growth is good right now, the question is whether that rise in consumer spending is happening fast enough. absolutely genuine on our website, aljazeera.com. all of the world's headlines and a great deal more. aljazeera.com. honoring the fallen, president obama lays a wreath at the tomb of the unknown, promising more help for returning service members. racial tension on campus. and denver, buried with snow, as a huge snow storm brings high winds and dangerous weather to the plains and the rockies. ♪

this is al jazeera america live in new york city. i'm del walters. a promise today from president obama to help boost benefits for veterans. this was the scene a little more than an hour go. the president calling for long-term changes to the department of veteran's affairs. he also talked about better aid for homeless vets and called on more businesses to hire retired service members. mike viqueira is live in washington for us. mike, the president saying it over and over again, hire a vet. >> reporter: you are absolutely right. a solemn day, a bright and crisp fall day across the river at arlington national cemetery. the president making the trip across the river for the ceremony. you saw him lay the wreath there. laden with history and tradition are is the practice, the honor guard, the color guard, the

marine band playing. a happy day if it weren't such a solemn occasion, really. the president taking the time to talk about veterans affairs, his efforts on the part of his new secretary, robert mcdonald, to clean up veteran's healthcare in particular the long wait times a scandal that had ungulfed the administration, costing the previous head his job at that post. the president talked about progress in that area, and the progress they are making to reduce veteran homelessness, but the biggest theme he hit was hire a vet, trying to encourage businesses both large and small to bring veterans on to the payroll. >> our veterans are already making america great every single day. so my message today is simple. if you want to get the job done, hire a vet. if your are a business that

needs team players who know how to lead and execute an idea, hire a vet. if you are a school system that needs dedicated professional teachers hire a veteran. every sector, every industry, every community can benefit from the incredible talents of our veterans. they are ready to serve, and they will make you proud. >> the president taughting the fact that 3.9%, that is the unemployment rate of america's veterans, that's 1.1% below the national average. del? >> mike thank you very much. a lot of vets say they struggle to transition to life back home. this sergeant served in this afghanistan and told stephanie sy he has few resources to help out when he came back to the u.s. >> i came home in a recession. jobs were really hard to find. i had a really hard time

adjusting back to civilian life. there was such a community inside of combat, that when i came back to the united states, it felt like i was a small fish in a big pond. it was really hard to come home to. >> what did that mean for you? i know you have described struggles with posttraumatic stress. how did that exhibit itself on a daily basis for you? >> the first six months, coming home, i just spent in my apartment with the shades drawn, drinking, and watching combat videos from my head cam that i took in afghanistan. from there it just really looked like alcoholism, and not being able to interact with people on a -- just a basic level. >> did you feel that you were supported by the va and by the army as you were going through all of this? >> the va and the army were doing their best. i think they are flawed in many ways, but i think they were doing their best. the most support i got were from

other veterans. >> and as we heard from the president, his administration stepping up the efforts to give veterans more job opportunities. there are security efforts underway at the university of missouri in columbia. university police say a person who posted a threat on yik yak is now being held in custody. he said he wanted to shoot every black person that was found. our correspondent is live in columbia, missouri. we are hearing reports that the suspect who issued that threat has now been named. >> reporter: that's right, del. it is hunter park, a 19-year-old white student from the science and technology campus about 75 miles from here in the main campus in columbia. he was arrested around 2:00 in the morning in his dorm room.

and one threat said some of you are safe, don't go to school tomorrow. another one said -- ma sue will make national news tomorrow. the university issued a statement in response to his arrest saying that they do take threats very seriously there. they said they were grateful this did not escalate beyond that, and saying they take all threats seriously, and the safety and security of the staff and faculty is their utmost concern. >> describe the mood on the missouri campus right now. >> much quieter today than normal. you can see the -- the campus is much more quieter than we have seen in the last few days. we don't know how many students actually did not come to class today. we know at least one class was canceled because of the threats. but we talked to one student who did show up today, and she said

she was just ticked off that some person anonymously would send threats, but he was nervous. >> i felt for my friends, i don't know if they were on campus or what classes they had, and a lot of family and friends from out of state were calling and texting me. i was fearful, and even walking here i was looking around on high alert. but it is just something we deal with on a daily basis. >> reporter: and really ever since the school president tim wolfe resigned on monday there has been a big racist backlash we have been seening online. del? >> andy thank you very much. the republican presidential hopefuls back out on the campaign trail today after their last debate faceoff in milwaukee. the big clashes were over the economy, and immigration with john kasich and jeb bush trying to steal the spotlight. david shuster has our story.

>> the simple fact of the matter is we hear a lot of promises in this debate. >> reporter: john kasich blasted his republican rivals and described his tax cut policies as unique. but kasick's plan relies on government revenue assumptions that experts call absurd. on this night outside of the debate hall, protesters demanded a raise to the minimum wage, inside ben carson justified his opposition with this. >> every time we raise the minimum wage the number of jobless people increases. >> reporter: but history does not support that claim. since 1979 congress has raised the minimum wage 11 times. according to labor day ta there have been overall job growth six times and overall job losses five. florida senator marco rubio in

explaining his opposition to the minimum wage tried to shift the focus to something he supports, vocational training. >> welders make more money than philosophers. >> reporter: the problem is according to the bureau of labor stithics, welders age is 36,000, if is -- philosophers $63,000. >> i have met vladimir putin in a private meeting. >> reporter: on the tonight show two months ago, she said it was a more casual green room meeting. >> i met him in beijing, we were in sort of a green room setting. donald trump and jeb bush clashed over putin's involvement in the war against islamic

state. >> if putin wants to knock the hell out of isis, i'm behind it 100%. >> bush said they are not doing that, and he is correct. reports from syria show russian war planes have mostly attacked areas where isil forces are not present. instead the targets appear to be anti-syrian government rebels who oppose isil. one of the biggest whoppers of the evening came in the debate from chris christie. >> we stopped obamacare in new jersey. >> reporter: that is false. no governor is able to stop residents from participating in the federal exchange under the affordable care act. christie did block a state exchange. fact check groups say this night produced more than two dozen false or questionable claims. >> candidates we want to thank you all -- >> reporter: david shuster al jazeera.

>> a senior reporter at the center for public integrity says there were some things that were just wrong, but it gave viewers an opportunity to understand where the candidates stood. >> i thought you had very, very sharp contrast on several years. it came billed as that, and it did deliver. i thought the minimum wage which is the issue they started right off of the bat with, was very profound. you had some candidates saying minimum wage is something we cannot raise, and then you had a countervailing point from john kasich, who said i'm not so sure, you know, maybe this is something that we have to reconsider and that we even did in ohio. so you can sort of see the candidates whether it is this issue or several others jockeying for the hearts and minds. >> the front runner, ben

carson's performance highlighted the fact he has never held political office before. blizzard warnings are up in the rocky mountains. it could bring, we are told more than a half a foot of snow, and winds topping 50 miles an hour. nicole mitchell is tracking the storm. >> reporter: this system is intensifying as it gets into the central united states. what we have seen so far is mostly the snowy side of it. colorado, nebraska, kansas, we can see heavy snow and even some blizzard conditions because of the high winds. possibly 4 to 8 inches of snow in some cases. and the wind is going to be through the entire central united states. the fire danger even, because there are some areas that are

dry and with the wind if there are any fires that started that could whisk that along. and we're dealing with temperature drops. denver for today, 40s. a head of this, a lot of 70s and 80s, that's warm enough air with more of this moisture, possibly more rain in the mid-section of the united states, and that could trigger severe storms. wind is our primary threat, but isolated tornado is not out of the question either. finally as this transitions more into rain, by the time we hit tomorrow, more hits the great lakes and the northeast back to you. there is new information about that deadly plane crash in ohio. a florida real estate company saying seven of its employees were on board the small jet when it crashed and hit an apartment building on tuesday. all nine people on board died. no one on the ground was hurt. sacked for a loss.

u.s. attorney's general ordering fantasy websites to stop taking bets. plus we'll take a look at a court system that is giving vets a second chance. ♪

>> the only live national news show at 11:00 eastern. >> we start with breaking news. >> let's take a closer look. ♪ two men the fbi is calling white supremacists are in jail in virginia. the two will be indicted tomorrow for allegedly planning attacks on synagogues and black

churches. they tried to buy weapons from undercover police officers. the bikers are accused of engaging in organized criminal activity, in the shootout. the grand jury is going back next week to consider charges against the other 71 bikers. two of the nation's largest daily fantasy websites are promising to fight back after the attorney general declared the sites, sites of gambling. >> reporter: rick anthony has gotten into the habit of putting his money into daily fantasy sports games. >> one week fantasy football weeks are paying $75 million a week, with immediate cash payouts and no commitment.

>> i'm under the assumption that it is legal? >> reporter: but now, one of the largest states is stepping in to stop the sites. new york state attorney general has told the two leading sites to stop accepting game entry fees from players. in letters to both sites, he says: in a statement, fan duel said: and draft kings put out its own statement, saying in part: a 2006 federal law did give season long fantasy games an exemption from a ban on online gambling. just last month, nevada moved to restrict the sites in that state. industry expert says the two

daily fantasy sports leaders are victims of their own $100 million ad campaigns. >> now that you can't go a day without seeing these ads, it has lead to a lot of people looking up and saying what is going on here. >> reporter: for fans like rick, banning daily fantasy goes too far. >> i wouldn't kill it. i would control it. >> reporter: it was not apply to season-long fantasy rights. president obama had a lot to stay at arlington cemetery, but the most tonight message was helping the vets, getting better access to healthcare, disability benefits and education. as rachel levin tells us some states are finding success with programs to keep veterans out of prison. >> reporter: during his tour of duty in afghanistan, he lost many friends.

>> i fell into a deep depression to the point i was downing 750 milliliter bottles a day. >> reporter: after he left the army and came home to orlando, he hit rock bottom, homeless, diagnosed with severe ptsd, and about to become a father, he was arrested when you were sitting in that county jail. that's a long way from basic training. >> and it was extremely mortifying for me. >> reporter: one out of every ten prisoners has served in the military. that's more than 200,000 service men and women behind bars. >> all rise. >> reporter: but judges like this are offering people who served their country a lifeline. >> we're all at a loss on what to do with you. >> i can do it your honor. >> against the recommendation of everyone else in this room, i'm

giving you one more chance. >> reporter: every wednesday the judge presides over a special court for veterans, trying to steer non-violent offenders to mandatory rehabilitation and counseling services in exchange for no prison time. >> i want you to keep a journal of your job search. >> reporter: over 13,000 veterans are receiving treatment services in these courts. the judge says most vets who show up in her court suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. according to a report nearly 19% of u.s. service members who have returned from afghanistan and iraq currently have ptds or depression. roughly half seek treatment. >> we do a collaborative holistic approach to assisting the veterans. housing, medical, mental health, substance abuse, work training. you know, we just try to make this person a better person for

the community at large. >> reporter: and the fact that the judge is a former vet herself, served in iraq, reminds people like gomes who he once was. >> when she speaks to you, it's with a sense of respect, a sense of understanding, like listen i was there too. >> reporter: the specialty courts are not without critics. but the judge says she has seen results, since the program started two years ago, the court says 92 out of 100 participants successfully completed the program, got treatment and avoided prison. >> remember the choices that you made that ended you up here. >> if i did not end up in that program, i would either be dead or in prison right now.

>> reporter: instead, he says, he is hoping to find a job, stay clean and out of jail, so he can spend more time with his daughter. today is the 97th anniversary of the end of world war i. europe marking armistice day as it is called there, honoring the millions who died. it was supposed to be the war to end all wars. several countries holding ceremonies to honor the fallen. trying to preserve their neighborhoods, how people are trying to stop little havana from being bulldozed. ♪

♪ after a thorough scrubbing, chipotle planning to reopen restaurants after an e. coli outbreak. at least 42 people got sick, authorities linking those cases to 11 restaurants in portland and seattle. and joe's crab shack will become the first major chain to eliminate tipping from some of its restaurants, it is also boosting the pay to $14 an hour for servers. company says the move will reduce staff turnover, improve service quality and lower prices for customers who tip well. in south florida there are

calls to preserve an iconic neighborhood. little havana has been home to many cuban americans, but as andy gallagher reports, it is now in the sights of developers. >> reporter: it has been called cuba's second city. ♪ >> reporter: and florida few neighborhoods can match little havana for its sense of history and cultural importance, these streets have been home to countless generations of cuban-americans who first settled here in the 1960s. their arrival here changed everything. >> the cubans really saved the neighborhood, but for me as an historian, the most important thing is it is where they began their new life. >> reporter: but little havana is now facing serious challenges. the national trusts says a lot of historical status and plans to develop the neighborhood may change the character for good.

peter and his family own one of the oldest so-called mom and pop businesses. >> why do you want to be a concrete island? a bunch of buildings with no flavor? if we don't hold on to the flavor, we'll lose it all. >> reporter: but activists are fighting back and saying tourism is key to preserving the community. many aren't against some development as long as the nature isn't drastically altered in years to come. >> it would be a mixed income in a way, so hopefully we have a really vibrant community. and that's what we have now. actually it is perfect the way it is right now. >> reporter: discussions with the city about its development plans are still in the early stages, but many hope the national trust's recognition will help in future negotiations. in community has managed to shape the character of an entire region, and for that its place

in history is ensured, and it is also why campaigners say this neighborhood should be preserved for generations to come. a sticky spectacle in seattle. workers started cleaning the great gum wall. first with a blast of steam to release the millions of pieces. the entire cleaning process expected to last through the engineer of the week. and a rare diamond selling for a rarer price. it features a large vivid pink diamond. it is roughly the size of a quarter. one of the largest of its kind ever sold at auction. the buyer was not identified. thanks for joining us, the news continues live from london next. we leave you with these images from arlington national cemetery, veteran's day in the united states. ♪