a tropcal wind storm... >> ...can effect and surprise us... >> wow, these are amazing... >> techknow, where technology meets humanity! only on al jazeera america this is al jazeera america. live from new york. i'm erica pitzi. here are the top stories. the city of ferguson marks one year since the shooting death of michael brown sparked discussions about race and policing. outrage at the light sentence of colorado theatre killer james holmes, a juror explaining why the death penalty was avoided typhoon souderor slams into china after leaving a path of

destruction across taiwan the multi-million of gaming - why some women do not feel comfort in what they consider a sexist forum tomorrow marks one year since michael brown, an unarmed black teenager was shot and killed by a white police officer in ferguson, missouri. the city and his family are still coming to terms with his death. diane eastabrook is at a service. you are at a march lead by his father in honour of his son. tell us about that? >> it was a peaceful march, much like what we saw late last night. this march started at canfield green apartment complex, near the site where brown was killed last year. marchers wound their way through the streets of ferguson, and

ended up at a high school a few miles away. police lined much of the route, and there were a lot of interactions with the marchers and police. many of the interactions were very, very cordial as opposed to some of the angry confrontations last year between police and protesters. michael brown's father said that this has been a difficult near for him and his family, and talked to us about that. >> we have been dragged left and right. we still haven't had an answer, just mourn. so saying that, you know, it's like it just repeated itself. it just popped back up, it was fresh. >> reporter: it is difficult. >> it's hard. it's hard. >> and, of course, tomorrow will be the one year anniversary of the shooting of michael brown. and there's going to be yet another march tomorrow,

preceding that will be a moment of silence. >> and on the anniversary, what more is done in the memory of michael brown? >> well, tonight there'll be a concert. one of the big event going on today and tomorrow is the jobs sphere sponsored by the city of ferguson. a number of people turned out today. a number of booths were set up with local businesses, and agencies to help people get jobs. one of the things that we heard over and over again is the whole lack of opportunity for a lot of people in the african-american community in ferguson, and some activists think that that is what led to a lot of rage that we saw last year, a lack of opportunity and jobs. >> throughout the year we have heard of people coming from all over the u.s. to take part in memorials and protests. is there national attention there today?

>> yes, and we encountered a lot of media. as we walked the parade route i encountered a student from the university of michigan, and he said he wanted to be in ferguson to honour michael brown, and everything that has happened in the u.s. this year, in regards to race. >> all right. diane eastabrook, live for us in ferguson, missouri. thank you coming up we'll have more on the one year anniversary of the protest. we'll talk to ferguson democratic committee woman patricia bynes about where the small city stands republican front runner donald trump is stealing the spotlight from a convention, not in the way most republicans like. trump was disinvited from a red-state.com following comments on fox presenter meghan kelly,

she spoke about his treatment of women, and he spoke about, and conservatives are distancing themselves from the comment. >> i'm already in trouble now. i'll get in trouble with my i wife. >> tell you what, my friend, you're on the side of women. i'll take your side of that. >> thank you. >> i appreciate it. [ clapping ] >> come on. give me a break. i mean, are we - do we want to win. do we insult 53% of voters. what donald trump said is wrong. that's not how to win elections. >> after, donald trump was uninvited and meghan kelly invited to attend. sanders is holding rallies in portland and los angeles, and

said views an climate change, criminal justice is resonating with voters. hillary clinton campaigns in hampshire on monday. next half hour - the importance of social media and the youth vote. we speak to the president of rock the boat. >> i.s.i.l. fighters took over a town in syria. fighters seized a strategic town near some of the gas fields. i.s.i.l. took the town after heavy fighting with the army, fighters detained 200 people, including christians found at checkpoints and churches. >> it's been a year since a u.s.-led coalition began air strikes against i.s.i.l. in iraq. since then the u.s. deployed 3,000 troops to train iraqi force, and the cost to america has been $2.4 billion.

meaning the u.s. is spending 9 million per day. the coalition made up of the u.s., jordan, qatar, united arab emirates and saudi arabia many iraqis appear to be doubtful that the anti-i.s.i.l. strategy is working. we have this report from baghdad. >> with hopes as faded as the pictures that surround them, it's a mournful atmosphere for the patrons of baghdad's historic cafe. here they sip and smoke what small comforts are provided. not even these decaying mementos of iraq's glorious past are enough to counter all the reminders of its dangerous present. >> the majority didn't think that america - that it affects on the ground. nothing on the ground. political analyst tells me that in the years since the u.s.-led coalition began air strikes against the islamic state of

iraq and levant, many iraqis have grown more distrustful than ever of their government alliance with the united states. >> they think they have a proven policy, and they will not use the war for global policy. >> reporter: a short walk away, down baghdad's bustling streets, the mood is livelier, but not happier. during a recent record heatwave, anger and anxiety seemed to rise faster than the temperature. here in baghdad there's a concern about the effectiveness of the air strikes against i.s.i.l., especially at a time when the group has a stronghold 90km from the capital. rich with history, this is where the elite came to buy books, discuss issues and debate ideas. on this day many express their concerns over the coalition

strategy to defeat i.s.i.l. >> throughout the year we have not seen tangible results, and it leaves us with a big question mark about whether the coalition is serious about fighting i.s.i.l. on the ground or not. we asked them to review their strategy and actually dealing seriously with iraqi forces, to help them fight i.s.i.l. others, though, put the blame on sectarian politics, playing out in the ranks to the iraq government. >> i think the problem is mutual trust. there's lack of mutual trust. with so much at stake, they have this warning. >> if this is not resolved. i.s.i.l. will be walking around baghdad in no time. >> reporter: in a city where writers once reigned on a street where poets once ruled - artistry no longer alleviates dread. amid the volumes of fiction and

nonfiction, it's fear that is expressed vividly now iran's military chief backed the landmark nuclear deal to curb the country's nuclear programme. according to a report by iran's agency, the general is in favour of the deal, but says he is has concerns over it. the ayatollah khamenei has yet to publicly approve or disavow the deal. u.s. congress is reviewing the accord a detained "the washington post" report are is set to appear in court on monday. it is likely to be a closed door gaol. he faces 20 years in prison if convicted. it's not sure how long it will take before the judge issues a verdict typhoon soudelor is pounding south-east china. hundreds have been evacuated to

higher ground. the storm weakened but it's the strength is equal to a category 5. it injured 102 people and 4 million households in taiwan left without power. >> i have to say taiwan handled this well. only seeing six death was the strength of the system as it made an approach. here is an enhanced image of the storm as it made its way to taiwan. it's pushed over land fall yesterday. we are looking alt the problems of a -- at the problems of a tropical storm pushing into china, moving across the taiwan state and we are seeing rain across the area. >> for taiwan, we saw incredible amounts of rain. 51 inches of rain fell in that amount of time. you have to remember taiwan is

mountainous. a lot of water is funnelled. so 51 inches can turn into 10 feet of water in some situations. down to taipei at the north end of the island they saw 2 feet of water. the storm crossed the taiwan state and equal to a category 1. as it moved into china, we saw the storm weaken. we are looking at many people in the area, densely populated area. flooding in the region will be a major problem there. back to you. >> thank you. a wildfire evacuation order has been lifted in northern california. the massive blaze known as the rocky fire, burning in northern california, north of sacramento. it was 62% contained by saturday morning. most of the 1200 forced from their homes was allowed back by friday. ittate through 109 square miles of county.

>> it's hard to know what's a sign, what sign to look for, what's it all many. it rages one side, and takes away your home, and not another home. it's hard, hard to fight for all that. we're going to have to keep going with the grace of god. >> 43 homes destroyed, 13,000 people ordered or warned to evacuate coming up, our continued coverage of flashpoint ferguson a year later. we talk to a plate call organiser on the ground about how much progress has truly been made since the death of michael brown, and a look at how something as simple as diapers can break the bank for american families, and dangerous rise. a look at automobile recalls. there's so many more, and how the government is holding car-makers responsible. responsible.

. >> i'm emily davis, i live in ferguson. my husband and i lived here for the last 10 years. i'm a mother of three and a

member of a group of residents who came together, passionate about the community. the goal is to figure out what needs to be addressed in our community to conquer the things that divide us. i personally felt the mayor, and the city council and the government failed the citizens of ferguson. there's no 2-way dialogue or communication about what the citizens feel like we might want. there's so many in this community who are passionate about the community, we want things to change, who want to come together and choose to live here together and be together in this space. i'm hopeful as we go forward, that those people will become stronger it's been a year since the death of michael brown in ferguson, missouri that caused unrest throughout the town and nation, joining us to discuss the community progress is patricia bynes, a democratic

committee woman representing ferguson, missouri. good evening, thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> i know the person you were hearing from, emily davis, talking about change. what do you think is different about ferguson today, a year after michael brown died? >> well, there's a lot that is different. and it depends on who you are speaking to, if they think it's positive or negative, many of the changes that are taking place. i think that we still are not at a place where there's the 2-way dialogue, like emily talked about. it doesn't seem to happen. we have people who are tone deaf. you have some of those who are yelling. what is different, there are more people trying to get engaged in their community, to make a difference, and that is important. so beyond the yelling and the people who are trying to ignore

others, there are more involved from ferguson, trying to make a difference. >> what has not changed in ferguson, what is notable to you? >> it seems like ferguson is stuck in limbo. we have an interim city manager, an interim police chief - i said interim. there's not a lot of closure so far, or commitment, a step to move forward. ferguson is still in negotiations with the department of justice, and they rejected the first offer that was reported earlier this week. so people are not getting a lot of closure and commitment for change that they would like to see. >> let's talk about the interim police chief andre anderson. he said his priority is building trust between the police and community, how challenging will it be for him to succeed. >> it will be challenging. we can tell we have a challenge

across the country, in communities all over the nation. i saw and spoke with the police chief yesterday, and there was a call to action last night at 8 o'clock. the chief was out there, talking to the businesses, letting them know what was going on, and talking to people on the street. he has a change, but i think he knows what he applied for, and it seems right now that he's willing to rise to the occasion. i really want to see the community get it right. >> all right. so moving on to criminal justice - is it true that of the more than 100 related to criminal justice and policing offered by the democrats in the legislature, just one made it through? >> yes. we have an uber republican tea partyish majority right now, and only one bill out of hundreds that were proposed, relating to issues that came out from ferguson made it through. it's been frustrating. >> what does the future look

like for ferguson? >> that's a great question. i think that when we make it through the weekend we have celebrations and protests about our plan and panels. the future, i think, looks bright when those two care about the future, want to get active and involved. you have various activist groups planning things this weekend, but also the city of ferguson is planning something. so it depends on how engaged the community wants to be, and we can't get tired, we have to keep going. we think that change is hopefully around the corner. >> patricia bynes, democratic business woman representing missouri, thank you a police officer in texas is on administrative leave after killing and shooting a suspect. the shooting happened after a burglary at arlington. an employee said they saw him using a car to crash through the

window. there was a fight between the officer and the suspect. the officer shot the suspect. christian taylor, football player. brad miller, arlington police officer, has been placed on administrative leave poverty comes in many forms. in poor communities basic necessities are too high for residents and that's the case with disposable diapers, a problem threatening the health of children. >> what did your... >> no matter how often the grandmother needs to change her grand-daughter's mother, she has to wipe. >> when it's low, you have no money, you have to let your baby stay in pee. >> reporter: andrea makes a choice between food and diapers for her grandchildren. >> it's hot. >> you have to make a choice between the food, you know, getting that or the diapers.

>> reporter: andrea lives in subsidised housing where she helps to raise eight grandchildren and says diapers are in supply. >> i have seen that so many time. pants are full, but she has to wait to change it. those are bad times. >> andrea is not alone. according to a yale university study, one in three low income mothers struggle to pay for diapers. to give you an idea how much they can cost - nearly $1,000 a year, and if you are a single parent with a minimum wage job, that means that diapers alone can eat up 6% of your salary. >> the diaper - well, it seems like something so incredibly small can impact a family's life in a real way. >> joanne started the national diaper bank, a nonprofit that helped some 200 diaper banks collect, store and distribute diapers. last year the network distributed 35 million diapers.

>> being able to take care of your body and child's body, it's not something that we as americans like to talk about. most of us spend a lot of money on hygiene products, diapers included, because it's expected, it's expected that your child is clean and dry. >> but the cost of diapers is not covered under most government programs, such as food stamps. it's insisted that this is not about bad parenting, but bad policy. >> there's these little things that - they are sort of almost too little nor legislators to think about. >> reporter: when parents cannot provide diapers, health consequences can be serious. >> diaper rash can turn into complicated, severe diseases,

hepatitis, steph la cockize, the health effects are real. unfortunately, it's scene by a lot of families that we serve. >> okay. >> andrea worries about that adding to her guilt every time she's forced to mike 2-year-old leila sit in a wet diaper. >> i feel bad. i don't feel like a good grandmother or parent. >> that's why for this grandmother... ..the best pick me up is getting diapers free. >> it's great to go to the diaper bank and know that it will last a week, over a week. you can't do much, but this helps the national diaper bank network went from 50 banks in 2011 to more than 250 across the country today 50 years ago this week,

president lyndon johnson signed the voting rights into law. the foot soldiers of the civil rights movement say the landmark act is under attack, saying the problem is with voter i.d. laws and a recent tradition. randall pinkston reports. >> this act flows from a clear and simple wrong. it's only purpose is it right that wrong. >> when president lyndon johnson signed the 1965 voting rights action, he called it one of the monumental laws history. the bill was pushed through congress. the political struggle was exceeded by another bat: this known as bloody sunday, outraged the nation. a few weeks after bloody sunday marchers set off across the

bridge from selma to montgomery, on the front line a man that organised the protest. reverent reece. 85 years old was the person that invited martin luther king junior for the second march. later that year, he was at the nation's capital when president johnson signed the civil rights act. what did you think? >> i thought the law was so good. after having gone through the difficulties we have gone through, and now, we have a chance to be considered as first-class citizens. >> reporter: for 50 years the voting rights act helped to translate the landscape. >> president obama would not be president of the united states if it was not for the voting rights act. >> reporter: this law professor is worried because of a 2013

supreme court decision eliminating preclearance. the original act required seven states to get permission preclearance before making changes to the voting laws. the supreme court's 2013 decision eliminate the required. >> immediately after that happened, the supreme court decision, states like north carolina, like texas, and a bunch of other states started to enact provisions that made it more difficult for african-americans, for latinos, for members of racial minority groups to vote. >> the nonpartisan center counts 21 mandates with restricted laws, reducing or restricting early vote, requiring legislation or photo i.d.s. proponents say it is designed to prevent integrity of the vote. >> studies show that poor people, and people of colour vote early, because they can

take time off work, and vote when it's convenient for them. >> susan from the alabama a.c.l.u. predicts the restrictions will reduce minority turn out. so what, then, is your take on the argument that there is fraud? i mean... >> well, i think it's - there is no fraud. >> reporter: in north carolina, the n.a.a.c.p. and justice department are challenging that state's voter restrictions, an issue that reverend reece's generation hoped was settled half a century ago. coming up, while republican candidates were sparring in the presidential debate, democrat hillary clinton flexes a little social media muscle of her own. we talk about reaching voters. will the president rock the boat the latest on a spill

dumping chemicals into a river, who is to blame play surprise you. stay with us. receive

male and pictures of the his strange girls is very hard to accept a mind way spill sending orange muck down a river in south colorado thursday reached northern new mexico. it happened when the environmental protection agency was working on a coal mine, sludge was released into the waters. officials shut down the action to water treatment plants and say communities have a 90 day supply of water and there are other water sources to draw from. the spill contains metals, including lead and arsenic thursday's republican primary debate was a hit -

24 million people tuning in to watch the top 10 republican candidates for president go head to head. topics were varied. a demographing of interest to all the candidates is the youth vote, something their democratic rival hillary clinton may have a head start on. she found celebrity support that some say reaches the younger voters, kim kardashian tweeting a photo of herself and the former secretary of state and an endorsement of her bid for the presidency. kim kardashian has 32.4 million twitter followers. the topic shared 9,000 times. ashley is the president of rock the boat campaign, joining us from d.c. thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> so how has social media and its impact progressed since the last presidential election? >> well, there has been a lot of progressions in that regard.

the most important is that there are going to be 84 million millennials eligible to vote in 2016, which could make up to 40% of the electorate, and most grow up as digital natives, doing almost everything online, and with the social media presence that allows for us to do things that we sort of do second nature, which is vote every day. we are constantly sharing things, liking things, posting opinions online, re tweeting as an endorse. and heading into the 2016 election, we have to translate the participation in the social media sphere with coming out and turning out to vote. >> all right. the newsagency reuters estimates that this election cycle, candidates will spend a billion - a billion on digital media advertising, which is four times as much as 2012. how crucial is it for candidates

to put much of that money towards social media. if they do, is it because they want to target the youth vote? >> yes. like rock the boat has been doing, it's important to take young people to where they are, which is online. 90% of the millennial generation is online, using smartphones away from home and social media platforms. what we need as young people is to hear what they feel on issues, and they need to be meeting us where we are, with messages that resonate with us and issues that we care about. i think you'll see proliferation of people using this. the republican debate said last week, co-hosted by facebook, and questions coming in through social media as an attempt to engage the largest generation in the history of the country, which could have a significant impact on the election.

everyone knows that they are a generation as a hole in the deciding vote in 2016. everyone wants to meet them. making sure you are on the platforms they are on is critical. >> let's talk one of those platforms, twitter. how important is it here. we talked about kim kardashian tweeting out a picture along side hillary. kim kardashian, 32 million-odd followers, compared to hillary clinton, with 4.1 million, and donald trump, 3.6 billion. with someone like jed bush, 325,000 - it still is a lot. how much does that matter, the number of followers, and what comes to the youth voter being on twitter that extensively. >> the great thing about social media is that we are able to communicate with each other in a public forum, so, you know, the folks that have large followings

are certainly shared more often. but, you know - i say this a lot. perry who is a cultural icon has as many twitter followers as the size of the electorate in 2014. as rock the vote does, to engage with cultural icons, which has extensive groups, to show up, voice an opinion, the better off you are. and the better off we all are across the aisle because we need everyone in this generation to show up and make sure the vote is counted. >> how can a candidate get a point across in seconds, or with linear characters allowed on twitter. well, just being straight forward in a response. on rocktheboat, most of our

social media engagement drives people to the election center to find out about candidates, where polling places are or to be register issed -- registered online. most candidates use it as a teaser, but direct to a resource that young people can click through to. >> which of the candidates has the most effective social media presence for the youth vote, right now. >> that's a tough one. >> they are all making a good effort to engage with young people. what i would stay instead is you should look at which of the platforms they'll engage most heavily making sure as a baseline young people are registered to vote and have resources that they need. it will be great to see more of these platforms to facebook, twitters, trying to do more, and civic engagement to get people

engaged in the process and paying attention. >> all right. president of rocktheboat campaign, thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. into speaking of voting hatians will vote on sunday in the first of a series of elections after four years of delays. new senators, deputies and officials - they have operated without a parliament since january when terms of elected members expired. tomorrow every seat in haiti's legislature will be up for grab. in march, as many as 1800 candidates said they'd run for the 129 vacant posts. candidates have done little campaigning. the vote for a president in october under the constitution incumbent michel martelly is not allowed to run for another term. 15% of the public is expected to cast a ballot on sunday. rob reynolds has more from

port-au-prince. >> reporter: at this talk radio station, it's all politics all the time. in a country so poor that television are a luxury, and where more than half of all adults can't read or write, radio holds the key for politicians. >> radio is the best medium in haiti. you use them with a lot of capability to talk about politics. >> reporter: running for office is expensive and some haitian candidates say there's a lot of dirty mun brie. -- money. >> a lot of people use bad money, like drug money, things like this. we have this problem in haiti. >> and money talks. >> money talks, unfortunately. >> we caught up with would-be senator to ask about campaign funding. >> i have people calling every day offering me money.

i refuse. i want to show the public who is financing my campaign. >> several of the people at this campaign rally confirmed that their attendance was motivated by cold cash, spread around to the candidates. >> translation: some of the people here have their money. we are waiting. along with drones and horns is fear and violence. late last month a group of supporters of a local candidate was gathering alt the street corner when a motorcycle pulled up. the man on the motorcycle began to shoot. he killed three people and then escaped. a memorial banner names the murdered man. >> i have three close friends killed and four others wounded. political analysts say as in past elections the threat of violence is high. >> looks like violence is part

of the equation now. currently we have heard a lot of - you know, violence. from many places. more people that are interested, the more violence is an issue, and the more explosive it is. >> the commander of the u.n.'s international police force says enough international and foreign officers will be on hand to prevent incidents from getting out of control. the premier gaming event is taking place in seattle tonight. next - a look at the multi-million industry and why many women do not feel welcome. feel welcome.

a commercial plane was forced to make an emergency landing in denver after it was caught in a hailstorm. the delta jet's windshield and nose cone was damaged. it was going from boston to salt lake city. passengers said they were holding hands and crying. the federally aviation administration is investigating the incident right now professional video camers are competing in the finals of an international gaming contest that some equate with the world cup. it's taking place in seattle. for the first time equal geniuses, an american team, is playing in the final. it may look like it's fun and games, it's a high-stakes big-money competition. allen schauffler reports that it takes play to a new level. >> reporter: yes, it's just a game. and, no, it's not just a game.

opening ceremony hoopla, rock star status for players, post-game shows streamed around the world. this has a major league feel. in a sky box, the team from complexity gaming watches a first-round match. the international is a big chance for a pay day. >> suddenly there's so much on the line. it means everything. zoned in, it's insane. it's high. >> these 20 something live and train together, playing it the is the full-time job, and they win early. >> they call it... >> fantasy play, but the money is real. super bowl winner earnt $97,000. n.b.a. champion worriers, 250,000 a piece. the world series, $388,000 per san francisco giant. but the international blows them away. members of the winning team pocket 1.2 million each.

losers make guaranteed money. it's big business, it has 27 players under contract. playing five different video games in tournaments over the world. >> it's like n.a.s.c.a.r. of the jerseys are my cars. we put the logos over the jerseys, and monitor in that fashion seattle's key arena sold out for the event in a matter of minutes. 20 million people watched live streams last year. this year's prize will have more than $18 million, is the biggest gaming pot ever. teams from asia and europe dominated the europe. complexity - american base and battling through the losers bracket for recognition and cash hopes to change that. >> it's fun. it's still a game. now there's millions of eyes on me, and i can earn millions of dollars. it's - i'm still coming to terms that it is real. it's still very, very surreal to

me. >> in seattle for the games, i'm allen schauffler, al jazeera and joining us from boston to discuss the darker side of high stakes gaming is the head of development at space cat. good evening. welcome to you. thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> you spoke out about sexism in the gaming world. even receiving death threats because of how outspoken you are. how real is this problem? >> it's incall ubley real. i had up to 150 death threats so far this year, i've been run out of my home. this week i have someone send this horrific thing of murder me and my family. it's absolutely real. >> why would someone go to those lengths just because you are - you know, raising concerns about sexism in the industry. why? >> sure.

you are looking at - we had a story about dodo. it's a kind of game that is hyper-competitive. it's a good genre that epitomizes what is problematic about the gaming industry. in these environments you have scandals where some of the players said we are going to rape and abuse some of the women they are participating with, very aggressive culture to the women there, from the players to the women that develop your games. so, you know, the truth is the gaming industry is it changing now. women are actually a majority of gamers. we are between 46 and 62%, depending on which study you look at. the truth is the industry is struggling with the old stereotype and the modern reality. >> let's talk about the survey in the guardian. it found out of 1400 american

teenage boys, 47% of middle school and 61% agree that women are treated as sex objects too often in the video game. do the numbers surprise you? >> no, not at all. it's past a point where the consumers are comfortable. i am sure if anyone asked if video games had a problem with the way they represent women, it's obvious to a normal person. it's part of the problem. >> this particular study is pointing out that these young - these teenage boys are acknowledging, yes, you know, they do objectify women. doesn't that encourage you in some way? >> it does encourage me, but the consumer that is - what the consumer is comfortable with. there's a development culture, they are two different things. you go into the different

studios and look at who is making the games. you are not going to find many women on the teams. that filters down and the product makes itself to the consumer. the answer is simple. it's hire more women for positions. >> you think it would matter more if more video games are designed by women. >> we have a huge hiring problem in the industry. i'm a software engineer. the video game industry, 3% of software engineers here are women. compare that to tech as a whole. where up to 20% of software engineers in tech are women. it's the same programme, same skills, same everything. you have to ask yourself why do so many women work in software development and games. the answer is the culture. >> i just want to point out one other study looking at whether video games are making people sexist. the study said no. what do you say? >> well you know, if you look at

this - i looked at the data involved in the study. it was based on assumptions, based on a formula to calculate that which originated in the '70s. if you look at the 1970s definition of sexism - yes, we don't fall into that. the world looks a little different in 2015. there's a lot of resources that needs to be done. >> all right, brianna wu head coax edeveloper at space cat. >> del walters is here with a look at the next hour. >> coming up, we'll look at the number of cars and trucks that are recalled. just last year there were more than 74 million pulled off the road. all raising questions about your safety. the relationship between republican party and women. in the middle of it all trump consider, and back to ferguson, missouri. we'll look at how the city's courts have changed following the death of michael brown at

the head of a white police officer. they are some of the stories ahead in the next hour. >> see you in a few minutes russia's military facing a desertion problem. how the war is leading some of its soldiers to go awol. stay with us.

russia is trying to reform its military into a better equipped fighting force. allegations of inhumane conditions and fears about ending up fighting in ukraine led dozens of soldiers to desert their posts. rory challands reports. >> reporter: alexander is a young man that doesn't like the direction his life has taken. the enlisted soldier faces 10 years in prison, for two charges of going absent without leave. he insists he's been left with no choice - beatings, bullying

the abuse is too much to bear, and the army ignored resignation letters. >> translation: if people want to leave, they ask for money. we are openly told this on the parade ground. we submitted tenders, we are told if you want to leave, pay your commanders. >> reporter: alexander's is not an isolated case. at least five soldiers have been prosecuted for going awol after being transferred near the ukrainian border. the statistics are murky, and the figure runs to at least 60, maybe more. one of the things we heard repeatedly here is that bullying and abuse are not the only reasons why contract soldiers are running from the russian army, people say that unidentified recruiters are working the army bases, offering cash to soldiers to fight in ukraine.

understandably, it's something alexander is not keen on talking about. >> translation: people were intimidated, locked up. guys came. i don't know who they were, and threatened them with 13 years in gaol if they didn't take their words back. >> acting for alexander and five others is tatiana, she's dismissed in russian media as a spreader of rumours, hassled by police, and her phone has been blocked and listened to. >> about the recruiters. those that spoke out about it and has been forced to retract evidence and admit guilt. he's out, but he's a broken man. the other guys are afraid. >> reporter: we asked the russian defence ministry by phone and letter at national and regional levels for their response. they had no comment for the moment. russia's defense spending is soaring.

oo a consequence ever a high profile military modernization programme. despite the money spent, conditions for serving soldiers are perilous. last month, 23 young men died when a section of barracks collapsed. in the middle of the night. this is a militaristic country that reveres the service of soldiers past. a respect it doesn't seem to be giving for some serving now. i'm erica pitzi in new york. the news continues next with del walters good evening, this is al jazeera america, and i'm del walters in new york with a look at the top stories. we go back to ferguson, missouri, a year after an unarmed black teen was shot and killed by a white police officer. >> what i say is what i say. and hone,