hi, everyone, this is al jazerra america, i am john seager thoughter. the reaction, st. louis county and missouri state police take over security in ferguson after two officers are shot. tracking technology, police keeping tabs on your cell phone. the lawsuit over privacy in california. floods and fraud. while fema says it could reopen and review every insurance claim from super storm sandy. plus deep mist. aliens, meet ors, why did these enormous craters suddenly appear

appear? ♪ ♪ after week of relative calm, violence returns to ferguson, missouri. a peaceful protest outside the police station was shattered by gunshots. authorities called it an ambush. two officers shot. both released from the hospital today. tonight the search intensifies for the suspects. at the same time, a city reeling from anger anguish and unrest is facing more turmoil. attorney general eric holder did not minutes words when he talked about the shooting today. he called it disgusting and a courtly a action. >> what happened last night was a pure ambush. this was not someone trying to bring healing to ferguson. this was the damn punk, a punk who was trying to sew discord in

an area that is try to get its act together and trying to bring together a community that has been fractured for too long. >> amateur video captured the moment the shooting hand early this morning. it came during that protest after the resignation of ferguson's police chief. tonight reinforcements are taking over security for future protests. st. louis county police and the missouri state highway patrol are now in charge. we have more from diane estebrook who is in ferguson tonight. diane. >> reporter: hi, john, will, the police are on the scene right now. the st. louis county police department. if you look behind me, you can see their trucks are in place they are assembling, there are concrete barriers up. they are hoping that there will not be violence against tonight like this was last night. this is a community that has been on edge for several months now. and it simply wants to return to normal. police in ferguson spent thursday hunting for clues that would lead them to the gunmen who shot two of their own.

>> this is really an ambushing is what it is, you can't see it think cog you don't understand it's going to happen and you are basically defense little from the fact that it is happening to you at the time. [ gunshots ] >> reporter: the shots range out just after midnight as police stood face-to-face with protesters near the ferguson police department. >> oh, boy. >> reporter: two officers were hit. one from the st. louis county police department, the other from nearby webster groves. the gunfire came just hours after ferguson announce the the resignation of police chief thomas jackson. and after a week that has seen numerous high-level resignations following a damning report from the justice department that revealed a pattern of discrimination by ferguson's police and the court system. by afternoon police tape still core daned off the area where the two officers were shot. and a community weary from protests and violence wondered when will it stop. are you worried about the future of this community?

>> yeah. i am worried about it. everybody just wants to get out. in the neighborhood is going to go all wait down to where nobody wants to live here anymore. >> reporter: his business was looted during one of the protest, he's frustrated but are said he's still committed to ferguson. >> as a business owner we hope things will go back to normal and folks will stop associating ferguson with violence. >> reporter: city council elections next month could wave the way for a new beginning. former mayor brian fletcher is running for a seat and if elected says he hopes to hire a new police chief quickly. >> it will be a great rebuilding process. i hope that people will want to come work for our city. it's not easy. >> reporter: michael brown's family released a statement this afternoon it says. we specifically denounce the actions of stand-alone agitators who unsuccessfully attempt to did he trail the otherwise

peaceful and nonviolent movement that has emerged throughout this nation to confront police brutality. and we understand that the police have questioned a number of people today. those people were released and at this time no one is in custody. and the search for the shooter or shooters continues. john. >> all right, diane, thank you. jeff is a retired police officer, a former state legislator he is currently a union official with the st. louis police officers association. jeff. welcome i understand you are friends with one of the police officers, can you tell us how he is doing tonight? >> yeah, i don't john, i was visiting with him at his team earlier today. he's in good spirits. remarkably good spirits considering what he went through last night. he was up and about trying to act as norm normal as he could even though he's in a great deal of pain just sort of soldiering through that so his family

wouldn't -- wouldn't think that there was anything more serious to his injuries than there was. very tough for him and the other officer involved and for the entire law enforcement family here in st. louis. >> let me ask you about a quote that is attributed to you on television this morning. >> sure. >> you said dead cops, dead cops, that's what they want. they want dead cops and their goal all along and -- and that was their goal last night. you talking about protesters? >> i am talking about the violent elements in these protests. let's not rewrite history and pretend like what happened last night is something new. there have been protracted attempts to kill and injure police officers in ferguson for two solid weeks after the protests started in august. police officers were fired on, had molotov cocktails thrown at

them again in november the two nights after the grand injury decision, police were fired on and again last night. there have been attempts to kill police officers all along here in ferguson. and i don't want us to lose sight of the fact that this is not an isolated incidents. >> i just want to press this point, though. i mean, we don't know who committed this crime yet. they haven't captured anybody. and we don't know whether there were protesters were not. right? >> well, they were there for the protest and they were a peaceful protesters right up until the time they fired a gun and tried to kill two police officers. >> so you blame everybody who is there for that? >> well, i don't blame everyone there for that. i am concerned about the well being of the truly peaceful protesters in these volatile situations. bullets were whizzing over their heads too. police officers were shouting for them to get down.

get down. when the shots range out. this is a volatile, dangerous situation. not just for the law enforcement officers that i represent but for folks there that have a peaceful message. and you can't -- you can't get your message out when you are shouting over gunfire. >> i heard you call for a curfew tonight. do you think that is a good idea? >> yes. >> right? why? >> absolutely. the violence has been isolated almost exclusively to the hours of darkness. and as i said before it's not safe for anyone to be out there in these volatile situations. let's come back and have this national dialogue we are having about building trust between law enforcement and the community here in the light of day. and not put people in needless danger. >> how do you build trust after

the violence that where many protesters were injured and now the shooting of police officers? how do you build trust between these two sides? >> i don't know how we get there until we get past the sound and fury. and i understand that there are people who are angry with law enforcement in ferguson. i understand that michael brown even though we have dispelled this myth of hands up don't shoot, that michael brown is still emblematic to african americans in this community of a larger problem. but as i said, we can't have this conversation while guns are being fired. >> other than a curfew, how do you prevent -- how dough protect police officers? how do you protect protesters? how do you protect young african american men who are on the streets of ferguson? >> first of all the protests it i think there needs to be a

larger perimeter. the shot were fired from just beyond the perimeter last night. so expanding that perimeter putting more boots on the ground is a start. and we need to have this broader conversation about young black men in america and deadly confrontation with his law enforcement. obviously from my perspective most of those confrontations are precipitated by young men who use deadly violence against police officers. but, you know, there is a sense of hopelessness and despair in the inner-city, in urban areas that's what we need to address. and that's what is going to avoid the next michael brown. >> i understand. you can tell me whether or not this is true, i haven't seen a picture. that you have been wearing something on your wrist which says i am -- i am darren wilson, is that right? >> right yes.

>> what are you trying to -- what are you trying to say with that? this is the police officer who shot michael brown. >> yeah. so to law enforcement that means that this could have happened to any of us. that darren acted appropriate are you just as any other police officer would have and was sort of there but for the grace of god go i sentiment. >> can the ferguson police department be fixed? does it needs a complete overhaul? >> it can be fix fixed. i doubt it happens -- i think the weight of this federal investigation and the expense of abiding by consents decree is just too much for a department that size. i mean, they now have i think six or seven openings in the police department. who is going to apply for those openings when there is no certainty in the future and you know, when you are having essentially for combat duty.

>> jeff, it's good to have you on the program, thank you very much. >> sure, john. and coming up next, police secretly tracking your cell phone. how it helps fight crime and the legal battle over your privacy and civil liberties. and. and siberian mystery deep craters suddenly appearing. what scientists say may be causing them.

the american civil liberties union has filed lawsuits against two california police departments, accusing them of hiding a controversial technology that clouds them to track your cell phone. signs and technology correspondent jake ward is if san francisco with more on that. jake. >> reporter: john, the lawsuit against the anaheim police department and the sacramento county sheriff department stems from their refusal to turnover a full accounting of their use of what's called sting ray technology. but this is not an isolated case

it turns out hundreds of how enforcements across the country have been hide this is technology from the publicist and the courts for better than 10 years. at least half of americans own a smart phone. as a result they constantly carry e-mail, text messages, photographs, contacts and often a gps device with them for law enforcement. the ability to detect a suspect's smart phone and follow it from place to place would be an incredible convenience. and it turns out that for at least a decade police have been using a secretive technology to do exactly that. the technology purchased from a specialized contractor often using federal grant money is called an mc catcher. better known by the brands name sting ray. your cell upon constantly registers with the nearest cell phone tower as you move through your day of a sting ray pretends to be that cell phone tower and fools every phone within range in to handing over identifying information. it can pinpoint a suspect's location to a street address. although the devices are not publicly available.

leaked marketing materials and testimony suggest that sting rays are portable and are a range of at least a mile. >> if a sting ray only triangulated one number, then most people would probably not have any concerns with it. the problem is that it can only operate in a dragnet fashion so everyone within range when that sting ray is activated have their cell phone data intercepted. >> reporter: it's possible to use the technology to scoop up every phone on a street corner. perhaps looking for members of a street gang. or earn present at a protest like the recent ones in oakland. imagine that you were present at that protest or maybe you just lived upstairs, if the police were here using a sting ray something your phone could put on you some sort of watch list. brine hoster a privacy attorney in oakland showed us e-mails from the oakland police who wouldn't comment for the report. discussing protesters in the context of sting ray technology. but it's not clear exactly where and how it's been employed.

>> we have strong suspicions when people report their cell phones acting quite weirdly being the batteries draining the interference with the ability to communicate. that we have heard these problems arise elsewhere as the fbi just two to three days ago admitted that people within range will have a disturbance in the use of their cell phones when a sting ray is activated. >> reporter: we asked current and former prosecutors and how enforcement official to his explain the value of sting ray technology in fighting crime. no one would publically explain or endorse it. but a public records request reveals that in florida alone three dozen police and sheriffs departments have spent millions of dollars on the technology and used it in hundreds of cases. by that measure it's become a valued crime-fighting cool. but the entire technology as way secret until recently and remains actively hidden from the public. >> the manufacturer of the sting ray. the haisch us corporation which is a company based in florida

has a nondisclosure agreement that it requires law enforcement agencies to sign where those agencies basically agree not to discuss the purchase and use of these technologies. >> reporter: in fact, the fbi is behind this nondisclosure agreement. and it compels any purchaser of a sting ray to sign it. neither the harris corporation nor any of its how enforcement customers responded to i don't for comment but in e-mails and testimony made public by records request a clear pattern of secrecy emerges. in response to a lawsuit filed by the aclu in arizona an f bit. officer summarized the bureau's position that cell site simulators are except from discovery. and that the fbi has, as a matter of policy, for over 10 years protected this specific electronic surveillance equipment and techniques from disclosure. >> we have heard about another case in florida where a judge ordered the pros doubters to turnover -- prosecutors to turnover to the defense attorneys, basically to the give

the defense attorneys a demonstration about how the sting ray device was used wrath their don that they cut the defendant a sweet hard deal and gave him ideal that was too good to say no to and the whole thing went what way. >> reporter: if i am an innocent person why should i care about the use of this technology? >> many years ago our founding fathers made the decision to say, you know what, if police want to enter in to a house they have to get a search warrants. it would be a lot easier to law enforce to him say, you know, we are just going to enter everybody's is house and look for crime once a week, you know, that would make their job easier and probably make us a lot safer. we decided that, you know what, there are important liberty interests at stake. and while that might sound very pie in the sky the reality is, you know, police serve to protect us but also to protect us so that we can enjoy and celebrate our civil liberties. and when, you know, we allow police to operate invasive technologies in secret, outside of the judicial system, outside of the proper, you know, normal charges of oversight and

procedure, then we intrude upon that ability to enjoy these civil liberties. >> reporter: several court cases are around way across the country, most filed by the american civil liberties union to compel law enforcement agency to his reveal their use of sting rays. the technology may be the best way in lean time to his pursue suspects, but so far there are no legal checks on the technology. john, it's worth noting here that at a time when we are giving away more of our privacy online and in our phones have been ever before. there are ways that people are trying to device to kind of counter act this technology, i have here a pouch made by a company called tunnel that is a copper-lined, copper foil that you are supposed to be able to slide your phone in to and that would in theory protect you from sting ray surveillance, while we sort of feel as if this is a thing where who cares if i am not an -- a guilty criminal people of take to trying trying to take in to their own hands to protect against that surveillance. >> i guess that works until you

take the phone out. >> reporter: that's exactly right. >> all right, jake, thank you. vincent hill is a private investigator and former police officer in nashville tennessee. he is in atlanta tonight. vincent, welcome. what did you think about this technology? >> it's no secret that post 9/11 the expectation of privacy out the window. when we are dealing with a threat like isis or individuals posting on social media that they are going to kill police, such is the case in new york, you know, i fully support sting ray technology, you know, when we are looking for a suspect not a group of individuals, to go protect our country. and our police officers i fully support it. >> we know that the technology can be abused and in fact, regarding some of the technology that the federal government has used it has been abused. so who -- who makes sure that it's not? >> i wouldn't say it was -- it's being abused.

again, when you look at cases the federal government, for the last 10-plus years the fbi has been using this technology. mostly to, you know, track terrorists most-wanted criminals and thing of that nature. the average citizen, you know, is not at risk of their data being pulled. the thing about sting ray -- >> how do they know that? who is watching the law enforcement? >> well, i don't think there is a need to watch. because sting ray first of all doesn't pull communication it pulse location. so if i was in the street with my cell phone rights now i wouldn't be worried about if the federal government or police can see where i am because a think not doing anything wrong. however, if i am a suspect then i am going to start worry big that. >> don't people -- aren't they entitled to a right to privacy? >> well, you know, again, i don't think there is an expectation of privacy with the technology that we have now. mine, there is always something getting hacked, there is social media things of that nature.

so the expectation of privacy hasn't been in american in quite sometime. >> how does this change the nature of investigations, do you think? or how has it? >> well, i think it gives a quicker resolve to investigators if they are looking for one particular person, they can actually track them a lot faster. for example if there is a kidnapping and they may have a suspect in his cell phone, you know they may be able to track him that way. i think it gets quicker resolve to investigations . >> vincent hill, it's good to have you on the program, thank you very much. we appreciate it. >> thank you sir. california's rainy season could be ending soon. and despite some heavy rain the drought is still a major crisis. here is meteorologist kevin coreville, hi, kevin. >> meteorologist: that's right john, we are looking at the rainy season for california in the west normally from the end of october through march. so we are ending. this is, of course are of course what we saw this past summer and springtime. we saw water levels below average at record lows as well

as wild fires and new drilling that's going on cross the region. i want to take you back to last year about this time. this is what we were looking at for the drought. 66% of the state was exceptioning. 22 was in extreme. now, one year later, 40% of the state is in extreme drought. so that is about 18% higher than where we were last year at this time. and, of course, we did see a lot of rain at the end of november as well as december, but we did not get the rain that we needed or the snowpack. but there were a couple of areas that did improve. that was up here in the northwest of california, as well as down here towards the south. but as you can see across the central area, that is where of course the drought has increased and of course of course, we need that rain as we go towards the summer for farming as well as for water in the area. over the next couple of days, though, we are looking at high pressure dominating temperatures above average and it will stay dry from most of that region, but, john, where it is not dry across the you had, we are

seeing flood ago cross much of south. unfortunately we cannot bring that rain anywhere towards the west rest being back to you. >> thank you kevin. stay tuned coming up on the broadcast. families devastated after hurricane sandy their insurance claims rejected. now they are getting a second chance. plus the fight in detroit to reduce pollution at big industrial plants

#*eu, evening, this is al jazerra america, a am jean siegenthaler. federal review. by the government could take another look at every super storm sandy flood claim. bat for the tikrit. the new test for iraqi forces on the verge of retaking an isil strong hold. art and politics, hear from the doubt every began stan's president who is all a rising star in the new york art world. plus massive and mysterious, giant craters appear in russia,

why scientists blame the weather weather. we begin this half hour in ferguson. tensions after shooting of two police officers overnight. st. louis county police and a missouri state highway patrol are now in charge. there as a search underway to find those responsible for last night's violence. an activists and founder of the ferguson protester newsletter, he witnessed last night's shooting outside the ferguson police station. welcome and thanks for joining us tonight. i want to -- you didn't hear it, but jeff, who is with the police union had some comments earlier today regarding protesters and he suggested that there is a violent element in the protest movement that wanted police dead. what do you say to that? >> there is a violent element in the police force here in

st. louis that has actually killed seven people since august. >> and that's your response. i mean, you were at that -- at the protest last night you saw those police officers who were shot down in the line of duty. can you expand on that? >> you know, this has been a movement founded on the idea that violence is not the answer, right? we have been explicitly protest is against violence, i don't condone the killing of police officers, i don't condone the killing of unarmed black people. i don't condone couple the killing of people. that's real. jeff is in denying about the findingses d.o.j. that policing is racist and type there problematic for black people. the protests aren't about hurting police officers, it is about accountability and justice. >> you are holding a vigil tonight, but it's not for the police officers.

why? >> you know mike thoughts and prayers go to all of the victims of violence. right? and tonight we stand with the family that his we fight for. we stand with the people whose lives we have been out here for 216 days for. but, again my heart goes out to the victims of violence across the country. >> one of the things jeff suggested is that there needs to be a curfew in ferguson, maybe top or tomorrow night off the day after if there is more trouble. why not have protests during the day? >> we can protest whenever we would like, right? protest is confront take, protest is disruption, protest is the end of silence if we choose to should down a street or do anything else civilly disobedient it's our right to do that. he was like to hide black people. missouri's response to the assembling of black bodies has always been a problem that's why there is a state of emergency before anybody had

done anything, right? we reject this notion that less protests mean less violence, remember, mike was killed before there were any protests. the police violence that we have experienced has been incredibly strong since the protests began. again, they have killed seven people since august. that is unreal. and i would love to hear him talk about that. but, again, this is a place that we have not yet seen justice. we have seen things that are necessary anded goo. resignations are necessary and good but not justice. >> but what if you see -- what if there are protests and more violence in the coming days? will you feel the same way? >> i have not seen violence at protests. what we saw last night, there were a couple of things that we know to be true. we know that police officers got shot and we know that the person was ostensibly standing on the side of the street that the protest, were stand on the ground. besides that, everything else is mere speculation, i was here and i saw where the shots came from. like i was close to them. and there were no protesters.

it's not a space that protesters ever congregate. it's not a place we park. it's not a place we go. so no, i don't think the shooter was standing with protesters and it is dangerous of belmar to suggest that so merila to last night before he had seen any evidence or engaged any testimony. that's dangerous. that is not what policing should be in america. >> you say you'll protest whenever you want to. so how long will these protest says continue? >> so what i said is that we have the right to protest whenever we want to. the protests will continue until we experience justice. again, justice is either never experiencing the trauma or having accountability for those who initiate and perpetuate the trauma. and we have not experience the that. restless i go nas of chief jackson and shaw they get a year's worth of severance that's not accountability. accountability would be arrested darren wilson, disbarred mccullough. accountability would be a disbanded ferguson police department or fired officers. the whole police officers. we haven't experienced justice

yet. we have experienced things both necessary and good but not justice. >> it's good to have you on the program, thank you very much. >> thank you. super storm sandy victims who think their insurance claims were not fairly paid out now have a second chance. the federal emergency management agency fema, says it's prepared to reopen nearly 144,000 claims. the move follows allegations of fraud against some insurance companies that assessed the damages. erica has been following the story. erica. >> john, you know, most of the homeowners that we have met who have been hit hard by hurricane sandy have had very similar stories. fema paid out some of their flood claim policies, but not nearly enough to them to truly rebuild their lies which is why so many people are still living in hotels, in friend's basement or trail nurse their front yards, today a fema spokesman told me they are making big changes within the agency because they want to rebuild the trust with the public they serve

serve. >> this is our camper, it's 26 feet. this is my daughter amounts room. we gave her the queen size room so she she would have her own sense of norm civil my husband sleeps here on the couch. which i make every night. and every day. and over here is the kitchen table which i fold down and i sleep on. >> reporter: this is how faith and her family have been living since super storm sandy flooded their long island home with eight feet of water in october of 2012. >> it's terrible. i mean, you make due with what you need. you find out that you can be a simple person. >> reporter: her only desire is to get her family back home. >> every day is a fight. how many letters to i need to write today? how many phone calls do i need to make today? how am i supposed to get my family through each day? that's my hardest part. >> reporter: plus their bills amount to $2,500 a month. >> home own earns insurance flood insurance mortgage, even

though -- [ laughter ] >> i am not there. there is nothing there. >> reporter: even though local officials deemed their home unfit for human occupancy essentially condemning the property. their flood insurance policy, through fema, did not award them the maximum pay out. instead, stopping short by nearly $100,000. which is why construction here is at a standstill. how much were you paid out? >> we got 147. >> reporter: and what was the maximum pay out you could have gotten? >> 230. >> reporter: and you have been fighting ever since? >> for that -- for the refeigning yes. >> reporter: through appeals? >> uh-huh. >> reporter: and what do they tell new. >> still waiting. >> reporter: still waiting two and a half years later. a month ago we pressed u.s. representative cats lean rice for answers. she's on the home slapped security committee which oversees fema. >> what i think has to be done is that every single claim should be reviewed. >> reporter: and now fema has agreed it will do a full review of all sandy-related flood

claims that means nearly 144,000 cases whether they are open or closed. representative rice said thursday too many legitimate claims have been denied or under paid. too many people left feeling cheatcheated by a program they trusted. reviewing all claims is simply the right thing to do. for faith she says write this is wrong against her family still feels far away. but at least now she has hope. >> we just want to get home and sleep in a real house. >> reporter: so now to hear that fema after two and a half years is now announcing all right, we are going to look at every single sandy flood claim. >> great. >> reporter: does that give you nope. hope? >> yes i'll accepted in -- i have box of files in everything. i can give them anything they want, i can thome anything that they want. and i will show them anything that they want. because from it's like this. >> i want important to point out it's not like they are trying to build some extravagant house

here, the only reason it looks bigger is because new flood insurance policies require homes to be raised a personality in this case it's 11 feet in the air. the new home is still only one level, just a couple of hundred square feed larger than their original cottage. and john, one more note. representative rice is not the only member of congress to really push fema, there were a group of senators, u.s. senators from new york and new jersey who have also been applying pressure on the agency, even meeting with the head administrator this week. >> two and a half years. so now 144,000 claims they have to go through. how long will that take? >> yeah, they really do not know. a fema pokes person told me today there is no plan in place just yet it call take time and in a couple of weeks they are hoping to announce their big plan. what they may have have to end up doing here is coming one a 1(800)number or something like that and able zooing case managers to people that way. but the bottom line here -- >> it won't rebuild their homes. >> bottom line here, though, at least it gives them hope f their

claims is closed just like the ones here, now it's reopened and maybe it will mean more money. >> erica, thank you very much. an american who contracted ebola while working in sierra leone is returning to the u.s. for treatment. the patient expected to arrive tomorrow at the national institute of health clinical center in maryland. and will become the 11th ebola patient treated in the u.s. the healthcare worker has not been identified and will be kept in specialize layings designed for most serious infectious diseases. in suburban detroit. there is a fierce fight stirring over air phraoufpblgs the bat is over a chemical emitted by big industrial plants known at sulfur dioxide it can trigger chest paint cause respiratory problems like asthma. that's exactly what residents in michigan say is happening to them. until a larging alarming numbers bisi is in detroit with that. >> reporter: john, river rouge is a predominantly black low

income community and many people that live there say they believe this is a case of environment racism. now, a lot of residents over the years they have voiced their complaints with the state. well, now they are looking to the federal government to step in and crack down on the pollution. can you describe to me what would it smells like? >> it smells pretty much like rotten eggs. like old moldy garbage that's sitting around. the smell is very sour. and it's very -- >> reporter: eboni has lived in river rouge all of her life. she's convinced that what she smells is silver dioxide. a chemical that can lead to breathing problems especially for those with asthma. which is a condition elmo struggles with. >> we are fighting a rough fight with all of these factories and their pollution. our air quality is suffering severely and i feel like that's a big part that's playing in the decline of our population here

in river rouge. >> reporter: environmental scientists from the university of michigan say this detroit suburb is the most polluted zip code in michigan. the refineries, power plants and factories are a city unto themselves. many residents believe the environment is toxic. >> if a lot of us our getting our dreams cut short because we are not having the opportunity to breathe like normal people in a normal area. >> reporter: in a town hall meeting residents and clean air activists voice their concerns. >> pollution from these facilities has cumulative and adverse effects. multiple studies have shown that this pollution is negatively impacting human health and development. >> reporter: in 2012 the environmental protection agency tightened its national air quality standards. and monitoring showed that the sulfur dioxide levels in river rouge violated the federal clean air act. >> the industrial plants have until april to create a plan that will comply with federal

regular legses but residents wants the michigan department of environment quality to do more to hold these companies accountable. >> is it everything that it could be? maybe not. but it's industry. it's an industry area. is it conforming to state and federal clean air laws? yes, it is. >> reporter: so what about the people residents who are saying they suffer, asthma, respiratory problems, is that not associated with the air that they are breathing? >> i am not a doctor and wouldn't purport to know what anybody's individual health situation is: we do rigorous air monning throughout the area and have for a long time. >> why doesn't he come over here and breath the air that we have. >> reporter: former michigan state representative rashida has lost trust and is pushing for federal intervention. >> i talk to the deq earlier today and they tell me that the air is safe. >> absolutely not. that's ridiculous. when one of five children have asthma in southwest detroit. when respiratory disease is up, cancer is up. >> reporter: is moving an option? >> my biggest concern with that

is why should we move when we were here first, this is our commune 2eu6789 the issue you has pitted a small suburb against big industry. community activists say that pollution is a crime against humanity. and their fights for clean air won't end until emissions are reduce today a safer level. dte energy is one of the companies being scrutinized they did release a statement to me this evening that reads in part: >> reporter: still environmental activists tell me they are still going to push to tighter restrictions and more federal government involvement and they realize that there is still likely a very long road ahead. john. >> all right bisi, thank you. now to iraq where military

officials in the iraqi army saying they are winning the battle to retake tikrit. now, sadam hussein's hometown has been under isil control since june. last week the iraqi government launched an offensive to recapture the city. today they said they have nearly done that, but part of tikrit still remains in isil's hands. now a report. >> reporter: pounding en any targets on the outskirts of tikrit. on the fourth day of a huge offensive. about 3,000 iraqi soldiers and police have been attacking positions held by isil as they try to reach the city center. they backed by 20,000 militia men known as the popular mobilization forces and a far smaller number of sunni tribes men. while they are not lacking in military hardware, they have reportedly been slowed down by snipers, suicide bombers and booby trapped buildings. this footage purportedly shows iraqi forces stopping isil sueed

by bomb nurse a vehicle from reaching a military ba racks nero mad any iraq's western anbar province. in row romadi city center their commanders are triumphant. >> translator: isil tried to enter romadi city from owl four sides but thank god the local police force in cooperation with the time fighters stoppedded them. we debt maded their car bombs. >> reporter: in baghdad volunteers have been queuing up to donate blood. it's an initiative an initiative by artists. >> all iraqis including artists should participate in it blood donation campaign, this is a simple thing i off tore my country. >> reporter: elsewhere in the capital the prime minister told a crowd of students that forces fighting isil had made huge gains but said they also had to row text civilian life and product. >> translator: there are infiltrators who want to tarnish our victories by committing crimes and serious violations.

therefore we have issued strict orders to the police, army commanders and to the popular mobilization forces. >> reporter: but while the government insists its forces are advanceing in tikrit. the battle goes on. al jazerra. still ahead on this program from afghanistan to norway, to new york city, a message of hope and optimism through art. plus solving a mystery. what is causing these giant craters to form in siberia.

using surgery to treat psychiatric problems is not new. but ba are los angeles bot mys have given way to modern medical techniques like deep brain stimulation, techniques giving new hope to men many patients. america tonight's adam may reports. >> reporter: a simple hug. six months ago this would have been impossible for jennifer. baby steps right?

her obsessive compulsive disorder had taken control of her life. we first met jennifer last august, she has suffered from o.c.d. since childhood. at veer psychological disorder cutting her off from other people, and the outside world. as a last resort, she decided to undergo radical surgery. a ground breaking procedure called deep brain stimulation. could you take them off for me? six months later the gloves came off. >> i can take them off now i feel like i am not protected. >> reporter: the fact that she could do this without paralyzing fear is a dramatic change. until now numerous medications and countless therapy sessions have mostly failed. that's why she enrolled in this clinical trial at the re renowned mayo clinic in minnesota. at the time desperate for help.

doctored drilled two holes in her skull and placed electrodes deep inside her brain. then they rapidly adjusted the voltage, which changed her mood instantly. after the surgery jennifer continued having the electricity levels adjusted every two weeks. as doctors tried to find the right balance. >> at the time it was like super high to super low. it was good, bad good, bad and it was every few minutes or seconds. >> i think it's a very interesting area for medical research. a lot of people just hear about deep brain stimulation and what they think of instantly is psycho surgery. you know, we have had a horrific history in medicine of taking the brain apart. think los angeles bot mys. >> reporter: is this different? >> it is different. you can reverse and simply say if you don't like this, or this isn't working he will end it. i think those are the big ethical hallmark goeses that

make dbs different from all prior work in the brain. >> reporter: so everybody though it hasn't been a cure. >> right. >> reporter: you are happy you had it done? >> oh, god yes. >> i couldn't really remembered what happened. so like when i did feel it was very motivating because i am like, it's possible. it's physically possible for me to be happy. it can happen. >> adam may, al jazerra chicago. >> and you can see adam's full report laid our tonight on "america tonight." to a story coming up had in our next hour, more refugees settle in the united states than any other country. it's an amazing fact. 10s of thousands each year. but once mall group may experience is the most culture shock. stephanie si is here with that story. >> stephanie. >> good evening john, we are talking about north korean refugees tonight, there are only 150 known to be living in the u.s. through the resettle. program. many fled the communist country due to famine in the 1990s and

the transition from a country where you are told how to live to a free society can be jarring. we caught up with one family that redeath setoguchi go ahead in the korea town neighborhood of los angeles. >> translator: and i started having to dream to live in america. i had this dream about crazing children in the u.s. and giving they feel a better life. >> reporter: most north korean as who flee their homeland set until south korea but offense face discrimination there. in our next hour we'll hear more from this north korean family, john, about their life in the u.s. >> all right, we'll see you then stephanie. thank you very much. the art community in new york is filled with people who come from prominent families. but the president of a country that's uncommon. myriam's father is the new president of afghanistan. now the american-born artist finds herself balancing two very different worlds think david shuster reports. >> right behind where the camera is placed are a sets viking rock graves. >> reporter: myriam is a new

york born visual artist living in brooklyn. >> a spirited place. >> reporter: her new show opened recently. pictures from her book afghanistan, a lexicon. >> a lexicon was originally made in 2011. for me it's an important kind of project to do because it points to the sort of lesser known histories of afghanistan. >> reporter: she has a special connection with afghanistan her father is that country's president. her mother, is from lebanon. >> most of the time that i was growing up there were these wars happening in my parent' countries, and so for me the idea of politics has never been abstract, it's always been extremely personal. >> reporter: she has been a professional artist for 14 years. >> i am always interested in the history of places and perhaps that comes from growing up as parts of a family where there so many

different histories. >> reporter: her father, a ph.d who taught an there polling in united states and did finance at the world bank has been afghanistan's president for just five months. >> i think at first i was surprised. and then you know, when i saw him kind of in his element in afghanistan it all made sense to me. >> reporter: that could be because the family has been involved in afghanistan politics for over 100 years. >> my parents themselves are very do you understand to earth people and they have never been interested in being elite in any way. they are only interested in being public servants and that's the way my brother and i were also raised. >> reporter: and they were also raised, she says, to pull together. so when daughter began working on lexicon. >> it's a much shawler selection made in to prints. >> reporter: she sought out via skype her father's historical

perspective. >> i am drawing from, you know, this very deep knowledge of afghanistan that he has. >> reporter: as for daughter helping her dad. >> occasionally we talk about certain aspects of politics but it's not like i haven't advisory role. [ laughter ] >> reporter: sticker the press of afghanistan and his american artist daughter share much in common. most are hoping to show what afghanistan was and what it could be again. >> the history of modernism the history of inter lex it upism. all of these other afghanistans that once existed and possibly could exist again if not in exactly the same form, but maybe in an updated or transformed one. >> reporter: has your dad had a chance to see the exhibit any form or fashion? >> not yet he's a busy man. >> reporter: i can't imagine. >> but my mom did. >> reporter: what was her

reaction? >> he she likes but she's also very supportive. >> reporter: her mother has an office in the presidential palace where the first lady tries help afghan women and assist the hundreds of thousands of people in the country horse guesswho aredisplayed. >> if she thinks there is something that deck with minimal intervention she does it, most of the time she's just listening to people which is really kind a valuable service. >> reporter: and service is if he heart of the began-y family, they are all trying to help the afghan people persevere. >> the struggle of life say theme of afghan election con. which is a struggle to realize the a series of dreams. and not necessarily being able to realize them fully but the dreams persist. and you know, the dreams continue. and the dreams are still there. and to be pictured up again. >> reporter: a message of hope and op at optimism from kabul to new

york city. david shuster, al jazerra, new york. now to some large craters that are appearing seemingly out of nowhere in siberia. some say it's the result of naturally occurring methane gas carolyn from the u.s. year logical survey says it could be because caused by climate change, here is our first person report. >> most recent reports that i have seen from siberia there are now a handful of these craters over a larger geographic area than they had originally thought. well, i mean, there have been some articles that imply that we should be worried about them. because there has been elevated methane. some of the pictures seem to indicate that there is ejected material. so you might think of like a volcano ejecting material. again, the jury is still out on all of that. but in terms of the total contribution to methane in the atmosphere, there is nothing to worry about. one thing that's very interesting that's now emerging is the idea that prior to the

existence of these craters there may have been an elevated feature that is called a ping other. , the score of these hills mob made of ice so it's like an ice core. one of the things that have been talked about with at warming climate ice is the core of the hills melts very rapidly and collapses and the idea would be if they are warming more rapidly, then perhaps that's one explanation for this phenomenon. it would be fantastic if one were caught in the process of forming it would provide so much information about the time of the evolution of the crater. whether there truly is gas emission or explosion related to the formation of the crater. they are obviously very interesting phenomenon and whenever a large hole appears whether it's in a sinkhole

environment for example in florida or in these permafrost settings in sigh beer yeah, i think people were naturally a little concerned about if you will the ground falling out from under their feet. that is our program. thank you for watch i am john siegenthaler, the news continues next with antonio and stephanie.

broken nation, syria is on the verge of a major milestone. five years of conflict. now some international observers are taking aim at a global response that they believe is bankrupt. >> can't they see the impact that their failure to compromise is creating in this situation? and the remains of aleppo the day are you will he at of life for pima mid the ruins. after four years of fighting, syria's health system has collapsed. >> most of the doctors were either killed or fled. >> in ukraine, the slide from