are is. >> this attack exemplifies an era of in which terror attacked go viral. >> is it fear mongering? overmedicated. >> the same antipsychotics are used in group home for foster children. >> prescribeingprescribing psychiatric

drugs to children in foster homes. >> himless veterans. tonight, the secret to houston am success story. plus out of africa. >> i was very taken by the ethiopiaian people. the ethiopian peep. they are -- people. they are very calm. >> part of the journey that changed his life. >> we begin with what authorities in boston called an imminent attack against their own. officials say the suspect osama raheen heen threatened the head of a boston police officer. authorities say they are looking

into whether he was radicalized by i.s.i.l. and i.s.i.l. propaganda. john terret has more from washington. >> garland texas may 4th. two men in. >> suspected of plotting to behead at least one individual and randomly kill police officers. praise for law enforcement in both cases on capitol hill wednesday. >> unfortunate you have to get it right every time and they have to get it right just once. >> we are monitoring for any type of overt steps any mobilization factors and when we see those we're not taking the chance. >> the fbi telling the homeland security committee what links garland to boston is the

internet. >> a new era in which terrorism has gone viral. >> especially that part of the internet most people don't see the so-called dark space. >> do we have any idea how many communications are taking place in the dark space? >> no we don't. we are past going dark in certain circumstances we are dark. the ability to know what they're saying is trouble being. >> the trouble is the dark space is so encrypted even internet service providers don't have software to make sense of it. the white house is on notice, that's got to change. >> we don't want to be in a situation where their technology is responsible for someone seeking to carry out an act of violence to evade detection from the federal government. >> reporter: prime targets for i.s.i.l. and al qaeda young people. the panel noting that online recruiting is on the rise. the fbi has identified thousands of what it calls radical problem

began dysespropbegan dyses. propagandists . too much loose lipped talk about islam and major global religion. >> the question becomes how often are we going to get hit in the mouth before we realize we may be playing into it unnecessarily by just being callous and cruel. >> i don't think any one event fuels this, coming at our system of freedoms is what they're trying to undermine. >> and it is web savvy youngsters that this panel is trying to get at. there are about 2,000 hard core jihadis.

retweeting these to a further 200,000 people. after that john, who knows? >> john thank you. freedom act ushers in a new generation. records kept by the phone companies can only be accessed by the nsa with permission from a federal court. now to anthrax. the u.s. army's anthrax problem. much bigger than first reported. the defense department says live samples of the potentially deadly bacteria went to three foreign countries and several states. jamie mcintire is at the pent gone with more. jamie. >> it was 12 days ago that the maryland laboratory made a surprising discovery an anthrax

virus was aliven and capable of growing. -- alive and capable of growing. it doesn't know why and it doesn't know how big the problem is. with the defense secretary out of the country on travel it fell to the pentagon's number 2 to lay out just how serious and mysterious the flaws in the handling of anthrax turned out to be. >> everyone in the department of defense takes this issue very seriously because it is a matter of public health and also the health of all of the members of our department. >> reporter: while the pentagon insists there is zero risk to the public, what initially seemed to be a problem limited to nine states has nearly doubled in a week. and now officials admit could potentially include every state. here is the story by the numbers. the live samples were sent to 51

states 17 labs and the district of columbia, as well as outside the united states but zero are sick. why? the pentagon says the anthrax used for testing biowarfare detection equipment was sent in small doses one mill i one milliliter. >> the pentagon is testing all 400 batches of anthrax in its possession 396 are still in the process of being tested which takes ten days. the investigation is looking into several glaring surveil yours in the standard protoco for deactivating the anthrax before the shipment.

the radiation failed and the process for verifying the death failed. only the shipping process worked. commander franka jones showed how the tiny vials were packed in zip lock bags, put in an unbreakable container and packed frozen in a box surrounded by dry ice. >> i think you're getting the point that one milliliter of liquid is going to have a hard time getting out of this container. >> jones said that no one was at risk even in the lab the possibility was minutely small. >> people have worked with this material for ten years and nobody has contracted anthrax from the material. which gives us confidence that the risk is really low as we are

stating. >> the fentthe pentagon has promised to work around the clock and plit complete its initial review within 30 days. john. >> all right jamie thank you. more than 5,000 rescue workers have been deployed to the site where the cruise ship cappize ed during a storm monday night. cries for help were heard on tuesday but cutting through the hull has yielded nothing so far. divers are hindered by strong currents around the ship. china's government has vowed that the search will go on. >> the focus is to try find the survivors. we will keep the hope to the last minute. >> relatives of the missing tried to stage a demonstration in shanghai. so far 14 people have been rescued, more than 2 dozen bodies have been recovered, more than 400 people are still

missing. chinese authorities say a tornado may have caused the ship to capsize. kevin corriveau is here. kevin. >> normally we don't see as many tornadoes there as we do in the united states. we see hundreds of tornadoes. what we can see in china it's there along the coastal regions you have to have a body of award, south korea as well as japan but the yangtze river is definitely susceptible to tornadic activities. ten tornadoes compared to the united states 400 plus tornadoes we normally see in one year here. it could have definitely hatched but we did see the storms in the region. >> don't we have the technology nowadays to figure out whether a tornado might be coming, the conditions right?

>> it's china versus the united states. they have different technology and when you talk about massive storms like this take a look at the satellite images, notice the huge thunderstorms that pushed through. they definitely saw this but in order to see a tornado you're actually looking for radar you're really accessing it in a different technology. they don't have the same warning system that we do in this country so it's a little bit different. i think a lot of areas were prepared. some ships even chord but this particular ship didn't anchor. >> kevin thanks very much. a major development into corruption at fifa world soccer's governing body.in a 40 page federal court document a former fifa executive says he accepted bribes in exchange for support of the highly celebrated world cup.

kristin saloomey. >> here is the linchpin of the world body, chuck blairs in blazer in 2011. >> i'm very proud of our accomplishments. >> reporter: while he is credited with advancing the sport in the united states he was pocketing millions of dollars of bribes and kick backs at the same time. his lavish lifestyle and the fact he wasn't paying taxes attracted the attention of u.s. authorities. >> and that's really how this whole fifa investigation really got rolling. the irs and the fbi had leverage over chuck blazer and he cooperated to the fullest extent even making secret recordings of his fellow sport executives at the 2012 olympics. >> he is one of four men who have already pleaded guilty in the corruption investigation. in an unsealed triment transcript,

blairsplayser dplidz admits admits to receiving bribes and kick backs for broadcast rights to five gold cups the north american regional competition in the '90s and early 2000s. at the time he was a deputy of jack warner who has been charged as a co-conspirator in the broadening fifa corruption scandal. however, what if anything blazer has to say about outgoing fifa president sepp blatter remains a mystery. kristin saloomey, al jazeera new york. >> coming up next on this broadcast, prescription drugs

the alarming rate that doctors are prescribing prescription drugs to vulnerable children. and gun violence in the united states, a proposal by a chicago area lawmaker to try ostop it. to stop it.

>> tonight, a major development regarding use of psychiatric drugs for children in foster care. children in foster care are four times more likely in california alone to be treated with psychiatric drugs. this evening the senate approved a exriive bill comprehensive bill that would monitor the use of psychiatric drugs. more on that measure in just a moment but first here is melissa chan. >> my parents were addicted to meth. and they wouldn't feed me. >> neglected tisha ortiz would steal quarters to buy food. by the time she exited the foster system she was taking 12 psychotropic pills a day. >> how old were you and did they ever consult you what you

wanted? >> at 14 was when i started taking these medications. at first when i was at the mental hospital did. i wasn't on that many. i think i was only on two at first. but then i went to the group home they started adding more and more. >> reporter: the cocktail of drugs left the once healthy teen with serious side effects. >> i have like irregular heartbeat. i have thyroid problems where it makes me very hard to lose weight. i didn't feel like i was in control of my body. >> mariah another foster youth entered the system after witnessing her father murdering a child. >> the only thing i remember was moving home to home, placement to placement. i was traumatized. >> mariah's reaction, tantrums screaming throwing things. dorks eventuallydorkzdoctors eventually

prescribed her 20 different antipsychotics. half of all children there are on psychotropic pills. the state spends more on these potent medications for foster children than they do for any other drugs. >> what we are dealing with are profound traumas or the these children and there's no medication that can address that prospect. >> dr. george stewart works to take children off the pills. >> it's really hard for me to see children being mistreated. because it is mistreatment by a system that doesn't provide what they need. >> taken to task by lawmakers at a hearing this spring administrators at the public health system responsible for

providing care to foster youth can only say they are working on the problem. >> how many lives have been lost? we can't let another year, let alone a decade slip away without solutions. >> that's what i was going to say, trauma informed care is the way to go and you have some of the lowest paid people work in the group homes that have no training. i do think we are changing. have we fixed it? absolutely not. >> used in group homes for foster children to is he sedate and control. >> sat down with al jazeera to discussion the time frame for change. >> how does this change for foster children in terms of their experience, when will we see that change? >> we should be seeing change beginning now. we've published the deadlines we've published the foster care mental health tbil bill of rights.

>> the state still reimburses nor more for pills than for care. do you think that will change? >> intensive care accordance. >> the staple has introduced severalty bills to combat induce. >> the doctor only knew me from secondhand judgment she wrote from a note pad. >> the state bills have received extensive support. >> strong support, thank you. >> mariah now 15 and out of foster care is finally back home with her mother. >> going to college going to get a job. going to have a family.

that i don't put on meds. >> for tisha ortiz trying to make it through college. >> from the get-go, when i was younger i said i didn't want to be like my parents. didn't want to become failures. >> what she wants to do, get a law degree to fight for the rights of children. melissa chan. al jazeera hayward california. >> works now to advocate for proper diagnosis and medication for children in foster care. he's in culver city, california tonight. michael you said you were miss diagnosed. how does that happen? >> that's a good question. i'm not really sure how it happened. i think the doctors really misinterpreted my behavior as being bipolar and a whole you

bunch of different things. >> how many pills a day? is. >> at one point over three a day, a night. >> how did that change your life life? >> i gained a ton of weight and even though i'm much slimmer now, i am concerned about my weight. my friends are well you're so skinny. coming from a place where i was bigger, i concerns me still. i really do think that there are issues that the medications present later on in life that you don't even know has to do with the medications like maybe higher anxiety social anxiety i can't really prove it but i feel that way. >> i have to say these numbers of stunning that there are so many foster kits that foster kids

that are given drugs at a much higher rate than the population. who is responsible for that? >> i think foster system is responsible for that. everyday people watching this newscast right now and people who aren't watching it, i think it's a collective issue i think it's society's issue. we have to come together and say you know what, we need to do something to make a meaningful difference. i think if that happened then things can change. >> so if kids in the system, are kids in the system being medicated as the first resort? >> i think oftentimes, and the reports suggest it, that it is the first resort because it is easy, it's convenient to give a kid a pill, sedate them, when they're showing angry outbursts. it's not easy to put them in therapy and hope therapy works

over time. medication is instant and sometimes that's the first line of intervention. >> the legislation in california hasn't passed the assembly yet it passed the senate and would have to be signed by the governor. how pervasive per vase important is the legislation? >> it is superimportant. attorneys or social workers we know what needs to happen but if we can go to law and say hey you have to do this because it's law, that it's power that really gives us some line of support where we're really trying to change the narrative. >> what is your message to kids who are in foster care right now when it comes to this topic? >> yeah, my message is, speak up. you have to speak up in and voice your opinions. document everything, follow up

with your caseworker, your attorney everyone. first know that you only deserve the best and go out there and seek the best. hope that people are accountable to give you the best. follow up with people. >> thank you for sharing your story tonight. next the program designed to protect at risk teens from gun violence. then in houston the city that says it's ended homelessness for veterans. veterans.

>> hi everyone, this is al jazeera america i'm john siegenthaler. under the gun. one official's controversial plan to end chicago's gang wars. >> they shoot innocent people. what do you call them? they are domestic terrorists. >> as cities across america face a spike in violent crime.

homeless veterans. the first lady's challenge to end the crisis. >> is when a veteran comes home kissing the ground it is unacceptable that he should ever have to sleep on it. >> how houston and other cities say they've done it. plus a new perspective. the american photographer capturing the history and the humanity of ethiopia. the first ever national gun violence awareness day was held yesterday and it watts inspired by the 2013 killing of chicago schoolgirl. yesterday, also saw at least five people wounded in separate shootings in chicago. both shootings and homicides are up there this year. and officials are weighing drastic steps to try to end the violence. ash-har quraishi is in chicago with more. >> reporter: we're heading into the summer months when the number of shootings and homicides tends ojump. in the first 151 days of 2015

there are about 161 murders that is an average of more than one a day and officials say it's sometime to take drastic measures. just a snapshot of how fast and ensure use violence can hit the windy city. >> my baby, my baby. >> saturday night may 23rd, 12:30 a.m. one hour later 1:28 a.m., mother and son shot in their car. that same night 2:24 a.m., shot multiple times in the chest cpr administered victim unresponsive. by the end of memorial day weekend, a dozen killed and over 40 shootings concentrated in chicago's troubled south and west sides. >> i rahm emanuel. >> erupted days after rahm

emanuel used his second inauguration speech. >> we as a city must and can do better. when young men and women turn lives of crime for hope, we as a city must and can do better. when prison is a place we send young boys to become men we as a city must and can do better. >> today we are here to shine a light on the terrible darkness of gun violence in chicago. >> last week, cook coined commissioner richard boyken introduced a new initiative. >> expansion of drug courts and other -- >> the controversial center piece, charge shooters with domestic terrorism. but legal experts say bringing domestic terrorism charge against shooting suspects is

unproductive. >> last july we met up with tanya birch. since 2009 she has been searching for the shooter of her 15-year-old son dionte smith. >> i was told from the time i go out and pass out my flier i was told at least 150 to 200 people. >> and no one came forward with information? >> not a one no one came forward. >> tanya told us not much has changed. witnesses refused to come forward. the case remains unsolved and today her pain is still raw. >> getting up and he's not here. trying to make the through a day. thinking about i wonder, is someone going to come through and say, this is what happened

to my son? knowing that he wasn't perfect but he wasn't a bad child neither. knowing that his case could have been solved if people would come together and say what happened. >> reporter: and as the weather heats up chicago residents are bracing for another deadly summer season. >> it seems the more warmer the weather is the more killing there is. and i'm not looking forward to any more parents joining the club i'm in since i lost my son. it's so heartache and feeling like you can't get over it. >> reporter: city officials continue to point to a steady stream of guns on the streets that are the core to the problem. 7,000 last year and it's what turns playground fights often into murder investigations. >> richard boyken is the democratic cook county commissioner on the west side, recently released a seven point

plan to reduce gun violence in the city. thank you very much for coming to the program. >> thank you very much for having me. i'm honored to be here. >> tell us about the problems you think chicago faced an what the answer is? >> i think most pressing problem confronting the city of chicago and the county of cook right now is the issue of gun violence. we've had since january 900 plus people shot. we've had more than 160 people killed. i mean this is a big issue. it's important that we deal with the issue and as elected officials it is our obligation to make sure that we protect our citizens. and so we've put together a seven-point plan. it is a holistic plan. we think if the seven-point plan is adopted we think that it can help curb the gun violence in chicago. and i'm also confident if we have the same plan adopted in

other places like baltimore like new york city, like you know places where they're experiencing a spike in violence violence and gun violence in particular, i think that this plan implemented in those places will help reduce the violence. >> one of your ideas is to get tough on crime and get tough to people that commit gun violence and you say people who pull the trigger and co-conspirators ought to be charged with domestic terrorism. why should peep in those communities be -- people in those communities be charged with a tougher crime than other people in other communities commit the same act? >> these individuals who are the small but determined group of individuals, they don't fear the law, they don't fear god. we have to do something. it is a state of emergency john. we have to do something to make sure we combat this gun violence. it is a matter of life and death. individuals, look, we have an

opportunity to live the american dream. the constitution affords us that opportunity. life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. young people are being killed in the gun fire because these gangs are destabilizing communities. what i say to you is this. what's the difference between an african-an american citizen who actually joins up with al qaeda or i.s.i.s. and their mission is to destroy and kill americans and destabilize america and an individual who joins up with a gang who wants to control and coercion certain areas of the community, and they will do it by any means necessary? >> but you know the argument on the other side. i mean stop and frisk is a big concern in african american communities and you hear many african americans don't trust police don't think they're fair in the way they dole out justice in the community. how does that square with what you just said?

>> john, in the month of may alone we had 300 shootings in the month of may. 300 people got shot in chicago in may alone 37 people got killed. these are numbers that you expect in a war zone. these are not numbers that you expect in a civilized society. much less in the city of chicago. and so these individuals are being ignored, i mean they are not -- he knows that there's a problem. he has to get his arm around it. he has to have a plan. we put forth a seven point plan. we hope to have a real discussion on that plan. >> commissioner it's good to speak with you. thanks for joining us, we appreciate it. >> thank you very much. >> philadelphia has the highs rate of any u.s. city, guns are used in 80% of those killings where most of the victims are young black men. a new city program is aiming to put a dent about had those

numbers. "america tonight's" sarah hoye has that story. >> take a young man pointing a .40 caliber handgun and that young man will stand over la mont and at point blank range he will shoot la mont ten times more. >> reporter: the final moments of 16-year-old la monlt adams mont adams told in disturbing detail by scott charles. >> la mont is going to have a bullet wound there there and there. >> his audience not medical students but a group of at risk teens. they have come to the hospital as part of the cradle to grave program, scott sponsored as hopes of ending gun violence. greatest risk of dying from gun

injury. 15 to 24, gun violence is the leading cause of death. with gun violence at epidemic levels many public health officials argue that it should be taken as seriously as a contagious disease. >> how many of you have known somebody who has ebola? how many people do you know who has been shot? this is an ep demi an ep an epidemic. >> why do you do this? >> the kids, the students, what they see on the tv, what they hear on a radio or see in a video game.

>> greek poet aristotle once said,. all you have to do is look at the statistics. nearly 26% of philadelphians hover near the poverty line. some 60% of children here live in a household headed by a single parent while just 61% of philadelphia high school students graduates in four years. >> i remember when i started doing this ten years ago. probably a month or two in i turned to dr. goldberg and said, i don't know if i can continue doing this. she said why? i said i find myself crying, frustrated upset. she said, it's okay to cry you can be put off but you've got odo something about it. >> powerful program. sarah hoye joins us in the ra

studio. about 10,000 students have gone through the cradle to grave program. have any come back as victims? >> unfortunately they have. about 15 to 20% have, and some have died. >> even philadelphia's murder rate went to a historic low and people might say things are under control right? >> well, exactly but as these numbers come down the one thing that is increasing is the nonfatal shootings. we're not combating the violence we're just taking better care of those who are shot. >> 88 are killed by gun violence but that's not whole story right? >> what gets the attention are those who die but what about the survivors and the extreme cost associated to that? gunshot wounds, gunshot victims cost $100 billion a year in

cost. $100 billion john. >> it's a very powerful story and you can see more of sarah's report coming up tonight on "america tonight." thank you so much. ohio officials say they have completed the investigation into the killing of a 12-year-old boy, tamir rice. bisi onile-ere is in detroit with that story bisi. >> john, the sheriff's department wrapped up its investigation six months after tamir rice lost his life. the prosecutor has the case and eventually will be turned over to a grand jury. surveillance video outside a cleveland recreation center records some of the final

moments of a child's life. it is november 2014 and tamir rice is playing with a pellet gun. a cruiser stops and within five seconds, an officer shoots. >> i have yet received an apology from the police department or the city of cleveland in regards to the killing of my son. and it hurts. >> reporter: tamir's story similar to others across the country. >> i can't breathe. i can't breathe. >> african americans dying at the hands of white police officers has fueled anger across the country. >> this is our city! >> six months later and the sheriff's department investigation into tamir's death is complete. >> you can get your own

stopwatch, you can get your own timer and you can compare and contrast that to what the officers and the division of police have said. that the man gave three audible warnings to get -- for tamir to get his hands up. you time that for yourself, and you ask yourself is that humanly possible? >> in january rice's family files and amended wrongful death lawsuit claiming that the police department hired timothy lowman, the officer who shot tamir without checking his employment background first. >> i see an officer that was hired with a shoddy at best service record and resume. i see an officer who was hired who, from his previous employment, was described as weepy, and without the emotional capabilities of performing under stress. >> attorney walter madison also filed a complaint on behalf of

tamir's 14-year-old stir who was at the shooting, argue that the officers forced her to watch him die as they shot him and put her in handcuffs. lowman took tamir's fake gun for a real one. police responded to the lawsuit stating tamir's death was directly caused by his own actions. >> the city's answer was very disrespectful to my son tamir. >> three days later the mayor of cleveland apologized for city's response. >> we are apologizing today as a city to the family of contaminateir rice and to the citizens of the city of cleveland for our poor words and the insensitivity in the use of those words. >> the u.s. department of

justice released the findings of a nearly two year investigation of the city of cleveland. today both the city and d ompj areoj areworking for sweeping are reforms. >> has anyone taken accountability for the shooting of tamir. >> not that we can see. >> for now this mother is trying to cope with life without her son. >> the support in the nation is just holding me up now. the only way i'm still moving and walking with the support of the nation. >> sameria rice is demanding that the officers involved in tamir's death be criminally charged but it is the grand jury that decides what happens next and the prosecutor's office will

not likely announce any charging documents. the black community to work on a plan to address on what could happen next. john. >> all right bisi thank you. and we go from cleveland to houston and a different topic. homelessness. the city of houston is celebrating a milestone the mayor says it has effectively eliminated homelessness among veterans. accepting the first he lady's challenge. be courtney kealycourtney kealy has the story. >> in houston alone there are over 300,000 veterans, and thousands more are expected to be returning home from the wars in iraq and afghanistan. >> even one homeless veteran is a shame. >> when first lady michelle

obama challenged cities to end homelessness among veterans by the end of the year houston was one of 400 cities that signed on. >> there is not going to be another homeless veteran that stays on the streets of houston for lack of resources. let us celebrate that. >> mayor mary nees niece parker. >> we had to focus on the individual veteran with individual stories and individual dreams that we needed to help. >> houston joins phoenix salt lake city and new orleans. >> i definitely need to get off the street. >> over 50,000 homeless veterans are living in streets around

america. >> i would get on the bus and ride around the city of l.a. >> this is the back of the burlington coat factory where i slept many of the nights. >> cities like phoenix have tackled the problem by beefing up enforcement systems. teams. >> now we have to finish the job once and for all. because when a veteran comes home kissing the ground, it is unacceptable that he should ever have to sleep on it. >> courtney kealy, al jazeera. >> marilyn brown is president and ceo of the coalition of homeless in houston county. marilyn good to have you on the program. how did the city of houston fix this problem?

>> thank you for having me. we pulled together a collaborative program called the way home. we worked together a system to create solutions to veteran homelessness. >> we are talking about thousands of people. where do you find homes for them? >> well, what we did is systematically start with those who were on the street or in shelter. and reallocated some of our existing resources particularly hudvash vouchers which is a housing subsidy. we matched those with excellent medical-behavioral care, support services that are offered through our va hospital, and began to place those street homeless individuals into housing. once we got that group housed, the 3650, we then transformed the system so that any veteran

who comes into houston and is facing a housing instability issue, can be housed within 30 days. >> this is a remarkable achievement. and i think it gives people hope when they hear stories like this. so you house 3600 or more veterans in the city of houston. and i understand that there were some people though who didn't want a home. how many? >> well, right now we know of eight chronic homeless veterans who have been living on the streets for a long time and we still engage with them on a daily basis. that is part of the process. is waiting for them to be ready to accept the help that's available to them. >> that's still -- >> we know of eight. >> that's remark annal. while you know you're helping homeless veterans there are some people say that you're not really -- you're taking money away from the whole pool of money that would go to all the homeless. what do you say?

>> well, that's actually not an accurate statement. what we did was reallocate funds. so the funds that were designated for veteran homelessness or veterans only which are the hud vash funds we made sure those were matched with the people that needed the most service. we are already broadening our system transformation and began housing families, youth and we have been focusing on the chronic homeless person. >> again a remarkable achievement and maybe a model for many cities across the nation. marilyn good to have you on the program. thank you very much. >> thank you so much. >> new fighting has broken out in eastern ukraine raising fears for an all out war. antonio mora, is here. antonio. >> both sides are blaming the other but the result is the same serious combat between

eastern ukraine rebels and soldiers from the government, in advance of the g-7 summit that president obama will attend in germany. tonight we'll take a look at the situation and what it means for the long term prospects for a lasting peace for region. a lasting peace that has been very elusive. >> antonio we'll look at that later on. coming up on the product capturing the beauty of ethiopia. >> the people, how exotic are they or how strange. >> the amazing images and the american photographer who tells their story coming up. oming up.

and android mobile device. download it now >> award winning photographer chester higgins has been traveling to ethiopia for decades. his work pace homage to its people and breathtaking landscapes. rments satrandall pinkston is sat down with him. >> i love to call them life lines. some people call them wrinkles. >> chester has a picture for every image.

these images are among thousands he has captured over four decades of travel to ethiopia. this one 1973, by the ethiopian president haile salalassie. >> very striking and beautiful. >> chances are you have seen his work.in the new york times where he was a staff photographer for nearly 40 years capturing news makers and events. in his spare time he combs through books in his extensive home library learning all he can about ethiopia and its mysteries. preparing for his mostly self-financed excursions. of all the historical information you learned what was most striking to you initially? >> the fact that they had these churches that were dug out of the mountains.

>> pictures of those subterranean churches were a subject of his exhibition in the scoto gallery in manhattan. >> this is a picture of a church if a 40 foot pit in the mountain, the mountain is taken away. >> you captured this at night with the stars? >> yes yes. >> beautiful. so you are the first photographer to do this? >> the first and only. >> the first and only? >> right. >> but how did higgins an american, a foreigner persuade ethiopians to trust him and capture some of their most intimate moments? first higgins says, he works through tribal elders. he pays people who help him. >> before i showed my 35 millimeter camera, i would take a polaroid and give them a

polaroid. it builds bridges of trust and allows people to see themselves how i see them i'm studying the culturalculture of the african people. how exotic are they or how strange.and that's a very narrow thing. so i'm trying to reform how people see people of african descent but i have a more selfish reason. i'm trying to find reflections of myself. >> higgins says his love affair with ethiopia is far from over. he plans to continue his artistic journey. >> why do you keep going back to ethiopia for your photographic projects? >> i've fallen in love with the people, the uniqueness of the place. and i like being in a situation where i'm a majority not a minority. and a majorities of very exceptional people.

>> randall pinkston, al jazeera new york. >> chester higgins exit on the ethiopian people is at the scoto gallery in new york. that's our broadcast the news continues next. ontinues next.

>> all-out war. >> at 3:00 in the morning the enemy started massive shelling of our positions. >> ukraine officials accuse russia of