this is a world problem. >> and the world wide campaign to clean up dirty gold. >> i really didn't want a symbol of love between me and my husband to be associated with such atrocities only on al jazeera america >> this is al jazeera america. i'm mary snow in new york. here are the top tories. -- stories. more than 3,000 migrants travelling to north africa are rescued in the mediterranean sea. >> makes you want to be a better person. >> president obama among friends and family paying tribe ute joe biden's son u.s. air strikes target i.s.i.l. strongholds as on the ground they battle for control

of anbar province parliamentary elections tomorrow in turkey where a kurdish led political party could shake up the balance of power and american pharaoh could become the first trifecta winner in 30 years. we begin with a frantic rescue operation off the italian coast. more than 3,000 migrants have been pulled from wooden boats, attempting to come from north africa to italy. bringing the rescues to nearly 350,000. >> reporter: the three rescues are over. the migrant were found in nine different wooden fishing boats.

in those you have those on top and below deck and there were more in six rubber dinghies and they usually are the ones more at risk of capsizing or drowning. some ships are heading to that area of the southern mediterranean, an area that is under e.u. mission called the triton mission. they are heading there because they could very well be more rescue operations in the horse or days to come. it's usually on weekends that there's an uptake in the number of weights leaving the libyan coast. and ben -- when i was in libya i was cold when the libyan weekend starts there's less people on the streets, it's easier for the traffickers to transport a large number of migrants to empty beaches from where they leave from. if we compare the numbers this year this time, there's an

increase of 30% of migrants leaving, waiting in libya to make the crossing. these arrivals are an indication that it could be a busy summer for all the ships controlling the mediterranean. the mission is to control and protect the borders of italy, including the maritime ones. for a few years it goes beyond that. this is at the forefront of the rescue operations of migrants making journeys across the mediterranean sea. >> saving human lives is gratifying, especially when there are children. once there was a baby showing no sign of life. his head was tilted. one of my colleagues massaged his stomach. the baby cried. it was emotional. >> when the sea is rough, we have to keep them calm bring them on board as quickly as

possible. once they sang they thanked god we found them. all of them were singing, old and young. snow snow. >> this is a tate of the art vessel. the cameras zoom in up to 19 nautical miles away. that's 18km. finding the tiny dinghies used by the traffickers is difficult. the searchers happen where other e.u. nations are patrolling which sea. this is a ship of the navey. we are 24 miles off the coast of the this is where most of the migrants are rescued. any boat in the area needs to identify itself otherwise it is searched. further away the german navy carrying out a rescue. see the dingy on the screen? later it was destroyed by fire.

the smoke dominated the horizon. they are part of a recently established triton mission. >> translation: it consists of joint sea controls by various members. it assists the italian forces. days where 6,000 migrants reached out. we had to call on ships to help. there's no borders on the sea, if there are lives to be saved, we go wherever they are even beyond the triton area. beyond is the area in bright blue on the map. dubbed a safe area. here the italians are in charge of coordinating search and rescue operations. it's here that we saw the crew rescue nearly 250 people in little more than an hour a few days ago. thousands more in the past. and while the e.u. politicians mull over how to deal with a never-ending influx unsung

heroes like this group continue to comb the sea in search of lives to save in china disaster teams continue a search for dozens of missing passengers in monday's cruise ship accident. the death toll from the accident on the yangtze river rose to 396. only 14 survivors were found, including the captain. dozens of local volunteers are working to help authorities identify the bodies of victims, maniar hanging yellow ribbons in a show of support. the bereaved families are asking for a memorial. officials will make it happen. many of the relatives expressed anger about the lack of information from authorities. >> more than 1,000 mourners filled a church to say farewell to beau biden. the former delaware attorney and

governor of joe biden died a week ago after a battle with brain cancer. he was 46. president obama was among those remembering beau biden as a man of character. >> we are here to grieve with you, but more importantly we are here because we love you. ♪ amazing grace ♪ ♪ how sweet the sound ...♪ >> reporter: president obama and first lady michelle were among those that came to pay their respects to joe biden. they were joined by some of the biggest names in american politics. bill and hillary clinton senate majority leader mitch mcconnell, harry reid nancy pelosi and most of the cabinet. >> there's no secret a lot of what made beau biden the wi he was was how much he admired and loved his dad. he studied law, like his dad, even choosing the same law

school. he chased public service, like his dad. believing is to be a noble and important pursuit. >> reporter: general ray odiando was the general in iraq when beau biden served there as an officer. >> beau biden's character was genuine. he had a natural charisma that few possess. people willingly wanted to follow him, completely trusted his judgment and believed in him. ♪ still my heart ...♪ >> reporter: he was also remembered with music. chris martin of the band coldplay volunteered to perform after hearing that beau biden was a fan. >> i pray for all of us. >> reporter: this is not the first time tragedy struck the joe biden family. his first wife amelia and daughter naomi were killed in a car accident in 1972. beau biden and hunter survived. hunter remembered beau biden as a loving brother who looked out

for his family. >> to me my brother is not defined by his extraordinary resume. he's defined by the quality of his character. the boy, the man who always held you close, the one who always made you feel safe the one who always made you feel braver than you might have been joe biden was a family man, leaving behind his wife hayley and two children natalie and hunter now to iraq where heavy fighting continues in anbar province. 22 soldiers and shia militia were killed on attack on an air base on saturday.

in samarra, north of baghdad, iraqi forces say they killed 55 in an attempt to drive the group back. imran khan is in baghdad with the latest. >> reporter: the aftermath of an attack on an airbase in anbar. the battle for this outpost is filmed by i.s.i.l. fighters keen to show their advance in ramadi is not slowing down. the mounting losses suggest they are right. 22 have been killed. most iraqi soldiers and shia militias that fled ramadi. the u.s. which has been carrying out air strikes says even so the strategy will not change. so the plan continues. to the west of samarra, military commanders the second phase, backed i u.s.-led air strikes, soldiers and militia continue to control pockets of terrain. >> we arrest the most

strategically important pockets of terrorists. we have seized total control of the area that we are standing in. we have secured the area and provided security for the residence. we were backed up by artillery and army jet fighters it was a surprise, and we managed to accomplish the mission. >> reporter: it received control, a dangerous mission. i.s.i.l. attacks killed dozens in the past few days. i.s.i.l. has shown ability to advance on several fronts when forcers have been attracted. power is keep before the focus is on ramadi. >> in many ways the counter battle for anbar is one for control of its roads and smaller toins and villages -- towns and villages. iraqi security has had success in taking back the roads, using them as a staging post for the battle to retake ramadi. the i.s.i.l. fighters have an

advantage. they have two major border crossings from syria to anbar, and are using them to great effect for reinforcement, giving the iraqi security forces a serious challenge the u.s.-led coalition is supporting iraqi efforts with an aggressive campaign targetting i.s.i.l. with 14 strikes carried out by fighter jets and drone in iraq. an additional seven strikes took place in syria. yesterday one u.s. general empathetically defended the air campaign criticizing it for not stopping i.s.i.l.'s advances. they come as the u.s. reviews strategy. one idea gaining speed is spending in spotters to pinpoint where the air strikes are needed. al jazeera national security correspondent explains why the pentagon is so far unwilling to

put them in the front line the debate is over what the military call jay tags joint tactical air controllers. these are highly trained specialists, usually air force, on the ground with the combat troops in the thick of the fighting and can use lasers designators, and g.p.s. to call in strikes with pinpoint accuracy. even in the most chaotic battlefield conditions. >> good impact. continue to engage. >> reporter: the 3-star air force general running the campaign says he doesn't need it. >> would it be helpful - probably. is it necessary - not so far the general saying the coalition air campaign hitting 20-25 target. it's too feeble. >> make no mistake, it is having

a profound effect. it's the most precise and dismrined -- disciplined. >> reporter: among the critics, mccain. 75% return to ways without hitting. because we don't have someone on the ground finding targetting. >> reporter: it's called dynamic targetting putting planes up and waiting for targets of opportunity. two factors have been cited limiting air strikes against i.s.i.l. the need to avoid killing civilians, and difficulty of telling enemy fighters apart in urban areas. both would be addressed with u.s. eyes on the ground. as a former central demander david petraeus told c.b.s. this week. >> do we need to bring advisors to brigade level, they are at

gig level, perhaps to battalion level. should there be teams of joint controllers on the ground. >> reporter: should there be? >> i think this should be. >> reporter: at the risk of losing lives. >> there is risk but there's risk of the not winning the fight. >> reporter: the risk is what stopped joint chief chairman general martin dempsey from recommending spotters a move that moves the u.s. from advising and assisting into ground combat the united nations announced today that they will resume peace talks on june 14th among warring parties in yemen. for now the fighting continues. houthi militias launched a ballistic missile. the skud reportedly shot down by saudi patriot missiles in the south-west. an alliance of gulf arab nations have been bombing the houthi militia and allied army unit

since march 26th in an attempt to win. many are clashing with protesters. officers responded with pepper spray when a crowd tried to break through a barrier. it's estimated up to 4,000 protesters are in the city. a paramedic said several protestors were taken to hospital. and 30 suffered minor injuries. dominik kane is there with a look at what is to come. >> nessling in the mountains, this is seen as a retreat for general assembly inside

wealthiest. for the next few days it will host the leaders of several world countries. protected by police and military personnel, the g7 will discuss flashpoints and the conflict in ukraine. in recent weeks fighting intensified. particularly near donetsk. this summit is the second such that russia has been excluded from. the g7 says russia's role in ukraine makes a meaningful discussion untenable. one says excluding russia is an error. >> the situation is getting from bad to worse. it's dangerous. russians seem to have started these days a new serious offensive, and i mean the russians, it's not the donetsk people, the wild men with cossack uniforms. nothing would happen there without the pushing of the kremlin. >> reporter: the continuing threat of the islamic state is high on the agenda. the group advanced further into iraq in recent months. the u.s. president obama is

hoping to hold a series of meetings about i.s.i.l. on the fringes of the summit. >> there's no joint strategy to deal with i.s.i.l., apart from a military campaign. that may be right or wrong. politically, what strategy do we have for syria? >> reporter: as host of the g7 summit german chancellor angela merkel is hoping to find agreement with other leaders on ebola and climate change. some say it represents a missed opportunity. the n.g.o. world vision says lowering infant mortality should be a high priority. >> we have an opportunity for zero on preventable deaths for children and zero on hunger. it's a possibility. it's not just a pipe dream. g7 leaders can start the progress. put on the table strong commitment to what they'll do to make it happen. that's what we are hoping to see. >> there are thousands of

protesters who promised to try to disrupt the proceedings. the authorities put on a show of force to try to prevent them, with the hope that agreement on the issues is what the g7 summit is remembered for. also on the agenda the g7 summit, the greek debt crisis. they postponed paying back hundreds of millions and is pushing for additional debt release. creditors are calling for more reforms to be instituted including taxes and pension cuts. greek lawmakers are pushing back against austerity measures. a meeting between the greek prime minister the french president and the chancellor is set for wednesday in brussels. there's a pivotal election this weekend that could impact the u.s.-turkey relationship. a strong ally in the mid east

heads to the polls with the power of the presidency at stake. [ cheering ] thousands come tout see the pope in -- come out to see the pope in bosnia, as he calls for unity between catholics and

muslims. campaigns are winding down in turkey as voters prepare to cast their ballots in sunday's parliamentary election one that could lead to major changes in how the country is governed. the ruling conservative justice and development party led by president recep tayyip erdogan is hoping for a two-thirds majority enabling them to change the constitution and replace the system with a presidential one. however, most polls suggest such a victory is unlikely. the three largest opposition parties declared they are against such a move. meantime, the run-up to the elections turned deadly

yesterday. two bombs ripping through a kurdish election rally, killing two, injuring 100. the leader of the kurdish led party accused president recep tayyip erdogan of not showing respect for the victims of the attack. he covered contollances -- condolences, but called it provocation. that is threatening to release the 13 year grip by recep tayyip erdogan's party. this report from istanbul. >> on the election captain trail in istanbul, this woman is trying to broaden support for the hde. one is to have women make up 50% of the party's candidates. another tacktic it to reach out to poorer workers. >> translation: those with kids are concerned about providing

for their children. >> reporter: hdp leader is taking a huge gamble with this election. his party must win 10% of the vote to get representation in parliament. in previous elections candidates ran as independence. their share of the vote was never more than 7%. if the hdp wants to advance a stalled kurdish protest, it needs more influence in apparent. >> reporter: with the decision to run as a party in this elections, the hdp forced many turkish workers to realise that the kurdish issue, and their own lives are intimately corrected. so now they will have to - they have to pay more attention to the kurdish issue, and decide how to cast their votes. >> for more than 30 years, the turkish state fought armed

kurdish separatists. 40,000 were killed. many ethnic turks regard turkish political leaders with suspicion. >> if the acp gets more than 10% of the vote. they'll deprive the ruling ak party of its parliamentary authority, and could force the president recep tayyip erdogan to change the constitution in favour of more any presidency and joining me now is steven lara by a scholar of european security at the rand corporation. thank you for joining us. as we have heard, so much is at take in the elections. turkey's president recep tayyip erdogan said that he is not on the ballot. so much is at stake for his party. they'll gain power how much of

a challenge does it pose to him. >> it's a strong challenge to him. he needs to get a majority of 367 votes out of - seats, rather, out of 550 in the parliament. in order to be able to challenge the constitution. if he gets two-thirds majority we can call, also a referendum but it will be key for him to get a supermajority to change the constitution. that is unlikely. >> it is unlikely in your view. the kurds, for them, it's all or nothing, isn't it? if they don't get the 10%, they lose out. >> that's correct. under the turkish law they don't get to keep their votes. if they get under 10%, their

votes are divided between other parties that did get more than 10%. so it's vital that they get 10%. >> the kurds have been fighting on the ground against i.s.i.l. >> right. >> there was a summit in paris on i.s.i.l. the kurds were not invited to the summit. was there strategic thinking in terms of not having them there at the table? >> i think the turks, themselves were not entirely enthusiastic about seeing them there because their differences with the united states and with the kurds themselves would have made it difficult to have the kurds there lobby against some things that turkey wants, and lobby towards some things that turkey does want. >> in the fight against i.s.i.l. on the ground is that increasing the likelihood potentially of an independent

kurdish state at some point. >> at some point perhaps, down the line. what is fair to say and what is the situation in reality is that as you said the kurd are acting essentially as the ground troops for the western vens to the united states. this is giving them an enormous credibility, which will keep them in good stead in the next few years. people will remember when they think about the kurds that the kurds were the ones willing to fight i.s.i.s. and fight for the ideals that the western coalition is fighting for thank you so much. steven lara by from the landcorporation joining us as we watch the crucial elections in turkey tomorrow. >> it's been more than a decade since a papal visit to the muslim dominated bosnia. that all changed today.

pope francis's message in his visit to sarajevo coming up next and the leader from trinidad and tobago jack warner, calls the media in for a meeting but was not too forthcoming with answers to questions. >> yesterday we saw tornado across parts of colorado. the threat continuesar more storms push into the same region and we look at a storm. all that when we return, after this.

welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at your top stories. a massive migrant rescue is taking place off the coast of italy. in the past 24 hours more than 3,000 people were rescued off small wooden boats and rafts, attempting to leave north africa. three countries carried out 15 separate rescue operations in the mediterranean this year

alone. nearly 50,000 migrants have been rescued near italy a funeral mass was held in delaware for joe biden. son of vice president joe biden. the 46-year-old delaware attorney general died a week ago of brainancer. in his eulogy president obama remembered him as a man the dignity and integrity, making you want to be a better person a showdown between police and tro testers in germany at the site of the g. up to 4,000 protesters were on the seen police have been deployed to secure the event 5,000 turned out to see pope francis in bosnia the pontiff stressed unity and peace for a country that is struggling 20 years after the civil war. laurence lee has more from

sarajevo pope francis arrived at sarajevo's olympic stadium to a roar of approval. catholics from across the ball kins joining bosnian crow ants in a call for peace and harmony. sa serb choir sang a thrown was given to him by a muslim carpenter. given the same bollism, it carries significance. >> translation: war means women, children, in camps displaced people. destroyed house, streets and factories. above all, countless shattered lives. you know this well having experienced it well how much suffering, destruction and pain. >> in the town of travnic, this couple had good reason to

reflect on the importance of the visit. he is a muslim. during the war he was put in a croat military camp and forced to dig treftenls for the soldiers in the hills around the doun his marriage to its croat wife did not fail. it's a love story across the ethnic divide that would make the pope's heart burst with joy. >> translation: we gained strength staying together during the war. today we live happily together despite our ethnic difference. >> translation: all the people from bosnia is thrilled with the pope coming to visit. his message of peace will make it better. >> reporter: he is president of a local association for hundreds of survivors of the war camps, the only one catering for all ethnic groups.

look at the condition. they have not received a penny from any government. >> there's three presidents, a serb, a croat and a bosniak muslim. there's sill segregation. inside parts of the education system, and some serb and croat politicians want greater autonomy for their own communities. for all of that many say they are ready for greater and greater reconciliations. the question really is whether their politicians have caught up with them. >> reporter: the pope met the presidents echoing the call for greater understanding. there'll be more of this next month when the former u.s. president clinton comes here to mark the 20th anniversary of the srebrenica massacre. in places like this, you would never no there'd never been a war, and children not born when it ended has a chance to build on what has been accomplished. it will not be easy, the forces of political division have not gone away.

the body of saddam hussein's former right-hand man is being handed over to his relatives in baghdad. the amambulance carrying his body was accompanied by iraqi elite special forces from the hospital in southern iraq. he died in prison on friday after suffering a severe heart attack. more on one of the saddam hussein's most powerful advisors from al jazeera's kim vinnell. >> reporter: for many tariq was the best-known fate. travelling the globe meeting world leaders, defending the policy. after the gassing in 1988 which killed 5,000 kurds, he deflected the blame. >> according to the information that i have, it was the rainians who bombed with a chemical weapon it was not iraq. >> reporter: tariq came to the

baath party in the 1950s. by the time the ba'athists came to power in iraq, the former english teacher was already a prominent figure. in 1970 he was named information minister and a member of the saddam revolutionary council. in the early 1980s, he came foreign minister, tasked with strengthening diplomatic relations between baghdad and washington. but when saddam hussein ordered the invasion of kuwait in 1990 he had to face the world and condemned arab leaders for not standing up to the u.s. the u.s. responded to the invasion declaring war on iraq. for iraq, the results were devastating. the army defeated and a country suffering marsh international sanctions. the loyalty was never shaken he was named deputy prime minister after the war. he continued to defend saddam hussein's policies and condemned what he described as

u.s. hostility against iraq. that loyalty couldn't keep saddam in power, in 2003 under the guys of searching for weapons of mass destruction, the u.s. invaded. tariq was the eight of spades in the u.s.'s famous deck of cards of iraq's most wanted military leaders. he turned himself in in 2003 and in 2009 was convicted on two counts sentenced to 22 years in prison. the next year he was sentenced to death by the iraqi supreme court for the persecution of religious parties. he remained in prison on death row and loyal to saddam until his death here in the u.s. two convicted murderers are on the loose, escaping from a maximum security prison near the canadian border in upstate new york. they drilled holes in the cell wall and made their way out through plumbing tunnels. the pair was delivered mying during the detention center

bedcount. on the run is 34-year-old david, serving a life sentence tore killing a sheriff's deputy and 48-year-old richard, convicted for kidnapping a man and beating him to death. they left dummies with sweatshirt hoodies in their bad. dennis hastert, former house speaker, faces charges next week on lying to the fbi for a cover up. the suggestion he paid hundreds of thousands to buy silence on sex abuse. the sister of an allege victim is speaking out. >> reporter: no word or a hint of an appearance from former house speaker dennis haas tert the man that was second in line to the presidency was indicted for lying to the fbi will mysterious cash withdrawals. it would merge they were used to cover up allegations of misconduct with a person known as individual axe. now the sister of one of haas

tert's victims is speaking out. >> he damaged steve more than any of us will ever know. >> reporter: in an interview with abc news. jolene says her then teenage brother stein ryan bolt had sex with hastert, his teaching and wrestling coach. ryanbolt died in 1995 but not before revealing the alleged abuse. >> i asked when was your first same-sex experience. he looked at me and said it was with dennis hastert. i know i was stunned according to burge, the sexual contact between hastert and her brother lasted throughout his high school years. >> i said "why didn't you tell anyone stevie he was your teacher? why didn't you tell anyone?" he said who is ever going to believe me in this town who is ever going to believe me.

>> reporter: hastert has not been charged with sexual abuse, but it's the first time someone has been identified as a possible victim. according to the indictment the recipients of $1.7 million was from yorkville illinois the town the former politician taught between 1965 and 1981. a former student and athlete that hastert coached expressed shock. >> no favourites no happeningy panicky, no gossip nothing. gary said he saw hastert more than his own father and remembers him as a dedicated coach. >> he treated each and every one equally, and pushed them to the limits, to excel and succeed to their own personal goals. >> reporter: he says hastert was a father-figure, but that didn't stop her confronting him at her brothers funeral with this

message "and i want you to remember i'm out here and i know." more bad weather expected in colorado today, and the region reeling from a rash of tornados this week. home openers are digging out from hail-producing thunder storms that struck in and around denver on thursday. dozens of buildings were damaged. so far no injuries recorded. kevin corriveau is here with the weather. how bad can it get? it will be the same as what we had yesterday. the pattern has not changed. i want to show you what we saw in terms of thunder storms that pushed through. we had 14 tornados here across colorado as well as over here to kansas. but the thunder storms altogether - that hail was amazing. take a look at the video, if we have it to show you. if we don't have the video, let me tell you the hail in some locations was over a foot high and people had to dig out the hail. a lot of destruction with the

tornado. we are in spring, in severe weather, and it will continue for today. come back, i want to show you what we see on the radar. more of the thunder storms developing. still across parts of eastern colorado and the warnings and the watchers are out. we are looking at the warnings and watches here and up towards nebraska. we are talking about tornado watchers and we'll watch the area carefully as we go through the rest of the evening hours. tomorrow the threat will move towards the east, parts of the missouri and illinois. we'll watch this as well as we finish off the weekend. down towards mexico, we are looking at the hurricane, a major hurricane, it's a category 3 making its way to the north-west, and parts of california. this is the track we expect to see over the next day. i want to show you what that is. it's a major hurricane. it was a category 4, it's open water now. we expect the storm to make land

fall to the western side of baja california, turn into a tropical storm, make its way up towards the southern part of the united states. we could see heavy rain along the border state. that will be a big problem. we'll watch that. towards the atlantic. we are in atlantic hurricane season all is quiet. we'll watch the gulf of mexico over the next couple of days to make sure no development there. >> you have your work cut out for you. >> thank you irish football officials reveal details of a $5.5 million payment from f.i.f.a. saying f.i.f.a. gave them the cash in exchange for ireland dropping a protest in a controversial lose in a 2010 world cup qualifying match. there's allegations that germany sent rocket propelled grenades to saudi arabia in exchange for its vote for germany to host the 2006 world cup.

and dick pound, who vetted the 2002 salt lake city bid said the corruption in f.i.f.a. was more deep rooted than what he saw with the international olympic committee. former official jack warner continues to defend himself against corruption allegations. he was a member of trinidad's parliament blames his indictment on political rivalry. as jonathan betz reports, jack warner is ready to spill all he knows about f.i.f.a. wrongdoing. >> reporter: one of the soccer's notorious leaders eager to show he's not a wanted man, but a needed one. jack warner has been indicted for corruption but he's a member of trinidad and tobago's parliament and spent hours personally answering his constituents concerns but not our questions. reporters were allowed to record the 72-year-old politician, but not speak to him. >> reporter: if there's anything

you wanted to say, this is your chance. mr warner he has been pushing away questions. he promises to expose more f.i.f.a. and government leaders, offering little proof. >> he's angry, litter i think tes fed up of all that is happening. and felt the government role to play and believes he wants to hit back. jack warner is one of 14 people. this couple ran a clinic to the man they and others refer to as pap ajack -- papa jack. it's a feeling shared across trinidad and tobago. a tour of the island and it's clear to see jack warner's touch, from stadiums to companies he's built. >> when jack warner came on the scene we had a lot of

development of football. >> reporter: now he dayses corruption and a -- faces core ups and a likely extradition to the united states. until then he's working. a sign on the door offers an ironic message "no money given out here", although authorities say jack warner gladly took it. despite the controversy, the f.i.f.a. women's world cup is under way in canada. china and canada got it started with a match in edmonton. new zealand plays the netherlands. team u.s.a. doesn't play until monday when it takes on australia in winnipeg. the 37 year jinx is over. next a short time ago american pharaoh makes horse racing history.

and the wait is over.

after 37 years, there is a new triple crown winner and it wasn't even close. >> american pharaoh - it's the one. >> american pharaoh became the first triple crown winner and the first since 1978, by winning the belmont stakes in new york and led the race pulling away on a stretch to win in a time of 2 minutes, 26 seconds. this is a first triple crown win. interest in horse racing may actually dim in jir. -- diminish del walters is here with a look at the next hour. >> a lot of american cities are seeing a spike in crime. the most obvious buying baltimore, where the month of may saw 32 murders. in any single month. following the death of freddie gray in police custody, and

the days that followed. many are wondering if police are pulling back on arrest because they are afraid of being arrested themselves. all among the cities seeing a surge in rapes, robberies and assaults. we'll take a deeper look at the trend, and whether the numbers tell the story of what is going on environmental activism in louisiana have been handed a setback. they hoped to prevent new schools built on toxic land. as jonathan martin reports, the state senate education committee killed a bill that would have limited new construction. >> reporter: ruined by hurricane katrina, the old booker site in new orleans is at the center of a fierce debate. before it was built in the '40s it was used as a giant dump. tests from the past three years revealed the soil is toxic, with levels of led mercury and other

toxins. jim was all but certain louisiana lawmakers would support a bill banning the building of a new school. it was introduced after new orleans announced plans to remove soil at the site and rebuild here. the proposal that would have blocked that plan got unanimous support in the state house. thursday it died in the senate committee. >> i'm a little concerned about a person who can not support legislation that will prevent building a school on a toxic waste dump. >> the plan involves removing the top three feet of contaminated soil installing a barrier, and putting down 6 feet of clean soil. >> you tell me you're going to move 3 feet of it. you are not eliminating the problem, you are reducing the problem. >> while another site for the school has been identified booker t washington graduates

have been fighting to rebuild the school at the old site saying the legacy is important to the black community, and the location is part of that legacy. he says the remediation plan approved by f.e.m.a. and the department of environmental quality is more than adequate. >> i have 14 grandchildren. i would have no reservations about them attending that school. none whatsoever. >> with the bill defeated louisiana is one of 20 states that has no law stopping construction of schools onnd old land fills -- on old land fills or known contaminated sites. it was a simple plan - build a fake whale to get rid of unwanted sea lyons. >> i was hoping it would scare away the see lions and they'd break out. >> so much for beast laid plans. -- best laid plans. that's next. that's next.

serena williams is closing

in on an all-time record after winning her 20th grand slam title at the french open. despite a recent bout of the flu she went on to victory beating 13th seed lucie safarova, of the czech republic upon winning she raised her arms in the air as if she scored a touchdown. she's two titles short of steffi graf and four short of margaret court smith, the all-time leader a plan to scare off sea lions along the oregon coast is sunk - literally. a fake killer whole brought in for the job flipped over in the water and had to be towed to the shore. the people behind the fibreglass decoy have high hopes. allen schauffler reports. >> reporter: belly up and full of water in plain site of the sea loins it was supposed to scare away, a sad scene after all the plan the boat yard scrambling to make a motorized

or-coe, and a long trek from yestor ja to organ. >> the sea trial was last night. it didn't trial very well. [ laughs ] what more can i say. it was a poor sea trial. >> reporter: based on his 50-plus years watching or-cos and sea lions, he came up with the idea to use a fox orca to scare the sea loins. it launched before sunset in a circus atmosphere. more than 300 people were drawn to the pier for a look at the 32-foot long converted fibreglass parade float. there was one brave soul on board. >> i was skippering the whale. hopefully it would do better than it did - but that's the way it is. >> reporter:way with john at

the vol it cruised out of the marina into the river. that's when disaster hit. the skipper had to be rescued after a wave tipped the orca the current grabbed a fin and it flipped. so flipping a fibreglass orca, no big deal? >> not really. >> reporter: on shore disappointment and hope. >> hopefully it would scare the sea loins, and they would freak out. >> they got quite. several left the area, they swam out around the breakwater into the river. it's not a complete fail. >> reporter: buszard's crew was out assessing the damage planning a salvage operation. no one is getting paid. >> long friends, good friends. possibly some of them not too smart. [ laughs ] as the rest of us are.

you can't be real brilliant to attempt something like this to begin with. [ laughs ] but, hey, you're here watching, so i'm a little worried about you too. [ laughs ] >> reporter: others are watching as well. the sea lyon fake orca face-off an attraction. you this to come see the orca. >> yes, i wanted to see if it worked getting them out of here. >> this is cool. >> reporter: the sea lions. >> definitely no whales. no wheels. >> reporter: if court officials have their may, the sea lions have not seen the last of their intruder. they quietened down when the killer whale poked its knows into the harbour, and there appears to be fewer sea lions on sea today. buszard spect the orca to swim again. >> see another adventure, though such thing as failure... ..well i guess failure is when you are in the cemetery.

>> reporter: this dream is still alive. the orca upright, pumped dry. they may be back with a better stronger sea lion controlled vessel i'm mary snow in new york, the news continues with del walters. >> i'm del walters in new york here is a look at what is coming up at the trial time news cast at the top of the hour. migrants rescued off the coast of italy, 50,000 this year alone. also - saying farewell. president obama among friends and family paying tribute to byten's son bow. dying at the age of 76. >> a deeper look at what may be behind a trend. >> here it is the 37 year wait is over. american pharaoh is