two seasons. something to see there. the news continues now with the very dry adam may. >> thank you very dry. this is al jazeera america. here's a look at tonight's top stories. record rainfall, the carolinas under water. the lengths to keep everyone safe and how much more is expected. >> the father of the oregon gunman is now speaking out. and the u.s. roll in afghanistan under the spotlight after an accidental bombing by american war planes. house republicans look to

replace john boehner. this week, how their results will reshape the republican party. good evening, everyone. we begin tonight with that flash nraeding and endless rain hitting south carolina. state officials say it is the worse they have experienced in 1,000 years. at least three people have been killed in the flooding. hundreds more calling 911 hoping to be rescued. 25,000 buildings are currently without power. emergency crews have set out tens of thousands of sandbags. still hundredsover roads and bridges there are completely covered by rushing water and there is even more rain on the way to this area. robert ray is live in charleston which is under a flash flood warning right now.

>>reporter: one second it's not raining. the next it's pouring. bands coming off the atlantic ocean. you can imagine what cars are doing in this water. it goes from two feet of water to knee deep and further in some areas. many people out of power. the governor asking people to stay at home and listen to that advice because it is so dangerous out here. these are streets that are now rivers. there's white caps at the street just up there. amazing situation as literally hundreds of people have been rescued today. this is going to continue through the night into tomorrow. the governor came out earlier today and basically told the residents of south carolina to hunker down. don't go outside because the situation is just too

let's listen. the only thing the people can do is be aware, watch that you are televisions, and say in their homes and at that point if something goes down they need to start moving or call 911. we've seen that a lot today. especially in columbia, the state capital. the national guard is assisting fire and police. earlier today we spoke to the red cross to see how they're dealing with this and what they're up against. >> from what i've heard, this is historic. people here through hugo said this is more flooding and more water than that.

>> the army corps of engineers had a vehicle on the road today and the road just collapsed under the vehicle showing you the power of this rain and historic water covering cities across the state. specifically here in historic charleston. >> unbelievable pictures coming out of there tonight and as they say it's the flood waters that can be the big killer. not always the hurricane which typically get the headlines. let's get a closer look at the system and what is left of hurricane joaquin. more rain is expected. >> there's more rain, at least one more day of rain that it's tapping into with joaquin. joaquin was still a category 2 hurricane just towards the west of bermuda this afternoon.

when we were down in the bahamas, joaquin was a category 4 storm. take a look at that video. this is aerial foot ge. it was long island, crooked island that saw the brunt of the storms.

massive flooding. days of grieving gave way to a day of remembrance in oregon. nine people died but we're learning that number could have

been much higher. >> two shooting victims remain here at the hospital. one, an army veteran and also the the youngest victim, cheyanne fitzgerald. she's been upgraded from critical to fair. that's the good news. meanwhile, a community gathers to grieve and remember the victims. >>out side at businesses in roseburg. >> god's was the first heart to break. >>reporter: and incise places of worship, a community is coming together to support each other in one of their darkest hours. words of comfort. but the sermon was also sprinkled on a political

message. >> if chris had not gotten ahold of 13 guns, i don't think it would have happened. >> the family should not be held responsible. it's just as shocking for them as it is for everybody else.

>>reporter: sarah cobb heard the bullets on thursday morning from the classroom next door. she says she's not sure when or if she'll return to school. >> i don't think the school should open quite that soon. it's still very hard for a lot of us. i don't think snyder is going be the same place. >>reporter: those grieving the shooting include local media. david jokes, the publisher of the roseburg beacon witnessed the bodies of the nine victims being dropped off here at the airport for transfer to the local medical examiner. >> two military helicopters landing. a great number of state police. the scene that proceeded was -- preceded was the off loading of bodies. it was -- >>reporter: jake, overcome with emotion, refers to the victims as our kids. a student who survived the

shooting is being treated for multiple gunshot wounds. hailed as a hero last thursday, he sent a message. >> hello, everyone. i'm doing well. i'm overwhelmed by the support that i've gotten from everybody. i just want to wish all the other families a safe and speedy recovery and i'll talk to you guys soon records and a little bit more about chris. students say that even though he had been shot multiple times by the shooter, he was telling anybody and everybody on campus who would listen get out of here. get off of campus. he even went back to the building, inside the building, to try and stop the shooter. now, a petition is calling on for him to be awarded the presidential medal of freedom, the highest civilian award an american can receive. so far a few thousand signatures. it needs the about 97,000 more signatures in order to get the president's attention.

adam. >> nice to hear stories like that. thank you. four high school students are now under arrest in northern california for allegedly planning a mass shooting at their school. it began wednesday when fellow students at summerville high school noticed three of the suspects were acting suspiciously and then they notified administrators who called police. investigators say they found a list targeting specific students and staff members at the school. they were going to come on campus and shoot and kill as many people as possible at the campus. >> i believe with all my heart the reason why we were able to stop this was because we have a level of trust within our community. >> the four suspects have all allegedly confessed to police. this week they'll be arraigned as juveniles before a county judge.

no word yet as to possibly charges doctors without borders say the air strike that hit its hospital in afghanistan was a war crime. 22 people were killed in yesterday's attack. 12 of the victims worked for the international aid group and today that group said the hospital would not be reopened. the u.s. is believed to have carried out the attack. the head of doctors without borders demanded an independent inquiry into what happened. in a statement christopher stokes said under the clear presumption that a war crime has been committed, we demand a full and transparent investigation into the event be conducted. we condemn this attack which constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law.

>> you know this area probably more than most journalists in the west. what do you make of the situation unfolding there right now? >> well, adam, the important thing to realize about kunduz is that it's quite different from the rest of the country in that there are hundreds of different militias created by the u.s. and afghan government that have been running amuck the last four years and the taliban were able to capitalize on the ill will that stemmed from those actions to be able to take the city in the last few days. >> you were actually embedded with the taliban at some point. can you tell us a little bit of perspective as to what they're trying to accomplish there on

the ground? >> well, you know, when you talk to the dal ban, of course they'll tell you they want to resurrect the government that they had in the 90s and we want to install religious law. but so many of fighters i met and interviewed took up arms because they felt some deep grievance either from war lords or from the strikes that took place the other day against the hospital in kunduz. deep-seeded grievances that have compelled these ordinary people to take up arms and fight in the name of religion. >> can you explain why this is happening, why that particular area? >> kunduz is probably the most militarized area in the country. there are so many militias.

the taliban is able to exploit that ill will felt by the population and that's why they struck first in kunduz. >> let's talked about the american presence in afghanistan right now and the changes, the pull back, the withdrawals. i would say imagine there are people in afghanistan who want this -- you have communities who

want an international eh presence. there are other communities that deeply are opposed to the international presence because of the attack like the hospital in kunduz and see the taliban as protectors or as one among many of the various armed groups that are running amuck in the dran. >> all right. thanks for that information. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself,

and that's what we're doing at xfinity. we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our pmise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around.

the president of syria says he's betting his future on the russians. >> this initiative has to succeed or else we're facing the destruction of the entire region. we're sure of that. >> last week the kremlin began air strikes in syria saying they're targeting isis fighters.

>> he shows us some of the locations hit and says the islamic state of iraq and the levant have no presence here. he left aleppo ten days ago where he's in charge of a brigade fighting the government. he has been actively engaged in

this war since the beginning. >> russia considers anyone fighting the regime as their enemy. they didn't come here to fight isil. they're bombing civilians and other groups receiving foreign support. >>reporter: russia says it has targeted isil but many strikes have been areas around assad's strong hold where russian have its naval

funerals were held today in israel for a rabbi and soldier who were stabbed to death in jerusalem on saturday. thousands attended the services. the rabbi was killed when he was attempting to help the soldier during an attack by a palestinian man. officials urged people to continue visiting the old city despite the violent incident. the stabbing was the latest in a series of attacks by palestinians of israeli si civilians. in response the government is limiting access to the old city. the conflict seems to be

spreading

>> the money fell victim to the politics. >> they're more focused on getting jobs than our education.

it's time to look at the week ahead. thursday, house republicans will vote on a replacement for john boehner. the race for that leadership position turned a little more competitive today as a congress from utah announced that he would challenge majority leader kevin mccarthy, the republican congressman from california is pretty much seen as the overwhelming favorite to take boehner's place. a full house is expected to vote on the speaker later this month.

michael shore gives us a preview of republicans who have already announced their intention to run. >> on this vote, the yays are 277. the nays are 151. this past week congress found a way to keep the government running. this week, it will decide who will run the government or the re house of representatives. >> this prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable harm to the institution. this morning i inform my colleagues that i would resign from the speakership and from congress at the end of october. announcement from john boehner over a week ago has sent house republicans scrambling. some to run for leadership positions and some like wisconsin's representative, paul ryan, to run from them. the divided republican caucus blamed for his departure now has to elect a leadership team

that's

>> price is known to be loathe to compromise with democrats, a trait seen as an asset this time around. pete sessions of texas has enough support from the rest of the texas delegation to make him formidable in the race for majority whip. other names may surface. trey gowdy of south carolina insists he's not interested. the new leadership will face the same divided caucus looking to take on the same democratic president. the speaker of the house does not even have to be a member of

the house according to the constitution, so anything is possible. as we mentioned, john boehner announced his resignation on september 25th and will officially step down from the post and end his tenure in congress on october 30th. he's served as the u.s. representative from ohio's eighth district including major cities like dayton and cincinnati since 1991. let's friday in lauren french, a congressional reporter as well as a republican strategist who worked for the republican governors association. he's joining us from tallahassee. thank you for being with us. lauren, is mccarthy a shoo in

for this job? or is there a real challenge? >> he absolutely has the incite track to become speaker but this challenge from the oversight chairman who is well liked and well respected among republicans in the house could present a little bit of an hiccup for mccarthy. overall they're saying they have to votes and can get to 218 but there are questions from conservatives about whether or not he's the right person to be speaker. whether he would do what boehner did and work

there's a more traditional bipartisanship that has informed their thinking. i think the real question that they're all going to be looking at is do we have a leader who is going to be able to post up and really change the political climate not only in the house but in d.c. and more broadly in how folks in the electorate view congress. >> do you think he has a chance at victory here? >> he wants a discussion. that's why he's getting in and threw himself

>> it's a very key and pivotal thing about these races. people are with you until the end. >> rick, i can imagine as a republican you don't want to see any sort of chaos like this. it's probably best for the party to have a clean vote, to put in a speaker with a lot of support. would you agree with that? >> no. i have a slightly contrary view. i think it's important to have a speaker who can disrupt a lot of the current narrative about how the house functions and someone to bring together the different

groups. someone who is articulate and persuasive

the facts of how the house is being run and the deeply divided parts of the caucus are going to change. mccarthy will still have to deal with different tactical ideas of how to run the house and the institution. if he decides to take a hard stand and say i'm not working with democrats, of course you're going to see bills go to president obama's desk that are much more republican without a compromise aspect. but of course there's an issue in the senate. it's not as if the house changes the senate will change as well. they have a fill buster issue in the senate. mitch mcconnell is having

trouble. we're going to see a lot of the friction that's slowed down and forced compromise in the house. >> i'm listening to your conversation and thinking if i'm sitting on my sofa at home and i just want my law makers to get to work and do something, this doesn't give me promise. will we see a congress that will actually pass some bills and make some headway on some issues here? are we going to be stuck in this grid lock for quite some time? >> you can see a situation where you are stuck in deadlock. districts back home are deeply polarize. democrats becoming more left. republicans becoming more right. the middle is being squeezed out. right now congress forces themselves to act only when there's a crisis. you saw this last week with the government spending bill. you'll see it in the coming weeks with the debt ceiling. a long-term funding bill, export

import, transportation highway trust fund. they only act when there's a crisis because then everyone is backed up against a wall even there's less political risk. but this is a much longer conversation of why congress has become so deeply divided but a leadership for the most part -- >> let me bring in rick here. rick, i guess your thoughts here. a lot of people point the fingers at republicans and say they're unwilling to compromise. what do you think it would take to get some republicans and democrats to get together and tackle some of the big unanswered, untackled issues we're facing. >> republicans have to have a sister soldier moment with the wing of their moment that wants to do government a little less exaggerated and they need to stop -- folks are going to have to sthee the republicans are

doing something different with actual reform in mind rather than continued procedural spin cycle of washington d.c. they hate that and don't like the way it's done. they feel that congress in both parties is not listening to them and is detached from their everyday needs and that's the solution republicans need. how do they become the reform party again in d.c. is what they need to ask. rick wilson and lauren french, thank you both. >> thanks. >> thank you. >> when we come back, a disturbing number of prisoners who have escaped from federal custody.

se se

disturbing revelations tonight concerning federal inmates. more than 200 inmates have escaped custody in recent years while being transferred to halfway houses. each year thousands of prisoners are sent to these halfway houses. the bureau of prisons allows the inmates to travel unescorted as part of the process of rejoining society. several of the escaped inmates committed robberies while on the run. >> today president obama traveled to maryland where he honored the 84 firefighters who died in the line of duty last year and three other fallen

firefighters who died in previous years. >> from rural communities to inner cities, those we honor today lived a fundamental principle that binds us all as americans, i am my brother and sister's keeper. we look out for one another. but there's something bigger than each of us individually that we have to be true to. >> the president unveiled a plaque honoring the fallen firefighters. this year 64 more firefighters have died in the line of duty in america if you regularly view late night television no doubt you've noticed a familiar staple during the presidential campaign season, candidates appearing on late night talk shows, the very shows that usually lampoon them. >> this was a good assignment

for me. i enjoyed snl last night. you have politicians and comedians living together but not necessarily beneficially to both. talking about those late night comedians who rely on politicians for jokes in the off season but welcome them with open arms on the set once the campaign is in full swing. >> bar tender, keep 'em coming. >>reporter: hillary clinton spoofed herself on snl last night. >> great name. >>reporter: clinton meets value the bar tender played by clinton herself in the season opener. >> all anyone wants to talk about is donald trump. >> isn't he the one that's, like, oh, you're all losers? >>reporter: allow a message from donald and -- donald trump was

also lampooned. >> clearly, i don't hate immigrants. >>reporter: at this point in the election cycle, politicians are not just the butt of late night comedian jokes. they're the guests too. >> jeb finally quit beating around the bush. >> jeb really wants to get in the white house. >>reporter: an appearance on jimmy fallon or others gives those running for high office a chance to appeal to younger voters. >> we are going to build a wall. you're going to pay for the wall. we've been abused for a long time at the border. >>reporter: politicians can lose their appearances to rip into opponents as carliefiorina did.

>> i don't think we should trust -- >> however you feel, he's my guest, so please don't boo him. >> ouch. i'm sure that's not what ted cruz wanted out of that appearance on the late show. it shows it's a pact with the devil those shows can be sometimes >> do you think the campaign carrifully -- carefully choreograph each performance? >> i have a sneaking suspicion

that two jokes were unscripted. >> up next on al jazeera, a special reported from south of the border. >> i'm on mexico's south pacific coast where hundreds of thousands of turtles arrive each year. but the majority of their eggs are being stolen.

south carolina is not the only area dealing with dangerous rains. flash flooding has killed at least 16 people in the french riviera this weekend. for than six and a half inches of rain fell on saturday night. three others are missing. a desperate search for survivors continues in guatemala after heavy rains caused a mountain side slope to collapse. are 125 homes are buried under 1

million cubic meters of earth. so far no survivors in survivors have been found. >> authorities in mexico are struggling to protect hundreds of endangered nesting turtles. but keeping the eggs safe is a challenge, especially in a place where poaching has been a tradition. >>reporter: they arrive one by one lit only by a sliver of moonlight. the turtles climb on the beaches of southwest mexico each year to stage a mass invasion in nesting season. they lay their eggs in quickly dug hollows. it's their only protection against the dangers of the night like these men. they scour the beaches swooping up eggs to sell as local dell

carcinomacies even as the mothers lay them. it's illegal them but they say they have little choice. >> i'm here because i need this work. we all have families. we don't have education or the papers to get regular jobs. >>reporter: over 70% of the eggs on the beach were recently taken and the number of the turtles worldwide has has halved in the past years. less than 1% of them are going to make it to adulthood. middlemen sell the eggs for ten times or more what they paid to buy them. they've been part of traditional cuisine for centuries.

the navy used to guard the beaches year round but was pulled off to battle mexico's cartels only returning when massive numbers of turtles arrive. now the government is stepping up protection efforts again. >> we've just signed agreements with the navy, federal police, and army to support us and we are also using drones to protect the turtles. >> the government also offers occasional work programs to give poachers other options but while full time jobs are scarce, it's hard to resist temptation. the turtles could have used some of this love here. a special day for animals around the world. the feast of saint francis of assisi was marked by the blessing of the animals meaning

everyone brought their pets to sunday services. the tradition honors saint francis who believed even animals are worthy of being blessed and doused with holy water. thanks for watching. we'll be back at 11:00. new york new york 8.4 million people call the city home. >> it's snowing hard in central park and 20 in midtown and snowfall one to two feet and saying we could have snow hour. >> the coldest winter in 81 years and coincides with a grim reality.