al jazeera america's hard hitting... ground breaking... truth seeking... >> they don't wanna show what's really going on... >> award winning, investigative, documentary series. children at work only on al jazeera america rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america >> welcome back to inside story. i'm ray suarez. on this edition of our program we're talking about the troubles in semi year i can' --in nigeria. it's racked by corruption and . this is one of the more professional militaries. it has managed to remain in the barracks and stopped that cycle of coups . how come this well-equipped big army has not been able to suppress boko haram. we have to understand that th is very complex. no matter how efficient an army is, it is very difficult to learn and i think the nigerian army is learning the hard way. we have received reports from some of the people serving in the army that the welfare and equipment that they're working with is actually not enough for them to confront the boko haram militant who is are heavily armed, and also highly motivated because they say they are members and use huge amounts of money. the area affected by this boko haram violence is located in an area that th

. >> the final journey borderland continues... only on al jazeera america rebuilding the dream on realey with ali velshi on al jazeera america . >>> one of these plants in the greenhouse may have the right goons for a new-type of -- genes for a new-type of watermelon - not too juicy, but full of flavour. if it does, the scientists will find it. they were part of a team at monsanta, creating a new line of supervegies through old-fashioned cross breeding. after a behind the scenes look at the process, i was earring to try the fruits of their -- eager to try the fruits of their labour. i joined david stark and kenny every, two executives, for lunch. first up peppers, bread to be a third of the size. >> we asked consummers what they liked and don't like in a bell pepper. one thing they don't like is to use part of it. in a lot of times it goes bad. >> the important trait of this one, would you say, is example. >> the flavour is great. the convenience makes it unique. it's a trend. fruits and vegetables, you don't have to convince people that they are good for you. you make it easier to eat

. >> the final journey borderland continues... only on al jazeera america rebuilding the dream on realey with ali velshi on al jazeera america ♪ >>> welcome back. we're talking about average joe entrepreneurship, people renting out their idle assets to earn a little extra cash. it has turned into a $26 billion a year industry. those kinds of numbers cause established industries to stand up and take notice. and they infringing on revenue streams or creating new ones? >> we have already seen from companies like the rental car industry. they acquire or partner with the companies that came into the car sharing business early on. so in a way it's an innovation pipeline, and companies are taking risks they normally wouldn't have taken. so i think you could probably see companies like air b&b, yuber, they are going to be completing with amazon, they are logistics companies effectively already. so you will see a lot more innovation. the biggest companies are not going to stand back and let this happen without them stepping into the market. >> i think -- go ahead, arun -- >> one of the most exc

gap where america's factories once stood plus what the middle class jobs of tomorrow might look like. you are watching an al jazeera special presentation, "america's middle calls: rebuilding dream." >> don't miss the system with joe burlinger al jazeera america's highly acclaimed investigative series the los angeles times says... "beringer tells gripping stories..." new york times... "large complicated, sometimes heartbreaking..." >> to keep me from going to jail, i needed to cooperate... >> see what everybody's talking about the system works... says variety al jazeera' america presents, the system with joe burlinger >> being middle class means to be able to own a car and pay a mortgage and pay for your kids to go to school. i think it's living a comfortable life but having social consciousness for those who are not as well off as you are. >> the struggle of america's middle class is in large part a story about jobs. specifically the deteriorating quality of jobs. this is now an economy that is overwhelmingly geared to providing services rather than making things. think burger flippers versus auto workers. as we heard earlier, technology and globalization eliminated some

to al jazeera only on al jazeera america ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america >> welcome back to this "real money" special, america's middle class, rebuilding the dream. we met jody bolin earlier. she hopes to attract more customers by moving her store to a new location. she's taking a gamble and the stakes couldn't be higher. here is more on her story. >> sometimes i question why is this happening to me? >> do you need a card? >> jody bolin is a struggling gift shop owner and the struggling mother of 16-year-old julian. >> she's my role model of perseverance. >> a life sometime of ups and downs. when she was 15 jody went to tokyo to work as a model and actress. >> i was make 20 to $30,000 a month. >> she came home with very little saved up. >> i strrted teaching -- started teexg modeling. trying to i figure out what i was going to do. >> jody eventually married a otherevenue of a printing busin. >> we were very comfortable. >> when their marriage began do unravel, she took a job as the manager of a gift shop. jody and her partner bought the business for $62h 62,500. >> the store was doing $20,000 a month. >> then the recession hit and thin

this show marks the beginning of al jazeera america's year-long conversation about america's middle class: rebuilding the dream. nine out of 10 americans identify themselves as already being in or aspiring to be in the middle class. and most americans agree that the middle class is in crisis, squeezed by years of job losses, rises costs and stagnant wages. over the next hour, i will introduce you to people like yourselves, people with real world pressures in their daily lives, people like the sabino family of new york, the maddox family of oregon. i will speak to america's foremost experts that follow problems americans face. robert reich, teamster's union james hoffa suzie hormann and robert schiller. we will identify why the middle class is crucial to a thriving economy. who is in the middle class? the pressures they face and what it will take to keep the dream from slipping away from millions of americans. while 90% of americans aspire to be in the middle class, when you dig deeper, you will find only 44% of americans today say they actually belong to the middle class. and that's down from 53% who

next on al jazeera america and join the conversation online @ajamstream. rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america >> this is "talk to al jazeera". with us this week - gloria steinem. you are still a contributing editor at "m.s. magazine." beyonce was on the cover recently. why is she a face of feminism? >> she's free, out there, singing, dancing. there are many out there. as part of her "times has changed" concert in london, the proceeds went to fight violence against people aims, and she -- feex ails, and she said -- females, and she said to two nirds "i know life is hard, it's difficult, we are here together for an hour, and you are safe". >> in 2008 you supported hillary clinton's bid for president and you argued the sex barrier is not taken as seriously as the racial one. is the feminist movement taking movement? >> no, i don't think so, but the feminist movement owes much of its exitens to the civil rights union. the whole idea that we could be equal people is a contagious idea of freedom. and because in the anti-vietnam movement

>> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america >> >>> michelle bachmann accused of a mass -- boko haram accused of a massacre in nigeria, in the same region where they seized more than 200 school girls. >>> hello, welcome to al jazeera - live from our headquarters in dough hoe. also ahead - rebels leave homs after a brutal 2-year siege. >>> rebuffing vladimir putin - ukraine's separatists dismiss the call to postpone a referendum. >>> venezuela's dry spell forces the government to begin rationing water. >>> boko haram fighters are accused of killing as many as 300 people in a town in north-east nigeria. it is on the remote border area, in the same area where 270 school girls were abducted. the united states, france and china joined in the search for the girls. washington says it has no plans to deploy combat troops. al jazeera is the first media outlet to visit the area where the girls were abducted from. >> reporter: a traumatised mother. esther has not come to terms with the abduction of her 15-year-old daughter. she still thinks

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america>> when the autodefensa movement started taking control of towns from the knights templar cartel, it was an embarrassment for the mexican government. the country's president peÑa nieto is under intense pressure to resolve the crisis. he has deployed more than 9,000 soldiers and federal police to the state to try to regain control. but given the level of mistrust of the government that exists in michoacan, they're having to tread carefully. >> at the army's new base of operations in coalcoman, we spoke with general hernandez. >> basically, it's like all the local police here have just been sent to reform school - a move designed to sever their connections to organized crime meanwhile, the federal government has just done something even more surprising: they've made the controversial decision to legalize the militias, turning them into what they call rural defense forces - a sub-unit of the army. >> but to join the rural guard, and keep their weapons, the autodefensas have to register wi

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america >>> does a man who was burglarized twice have the right to set a trap for thieves and took -- kill someone who took the bait? shocking footage from ukraine as over. >> mass kidnapping of girls in africa. one of the world's foremost daredev daredevils. >>> welcome to "consider this" here is more on what's ahead. ♪. >> the benghazi louder. >> the white house's response. >> it is disturbing that these documents were hidden. >> the e-mail that you are talking about are explicitly benghazi. >> the fate of more than 200 mystery. >> the hard line separatists, bokaharam is believed to be behind the attack. >> another man accused of killing a teenager who broke into his home. >> prosecutors believe the couple set a trap. >> it's easy to second-guess. at that moment, he believed he had no other choice. >> there is nothing wrong with a force. >> two sky divers leap from the world's tallest building in dubai. >>> we begin tonight with stunning images out of ukraine. pro-russian protesters stormed

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america watching. >>> on "america tonight", the weekend edition, the up and down sides of a high plains boom down. in our exclusive investigation, what came to williston north dakota and the high price of that black gold. >> this, right here, is a huge area for prostitution. >> right here at wal-mart? >> wherever the money is and the men are. >> also tonight - a push from the top. the white house joins survivors, urging colleges to act to stop sex crimes on campuses. we continue our indepth reporting on sex crimes and what colleges are pressed to do now. bay. >> i worked on the water for 48 years. i saw a lot of changes, and not anyway of them good. >> a bid to bring back the bay faces a new change from those that say it's a threat to their love of the land. >>> good evening, thanks for joining us. i'm melissa chan. we begin with a city problem faced by a boom town in the heart lpd. with a spike in domestic oil production bringing north america closer to energy dependence small towns are hand

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. video from boko haram claiming the group abducted the nigerian school girls. >>> the ukrainian helicopter shot down in slovyansk, and high winds make it difficult to put out an oklahoma wildfire. >> the armed radical group boko haram claiming responsibility for abducting school girls. the leader of boko haram said that they kidnapped the girls from their boarding school three weeks ago. now they're threatening to sell them at slaves. >> reporter: nigerians praying for the kidnapped girls to be found. there is pressure on the president. he has set up a committee to investigate how the abductions took place, and why the rescue effort has so far failed. some church goers are planning overnight vigils until the girls are found. >> i have daughters, i have a son, this is painful. if i put myself in the shoes of their parents. >> reporter: onstate tv the president said this on the missing girls

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera americaed >> beyond borderland... only on al jazeera america ♪ ♪ >> hey guys welcome back to "techknow." i'm phil torres here with kyle and rachelle. rachelle tell me what can i do with bamboo to get around town? >> turns out you can build a bike. we were using bamboo for well over a century. but down in greensboro, alabama, you can build a bike with an innovative new design. why don't we check it out? deep in the heart of rowe, alabama, the once thriving town of greensboro is struggling. a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line. the catfish capital is struggling to keep its head above water. >> what happened when you came here? >> about 75% of the shops shut down. >> there was one thing they had plenty of. >> we have a lot of bamboo. you have to have something you're making out of it. >> pandor became somewhat of a one woman stimulus plan for governor'sboro, running the hero foundation, she tapped into the town's most unwanted resource to do it. bamboo bicycles aren't exactly

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america>> welcome back to "inside story." i'm ray suarez. rising tensions and violence in the cities of eastern ukraine pulled the united nations security council back into emergency session. the russian ambassador to the united nations called for a swift halt to all violence and drew a skeptical reaction from the other permanent five members, like france, whose ambassador accused moscow of releasing bands of thugs on ukraine. there was more criticism from the white house. george, with the german chancellor and the american president gave a news conference much how have the powers in the west been doing in countering the moves from moscow? >> the west has been doing too little, too late. most with criticisms and tiny sanctions. we need more than words and tiny sanctions. we need substantial economic cost put on vladimir putin for the violence and disruption that state. >> what is the leverage. russia is so rich in other things. it's close to boning a self-sustaining -- being a self-sustaining

>> the stakes are so high... >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeerarica >> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ hello there and a warm welcome to this news hour i'm laura kyle in doha and the world's top news store. gunfire at a camp and survivors of afghan landslide are sheltering and are they alive. accused of abusing her powers she testifies in court and denies all charges against her. leader of a radical group in nigeria says his fighters are

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america watching. >>> on "america tonight", the weekend edition, the up and down sides of a high plains boom down. in our exclusive investigation, what came to williston north dakota and the high price of that black gold. >> this, right here, is a huge area for prostitution. >> right here at wal-mart? >> wherever the money is and the men are. >> also tonight - a push from the top. the white house joins survivors, ur c

>> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america > >> dozens of children are killed in an air strike on a school in syria. humanitarian efforts to get aid into the country are fading. >>> this is al jazeera america. live from our headquarters in doha. also ahead - jerry adams a leading figure northern ireland's rub -- republican movement is arrested for murder. >>> and the final moments before a south korean ferry sinks. teenagers ordered to stay in their cabins by the crew. . >>> hello. at least 30 people, including children, have been killed on an air strike on a school in syria. the attack happened in an opposition-held district on wednesday. james bays has this report. >> reporter: every day for three years there has been bombs and bloodshed across syria. the latest attacks should shock the world. this was the result of a syrian government air strike in aleppo. the rubble here was a school building which, despite all the violence in the city, had been continuing to operate. the children had been preparing an section on the war in

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america hello i am i am richard againstburg. you are at the listening post. a huge news story in nigeria and why the coverage is so scarce. the philippines where journalism does not come easily. ethiopia says it doesn't care what human rights groups think. it's putting another 9 journalists on trial. chalk one up to the imagination in our web video of the week. it had all of thll

>> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america >> >>> thailand's prime minister is asked to step down after being found guilty of violating the constitution. . >>> you're watching al jazeera, live from our headquarters in doha. also on the program - election day in south africa. people who lived under apartheid tells youngsters every vote counts. >>> the ukranian army renews its offensive trying to recapture a town from pro-russia activists. >>> plus... ..trying to rebuild after ty fun heyon, a man that loft -- typhoon haiyan, a man that lost his wife, children and grandchildren tells us why he has hope. >>> thailand's prime minister has been ordered to step down by the country's constitutional court. this after judges found yingluck shinawatra guilty of violating the constitution. veronica pedrosa is following the story in bangkok and joins us live from there. an historic decision today. >> reporter: yes. one is a little bit wary of using big words to describe what is happening when we don't know the full implications but, indeed,

>> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america >> >>> fighting intensifies in eastern ukraine. separatists say they are under attack, and a government helicopter is shot down. [ ♪ music ] >>> we have the main stories on al jazeera. secretary of state john kerry heads to juva to talks to try to end the fighting in south sudan. >>> 12 are killed in nigeria's capital in an explosion. >>> most of these students are boys - where are the girls? we follow up on promises of equal education in china. >>> ukraine's interior minister says a pilot has been killed after pro-russian separatists fired anti-aircraft missiles at kiev forces in slovyansk. earlier the government was trying to retake the town of slovyansk. gunfire and blasts could be herd there. we go to donetsk. what are you hearing about the events, jonah? the referee: well, over the last few hours >> reporter: well, over the last few hours it's been what has been heard, the minister posted on facebook in the last few hours, as he's want to do, suggesting that the operation was launc

>> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america >> >>> fighting for her reputation and job - thailand's prime minister has her day in court. >>> hello, you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also on the programme - ukraine's interior minister says 30 were killed in fighting in the eastern city of slovyansk. >>> the leader of a radical group in nigeria is threatening to sell earlier 300 teenage school girls. the latest from abuja. >>> born free in south africa on the eve of the election. we hear from the post apartheid generation. >>> thailand's prime minister denies all accusations that she abused her powers. yingluck shinawatra testified before a constitution court. a group of senators filed a case. if found guilty she'll have to stand down. yingluck shinawatra has been sued in a separate case by the anticorruption party. six months of protests have so far failed to force her out of office. and we'll get from from our correspondent in bangkok. what is the case against prime minister yingluck shinawatra? >> reporter: all right, t

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america >> audiences are intelligent and they know that their needs are not being met by american tv news today. >> entire media culture is driven by something that's very very fast... >> there has been a lack of fact based, in depth, serious journalism, and we fill that void... >> there is a huge opportunity for al jazeera america to change the way people look at news. >> we just don't parachute in on a story...quickly talk to a couple of experts and leave... >> one producer may spend 3 or 4 months, digging into a single story... >> at al jazeera, there are resources to alow us as journalists to go in depth and produce the kind of films... the people that you don't see anywhere else on television. >> we intend to reach out to the people who aren't being heard. >>we wanna see the people who are actually effected by the news of the day... >> it's digging deeper it's asking that second, that third question, finding that person no one spoken to yet... >> you can't tell the stories of the people

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america welcome back to inside story. as we have heard, the complaints for national curriculum standards take different forms. some are against any national standards, some say the ideas is already in principle, but there aren't the right standards. don't ask for the right things, the opponents are diverse, but united in their opposition. what does that mean for the future of common core? jim sturgis, some people have depicted this as sort of a trojan horse, opaque and unoble being rolled in through the front gates of the school. where you only understand what is in it, once it is already on the inside. and they -- the upset comes from having any standards at all, are you against having a uniform set of goals or guidance for what a kid out to know by 6th grade? what a kid out to know by 9th grade? >> ray, absolutely not. massachusetts would know something about academic excellence and school excellence. we went from 12th in the country to number one in the country, from 1993 to 2003. we are n

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america consider this on al jazeera america >. >> ... >>> welcome back. those were some photos showing support for some of our own al jazeera colleagues who have been detained for 126 days in egypt. one has been on a hunger strike since august. it's world press freedom day and a new report just out by the committee to protect journalists says global media freedom is at a 10-year low. a humbling experience around this topic? >> to celebrate our peers, i checked out the museum. >> 1 in 6 people live in a country where the press isn't free. the stream is coming at you from the newsuem. we are about about to check it out. >> journalists face serious dangers such as harassment, imprisonment and murder. the u.s. state department is calling on all governments to protect the freedom right of human of expression. >> an attack on press freedom is an attack on press freedom everywhere. journalism is not a crime. it isn't. >> however, the obama administration has used the espy onnage act to prosecute sev

>> the stakes are so high... >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeerarica >> >>> fighting for her reputation and job - thailand's prime minister has her day in court. >>> hello, you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also on the programme - ukraine's interior minister says 30 were killed in fighting in the eastern city of slovyansk. >>> the leader of a radical group in nigeria is threatening to sell earlier 300 teenage school girls. the latest from

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america primetime news. >> welcome to al jazeera america. >> stories that impact the world, affect the nation and touch your life. >> i'm back. i'm not going anywhere this time. >> only on al jazeera america. it leads - all the way to you.vé al jazeera america, take a new look at news. . >>> how are you? i am fine, thank you. >> carol everett is an antiabortion advocate who helped push for the new restrictions? >> hello. how are you? >> hey. how are you doing? >> i am fine. how are you doing? good to see you. >> what have you been up to? >> not much. trying to put those pro-abortion clinics out >> there are a lot of christians in our legislature. my job is to share with them what's going on. we are very fortunate to have a majority of conservatives in texas. we don't expect that to last, but we are excited about it and we have made great strides in the last five years in texas. >> she used to own a chain of abortion clinics but left the business. one day, a man walked into one of her clinics

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america >>> crossing enemy lines and joining the competition, "the wall street journal" is reporting that tech giant google, micro soft and apple all say they will notify their customers if the government asks for their information. >> may not make uncle sam so happy since government officials have asked companies to keep data requests a secret so as to avoid alerting their suspects. speaking of google, google glasses went on sale for $1,500 a pop. but a new report says they only contain $80 in parts. don't be mad at google, though. the research and development costs weren't taken into consideration. >>> general motors is recalling over 51,000 s.u.v.s for fuel gauge problems saying the cars might run out of gas and stall on the road. it involves the 2014 buick enclave, the traverse and arcadia. one of america's most con tan tamnated bodies of water is right here in new york city. it's the guanus canal. the pollution has kept developers at bay. but as real estate surges in about brooklyn, many

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera americaresults of analyses were skewed in favor of the prosecution >> the fbi can't force the states to look at those cases >> the truth will set you free yeah...don't kid yourself >> the system has failed me ♪ ♪ >>> we hope the stream never actually gets hacked, like that. but considering the conversation that we are slug i am beginning to believe that anything can be hacked. the least of it would be a tv show compared to medical devices. >> i am probably being hacked right now. so, you know, that's probably what's happening. you know, but please hackers, we are nice and kind and be our friend. >> if you are just tuning in we are talking about the new ways that hackers are using their skills not always with malicious intent. one of the abilities they have is to identify security bugs or vulnerabilities that attack specific programs. they are making up to a whopping $160,000 per bug that they find. and you'll never guess who is buying? private businesses, in confronting the complex challenge

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america> fighting intensifies in eastern ukraine. separatists say they are under attack, and a government helicopter is shot down. [ ♪ music ] >>> we have the main stories on al jazeera. secretary of state john kerry heads to juva to talks to try to end the fighting in south sudan. >>> 12 are killed in nigeria's capital in an explosion. >>> most of these students are boys - where are the girls? we follow up on promises of equal

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera americanouncer: this is al jazeera. ♪ hello and welcome to the news home, i'm steven in doha with the stories around the world here on al jazeera. fighting intensifies in eastern ukraine and two helicopters have been shot down. u.s. secretary of state arrives in duba as talks continue to try to end the fighting in south sudan. in prison for 125 days as the days gets ready al jazeera journalists r

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america >> a train carrying crude oil that derailed has renoned concerned about public safety. 15 tracks jumped the tracks. it is the fifth major derailment and fire in north america involving an oil train in less than a year. another public safety concern, nuclear power reactors. we consider a threat that something is even greater, than the risk of nuclear catastrophe, and as america tonight reports it is bringing unlikely allies to the defense of the nuclear industry. >> three years after the fukushima disaster a group of activists gathering tore pray for the closing of california's deablow canyon nuclear power plant. today, the only one left in the state. >> do you want to see this plant shut down and every nuclear power plant in the quite shut down tomorrow? >> i want every nuclear power plant in the world shut down. today. >> i traveled to fukushima last year, and saw first hand what happens when nuclear energy goes wrong. >> the media here is that is clearly the highest level we have se

. >> don't miss our 30-minute special this weekend, "america's middle class: rebuilding the dream." that's right here on al jazeeramerica. >>> okay, apple has investors and technology types scratching their heads. the company is reportedly about to buy beats electronics for $3 billion. i see a lot of beats on the subway but i didn't know it was a $3 billion company. now going viral on youtube that's him in the background saying he's about to become hip-hop's first billionaire. dr. dre's head phones first went on sail in 2008. and a music streaming music that costs $10 a month. if the deal goes through it will represent apple's largest deal ever. why did it choose beats for its first multi millio million-doll. i have to tell you, jake, i did not see this one coming. >> we're all mystified. some of us are even appalled at the idea that steve job's fortress would stoop down to buy beats. headphones maker. their heads are exploding over it. but the thing that we can be assured off they're not buying it for the hardware. god knows that apple knows how to make hardware. they're not buying it for the brand. you can't rea

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america >> today's data dive heads to las vegas. more people visited in march than in any month in vegas history. 3.7 million tourists. that means almost 83 people arrived every minute in march. that's right, 83 people per minute. and they're not all going to gamble. the new york times reported that in 1950, casinos took in, now, many more people come for the shows, restaurants, shopping and night clubs. in fact, seven of america's top ten grossing night clubs in 2012 were in las vegas. going to some can be ridiculously expensive. it will run you easily more than $10,000 a night to reserve a table at the mandarin hotel's night club. vegas is a major player for conventions. it hosts nearly 22,000 of them every year bringing in more than 5 million people. that's not to say the city doesn't rely on betting. the vegas strip rakes in 6.2 billion every year, moarnlg more than doubling ne new jersey's take. vegas, failed to make it stated goal by less than 60,000 people but sin city still has a long

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america tallest building. >> in mexico's continuing drug wars thousands of vigilantties have taken up arms to fight a vicious drug cartel. the unfolding chaos, and exams how the federal government is trying to get the situation there under control. >> a group of vigilantties is trading gunfire with members of the knights templar cartel. and the early this year, the town in mexico's western state, was under the control of the cartel. but after more than a decade of fear, something changed. these men armed themselves and town by town, they began to drive the cartel out. they call themselves self-defense forces. their leaders claim that 26,000 have joined the members. their advance has been lucked by many, but it has also plunged the state into a new kind of lu lessness. with just arrived we have heard that four heads have been discovered on the steps leading to this church here in this small town. it's a gruesome warning from the templars. the bodies were taken away by the authorities before we

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america >>> the president and many of us thing of this bay as a national treasure oar, it's a treasure that has tarn eshed. pollution has taken a toll. there's a plan to clean up the bay and restore the fish and shellfish. clean water - what could be less controversial. down by the bay, and in courtrooms clean it up is the focus of a legal debate. "america tonight"'s sheila macvicar explains why. >> i worked on the water for 48 years and have seen a lot of good. >> this bay, the nation's largest evident uary, a place where the water -- estuary, the place where the water meets the land. it is in trouble. over the years dave kir win has seen the bay overwhelmed with a combination of agricultural and industrial run-off. waste water from sewage treatment plant and sediment. >> there used to be grant. when i was a kid grass would be all the way across, in the '60s. when they used fertilisers, systeming up agriculture and the run off. it killed off the grasses. >> will baker of the environmental gr

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera americawas burglarized twice have the right to set a trap for thieves and took -- kill someone who took the bait? shocking footage from ukraine as over. >> mass kidnapping of girls in africa. one of the world's foremost daredev daredevils. >>> welcome to "consider this" here is more on what's ahead. ♪.

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america a. >> today's data dive goes back to school. america's report card on test scores probably would not be put up on the affirmative. educational report on high school seniors show math scores have gone up since they were first tested in 2005 but they are virtually unchanged in the past five years. what's worse is that only 26% of seniors were at or above the proficient level in math last year. reading scores though have gone down since the first assessment in 1992. even though they have been flat since 2009. only 38% are at or above a proficient reading level. more glaring issues: the gap between whites and minorities isn't getting any smaller. black students still score 30% below white students in math, that's the same as eight years ago. in reading the gap in scores has widened to 38%. it's only a little better for latino students, they score 37 better than white. however asian and pacific islanders score better than any group. some feel the results are politicized and shouldn't focus

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america> as we approach mother's day, yes, it's this coming sunday, america steeples adore and protect its mothers. but a new report finds disspiritting news as to how we protect and care for our mothers. although it is one of the healthiest and well cared for country, save the children finds that america lacks in maternal health and that's not all. u.s. faces the highest rate of maternal deaths we have seen in 35 years, dropping in the health and well-being category, on the first year of life, the u.s. suffers the most first day, so-called, deaths in the world, european countries combined suffer only half as many as the united states does. on a brighter note u.n. data show that maternal deaths dropped 45% over the past 23 years. in 1990, 553 mothers died, this year the number has dropped to 228,000. >> save the children your group is responsible for this report and it is so shocking to us because we think that mothers are treated so well in the united states, and respected here. >> yes. well

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america on the night's events, a smarter start to your day. mornings on al jazeera america . >>> tensions between the u.s. and russia over ukraine are reaching new heights - all the way to space. russia's deputy prime minister warns that sanctions could come back to bite the u.s. space programme. dmitry rogozin, in charge of russia's space agency, and targeted by american sanctions suggested n.a.s.a. astronauts may have to find another way to travel to the space station - perhaps by trampoline. let's bring in dr derrick pitts, from the franklin institute science museum. >> dmitry rogozin said after analysing the sanctions against our space industry, : >> now, i imagine he would not be saying this if vladimir putin hadn't said it was okay. it's not a joke. the u.s. doesn't have an option of their own to get astronauts too and from the space station, we depend on the russians. >> that is true. although what he said has a grain of truth in it, that we do need - the point is that we need to get o

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera americayou followed their journey across the border >> it was heart wrenching... >> now see how it changed the lives of the people involved. >> i didn't go back to the person that i was before i left... >> an emotional borderland reunion >> this trip was personal to me... this is real... >> long held beliefs >>...illegal in mexico too.. >> learn the language! come here... >>...most ridiculous thing i've heard in my life >> tested by hard lived truths... >> these migrants are being exploited >> beyond borderland... only on al jazeera america a. >> today's data dive goes back to school. america's report card on test scores probably would not be put up on the affirmative. educational report on high school seniors show math scores have gone up since they were first tested in 2005 but they are virtually unchanged in the past five years. what's worse is that only 26% of seniors were at or above the proficient level in math last year. reading scores though have gone down since the first assessment i

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america >> >> announcer: this is al jazeera. >>> hello, welcome to the newshour. i'm steven cole in doha with the top stories from around the world here on al jazeera. >>> more than 200,000 are feared dead after a landslide in north-east afghanistan. >>> international military observers have been freed after being held for more than a week in ukraine. >>> ceasefire or surrender. syrian rebels give up the fight in homs. >>> three al jazeera journalists back in court on world press freedom day >>> first, afghan officials say more than 2,000 people may have been killed in a landslide in the north-east of the country. united nations which has been running a rescue operation has not been able to confirm the figure. it was in the region of badakhshan, in a mountainous region. rescuers are facing a tough time to reach the affected village. >> reporter: they spent the night in the open. during near-freezing temperatures - looking over what used to be their homes, and preying for any sign of life. >>

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america > >> dozens of children are killed in an air strike on a school in syria. humanitarian efforts to get aid into the country are fading. >>> this is al jazeera america. live from our headquarters in doha. also ahead - jerry adams a leading figure northern ireland's rub -- republican movement is arrested for

. >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america>> announcer: this is al jazeera. >>> hello, welcome to the newshour. i'm steven cole in doha with the top stories from around the world here on al jazeera. >>> more than 200,000 are feared dead after a landslide in north-east afghanistan. >>> international military observers have been freed after being held for more than a week in ukraine. >>> ceasefire or surrender. syrian rebels give up t