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have is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris. chaos on the macedonia border with greece today. take a look. [ gunfire ] [ screaming ] >> special police forces fired as you can see here, tear gas and beyond that stun grenades to stop a wave of refugees from entering the country. many have been camped out in a stretch of no man's land along the border with greece. our correspondent is on the greek side of the border with macedonia. ivan, what happened there this morning? the pictures are pretty frightening. >> reporter: yes, the chaos is the right word that describes what happens this morning. people are tired, people are nervous, many of them are -- are

traveling more than two weeks, so no wonder that incident happened, because a lot of them are waiting here at the border more than three days. they tried to break through the police barricades, and force entry to macedonia. macedonian police helped by macedonian army stopped them by using grenades and ten people were injured, four of them seriously, and they were hospitalized, but the real number of injured people is much higher because many didn't look for medical help. the latest information says that nobody will be allowed to cross the macedonian border tonight. it will be reopened at 5:00 am tomorrow morning, so 3,000 people right now here, they are going to sleep another night outside. >> well, ivan what is available to the people who are around you there? i'm talking about food, water.

what is there to assist them, to help them? >> reporter: they are managing by themselves. they don't have any help provided by greece authorities yet. they are managing by themselves as they can. there is no water here. there's no food. there's no tents. people will sleep outside. you can see behind me, there are a lot of people already prepared for sleeping another night out at the open. as i said earlier, more than 3,000 people are here at this moment, but the number is actually much higher because a lot of them are not staying here at night. they rented some apartments and some houses in nearest city, and they will come back early -- early next morning to see if the border is open.

so it's a very difficult situation for these people here large number -- large number of children, large number of children, and they will have the priority for crossing the border with macedonia tomorrow, and after that, everybody else. >> all right. ivan for us. good to see you have. appreciate. thank you. a ship carrying refugees fleeing the violence in syria docked a short time ago in greece. and the refugees are now at a train station nearby. there were some 2,500 on board, including children. the vessel picked them up from several islands. opposition parties in greece are trying to form their new government one day after the prime minister called for new elections. some members of his par the rebailed over the bailout agreement negotiated with european creditors. >> reporter: approximately two dozen members of parliament from the syriza party have broken

away from the prime minister's line and have said that they are going to form a separate far-left-wing group. they have said this is going to be called the consolidated anti-austerity front or the united anti-austerity front, and this is a play on words, because it is an echo of the communist resistance during world war ii, which after the war, fought a civil war against national forces and that was of course called the national freedom front. there is no coincidence here, the far left wants the name of its new party to sound like the continuation of the communist fighting formations of old. it wants to suggest to voters that they are the true leftist, the true inheriters of the world war ii communist generation, and they are the ones that will

carry the torch forward guest austerity in this case in the upcoming election. the stock market is plunging again for the fourth straight day. the dow is down nearly 2%. it opened 190 points lower after falling 358 points yesterday. that's the biggest drop in almost five years. economist richard wolf says this market turmoil should be taken seriously. >> it has to be taken seriously, because anything of this size happening so quickly is a warning shot across the bow of the world economy. i think the way to understand it best is to see that when you have a global capitalism of the way -- in the way that we do, a problem in one major area, it's only a matter of time before it becomes a problem elsewhere.

for the last two or three years, people here in the united states have diluted themselves, imagining that the growing problems of europe on the one hand, and the chinese economy on the other, could somehow play themselves out without reverberations here. what you're seeing now is the global recognition by the rest of the world, and by people who have stocks and bonds that that was an illusion and that we're now in another economic downturn, and the only question that intelligent people now have is how bad it will be, and how long it will last. these kinds of sharp fluctuations have a way of building their own momentum so that we lose track of whether is an accurate assessment of where we are, or the beginning of a panic that can have ramifications that we don't even want to dare look into. >> he says while the u.s.

economy is getting better it is not translating to real improvement for average americans, and less money is circulating through the economy. the wildfires in washington state keep expanding. officials say those fires grew by 100 square miles in the last 24 hours. 29,000 firefighters are trying to beet back about 100 monster fires in six states. and in a first for washington state, officials are asking for volunteers to join the fight. more from stephanie sy. >> this is an unprecedented cataclysm in our state. >> reporter: dry weather and strong winds are helping fuel the fires raging in the eastern part of washington state. >> we know that these fires have burned a big hole in our state's heart. >> reporter: the bodies of three firefighters killed wednesday were removed from the scene by a procession of emergency

vehicles. they died after getting trapped in the flames. >> it was a hell storm up here. and the winds were blowing in every direction. >> reporter: the men were identified, as a 20 years, 26 year old, and 31 year old. their families in mourning. >> he was the center of our lives. >> we're going to miss him more than anything in the whole world. >> it's horrible. i can't even imagine. and -- and to lose your life fighting a fire, that's horrible for a family, and -- yeah, it's just a bad -- just a bad deal. >> reporter: officials called for immediate evacuations in one community and a similar order went out last night for a thousand people in a nearby town. officials fear strong winds won't die down soon. >> we thank everyone who are doing everything they can to make sure the ever-green state does not become an ever-fire state. >> stephanie sy, al jazeera.

you can see the impact of the fires in a satellite photo which shows smoke drifting across the west. in that is raising all kinds of health concerns. we asked kevin corriveau how bad it looks. >> year looking at some of the worst wildfire weather we have seen pretty much all summer long. these are red flag warnings encompassing must of the west and expanding to the east. winds gusting up to 35 miles per hour as well as very low humidities across the region. unfortunately to the west it is not going to change. also the air quality is very bad. we're looking at orange air quality advisories, that means people with asthma, very difficult conditions here because of all of the smoke in the area, and they advise you stay inside. temperature spokane at 76,

seattle at 73. tomorrow those temperatures are expected to go up, seattle at about 82, and spoke can at 79. kevin says -- that was kev. the national weather service is telling us it is not unusual 58 for the smoke to get caught in the jet stream and float east. up next, the efforts to combat al-shabab in somalia.

>> could normalization change cuba forever? >> i'm afraid for cuba. >> we ask cubans about their hopes and fears. >> i would love to see my business grow into a transnational company.

for the first time in history, the u.s. army has two women who have graduated from the elite ranger school. captain kristen giest, and first lieutenant shea haber, took part in though ceremonies today. but because they are women, they are still forbidden from serving with the army rangers or in any infantry or special operations positions. the u.s. is taking on a larger role in the fight against al-shabab in somalia. the u.s. is trying to help somalia's struggling government now. mike viqueira has the story. >> reporter: for almost a quarter century it has been a country in tatters. it has had 16 governments mostly powerless and unable to stop the rise of al-shabab that has

destabilized somalia and the entire horn of africa. president obama came to office vowing to decrease america's direct involvement in places like somalia, and use a combination of regional military forces to fight groups like al-shabab. mr. obama touted his app troeron kenya. >> reporter: the united states is working with ethiopia, and the united states and others to further degrade al-shabab's space of operations inside of somalia. >> reporter: but the trip was a stark reminder that the fight continues to rage. the day after the president spoke in kenya a car bomb attack killed 13. al-shabab claimed responsibilities. experts say what is needed now is political stability. >> it requires legitimacy and

ultimately one has a reborn nation once again. and until that happens we're playing whack-a-mole with shabab. >> reporter: the u.s. pollty has been two pronged. defeat al-shabab on the battlefield and promote a viable government acceptable to the competing clans within somalia. u.s. military personnel have been training and quipping african union forces. the u.s. also has special forces operating inside sole malia. and there have been air strikes. since 2007 the u.s. has conducted an estimated 15 to 19 drone strikes inside somalia, mostly flown from its massive air base nearby. that along with an estimated 8 to 11 cruise missile strikes. last month at least six strikes hit somalia. this year the u.s. says the

strikes have killed top al-shabab commanders, including one said to have played a role in the 2013 attack on the westgate mall. >> we have scored some successes, but if you think they are gone, you are absolutely wrong. >> reporter: the u.s. sent troops to somalia in 1992 when the country collapsed. it was an ill fated mission. the battle between somalia militias and american troops depicted in the movie blackhawk down ended we the bodies of dead americans dragged through the streets of mogadishu. the u.s. pulled out leaving somalia to descend further into chaos. now as al-shabab is pushed back, there are two key questions who fills the void and what is the

u. u.s.'s role? a new government is in place. the prime minister spoke with al jazeera in march and painted an optimistic picture. >> i think the country is stabilizing. i think most somalias have decided to pick up their own pieces and do i think whatever they can to really better their lives. >> reporter: long-suffering somalians can only hope their prime minister is right. the united states has asked australia to launch air strikes on isil fighters in syria. australia has so far been against any such action, saying it can't happen without the permission of a legitimate syrian government or a u.n. security council resolution. he says the government has not decided yet on the u.s. request, but is concerned about young citizens of his country who try to join isil. >> i want to make it very clear,

that the consolidation of a terrorist state in northern syria -- in eastern syria and northern iraq would be a catastrophe for the world, it would be a disaster for australia, because what we have been seeing on an almost daily basis is the continued lure that this terrorist group, this terrorist state is providing to misguided and impressionable young australians. the united states is also asking turkey to do more in the fight against isil. ash carter says they need to step up its efforts to control its border with iraq and syria. carter also spoke about the need to shut down the prison camp at guantanamo bay. the secretary says there are two types of detainees, those that can be transferred overseas and those the u.s. still needs to hold. >> as long as it remains open,

it will remain a rallying cry for jihadi propaganda. the taxpayers are paying too high a price to keep the facility open. and closing the facility at guantanamo is not something in my judgment that we should leave to the next president. >> carter says the sites under consider include kansas and south carolina. south carolina's govern said she would fight any attempts to move detainee's there. 70 years ago the u.s. took control of the japanese island of okinawa. thousands of troops remain there. and now residents are fighting against the construction of a new u.s. base. roxana saberi has more. >> reporter: for these residents protesting against plans for a new u.s. base has become a new way of life. these guys have become coming out here almost every day for the past week, to protest the

building of the new base. the marine base is set to replace an airfield farther south one of 32 u.s. military sites across the island. the u.s. and japan say the presence is needed to maintain security. but many of these protesters say with so many u.s. troops, okinawa has become a potential target to japan's neighbors like north korea. >> they are saying they are protecting us, but actually i don't think so. yeah, like, i'm afraid of them doing war here. >> reporter: many protesters also say the new base will endanger the local environment and disrupt their peaceful lives. a lot of the villages are very small. and many people we have spoken too share a lot of the same concerns. this family has lived in the village all of their lives and protested every week for the past 11 years.

>> translator: american soldiers bring troubles and accidents. we have enough basis. >> reporter: tonight we'll hear more from this family and more on the debate. and you can see roxana's full report at 7:00 pm eastern here on al jazeera america. following your every move, some police departments using equipment to track your cell phones, and they have been doing it without a court order.

>> this was the worst civil

a new report shows police in several sfats are using cell phone tracking devices for investigations and they have been doing it for years. but it has been kept quiet. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: they go by industry names, cell tracking equipment that's cheap, small, and easily used, purchase record reviewed show law enforcement agencies have been buying these devices since 2010. each costs as little as $2,400. industry experts say the devices passively gather radio waves when the phone communicates with a cell tower, a way to collect data that does not require a court order. but they could be used with more invasive devices, capturing information such as location.

earlier this year jake ward reported on stingrays. >> people report their cell phones acting weirdly, the battery is draining, the interference with the ability to communicate. >> reporter: over the years law enforcement has often declined to publicly comment on any of these devices. they often cite public safety. privacy activists have been fighting against their use worrying the devices could be used to find cell phones inside people's homes. >> our founding fathers made the decision to say if police want to enter into a house, they have got to get a search war rent. it would be a lot easier for law enforcement to say we're just going to enter everybody's house and look for crime once a week. but we decided that you know what, there are important liberty interests at stake. >> reporter: more than a dozen

states have passed laws, requiring warrants beforehand. we reached out to the agencies mentioned in the wall street journal report. the justice department declined comment. and florida department of law enforcement says it follows all federal and state regulations. two appeals courts have upheld some forms of warrantly phone tracking. we spoke with the company that takes these devices to find out how they actually work. >> this is the wolf hound pro. it allows you to detect and locate cell phones. when our phones -- when we send a text, make a phone call, email, google search, our phones transmit from the mobile to the cell tower and this device allows you to hone in on it and target whatever the phone is,

and zoom in on it and it will alert you. it will have a green pulsating laser as you get closer to the target. >> so how close do you have to be to a phone? >> you could be 500 yards away and pick up on the signal. we'll scan all of the different cell phone bands. we're familiar with the lte, 4g, gsn, and we can hone in. >> how many have you sold to law enforcement? >> thousands. everything from guys tracking down dealers. >> can i hold it? >> sure. >> so you have sold thousands of these to law enforcement. why do you think they are keeping relatively quiet about the use of these devices? >> well, there is really no law against using something like this. because we're not, again, stepping over that bounds.

if you contrast it to some of the devices where they are truly tracking a person, they can have access to content there. so there's certainly a fine line there, and this is on the side where you don't have any problems. >> could it be abused? >> sure. if it gets in the wrong hands it can be abused. we can sell to the general public, corporations, lot of different cases there. it says it is not possible to shield your phone from transmitting significant calls that could be picked up but one of those devices. and stunning pictures of the northern lights. nasa astronaut captured this video from the international space station. it's the result of collisions between the earth's gas particles and matter released by the sun. that's all of our time.

see you back here tonight at 7:00. ♪ hello. i'm lauren taylor. this is the news hour live from london. coming up. chaos at the border. thousands of refugees are pushed back as they try to cross from greece into macedonia. two years on from the nuclear attacks that shocked the world. will justice ever come? tsipras has a deeping division. 25 members break away to form a new political group.