hi everyone this is al jazeera america, i'm john siegenthaler. u.s. israeli relations, netenyahu's controversial speech to congress and the growing rift over iran's nuclear program. use of force, questions after a homeless man is killed by los angeles police. we'll take a look at though hidden faces of the city's skid row. campus controversy, a south carolina college ignites a fire storm. race in america, we'll talk

to self made millionaire about what it means to be black and part of the 1%. and the out of this world photos from right here on earth. ♪ president obama has israeli prime minister benjamin netenyahu are allies but apparently not friends, and their private differences are playing out in public prime minister netenyahu is expected to speak to congress tomorrow morning, and he bypassed the white house. mike viqueira is at the white with more. mike? >> reporter: benjamin netenyahu is here for one purpose and one purpose only. he is trying to rerail the deal between what he sees as the

relationship between the itself and iran. the president in an interview late today said the damage between the two is probably not permanent. and both sides are emphasizing the strength of the relationship. a lot of prepositioning and posturing going on before the big speech before a joint meeting of congress tomorrow. but make no mistake, there is a difference of opinion over some basic facts here chiefly whether it is proper for benjamin netenyahu to come to the united states without knowledge of the white house and agree to give that speech. today netenyahu offered a curtain-raiser of sorts before apac. >> the purpose of my address to congress tomorrow is to speak up about a potential deal with iran that could threaten the survival

of israel. iran envelops the entire world with its tentacles of terror. this is what iran is doing now without nuclear weapons. imagine what it would do with nuclear weapons. and this same iran vows to annihilate israel. we must not let that happen. >> reporter: and john no small irony, secretary of state john kerry, where is he? he is in geneva talking to the iranian foreign minister sitting down for three days of crucial talks. he gave a veiled warning today, he warned benjamin netenyahu not to talk about some of the details about what is being negotiated between the united states and iran. meanwhile, president obama as i

mentioned did give an interview, and begging the israelis to please try to give the talks a chance at working. >> prime minister netenyahu is sincere about his concerns. and given iran's rhetoric given the extraordinarily disruptive and dangerous activities of this regime in the region it's understandable why israel is very concerned about iran. we are too. but what we have consistently said is we have to stay focused on our ultimate goal which is preventing iran from having a nuclear weapon. >> reporter: the speech continues to be controversial. some 53 members of congress do not plan on attending the speech tomorrow. and president obama's schedule would leave open the possibility that he'll be watching from here in the white house john. >> mike thank you. the prime minister's visit

seems to be causing a rift among some jewish americans. there were duelling ads in the "new york times." a progressive jewish group took out this ad. that group says the majority of jewish americans support president obama's approach. but a prominent rabbi took out this ad in support of netenyahu it quotes holocaust survivor and asked president obama to join him in keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of iran. rabbi jason is a supporter of prime minister netenyahu and joins us from detroit. rabbi welcome. do you think there is a real divide among jews in america over whether they agree with the president or the prime minister? >> i think we're in a precarious situation right now. jewish americans i think by and

large are proisrael, we are zionist in our feelings. we support the government in israel. in the case here i think we have a situation that we have never seen before which is a true rift between the israeli prime minister and the american president. hopefully the two of them can -- can form a peace treaty which i think is really just a personal issue that they have with each other. i think netenyahu is absolutely correct that we need to keep these nuclear weapons out of the hands of the iranian government. >> right. but this is playing out in the united states in newspapers where you see these duelling ads, so is there a real divide? and can you be proisrael, and still against the prime minister's point of view? >> yeah i think the issue here is really one of protocol. and i don't remember ever hearing so many americans all that concerned about the protocol when a foreign

dignitary is invited to address a joint session of congress. all of a sudden people are up in arms that protocol wasn't followed here. i think they should put bygones aside. certainly obama should have been notified when john boehner put the request out through ron determiner ambassador dermer. but let's get beyond that and get down to brass tacks, which is we need to get a nuclear iran at bay. >> and president obama can't do that given what he is trying to achieve right now where the talks in your opinion? >> i don't think the talks are going far enough. i think we need to go farther than letting iran ramp up a nuclear arsenal. you know i understand that there are some -- some ways of sort of keeping that in check -- >> but these -- these talks haven't even been completed yet.

how do we know what is going to come out of them. >> well the question is whether or not we can trust iran and i for one don't think that we can -- >> on any level? >> and i don't think netenyahu thinks we can. i don't think we can. >> so no deal no how, no way? >> it doesn't seem like it is going to be something we can trust them with. i think netenyahu is putting the israeli citizenry first. it's a preparous situation. it's a very dangerous neighborhood that israel is in. and israel and the united states have enjoyed a friendship over several decades, and i think that that relationship is stronger than ever and i think that we need to join forces. i personally am ashamed of the democratic senators who are going to be protesting and will not be there tomorrow. i think they should at ten. they might not agree with everything that netenyahu says but they should at least listen and learn.

>> rabbi thank you very snuch. >> thank you. the talks between u.s. and iran continued today. the secretary of state said today that he is worried that confidential details would be made public. israeli officials says netenyahu plans to bring up the negotiations in his speech tomorrow. kerry said public discuss of the talks could jeopardize the deal to keep nuclear weapons out of iran. >> right now no deal exists. no partial deal exists and unless iran is able to make the difficult decisions that will be required, there won't be a deal. nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. the u.s. and iran have until the end of this month to reach a preliminary agreement. the white house has said the deadline will not be extended

now to iraq. isil took the town of tikrit last summer now they are trying to take it back. jamie the u.s. is not involved in this latest offensive. why not? >> reporter: the pentagon made a big point of saying it is not providing any military support for this offensive to retake isil and the answer is because iran is backing those shia militia, and the united states doesn't want to be in a position of providing air power and air support for iranian-backed troops. the u.s. has made pint of saying in the last couple of months it is not coordinating with iran either in iraq or syria. nevertheless the u.s. does view the move to push isil out of tikrit as a positive step. and today in a speech marine

general john allen, said that the campaign against isil is on track, and they have been knocked back on their heels. >> where isil once proclaimed itself to be on the march, it is today under unparalleled pressure and increasing pressure from military activities and the other lines of eh -- effort. from a world uniting to push back the savagery. >> reporter: iraq is coordinating with iran so the effect is pretty much the same john. talk about why tikrit is so important. >> reporter: well, it's got a symbolic meaning because it's the hometown of saddam hussein, but it has a strategic importance because it's at the cross roads of a major road to mosul, and the oil rich region

of kirkuk. it's really a stepping-stone on the way as iraqi forces prepare for what is expected to be an assault to retake mosul. >> reporter: iraqi militias backed by iran did the pentagon hope this attack is kind of a template for future assaults against isil? >> reporter: no not really because they are actually concerned that having iranian-backed shia militia, retaking tikrit an area which is predominantly sunni, could inflame some of the sectarian tensions there. so they are concerned about that especially if the forces are heavy handed and wreck a lot of destruction in the city they are afraid that could inflame tennings. so they would like to see a more inclusive force, the kind of force the u.s. is trying to help

put together when the iraqs mount an assault on mosul again. thank you. now to los angeles, and the new video raising questions about lethal force by police. a warning we're about to show you the moments the shots were fired. [ gunfire ] [ shouting ] >> they say the man was a rob which suspect and that he tried to grab the officer's gun. people in the neighborhood say he went by the street name africa. he lived in a tent and recently spent time in a mental health facility. l.a.'s police chief said the officers had special training. >> during the altercation, officers used tasers in an attempt to subdue the man. however, the tasers appeared to have little effect. while on the ground and struggling with the officers the man forcibly grabbed one of

the officers holstered pistols, resulting in an officer-involved shooting. >> two of the officers involved were wearing body cameras. the l.a. county da's officer is reviewing the shooting. skid row is home to thousands of homeless people. there are shelters and social services offered there, but the needs are great and resources limited. jennifer has more. >> reporter: l.a.'s skid row did not start off as a major encampment for the homeless. it originally was home to a number of hotels. but today it has become a place for those living on the margins with nowhere else to go. skid row is an area roughly the size of 50 city blacks in the heart of downtown. efforts to clean it up have been limited and the improvement fleeting.

according to the los angeles chamber of commerce, many are veterans and many suffer from substance abuse and mental illness. they offer shelter and social service, but the demand greetly exceeds supply. this man has made a home for himself on the street but he is competing for space. >> you never get a full night's sleep, because you don't know what is going to happen. >> reporter: it has become a dumping ground for people recently released from prisons. >> a lot of folks end up in our homeless system of care. >> reporter: skid row is the lost stop for patients discharged from hospitals who have nowhere else to go. >> i had to literally threaten toe cut myself with a razor,

before they would give me bus fair to downtown. they didn't offer no transportation. they just simply released me from the hospital. >> reporter: the streets are particularly dangerous for women. andy runs a shelter in the heart of skid row. >> desperation is happening on the streets, survival hunger fights unbelievable abuse of women that occurs on the streets of skid row. >> reporter: he has documented his experience spending one night on skid row in this youtube video. this fan says he sleeps during the day and stays up at night. >> i can't lay down because i'm afraid of robbers. >> me too. i'm afraid of rats. hell on earth i would describe skid row. >> reporter: there is a lot of anger on the streets of l.a. skid row today after the fatal police shooting. a number of people i spoke with

not just homeless, but people that live and work in the area say they are very saddened but they are not surprised, and they feel the police are not trained to deal with homeless people suffering from mental illness. >> jennifer thank you. coming up next cheaper bus fairs for seattle's poor. plus college, gay students and the bible. controversy on a south carolina campus.

many cities offer discounts to seniors who ride on buses and trains but seattle is trying something new, discounted fairs based on income. allen schauffler is in seattle. >> reporter: this is a program that is going to apply to every transit system in this country. low-income riders will have to sign up prove their low income and get issued a card like this one. the king county executive says

this is about economic development. he took a bus ride with him to learn more. >> we're going to take the number 1 bus. >> reporter: we took our interview on the road. >> there is also a debate in transit circles over whether fairs should be much higher or whether there should be no fairs at all. >> reporter: king county is going both directions. with a low-income fair and fairs will go up for richer riders. sort of a classically good-hearted seattle move to say you folks need to ride the bus, why not for a dollar 50. >> that's part of it. we want to make sure everyone has a chance. >> reporter: it could benefit as many as 100,000 riders. they will get payment cards good for buck 50 rides and could save more than $500 a year.

is this really redistribution. >> it's about economic development. it's about economic opportunity. >> reporter: in a transit system that has had five fair hikes in five years, price is a sensitive point. it shows in this friendly rolling debate with a rider who will be paying higher prices. >> those folks won't be able to ride otherwise. >> i know but i have a car payment, and kids, and you are going to raise my rate? >> uh-huh. and that's true for most of our riders. so if we don't raise the fairs, then we have to cancel more service. >> reporter: san francisco is the only other major metropolitan area with the same two-tiered system. in king county it could cost 7 to $9 million in lost fair revenue every year plus a few million more for administrative start-up costs. >> we're eliminating routes

cutting back services in some areas, and we're saying okay we're going to make things cheaper. so it seems almost counter intuitive. >> not everyone has the money to afford the kinds of fairs we have arrived in king county. we need them to keep the buss on the road. it's still additional revenue into the system. >> reporter: there was no vote on this the policy came out of a county council committee. the program took effect yesterday. one other big change here in the fair structure for just about everybody else the price of riding the bus went up a quarter yesterday. still a long way to go before they hit that 100,000 low-income rider milestone. just 1600 people so far with -- have signed up for the program. >> this is an interesting case study in san francisco and now

seattle. are there other cities that are looking at this across the country that we know of? >> reporter: couple of other smaller cities and areas. we understand there's a city in ohio, a smaller city who is trying it, but on a large scale, it really is san francisco and seattle that are testing it out. san francisco they have 20,000 riders who are involved but that's out of an estimated 350,000 who ride the system every day, so there is some question about how this is really working at this point and it has been in effect for quite a few years in san francisco. >> so if you apply in seattle, how do you prove what you make to the city? >> reporter: well, they are making it really easy. you can bring paystubs tax documents, applications for healthcare -- that kind of thing. they want to make it as easy and accessible for these folks to

get cards. >> does this have people like the bus rider we saw talking to the official -- are people upset about the higher prices? >> we haven't sensed any great upset over this. there was a little bit more attention when it was announced some months ago, but not so much now. there are some like that man who said i have to make a living and pay a mortgage, how come i'm paying an extra quarter? but i wouldn't say great upset. >> all right. alan thank you very much. let's turn to the weather now. an incredible picture from huntington beach california. it's actually hail left behind by a storm. now more on the rest of your weather. rebecca? >> reporter: john when game show host bob barker talked

about huntington beach like you said he didn't think ten was something you still could get on today's beaches. the weather coming in behind a cold front that has dumped snow across parts of the southwest. our storm reports, you can see those accumulate in the way of several hail reports up to a quarter of an inch in diameter. snow reports started to pile up further inland in arizona just north of flagstaff, we're getting totals of snow up to 10 inches. the great news is the california mountains, finally, reporting some snowfall much needed as we move ahead with such a dry year that we just finished up. the rainfall amounts impressive too.

palm springs almost a half of inch for you. and it is ice in denver. let's talk about ice. hail. that's so rare in california because those hailstones have to be tossed up in the air to build the icing, and the width of the hailstone. but ice in denver indicates we had some felting, however, colder air is coming back in fact it is coming back for all of it even in the northeast. >> that looks like my house. thank you, are beak ka. still ahead, the investigation into the murder of a top political opponent to russian president, vladimir putin. plus a self made millionaire who still takes the bus.

this is al jazeera america, i'm john siegenthaler. moscow mystery, a look at the life and the suspicious death of a top kremlin critic.

god and gays, the debate at a christian college which some say just banned homosexuality. one percenter, we talk to a self-made millionaire about the idea of race and the american dream. plus the breath-taking photos from california's death valley. we begin with controversy and conspiracy theories in moscow after the suspicious murder of a top opposition leader. this surveillance video was taken just outside of the kremlin. boris nemtsov was crossing with a female friend right before he was gunned down. tonight the woman who was with nemtsov is speaking out. >> translator: i don't know where he came from but he was behind me. >> translator: so you turned

around and saw a person wearing a mask or no mask? >> translator: when i turned around i only saw a light-colored car. >> now a snowplow parked on the side of the bridge blocked much of that video's view. boris nemtsov was an outspoken critic of president putin. phil ittner is in london now with more. phil it's not the first time a political opponent of the kremlin has died a mysterious death? >> reporter: no absolutely not, john. boris nemtsov was very outspoken against vladimir putin and the administration in the kremlin. over the weekend he had planned to at tend an anti war, anti-government rally in moscow but of course given the events of friday that rally quickly turned into a memorial to the slain opposition leader.

and while, yes, it is still considered a mystery, what caused this shooting for many of the people who came out over the weekend, not only in moscow but around the world, the answers to why boris nemtsov was killed are clear as day. the murder is being called a watershed moment in russia. it sparked rallies and the world. tens of thousands took to the streets in moscow thousands more marched in london and paris. nemtsov was considered one of the few voices speaking out against the kremlin. former world chess champion and political activist told al jazeera he is positive it was an assassination. >> dangerous. you would see that one of the most vocal critics, boris nemtsov, my long-time friend and colleague, has been murdered. and that's a clear signal that if you are criticizing vladimir putin, your life is in grave

danger. >> reporter: he was a close friend of boris nemtsov, but even his opponents are calling this a great loss for russia. he advocated for more transparency in russia. and started tackling corruption as far back as the boris yet sen area. he advocated for a more powerful parliament and less dominance from the kremlin. in that put him at odds with vladimir putin. during that time a number of high-profile putin critics have been silenced. like this journalist who was gunned down in front of her home. or whistleblower poisoned while eating at a london restaurant. gunning down such a prominent figure as nemtsov sends a troubling message. >> after the assassination of boris nemtsov, people feel

terrified. people look into the future with very bad anticipations, expecting worse to come. >> reporter: it is often said the russian publish overlooks abuses of power, as long as he delivers stability and a better economy. those the russian economy has suffered from sanctions and falling gas prices. the war in ukraine wages next door, and while it is publicly supported many see it as tarnishing russia's international standing. for now vladimir putin enjoys high approval ratings according to numbers put out by moscow. but the history is filled with power shifts that can come swiftly and violently. something all russians are familiar with. john, it has to be said over the weekend, the ripple effects from the shooting of boris nemtsov have really been

papable, i have friends, colleagues and contacts within russia and within the russian government itself and the outpouring of shock has been noticeable, even those who stood against boris nemtsov and stood with vladimir putin. this has been quite a -- a big event in russia and we'll see what happens. >> so phil in some ways has this given the russian opposition a boost? >> reporter: well i wouldn't say a boost, john. the problem with russian opposition is they have been so marginalized over the years that they don't have access to the airwaves, is only one or two outlets that say anything contrary to what the kremlin's line is. there are people out there. there's mickael who is in self-imposed exile.

he spent ten years in jail a very rich man. there are others gary who we just heard there in my report. there is also interestingly enough a woman who tonight has been twittering and putting out statements that not only is this been a shock for her, but she is now getting death threats herself, basically saying we got -- we got nemtsov first, and we're coming for you other guys later. so being in the opposition in russia is very dangerous work as we have clearly seen. >> phil thank you very much. peter recently wrote about the mystery surrounding boris nemtsov's death. and he is also the director on a group that focuses on strengthening ties between post soviet countries and the west. and you are ukrainian, right? >> yes. >> do you think that borerus

yetsen is behind this? >> borerus -- >> i mean vladimir putin? >> i think given the climate of witch hunts we have witnessed over the last several years, and since russia's annexation of crimea i think is responsible for this murder. whether we will ever link it to president putin or his chain only command is probably not going to happen. but mr. putin is responsible for the sort of climate where terror was okay. >> but there's wide-spread speculation about this nobody knows exactly what happened except the people involved in this crime.

there are some who suggest vladimir putin is behind this but there was a yeltsin correction, because we worked for him, right? >> yes. >> some are suggesting ukrainians are behind this? >> mr. putin went on air shortly after the murder and offered the so-called official central line and that was it was an attempt to discredit him, his government and to sow chaos in russia. and the state-owned channels went into overdrive trying to -- >> has it created chaos? >> it has created much anxiety primarily among the opposition folks, who feel this is a whole new era of repression and crackdowns? russia. >> there have been wild

speculation, talk about isil -- -- a muslim islamic group being involved in this or a love triangle true right? >> yes. >> that's the other thing that this young woman -- >> a disgruntled lover -- >> right. >> who finally caught up to the man. >> all right. so aside from the speculation, we don't know what happened but what does this crime mean for russia right now? and how important is it to what is going on in the politics of the country? >> well i think the other version and the one that is offered by most of the opposition folks and folks that read and know russia history is actually the 1934 murder of one of stalin's hinch men, one of stalin's popular officials who was murdered as many historians believe under stalin's direct orders.

that allowed him to unleash a new wave of repressions. and that is something we may be witnessing in the weeks and months to come. in that this murder as you mentioned using the various wild versions the ukrainian nationalists, or the muslim terrorists have positioned themselveses to become a martyr. and that may be used to institute a brave new russia where this terror will be the sort of -- the new normal. >> we'll have to see what happens with this. peter thank you very much. we'll have much more on this coming up at 9:00. you heard from putin critic in phil ittner's report. well, he talks to "america tonight" coming up in the next hour. all right. we turn to south carolina now, and a campus con -- controversy.

er skin college issued what some say essentially bans gay students. >> reporter: john the student body is meeting to discuss what has happened over the last few weeks and figure out where they are going to go from here. this college that has been here for 175 years, why now? why the statements now? signs of faith surround the tiny town of due west south carolina home to erskine college. >> most people wouldn't understand it unless you came to erskine. it's a very tight-knit community. >> reporter: the college is now at the center of a controversy,

after two members of the men's volleyball team came out as gay. this is one of them. >> when i came here. everybody was accepting and welcoming. i felt a very familiar environment i wanted to be in. >> reporter: but last year the college which is aligned with the associate reformed presbyterian organization released a statement that said: the document titled statement on human sexuality, was adopted by the board of trustees just last friday. >> they did it in a rush. they didn't think it through. why would you release a statement saying something that strong and you don't know how you are going to enforce it. >> reporter: he says students teachers, and even some members

of the administration have reached out, telling him they don't agree with the statement. >> it's a private institution, they are allowed to make a biblical statement like that. my personal opinion is that it didn't need to be said. >> i'm hoping our enrollment will not be affected. >> reporter: the director of admissions said she has already heard concerns from several potential students. is any of the college business what people do behind their own doors sexually? >> i'm not the official spokesperson for erskine, but of course not. >> reporter: a statement on human -- cliff smith is the official spokesman. >> gay marriage is legal in the state. you have a gay population at this small university. 600 kids plus.

it's an expensive university. why even put that out? >> well let me -- let me answer that by saying i think part of the problem is a misunderstanding of what the purpose of a christian liberal arts college would be in the first place. one of the things that is different of the nature of a christian liberal arts college is our theological commitments, biblical framework sets the context for anything we talk about. and it's not necessarily an expectation that anyone agree with that. >> reporter: should you give another revised statement that doesn't quote scripture at this point? >> i understand there are students, alumni and probably staff and faculty that are concerned about the statement, so i think we will look closely at how our community deals with the topic -- >> reporter: you should probably do that soon. >> i think we're in the process of doing it now.

>> reporter: like tonight? truly. but certainly no laughing matter for many on this campus. >> i'm considering my transferring options, because depending on how they react, and what the consequences are going to be, i do not want to be here if i have to hide who i am. >> reporter: the spokesman could not tell al jazeera whether the board of trustees will amend the statement, but said they will have a respectful discussion on the controversy no matter what. >> juan joins us now live from south carolina. juan welcome. let's talk about what we just heard from the spokesperson. does that satisfy you? >> hey, john how are you? first of thank you for having me here tonight. when i first heard about this

statement, i was surprised. because i have never felt any hostile treatment towards me or anyone at this campus and it really took me completely by surprise. and people have told me why are you surprised? it's a christian school. and i tell them i am a christian, john and i have always been taught to accept people for who they are. and james 4:12 say there is only one law giver and one judge, and who are you to judge our neighbor. and i have always been brought up by that. and i have always felt in this community that i have been accepted until the releasement of that statement. >> you went to this college because you believed it was the best place for you, and now what do you think? >> yeah when i came here everybody was accepting, and right now everybody still is. nobody has changed their

thoughts or their treatment towards me. on the contrary people have been reaching out to me professors, staff members, faculty, students who usually don't speak to me have approached me and told me they are supportive. >> so are you going to leave? >> i don't know john. i really don't. we're going to see how the college handles it. i really hope it's for the better -- for the best interests of everybody in this college. >> have you talked to school administrators, and have they told you anything? >> i have met with a few people in administration via email and in person and the answer that i wanted to get from them was what is going to happen after this. and right now, they don't know so that's kind of the question we want to find out. what is going to happen next. >> and, you know, they -- they clarified their position last week suggesting this isn't a ban on gay students.

did that satisfy you? >> well it's good to know they are coming out saying it is not a ban on gay students but that sentence in the statement that talks about that decisions will be made definitely leads a lot to -- you don't know like they can do anything with that sentence, because they are not specifying what they are intending by this statement. >> juan, we'll look forward to the final decision that you make about whether or not to stay or go. thank you very much. >> thank you, john. now to our series race in america, and a discussion about income and inequality with one of the richest african americans in this country. he founded one of the largest african american ad agencies in the united states. he spoke with del walters about his struggles, success, and his surprising take on segregation. >> frankly, i -- i just to some

degree i believe this segregation. i'm not saying i don't think we should have gone for integration. i think we should have not been so sloppy about it. >> reporter: for thomas burel, the distance between mean street to easy street isn't measured in miles. instead for burrell, the distance is measured in the lyrics of jingles that have defined a generation. ♪ >> reporter: iconic commercials like this mcdonald's ad in 1982. and this famous 1978 coca-cola ad launched burrell and his ad agency to fame. but to burrell, they were more than just commercials. when he was young, television was all white. except for the time that there was colored tv. tv when colored people were on

it. would you say you influenced more of america with commercials than television shows? >> i think that's arguable. i think that there is a good chance that just because of the fact we were able to run it over and over again. >> reporter: even though he is among the 1% of wealthiest americans, he has got forgot the journey. at 75 he still takes the bus. it is his way of remembering his roots. looking back to move forward. >> i grew up on a block where only black people lived, but the democratics of that block were just thoroughly thoroughly layered with wealthy people poor people professional people -- >> reporter: and you know there's a lady in the front row of the church right now saying and you don't live there

anymore. >> right. because there is not there anymore. because what happened to there is that the powers came in to our area and said look we are progressing. you folks with the most education, you folks with the most money you know what you can do? you can leave. >> reporter: which is exactly what we did. now to be certain, life has been good for tom burrell, his name is still on the door of the advertising firm he founded, and it is still one of the largest african american ad agencies in the country, but critics say it was built on the back of black misery with clients like big tobacco. >> r there clients that you wish you hadn't represented? >> um if i had known now what i knew then i would not have

represented tobacco for one hot minute, even though it was one of our first pieces of business that gave us an entree into the business. but we also walked away from it. >> bill clinton, nelson mandela, who haven't you met? >> reporter: his chicago penthouse is lined with the photos of those he met along the way. do you think wealthy african americans have a responsibility to give back to the community? >> yes, i do. i think that what we all should do is practice one of the most important things in life and that's empathy. i have one house. i have one car, you know, as you know i ride public transportation. >> reporter: which brings us back to that bus. burrell says he takes the bus to find that next big idea or face that will launch a thousand

jingles. >> my primary interest in life is learning about people. and you learn by observing, and to be in a car, or be isolated from those experiences is a deficit for me. >> reporter: the bus rides remind him of the -- shoulders in which he stands. movement that took him from bus passenger to the penthouse suite. now look at what is coming up in our next hour. stephanie sy is here with a story about a rising star in israeli politics. >> yeah that's right, john. prime minister netenyahu is not the only israeli politician getting headlines this week. the 42-year-old economic benefit, a former tech entrepreneur who has ruffled feathers by decrying the two-state solution. he said israel should not give up any land for palestinian state. >> in order to survive and

flourish in the most difficult area in the whole world, we need to be strong. we need to stop giving up land not even one centimeter and we need to strengthen our jewish identity. >> reporter: he also served as chief of staff to netenyahu and is now the leader of a right-wing party in third place in recent polls. in our next hour bennett gives us our take on the talks with iran, and why he thinks any deal with iran would be a disaster. >> stephanie thank you. coming up rescue at 10,000 feet caught on camera. how a sky diver saved a man who suffered a seizure during freefall. plus one of the hottest places on earth seen through the lens of photographer.

quick thinking saves a sky diver's life in australia. christopher jones suffered a seizure and lost consciousness after jumping from a plane. unfortunately his instructor noticed he was in trouble, and pulled his rip chord. he landed safely. he later described the free fall as possibly the scariest moment of his life. death valley has one of the

harsh harshest habitats on earth but it is also a place of extreme beauty captured by a photographer. he tells us about his breath-taking photos in tonight's first-person report. >> the thing that is really cool about the valley is it is always changing. every time you go back they have a different look. i call it "are we still on earth," because it's one of those landscapes that make you feel like you aren't here. death valley is a huge huge national park, so it really takes some exploring to find these patterns these shapes these massive cracks in the earth. so it's like a living breathing environment there. one of my favorite shots is bad water basin from this last trip. it looked like they had gotten some fresh rain not too long before we visited, and the

patterns was in really great shape. death valley at night becomes a different beast. it is extremely dark. it's just pitch black. you can get the moonlight to work with you and act as basically a big flashlight. one of the shots i have always wanted to get associated with death valley was an image of the sailing stones. it's a phenomenon they have been trying to study for quite a while to find out what creates these paths behind these stones. so when i saw that i was like that is way too cool to, you know, not shoot. it really made me realize just how special death valley is. you look at different -- you know, different themes that you have captured over the past couple of years, and it's such, you know, a variety of landscapes that, you know, it just -- it blows you away and

it doesn't do it justice through the photographs, you know, what you see with your naked eye in person. it really doesn't. you can look at the photographs and say that is great, that a wonderful, that is pretty. but when you see it in person it's mind blowing. >> that's our broadcast. thanks for watching.

>> on the offensive: raining forces launch their largest military operation so far against i.s.i.l. battle to retain control of tikrit. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu call u.s.-israeli relations strong but still giving a speech to congress the white house deems destructive. a new report on the fighting in eastern ukraine say 6,000