many challenges from corruption to an energy crisis security to infrastructure decay. yet many nighians are hopeful for change. plenty more news for you on our website, aljazeera.com. ♪ ♪ dangerous flooding hits big parts of the south people have lost their lives and homes are washed out as the streets turn to rivers. an american journalist on trial in iran for spying. but the case is being heard behind closed doors. and a day at the beach turns into chaos when a bounce house goes air born with children inside.

this is al jazeera america life from new york city. parts of the stoudt central u.s. are reeling from massive rains and flooding that has pounded them for days. at least sen people have been killed and in one town as many as a dozen more are missing. our emergency crews crews have been busy all night. they have been rescuing people from submerged cars stranding on the roads. people have also been requested from flooded homes. 37 counties have been declared disaster areas. president obama spoke about the damage moments ago. >> i assured the governor he could count on the help of the federal government. we have fema personnel on the ground, they are coordinating with texas emergency management authorities. and i will anticipate that

there will be some significant requests made now there is a lot of damage near san antonio. >> the city was under a overnight curfew for fear the waters once would again rise the river saw catastrophic flooding over the weekend and because of the rains last night there was fears of a repeat disaster. but thankfully, that flash flood warning has since expires although the dangers are still south of here. as for the town of wimberly, the search for 12 missing people from two families has shifted from rescue now to recovery.

witnesses say early sunday morning they saw floodwaters sweep this home off of foundations and smash it into a bridge where it split into pieces. rescue workers did find one man swept downstream from that group, he is the only one to be found alive, and rescue workers expect today that they will find bodies wrath err than those missing family members and friends. now, elsewhere in texas emergency continues in more than 30 counties in austin, there were over overnight recoveries and reesekys from roof tops and in hue son people awoke to stay home, stay away from roads in order to avoided the danger of floods on the roads. >> houston's major spoke about the damage, schools there are closed and she said two people have been found dead by rescuers. >> last night we had torrential rain.

roughly 10:30 2:00 in the morning. and we have localized street flooding. sheet flooding in certain areas, and the underpasses the places in houston that often flood this a very severe rain, flooded. so we had a lot of folks who had to abandon cars and we had a lot of high water rescue from vehicles. obviously the worst thing that has happened is the loss of life here. it's as i said, it was really two different types of flooding events. the treed flooding from the really torrential downpour last night we have cared all over the city, and as the floodwaters go down, that's one thing we are doing to make sure that no one is trapped in those vehicles. helicopters went up at first light, and they have been doing overflights the bios,

and the flooded areas looking for people on the roofs looking to see if there's assistance needed there. >> now some people were stuck overnight at the toyota center in houston after the rockets basketball game. the arenaening maniment urged them to stay because of the bad weather we spoke with one fan early this morning. >> we saw a river basically. they asked us not to leave for our own safety, so we just stayed there. we walked and once we saw what was going on, it was just crazy winds. a lot of rain coming down, thunder and lightening, and then on top of that we just saw the floods through the streets. >> our car was about four streets away, luckily we can't get suck merged, some other cars got stuck i know some people from high schools and other friends that left as soon as the game was over, and by the time they got to

their cars and tried to get home some of them lost their cars. >> lawn finally left the arena after 6:00 o'clock this morning, mexico's president enrique has visit add town devastated by a tornado. at least 13 people were killed. right across the border from del rio texas the twister tore a mile long path, destroying houses and upending vehicles. hundreds were injured. president obama met this morning with the head of nato the president and secretary general sat down at the white house among the issues they talked about russia and on going tensions in ukraine. they also discussed progress in the mission to train afghan security forces. that's where a series of attacks have killed at least 20 security personnel including police officers in afghan soldiers. two taliban says it was responsibility, the group has taken over three army check points and surrounded a correct headquarters.

jennifer glass has more from kabul. >> there have been a number of attacks across afghanistan, not only in the province where they are enganging security forces in three different areas of that southern province, but also in canada what are, in southern afghanistan in central afghanistan and four attackers tried to mount an assault on the local court they managed to kill two policeman before those four were attacked. in northern afghanistan fighting is heavy, as well as kind due's province, that has been going on for about a month. this is a lot of pressure on a force that is fighting on it's own, they are helping basically, train advice, and assist, as well as a small american contingent here, four or 5,000 american force whose are allowed to engang in counter terrorism missions that new orleans they can call in air strikes. but the security forces don't

have the kind of air power that they had when nato was here and that has proved really a great challenge for them. two taliban emboldened by this, are launching larger and more complex attacks. not just in the south and the east, they are traditional strong holds where way saw a lot of attacks but also in the north. where they have been present but not really very aggressive now they seem to be certainly more confident that they know that the afghan security forces don't have the kind of air cover that they used to have when nato was actively working here in afghanistan. so it is a very very fierce fighting season, we have seen a number of attacks across the country just in the last day or so, and afghan forces working very hard to try and coordinate their efforts to try and minimize very heavy casualties last year the casualties we are seeing the same thing again today facing

a very big challenge as they try to security the country. >> al-shabaab says it has killed 25 police officers in a kenyan village close to the border. officials did not confirm the deaths but say several police officers are missing after an ambush. al-shabaab kills hundreds of people, in april. iraqi troops are on their way to anbar province. rebel fighters took control of the capitol last week, state t.v. handing over weapons to the army, the troops will be backed by shia and soonny fighters. >> iraqi security forces gather on the i believe of ramadi preparing to retake the and i which fell to fighters. more than a week ago.

it is likely to be a long operation. there are reports. they will leave the operation with backing from shia militia, many of which are from iran, and coalition led by the united states. the army is also gearing up for other operations. but the full of ramadi and isil in control from syria into an bar, it is feared fighters could push into baghdad to prevent this man is securing the outskirts of the capitol the down just under 30-kilometers is being fort fied. we are fighting a psychological war we have been accused of retreating, we are not we are now backing up our troops and preparing for the fall. >> the forces here are mainly shia militia since the prime minister brought them under the command of the government, they fly a new

flag. ft.fying baghdad comes with a unique challenges. this is the bridge, the last safe place to cross from anbar province into baghdad with the operation now underway, it is likely we will see more scenes like this fears of what comes next are common here. >> as long as we sunnies are marginalized to fight will take a long time. there are sunni forces willing to fight and i would join that fight if the government accepts us. >> security forces have opened and closed this bridge at random, concerned that isil fighters will enter baghdad, and that's only increasing the tension. >> there's no doubt that iraq has a huge challenge on it's hands. and defeating isil. but it is not just within anbar pro vince, it is also securing baghdad as well, many people say that if baghdad falls then isil will have won but there are other significant challenges that

including finding homes for these people who are fleeing the violence and making sure they get back home eventually. al jazeera on the outskirts of anbar province. >> one of iran's top military officers is criticizing the u.s. mission in iraq. the head of iran's rev musician guard says it is the u.s. that does haven't the will to defeat isil. and says that the u.s. didn't -- it's not clear if the comments were in response to ash carter that said if the army that does haven't the will to fight. well the trial of an iranian journalist jailed in iran is underway today. washington post reporter is accused of espeonnage, but the trial is happening in secret. patty has more on the story.

charged with spying and disseminating propaganda. not even his family can attend the trollop miss brother believes that is telling. >> they will have a trial and keep it as close as possible, so there's less information for people to say why have you head this person, he is totally innocent. >> he was raised in the u.s., but made a documentary about returning to the country his father left. not the actual journey but the happens i had to jump through to get position to visit. >> he stayed received dual citizenship, and took a job working for the washington post. >> the editor said he tried to get a visa to go into iran but didn't hear anything back. >> basically making the case unless our journalist is freed you can't trust iran to follow through so far the administration says they are

treating as separate issues although they have called for his release. >> he has been in prison for nothing more than writing about the fears and hopes of the people scarying their stories in an effort to bridge our humanity. >> be able to see his family, but insists that's all he can do. >> this is a judicial matter, which the judiciary is involved they believe the charges against him are serious, but he will go through the process with full access to his lawyers and he will go through a trial his bosses are hope that the judge will throw out the case but they are more apprehensive now that they know the evidence will stay secret al jazeera washington. >> coming up on al jazeera america, closing a dark chapter in cleveland's history a possible settlement is near after the justice department detailed excessive

force and paying off student loans why the risk rises as you get older.

>> amtrak is adding new video cameras inside it's locomotives. the cameras will be positions to record moving in response to the deadly derailment earlier this month. that is engineer can't remember what happened. >> well, a settlement is being announced about an hour from now between the justice department and the city of cleveland. the police force has been under investigation resulting in a scathing report detailing a pattern of abuse. john henry smith is here. >> the cleveland police department has come under heavy scrutiny for a series of indense including a hail of bullets between two unarmed people two years ago. that incident spark add

federal investigation, and the acquittal of one of the officers in that case. that sparked protests. >> the report of a settlement between the d. o.j. and the police comes after a weekend of mostly peaceful unrests hundreds turned out after a judge cleared him in the dilling of timothy russell. he was one of 13 officers reported to have fired 137 shots as the unarmed couple sat in their car after being chased by police for more than 20 miles. two officer jumped on the hood and fired at least 15 shots right through the windshield. perillo claimed he was in fear for his life. >> it is his perception of the threat that matters. >> it is a tragedy because nobody is being held accountable. >> while this was the incident that prompted the d. o. j. 18 month investigation there have been other incidents. the shooting by a rookie cop last november by 12-year-old that mere rice who was

holding a toy gun. and were colted with time served instead of paying a $150 fine. the protestors say they have no regrets. >> i think we have a long way to go to fight. and i believe that we will win. >> again the justice department will announce it's settlement with the city within the next hour, we will bring that announcement to you live here on al jazeera. erica. >> all right john henry smith, thank you. >> well, college students all over the country have been graduating this month but it does not mean that the school responsibilities are over, many of them find themselves wraggeed down with student loans that could take decades to pay off. reports from chicago. >> melissa found a way to beat the system. >> s so a a student he

qualified for grants. northwestern university as a undergraduate, and the university of chicago for graduate school at the cost of nearly $50,000 a year now 32 she still owes about $35,000 in student loans but they are deferred while she is earning her phd in sociology. but hers is a rare story. >> for many, big loans are the only way they can make it on to a campus like this, but once they leave those loans can become crippling. and the harder it is to pay those off. >> increasingly students are paying off those loans later in their 30's, 40's, even 50's and they are owing more the u.s. federal reserve says while those in their 20's own on average just under $20,000 those in their 30's owe just under $30,000. that trend also holds in canada and the u.k. shawn says the reason can be

explained in two words. >> compound interest. so the older you get and theless you are able to pay that compound interest will build and build and build which makes eight lot harder. >> his company sponsor change.org links skilled graduates in pittsburgh, washington d.c., and chicago, with companies that pay off their student loans directly out of their salaries. companies like blue 1647, a nonprofit center. >> we have a lot of students that are really talented but they are one small digital scale away from being highly employment and what way try to do is make sure we reduce their debt so they can start companies take on more risk. >> with one in four graduates behind on their loans melissa abad says her loans will impact her lifestyle for years to come. the combination of growing up in a household not placing value on material things and

learning how to budget a small budget, there's certain things i can continue to do without. >> and the job she takes will be determined largely on how it helped pay off her loans. >> some navy veterans say they are suffering and the government is not helping up next the new battle over agent orange exposure in vietnam, stay with us.

>> the children were dumped out of the bounce house. and on to the sand. >> i was able to die. >> >> i was in h the bounce house, and then the bounce house flew, and i fell in the dirt. >> the waterspout was packing

wind gusts up to 85 miles per hour the inflatable house was properly secured. >> police are now looking into whether the death of b.b. king was murder. the blues legend dies earlier this month. two of his daughters claim their father was poisoned by two close associations. las vegas police say there is no evidence of foul play, but they will investigate autopsy results could take up to two months. a group of u.s. nave i have veterans are still fighting for benefits. the u.s. government is refusing to cover the cost. he has been fighting the department of veteran affairs for years. >> i wanted to be in the army, i wanted to go, and i did. >> he was an electrician on a kind of floating repair shop,

called the u.s. s. prairie sailing the blue waters off the vietnam coast, he is known today as a blue water vet. but 20 years ago he said he got sick. >> the doctor did blood work and said how long have you been a diabetic, and i said i didn't know i was. with no family history he blames the diabetes and the prostate cancer, and a crippling burning sensation in his hands and feet on agent orange. agent orange is a defoliant u.s. used to clear forests. it sprayed 20 million gallons of agent orange. but paul says veterans affairs won't help him pay for treatment firstly because it has no record of the u.s. s. prairie ever being in vietnam. >> ships keep log of what is going on, and 43 years ago nothing was entered into the death logs and that baffles

me and my shipmates as to why. >> and secondly, because even if it was them, paul was a sailor at sea rather than a soldier with boots on the ground. the v. a. points out that agent orange wasn't sprayed at sea but ships picked up the chemical through sea water. >> navy ships pull in the saltwater, and there's been studies to show that when it is decalvin niced the chemical still obviously stays in the water and it becomes thousands of times more concentrated than what they were exposed to on the ground. >> the v.a. does also say those who served on water were not expose today the agent. what do you say to that? >> we were. they do know it because from 1991 until 2002, the blue water navy veterans did receive from the v. a. benefits for disability and their illnesses from agent owner. >> but in the 2002, the v.a. changed it's rules and

excluded blue water veterans from claiming for illnesses that may have been directly links to agent orange. who serves up to 12 miles offer shore of vietnam. agent orange did not discriminate between those who stood on boats on rivers and those offshores. >> that the v. a. will continue to accept and review on a case by case bases all blue water vietnam veteran claims. and the work to ensure that veterans serving on blue water ships that operated on vietnam's inland waterways or september crew members ashore are identified. my goal is to simply right this wrong as quickly as possible. >> former u.s. nave i have says these have been left behind, but the head has the power to act immediately. >> with the stroke of a pen today, he could say those

veterans who served on ships are eligible for medical benefits. the bumper sticker on his car says all you need to know, he is very proud of his service and now he just wants his government to step up to the plate in the same we he did over 40 years ago. >> we served our country and we are sick from a chemical that was used during the war. and we need to be taken care of. john tarot, al jazeera manchester connecticut. >> while memorial day has come can to an end unimage is getting a lot of attention. this is this photograph. several years ago it shows a bald eagle perched on a gravestone in minnesota a friend encouraginged the photograph tore reach out to the soldier's widow which led to a local news story that has gone viral.

thank you for joining us, the news continues next. fears of reprecautions as shia militias help take on isil in the hotter land. hello, i am lauren taylor, this is al jazeera live, also coming up, malaysian investigators dig up the remaining of dozens of people thought to be trafficked migrants. the oil flows again as agreement is reached in the fuel dispute but power shortages continue. and the financial black hole that's cast new doubt over russia's space program.