exam. in a land dominated by so-called education fever, alternative schools seem destined to remain isolated outpost. >> reporter: your homework tonight to memorize, aljazeera.com. aljazeera.com. tears flow at the white house as a retired army captain receives the medal of honor for saving lives in afghanistan. pushing isil out of a key strong hold, u.s. forces helping kurdish troops in a new offensive in iraq. a powerful storm moving east. millions of americans could feel the effects. ♪

this is al jazeera america live in new york city. i'm del walters. one of the heros of the war in afghanistan receiving the nation's highest military honors. it happened just a short while ago at the white house. president obama honoring captain florent groberg at the white house. he spotted and tackled a suicide bomber. as you can see, then the tears began to flow. al jazeera's jamie mcintyre is live at the pentagon. good morning, jamie, tell us more about flo groberg. >> reporter: an interesting story. is flo groberg was born in paris. he lived there until he was 11 years old. he moved to the united states with his family. he attended high school here outside of washington where he ran track and was a track star at the university of maryland. i had a chance to talk to him a little bit yesterday and along with his mother, and his mother told me that he called her after

the september 11th attacks, and said he wanted to serve his country. he finished college. enlisted in the army and in order to get a security clearance to be an officer in the u.s. military, he needed to denounce his duel citizenship between france and the u.s. whent to the french embassy and said i want to renounce by citizenship and join the army and fight for my country. on this day in 2012, he was head of a security detail that was escorting senior u.s. officers and some afghan commanders over to a governor's office when they approached a bridge where there was a diversion by a couple of motorcycles. president obama when he was awarding the medal of honor just a few moments ago, picked up the story from there. >> the man spun around and turned toward them, and that's

when flowing sprinted toward him. he pushed him away from the formation and as he did he noticed a bomb on the man. the motorcycles had been a diversion. at that moment, flo did something extraordinary. he grabbed the bomber by his vest and kept pushing him away. and all of those years of training on the track, in the classroom, out on the field, all of it came together in those few seconds, he had the instints and the courage to do what was needed. >> so -- like many medal of honor recipients, flo groberg said yesterday when i talked to him, that he doesn't feel like he was a hero. he just acted on his instincts. he did what the thought any soldier would do, and he said he was happy to accept this award on behalf of all the four fallen colleagues who died that day. i talked to the medic who

attended him afterwards, and some of his platoon mates, and they insisted had he not taken this action, the damages would have been far worse that day. jamie how unusual is it that this time the veteran being honored is living. >> reporter: it's funny because for quite a long time, there no medal recipients from iraq and afghanistan. and they started asking why the level of gal entry was different. and they decided that there were many cases where people could earn this highest honor, deserve this highest honor, and now we have had -- i think flo groberg is the tenth living recipients, some of them obviously have gotten the award posthumously as

well. >> he has undergone 33 surgeries. jamie thank you very much. iraqi kurdish fight ores claiming some success to retake a key city in iraq. they have captured highway in sinjar, that is one of isil's most important supply lines. al jazeera's imran khan has more from erbil. >> reporter: isil have been expecting this attack since they took over the town in august of last year. now what they have been doing is embedding themselves within the town itself, and also on the out skirts of the various little villages. they have abandoned those villages, but they have left behind booby traps and explosive devices. one truck bomb went off a few hours ago, it was so large that many in the location thought it

was an air strike. this is a tactic we have seen isil use time and time again. and once they get into the town, isil will use urban warfare to try to defeat the forces. they have something like 7.5 thousand troops. they have cut the road off, and they are looking to go into sinjar sometime soon. it is going to take several days. and they say we need to go in very slowly because of the booby trapped villages and towns, and make sure that the isil elements can't escape from any other route. cutting off the -- the town is key. and that's what they have been doing. so it could take several days, and that's what we're hearing from both the u.s. and peshmerga forces. admiral william fallen says it makes sense for the peshmerga to see this fight to the finish. >> the peshmerga are

the -- probably the most capable and more importantly the most willing to actually take the fight to daesh, and it's an area that's -- that's -- favors them in that they control the territory to the east and -- and mostly to the south, and it's fairly isolated. it's going to be a bit of a challenge, probably, because i recall the geography. there's a long ridge line, and that's probably where the daesh fighters are camped out, so they are going to have to take that high ground. it's a major infiltration route from syria that enables daesh to stay capable within iraq, and i think it would also be helpful to the peshmerga because it would open up some lines for them to be able to reconnect with peshmerga fighters that are in northeast syria, and then on in to turkey, so i think it's

probably a pretty good spot to start. >> and the symbolic significance can't be overlooked. it was the area that lead president obama to launch the air strike offensive. storms causing destructions in the rockies and the plains. >> reporter: tornados, blizzards, even a wind-swept wildfire. this storm system has produced a little of everything, and it's a impacting a lot of people. >> tornado on the ground. >> reporter: one of the twisters touched down in iowa, around sue city 40 mile an hour winds damaged buildings and flipped three tractor trailers. tornado watches were posted in parts of missouri, nebraska,

kansas, and iowa, winds of up to 60 miles an hour swept one wildfire through parts of oklahoma leading to evacuations and destroying homes. and in many states traffickers are struggling with canceled flights. >> slow going. >> reporter: heavy snow has been the problem in denver, as well as parts of utah, new mexico, and wyoming, with blizzard-like conditions in some places, but not everyone is unhappy. >> it's great out here. >> reporter: at copper mountain in colorado, skiers are celebrating more than a foot of new powder. >> it was opening day too, i was working, and then i was like, i better go ski. [ laughter ] >> don't tell my boss. and we won't, but he is watching. nicole mitchell has been tracking the storm. >> so we have had some improvements with this system,

less of a threat for severe weather like tornados or those high damaging winds, but look at all of the areas still under wind hazard for the day today. especially for the great lakes. that is still going to be a big concern. and the wind has moved more over the great lakes, and it sticks with us possibly into the day tomorrow, but then more of the cold air filters in from canada, places like minnesota, or wisconsin, could see our first significant snowfall of the season. so you might be waxing up the s skis, but if you are traveling, especially in michigan, it could be six inches or more. and as this conditions to clear its way eastward, we're focusing our eyes on this.

we are already starting to see some cloud and rain shield move into the northwest, but when you add in today and tomorrow, we could see some areas that get over a foot of rain, and that means we already have flood concerns for the next few days. the rain continues through saturday, and the rivers at least until sunday will probably have problems, so another problem of the country we're keeping our eyes on. president obama calling on myanmar's opposition leader congratulating her on her landslide victory. the president thanking her for her hard work promoting democracy in myanmar. the president also calling on the country's new president to congratulate him on a peaceful and transparent election. violence erupting in haiti. protesters accusing their president of rigging the election.

violent protests on the streets of haiti today. demonstrators are opposed to the president, accusing him of rigging the election nch the candidate he backed reportedly getting a third of the first-round votes. seven other candidates are calling for an investigation into the election. 19-year-old hunter park accused of making online threats towards students and faculty at the university of missouri. another 19 year old was arrested on wednesday for making similar threats. those protests in missouri, sparking other demonstrations on

campuses nationwide. activism historian, telling us earlier that he leaves more protests are a good sign. >> there has definitely been an upswing and it has to do with the rise of the black lives matter movement, and the rising cost of at tending higher education. >> black lives matter one was thing, but are you seeing more multi-racial and multi-cultural efforts than we have since the 60s? >> i think that's true. i think the campuses are a lot mo more diverse than they were. >> have students been angry for a while and just not vocalizing their anger. students these days are on social media, but they are not protesting and carrying signs.

so what changed? >> there is a lot of stuff that fly under the radar, but for a long time students have been really disenfranchised, and the more they see something like the university president being forced to resign as a result of student protests, the more they are going to feel like they have the capacity to make change. >> but was its -- it the student protest or the football players refusing to play. >> football players are students, so that's a part of it. but campus athletes, particularly division i are a sleeping giant who have really not felt their power, and that may be about to change. >> reporter: students at more than 20 colleges and universities planning solidarity movements this week. one of the most influential voices in republican politics plan to stay quiet during the

primaries. charles koch telling usa today, he will not back any of the candidates. jeb bush has won the endorsement of bob dole saying the country needs someone with experience on the job. dole says he likes almost all of the candidates. saying except ted cruz. a new biography about george h.w. bush. the author sitting down with our john siegenthaler. he says jeb bush faces a much different presidential field than his father did. >> you have been watching this campaign. how does it compare to other presidential campaigns. >> 36 years ago, you know who would have been on that stage? ronald reagan, brush, anson, and

kaine. and even 16 years ago you had george w. bush, john mccain. you know, it's -- it's sort of striking that what we're trying to do -- what a lot of folks are trying to do, who an establishment candidate is, and establishment now just means you have been elected to something. that you have been in politics for longer than four months. it's a very strange moment. you know, somebody asked me the other day at home in nashville, said could george h.w. bush get nominated today? i said he damn near didn't make it the first time. [ laughter ] >> so i think my view of jeb at this point, is that he is a lot like his dad, but he has to show more of the competitive streak that his father had and masked pretty well, and his brother had and didn't mask at all.

>> we'll have much more on that doing up tonight at 8:00 p.m. americans are still losing the battle of the bulge. there's new research out that finds the obesity rate is at 38% of adults in 2014, that is up from 35% two years earlier. women's obesity rate is now higher than men. investigators say they found that black box from a small plane that crashed in ohio. the building was empty, but all seven passengers and two crew members on board that plane were killed. >> the video shows that the aircraft was flying at a low altitude and banking to the left. we have examined the accident scene. the left wing hit the ground first and left a witness mark. then the aircraft hit half of an

apartment building destroying it before running up an enbankment behind the building and coming to rest. >> reporter: the pilot did not make any distress calls before the crash. the threat of el niño in southern california could mean danger for the homeless, some of them living in riverbeds. >> how are you doing guys? >> reporter: this isn't a standard welfare check. this is a search and rescue mission. designs to prevent a tragedy before the monster el niño storm slams southern california. >> the encampment we're in is approximately ten feet from the water. this would be one of the first places when a significant water rushes through that is swept away and taken away. >> reporter: on foot and on four wheels. it's estimated there are between 5 to 700 homeless people living

in camps along 172 miles of riverbed. that's a lot of terrain to cover. so the sheriff's department uses these off-road vehicles to find and urge them to move to higher, safer ground. deputies partner with service providers who join them on every run. homeless people, like this man, who has lived here for nearly seven years. what will you do if you are living here and the rains come? how will you protect yourself? tonight on al jazeera, we'll drive you to the front lines of this unusual mission to move l.a.'s most vulnerable out of the flood zone. and we'll show you life along the riverbed and the new approach law enforcement is taking to save lives. jennifer london, al jazeera. and when we come back, serving time as adults, the push

in new orleans to keep kids safe while still holding them accountable. ♪

♪ today federal officials plan to announce a ban on smoking in

all public housing. it would require apartments, common areas, and administrative buildings to be smoke free. the move affects nearly 1 million people living in public housing. chemicals sprayed on top of the bp oil spill didn't work the way they wanted it to. it us was supposed to degrade the spill and help bacteria eat the oil, but researchers say the chemical actually hurt the bacteria. thousands of juveniles are serving time in adult prisons, some of them with life sentences. jonathan martin has our story. >> reporter: two bothers, one 16, the other 17, standing inside a narrow cell they share at the prison. these photos were taken inside

what is often called the most dangerous jail in america. part of an exhibit documenting the lives of juveniles doing time in adult prisons. >> we understand some young people should be held accountable, and they should be held accountable in age-appropriate settings. >> reporter: about 30 teenagers are held here on any given day. some as young as 15 have had their cases transferred to adult court. many are 17 year olds and automatically tried as adults. josh perry is with the louisiana center for children's rights. and leading a group petitioning new orleans city leaders to remove everyone under 18 from the prison. even though federal law requires juveniles to be held separately from the general adult populati population, harry says that doesn't always happen.

>> we have worked with children who have been sexually assaulted, beaten, stabbed, brutalized. >> reporter: the orleans prison is one of the most dangerous in the country. this mother says she couldn't sleep knowing her son was locked up there. the 15 year old was charged as an assault with armed robbery. he spent four months there awaiting trial. >> he said mom i just want to let you know, i'm going to pray, and i plan to be all right. however, i do want you to know and be aware that i'm not afraid to die. >> reporter: her son, now 18 is serving a 10-year sentence at another facility. >> do you want your kid to be indicted, to come to adult

prison? before being found guilty or innocent? when you do something like that, you become the first offender. >> reporter: several cities and states go further than federal law, banning juveniles from being held in the same facilities as adults. last year the city council passed a resolution that lead to some teens being sent to the city-run detention center. >> the revelations about our jail facility, about the abuse in our facilities, it's something that has progressed over recent time. >> reporter: but there isn't enough space at the youth center. the city is considering a plan to use federal disaster money to expand the center, adding at least 20 beds. >> it seems like we have gotten most of the people in the criminal justice system to agree that the juveniles should not be

at opp. >> reporter: but construction would take at least two years, further delaying a solution to what many in new orleans have long considered a dangerous problem. jonathan martin, al jazeera, new orleans. egypt's great pyramid of giza may have an undiscovered tomb inside. thermal scans have pointed to passages. one of the oldest wonders of the ancient world, seven of them, the last one still standing. thanks for joining us. i'm del walters. the news continues live from london next. we leave you with these images from the white house, this is army sergeant, flo groberg receiving the medal of honor. he was a student on 9/11. signed up wanted to fight for his country, but was told he could not because he was not a naturalized citizen.

he decided to become one, and now he is the nation's newest hero. ♪ twin suicide attacks in the hezbollah strong hold of southern beirut. at 16 are thought to have been killed. ♪ good to have you with us. i'm david foster. also on the program, russia moves to force out the head of its athletics federation as the olympic doping scandal grows. tense meeting in malta ends with european and african leaders approving a $2 billion plan to stop the flow of refugees from africa.