this is "nightline." >> tonight, terror triggers. the massacre at the el paso mall, now the internet connection, inside the online forum where the accused gunman allegedly posted his racist plan to kill, and the man who started the site speaking out about the unfiltered and uncheck the breeding ground for hate. plus, hitting a different high note. mariah carey's dare to dream big for her littlest fans. the project that will always be her baby. ♪ you'll always be my baby >> but first the "nightline" five.

good evening. thanks for joining us. i'm whit johnson. once again, the world has been confronted with a harsh reality, the rising tide of white supremacy. before the accused gunman opened fire in el paso, texas, authorities allege he posted a racist rant on an online here's kyra phillips.

>> reporter: this is the moment a young white man, fuel the by racist hatred opens fire in an el paso, texas walmart. he'll leave 22 people dead. >> go, go, come on! >> reporter: and his attack given a singular label. >> in one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy. >> this is a transnational, global terror network and more insidious than it ever was. >> reporter: online forums are acting as havens and breeding grounds to spread ideology, recruit the followers and plan attacks. >> it's starting to move them towards violence. >> reporter: tonight, the kr5 creator of the online forum takes us inside where white

extremesy resides and why more white men are drawn to this hateful extremism. try three of this year's attacks have something in common, from the mosque shooting in new zealand to the synagogue shooting in poway, california and now el paso, all three posting their kill plans on 8chan. >> there is a subset of user whose definitely, 100% are white supremacists. >> reporter: he's 25 and suffers from brittle bone disease. >> a lot of people brushed it off until 20we started to see charlottesville. >> reporter: he says he created 8chan in 2013, to compete with

the online message board 4chan. he said he hoped his would be a platform for unrestricted speech. 8chan allows users to post comments anonymously without the need for a user name. >> when you have no attachment, even on the site, you don't really feel like it's wrong to say whatever you want. >> reporter: he resigned as 8chan's administrator in 2016 after a dispute with his business partner, jim watkins, seen here in this youtube video, responding to the el paso shooting. >> it is indeed such a sad day and time in the history of the world. the worst sort of monster shoots up random people. >> reporter: watkins now owns 8chan out right. he's a former army veteran and web entrepreneur who lives in the philippines. brennan says watkins has done nothing to curb the ever-growing dark side of 8chan.

>> jim watkins is so uncaring and cold that he is literally having big tech companies change their terms of service just because he's such a, to put it nicely, [ bleep ]. >> reporter: over the weekend, cloudflare, the internet service provider for 8chan term innovated its service with the site calling it a cesspool of hate, which has caused multiple tragic deaths. >> 8chan is lawless. >> reporter: in his youtube post, watkins denies that he's done nothing to end the hatred. >> my company takes a firm stand in helping law enforcement. and within minutes of these two tragedies, we working with fbi agents to find out what information we could to help in their investigations. our company has always worked with law enforcement to help them with their investigations.

we have never protected illegal speech. my thoughts and prayers are for the victims of violence everywhere. >> reporter: watkins didn't respond to "nightline's" request for an interview. and today the homeland security committee asked watkins to testify before congress. also today, the intelligence group site says 8chan has already resurfaced on the darkweb. >> dit's important to disrupt these sites. but they go on to another one or create their own. >> reporter: christian knows all too well the many ways in which hate thrives. >> for eight years of my life i found identity, community and purpose in america's first neo-nazi skinhead group. >> reporter: we first met christian last year. why did you hate? >> i'd gone from powerless to this perception of power. and the only way i knew how to keep it at that point was to maintain a respect by hurting other people. >> reporter: christian became a

self-proclaimed white supremacist, starting a white power rock band seen in this hbo documentary, skinheads usa. soldiers of the race war. what are some of the lyrics you wish you never had written. >> the holocaust is a lie, 6 million jews could never die. things i look back and frankly i wonder who and where that person was. because i don't know that person. >> reporter: but dylann roof did. he found christian's music online just months before he killed nine black parishioners at an ame church. >> words i had written almost 30 years ago that still had an impact today, still had consequences. >> reporter: today christian works to disengage youthgies. >> we understand people aren't born to hate, they learn it. >> reporter: and for those looking to learn hate, the internet provides a destructive pathway. >> allowing marginalized young

people who may not have connections in real life to have narratives for connection and purpose online. >> reporter: or in some cases inspiring each other. today, site called attention to this threatening comment from a user on an alleged far right chat group to kill powerful people, kill important people, kill the political opposition. yesterday, in his most forceful denunciation of racism to date, the president condemned the actions of white supremacists. >> these sinister ideologies must be defeated. hate has no place in america. >> reporter: but christian says it's the president himself who needs to lead by example. >> we need to understand that what is put out into the world, words about invasion. we're talking about animals or s-hole countries, those types of words land on people who take action. i have to quacaution here that words that the most powerful man in our country and maybe in the

world is using are causing people to die. americans are being killed because of twos. >> reporter: the fbi's joint terrorism task force is charged with investigating domestic terrorism, but sometimes that task is complicated by our constitutional right to free speech. >> and this is an area that oftentimes will limit their ability to open an investigation or to collect information directly during the investigation. >> reporter: complicating matters, the u.s. government doesn't have a domestic terrorism statute. >> typically, law enforcement would investigate and charge an individual using gun laws. they would also look to utilize assault or any other type of criminal activity charges that are on the books in the state or federal system. >> when it happens to your community and you have babies and children that have been shot and killed, when you're

witnessing these things happening in your community as a parent, there's no way i can sleep at night if i don't feel like i'm doing everything i can to create a different environment. >> reporter: a life-long el paso resident, anna, says racially-fueled late was simmering in this border town long before the gunman showed up last weekend. >> he's not the first white man to come in from out of town with guns, to harass and torture our community and inflict violence against people in this community. we've had people threaten to bomb the building. we haven't even opened yet. >> reporter: anna volunteers with casa caramelita, a center opening soon to help migrants who cross mexico to seek asylum. as her city mourns, anna says her work now is more important than ever. >> i can't not think about what i'm leaving for my children and what type of community that i'm building for them. and the world that they're going to have to exist in after i'm gone. >> our thanks to kyra for that

report. up next, mariah carey's vision for love for thousands of children, to reach for the stars. ♪ i had a vision of love ♪ and it was all that you've given to me ♪ with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, are you okay? even when i was there, i never knew when my symptoms would keep us apart. so i talked to my doctor about humira. i learned humira can help get, and keep uc under control when other medications haven't worked well enough. and it helps people achieve control that lasts. so you can experience few or no symptoms. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common,

and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. be there for you, and them. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, control is possible. my lady! those darn seatbelts got me all crumpled up. that's ok! hey, guys! hi mrs. patterson... wrinkles send the wrong message. sorry. help prevent them before they start with new downy wrinkleguard. that's better. so you won't get caught with wrinkles again. i mean, if you haven't thought abfrankly, you're missing out. uh... the mobile app makes it easy to manage your policy, even way out here. your marshmallow's... get digital id cards, emergency roadside service, even file a... whoa. whoa. whoa. whoa. whoa. whoa!

oops, that cheeky little thing got away from me. my bad. geico. it's easy to manage your policy whenever, wherever. can i trouble you for another marshmallow? (music throughout)

alright, so this is how you are going to say... you'll get the best deal of the year on xfinity tv and internet. and you even get this. mike, you're on balloons. sarah, you're gonna high five everybody. ben, you're gonna be wowing them with your dance moves. don't miss the xfinity best deal of the year. now that's simple, easy, awesome. get amazing tv and internet during our best deal of the year. with huge savings of $600 over 2 years. plus a speed upgrade to 400 megs, free for 2 years. and ask about even more savings with xfinity mobile. click, call or visit a store today. for more than 30 years, mariah carey has been topping the charts, but what you may not know is that for almost as long she's been helping to shape the future of thousands of kids at camp mariah.

here's tj holmes with more and s'mores. >> reporter: screaming fans, standing yovations, mariah care is used to that. this audience is different. these little fans are actually at summer camp. specifically, cam map mariah. >> thank you, camp mariah, i've been wanting to see you guys forever. >> reporter: mariah's followers worldwide are familiar with her music. ♪ sweet, sweet fantasy baby >> reporter: she's a fantasy to some, heartbreaker to others. ♪ heartbreaker >> reporter: a hero to many. ♪ a hero lies in you >> reporter: but fans might not, hanging out around a fire pit, making s'mores. a designer tee shirt and jeans and stiletto heels qualify as her camping gear.

she's here celebrating 25 years of her camp, where every year hundreds of low income city kids get to experience a rite of summer passage, summer sleep away. what do you see when you walk in that room and look at the faces? >> it was afterwards when we came out here and we met a couple of the kids, and they said they wouldn't be who they were if it hadn't been for the camp. that's pretty mind-blowing. >> reporter: 25 years ago, why a camp? >> i went to a publicly-funded camp when i was growing up. i had some difficult experiences with, and i thought you know what? kids should be able to go to a camp where they feel safe and they feel like they can learn something. and this is a career awareness camp. ♪ doo, doo, doo ♪ doo, doo, doo, doo >> reporter: you might not realize it, but you've probably seen camp mariah before. it was featured in her iconic

video for "always be my baby." why that video? why did you shoot it here? >> i just thought it would be something sweet. i think there's like an innocence to that song, and i wanted to feel, you know, just free and easy and like summertime when you meet, you know, your first, that first little crush that you have. >> reporter: camp mariah sits about 70 miles north of new york city. here many kids get their first taste of life in the wilderness. >> we are at camp mariah which opened in 1994. >> reporter: fatima is part of the non-profit organization which runs six camps for underprivileged kids, including camp mariah. over the last 25 years, more than 3,000 kids have spent their summers here. >> she's visited our young people, come to our benefits, been a member of our board. this is not just a name. >> reporter: for three and a half weeks, they take robotics and coding classes. they study dance and fashion.

they also get the typical summer camp stuff, too. gregory is a camp mariah graduate, back this year as a counselor and instructor. he says learning to swim changed his world. >> after i completed swimming, i said nothing's impossible for me. that was one of the hardest things for me to do. >> reporter: he's now the legacy of this place, a 19-year-old college student studying robotics and mechanical engineering and inspiring the next generation. >> ah, i didn't see that. >> reporter: as the day ends, gregory and the kids head down to a special anniversary dinner with mariah and her special surprise guest. ground-breaking ballet dancer misty copeland, a mariah carey super fan. >> i wouldn't be a ballerina if it wasn't for her music. it sounds so crazy. >> reporter: abc cameras were with misty 20 years ago when she

was an up and coming ballerina, choreographing to her favorite mariah song "looking in." >> being biracial and i saw myself through her. she took hold of her career and had her own voice. >> reporter: misty hosted an impromptu dance party with the kids, including mariah's twins. but mariah herself was stranded an hour away. >> the sprinter that we're in has stopped. >> reporter: her van broke down on the way. >> we're trying to get there, guys. >> we're waiting for the other car to come. >> reporter: the music legend stopped by a local corner store and surprised a fan inside. there were street shout outs. >> oh, thank you. >> i love you, too! >> reporter: and a sidewalk serenade. ♪ why are you so obsessed with me ♪ ♪ boy i want to know >> reporter: and after hours of

delay and a roadside rescue, she finally arrived. the kids presented mariah with an anniversary cake, and this it was outside for campfire s'mores. >> oh, mine is on fire. i like them burnt. i'm always late. my publicist was saying they're exploring helicopters. what am i going to do? i couldn't not be here. >> reporter: you were considering helicoptering into camp. >> why not? >> reporter: when you started did you think you'd make it five years, 15 years, did you have that kind of foresight? >> when i put my mind to it, this is for life, i'm not doing this just for laughs, know what i mean? we're doing something for real. >> reporter: that passion shows in her work. ♪ one sweet day >> reporter: her single with boyz ii men held a legendary chart-topping record for nearly as long as her camp has been around. ♪ take my horse to the old town

road ♪ >> reporter: but she graciouslyy ceded her title to little nas x. >> one sweet day is a record and song that means a lot to me and obviously, boyz ii men and myself did the record together. i think that's why the song stayed the top song of all time for a very long time. and now we have "old town road", so that's great. >> reporter: though this place is called camp mariah, don't expect mariah to be camping ever. you don't consider yourself outdoorsy? >> you know, with the right bug repellant, hair and ensemble, i could be outdoorsy -- in a photo. >> reporter: but she wants kids to keep coming and experiencing life in a way they have never

before. >> there's nothing too big to accomplish. >> reporter: remembering author toni morrison. like job. when he was diagnosed with cancer, his team at ctca created a personalized care plan to treat his cancer and side effects. so job could continue to work and stay strong for his family. this is how we inspire hope. this is how we heal. we love you, daddy. good night. i love you guys. cancer treatment centers of america. appointments available now. cancer treatment centers of america. we'd love some help with laundry. spray and scrub anything with a stain. wash the really dirty clothes separately. new tide pods with upgraded 4-in-1 technology unleash a foolproof clean in one step. aww, you did the laundry! it's got to be tide. [what about him? let's do it.

[ sniffing ] come on. this summer, add a new member to the family. hurry into the mercedes-benz summer event today for exceptional offers. lease the glc 300 suv for just $419 a month at the mercedes-benz summer event. going on now. (vo) ♪ sleep this amazing? that's a zzzquil pure zzzs sleep. our liquid has a unique botanical blend, while an optimal melatonin level means no next day grogginess. zzzquil pure zzzs. naturally superior sleep. red dress on the first day - bold move. same red dress today - even bolder.

fight the fade and keep your red dress red. is it new? no, it's washed in studio by tide. (wholding you back? excessive underarm sweating qbrexza is the first and only once-daily prescription cloth towelette approved to treat excessive underarm sweating. also known as axillary hyperhidrosis. open one today and see what unfolds. (man vo) do not use qbrexza if you have certain medical conditions. qbrexza may cause new or worsening urinary retention, problems with control of your body temperature and blurred vision. the most common side effect reported was dry mouth. call your healthcare provider if you experience side effects. (woman vo) imagine how life can unfold. reduce excessive underarm qbrex.

has been excellent. they really appreciate the military family and it really shows. with all that usaa offers why go with anybody else? we know their rates are good, we know that they're always going to take care of us. it was an instant savings and i should have changed a long time ago. it was funny because when we would call another insurance company, hey would say "oh we can't beat usaa" we're the webber family. we're the tenney's we're the hayles, and we're usaa members for life. ♪ get your usaa auto insurance quote today.

finally tonight, we remember author toni morrison. she was the first african-american woman to be awarded the nobel prize in literature. toni morrison died yesterday. she was 88. a masterful treasured works shined a light into the black american experience, shaping the way their stories are told, and as millions mourn the loss of morrison, we remember her words, the function of freedom is to morrison, we remember her words, the function of freedom is to frfrom the couldn't be prouders to the wait did we just win-ners. everyone uses their phone differently.

that's why xfinity mobile created a different kind of wireless network. with a different way to do data. one designed to save you money. now you can share data between lines. mix with unlimited, and switch it up at anytime design your own data with xfinity mobile. it's wireless reimagined. simple. easy. awesome.