>> we can save species. >> tech know's team of experts show you how the miracles of science. >> this is my selfie, what can you tell me about my future? >> can affect and surprise us. >> don't try this at home. >> tech know, where technology meets humanity. saturday at 7:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> you couldn't even compare this with ferguson or the garner day case in new york. >> we'll talk with the mayor of berkeley cho says that the two isn'ts do not compare. a warplane goes down in syria. the pilot is now being held hostage. >> you want to go dill ki kill

kim jong-un? >> totally. >> and people who are afraid fracking is making kids sick. >> this is al jazeera america, live from new york city. i'm tony harris. we begin in missouri. there is new found anger today after another african-american teenager was shot and killed by a white police officer. it happens late last night at a gas station inber in berkeley. it was 14 miles away from where michael brown was shot and killed in ferguson. >> berkeley's mayor said there is a difference between what happened on tuesday and what happened in nearby ferguson last

august. >> what i saw in this incident is not what people portray. this is not a policeman in the city of berkeley as we say, black lives matter. this was not the case. you couldn't even compare this with ferguson or the garner case in new york. >> he was addressing the death of antonio martin, an african-american man fatal lay shot by a white police officer. >> i understand. you sound very intelligence, and let me say this, truly you don't believe that every person or every black that's killed is because of a white policeman? do you believe that? every time?

>> reporter: police released surveillance video from outside of the store. video shows martin and another teen walking away from the store and towards where the officer stopped them. in the left hand corner of the video you can see the officer talking with the two young men. then shots are fired, and one teen runs away. from a different angle we see the shooting and then the officer falling back. the officer eventually moves away from the area. the police recover this .9mm begun from the scene. >> there is not a lot of time, and i think the officer was fine with what he thought was commiserate force at the time. >> reporter: the mother of the victim said he was told something different by her son's girlfriend. >> they were walking somewhere.

he started to run and the police started shooting. >> reporter: hundreds gathered after martin was shot and killed. tensions rose. and then the situation turned violent. police say two officers were hurt and four people were arrested and charged with assault. >> once again the police say the other teenager, and you saw it in the video, ran away. the officers are still searching for him. the police say the officer officer shoveled in the shoot something now o administrative leave while investigation is underway. i asked if there were differences between the shootings in the two cities. >> this is another tragic situation. this appears to be different than the situation involving michael brown. >> you're saying different, and the mayor is saying different. different how?

>> it's different just because of the way that the police interact with citizens in berkeley. it's different because we have footage, and it gives you more of an understanding, it's different in a number of ways, even in the make up of the mayor and the city council, who are predominantly african-american. those individuals are likely more sympathetic to minority issues and fears in this ways. >> you are not saying it, and i'm not sure that the mayor said it this way, but is it different because it appears clear or fairly clear, the picture may be fuzzy, but that a crime had been committed. there was report of a crime being committed, and that there is some evidence of an arm being raised, and suggestion that a gun had been recovered? >> it appears that way. i know we don't have all the evidence and all the facts in yet, so i don't want to pass judgment, but it appears.

but outside of that we know it's a different situation in berkeley because we don't typically have the same amount of issues that ferguson has in dealing with the residents. >> tell me why you're telling me that. what is the different between the make up of berkeley and the ferguson. >> the mayor and city council are virtually all african-american. and they've been there, you know, since ferguson, and they definitely understand what issues transpired because of t and they are definitely trying to move in a different dykes insuring the actual investigation is swift and thorough, and just sympathetic to the issues of the community with regard to interactions with the police. >> well, that's my next question. is there a better relationship, a more trust-based relationship between the citizenry of berkeley and the police department that serves it? >> it depends. i haven't heard of as many accusations or issues with the police. anybody that has a run in with

the police has an issue, but in terms of ferguson, that's a place where people tend to avoid--berkeley is not necessarily the same way. that in itself shows there is a difference many people ar. >> many people are using social media to share anger. >> many people are saying they're clearly saw anything had to watch something else.

>> ines, thank you. coming up at 6:30 we'll talk live with the mayor of berkeley, thee tor theodore hoskins. ferguson spent $12 million on security. the state budget director said that the costs were split between the state national guard and the state highway patrol. a pilot has been taken hostage by isil. one of the fighter jets went down in the area controlled by isil. it was not shot down. there is social media with rebels posting photos with the plane. jordanian government officials say they will take every step

they can to secure their pilot's release, but will keep up the fight against isil. he said right from the beginning this is going to be a continuous and long war, and we think that we have a duty to defend our country and our region from this wave of terrorism. >> state department officials say that the u.s. is working closely with the jordanian government and the u.n. is calling on isil to observe international humanitarian law in its treatment of the kidnapped pilot. for the second time in less than a week israeli forces have launched airstrikes in gaza. it said it was retaliated after soldiers came under sniper fighter. a member of the israeli military wing was killed in the strike. shot in the strike. >> in this hospital two men who were injured in an incident

involving the israeli security forces and a palestinian armed faction known as the custom brigades were involved in an altercation. we understand that one senior member of this palestinian armed faction was killed after israeli forces fired guns and tank shells in their direction. we also understand that an israeli soldier was taken to hospital after suffering a gunshot wound to his chest in what has been described as a sniper attack. whatever the case there are many concerns here that they're seeing an up tick in violence. this is the second major incident between israeli morses and armed factions. the concern here is that we'll return to the violence we saw over the months of july and august in which two thousand palestinians were killed.

>> a new international treaty to retric restrict the flow of guns and other weapons, but the united states has not ratified the deal yet. five of the world's top ten arms exporters, frabs, germany, italy, spain and u.k. have ratified the treaty. the united states and israel have signed but not ratified it, and major weapons producers like russia, china, india, and pakistan have not even signed on. kamala hyder reports where gun sales are thriving. >> not long ago tribals were walking around with assault rifles and automatic weapons, but after an offensive in the tribal areas there is restriction of movement with lobe tribesmen with weapons. however, the trade of weapons still flourishes. it is mainly meant for the local

market. if you look around you'll see rifles used by british soldiers in the first world war. it was a hot favorite for the tribals because of the fact that this could shoot a target at a very long range. after that when the russians invaded afghanistan in 1979, we suddenly saw the ak-47 coming in to the market for the first time. the deadly weapon wreaked havoc, and the police forces had to change their own weapons in order to compete with the criminals who were then carrying weapons such as these. over the years the influx of nato forces and also meant that you can find weapons such as the m-16, and for the right money you can buy rocket launchers, although they would not be for display in the markets. importantly pakistan's military is conducting a major operation, and therefore most of the tribal

area i is cheerled but right now we're here on the hospitality of the tribes. >> at cdc headquarters, they say a live ebola sample was accidently transferred from a secure lab to another building on the atlantic campus. so far they're monitoring just one lab technician. several other people in the lab will be tested. former president george w.h. bush could spend christmas in the hospital. he was complaining of short of breath, the 90-year-old is still doing great but will remain in the hospital for observation. two years ago mr. bush spent two months in the hospital because of bronchitis and an infection.

you can see the movie i interview"the interview" online today. it will release the film to 300 independent theaters on christmas day despite threats of attack. roxana saberi joins us with the latest. >> reporter: tony, "the interview" has been available online for the past five hours. it costs $6 to rent and $15 to buy. sony is referring to the move as a fight against cyber criminals, but its bracing for more trouble after the release. [music] >> you wanting to kill kim jong-un? >> totally. >> the bizarre circumstances surrounding the release "the interview" is forced sony to make an unusual move. they're releasing it online before it's shown in theaters it

can be rented for $6. sony said: >> google announced that sony made contact a week ago asking to make "the interview" available online. in a statement google said it was eager to help though the security implications were very much at the front of our minds. after discussing all the issues sony and google agreed we could not sit on the sidelines and allow a handful of people to determine the limits of free speech in another country however silly the content might be. the move marks sony's change of mind. it said it would cancel christmas release. that decision brought broad criticism. on tuesday the studio backtracked announcing it would release the movie in 300

independent theaters like texas based animal draft house. >> i think we should see the movie because we should not back down to terrorist threats. >> ticket screenings have been selling fast, but how much of sony's $44 million investment can be recouped for a few hundred screens and online rental it's remains to be seen. >> a spokesman said law enforcement just said they don't foresee any attacks on christmas day but theaters will have extra security. >> roxana saberi with us. the four deaths reported after tornadoes blew through mississippi, 50 people were injured and homes and businesses were heavily damaged. cars were tossed, flipped, and power lines fell on to roo route 98. kevin is with us now, kevin, the

tornado threat, has that passed? >> meteorologist: it has, but we're dealing with severe weather for certain parts of the country, for florida and ohio, believe it or not. the thunderstorm activity pushing through florida, but we're watching this one in ohio. we'll get to that in just a moment. this is what we're dealing with. we've been dealing with all night long. not only tornado threat, but wind, hail and flooding going on in the area. you see the thunderstorms coming through. and orlando, you'll be seeing those thunderstorms in the next hour and a half. in ohio we're watching warnings in effect. a thin powerful band pushing through. that will be a factor for pittsburgh in two hours time. as you can see for the rest of the northeast we're dealing with heavy rain across the region. flood warnings and watches are in effect. you can see right here for most of new england. and in terms of delays this evening while newark had

significant delays those have dropped. it's in philadelphia now over hour nap on arrival delays coming in to the area. if you're waiting for people at the airport, that's going to be a problem. we're looking at wind and hail over the next couple of hours. . >> folks may be wishing for a white christmas over the northeast. >> meteorologist: no, it's going to be wet. >> fewer and fewer christians have been living in bethlehem due to entries restrictions. and people around the world visiting buenos aires for its historical value, but now realtors want to get rid of the old and build something new. ♪

make the best entertainment part of your holidays. catch all the hottest handpicked titles on the winter watchlist, only with xfinity from comcast.

>> christmas celebrations are under way around the world including at the vatican this evening pope francis led mass before a crowd of 3,000 people in st. peter's' basilica. the pope will deliver his address tomorrow at 6:30 eastern time. midnight mass got under way at the nativity an hour and a half ago. the recent troubles in the west bank have made for a rather subdued and less festive holiday this year. >> christmas has always been a favorite holiday but in recent years celebrations have been quieter than usual. apart from his daughter, all of his children and grandchildren now live abroad. >> my son lives in the united states. my son lives in canada.

my daughter lives in dubai. >> he tells me that after decades of israeli occupation, increasing restrictions on palestinian movement and construction of the separation wall not only have his children moved away, but many palestinian christians have, too. >> people are leaving, and you can't stop it. so we are trying to tell the world over especially to christian churches you need to support christians in the holy land. you need to provide for them. you need to give them the possibility of living. >> before the creation of israel in 1948 christians made up nearly 20% of the arab population in historic palestine. today with ongoing immigration, they make up just 2% of palestinians living in occupied territories. every year thousands of christians come here to bethlehem to celebrate the birth

of christ. but with increasing numbers of palestinian christians moving abroad, that has many religious leaders concerned. the senior official at the church of the nativity. he tells me if this situation does not change the birthplace of christ will eventually lose it's palestinian congregation. >> it is the responsibility of the church to keep the christians of the church living in holy land. without the presence of the local community the church has no meaning. the local community gives it meaning. without them all of this stones. >> reporter: christmas festiv festivities in bethlehem will be subdued after the 50-day war on gaza that claimed more than 2,000 lives, continuing unrest, and recent death of a

palestinian prime minister when confronting israeli soldiers. >> the old world charm of the buenos aires' ancient architecture could son disappear. it's often referred to as the paris of the americas. with its architecture it's menuments and well preferred cafes, buenos aires is regarded as a jewel. yet it's facing competition from the 21st century. activists from an ngo called "no more demolitions" give petitions

to city council. for example, the city's oldest neighborhood. >> in this city thanks to our legal action the courts ordered the city to restore the original cobble stones. >> the organization also ordered the city to top work on a metro station in the french plaza that would have facilitated access to a nearby shopping mall. >> now the city government is suing us for damages for the 24 million pesos it stopped them to stop construction for ten months. >> it's a battle between conservationists and those who believe buenos aires needs to be a more modern and efficient city. these late 19th century lifts represent the dilemma between the old and new. they cost more to fix and

they're a lot slower, but there is no question that they have more charm. and that they can get you where you're going. >> but it's a fine balancing act, says the city's top architect. >> the preservation of the old must be selective. it is not worthwhile simply because it's old. it is value because of its quality. >> for example, the recently renovated late 19th century commercial gallery looks like the finest in milan and naples. every piece of marble, even the dome was shipped from italy. nonetheless, even the staunchest conservationist would agree that the city's identity is it's present as well as it's history. but the key is to insure that the past is not smothered in the race to the future. al jazeera, buenos aires. >> and early christmas gift

today for western kentucky university. it's first ever bowl victory on the wildest play you'll probably ever see. central michigan on its 25-yard line trailing kentucky by six. in the popeye's bowl a hail mary pass was complete, but it was still 30 yards short. you can see a couple of laterals. we'll take care of that. they score the touchdown here to make it 49-48. central michigan then went for the win instead of the tie. but the two-point conversion failed. and there that hail mary portion of it begin. i want to watch the whole thing, but i'm getting we got to go. straight ahead on al jazeera america, another black teenager shot and killed by a white police officer. but the mayor of berkeley, missouri, said you cannot compare this incident to the shooting of michael brown. we'll speak with the mayor next.

and parents in california blame fracking for their children getting sick.

>> the mayor of berkeley, missouri, is trying to calm tensions in the city after an african-american teen was killed by a white police officer at a gas station. he's urging people not to jump to conclusions. >> jumping to conclusions before investigating is not acceptable, and i have some fine officers, in our police department that i can assure you in their investigation will be thorough and to the point. >> antonio martin pointed a gun at an officer after he was

stopped for questioning after the theft of a convenience store. two officers were hurt and four people were arrested. joining me now on the phone from berkeley, missouri, is mayor theodore hoskins. thank you for your time and for talking with us. the police chief says that the video evidence will show that the teenager had drawn a gun on officers before he was shot. you've had an opportunity to take a look at the video. what did you see? >> i concur. the video clearly states and reveals that the suspect died by the officer. >> you also said that this is not a policeman half cocked. you can't compare this with ferguson or the garner case. >> that's correct. >> what is it?

what is this case? >> this case is a case that policemen kill an african-american, and basically we need to determine the facts. and i believe that the fact after a complete review will n not--the policeman was in error. >> in determining what this is, i'm trying to get from you is this a situation where a white police officer was responding to a robbery at this convenience store, and confronted an african-american male, who was a possible suspect here, and that suspect pulled a gun on the officer, is that what this is? >> to the point other than it was a shoplifting, the suspect was shoplifting the store owner called the police, and the

officer, when he arrived, confronted the two--a gun wag pulled. >> mr. mayor , i heard from one person today who is a member of the activists who responded to not only this episode but the michael brown and eric garner case, that you were being too quick to judge an outcome here, and you were being too quick to in your own mind and share with me what happened here. >> i disagree. i've had an opportunity to look at the video. the video very clearly indicates that the suspect pulled the gun on the officer.

and the officer only responded after the suspect pulled a gun. so i don't know who is telling you in reference to, i've jumped to conclusion. it's very difficult to jump to conclusion after you review the evidence of the video. >> how do you respond to those who say what happened in berkeley is clearly the latest example of deadly aggression by trigger-happy cops? >> well, i disagree with that. if you look at the video it indicated that the black teenager initiated these efforts. i do not agree with every incident, when it comes to police and african-americans, is always initiated by the police. therefore, although the ferguson, i macon occur with them, and the garner in

new york, i might concur with them, but in this case after you view the evidence, you conclude that the suspect pulled--the police responded appropriately. >> i'm reading that your city will conduct a parallel investigation with the st. louis county police department. what does that mean, a parallel investigation? will your investigation be independent? >> correct. >> will you interview the same witnesses and in some cases different witnesses? what does a parallel investigation mean? >> parallel means that we will be independent and separately when all the evidence comes to a conclusion. so the city of berkeley we'll interview not necessarily the same witnesses, we'll look at all the evidence and come to our independent conclusions, and then we'll compare that with

st. louis county. >> some will suggest that we're in the same county, same st. louis county, the same county prosecutor will have a look at this case as well, and it's pretty predictable what the outcome on this will be. it will be another whitewash. tell me why that won't be the case this time around. >> we'll be independent i, and our investigation will stick to the facts. if the facts reveal that the police was justified, that's the conclusion. if the facts conclude that the person who was killed on the video was justified, then the facts will come there independent from whatever st. st. louis count and what bob mccullough comes up with. >> tell us about the dynamics of your police department, what percentage of your city is african-american opposed to white, what kind of diversity do you have in your police

department, and your elected officials. >> we have a seven-member council in the city of berkeley. all elected officials in the city of berkeley are black. we have a command staff of four. one chief, one lieutenant, and two captains, three of the four are black. our officers over all, we have 60 are non-white. >> does that give you more confidence in the outcome of any investigation because there is more diversity within the city that the official life of the city? >> it's not necessarily more confidence. it indicates because you're exposed to diversity, the judge made a better decision because you're interacting, you understand each ethnic group of behavior.

because of the diversity in our community, that makes it easier for you to get along and understand and some of the incidents that occur in other cities that do not have the diversity, that it might progress. >> how would you describe the relationship in between the police and members of your african-american community? >> i think its excellent. it's excellent. here we have additional efforts to bring our police closer to the residents. >> has there been another recent episode of this kind where a white officer has killed an african-american male? can you recall the last time you've had that set of circumstances? >> 20 years ago. probably 20 years ago that

occurred. over than thaother than that, this doesn't occur in this community. >> how do you describe the violence last night. >> you will have violence everywhere you go. this was an isolated incident, the victim happened to have a-- >> is there anything more you can tell us about the young man, antonio martin? can you tell us anything more about the weapon that was found at the scene? >> well, i don't know, i really don't know. anything about it. >> mayor hoskins, i appreciate your time. thank you for talking to us. >> thank you. >> in other news now, executions of death row inmates in oklahoma are said to resume next month. after a judge ruled that the use

of certain legal injection drugs is constitutional. 21 death row inmates sued the state after a botched execution last april. clayton locket died after receiving an experimental cocktail. his execution took nearly an hour. early yes today i spoke with an attorney representing one of the inmates who sued the state of oklahoma. he has described his next move that the judge has ruled in favor of the state. >> we have filed an appeal with the tenth circuit court of appeals, and we have a brief due on december 31st. >> can you give me at least in broad strokes, i know you're still working on it, and maybe you're working through the legal arguments that might be applicable here, but can you give me at least a framework of what you're thinking as to the claims you'll make in that appeal, what you'll be arguing? >> well, the main issue in the case is the use of the drug

midazolam. it is not an anesthetic, and it is not a pain reliever. what happened in the clayton locket case, we saw how midazolam really works because of the mal-administration of the drug because the medical team was not able to access the vein. >> you have to remind us why we're here. you mentioned one case, but i know the case that many will recall, and you were involved in that as well. the joe wood case in july. remind our viewers how horrendous a process that was in putting him to death in arizona.

that took two hours? >> well, the state of arizona used a two-drug formula of midazolam to carry out the execution. 12 minutes into the process mr. wood began to breathe. he was gasping and gulping, and that lasted for an hour and 40 minutes. it took almost two hours for mr. wood to die. >> sounds to me there is some experimentation going on here. >> well, that's exactly what's going on. the states are experimenting with different combination of drugs to carry out the lethal injections. historically the drugs sodium

pthiopental was used to achieve the result. >> would you like to see a different set of drugs used or look, the country is not going to move away, or at least it doesn't appear to be moving away from this idea of capital punishment, what is your position here as you represent your clients? >> we believe we have put forward evidence to show that the current protocol in oklahoma is unconstitutional, and it's not up to us to come up with the fix. >> right. >> it's up to the states. if the states want to have the death penalty, then they have to carry it out in a manner that come ports wit comports with

the eighth amendment. >> there is the potential, if there are a few more botched executions, the court may say we need a moratorium on th the executions until the drugs are sorted out. >> we have the botched execution in january 2014. we have clayton locket in april, and joe wood in july. there have been reports that prisoners in florida have moved during their execution when midazolam is used. i think it will be up to the legislature and the people to decide whether we should keep the death penalty on the books.

>> he also told us that he believes there should be stay of executions until a correct drug protocol is created. california is home to one of the largest shale oil deposits in the country, which means that oil companies are eagle for extract gas through using the controversial method of fracking. but opponents have expressed concern about fracking especially for children. >> reporter: in a small farming town of shaster, california, there has been concerns of fracking. fracking. fracking is a controversial oil and gas extraction method where water it pumped into the ground to break apart rock to allow oil

and gas to escape. a long-term resident believes it's making his 13-year-old daughter sick. three wells less than a half mile from joanna's old elementary school from fracked at some point in the last three years. in august she started suffering from seizures. >> when i went to school, i went outside, it was really hot, and the men were working there, my head started to hurt a lot. >> reporter: joanna now takes a half dozen pills a day. she no longer plays softball or hangs out with friends. >> i want to see my daughter laughing, jumping and running again. i love my daughter. i'm very mad because of the government here. >> a new report finds 350,000 children in the state attend

schools within one mile of oil or gas wells. and school districts with large hispanic populations are more likely to be close to oil production including fracking. in shafter, 82% are hispanic. >> in these communities that are predominantly hispanic and predominantly non-white. >> just beyond the playground three oil wells has been fracked. this has a fence around it, but residents say that the fence will not protect them and their children from toxic chemicals that are released during the fracking process. while other states have set back limits on how close an oil well can be to a school, california does not. the state's regulatory agency in charge of the oil and gas industry says it does not have oversight over the location of wells. >> that's just a really easy way for the state to turn a blind

eye and say we don't have responsibility. >> that's absolutely not what is happening. we're regulating the operations themselves. but where they're placed that's all determined locally. >> if doggr was inclined to set rules or regulate-- >> i don't know that doggr has the authority of set backules. >> you're allowing them to come in to any community they want. >> what is the evidence that fracking makes people sick. >> the evidence that we have that make fracking makes people sick is the same evidence that we don't have that fracking makes people sick. >> joanna can't say for sure what caused her seizures, but

what they do know that the small town they call home is not just for farming any more. al jazeera, california. >> coming up on al jazeera america, rebounding from the tsunami that hit thailand ten years ago. how tourism is once again a booming industry. primetime news. >> welcome to al jazeera america. >> stories that impact the world, affect the nation and touch your life. >> i'm back. i'm not going anywhere this time. >> only on al jazeera america.

>> friday will mark the tenth anniversary of a tsunami that hit thailand killing more than 230,000 people. locals thought tourism industry would die. but tourists are back and business is booming. >> ten years since they first met, these are friends for life. karen mcfarland is a retired police officer from london. the asian tsunami brought them together, and the tenth anniversary is a chance for them to realize how far they've come. >> we walked out and i saw so many dead people, horrible

deaths everywhere. i was very traumatized. one whole month after the tsunami i could not close my eyes because i only saw dead people. >> snapshots show the devastation of the sum. itsunami. it was by far the worst-effected place. >> it impacted the entire world. it was not just local people here that were affected, it was international. there were people in this area from every part of the world. so it needed to be an international effort. >> what pepper most afraid of back then if there were normal tourists here what would we do. >> well, the tourists are back. when you talk about the role of tourism in the recovery of the disaster, it it's not just about dollars and cents, but the links between people who inspire them

to help and support each other to win a hard-fought recovery. right after the tsunami there was literally nothing but a few trees left standing. ten new hotels opened this year alone. >> the tsunami damaged us badly, but there were also some benefits. we've made so many good friends for life. the tsunami only happened once. we can fix the house. we can fix our mind. so we're not stuck in the past and we keep on living. >> i think the fact that now here we are ten years later people have traveled from all over the world to be here, to get together again. and it's just beautiful. >> undaunted and united they've rebuilt better than before. >> happy endings ar to a

horrible story. >> yes. >> coming up on al jazeera america. >> i thought it was really neat that you could respond to these letters and help little kids. >> a 102-year-old tradition to lend a hand to those who need it most this holiday season.

>> sunday night. >> 140 world leaders will take the podium. >> get the full story. >> there is real disunity in the security council. >> about issues that impact your world. >> infectious diseases are a major threat to health. >> "the week ahead". sunday 8:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> santa gets the credit, but let's be honest, the post office does a lot of work, right? the u.s. postal service delivered 28.2 million packages on monday, breaking the sing-day record set the day earlier. but now getting the goods from point a to point b is just one of the many good deeds. >> christmas in manhattan, and only a few blocks from the elaborately decorated store windows, a quiet christmas tradition takes place behind these majestic doors. new york central post office, zip code 10001 is also home to

operation santa. now in its 102 year nationwide with 20 city currently participating. volunteers sort through thousands of letters to santa. addresses are blacked out. each letter is assigned a number, and the letters are available to everyone wanting to read them. >> i'm a huge fan of christmas, and i thought it was really meet that you could respond to these letters and help little kids. >> many come back year after year. >> sometimes you'll hear about a parent who died or someone just lost their job right before christmas, and they can't provide for their kids. it's really hard. i never had to deal with that when i was a kid. i always had a great christmas, so you want to do what you can to help these kids have a great christmas. >> they received 300 to 500,000 letters a year.

but only 10% of those letters get answered. >> pete has worked at the post office for over 40 years, and has been chief elf of operations since 1995. while there are many requests for x-boxes and laptops, many are simply asking for food, warm blankets or winter clothes. >> a child will write, mom does not have a winter coat, not asking for anything for themselves. >> he said he has seen the number of needy grow in recent years. >> there is no doubt that the need has tremendouscally gone up, and it goes with the economy. you know, you can pretty much see it from the tone of the letters how the state of the economy is. >> figures indicate one in five american children currently live in poverty. in some cities that rate is over 30%. >> still--bly higher than before the recession started.

that's true of urban child poverty and national child poverty. >> the sting of going without can be particularly painful during the holidays. >> we have the peer pressure and consumer culture, and it's--it is what it is. it is the source of disappointment for poor children. >> despite the dire reality for many, the luster of christmas magic has not worn off. >> do you still believe in santa? >> yes, i do. there is definitely a magic at work with santa claus. there is a force. >> merry christmas, everyone. tony harris in new york city. if you would like the latest on any of the news we covered in this news hour, we invite to you head over to our website. as we leave you we want to leave you in christmas day. what happened to our pictures? an earlier today, christmas eve

mass at the vatican. the pope led mass for 3,000 people in st. peter's basilica. merry christmas. >> one of the world's largest single unit housing developments. >> the iconic american dream, you work hard. load up the kids in the car, and you're on the road to ease street. >> others take their travel in lots. >> today the dream is alive, but it's an uphill struggle. >> it's hard to survive. >> we need to strengthen the middle class for the 21st century. >> i can't figure out why it's not working. >> the democrats are hanging the middless