>> i have to proclaim, democracy is not just form ales. elections. you know, when journalists are put behind bars for doing their jobs or activists of threatened as departments crack down on civil society then you may have democracy in name, but not in substance. i'm convinced that nations cannot realize the full promise of independence until they fully protect the rights of their people and this is true even for countries that have made important democratic progress.

as i indicated during my visit to kenya the remarkable gains that country has made with a new constitution with its election cannot be jeopardized by restrictions on civil society. likewise our hosts the ethiopians have much to be proud of. i've been amazed at all the wonderful work that's being done here. it's true that the elections that took place here occurred without violence. as i discussed with the prime minister that's the start of democracy. i believe ethiopia will not fully unleash the potential of its people if unless are restrict or legitimate opposition groups can't participate in the campaign process. to his credit, the prime minister acknowledged that more work will need to be done for ethiopia to be a full-fledged, sustainable democracy.

these are conversations we have to have as friends. american democracy i i is not perfect. we've worked for many years but one thing we do, is we continually reexamine to figure out how can we make our democracy better, and that's a source of strength for us, being willing to look and see honestly what we need to be doing to full if i am the promise of our founding documents. every country has to go through that process. no country is perfect, but we have to be honest and strive to expand freedoms, to broaden democracy. the bottom line is that when citizens cannot exercise their rights the world has a responsibility to speak out and america will, even if it's

sometimes uncomfortable. even when it's sometimes directed towards our friends. i know that there's some countries that don't say anything and maybe that's easier for leaders to deal with, but your kind of stuck with us, this is how we are, we believe in these things. we're going to keep on talk about them. i want to repeat, we do this not because we think our democracy is perfect or we think that every country has to follow precisely our path. for more than two centuries since our independence, we'll still working on perfecting our union. we're not immune from criticism. when we fall short of our ideals we strive to do better. when we speak out for our principles at home and abroad, we stay true to our values and help pick up the lives of people beyond our borders and we think that's important. it's especially important, i

believe for those of us of african descent. we know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of unjust, when it means to be discriminated against. we know what it means to be jailed. how can we stand by when it's happening to somebody else? i'll be frank with you. it can't just be america that's talking about these things, fell african countries have to be talking about these things. just as other countries champions your break from colonialism, our nations must all raise our voices when universal rights are denied. if we truly believe africans are equal in dignity have an equal right to freedoms that are universal, that's a principle we all have to defend. it's not just a western idea. it's a human idea.

i have to also say that africa's democratic process is also at risk when leaders refuse to step avoid when their terms end. [ cheers and applause ] >> now let me be honest with you. i do not understand this. i am in my second term. it has been an extraordinary privilege for me to serve as the president of the united states. i cannot imagine a greater honor or a more interesting job. i love my work, but under our constitution i cannot run again. i can't run again.

i actually think i'm a pretty good president. i think if i ran, i could win but i can't. so there's a lot that i'd like to do to keep america moving, but the law is the law and no one person is above the law not even the president. [ applause ] >> i'll be honest with you i'm looking forward to life after being president. i won't have such a big security detail all the time. it means i can go take a walk. i can spend time with my family. i can find other ways to serve. i can visit africa more often. [ cheers and applause ]

>> the point is, i don't understand why people want to stay so long. especially when they've got a lot of money. when a leader tries to change the rules in the middle of the game just to stay in office, it risks instability and strife, as we've seen in burundi. [ applause ] >> and this is often just a first step down a perilous path. sometimes you'll hear a leader say well, i'm the only person who can hold this nation together. if that's true, then that leader has failed to truly build their

nation. you look at nelson mandela. like george washington, he forged a lasting legacy not only because of what they did in office, but they were willing to leave office and transfer power peacefully. just as the african union has condemned coups and i will legitimate transfers of power the strong voice can help the people of africa assure their leaders abide by term limits and their constitutions. nobody should be president for life. your country's better off if you have new blood and new ideas. i'm still a pretty young man -- [ cheers and applause ] >> i'm still a pretty young man but i know that somebody with new energy and new insights will

be good for my country. it will be good for yours too in some cases. africa's progress will also depend on security and peace because an essential part of human dignity is being safe and free from fear. in angola, mozambique, lib about her i can't, sierra leone we've seen conflicts end and countries work to rebuild but from somalia and nigeria nigeria and tunisia, terrorists continue to target innocent civilians. many of these groups claim the banner of religion, but hundreds of millions of african muslims know that islam means peace. [ cheers and applause ] we must call al-qaeda, boko haram isil what they are murderers.

in the face of threats africa and the african union has shown leadership. because of the a.u. force in somalia, al shabab controls west territory and the somali government is growing stronger. in central africa, the a.u. led mission continues to degrade the lord's resistance army. in the lake chad basin forces from severalflationion with the backing of the a.u.r. fighting to end boko haram's senseless brutality. we salute all those who serve to protect the innocent, so many brave african peace keepers. as africa stands against terror and conflict, i want you to know that the united states stands with you. with training and support we're helping african forces grow stronger. the united states is supporting the a.u.'s effort to strengthen peacekeeping and we're working with countries in the region to deal with emerging crisis with

the rapidly response partnership. the world must do more to help, as well. this fall at the united nations i will host a summit to secure new commitments to strengthen international support for peacekeeping including here in africa and building on commitments that originated here in the a.u. we'll work to develop a new partnership between the u.n. and a.u. to provide support for africa peacekeeping operations. if nations step up with strong support, we can transform how we work together to ensure peace and security in africa. our efforts to ensure security must be matched by a commitment to improve governance. those things are connected. good governance is one of the best weapons against terrorism and instability. our fight against terrorist groups for example will never be won if we fail to address legitimate grievances that

terrorists may try to exploit. if we don't built trust with all communities, if we don't uphold the rule of law. there's a saying and i believe it is true, if we sacrifice liberty in the name of security, we risk losing both. [ cheers and applause ] this same seriousness of purpose is needed to end conflicts. in the central african republic the spirit of dialogue shown by ordinary citizens must be matched by leaders committed to inclusive elections and a peaceful transition. in mali, the comprehensive peace agreement must be fulfilled. leaders in sudan most know their nation will never truly thrive as long as they wage war against their own people. the world will not forget darfur. in south sudan, there is a despair of violence. i was there at the united nations when we held up south

sudan as the promise of a new beginning. they have not shown any interest in sparing their people from suffering or reaching a political solution. yesterday i met with leaders from this region. we agree that given the current situation, mr. ker and mr. mashar must reach an agreement by august 17 because if they do not, i believe the international community must wage the cost of intransigence. accountability for atrocities must be part of any lasting peace in africa's youngest nation. [ applause ] >> finally africa's progress will depend on upholding the rights of all human people for if each of us is to be treated with dignity each of us must be sure to also extend that same

dignity to others. as president, i make it a point to meet with many of our young african leaders. one was a young man from senegal. he said something wonderful about being together with so many of his african brothers and sisters. he said here i have met africa, the africa i've always believed in. she's beautiful. she's young. she said full of talent and motivation and ambition. i agree. africa is the beautiful talented daughters who are just as capable as africa's sons, and as a father, i believe that my two daughters have to have the same chance to pursue their dreams as anybody's son and that same thing holds true for girls here in africa. our girls have to be treated the same. we can't let old traditions stand in the way.

the march of history shows that we have the capacity to broaden our moral imaginations. we come to see that some traditions are good for us, they keep us grounded, but that in our modern world other traditions set us back. when african girls are subjected to the mutilation of their bodies or forced into marriage at the ages of nine or 10 or 11, that sets us back. that's not a good tradition. it needs to end. [ applause ] >> when more than 80% of new h.i.v. cases in the hardest-hit countries are teenage girls that's a tragedy. that sets us back. so america's beginning a partnership with 10 african countries, kenya uganda, zambia

and others to keep teenage girls safe and age-free. when girls cannot go to school and grow up not knowing how to read or write that denials the world future women engineers future women doctors future women business owners, future women presidents. that sets us all back. that's a bad tradition not providing our girls the same education as our sons. i was saying in kenya nobody would put out a football team and then play just half the team. you'd lose. the same is true when it comes to getting everybody an education. you can't leave half the team off, our young women. so as part of america's support

for the education and the health of our daughters my wife, michelle is helping to lead a global campaign, including a new effort in tanzania and malawi, let girls learn so they grow up healthy and strong and that will be good for families and they will raise smart healthy children and that will be good for every one of your nations. africa is the beautiful strong women that these girls grow up to become, the single best indicator of whether a nation will succeed is how it treats its women. when women have health care, and women have education families are stronger, community are more prosperous children do better in school, nations are more prosperous. look at the amazing african women here in this hall. [ cheers and applause ]

>> if you want your country to grow and succeed you have to empower your women. if you want to empower more women, america will be your partner. let's work together. let's work together to stop sexual assault and domestic violence. let's make clear that we will not tolerate rich as a weapon of war. it's a crime. those who commit it must be punished. let's lift up the next generation of women leaders who can help fight injustice and forge peace and start new businesses and create jobs. some might hire some men, too. we'll all be better off when women have equal futures. africa is the beautiful tapestry of your cultures and ethnicities and races and regions. last night we saw this amazing

dance troupe made up of street children who had formed a dance troupe and performed for the prime minister and myself. eighty different languages and i don't know how many ethnic groups there were 30 different dances being done and the prime minister was trying to keep up, ok i think that ones... and they were moving fast. that diversity here is representative of diversity throughout africa, and that's a strength. yesterday i had the privilege to view lucy. you may know lucy, she's our ancestor, more than 3 million years old, in this tree of humanity we all go back to the same root.

we're all one family. we're all one tribe. yet, so much of the suffering in our world stems from our failure to remember that, to not recognize ourselves in each other. we think because somebody's skin is slightly different or their hair is slightly different or their religious faith is differently expressed or they speak a different language, that it justifies somehow us treating them with less dignity and that becomes the source of so many of our problems. we think somehow that we make ourselves better by putting other people down. that becomes the source of so many of our problems. when we begin to see each other as somehow less than ourselves when we succumb to these artificial divisions of faith or sect or tribe or ethnicity then

even the most awful abuses are justified in the minds of those ways. in the end abusers lose their own humanity, as well. [ applause ] >> nelson mandela taught us to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains but to live in a way that respects and enhance it is the freedom of others. every one of us is equal every one of us has worth every one of us matters. when we respect the freedom of others no matter the color of their skin or how they pray or who they are, we are all more free. your dignity depends on my dignity and my dignity depends on yours. imagine if everyone had that spirit in their hearts. imagine if governments operated

that way. just imagine what the world could look like, the future that we could bekeith these young people. in our world old thinking can hold us back. old people think in old ways. you can see i'm old my hair is getting brain. i believe the human heart is stronger. i believe hearts can change. i believe minds can open. that's how change happens. that's how societies move forward. it's not always a straight line. step by halting step, sometimes you go forward you move back a little bit but i believe we are marching, we are pointing towards ideals of justice and equality. that's how your nations won independence not just with rifles but with principles and

ideals. that's how african-americans won our civil rights. that's how south african black and white tore down apartheid. that's why i can stand before you today as the first african-american president of the united states. [ cheers and applause ] new thinking promoting development that lifts all people out of poverty, supporting democracy that gives citizens their say. advancing the security and justice that delivers peace respecting the human rights of all people, these are the keys to progress, not just in africa, but around the world. this is the work that we can do together. i am hopeful as i prepare to return home, my thoughts are with that same young man from senegal who said here i have met africa the africa i have always

believed in, she is beautiful young within full of talent, motivation and ambition, to which i would simply add as you build the africa you believe in, you will have no better partner no better friend than the united states of america. god bless africa. god bless the united states of america. thank you very much, everybody. thank you. >> you have been listening to the president of the united states. he is just wrapping up his address to the african union this morning. it is the first time that a sitting u.s. president has done that talk to the entire continent, applausing gains and opportunities for trick africans, wrapping up his visit. michael shure what message did the president send today? a lot to digest. >> yeah, it was a lot to digest. the president is addressing the african union the first president to address the african union. it reminded me of a state of the

union speech he might give here. here's what's wrong right now in africa here is what is going right and here ares initiatives to accomplish, sprinkling in personal an dotes. he made it clear that a rising middle class and an opportunity for business was a very important part of why he is in africa. >> it is long past time to put aside old stereotypes of an africa forever mired in poverty and conflict. the world must recognize africa's extraordinary progress. today, africa is one of the fastest growing regions in the world. africa's middle class is projected to grow to more than 1 billion consumers. >> you know, when you hear that, you hear business, you hear opportunity, but of course, dell the president was there to talk about human rights, peaceful transfers of power which is something that he tried to put by making himself an example, tried to put it on

africa, i'm going to be out of office soon, i could stay on if i wanted to, but the idea that a democracy gross by a successful and peaceful change of leadership. >> michael, if i could phrase it this way he placed a very bitter pill in what some would call by referring to himself but he said and this got a lot of applause, that democracy is not just form ales. he called for universal human rights and that is something that people were wondering whether or not he was going to address that issue and way that he did did he achieve what he wanted to do? >> yesterday the president said that i doesn't bite his tongue when he was doing a joint press conference with the prime minister of ethiopia. he said he doesn't bite his tongue when it comes to civil rights. he didn't today. he talked about everything from female mutilation to journalists imprisoned, so every part of his human rights agenda in africa was i would say articulated today for africa to digest and

it got a lot of applause lines in the hall, as well. >> the last time i remember a penalty addressing the african continent the way it was addressed was president kennedy in his inaugural address. this is likely the last visit that barack obama will make to africa as president. has his trip been a success? >> trip to say africa, we're sitting here, talking about president kennedy and that was in the early 1960's, so trips to africa generally speaking, you aren't able to measure success immediately. what was successful about this was every said that the u.s. is a partner but only a partner with conditions, so we will, you know extend trade as long as you work with us on human rights. we will extend, you know, opportunities and medicine and investment in countries, as long as you come to the table with fair democratic elections. it's a good starting point and that's what we will measure. you don't know today what it's going to be. >> michael, thank you very much. we want to thank you for joining us the president speaking for

about an hour, addressing what he called the cancer of corruption. i'm del walters in new york. stephanie sy is back in two minutes with more aljazeera america morning news. stay with us.

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>> another first for president obama, he becomes the first sitting u.s. leader to address the african union. >> nato pledges support for turkey as the nation bombs isil in syria. the emergency meeting today as members worry about the fight to stabilize the region. >> migrant women and children detained in prisons the court ruling that could change that. >> the new dr. seuss book is already a hit with the old and

the young. >> when someone has to pay eight bribe just to start a business or to go to school or get an official to do the job they're supposed to be doing anyway, that's not the african way. it undermines the dignity of the people you represent. >> you might call it tough love from president obama in a historic speech to the african union, the first by a sitting american president. this is aljazeera america. president obama's address was directed at the entire continent while he applauded africa's economic advances, he pushed all which its nations to respect democracy, celebrate education and empower women. michael shure is live in washington for us this morning. michael, good morning. what is the significance of

obama's speech to the a.u.? >> good morning stephanie. yeah it's significant in a lot of reasons -- for a lot of reasons but mostly for africa. africa is hearing from a u.s. penalty for the first time at the africa union. they're taking lessons from an african american penalty and hearing what they have to do in order to get his cooperation and the countries cooperation altogether. that's significant more for africa than the united states. >> what about the substance of i have the what initiatives did he highlight in the speech? >> a lot of the human rights initiatives were to be remarked on but most of them is the girls must learn. he's talking about women he's talking about girls bolt as a father of two daughters and the husband to a wife who is going to go to 10 different african nations to try and press education for girls and equal rights for women. i think that is going to stand apart. his anti corruption, you talked about it at the top you called

it a cancer of corruption on that continent saying they have to work with america and other nations to end the corruption in that part of the world. >> however does this trip go in putting aside criticism that mr. obama as the country's first african-american president hasn't done enough to engage africa? >> africa is a tricky area for a lot of presidents, but this will will go pretty far. he actually her aid his predecessor george w. bush or his work. he is saying i can talk to africa and help them but only when they want to be helped. i think if his legacy is about human rights in africa, about open free press free association that he talked about today, then it's going to go pretty well. i also think that he seemed to care a lot about africa itself, building business there and working on -- there are a billion people in africa and he felt that he has to engage all of them in order for them to be

strong. >> michael shure for us in washington, thank you. i want to get into economic issues now with howard french, who joins us via skype. from the capital of the arrivery coast, he's a previous off a at columbia's university of journalism and worked for the new york times covering africa. thanks for being with us. you have written about how africa and america's policy i also stale and stuck in the past. have you seen a fundamental shift in the approach because which mr. obama's trip? >> i have not. obama has failed to engage africa for most of his presidency and this flurry of activity is quite belated coming at the end of his eight years in office. there are no great new initiatives of any kind. in terms of messaging what we're hearing are familiar

tropes in terms of the economic environment and politics, he is speaking of old phenomena like corruption like there's something uniquely corrupt about africa which doesn't help sell the american message or engage the people. >> it's home to five of the 10 fastest growing economies in the world. why is the u.s. not paying more attention to the economic potential on that continent the way for example china is? part of the problem is that the united states is as the incumbent super power for the last several decades, seven decades or so has its fingers in many pies all over the world and therefore makes a differential analysis about priorities in which africa always tends to end

up at the bottom of the heap. that's part of the problem. another part of the problem and this really relates to obama's rhetoric and why i find it to dissatisfying is that if you start each of your sporadic and. >> frequent went engagements with africa banging away about corruption, you are discouraging opportunities in africa. it provides the highest return on investment than any region in the world in terms of economic engagement. these are the things that obama should be talking about. corruption in africa is not a good thing corruption in nowhere is a good thing. there i also no evidence that africa is much more corrupt than china, indiaar brazil or any number of other places nor is corruption the key feature of life in africa that's holding the continent back. >> thank you for your insights and perspective this morning appreciate it.

>> nato members just wrapped up a rare emergency meeting talking about isil in brussels. turkey requested the meeting coinciding with an escalation in that countries response. turkey began simultaneously bombing isil and kurdish rebel forces outside its borders for the first time. barnaby phillips is in brussels where this emergency meeting is happening. what has come out of the meeting? is anything going to change in the coalition's fight against isil? >> the meeting was brief and the secretary general of nato told us that the other 27 member countries had been united in expressing solidarity and support for turkey in its fight against terrorism. turkey said that it's fighting terrorism on two fronts, both against isil in syria but also against the p.k.k., the kurdish

separatist movement based in northern iraq. now, he was also asked about a no fly zone in northern syria and whether nato would be involved in this. this is something that turkey has wanted, and it's something that it has been discussing with the united states. according to nato, that will remain a bilateral issue between the americans and turkey, and nato as an alliance will not get involved although it welcomes the broader involvement of turkey in the fight against isil in syria. >> barnaby just help us understand or colorrify because you've got turkey reportedly hitting kurdish fighters in syria, who have been key to the battle against isil, and you have them hitting isil. how is the u.s. dealing with these opposing dynamics? >> >> this is the complication, and this is why some nato countries undoubtedly see turkey's involvement against isil as a

blessing but one that brings with us potential headaches because the turks have been quite clear that they'll go after isil, but they will go after kurdish forces in iraq at the same time. as you were saying yesterday those accusations denied by turkey that it had been targeting kurdish forces in syria, the same kurdish forces that have effectively been the ground forces of the western alliance which is bombing isil from the ground, and which in terms of actual fighting has been about the most effective force against isil. all these concerns mentioned only obliquely, we understand today, nato members telling turkey that they wanted any policy against the p.k.k., those are the kurds in turkey and in northern iraq, to be proportionate, and that turkey should try and pursue a peace process with its kurdish population but undoubtedly there are very delicate

diplomatic complications ahead. it's an awkward triangle and it's going to be unclear how it will all hang together in the weeks and months ahead. >> barnaby, thank you. >> president obama is accusing some republicans of distorting the details of the iran nuclear deal. the penalty says presidential candidates have been playing fast and loose with the fact to boost their campaigns. over the weekend former arkansas governor candidate mike huckabee invoked the holocaust in describing the deal. top administration officials including secretary of state john kerry will be on capitol hill in about two hours to defend the deal. we're going to bring you live coverage of that house foreign affairs committee hearing. >> the pentagon named a lifelong fighter pilot as chief of the air force strike command overseeing nuclear bombers and missiles.

when general rand takes the reigns today. >> muammar gaddafi's son was found guilty. he testified before the court via video link, still held by a libyan rebel group that refuses to release him. international courts also want to try him on similar charges. >> leaders from a dozen pacific rim countries are due to meet in hawaii today for decisive talks on a landmark trade agreement pushed by president obama. the goal is to create a single global marketplace and slash the cost of trading. there are many potential downsides. >> its products monitor levels of air and water pollution and eco tech, an australian company has exported them around the

world. tariffs and regulations have made some big markets mexico in particular difficult to crack. its boss homes the transpacific partnership will change that. >> we're confident that we have the mechanisms to put out the services and the competitive edges to take on these opportunities that a t.p.p. would bring. >> in all 12 pacific rim countries involved in the t.p.p. talks which make up 40% of the global economy exporters are eyeing opportunities. supporters of the t.p.p. say it will bring cheaper goods and services to all. the impact will be to raise global g.d.p. by $300 billion. the talks have critics and there have been protests. the secrecy of the negotiations has frustrated many. >> we don't know anything and that's just outrageous that people are going to be held accountable to an agreement that we never saw the details of in the first place. >> what little is known causes concern, labor unions worry it

could cost jobs. green groups say it could empower corporations at the expense of the environment and consumer advocates warn monopoly rights would be expanded. medicines could become more expensive. >> the intellectual property divisions pushed by the u.s. are agreed to by vietnam then half of over half of the current patients receiving treatment for h.i.v. in vietnam would no longer have access to those treatments. >> another concern is the potential for provisions to allow corporations to sue governments threatening their profits. a cigarette company is challenging and you say and you also over its plain packaging laws under an existing trade treaty. there could be more of that under a t.p.p., critics say. >> after almost a decade of negotiations the t.p.p. talks could conclude in hawaii later this week. one country that has not been part of them is china.

that's significant. president obama has made it clear he wants the united states to pivot more towards asia. if these talks were to fail, he thinks china would establish its own free trade zone based on its standards, not the u.s.'s. this t.p.p. deal is as much about politics as economics. >> the obama administration says the n.s.a. will have to destroy phone records collected over the last five years. starting in november, analysts will no longer have access to the database containing those records. the court ordered the agency to preserve the data as lawsuits are resolved. a law passed in june bans the n.s.a. from gathering and preserving new metadata. >> the latest on the humanitarian crisis in syria will be heard by the office for humanitarian affairs. >> congress begins hearings over the shipping of live anthrax by

the defense department come, inc. in the wake of a d.o.d. report which found no single person or department responsible for the accidental shipments. >> a prison employee accused of helpings two murderers break out of a new york prison will be back in court this morning. one was killed by police, the other captured. >> the mormon church is threatens to no longer sponsor boy scout troops now that the nationwide ban is lifted on openly gay scout leaders. the policy had been widely criticized for years and challenged in court. the scouts national executive board voted to change it on monday. the controversy is far from over. >> are you an open homosexual. i was taken aback by the question. it felt like a question out of the 1950's. >> from that question, scout master jeffery mcgrath gave an honest answer. i said i wouldn't answer that

question but if he was asking if i was gave, that answer is yes. >> that got him and his troop kicked out of the boy scouts of america o.b.s.a. as far as he knows he's the first to have his chart eeriejected for coming out. the timberwolves now belong to a different international scouting group. the kids, of course, couldn't care less about cool politics, but some of their parents clearly do. max in red getting a lift from his new buddies will be a scout next year and hills mother said mcgrath's position as scout master was one of the reasons she joined. >> i also like the fact that they've taken a stand whether they needed to or not. >> the b.s.a. ratified changes to its own charter allowing local councils to make their own decisions. that will smooth the way for men like mcgrath to participate but could allow church based organizations and others to shut

gays out. >> i support a policy that accepts and respects our different perspectives and beliefs, allows religious organizations, based on their first amendment protections of religious freedom to establish their own standards for adult leaders. >> gates says any other course of action could mean the end of scouting as a national movement, but mcgrath calls the b.s.a. changes a blanket policy of rejection, allowing continued discrimination at the local level. as for weather these kids will ever be boy scouts of america again, mcgrath and church leaders say they haven't decided and haven't been formally have id back. >> it would be a wonderful gesture and it would feel great. >> would you accept? >> i want to be in a position where i'm free to accept. currently, i'm not free to accept. there has been no offer. >> you might say no. >> i might say yes. i'd like the opportunity. >> for the timberwolves, it's scout business as usual knots

tents, high energy togetherness, while the duties play their own games. al jazeera seattle. >> we spoke to the man applying to be the first openly gay scout leader in utah. drew reese said allowing scout groups to make the decision is an important step. >> it's an important decision to place the decision in the hands of the troops. one of the exciting things about this new policy is it takes the decision out of the hands of the actual councils and our troop that we're in the process of chartering now it's been rejected three times. now we're going forward into a future where everyone is welcome, and it's truly it's a beautiful future for the boy scouts. >> i would hope that this is going to make the membership just explode like it used to. no longer is scouting a program that excludes people. everyone is welcome so i think at least it's my hope that a lot of the former eagle scouts, gay

and eagle scouts that have left the program that have been forced out will see this as an opportunity to come back to a program that has meant so much to them. >> under the new rules each scout troop will be able to pick its own leaders and church based groups will be able to refuse to bring on openly gay scout masters. >> a football first an nfl team makes history bringing in the league's first female coach. >> boston bids goodbye to the 2024 summer olympics, why the city is saying it's no longer a candidate to host the games. >> an agricultural town in the center of argentina residents suffer three times the national levels of cancer. we're here to find out why.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. it is 8:21 eastern, taking a look at other headlines from around the nation. people in oklahoma are on edge this morning after a series of earthquakes struck the state on monday. there are no injuries or serious damage but people throughout the area felt the tremors and so you the surroundings shake. the quakes reached 4.9 magnitude. >> police in oregon are investigating nine suspicious packages sent to nine government buildings. 12 people were landed in the hospital. police believe more packages could still be in the male.

>> george washington university is the first big name school to drop testing requirements for new students. incoming freshman new longer need to take the s.a.t. or a.c.t. to get in. they will be judged on their entire history of achievements. more than 800 schools in the u.s. do not factor test scores in admission. >> boston's bid to host the 2024 summer olympics is over, pulling out citing a lack of popularity among residents. the decision really came down to dollars and cents. >> to create a sustainable model. >> not even a highly produced video campaign nor an endorsement by one of boston's most famous athletes. >> when you have the best athlete in the world that you can go watch and perform in boston it's going to be magnificent. >> could save the city's chances of trying to score the 2024 summer olympics. boston's bid came to an end

before it was officially nominated, done in by lack of support, polling showed more than 50% of residents resistant to the idea of hosting the olympics. >> i think it's just going to cause more problems than it's worth. >> getting into the city is already hard enough. if the olympics came, it would be absolute madness. >> it's certainly hard when you're dealing with a bid that requires building the three most expensive olympic venues from scrooch and bostonned plan was a cost to rebid that would require a lot of believe of sporting infrastructure. >> the group planning said the project would have created 50,000 jobs and brought in over $5 billion in revenue. if boston had been the u.s. choice it would have been in competition with paris budapest and rome that, but the cities chances of hosting became columnar before the about face

announcement by the olympic organizers. marty walsh earlier in the day said his city would not be responsible for any expenses should the olympic organizers run out of money. >> i refuse to mortgage the future of the city away. i refuse to put boston on the hook for overruns and i refuse to signing a guarantee that uses taxpayer dollars to pay for the olympics. >> massachusetts governor charlie baker said he simply wanted more time to make sure taxpayers wouldn't foot any of the $8.6 billion expected to bring the games to boston. >> our view all along was that sometime toward the end of july, beginning of august, we would have a panel of experts that would help us to figure out what the expectations would be with regard to the commonwealth going forward. >> al jazeera. >> boston may not want the olympics but other cities still see them as a prize. the i.o.c. will announce the host city for the 2022 winter games. the finalists of beijing and

kazakhstan. beijing is considered the favorite. it hosted the summer games so hat infrastructure in place. it would become the first city to host both the summer and winter games if it is selected. >> when the arizona cardinals take the field for their first practice of the year, their staff will include a first what's believed to be the nfl's first female coach. more on the cardinals historic hire. who is she? >> she is a very impressive person. jen welter is her name and coaching the cardinals won't be her first historic first. she has a doctorate in psychology but she's also got lots of experience in the rough and tumble world of pro football. >> in march bruce arians said someone asked him when the nfl would see its first female coach. four months later he's hired one. 37-year-old jen welter joined the cardinals as a preseason assistant coaching intern, she

will work with the team's linebackers. she herself was a star linebacker for 14 years in the women's football alliance, a woman's pro league, where she helped lead the dallas diamonds to four championships. that experience led to this january of 2014 moment in the men's indoor football league. with that carry and two others, welter became the first woman to play in a professional men's preseason football game as anything other than a kicker. while she didn't make the regular season squad the the accident revolution hired welter as pro football's first female assistant coach. it seems cardinals fans are ready to welcome her to the nfl. >> i don't think being a male or female is really going to create any undo pressure. >> we've seen pride females come in and make a big impact.

>> sarah tomas will take the field as the nfl's first female referee. >> coaching interns are common in the nfl's preseason and they don't generally stay with their teams once the regular season starts but that doesn't make arizona's move any less significant. the team is set to introduce welter at a news conference later today. >> ending a family detention for undocumented migrants, a judge says women and children must be set free, but the obama administration is challenging that call. >> after 25 years, it was oh, quite the find, a new dr. sues book that is one of a kind.

>> putting loved ones in a nursing home... hoping for the best. >> my father died because of the neglect. >> are they betraying your trust? >> it's a for-profit business.

>> my name is imran garda. the show is called "third rail". when you watch the show, you're gonna find us being unafraid. the topics will fascinate you... intrigue you. >> they take this seriously. >> let me quote you. >> welcome to al jazeera america. taking a look at today's top stories, president obama is wrapping up his historic trip to africa. he gave a speech to the african union about 45 minutes ago. it's the first time a sitting

u.s. penalty addressed the body. the president applauded africa's economic gains but pushed for neighs to end corruption, respect democracy and empower women. president obama is accusing republican presidential candidates of playing fast and loose with the facts of the ran nuclear deal. he said the gop field is making a mockery of the u.s. political process. the comments were spurred by candidate hike huckabee who compared the deem to the holocaust. >> nato is supporting turkish intervention in its campaign against isil, holding a rare emergency summit today. turkey has begun bombing the group, as well as kurdish release. it did not request military assistance from nato. >> the bam map administration is fighting a judge's order to release 1,000 undocumented migrant children and their mothers from detention centers. the judge ruled it was illegal to hold them, but stayed until

next month. >> what the united states has done is single out mothers and babies for the harshest immigration and detention policies we've seen in many years. >> for thousands of families from central america illegally crossing the border into the u.s. is a chance for a new life. if they are caught, their next step is an overcrowded detention center where many say they are underfed and treated like prisoners. carlos is an attorney who has been representing immigrant families for nearly 20 years. he calls the ruling a victory over what he calls the government's illegal and inhumane family detention policy. >> the government over reacted to a temporary surge did no study, has no evidence that this was deterring anybody from coming to the united states. >> in a ruling, u.s. district judge blasted immigration officials for violating law that was set back in 1997, when a federal court ruled the government could not detain immigrant children for more than 72 hours unless they are a

significant flight risk. since the surge of immigrants, most children have spent days, weeks or months in these detention centers. >> this is a nightmare for me. i just want to leave this nightmare. >> shrouded in darkness to protect her identity, christina told us she spent 14 months with her son in the burke's county detention center in pennsylvania a place christina calls a prison. she described her experience to us and we sat down with her two months ago after she and her son were released for no apparent reason. they made the dangerous journey from alone doors to the u.s. for a better life. they were caught at the texas border and bussed to a detention center. >> they tied my feet, hands and waist and my son asked me mommy what's happening. >> the judge called experiences like theirs deplorable, as she described one in her ruling, children and their mothers held from one to three days in rooms with 100 or more unrelated duties or children, forcing children to sleep standing up or not at all.

the government calls them family residential centers meant to discourage the flood of immigration while keeping families together. >> we have to put in place and i think we're doing this, a number of deterrent factors increased housing to detain parents adults, who come to this country with their children, expedited remove also. if an adult is apprehended at the border and they brought their children with them, they are a priority removal and we are building decision space to hold them so they can be returned quickly. >> the judge's ruling could effectively shut down the detention centers unless major changes are made. the facilities could become adequate housing for immigrants and their children if they are licensed and brought up to speck. >> they have to take down the barbed wire. they have to get rid of the sally ports the armedle guards. they need to treat these minors, they are not delinquents or

criminals. >> our guest that retched a number of families held in a texas detention center. thanks for being with us. give me your reaction to this ruling and what it means. >> this ruling is great confirms what we've known all along, which is that the obama administration's policy of mass detention of immigrant children and mothers is illegal. >> what happens in a month when the stay is lifted? do you expect that the detention centers will be closed. do you expect that the administration will try to bring them up to speck? >> we are trying to figure out what the administration's reaction to this ruling will be. we don't know yet there are immigrants rights advocates on the ground across the country trying to enforce the judge's decision right now to try and get the immigrant children and mothers out as quickly as possible. >> you and some of your students i understand actually traveled

to one of these facilities in the accident. what did you witness? what did the students say and how did they react? >> the conditions at the facility are shocking. this is a prison-like setting where children and mothers are being held in confinement. they don't have basic freedoms and many of them are trauma survivors who need extra support in mental health and in other aspects of their life and they're not getting it there. >> do they get any sort of education, the children for example? >> the children have access to limited educational opportunities, but what the federal judge found in her order last friday is that there are widespread deplorable conditions in these government facilities. >> are you content with if they bring the facilities into spec that this is the right way to process people coming across the border? >> absolutely not. we should return to what america

has done historically, which is not detain immigrant women and children who are seeking asylum and other forms of immigrant relief. throughout american history these women and children were released to the community in recognition of their particular vulnerability as trauma surveyors. we should return to that. >> critics of that policy say that that would increase the amount of illegal immigration controls the borders. as you know, a lot of those migrants are exploited by traffickers. it's not a safe journey. >> that was the general deterrence argument put forth birr the obama administration, saying we must detain these women and children so others don't flee to the united states. in february of this year, a federal judge held that general deterrence argument is illegal

unconstitutional not in compliance with american values and the administration can no longer you will see general deterrence to deter those who are legitimate refugees. >> that's the key it would be illegal under international humanitarian law you believe that all of these people are fleeing violence, that they have legitimate asylum cases, is that right? >> nearly all of them have been already found by the u.s. government to have a credible fear of persecution up wards of 88% of these women and children have passed their credible fear interviews which is the first step in obtaining asylum. >> thank you. >> thank you for having me. >> budget cuts in many states have left prisons as the number one provider for mental health services. that's true in chicago where the cook county jail holds thousands of people. we first reported from inside the jail in june. we have the story of one former

inmate trying to start fresh. >> this is an exciting feeling. i'm overwhelmed but i'm so ready to go home. >> it's been seven and a half months since yvette was locked up here at cook county jail. drug possession was the charge, but she said addiction severe depression and ptsd contributed to why she was in jail for the third time. for the first time in nine years, she said she's clean. she's packing up her belongings for another chance outside. it's time to say goodbye. release day. >> stay strong. it's coming for you too. ok? thank you. >> coming up tonight how cook county has become the de facto mental health facility for thousands of inmates. we check in with yvette and how

she is coping with life on the outside. al jazeera chicago. >> you can watch the full report at 8:00 eastern tonight. >> time is running out to extend federal spending on transportation. a bill is stalled in congress. if there's no deal by this friday the federal government will have to stop funding construction projects. a top republican says the house will not take up a senate measure authorizing funding for the next six years. house republicans instead want the senate to approve a measure extending funding for only five months. that money is desperately needed especially in california. it has some of the worst highways in the country. a recent survey gave a poor rate to go 65% of major roads in los angeles county alone. we have more. >> you'll see as soon as we get on the highway it's just wild traffic. >> the commute begins long before sunrise. >> there's a whole bunch of us that have to wake up in the middle of the night to make it to the office at 8:00.

>> his office is in orange county 70 miles from his home north of los angeles but the drive is a slow crawl. more than two hours each way over bumpy roads and gridlocked highways. >> you would think that with all the tax money and contributions that we make at citizens, the roads would be a lot better than they are. >> it's a frustration shared by so many commuters and it could get worse if song doesn't act soon. the federal highway administration's most recent analysis shows more than half of california's roads are in poor condition, and need help. a gas tax pace for most roads and bridge projects now but that highway trust fund is set to go broke friday. the senate and house haven't reached any agreement on an extension, and that means all of this construction could come to a halt during the busiest months. >> in l.a. right now we're still looking at over $2 billion worth of construction going on. >> patrick is a spokesperson for

california's department of transportation. he says another funding delay would be a huge blow for the state. >> how badr these roads? >> well, for the past five years statewide, we prepared 600,000 potholes and basically for the past 20 years california has received the same level of funding. >> california isn't alone. according to one study, more than a quarter of the nation's major roads and highways are in poor condition. that rough rides meant big bucks in car repairs costing drivers in l.a. alone more than $1,000 a year in additional maintenance. it's a familiar story. the federal gas tax hasn't been raised in two decades while the cost of road projects has only gone up. congress hasn't come up with a fix in 10 years. >> increase the budget, get better roads for yours i think and let's do something to get people to work on time under safer conditions. that's what i think. >> a message he hopes gridlocked

lawmakers hear. al jazeera, los angeles. >> one of the countries most congested and hated airports is about to get a major overhaul. laguardia airport in new york i guess slate for a $4 billion upgrade. the first won't open to passengers until 2019 and not a moment too soon, according to new york's governor. >> laguardia is slow, dated, it is a terrible front door entranceway to new york. it is a lost opportunity. it is almost universally decried as a poor representation of an airport, let alone a new york airport. >> vice president joe biden also on hand for the announcement. last year, he compared laguardia to a third world country airport. the airport handles about 27 million passengers a year. >> new worries in alaska that

the falling price of oil could hurt its economy. the state government gets much which its operating budget from oil taxes and each resident gets an annual check too. as jacob ward explains, the money could soon run out. >> oil is literally the life blood of the state of alaska. 90% have the state's operating budget comes from the taxes paid by oil companies here. an entire way of life and certainly an infrastructure like this the alaska pipeline has been built up around oil. it drives the vast majority of the economy here, but now all of that is under threat. oil is already pretty cheap in the world and as oil has dropped from $110 per barrel down to $50 per barrel, alaska has seen its tax base literally cut in half and it's only going to get worse. shell, one of the largest companies in the world predicts that it's going to take five years for the average global price of oil to come back to anything like it is today. the profit margins for companies

are going to be so slim that they're not going to be able to afford to investigate new oil fields or sites for drill. now alaska has to worry about iran. under the terms of the nuclear deal iran begins exporting oil again. it's not stuff that flows through this pipe but is going to affect supply and demand and could drive the value here down further. that is truly an existential threat to the way of life here in alaska. they joke about what happens when the oil goes away. that may have not happen entirely, but some shade of that certainly something that's going to affect the supply, the demand and the value of this oil, all of that is on the horizon. >> jacob ward reporting from fairbanks, alaska. >> on the healthbeat this morning, the world health organization designated today at

world hepatitis day. it is a general term that refers to an inflammation of the liver. the focus today is on stopping the spread of the five viruses known as hepatitis a b cd and e. contaminated needles contribute to the spread of hepatitis each ear. >> no new occasions of merse have been reported in 23 days. 36 died since the disease broke out in may. more than 16,000 people were isolated. the vast majority of them were not infected. >> there's a small town in argentina's agricultural heartland where condition as her rates are three times the national average. miscarriages are nearly five times higher. as we report, a recent study points to a weed killer made by

monsanto. >> more than half a mile heaters are sprayed on the farmland. some contain the chemical goalie foe say the which the world health organization says probably causes cancer. >> i've got no fingernails because i touched chemicals without gloves. you have to handle delicate things so you take the gloves off. >> he sprayed crops for a living. now he has liver cancer and five different ago grow chemicals have been found in his blood. this land is regularly fumigated, is right on the edge of town, just a few feet away from these houses where people daily will be touching, eating and breathing toxic chemicals. the prevention network was founded in 2005 when a doctor documented unusually high cancer levels this map showing the spread of the disease.

>> mostly have cancer they believe are caused by that the spraying. a team of scientific investigators were called in from universities. >> we want all the fumigation machines to be sent far from the town. we want the chemical deposits stored far from the town. >> respondents citing the report voted for a clean up, for an end of unsafe storage for chemicals and for this kind of dumping on the town. >> we're up against a lot of economic interests because we're questioning the agricultural production model based on the application of these substances, which are detrimental to health. their response was to question the scientific validity of our reports.

>> most owe their livelihood to the genetically modified soy crop which needs heavy spray by chemicals like goalie foe say the. monsanto which is one of the biggest producers of the chemical declined our request for an interview. >> i'm in a bad way because i did bad things. that's why i'm in this fight so things will now be done properly. >> some have left town, fearful for their children. most stay and fight against the chemical sprays, and for cleaner air, uncontaminated food and heavy soil. the sun has not set on the town just yet. al jazeera argentina. >> a new report finds carbon dioxide emissions are impacting ocean and their food chain and that could end up hurting humans too. let's bring in nicole mitchell

for today's viral impact. isn't that sort of a basic building block for all marine life. >> it's exactly that. there are different types of plankton. it is in the oceans and all the other fish feed on it or most of them do, and so that's kind of the building block. what's happening is there is 5,000 species of those. all that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is also getting into ocean water about 34 to 40% causing long term changes. >> to now, you can see the brighter reds with more acidification, but the whole ocean has become more acidic,

making it hard for the phyto plankton to stay alive. they take in carbon dioxide from the sun and then use the water and sunlight and use oxygen. they help to clean things out but they also feed other things. other fish eat that, so it impacts the entire food chain. they feed jellyfish. fish get sub city fence from other organisms. >> if you want to ask steven

hawkings anything, now is your chance. best known for his work on black holes will host an ask me anything on reddit starting today. it will go on for the next nine days. >> amazon is looking to expand its take on the grocery business the tech giant reportedly testing a test drive through market in northern california. customers will be able to order their goods on line, pick it up at the store when it's ready. amazon offers customers fresh foods through its prime pantry program. >> nearly 1 billion cell phones are vulnerable to an attack. the nasty bug that could affect your android phone after you receive a simple text message. >> a pregnant pause the orangutan showing affection through the looking glass.

>> can affect and surprise us. >> don't try this at home. >> "techknow" - where technology meets humanity. only on al jazeera america. >> i've been asked to keep my voice down cause we are so close >> a member of the british house of records has stepped down from parliament amid a drug scandal. he was caught on film allegedly using cocaine with sex workers. he said he's sorry for the pain

and embarrassment he caused. a criminal investigation has been launched into his conduct. >> former indian president was 83 and has died. the scientist served at president. he worked extensively on defense and space research and best known for his role developing india's nuclear technology. >> a value kin know in mexico roared back to life, sending a plume of ash smoke and steam into the skies monday. authorities urge people to avoid the area around the volcano. >> a flaw in android phones means they can get hacked by simply receiving a picture text. the flaw could affect 95% of android phones in use today or nearly a billion worldwide. sign you are security company said the problem is in how the incoming texts are analyzed.

>> google is dropping the requirement you have a google plus account to log into services like you tube. from now on, any google account just g male will allow users to browse and share. >> a long lost book from dr. seuss goes on sale today. this is the continuing adventures of some characters that those are us fans know already. >> that's right. many people will recognize characters featuring the children from one fish, two fish red fish, bluefish. the book was only recently discovered and added to the collection of classic children's stories. >> from the cat in the hat to oh the places you'll go, so many classics and now there's

one more. >> the story is about making decisions. >> theodore seuss wrote 44 illustrated children's books selling more than 650 million copies worldwide. >> do you like green eggs and ham? >> the books have been made into movies television programs and on line games. his characters are known across generations. kathy gold smith from random house worked directly with dr. seuss for years. here she is talking about in a promotional video. >> he rarely shared his work before he was done with it, you would generally get a book that was pretty close to being finished the first time you saw it. he clearly doesn't need a lot of editing or art direction the way others do. >> gold smith has been designer and art director for the author's last six books and lost stories. >> i feel a great sense of

responsibility in working on dr. seuss bookings without him because when he was here, he guided everything we did. so i try to get it right. i try to think of how he would do it and what he would want to happen. >> as is the case with what pets should i get. >> reading events are planned across the country today for the release of the new book, since we all know their best read out loud. >> i will be first in line that get that book. >> we leave you with a heart warming story about a zoo animal giving special visitors some love. macy was nine months pregnant when she visited the zoo in the u.k. and that orangutan kissed her belly through the glass. it has an affinity for the pregnant visitors to visit. >> that's it for us here in new york thanks for watching and a reminder we'll be back at 10:00 a.m. eastern for live

coverage of the house foreign affairs committee on the iran deal. >> being a musician, there's no demand... >> world renowned artist lang lang >> the moment you're on stage, it's timeless >> american schools falling flat... >> there are no music class in public schools... >> and his plan to bring music back... >> music makes people happier... >> every tuesday night. >> i lived that character.

>> go one on one with america's movers and shakers. >> we will be able to see change. >> gripping. inspiring. entertaining. talk to al jazeera. only on al jazeera america.

>> beyond the verdict and on the streets. >> there's been another teenager shot and killed by the police. >> a fault lines special investigation. >> there's a general distrust of this prosecutor. >> courageous and in-depth. >> it's a target you can't get rid of. >> the untold story of what >> hi there welcome to the news hour from doha. coming up in the next 60 minutes: >> the world must recognizes africa's extraordinary process. >> praise and a call for actual democracy, president obama is the first sitting american president to address the african union. >> nato stands with turkey in its fight against isil as a buffer zone is agreed on inside the syrian territory. >> sentenced to death