing joins us now. the retired chief of the redlands, california police department. but now he's the president of the police foundation, and in your words, you're trying to help police departments all over the country find better resources, and you understand some of the questions about the resources that came to the federal government that are for military equipment. and your own department used them as well when you were chief? >> we had a uniquely configured police department, and senior services were part of the police department. and most of the equipment we got was office equipment that we used in our policing stations, pickup trucks, flatbed trucks, and utility vans and things tha like that, d we also acquired military

rifles that we used for our swat team. >> and those are today? >> the inquiry today was about the government's role in funding equipment, or surplus military equipment. and it was not so much about what any previous department did, but what we know from a research perspective about this issue of militarizing civilian police departments, and whether the federal government's use of their funding programs, or the transfer of surplus military equipment helps or hurts the police in terms of what they're doing or trying to do to avoid the mill tarpize. i think it's entirely contextual, so the use of military equipment is appropriate or inappropriate. >> assault rifles? >> it depends entirely on the context. so in other words, if the

police had to confront heavily armed bank robberies that were armed with automatic weapons or assault rifles, it might be very appropriate for them to use an armored vehicle and a swat team to try to apprehend them. it would be very inappropriate to use the same kinds of tactics or resources, an armored vehicle, to interact with peaceful protesters who are simply trying to express their first amendment rights. >> thank you very much for being here. >> 20 years after he authored historical legislation about domestic violence and sexual assault, vice president joe biden says that the nation is not even close to being done. vice president made the remark to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the violence against women act, to create more protection for victims, and stronger fennelties for perpetrators. he called domestic violence the

ugliest form of violence that exists and he said we're not going to succeed until america embraces the notion that under no circumstance shouldiman raise a hand to a woman other than self defense. >> ray rice was cut from his team and suspended indefinitely by the nfl for assaulting his then fiance. after the suspension, the spotlight has fallen on the victim, who many are asking how she could go on to manner the man who hit her. the massive online reaction. >> the graphic video leaked monday of baltimore ravens running back ray race, brutally assaulting his then fiance in an elevator this year, was announced to the nfl to suspend him indefinitely. and the woman had in the footage, now his wife, jen a

rice, defined him on instagram. and many were quick to defend her. why would she stay with ray rice after he punched her and knocked her out? come on, girl, have self-respect.

stop there. 20,000 others used the hashtag, why i left, to show what it finally took to walk away. >> because i wasn't going to let my daughter see her mother that way and grow up thinking that's okay. >> my sons were watching and i didn't want them to think it was okay to treat their future mates the way their dad treated their mom. someone finally asked what they could do to get out instead of judging me.

>> but what happens after women walk away? it offers 10,000 swears. >> i left and took my kids to a hotel. >> i never realized how long the effects would stay with me. >> for many, this mass online out pouring is a way to understand something long cloaked in silence. >> america tonight, digital producer, joins us again, and what are the issues over this particular incident, it had to

do with the video at the center of the controversy, and our viewers will notice that we're not showing that video again, and this is the bigger point, why not to focus too much on that. >> online, we see a fierce debate on whether or not it's ethical to play this video, and you have people saying that it is a rare portrait of the reality of domestic violence that most people never see, and without this video being made public, rice never would have been punished. and you have others on the other hand, saying that it's horrifying and glorifies violence, that the woman should have the right to not have her abusing circulated to the world endlessly, that it's violence porn. and jen a articulated this, that she didn't want this hurt to be circulated by the media. >> when we return, our series,

overcoming disability. when the jungle gym is a tie big of a challenge to climb. >> a lot of great kids out there, who happen to have heavy disability, deserve to have access to the same playgrounds, and the same schools, and opportunities that able-bodied kids have. >> father, adam may, and the kids deserve a better place to play. we'll get overcoming disability after the break. >> 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

>> 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 >> it has been called the disabled community's declaration of independence, the american disabilities act, which turns 25 next year. and it's meant to empower them this all aspects of life.

but now there's a growing call for strength and protection and increase access. "america tonight's" adam may, on the next generation. should children living with disabilities, and the place that's close to their hearts, where the fight for inclusion continues, on the play grounds. >> lucas dean loves the playground. but the playground isn't always his best friend. the four-year-old minnesota boy with spina bifida, doesn't have use of his legs, and a typical playground like this one can be filled with obstacles. >> i just can't walk. >> areas where his wheelchair won't work, and play structures he can't use. woodchips that cut into his hands and legs. >> you got it? >> yeah. >> it's frustrating for me, and it's probably more frustrating

for me right now than for him, just watching him watch other kids. quickly get up and move from one thing to the next. but he doesn't have that luxury. and sometimes, he's found looking up and watching his friends kind of run away, and he'll kind of lose his temper a little bit. he'll be shouting after his friend. >> what may surprise you, this playground in minneapolis new and meets the standards of the americans with disability act, ada. author children like lucas can't easily wheel up to the structure. children with other disabilities, like vision, don't have many option. >> what do you think about the americans with disabilities act? >> it's a great thing, i'm happy that it exists, and as a result of it, we have seen a

lot of growth in it for the last 25 years, but we still have a long way to go. >> you come with me. >> a lot of great kids out there, who happen to have some disability, deserve to have access to the same playgrounds, and the same schools, and the same opportunities that able boded kids have. >> one of the most important, i think developmental pieces for kids with disabilities to have access to children who aren't developing typically. >> brian avery, from the university of minnesota, studies what happens when children with disabilities can't play with other kids. >> it points out that they're different, they can't access the playground, and they're not exposed to role models who would help them develop their skills, their emotional skills. >> avery said that's critical to early childhood develop:

develop. the, and not only children with special needs. >> children get even more of those types of experiences than children with them. i think they develop an ability to empathize with people who are different than themselves. they develop an ability to work with individuals who are differently abled. if that person at able 40 is making hiring decisions, they are going to look at somebody's capacities rather than than if they have a disability or not, so i think that it sets the stage for development for children with or without disabilities to make it a more inclusive world. >> 1200 miles away from minneapolis sits a playground that's a world apart. it's named after brooklyn fisher, a young girl with spina bifida, who lives in pocatello, idaho. brooklyn's playground was recently named one of the most inclusive in the world.

>> the first thing we knew we had to have was the surfacing, there could not be any rocks or bark, there had to be solid surface for kids in wheelchairs or walkers. >> brooklyn's mom oversaw the design, play areas for children with different physical and mental abilities. >> what's it like to see brooklyn playing on a playground with children of all abilities? >> well, the first time i got emotional was when her school took a field trip here, and i saw her with her best friends play like every other child. and she wasn't on a different level, and they all enjoyed the place together. and they did it for hours. >> what makes this playground even more special, how it was built. it wasn't cheap, and pocatello isn't a wealthy area. >> how much money did you raise

to build that playground. >> $575,000. >> did you get any state tax dollars? any federal tax dollars? >> no. we got some grants from different foundations, and the rest of it was grassroot fundraisers. lemonade stands,. >> thousands of families in folktello donated money, and then volunteered to help build it. there's nothing like this playground for hundreds of miles. so disabled children from across the rocky mountain region traveled here for the simple experience of playing like a kid. >> okay, so i'm going to put this in the tortilla and you sprinkle the cheese. >> lessons learned on the playground have trickled into the fisher home. >> one of the times we were there, she wanted to be the one in charge. i'm the babysitter and take control of the situation, and

it was great to see her not being depend ent on us. >> was she like mom, leave me alone? >> yeah, i'll come get when you i'm done. >> brooklyn is starting the third grade, and her school's playground is like this, so she'll be segregated from her classmates during reese. the american disabilities act only requires accessible playgrounds for new and those at a certain size. >> i think that it needs to be rewritten, it doesn't need to be on such a large-scale as what we have done, but there need to be certain components in every playground. >> it's still a rarity, and for the 70 million children with disabilities, far from reality. according to advocates, most

inclusive playgrounds are raised with private funds, by families with disabled children. >> i would argue that parents do have the right to expect access to municipal play grounds, they pay taxes. >> marilyn golden is a disabilities right advocate in california. and she played a role in the disabilities act. >> one time after another was being dealt with, while recreation was left behind to be dealt with last. because people said its more important to get to school or to work than to the playground or you can participate in a sport, and it may be true if you really had to pick, but let's hope that we don't. because recreation is a very important sphere in american life. >> she said that the ada had a strike of balance between the rights of disabled people and the organizations that had to comply with it. >>

we wish the threshold for play was lower. and the impact that it has on a young person growing up, to have a sector in life in your society cut off to you, and it sends a message that you're not a welcome member of society. >> what do you want? >> i want lucas to be happy. and he is. and i want him to be able to do what he wants to do, when he wants to do it. it's pretty simple. >> yeah. i think it is. >> building a playground won't be simple, and it could take years. time lost for lucas. adam may, aljazeera, minneapolis, minnesota. >> we'll continue on our program, we'll continue our series, overcoming disability. autism. one in eight children has been diagnosed with autism.

but a bigger challenge looms. as the kids go into adulthood, they will need support services to help them live independent lives. on america tonight, an inspiring story of one man and his mother who are now learning to let go. >> the number-one question is, what will happen to my children, or my child after my husband and i die? and along comes, with that, adult? >> autism and independence, and a mother helps other parents to let go as well. that's tomorrow on america tonight. >> . >> and ahead, where issues and images come together. how american diplomats are using art to strike relationships around the world. >> a firsthand look at the ongoing battle against the isis threat. >> bombs are cracking off in the distance... >> this is a booby trap

in the islamic state >> ...a sniper around the corner here... >> from the front lines, josh rushing reports, on al jazeera america vé

>> and finally from us this

hour, a reminder that a picture can be worth 1,000 words, and maybe more. in a place where talk is at the heart of all action, aljazeera's jordan found images breaking down barriers of diplomacy. >> this painting by the artist, job baldasari with the debate, this is diplomacy, the swimmers and lines and pigment of the imagination. with 1256, five pointed stars is permanently on view at the u.s. embassy in berlin, thanks to an effort called the foundation for art and preservation in embassies are fake. scotty greenwood sits on the board. >> art has very if you cultural barriers, and it's a way to center a conversation with somebody when you can't speak their language. >> for 30 years, faith has

asked artists to create original works for consulates in 140 countries. it includes roy liechtenstein, and all of the work is paid for by private donations, key in a time of fiscal restraint. >> we now have a foundation. >> the artist in a sculpture garden at the u.s. embassy in athens, and he was challenged to focus on more than beauty. >> once you enter the public rem realm, you have a different response. >> he was asked to honor the former secretary of state, colin powell. it illustrates powell's ties to jamaica. >> and it is the nighttime sky on the night that he was born in the bronx. but it's the nighttime sky over

jamaica, on april 5th , 1937. >> these artists give their works to us, so we're not commissioning, or buying their work. they're giving of their time and giving their inspiration and talents. >> nearly 30 years standing between countries, the good will of artists and people who love them. aljazeera, washington. >> great in bringing people together. that is it for us on america tonight. if you would like to comment on any stories that you've seen on our program, log onto the website, aljazeera.com/americatonight. and join in the conversation with us on twitter. good night, and we'll have more "america tonight" tomorrow. >> 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 to unveil his strategy to fight the islamic state group tomorrow night on national television, the focus is on countries in the middle east that critics argue sometimes help and sometimes hurt. i am taking a look at one of those countries. also, one of the few bank regulators to get it right during the recession tells me how getting rid of corporate taxes in america would make us all richer. why apple's new watch is like wearing your wallet on your wrist. i am ali velshi. this is "real