burned up in the earth's a atmosphere making it look like a streak of light coming across. >> reporter: if you missed wednesday's light show, don't worry, as long as the sky is clear, more shooting stars should be visible this evening. >> more on our website, aljazeera.com. [ explosion ] [ screaming ] dozens killed, thousands evacuated after explosions in china. the government confirms poisonous chemicals are in the air. a deadly day across iraq, isil attacks a crowded market, and a military convoy in separate attacks. plus president jimmy carter's fight. the new diagnosis as he announces his cancer has spread.

♪ you are watching al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm john than betz. chinese officials are now saying they have detected poisonous and harmful chemicals in the air where a warehouse exploded late last night, so big it could be seen from space. the building stored chemicals and gases. at least 50 people are dead, 12 firemen. another 36 firefighters are still missing. adrian brown talked to some survivors. >> reporter: the heart of one of china's most important economic hubs, torn apart by multiple blasts. fires burned throughout the night. there were further explosions on thursday afternoon. as a pool of toxic smoke

billowed across the city. with local people concerned, not for the first time, about the air they are now breathing. >> translator: we're very worried, very worried about what chemical is in the air. we're worried it might be toxic and could be harmful in the future. >> reporter: close to the epicenter of the explosions, the scale of the destruction is difficult for dazed survivors to comprehend what happened and why. >> translator: i thought it was a gas explosion. my bedroom wall was hit by a shock wave which through me out of bed. >> reporter: others thought it was an earthquake or nuclear explosion. windows were shattered in homes almost two kilometers away. foreseeing the evacuation of hundreds of families. the flying debris sliced through hundreds of vehicles. temporary housing for migrant workers bore the brunt of the blasts. this is a worker's dormitory, and as you can see it has been

completely shredded. the damage really bares testament to the force of those multiple explosions. the people in here were lucky to get out alive. >> reporter: the number of dead is continuing to rise. many of them were firefighters. government officials say hundreds of people were treated in hospital, mostly for cuts caused by flying glass and concrete. >> translator: my first reaction was to run. i then heard another blast, i escaped and was running wild. i got blood all over my body. >> reporter: the authorities say the blasts were caused by chemicals stored in a warehouse close to where thousands of people lived. an investigation into how that was possible has now begun. this disaster is bound to effect beijing's economy considering that port is important. several companies say business has already been disrupted. ships are unable to dock, and most operations are now on hold.

it's a major chinese port, the world's tenth largest, and it's only 90 miles from beijing. the area is the sea gate for the city of more than 11 million people, and connects china to the rest of asia and the west. it has trade relations with 500 other ports, and the main company that manages the port has assets of around $16 billion. but in a bit of good news for beijing, asian markets rallied today. the central bank lowered the guiding rate for the currency for the third consecutive day today. the national lenninger says there is no need for further lowering. it will make exports less expensive. iraq eye officials say isil militants have ambushed a

military convoy killing at least 14 soldiers, this following a huge bombing at a crowded market in baghdad, at least 67 were kill when a truck packed with explosives detonated. more than 150 have been hurt. isil says it is behind the suicide bombing. mohammed jamjoom has more. >> reporter: ill really underscores how tenuous the security situation remains not just throughout the country but also in the capitol. pint we were talking about this last hour, there has been confusion on how this attack happened this morning. we had been told that it was a suicide bomber who drove into the crowd this morning, when in fact we're now told it was a parked truck that the bomb went off in the truck as crowds were gathering at a crowded and popular vegetable market in a very densely populated area. this is according to all

accounts, people we have spoken to who witnessed some of dhef station a horrific attack, and it was really does go to show how much of a fight iraqi security forces have on their hands when it comes to battling isil which seems to be targeting shia dominated areas. this is the third attack in as many days. there were two shia dominated neighborhoods, there that were targeted in which dozens were killed and wounded by car bombs. today we're hearing from government officials here, that the second phase of the anbar offensive has launched. a phase in which the defense forces here claim that they will -- that they will stup supply lines that isil fighters used to get repons into the country. but you speak to people here in iraq and most will tell you they don't believe the fight is going well, and a lot of what the iraqi government has told them,

they believe that a lot of that is pop -- propaganda and it isn't going well for iraq. and fallujah is another front in the battle against isil in anbar province, we're told by medics there, because of government air raids against isil targets that 23 civilians were killed and most of the victims were women and children. so all across this country you see a fight that seems to be non-ending. citizens very concerned about their safety and security at a time when so many people are coming out into the streets demanding the governmenten corruption and restore basic services to them. america's 39th president, jimmy carter, the second oldestlying president is battling cancer. he says the disease has spread from his liver to other parts of his body. ♪ happy birthday to you >> reporter: at 90 years i don't

think, he is the second oldest of living presidents. now it's his health that is making the headlines. elective liver surgery reveal that cancer has spread through his body. in a statement he said: the statement makes it clear carter's cancer is widespread but doesn't reveal where in the body it is, nor where it started. just last may, carter cut short a trip after feeling unwell, and returned to the u.s. he had been in the south american country to observe elections. in a formal statement the white house wished president carter a fast and full recovery adding: ironically a tweet from the obamas seemed to be more formal: >> i jimmy carter do -- >> reporter: though his one term

in washington, d.c. is generally regarded as troubled, arguably jimmy carter has had the best post presidency of anyone occupying the oval in modern times. winning the nobel peace prize in 2002. after losing to president reagan in 1980, carter returned home to form the carter center, an organization dedicated to promoting health care, democracy, human rights and other global issues. he has been active all over the world, helping to cure river blindness in aftrica among othe illnesses. his correct buck was just published in july. now his battle moves a little closer to home. cancer. never easy to overcome, but president carter does have the good wishes of the nation behind him. still ahead scientists and

residents along the river hope for clear water as heavy metals make their way downstream.

at least 3 million gallons of chemicals have flooded rivers for more than a week, and experts warn heavy metals may settle into the riverbed.

>> reporter: the blowout is near silverton, colorado, a town like so many in this part of the country was built by mining. there's no public access to the site itself. we take a rocky one-lane detour around the road closure. it's slow going, a steep switch back climb. and where the road ends is where all of the trouble started. so finally we get a chance to see ground zero where the accident happened last week. this is the entrance to the mine that blew out last wednesday. it was a mine entrance dammed by a land slide which work crews were probing trying to figure out how much water has built up behind it, the ugly answer at least 3 million gallons. the epa has built new retention

ponds for the runoff. agency administrator, gina mccarthy visited nearby durango wednesday afternoon. >> i just came from a briefing on the status of the cleanup and the status of the monitoring of the plume. i am excited that they are fully operational and they have been fully operational, and we are working this issue very hard. >> reporter: we came to the accident site with a member of the local incident management team and several congressional staffers getting their first look. also with us, an engineer with 40 years in mining, who doesn't think what happened here should signal an end to the industry in these mountains. given a whole new set of rules and regulations what are the opportunities for miners? >> they are good. we can comply with those rules. even in today's market, and met call prices, it can work.

>> reporter: we could see mining grow in this area? >> yes, uh-huh. some of us working on trying to start that again. >> reporter: but any chance of future mining could disappear if this area is designated as a toxic superfund cleanup site. that designation could bring additional federal cleanup money. but it's a contentious issue here and has been for decades where the superfund label could slow development and kill the tourist trade. >> this is where the flow initial came down. >> reporter: our guide events the city and san juan county as a spokesman. those funds from the national priority list may come quickly or may take decades, and if the still ma of superfund site is on the community without true cleanup, it could be really devastating to the people that live here. >> reporter: this now infamous hole in the ground isn't gushing

sludge anymore, but gold king and other nearby mines still leak contaminated ground water at hundreds of gallons per minute. it has been happening for years and any cleanup here, superfund or no superfund will be just a small win in a much bigger battle stretching into the future. for the first time in this election cycle a poll shows hillary clinton is losing ground to bernie sanders. it's in the state of new hampshire where earlier this year clinton held a double-digit lead. now six months ago when clinton kicked off her campaign, the same polling organization found her ahead of sanders 44-8. on the republican side, jeb bush taking on racial inequality. >> i have a record of empowering people in communities that had

no chance. they were told they were assigned to failing schools. the teachers in those schools were not as good as the teachers in other schools, and the net result was we had these huge divides, and it was very easy to understand why that exists, why people don't think the system works for them. >> he says that there is no question that racism still exists. the meeting, though, ended on a bad note when bush exited the stage to the chants of protestors. bush's campaign says the candidate met with black lives matter advocates earlier in the day. in recent weeks protesters have also interrupted bernie sanders. u.s. companies have made more than 5,000 claims for billions of dollars lost when the castro regime ceased property in the early years of the revolution. but as lucia newman reports, the

cuban government is making claims of its own. >> reporter: most of cuba still looks like it is frozen in time, a time when most of what you see here was owned by american companies from the former sears department store, to the grand hotels once run but the american mafia. u.s. firms and citizens who's property was confiscated are demanding compensation. but the cuban government is claiming damages too to the tune of $100 billion. that's what it says 54 years of u.s. economic sanctions has cost the country. >> translator: for example, if you have a refinery with u.s. machinery that was paralyzed because we cannot buy spare parts, the collate that.

the embargo jacks up prices of everything. all of this ads up. >> reporter: cuba is also claiming assets frozen in u.s. banks, plus interest. and blames the embargo for its dilapidated infrastructure. but while cuban insiders concede $100 billion is an inflated figure, they say it is a starting point for a negotiated settlement. >> cuba can argue if the sanctions are not lifted, there's no way that we can sit down and negotiate this. we are going to give you a bill of what you owe us. >> reporter: the standoff on who owes what to whom and how much it's worth is not only complicated, it's essential for normalizing relations. the act passed by the u.s. congress specifically states that all property claims must be satisfactorily resolved be the

embargo against cuba can be lifted. but cuba believes it has another card up its sleeves. >> they will have to accept. otherwise there is not going to be any deal. and of course the price is investment in cuba. >> reporter: with diplomatic ties renewed many american companies that were exproper rated are eager to return. but the message seems to be that they will first have to drop their claims, or stay out. and tomorrow night at 9:00 eastern, antonio mora hosts a special hour of coverage live from havana, we'll speak in depth about the new era in u.s. cuba relations. plus look at what daily life is like now in cuba. and we come back this afternoon after combatting years of dismal performance, the first

all-charter school in the any of new orleans gets a clean report card.

>> i don't really know what's going

♪ a federal judge here

>> stephanie: new york has made it clear. he wants the nfl and star patriot's quarterback, tom brady to negotiate a settlement. john henry explains. >> reporter: a hero's welcome for tom brady, as he arrived in new york to ask a federal judge to overturn his four-game suspension. a villain's welcome for roger goodell. one inside the judge put both men on the spot, saying he was having trouble finding that brady was part of a scheme or conspiracy. the judge asked if the nfl had proof that brady has anything to do with deflating the football. to the specific question which was quote: the league's lawyer responded

no. before adding that, quote: specifically the nfl pointed to texts brady sent after the afc championship, that quote: the nfl also says that under the collective bargaining agreement, commissioner gaedel had the right to slap brady with the four-game suspension. then the judge wanted to know why brady destroyed his cell phone during the investigation. brady's lawyer said he did it to protect his privacy, but acknowledged that it could have been done a different way. one long-time observer of the judge expects him to keep up the tough grilling. >> i think this judge will say if you can't resolve it, neither of you are going to like it if

you let me make the decision. >> reporter: they are going to meet again next wednesday unless they can agree to settle deflate get a before then. >> the courtroom sketches predicting him have gone viral. there it is. the portrait next to an actual shot of brady leaving court. comparing the drawing of brady to among others, michael jackson's thriller, handball elector, and even et. the artist has apologized to brady, saying, quote, he hardly looked up at all, if i didn't make him look good enough, i'll try harder next time in the wake of hurricane

katrina, the state's schools were replaced. >> reporter: the public school system in new orleans is like no other system in the country. >> new orleanses the only city in america that is majority charter school. >> reporter: a failing and corrupt system was dismantled, the state took control of low-performing schools and thousands of teachers were fired. this is the result. schools like renewed cultural arts academy, one of more than 90 privately operated charter schools student must apply for. this woman runs the louisiana association of charter schools and says the model is working because of choice. parents can shop around for the best schools. that she says has forced competition. >> you have to produce to

attract those parents, those teachers and those students into your building. >> they actually care about the kids. they want to see them thrive and do better. >> reporter: this woman has three children in new orleans's charter schools. overall she feels the system is an improvement, but like many parents feel she didn't given real choice, but more of a chance. >> if i want my child to go to an a or b school, and there's no seating available, they have to suffer. >> reporter: another common complaint, many top schools require admin mission exams. >> you guys did an awesome job. >> reporter: still the governor and other reform advocates site remarkable gains since the overhaul. they point to the graduation rate, up from 54% in 2004, and

the number of kids in failing schools just 8% today compared to 62% before katrina. >> it has been ten years and the gains are fairly marginal. >> reporter: this university professor has studied the reforms and says while there has been improvement, the gains are small. she points to the act scores. the average student in new orleans public schools scored a 17 ten years ago, today it has risen by more than a point. >> the scores are still so low that the average student in the new orleans district can't get into lsu. >> reporter: most advocates and parents admit there is still a long way to go before public education here can be considered good, but a decade later, they feel it's a far cry from what it was. and that does it for us at

this half hour. thank you so much for joining us. i'm jonathan betz. stay right here, because the news continues next live from london. ♪ at least 55 people are killed in a bomb attack in a crowded market in iraq. ♪ i'm lauren taylor, this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up. rising death toll in china's huge explosions with at least 50 now killed and 700 injured. the prediction that ebola will be defeated by year's end. and starlight express, sky gazers are treated to an action-packed night. ♪