like best of all. i'm ray suarez, this is "inside story" and the news continues right now. >> this is aljazeera america live from new york city. i'm richelle carey. and tony harris is on assignment. monopoly on legal station, and what is called a legal cartel. $70 million fines. the u.s. hits exploding airbags. and the keystone project might be delayed until after the next presidential election. and the next chapter,

amazon is not just an online store anymore. across the u.s., this off year election day has been more about the issues than the candidates. and in houston, they're deciding on an anti-discrimination bill that among other things allows transgender residents to use rest rooms that match their identity. and in san francisco, the ballot to restrict short-term home rentals could decide the fate of air b&b in that city. and in ohio, it deciding whether to limit the recreation at use of recreational marijuana. and it could be the first to go from outlawing marijuana to allowing it for all uses.

bisi onile-ere, in columbus, ohio, and is there a trance that the controversial initiative will actually pass? >> richelle, there's a very good chance that marijuana could be legalized here in ohio. a recent poll showed that it was split right down the middle. there are two initiatives that deal with it on the ballot. issue three would legalize the drug, and issue two would put an end to the initiative for now. >> my name is joe, and i spent my entire career fighting crime, and that's why i'm voting to legalize marijuana. >> the commercials have been filling up space on television commercials for months, and now it's time for voters to decide on a constitutional amendment to legalize recreational and medicinal marijuana. >> this is going to be earth shattering. >> he believes that the proposal is an opportunity for economic growth. >> we literally create 30,000

jobs, and we can generate $554 million a year. we can finally philpot holes with pot money and help people who are chronically ill. >> but there's another side to the battle. the fight to legalize marijuana is funded by big investors, and if it's approved, those investors will get the opportunity to own and operate 10 growing sites across the state. >> it's a money grab by a small group of wealthy investors. >> another on the ballot, making it impossible, issue two, granting rights through the constitution. >> the plan has no boundaries on where you can market it, there are be 1159 stores in the state of ohio, which are more than starbucks. >> concerned about the impact that marijuana edibles, such as candy and baked goods could have on young children. >> as much as you talk about

this being a harmless drug, we know that one in 11 folks do become addicted to it. >> ian james disagrees. >> until we regulate marijuana, we're not going to control it. >> if issue 3 is approved, ohio would be the fifth state to legalize marijuana for recreational use. but analysts say that it's unlikely that this debate over legal pot will eventually end in court. and the polls will close in less than 30 minutes, except for one site that had some issues. that polling station will remain open until 9 p.m. and i'm told that voter timeout today -- turnout today was higher than expected. >> so bisi, what happens if the likely nivtive and issue two both pass? >> . >> yeah, there are so many ways that this can play out. i'm told that the secretary of state says that issue two would

take precedent over issue three, because it's a legislative initiative, but folks with responsible ohio say that's not the case. that it's likely an issue that's taken up in court. richelle? >> okay, we might not have the answers tonight. bisi onile-ere from columbus, thank you. into. >> in kentucky tonight, voters will elect a new governor. it's a close race between the democrat, conway and republican, bevin. they have been focusing on healthcare, early childhood education and gay rights. and bevin has held the office for the last years shift. >> it's not an idea to make headlines to recall three school board members, but this vote in colorado is making national headlines. allison is live in golden, and why is this recall getting so much attention locally and

nationally as well. tell us more. >> reporter: well, richelle, you know that school boards are usually local, and this is not the case. this election, this recall of the three members of the board, has turned very very ugly, and it's more about politics now. it's getting a lot of national attention because so so many of the experts around the country believe that they're becoming more conservative, like this one has in jefferson county, colorado, just west of denver. it started about a year ago, and hundreds of high school students simply marched out of school, and they were upset about a change in the ap u.s. history curriculum that was to a more conservative bent. that's something that the school board wanted to do. they wanted to go with a more conservative and patriotic read on the curriculum. the teachers got involved and they were upset about some of the school board's moves to be more conservative in the

funding of some of the public schools and transfer of some of the money to the charter schools here in jefferson county. and they're also upset about a move that would make their pay based on their performance in the classroom rather than the seniority like it used to. so the teachers believe that they have a lot to lose. >> we're losing, we're hemorrhaging teachers because of the school board, and they're going to try to tell that you they're not, and there's always some turn over, but i don't think that anything good comes of a district that is losing 20% of its teaching force a year. >> the school board said that that answer is not exactly clear, but they believe that with the transition, some of the people leaving the school district, the process is a natural thing when it comes to the teaching business. there's a lot at stake locally. the school district has 85,000 students, and 1,500 staff

members, including the teachers, and you can imagine that they will all be here tonight. the polls close in a couple of hours, we still have two hours to go, and the polls will close here at 7:00 mountain time. >> consider this a local school board race, there's a considerable had amount of money being spent on this race. do we know where all of this money is coming from? >> well, you know, the experts again say that when you total everything up in jefferson county, colorado, the total will be something like $1 million spent again on this local school board race. a lot of it coming from the teacher's union, and a lot of it coming from conservancy advocacy groups, the koch brothers, and other sources in the country. some of it can be trained and some of it continue, but $1 million spent on a simple school board race here in colorado. and that's amazing for a race this size. >> jim, thank you so much.

and in san francisco, ai air b&b home rental service, on the ballot. and melissa chan joins us from san francisco. and so tell us about this air b&b initiative. >> proposition f has many parts, but the one that they're focusing on is the limitation to 75 nights per year for short-term rental. that would have a big impact on-air b and b. this is a cop that's worth $20 billion, and it has a presence in cities across the country, and around want globe. san francisco is not a top market for air b&b. but it is where the company is headquartered, so it's symbolic, as much as substantive. air b&b can not be seen as moving on its home turf, richelle. >> so how is air b&b

responding to this? >> they're responding with money. it's a big company with lots of money, and they have spent about $8 million against proposition f. compare to those who have pulled together the initiative, they have spent $350,000. so you can see that the stakes are really high. air b&b thinks that it's important, and to a certain extent, polling from this summer shows that voters, 45% of voters were planning on voting no on the proposition. and that number has shifted in september. polling showed 52%. and word the street, in the sense that we're getting in san francisco is that proposition f is not going to pass, which is a good thing for air b&b. >> san francisco is not the first place to threaten the company. how is air b&b fighting back in other cities. >> well, it's really complicated, because a lot of cities don't know if they should be fighting back against air b&b. this is a brave new world with

the economies, and you have the same thing with uber, so portland, los angeles, and chicago, they're trying to it decide how much to regulate. and you have hotel associations lobbying very hard to regulate air b&b. they view it as competition, so in some cities, you are getting requirements for people to reg or for aer permit or licensing, or perhaps pay a hotel tax. >> all right, melissa, thank you. investigators are sticking trying figure out what brought down that russian plane over the weekend, killing all 224 people on board. and the officials say that the satellite systems detected heat around the plane before it crashed and that could mean two things, an engine exploded or a bomb went off. peter sharp has more. >> reporter: we have formally extended the crash site now, looking at an area of more than 30 square kilometers, and it's

such a large area that they're using drones to try to search for more bodies and more debris. they found more debris and wreckage, but no extra bodies today. meanwhile, here in st. petersburg, the awful task of identifying the dead continues. the families and the relations are taken by car to the creamtorium and the mortuary, where they will have to identify the bodies there. when you think that there are 224 passengers and crew killed in the disaster, and they have only formally identified ten people. it's going tit's going to be a g process, and meantime, putin's press secretary has been trying to link the operations in syria, and he says that it's

most inappropriate. the mayor of the island of lesbos said that there's no more room to bury refugees who have died at sea. 23,000 refugees arrived on the greek island last month alone, and that's more than all of 2014 combined. they have not only been trying to deal with the people, but trying to deal with the bodies of those who don't survive the journey. >> at this our in greece, the sky darkens as fear sets in, but still they come. attention turns first to the ones they risk everything for. the young they must comfort, the old they must aid. having survived the sea, they land into a situation so chaotic, even our team was asked to help translate.

>> [ unintelligible ]. >> the car accident in turkey just a few hours ago was bad. but this woman and her family still made the crossing. i can't even explain any emotions she tells me. we came such a long way. we were just praying we would make it to greece, and then we did, thank god. the medics arrived quickly. and treatment was given. but during these days of crisis on lesbos, even aid workers accustomed to helping the emotionally traumatized are at a loss. >> the free world, a better life. most of them now feel guilty because they brought their families with them, their children, and now they're dead or looking for them. actually, you cannot say anything to a woman that has lost a husband and children as well.

but they just need a hug. some of them, to be nice to them and facilitate with all of the plores. >> it's not just identifying their loved ones that's so difficult. even finding a final resting place is near impossible. these graves are a stark reminder of how harsh a life and how sad a death these refugees have. what makes their fate even more tragic is the fact that many of those buried here were put into the ground anonymously. overcrowded with bodies, this cemetery has run out of room. grave digger, eestasiose, he knows it better than most. the refugees come to get a better future, he tells me, but instead they get a painful death. we greeks, we were also

migrants, but we didn't have to die in the sea. now for the refugees who manage to it escape with their lives, it's death that seems closer than ever. >> up next, a multimillion-dollar fine. the tough penalty over explosive airbags. and what did an illinois judge have to say about a transgender student who wants to use the girl's locker room at school?

>> a top executive has been fired after a video of a confrontation with an uber driver went viral. take a look. [ bleep ]. >> oh, my goodness, the confrontation was caught on video. and the police accused 32-year-old benjamin goldman of attacking the driver on friday night in costa mesa, california. he ordered him out of the car. and the marketing executive did what you see him doing there, punching the driver repeatedly. goldman was charged with assault and confrontation. exploding airbags, the penalty could grow to $200 million.

aljazeera's lisa stark joins us with more are washington. tell us more. >> reporter: well, richelle, that could go way up. it covers the recall, the company's safety culture, and a host of things that tecatta has to do, and it could go up if tecatta fails to tell the government about safety defects in the future. meanwhile, the department of transportation said that it's stepping in to try to speed up this massive airbag recall. >> i have to say this has been a mess. and today, usdot is stepping in to clean up the mess. >> the mess shows defective airbags. they explode with so much force that pieces of the airbag inflater, metal shards, come flying out. people have been badly injured, lost their eyes and even their lives. connectatta admitted that it

failed to tell the regulators about it as required, and then the company provided incomplete and inaccurate and misleading information. >> delay and refusal to acknowledge the truth allowing a serious problem to become a massive crisis. >> reporter: the recall covers 23 million driver and passenger side airbags in 19 million vehicles. those highest risk are older airbags, used in hot, humid climates, condition that's help to trigger the failures. the government wants the riskiest airbags set up first, the car manufacturers must have replacement parts on hands for the airbags at highest risk, about 6 million of them, by the end of march, 2016. but overall, it will be another two years before most of the recalled airbags are replaced. in a statement, tecatta

expressed regret and said that the settlement will "enable us to focus on rebuilding the trust of automakers, regulators and the driving public." for consumers, such as elliot alter man, a fix can't come soon enough. >> my car is parked at uncle bob's, a self storage facility. i'm spending $185 a month to store it there, and i refuse to drive the car. >> the cause is unknown, but they're looking at the compound that tecatta uses in its airbags. highly explosive ammonium nitrate. the company has to phase out and end the chemical. >> we have enough about this substance to know that there's risk to consumers, so unless they can prove that it's safe, we will not see ammonium nitrate in these airbags in the future. >> and if tecatta can

ultimately prove that it's safe, that may lead to the recall of millions more tecatta airbags. they are also appointing a monitor, and you can keep tabs on tecatta for five years during the recall efforts. and on capitol hill, senator bill nelson has been a big critic of tecatta, and he called today's action too little, too late and long overdue, and he said that tecatta has given too much time, nearly three years, to phase out it's use of ammonium nitrate. >> thank you. troubles for it volkswagen. now the company admits that 800,000 vehicles have unexplained inconsistencies in its carbon monoxide emissions. it came to light as the software allowed the cars to be emissions testing. 11 million cars will be

recalled worldwide, including almost half a million in the u.s. alone. it's not clear if this new problem includes any of those cars. and it could cost volkswagen another $2 billion. federal officials say a school district in illinois must allow a transgender full access to a high school girl's locker room. the student filed an aclu complaint to district 11 in the suburbs of chicago, which led into a two-year investigation into its policies. diane eastabrook joins us from chicago, so tell us about the student. >> reporter: richelle, the student wants to keep her identity private. she has been undergoing hormone therapy, and she has been identifying as a girl for several years now. she does play on sports teams at the school, but the district has been requiring her to shower and change separate from other female it students. the student said she just wants to be treated like everyone else, and the american civil

liberties union said that's why she brought this lawsuit. >> they feel happy, they feel validated. they feel as though the thing that they wanted was for -- the thing that the family wanted was for their daughter to be recognized fully and to have an opportunity to participate fully in the high school experience. >> now, yanka said that the girl's parents have been supporting her 100% through this. and they tried negotiating with the district but didn't have much luck. and that's why this lawsuit was then brought. richelle some. >> what happens in the district now? >> at this point, the district is negotiating, there are on going talks between the district and the office of civil rights education. they have 30 days to respond or the office could take action against them. but at this point, the district said that it's sticking to its guns when it comes to this

decision. >> we are fully believing that our position is both one that's the law, and one that provides reasonable accommodations to transgender students in the locker room. >> now, the office for civil rights, the department of education, said that the district can provide access to the student, while also respecting all student's privacy. we encourage the student to comply with the law, and resolve the case. there's money involved. and the district gets about $6 million from the federal government. so there's a chance that if it doesn't comply, it could lose some of that federal funding. >> all right, diane eastabrook, thank you. still ahead, the company behind the keystone pipeline wants to delay that project. and hot on the ballot. i'll talk to one of the people behind the campaign to make marijuana legal in ohio.

>> the white house says president obama still intends to make a decision about the controversial keystone xl pipeline before he leaves office. transcanada asked him to delay his ongoing review of the prompt. but the company said that the request has nothing to do with politics. david schuster has more. >

>> reporter: the request to delay the decision for another year, josh earnest had skepticism. >> given how long it has taken, it seems unusual to suggest that be it should be becaused yet again. >> the pipeline would carry 800,000 barrels a day he of petroleum from the contained an oil sands to nebraska and the coast. president obama is seeking to build up his environmental legacy. all of the democratic candidates have declared their opposition to the pipeline. >> i helped to lead the effort against the keystone pipeline because i don't think that we should be transporting the

dirtiest fuel in the world. >> on tuesday, transcanada ceo denied that the decision to ask for a delay was politically motivated. he said that the company just needs more time to get approval from regulators in nebraska. meanwhile, republicans, who say that the pipeline will bolster u.s. energy independence and create thousands of jobs, say that transcanada's request for a delay is wise. >> i agree with what the pipeline company has done, by putting the pause button now, it allows things to stay active until after the 2016 election, where we can have a republican president in office who can then approve it. >> the value of the keystone to the oil industry has dropped. and top political support in canada has eroded, following the recent election of liberal leader, justin trudeau. but on u.s. politics right and left, keystone has long been a

defining issue, and it will likely stay that way even after the obama administration's next move is clear. >> i would venture to say that there's no issue in the united states that has been as polit sized as this one. >> david schuster, aljazeera. >> ali velshi has more on it. and ali, we have been hearing about the pipeline for years now. >> yeah, and really everybody involved has not told the full story about this pipeline. first of all, we have as david mentioned, the politics of it. and you also have republicans claiming that there were a lot of jobs that were going to be created. you had environmentalists picking on this particular pipeline, though there are millions of miles of pipe going around the country. we're all ignoring the fact that if oil doesn't move through this pipeline and we keep moving more oil, we put more and more of it on to railcars, which has a lot of different effects. it costs it to go up in cost

and grains coming from the midwest cost more, and we have seen the dangers, like in back k megantic, quebec. but steam has come out of this whole thing, between the price of oil and the reluctance of the obama administration to finally approve it. so what transcanada pipeline is doing now, some of it is political, but mostly now it's just economic. >> so why is it so travel? >> there are a lot of reasons why, but most of it because it comes from the oil sands in canada. you'll find environmentalists refer to it as the tar sands, because it's this gummy gross stuff that intermingles with the soil. and the way to get it out of the sands is to boil it. and you need natural gas to boil it. and you use so much more energy to extract it and process it,

compared to drilling a hole in the ground and getting it. when you drill for it, you drill a hole in the ground and it gushes up, but with the tar sands, they have made major improvements, but generally speaking, you have to denude huge pieces of the earth to spray it up and process it. you can see it from space. it's one the few manmade things you can see from space. but again, they have made major, major improvements, and the oil sands people are not forthcoming and honest about how filthy of a process this is. but the only reason that they make this much oil is because people use this much oil. and though the demand for oil, though it has slackened in the world s. still very high. so they said we won't build the pipeline to the united states, but the west coast of canada where it gets on ships and goes to china. this is one the few things in life and in politics that

everybody takes a side on very very early. and if oil were still $100 a barrel like it was a year ago, i think that the pipeline might be getting a green light from the administration, and not where we are now. >> what's on the show tonight? >> some workers in america are making as little as $2 an hour, and it's 100% legal. we're doing a story about disabled workers. critics say that they're being exploited but others say that if you pay disabled people at prevailing wages, they will lose their jobs, and that's on the discussion tonight. >> you can watch ali velshi on tart at 9 p.m., 6:00 pacific right here on aljazeera america. >> polls in ohio, where voters are considering a controversial ballot initiative that would allow the use of medical and recreational marijuana in the state. and some people who support legalization because of a provision that would give exclusive growing rights to a

group of investors, but even if the legalization effort passes, another measure on the ballot could nullify that vote. a law professor at the ohio state university, he was an adviser to the responsible ohio campaign, which backs the legalization of marijuana, and he joins me from columbus. and we appreciate your time so much tonight, sir. there are some groups that support the legalization of marijuana, that are neutral on this issue as it's written on the ballot in ohio. so why should the voters there support the measure? >> i'm supportive of it, because i think that any opportunity to move ohio away from blanket marijuana prohibition is improved public policy. i have a lot of respect for the people who saver marijuana reform, but are troubled by the particular model that has been put forth by the responsible

ohio folks, but the blanket prohibition is a bigger problem than any reform. and i'm concerned that if voters in ohio vote down issue 3 because of the model that might be perceived as opposition to any reform of marijuana, and the polls don't suggest that. >> but who goes out and how they vote often speaks louder than any polls that they are speaking about. >> one of the things that critics talk about, if it passes, what the voters will be stuck with is a monopoly. because they're a group of wealthy investors who have pack backed this, and it's the wealthy investors that will basically have exclusive rights to grow commercial marijuana. do you have a problem with that? >> i certainly is concerned, and i think again, there are lots of reasons to be concerned with a model that's built around trying to get return for certain investors.

but i think that these investors only came to the for because there's a recognition that there's a huge demand for marijuana to be used responsibly, and right now, the only people serving that is the black market. if wealthy investors make the money, at least they pay taxes and would be bringing this industry forward in somewhat of a more responsible way than the current black market. and if i had a lot of confidence that the alternative to reform was on the rise in ohio, and i'm certain there will be in issue three gets voted down, but right now, the only one available that has been brought to voters is the model in issue three, and i don't think that the monopoly is as pernicious as it has been portrayed. and the people complaining the loudest are the people who don't want it at all.

>> if the majority of ohio voters today vote to repeal marijuana in the state, it becomes certain that national marijuana prohibition will be repealed before the decade. and do you think that it could be that far-reaching? why so? >> two reasons, one, ohio is obviously a swing state. and one that each presidential candidates looks to for their own conditions, and it's seen as a bellwether for the nation, so i think that a lot of marijuana reform that we have seen out west. and some on the east coast, there's a perception that it only plays in the liberal coasts and not in the heartland. and i think that showing marijuana reform in the heartland would have a ripple effect in politics with the issues, nationwide, especially with the presidential election right on the horizon. >> quickly, before i let you go, do you think that it will pass? >> i don't think so.

the mood that i've been feeling and asking a lot of people, my sense is that a lot of late-breaking votes are against this, and i've been hearing it from a lot of folks who are saying, if this was just a clean vote on repealing marijuana prohibition, i would be all for it, it's going to put money in the pockets that i don't want to put money in. >> thank you. >> thank you for questions, i appreciate it. >> thousands of inmates are facing early release, with the sentencing guidelines which aim to lighten sentences for non-violent offenders. >> reporter: they ran out of ways to describe just how great he was. len bias, twice the acc player of the year, twice an all-american. the one guy who might out play michael jordan. a hardcore hero, who grew up just minutes away from his college, the university of

maryland. >> lo and behold, here comes this of-8, 220-pound basketball player, from right in this neighborhood, who could hang in the air for like 3 or 4 seconds. >> reporter: in the mid 1980s, malloy was a rock star too. writing for the washington post, his finger on the pulse of urban life in a rapidly changing capital city. >> cocaine came to town. >> crack came to town. >> and it caught up a lot of people. >> reporter: with plenty to celebrate, len bias got caught up too. in june of 1986, he was the first-round draft pick of the national champions. he picked up a celtics jersey one day and got a $1 million shoe deal the next, and then headed back to campus to celebrate. by next morning, len bias was

dead, of a cocaine overdose. this is a look at the history. this is what len bias' death produced. >> that's right. this is the public log that president reagan signed income october. >> reporter: in 1986, eric sterling was a young lawyer, serving the house judiciary committee. when democratic speaker, tip o'neil, returned to boston, demanding an immediate overhaul of drug crime law. >> this is four weeks, completely. >> could you have slowed the train down? >> absolutely not. no one was slowing this thing down. we would have not had the mandatory minimum had it not been for len bias, because it changed the whole equation. >> sterling insists that there was not a deliberate attempt to target minorities, but the rush legislation made it easier for

the police and prosecutors to go after the little guys. >> that's what led to the fury of the american people. that the law used for high level traffickers is used against the low level offenders, who are overwhelmingly black. >> len bias, the hero, is avenged by getting the people who looked up to him, the would-be len biases are still dying, but this time before they even get to that point. so you're losing all of this potential, and people don't get it. >> joie chen, aljazeera. >> and you can see more of joie's reporting tonight at their new time, 9:30 eastern, 6:30 pacific. it has been one month since the u.s. airstrike put a hospital in afghanistan, and doctors around the -- doctors

without borders are calling for a new investigation into the attack on their center. they said that it vitals international law. >> a moment of silence, to honor their sacrifice and mourn their passing >> reporter: a moment of silence in remembrance one month after the doctors without borders trauma center in kunduz, afghanistan, was hit by an airstrike. >> we know that a hospital well marked and well understand is treating all sides of the conflict, hit repeatedly over the course of an hour. >> reporter: the death toll stands at 30 killed. 13 afghan staff members and ten patients and others have not been identified. >> these were my colleagues and patients, and literally, they thought they were coming to a safe place to get care, and it feels like a very very perm loss. >> reporter: doctors without borders is scalin calling for a complete investigation, and they want to know if the

bombing of this facility constitutes war crimes. the pentagon has said that it was a mistake and they offered to compensate families of the killed and injured. >> it was a decision made within the u.s. chain of command. the hospital is mistakenly struck, and we would never intentionally target a protected medical facility. >> reporter: there are two investigations on going. a nato team is working with the government of afghanistan to fully identify the victims. the u.s. military is conducting what is known as the 15-6 investigation, to determine who, if anyone, should be held responsible. but results will likely take months, and doctors without borders wants both the u.s. and afghanistan governments to give consent for the international humanitarian fact finding commission to conduct its own probe. >> the u.s. government will have much more credibility in this conversation if they would

let them make the investigation, and until then, their credibility is in question. >> since then, the hospital in yemen, is led by the saudi coalition. four hospitals in northern syria who received it assistance from the organization have recently been bombed. >> you're very lucky to be alive. >> reporter: according to the geneva convention of 1949, and according to international law, hospitals are entitled to protection from hostile fire. >> until we know what happened, why it happened, we can't really feel safe going forward. and for me, it's about moving forward, because there are lots of people in need. >> that need ex it stends well beyond afghanistan with conflicts raging in syria and yemen. it's crucial that organizations can move freely to carry out life saving missions. >> more damage front a rare

cyclone that struck the middle east. cyclone chipalla hit the east coast of the mainland tuesday morning, causing flooding and displacing hundreds of families. it destroyed 20 homes, and sank boats and uprooted trees. still ahead, the online retailer that caused many brick and mortar shops to close their doors now one of its own. and the woman trying to become the first american boxer to win back-to-back olympics.

>> a civil war in 1949 divided the two governments. and the meeting comes before a national election in tie one. one of the major issues in the campaign is whether the country should maintain it's political independence. when amazon started selling books online, it changed the way that books are sold in america, and now 20 years later, the giant is going old school with its first ever brick and mortar store.

>> it has been moving for quite some time. but here it is. brick and mortar reality. welcome to amazon books. it seems a little counter intuitive. and a little bit odd. this is the company that made it's mark by not having any kind of physical retail presence, and it made a considerable mark in the business world. they're going to have 5,000 titles on display at any time here, and it's quite a few for a bookstore this size. but the minor differences you see, all of the books are turned face out and you won't have to look on light on yog on this way or any other book. you won't have to bring any price tags, put it on the bar scanner, and there you go, light on yoga, the same price if you brought it online today. they have customer reviews, and you might find a little note from jeff basos, the amazon

found. why? this is a literate, book buying, book loving town, and they have plenty of dat on to prove that. >> is this going to be their only store? probably not. aljazeera, seattle. >> allen spoke with a local bookstore owner to find out what makes this place different than amazon's new store. >> we believe that we provide something very good for the public. a very diverse selection, and we don't exclude titles because we don't like the publisher, a practice that certain companies have done. and we're not trying to sensor what we have in the store. and we're constantly changing and constantly shifting. >> amazon hopes this their store becomes a community hang out and so we'll have to see. for a look at what's coming up at the top of the hour, allen. >> mixed signals, it russia trying to have syria's

president removed from power in and what the u.s. special forces can do inside of the country. we'll talk to congresswoman, barbara lee. dozens of issues have americans headed to the polls, from marijuana and school board elections and transgender rights. local and state elections could have a national impact. and also tonight, my interview with phil don issue, broadcast legend, we'll talk about politics and the media. >> the phil donahue. i'm a huge fan. that's awesome. >> the first american to win two olympic gold medals in the ring. she's 20 years old. clarissa shields won her olympic trial or saturday, becoming the only returning female boxer for team usa. sarah has followed her progress, and sarah joins us now. tell us about her. >> reporter: that's right, and had in flint, michigan, the city's most it famous boxer,

she's gearing up for another round at the top of her game. it's just after 10:00 in the morning, and clarissa shields is midway through her morning run. the 20-year-old is out in training on saginaw street, passing liquor stores, all for a shot to defend her gold medal at the 2016 games in rio. once a manufacturing powerhouse, the city of flint is a far cry from its heyday. >> it's like any other african-american community that has poverty, everyone wants to fight over the last dollar, the last nickel. >> flint is no stranger to the hard knocks of life. but clarissa beat the odds. when she was younger, she said her father was behind bars, and her mother struggled with alcohol. and she also says a family member abused her. >> to tell you the truth, i was molested as a young child. and some people have the story

that i was raped, now i'm tough, and now i box. that's not it. ming raped has nothing to do with why i box. >> what do you want to define you then? or what defines you? >> overcoming my obstacles. resilience. it doesn't matter what your father s. what your mother is. they're not you. >> at 17, she made history by winning the first gold medal in women's olympic boxing during the 2012 games in london after beating russia's fighter, 19-12. >> when you won gold, how did that feel? >> whether you put that medal around my neck, you have to look it up. i was shaking, like oh, my god! >> she's the number one middleweight in the country and the world. and she's already qualified for the 2016 olympic trials, but it's a tough road for women boxers, even if you win gold. there was no wheaties box with her face on it, or any major

endorsements. >> mayweather, put up your hands! >> and there of not been any star-studded bouts like the mayweather fight earning millions for the prize fighters. she recently launched a go fund me page to raise money for her second olympic run. >> i think my dream can be their dream, and we can win together. >> what is it about boxing that you love so much? >> . >> i love a lot about boxing. i love fighting and i love competing and i loving able to work hard and be put to the test and passing, and i love getting my hands raised. i want people to know that i am not cocky. i'm confident, and i'm a hard worker. follow me to rio in 2015 so we can do it again. >> the hard-hitting champion

must qualify nationally for a spot in the 2016 games. and if she wins it, t-rex could be the first male or female u.s. boxer to win two u.s. medals. >> she's fierce, and tell us what else she's like outside of the ring? >> she is fierce, and i wouldn't want to be in the ring with her, but the one thing about her, she's incredibly silly. by big goofball. she's 20, and she was like a little sister. we were there for a week, and she cracks me up. she's been through a lot. and this has been a tough road for her, but you would not know it. >> what else? i think that's. that spirit in her, listen, whatever knocks me down, i'm going to be happy. >> it's easy to root for her. >> two times. >> thank you for introducing us to her. i appreciate it very much. all right, i'm richelle carey.

and thank you for watching us. john seigenthaler is going to be back in a couple of minutes. don't forget that he's interviewing phil donahue. go to aljazeera.com. have a great evening, and i'll be back tomorrow.

the hard hitting this is al jazeera america. mixed signals as the u.s. changes its strategy in syria. is russia rethinking it's allegiance to the regime. 70 million. >> we are holding them responsible for its actions. we are imposing the largest civil penalty in the history