caucuses, we'll wrap it up monday on "inside story." i'm ray suarez, thank you for joining us, good knight. night. fp >> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris. airstrikes in libya, and u.s. war planes target an isil training camp, likely killing a commander. an unanimous deal reaching an agreement that could keep them in the european union. and paying respect, justice antonin scalia. and freed, from with a an

angolan deal and freed from prison. >> we begin with the expanding fight against isil. u.s. warplanes bomb an suspected training camp in libya. 40 people were killed al jazeera national security force jamie mcintyre is at the pentagon with more. >> tony, pentagon officials say that the overnight strike does not represent an expansion of the full scale war against isil in iraq and syria, into libya as well. this was a chance to take out a major isil player and many recruits in a single blow. this is all that was left of a farmhouse and other structures in a rural area of libya after a pair of u.s. air force f-15s

flown out of a british air base in london, along with unmanned drones in the region attacked what is described as an isil training camp the in the early hours on friday morning. it was targeted based on intelligence suggesting the fighters there were planting external attacks on u.s. and other western interests in the region. >> i think it's fair to say that this group and training facility posed a threat in the region and perhaps beyond in the short term, and as a result we wanted to move on quickly. >> they believe the primary target of tunisian was killed in the early morning strike along with dozens of others isil recruits. the the pentagon called him the

leader. in particular he was suspected of orchestrating a deadly attack on the museum in tunis last march that killed 22 people as well as the possible involvement of an attack at a tunisian beach resort killing 28. >> with respect to libya i had been clear from the outset that we will go after isis wherever it appears. >> earlier this week president obama indicated that strikes against isil in libya would be more limited than in iraq or syria in part because the u.s. has no partner on the ground. >> the good news in libya is that they don't like outsiders coming in telling them what to do. there is a whole bunch of constituencies who are hardened fighters, and don't ascribe to isis. or their perverted ideology, but

they have to go organized, and they can't be fighting each other. >> they compared this one to one in libya which killed an leader. >> the president will make good on his promise to continue to apply pressure on isil theaters. >> the big obstacle to waging a wider war is the lack of a functioning government there. efforts to form an unity government has so far failed. without a ground force to compliment the airstrike, targeted have to be limited to where there is a clear partner. >> you an aid group is calling on all parties to stop targeting

medical facilities in syria. many have been displaced since the russian offensive began. the kurdish freedom group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and said it was in response to the antacidish policies of the turkish president. however, the turkish government said that it has proved that the ypg was behind the bombing. no. brussels a deal that could keep the u.k. in the european union. the deal is good for the u.k. >> britain will be permanently part of the european union. there will be tough new restrictions on the welfare system for e.u. migrants. no more something for nothing. britain will never join the euro and we've secured vital

protections four our economy. >> emma hayward has more on the deal. >> well, cameron appeared in a buyant mood after days of negotiations and a long night last night. he said he managed to achieve special status in the u.k. within the e.u. there are tough new measures with respect to britain's welfare system and there will be more protections outside of the lure row zone. remember, this is all about britain's referendum and the e.u. membership. that was in june. david cameron now goes to speak to his cabinet on saturday morning and we expect that they'll confirm the june 23rd date. >> that was emma hayword. donald trump still holds a commanding lead, but can he be beaten?

the other five candidates are certainly hoping for an update. we have more from columbia, south carolina. >> well, tony, the trump phenomenon still has a lot of people shaking their heads. one long time political science professor told me, if you would have asked the experts when this presidential campaign began who would runaway with south carolina, well, trump would hardly be on the list. but he has clearly tapped into something the question is can he sustain that momentum that he has here on his way to the nomination? >> donald trump continues to tap into fears about immigration, terrorism, the economy, and to give voice to the anger at washington. >> these people are not going to get you to the promised land. that i can tell you. >> this is not politics as usual. from biting personal attacks.

>> ted cruz is really a liar. i tell you what. i never saw anything like it. >> to threatening to sue cruz over an anti-trump ad. >> even in the annals of frivolous lawsuit this takes the case. >> a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful. >> he said, quote, i don't like fighting with the pope. but his bravado and brashness only increases his appeal to his most ardent supporters. >> we need someone who will speak for us and get the job done. >> he doesn't have anybody backing him so he can do what donald trump wants to do, and he'll do what we want him to do.

>> this is a candidate who has deified expectations. >> he has a track record in another area. he's not a politician. but when you look at the trump towers, the golf courses and the millions that he's worth. he has to have something. >> the question on many minds is touch unstoppable? he told crowds, quote, if we win in south carolina we can run the table. if the field narrows touch may not do so well, but with a crowded field he has better od odds. >> if trump continues to amass delegates while others divide him up, he can build an insurmountable lead or at least create a situation where we go to ohio with a brokered convention. then we have crazy chaos just like here in south carolina. >> if trump does win the nomination, it will be one for the history books.

>> this election will turn everything that we knew about politics on its head so that when--i try to teach about this, i don't know what to say to students, these are the important factors, they turn out not to be. >> and again the polls show that he's still in the lead in south carolina just the day before the prime minister. next up for the republicans is their own caucus. in nevada that's just days away on tuesday. guess who is in the lead there? >> who, who. >> donald trump. >> oh my, my, my, my. what about the other candidates? i don't know if it says other front runners here. what are the other candidates doing in these final there in south carolina? >> hey, they are barn storming the state. let me tell you, marco rubio, who picked up the coveted

nomination of the governor this week. they were both out at five different stops today. ted cruz picked up the endorsement of representative mark sanford. and he was out campaigning with the reality star from "duck dynasty," and jeb bush had his mom back on the campaign trail. >> the reality star. you can't even make it up. thank you. hillary clinton just got help in her effort to win over african-american voters in south carolina. theshe picked up the endorsement of jim blew burn's south carolina's highest ranking democrat. he had planned to remain neutral in this year's race but decided to throw his support behind clinton, because as he put it, his heart has always been with her. clyburn's endorsement comes a day before the democratic cauc caucuses in nevada. hillary clinton's once formidable lead in the state has all but evaporated. michael shure is live for us in

las vegas. what is happening there? >> well, it's las vegas. according to the motto, i'm not allowed to tell what you is happening in vegas, but there is a lot of moment, a lot of attention being placed on this caucus. what seemed like smooth sailing for hillary clinton, as you just mentioned, is tightening now in nevada. part that have reason is that it's difficult to gauge the turn out, not the numbers of turnout but who will turn out. are the latinos going to come to the polls? are union members going to come to the polls? union endorsements hillary clinton got a number of them, but she doesn't have the endorsement of the culinary workers. and they decided to sit this one out. >> in 2008 the culinary workers endorsed barack obama, but they have decided not to make an

endorsement. >> it was just a strategic decision. >> associate professor political science of the university of nevada las vegas. he said that the unions are abstaining. >> we'll demonstrate what the organization is about. and engage the national media here. >> last october hillary clinton demonstrated with the union in front of the trump hotel, a non-union and now politically relevant property. >> every time she's made a point of meeting with the culinary union and going to their events. >> after not receiving the endorsement in 2008, clinton had hoped her attention to their issues would translate into support. you union said that endorsing is hard work and it is in the throws of negotiations on behalf of most of the members. >> our decision was made.

>> the secretary treasure of the culinary's workers union. >> we're not a political organization. we are an union. we have a lot of things to do with our members right now. >> this might an convenient out. the support of the culinary union cannot be overstated. there were hops that the sanders campaign was under handed in the support of the union members. >> they had been impersonating culinary members to get into the house of the casinos to then try to target potential voters using culinary pins to identify themselves. >> the sanders campaign did apologize, but the importants of the latino vote may have been what provoked them in the first place. >> 57,000 people. 56% are latinos. right now we know work is in the

hotel. there are families who would like to move towards protection in this country. >> they have a lot of influence in the community, and they're one of the strongest get out the vote in the state. >> but this time in these democratic caucuses when it comes to th the the behemoth union, they will choose not to organiz organize. >> they told me what is most important to them is the position of the candidates on doca, bringing and keeping families together here in the united states. and that is an issue that is helping hillary clinton at least among the rank and file that i spoke with earlier today. >> so, you know, michael, the latest polling shows sanders and clinton neck and neck. and listening to you at the top

of your report there, it is difficult to know who will show up. should anyone put any faith in the polling in that state right now? >> well, you know, we love pols but there have only been five in nevada in the new year. in 2008, mitt romney was up five points going into his prime minister with john mccain. he won by 38 points. harry reid was down three. he won by six points. this is a state that becomes very difficult because it is transient population. very difficult time holding the bilingual, and three-quarters of the population in nevada live in las vegas and the area surrounding it. many of them work at night and most polling happens in the evening. so they haven't figured out how to get accurate polling here. it's very expensive. generally they try to go with the flow and see what the shifts in trend trends are.

>> let's just go with the flow in fabulous, las vegas, nevada, as it says over your shoulder right there. >> sounds good. >> thank you. >> the bottom of the hour i will speak with the top political analyst in reno about how hotly contested the race in nevada has become. thousands are paying their respects today to the late supreme court associate justice antonin scalia. have a look. the viewing has been extended to 9:00 p.m. scalia was considered by many to be the conservative lyo conservative lion of the court. his passing touched off a pretty heart debate over who should replace him and how soon. but for now all differences seem to be put aside. al jazeera's john terrett is at the supreme court for us. john? >> good evening, tony, from the supreme court, where today has been very much a day of

ceremony, with literally thousands of washingtonians turning up here at the court in order to pay their last respects to justice scalia. and there are still so many of them here the viewing will be extended until 9:00 tonight. they don't yet know if if they're going to close the doors at 9:00 or cut the lines at 9:00. that's how many people are here. of course, the mourner in chief was here, that's president obama, paying his respects along side michelle obama, mid afternoon. >> justice antonin scalia, crowds lined the sidewalks looking on as eight pallbearers slipped the casket from the back of the hearse. turning to climb the handful of

steps, 12 legal clerks of justice scalia could be seen closely behind. up the steps, almost 100 clerks who came all over the country just to be here defying the february colt, dressed in their loyal gray. once through the bronze doors each weighing 6.5 tons, inside the supreme court's marbled hall, they pass the eight living justices, past a painting of justice scalia with a casket finally resting all this in few view of maureen and their children, they have nine together a devout catholic family, one of their son's paul, is a priest, and presided over a simple ceremony. >> in your wisdom you have called your servant, antonin out of this world. >> a steady stream of people paved their respects. tomorrow the funeral, the

viewing will be visited by vice president biden, who called scalia a friend. he was called a conservative lion for the outspoken leader of a movement that sought to link to the constitution set out by the framers so-called originalism. for others, a farewell to a man, charming an, and as she see it, and--and the white house said that the president is going to spend a significant amount of time this weekend pouring over a list of names of potential replacements for justice scalia. the white house has said he has spoken to leading republicans and democrats up here on capitol hill in order to keep the dialogue fluid between those who would wish to see a swift nomination and a swift confirmation hearing and those

who wish to see that postponed beyond november's presidential election. one thing worth noting, the white house said whoever the white house disnominate, their qualifications will not be in dispute. >> john, maybe you can explain to us once again why the vice president will be attending the funeral and not the president? >> well, it did raise a few eyebrows, that is true. it's a talking point on the television stations. it really doesn't go beyond that. you have to remember do you remember these two guys, scalia and obama, they both graduated harvard as top lawyers, but they're at opposite ends of the ideological scale, i think its simpler than that. i'm told that the president didn't really know justice scalia. they never shared intimate stories. but biden has been in this town before and knew him very well and called him a friend. he will look to the issue of the

security detail. if he were to go to the funeral, it would change the whole tone of the funeral. with those three things in mind, he backed off. >> john terrett for us at the supreme court in washington. up next, a free man after four decades behind bars for a crime he claims he did not commit. the last of the angola three walks out of prison. and keeping on the pressure. hundreds take to the streets of flint, michigan, to bring awareness to the city's water crisis.

>> so another development in apple's fight against the government today the justice department filed a motion to force the tech giant to unlock the encrypted iphone belonging to san bernardino shooter. apple is refusing saying that it threatens the security of its customers. and the government said that is a marketing ploy. it is the 69th birthday that albert wood fox is not going to perfect. he spent four decades in sol stare confinement. he's the last of the so-called angola 3 being held at the for another yes anotherfor--at the notorious louisiana prison. >> albert woodfox has always maintained that he was an innocent man. after a 40-year legal battle he was finally able to walk free.

[applause] >> on his 69th birthday, albert woodfox walked out of the louisiana penitentiary a free man. he had been convicted twice for killing prison guard in 1972. he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. both convictions were overturned on appeal. last summer a judge ordered woodfox's release. but a federal appeals court decided he had to state behind bars while the state of louisiana challenged the release. woodfox's release friday comes after the state dropped the threat of sub jacketing him to a third murder trial. he said although i was looking forward to proving my innocence at a new trial, concerns about my health and my age have caused me to resolve this case now and obtain my release with this no contest plea to lesser charges. i hope the events of today will bring closure to many. woodfox was one of the so-called angola 3.

he along with robert keen and her man wallace spent long stretches in angola, louisiana max security prison. many believed they were political prisoners being held for their involvement with the black panthers and because they fought for better prison conditions. >> they were the scapegoat for the administration to destroy the black panther movement. >> in a statement friday, he mank herman wallace and king for their support. king was released in 2001. herman wallace was released in 2013 after more than 30 years in solitary confinement. he died two days later. he said albert survived the extreme and cruel punishment of 40 years of solitary confinement only because of his extraordinary strength and character. these inhumane practices must stop. albert woodfox did not make any

statement upon his release, but he did issue a written statement thanking his brother michael, who you saw walking out of the prison with him, and thanking groups like amnesty international and there were groups not just in louisiana but across the country and across the world who were behind him in this struggle that dated back some 40 years. >> for sure. jonathan martin for us in new orleans. still ahead on the program, journey to justice, the remarkable story of one journalist's unwaving commitment to uncover civil rights murders. plus, how the military community could impact tomorrow's g.o.p. primary.

>> the republican party holds it's primam in south carolina tomorrow. the state is home to contingent of the armed forces. perhaps more than anywhere else the commander in chief test is a major factor for g.o.p. voters. we have more on this, robert? >> yep, good evening, tony. indeed, south carolina is a hot go ahead for the military and veterans. you know, if we look at the state and the population of nearly 5 million people live here in the state. over 400,000 of them are veterans. it's clear that the g.o.p. has got a ground game right now where they're trying to hit all the topics that veterans want to hear about, everything from the

veterans' affair department, to the over all there, the v.a. hospital and down to people respect veterans in this country. everyone is talking about it from ted cruz, jeb bush, donald trump even the democrats going into it. earlier today we were at a rally with marco rubio. across the street at the marriott where he went very into detail. very specific about what he thinks. let's have a listen. >> the most important job of the dres president is to be command center chief. i can tell you for a fact that the world is not safer, it's more dangerous. you have a lunatic in north korea, he's the son of a dictator. which means he has never been put on time out. highways never been told no. we don't know how he's going to react to disappointment, but he has enough weapons and a long-range missile that can reach the united states.

>> you know, national security, the hot topic. and who protects america but the veterans, the people who are in the military. that's what he was trying to drive home. he also talked about russia and how they seem to have a hold on europe right now he went into a multi to do of things. asked the room to raise their hands if anyone is a veteran or has a relative who is a veteran, and then went into guantanamo bay and solving the war on terror. he said we'll kick these guys down. and instead of sending them to a courtroom in manhattan, we'll send them to guantanamo bay. strong words from the g.o.p. and marco rubio and we'll see what happens tomorrow when these voters go out to the polls. >> all right, robert ray for us. good to see you. thank you. the democrats hold their primary in south carolina next saturday. tomorrow it's the nevada caucuses. let's talk about it.

john kerry is currently supporting bernie sanders. senator sanders. he joins me now from reno. shawn, tell me why you're supporting senator sanders? >> i'm supporting senator sanders because i definitely think it is--it's time for a change. i'm in my mid 30's and there has been a clinton or a bush in the white house since i was a small child. >> he's running for the democratic nomination to be president. is he a democrat? >> yes, bernie sand ha sanders is running as a democratic. and this comes from senator sanders.

this comes from senator sanders. my own feel something that the democratic party is ideologically bankrupt. you know that one. >> yes. >> and there is one more. we had to ask ourselves why should we work within the democratic party if we don't agree with anything the democratic party says. what has happened over the years and what's going on here? >> what i see in bernie sanders is a breed i think his call to serve and run for president, this is why it happened even though yes, he has been very critical of the democratic party in previous times. i think that times it's a sense of service over self. >> are you comfortable with his criticism of president obama?

this goes back a ways, so when the president crits the president for what he describes as a huge gap between congress and the american people and says what presidential leadership there is about closing that gap, are you comfortable with the critique for the man from the democratic president to be president. >> i think there are ways that the president is able to close that gap. i think that gap comes from a real lack of authenticity, and you see the same sorts of gaps between the hillary clinton camp and her voters as well. the people think that although hillary clinton is very, very qualified to be president, i think there is definitely a feeling out there that bernie is the one that is the most authentic. and that that's the reason why even though clinton may be

arguebly the most qualified candidate in the history of the united states, sometimes qualifications is not the only thing that matters when you look for someone who inspires you and you can look up to as a leader. >> gotcha. we went earlier to those screens. nevada was supposed to be a fire wall. a fire wall state for hillary clinton. but as you can see it looks like a dead heat. certainly within anyone's margin of error. when you break down the issues here. hillary clinton comes out ahead. let's roll through that. what do you attribute this to, the economy, healthcare, clinton leads in th there. what do you make of that? see, this is the exact same thing that happened back in 2008. hillary clinton is quite

possibly the most qualified person to ever run for president. however, that is not the most important thing. >> that does not--let me stop you there. let me stop you there. in your few that does not matter in this particular campaign cycle? >> i don't think its mattering much in this campaign cycle. if you look over at the right, that's the reason why donald trump, who has never been a politician before in his life, is lead something far ahead, and the experience game is not--it's not working for donald trump's opponents. they're trying to claim that's not qualified. and they're trying to claim that bernie sanders is not qualified, but it's not resonating with the voters. >> it's been reported that the sanders campaign has been using what has been described as gorilla tactics out there, including telling reporters that the culinary union was not, in fact, endorsing hillary clinton

there. they're neutral. they're not endorsing anyone here and stating publicly that a 19-year-old dreamer was endorsing sanders when she eventually endorsed clinton. are you aware of this reporting and what do you make of it. >> i'm not aware of all the different reports, but i think at this level when you get up to where the caucuses are tomorrow, we conveniently see this, where we see activists who get a little overzealous, and what they may be doing to try to push the line for their chosen candidate. the thing is that's one of the places that you can develop see that the enthusiasm is immense. bernie sanders people are fired up. they're supporting them very strongly. there are bernie sanders signs everywhere. and with nebraska being a caucus

state, the caucuses are not the same as the primary. and it takes much more of a commitment to attend the caucus, and i think that with the polls being this close, i think that bernie may very well be looking at victory number two, and the fact is that as clinton, yes, it's firewalls, it's fireless, it's firewalls. but she's going to lose credibility just as what happened in 2008 when she was also inevitable as well. >> shawn kerry is a nevada-based analyst former democrati democratic strategist, and he's supporting senator sanders. joining me from reno. it's good to have you on the program. thank you. a spokesman for pope francis said that his comment on building bridges instead of walls was not meant to single out presidential candidate donald trump. he said that a person who sees the wall as a solution is not

christian proffers the reaction fro--prompting the reaction from trump. the pope said that it was not said towards donald trump. and today donald trump is praising the pope and calling him a terrific person. many are angry at the lack of progress in restoring pipes causing contaminated water. bisi onile-ere has more. [ protesting ] >> in flint michigan patience over the city's water crisis is running thin. >> friday, hundreds, including the reverend jesse jackson gathered at a church where

emotions ran high. >> today we stand up for environmental justice. we stand up for ourselves. we stand up for our rights. [ chancing no justice no peace ] >> from the church to flint's water plant the group walked over a mile in protest. the city's tap water has been contaminated with lead for more than a year. children have been sickened. some adults may have even died. today flint residents still wait for safe tap water to be restored. >> you or any of your family members experiencing any health issues when this water was switched over? >> 59-year-old leantine said her disappoint towards rick snyder is quickly turning to anger. >> why is it important to be part of this justice? >> because i want justice. i want justice. i want him to pay for what he

has done to our young people. [ music ] >> last year kerry nelson told al jazeera that she contemplated moving. today she said that she's not going anywhere because she doesn't want to turn her back on flint. >> why was it important for you to come out here? >> because i feel like now that they heard us, this is just the beginning. we got a long way. i didn't know lead was there. we've got a long way to go. >> just how much longer residents will have to live without safe tap water is unclear. as tensions are growing between flint's mayor and the governor over a plan of action. bisi onile-ere, al jazeera, flint michigan. >> up next, helping the homeless in san francisco, a new reality for a group of nuns in their quest to feed the hungry. >> like, he hit the ground. and then crawled.

>> righting the wrongs of the past. the journalist digging up new details to bring justice to civil rights murder victims.

>> february is black history month, and we're taking a closer look at civil arts. in jackson, mississippi, one up in reporter has spent his career digging up new clues of the murder cases of the 1960s, randall pinkston has more on this man's extraordinary

journey. >> if somebody kills me, somebody kills me. if someone kills me then it just means i'm going home soon. investigative reporter jerry mitchell has risked his life traveling the back roads of the deep south looking for a special breed of killer. >> where were civil rights killed? >> right here. the man who murdered civil rights activists decades ago in impunity. >> pulled him out of the car and said that in-word lover. he said sir, i understand how you feel. and the gun went up against the chest and pulled the trigger. >> three men helping african-americans to register to vote when they were ambushed and killed in 1964. and they weren't alone.

the back roads of mississippi still hold many dark secrets. during the violent days of the civil rights movement, they were often hesitant to report disappearances or murders to law enforcement because they didn't trust them, and jerry mitchell said they had good reason. >> the trio was delivered to a lynch mob by the county's deputy sheriff, cecil price. >> yeah, he was in the klan. >> it would take 41 years after mitchell's digging led him to the mastermind of the plot, a preacher named edgar ray killing. >> were you nervous? no, we were in a public place. but he wanted me to come to his house at 9:00 at night. >> mitchell grew up mostly unaware, he said, of the civil rights movement. >> i grew up in an insular kind

of white south in east texas. i just didn't get exposed to a lot of it the movie "mississippi burning" opened his eyes. >> don't you call me man, boy. >> as did learning about his own up in's past. >> when you learned the legacy of this paper, what did you think? how did you feel? >> i was horrified. >> decades earlier and under different ownership, the up in supported segregation and had close ties to a state agency that kept ties on the activists like the three murdered men. >> so they were of the state spy agency that were opposed to civil rights. >> i said, when i found out that, i said we have to write about ourselves. >> the commission was form in 1956 to promote mississippi. >> it was supposed to be a p.r. operation. >> but by the '60s it operated

in the shadows. >> exactly how did that work? >> well, they would infiltrate the ranks of the naacp. it was really an arm of white segregationists who would february at all costs to prevent integration particularly in the schools. >> they would get 300 pages of sealed sovereignty commission files and found that medgar evers had been a target. some of them recorded evers movements portraying the world war ii veteran as an enemy of the state. >> he was coming home from the rally? >> evers was shot and killed in the driveway of his home. his wife and children were inside. >> he was shot through the back. and it went through the corner of the window, went through a

wall. hit the refrigerator, and landed on the counter. >> his accused. murderer was tried twice, but both injuries deadlock. pouring through the reports, mitchell found a crucial discovery. >> while they were prosecuting, this over sovereignty commission was trying to get him acquitted. >> mitchell persuaded beckwith to give him an interview. the chat lasted six hours with what mitchell said was full of hate-filled rhetoric. >> if you write this, god will punish you. and if he does not punish you directly several individuals will do it for him. >> but mitchell's story ran prompting new witnesses to come forward saying that beckwith had bragged about the killing. >> i didn't feel like he was

just a white boy trying to make a name for himself. back in those days there were no white people speaking up for us. jerry mitchell and a few whites. i love him as a brother. i respect him as a reporter. >> in 1994 beckwith was convicted of first-degree murder in medgar evers death. and he wrote about sam bowers and in 1963 burning church bombing that killed four little girls secured the murder against clansma clansman bobby cherry. >> yeah. >> mitchell is still on the hunt working on a book titled "race against time." >> why that title? >> because time is running out

to be able to prosecute these cases. >> but even if no suspects remain, telling the story is just as important. doing justice to history no matter the risk. >> it's an unexpected gift which is living fearlessly. i began to work with something greater than me. i'm not that big of a deal. >> randall pinkston, al jazeera, jackson, mississippi. >> and we'll be right back.

>> san francisco technology entrepreneur is sparking outladies and gentlemen after an online post bashing the city's homeless. justin keller wrote an angry open letter to san francisco's mayor and police chief, calling the homeless riff-raff. keller said that the city is becoming a shanty town that has become increasingly unsafe. well, two nuns trying to help the homeless are dealing with their own housing problem. they can't afford the rising rent. melissa chan now reports from san francisco. >> for years the homeless and hungry in san francisco's toughest neighborhood, the tenderloin, have defended on a hot meal prepared with french expertise from the nuns from notre dame. >> this is what we do here. >> but the women who serve the holeless may soon be without a home themselves. the landlords plans to raise

their rent from $3,400 a month to $5,000. >> we don't have that much mon money. all these people need to be fed. >> even in san francisco's most dilapidated neighborhood it's tough to rent. but it goes beyond the poorest to the middle class. in the last few years housing has become the top issue for residents and a headache for city officials. one initiative the city started is a program together with non-profits city hall helped to buy property. they acquired five apartment buildings and set them aside as affordable housing. the program needs that they can now stay home. she and her family had faced eviction. >> we had help from everybody. we're eternally grateful. we couldn't believe it.

>> the city spent $13.9 million on the program so far. these are some of the homes bought and set aside for renters. san francisco accessed a lender with non-profit groups taking charge of the actual purchase. >> san francisco probably because we are one of the highest cost of living in the nation has been innovative in creating this. there are other cities that are doing other things. but to take tax-payer dollars to subsidize these buildings. >> critics question whether government and non-profits ought to get involved in the private real estate market in this way, but so far city politicians support the new plan. >> we're glad to do it. we're fortunate to have the economy to spend money and to have the different agency that is have come together to help us. >> but achievements are incremental. in a city where thousands face

eviction and rent hikes. >> if you're wealthy, you have a lot of options. or if you're a senior with a fixed income or a person on disability it's just a matter of time. it's a terrible time. hopefully this helps a little bit, but there is a lot more we should be doing as a city as well. >> as for the sisters, they say they are attorney is trying to cut a deal with the landlords. give them one year to give them next location. they now have the time, but they still might not have the money. melissa chan, al jazeera, san francisco. >> and how about this, the nuns are also getting help from an unlikely source. motivationallal speaker tony robbins. he was so impressed with their charity work he gave them $25,000 so they could afford their rent for a year and promised another $25,000 to help them find a new place. literary icon harper lee died in her beloved hometown of monroeville, alabama.

the book that made her famous sold more than 40 million copies worldwide and earned lee the 1961 pulitzer prize for fiction. she was awarded the presidential award in 2007. she was a famously private person. but according to friends her wit and mind were as sharp as ever to the end. she was 89 years young. i'm tony harris. thanks for watching. john seigenthaler is up next with more of the day's news now. >> we begin with the battle for sacramento. the republican presidential candidates are searching for last-minute votes. one day before the g.o.p. primary with polls showing a considerable lead for donald trump, the key battle could be for second place. second place. believe the polls the two