second place and the problem was not protection. it was sound or the lack of it. despite enormous 100 watt amply identifiers, the music was no match for the mania. girls screeching and crying basically drowned out the vocals. but it didn't matter. to be there was to be part of something special and historic and to think it happened 50 years ago.

we begin tonight in iowa where the presidential candidates outnumbered many at the state fair. all the front runners were there. hillary clinton, donald trump and jeb bush.

they were shaking hands and kissing babies and giving speeches to bring up or maintain a lead they have at the polls. our political correspondent is live in iowa. lots going on at the fair. >>reporter: yeah. there's a lot going on here. you've got it right. tons of candidates, tons of people, there are no avien members of the livestock here though because of the avian flu. they're making it for it with a lot of candidates. news was made here as well. hillary clinton didn't speak at the famous soap box here but she was asked today a little bit about benghazi and the e-mails but all she wanted to talk was at jeb bush and iraq. >> i find it somewhat curious

that jeb bush is doubling down on defending his brother's actions in iraq. the entire picture, as you know, includes the agreement that george w. bush made with the malaki government in iraq that set the end of 2011 as the date to withdraw troops. i can only wonder whether he either just did not know that or thought that other people would not be reminded of that. >>reporter: and, dell, a lot of people are talking, you know, about the fact that hillary clinton and jeb bush are trying to keep a conversation above all the other conversations happening and whether or not that will serve them, jeb bush is slipping in the polls. bern bernie sanders is rising in the

polls. tom harkin endorsed hillary clinton today and that's a big deal. i asked bernie sanders about it. >> the harkin endorsement today, did that mean anything to you having been a colleague with him? >> i know tom and love tom and tom has to make his own decisions. >>reporter: and that's the kind of reaction you'd expect from sandsers. an old friend and colleague. but he did give the establishment endorsement to hillary clinton, dell. >> donald trump making that big flash but it can be argued he was impressing some fair goers who can't vote. >>reporter: that's right. the trump helicopter was at the fair. he did give free rides. something that perhaps of all the candidates only donald trump

can do. he gave free rides to kids. i asked bernie sanders why he didn't come with a helicopter. >> left it at home. i knew i forgot something. >> i figured you did. >>reporter: so that's what happens at the state fair. everyone has fun, eats a lot of food on a stick including your correspondent. >> exactly. they have that fried butter. michael, thank you very much federal investigators say they are now closing the case of a st. louis woman who says her baby was stolen at birth 50 years ago. the fbi says it reviewed the medical records in the case. for hundreds of women though, there are new questions because they say they believe they may have been victims as well. >>reporter: good evening, dell. the lawyer for price says thanks to the federal investigation, he

and his client have been able to obtain medical records they would never have received otherwise but they're still standing by their story. federal investigators say there's no proof that price had her baby stolen and sold for adoption after giving birth 50 years ago in st. louis. >> we can now say with complete confidence that there is absolutely no truth to that allegation. therefore, our investigation is closed. >>reporter: u.s. attorney richard callahan says medical files show diane jackson named at birth was born at a different hospital and abandoned at that hospital. contradicting price's story. >> no. no. no. no. i have five other children that are spoiled. and i would have never given up a baby. never. >>reporter: price insists her baby was born at homer g. phillips hospital in st. louis, a hospital known to serve black

families. earlier this year she said she was led to believe her child died hours after birth. >> back then, doctors and nurses was held in such high esteem, if they said something and with compassion, they said it in, you believed it. a federal investigation was opened earlier this year after her daughter and her were matched through dna and met through skype for the first time. watkins also says his client's significant on the birth certificate and consent for adoption for forged. since the story broke, missouri's health department has received over 300 inquiries about the children born at the hospital which closed more than three decades ago.

>> this is st. louis. stockton, california. st. charles, missouri. >> they were all african american. they were all of extraordinarily humble means. and all of them presented to the hospital alone. and not one of them was advised of the passing of their child by a doctor which was the protocol as per the policy of the hospital and the standard of care in the medical industry at the time. they were all notified by a nurse. >>reporter: al jazeera has interviewed others who have come forward. >> were you ever suspicious? >> i always wondered what happened but in those days they would just say they were dead and that's it. >>reporter: and the attorney general's announcement means no human trafficking charges will be filed but price's lawyer says he plans to file a civil lawsuit against the city of st. louis. thank you very much.

there was a memorial today honoring the five service members who died in tennessee last month. it happened at a recruiting office and a navy operations center. the defense secretary was among those who spoke at the service. >> those who attempt to inspire fear or terror will find no satisfaction, will have no success in the united states of america. instead, we come back. we come back from tragedy stronger and more united. across america, our reserve facilities and recruiting centers are still open. young men and women are still signing up to serve and defend their country. they will carry forward the legacy of the fallen. >> some have called for stepped up security measures to protect military personnel here in the u.s. in arlington, texas, friends and family gathering for the

funeral of 19-year-old christian tailylor t ten years ago, israel removed 500 settlers from the gaza strip. >>reporter: there's no shortage of work to do in these fields. every day, dozens of palestinian farmers cultivate the land

growing fruits and vegetables. he says up until ten years ago he never would have believed he could grow his own crops here. back then it was a large israeli settlement and home to 8,500 israelis and a large israeli military presence. he's happy the settlers and soldiers left but is angry at how things are now. >> we live in a big prison. we cannot move outside the gaza strip which makes life hell for us. the occupation is the reason for all of our suffering as the israelis control everything. we palestinians deserve to do what we want. >> israel's government never managed to truly disengage. without a political settlement

with the palestinians, it exerted its control over the people through economic siege and repeated rounds of military violence. the so-called disengagement of gaza sharply divided israeli society at the time when the deadline expired august 15th, 2005. the remaining settlers were removed by force. she was one of them. originally from france she lived there for 20 years for what she says are idealogical reasons. >> i'm angry at my government that didn't know how to cope with the hardships of the people and still people are living here in temporary homes ten years after. >>reporter: that anger is overshadowed by what followed the so-called gaza

disengagement. after israel pulled out, hamas won a land slide victory in the 2006 general election and they seized power shortly afterwards. since then hamas has fought several wars with israels which killed several thousand. while most palestinians say they're not sure how much more suffering they can endure, they're still happy the settlers are gone. he's the executive director of the arab center in washington d.c. it's a nonprofit think tank that focuses on policy in the middle east. thank you for being with us this evening. with gaza so economically devastated, what in your opinion is its future? >> at this rate when you look at the most recent world bank report on the state of the gaza

economy, there is no future for gaza sort of basically ending the occupation and ending the israeli siege that is still imposed on gaza turning it into a big prison for its 1.8, 1.9 milli 1.9 million population. unemployment today in gaza is the highest in the world. it stands at 43% with actually 60% level of unemployment among young people and that's the majority of the population in sga. 65% of the people in gaza are p under the age of 21. their gross domestic product is lower than it was 20 years ago. this alleged disengagement ended up being a redeployment rather than an end to occupation. >> three conflicts since the

disengagement. does it bother you that the world's attention only seems to be there when the bombs are dropping and israelis are dying and soldiers are being killed. >> it does both me and i'm not alone. it also bothers me ethically. what's the message the world community is sending to the palestinians. have you to start the next war in order to get your rights back? that's the message that is being sent. and do we need another before we can bring people back to the negotiating table? so, yes, i think the world community should be blamed. particularly the united states which has declared itself as the sole manager of the peace process in the middle east for failing to do so. >> i'm sewecurious, you're a

palestinian christian. do you believe it would be framed differently if viewed from the perspectives of christians living in the region? >> undoubtedly. but, again, recent developments in the region where intoxilyzer lam has come to the forefront at this time seems most of the blame is beineing redirected. it's being redefined by the muslim and jewish side on a religious basis. on a primordial basis making it much more difficult to overcome. >> do you believe that israel will ever consider withdrawing

the 400,000 settlers in the west bank? >> not at this stage. i think basically israel has gotten away with murder since 1967. and it doesn't feel any pressure at all from the international community. this had something to do with the disengagement from gaza which was deemed actually one of the purposes was to prevent a similar arrangement from being put on israel in the west bank. this is unfortunate for the future of both palestinian and israeli children. >> and israel always maintains it's self-defense. thank you for being with us this evening. >> my pleasure. thank you >> the fires are still burning three days after powerful explosions or the apart a warehouse in china. the death toll is still rising

but there's hope as another survivor is pulled to safety. first, propose new laws for america's homeless. we look for answers from a lawyer who was once homeless herself and a senior attorney for the national law center on homelessness and poverty. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself,

and that's what we're doing at xfinity. we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around.

>> it's saturday night and time to take a deeper look at homelessness and laws fighting the problem. tonight the justice department is fighting a ban in idaho and in new york city, too show the city is not doing enough, the police union is now asking members to photograph the people and post them online. all this is questioning the role police have in dealing with the homeless. >>reporter: a homeless man in los angeles refuses police orders to come out of his tent. police struggle with him, officers open fire, killing him. it happened in march in l.a.'s

skid row. more than 2,000 are encamped in a 50-block area. city officials have recently announced a new battle plan to send more teams of mental health, and medical professionals to the area. >> it's beginning to feel a bit like the late 80s, early 90s. and at that point i think everybody agreed that homelessness on the streets of new york was out of control. >>reporter: most suffer from mental health problems and other disabilities. the problems stem from the 1970s and the deinstitutionalization of mental health facility >> the money saved by closing them down was supposed to follow them into the community.

and that's why the governor needs to step up, not just here in new york, but every governor across the nation and really pony up the money to give people the support they need in the community. >>reporter: this organization has been fighting against homelessness for decades. a class action lawsuit led to legal guarantees for the right to shelter. for decades, new york city has had a legal obligation to provide shelter to the homeless but the problem once again has reached critical. according to the coalition for the homeless, there are approximately 58,000 homeless people on the streets of new york city this summer which is the highest number since the great depression. those 58,000 are in a sense the lucky ones. they're able to find spots in

new york city shelters every night but it doesn't include the thousands like john who sleep on the streets. >> i sleep on a bench in the evening overnight. >>reporter: john has to sleep up right on a bench until the city park's curfew lifts to 6:00 p.m. where he can then move to the grass and lie down and go to sleep. >> we've had over the last ten years a hidden homelessness crisis in new york city. >>reporter: steven leven says the solution is long term housing. >> it's not to criminalize the homeless or mentally ill. >>reporter: but it happens all over the country criminalizing those resting and sleeping in public places. it's happening in a time where there's not shelter for housing. >> with us is a tax attorney, an advocate for the rights of the homeless. it's a cause dear to her hurt.

she was homeless at the age of nine living in shelters with her mother and younger brother. also joining us is a senior attorney at the national law center on homelessness and poverty. there seems to be an explosion in the numbers of homeless on the streets of new york city. >> i think you're seeing the after effects of the get recession, the affects of not having the proper services and not having good public education systems. to me homelessness just isn't about the homeless. it's about the poor. you don't find middle class people ending on the streets. you find people on the cuff. the working poor who end up having a catastrophic life event that happens to them and puts them on the street as my mother and brother and i were. >> it was fascinated about the

number of homeless people there are. why is it so hard to nail down? do we even know how many there are? >> well, homeless people by their nature are in places easy to count. some people are in shelters and those are the numbers that provide the majority of the people who are counted in huds, the department of housing and urban development's annual account. because the number of people in the shelters goes up or down based on the funding, those numbers might go down even though the problem itself has not gone down itself. we estimate there are two and a half to 3 million people in america who experience homelessness each year on the streets or in shelters and 7.4 million people doubled up due to economic necessity because they lost their homes

because they lost their jobs or went through some sort of crisis. >> and, nicky, separate out for me the homeless that we see on the streets because a lot of people don't realize that many of the people that we now call homeless were institutionalize back in the 70s and 80s and then ronald reagan said that the mentally ill were being warehoused. there's also a new class of homeless people living on the street >> basically what happened is they emptied out the mental hospitals but there was no system in place to provide resources for people. so you put people who had drug, alcohol, mental health issues not able to make good decisions for themselves with no place to go. we're seeing an increase especially in young people of the lgbt community that are ending up on the streets. so many cities, 50 to 60% of our young people are lgbt and that's

an additional factor making it harder to find them places to say that are safe because they have additional concerns. >> what's it like living in the shelters knowing that the person next to you might be dangerous or drunk or a drug addict? >> it was very scary. the thing is to criminalize it, i did nothing but be a child without a place to live and there's such a stigma attached to it and you're almost an invisible population. if we didn't have a place to stay for the night we'd have to sleep on park benches because there were not enough beds. if you got there too late there was not a bed but the nights that you did it was a dangerous place because there were people there who had a lot of issues and so sometimes it was scarier being in the shelter than it was being on the street. >> i go back to the days of mitch snyder who was portrayed in a movie on his life. he was the last true homeless

advocate. is there a need for an advocate for homeless people? >> absolutely. i mean, that's what we at the national law center of homelessness and poverty do. we serve as the legal home of the national movement to end homelessness and i would definitely argue that he was the last true advocate for the homeless population there. many people across the country -- >> in other words, he was the last big name. >> yeah. but there are a lot of people out there every day doing very good work, very hard work in their communities to try to reframe this issue as one of the major human rights crises of our time. we are -- today we are proud to say that we have the department of justice backing up in our lawsuit against the city of boise giving us opportunity to be out there and make a

difference so that more people understand it's an unconstitutional approach and it puts more barriers between homeless people and getting out of homelessness. it's the most expensive and least effective way of dealing with the problem. >> one of the reasons mitch snyder was so successful is because of the hunger strikes and almost died for the cause of the homeless. the police union of new york city is encouraging people to take photos of homeless people and the campaign seems to have been intended to shame city hall. >>reporter: a woman cradles a child. on card board a man curls up along a subway platform. a man passed out on the steps of a building. their faces, pictures are being posted online by police officers. the union says city hall has failed new yorkers in coming up with a plan to tackle the

surging homeless population and instead of dealing with the problem, the union says politicians are spending their time attacking police officers. so the union has asked members when they're off duty to photograph the homeless. but who do these pictures shame? the people you see or the officers who take them? this is a week after new york ci city's mayor -- house and treat those with mental illness and put more police near homeless shelters. according to the coalition for the homeless, over the last ten years, the number of people sleeping in new york city shelters rose steadily reaching 60,000 earlier this year. the city says the number actually living on the streets is about 3,000. disturbing statistics and for many people these pictures do nothing to solve the problem.

david scheuster, al jazeera. >> on the subject of the photos, you say nobody took a photo that looked like a picture of you. you were homeless at the age of nine. what would it have done to you to see your image posted online on social media as a way of trying to shame city hall. >> i would have been stunned and i would have been made an object of ridicule. and it would have hurt my self-esteem. i was already in a difficult situation and people turned away from me because i was dirty and people didn't want to see my pain and so the thought that someone would take a picture of me instead of trying to help me, i would not have been able to understand that. >> eric, your response to what they're doing in new york city, taking photos of the homeless if the. >> yeah. i mean, it is an assault on the basic human dignity of new yorkers. homeless people there are being

played as pawns in this game between the union and the mayor. it is shameful that there is such great homelessness in this country and new york city which is the city of wealth with wall street there, these are people living in the shadows of wall street. yet they're homeless in the richest country in the world. we as americans must do better for our fellow citizens. it's no more appropriate to take a picture of them and post it online than it would be for someone to march in the police officers' bedroom and take a picture while they're sleeping. it's all about who we see as a real human being and who we see as a second class citizen. the 21st century policing model introduced by president obama and the policing community. this certainly doesn't seem to

be that approach. it puts a further barrier between the police and the people that they should be trying to serve. >> i want to show the audience footage that we have of benches set up specifically to stop the homeless from being able to sleep on subway cars and benches as well. does it go further i guess?

>> if your role is to protect and serve and you're not doing that, you are becoming a problem. they're people now that homeless people would try to avoid. >> speak to me in the voice of a 9-year-old girl who was homeless. talk to the mayor as that little girl who's grown up to be a lawyer and say this is me. this is what you did to me. >> please look at my face. i'm the face of someone who was homeless. i needed resources. i needed someone to care about me and invest in my future, to say that i was worth while. that happened for me. there was a social safety net that was there. section 8, food stamps. a roof over my head and i had stability. student loans that made it

possible for me to be in this place. i think i was a good investment. i'm married, a taxpayer, and a business owner. the country didn't waste money on me and there's many nickies out there and you just can't see them. if you took a picture of me at 9 years old, you would have seen a dirty girl but look at me now. there are so many people out there who just need a helping hand. if we as a country want to be competitive, you need to invest in people like me because we're the future. >> nicky johnson houston, advocate for the rights of the homeless and eric tars. thank you both for joining us for a deeper look up next, three days after deadly explosions at a warehouse in china. a survivor has been pulled to safety but the death toll is now rising and the families of the victims are now demanding answers as to what caused the

tragedy in the first place.

>> your entire life has brought you up to this point right now. >> american teens making a difference. >> we want to fight for our education. >> choosing a path. >> if i'm not sharing the gospel, then i feel empty inside because that's the gift that god has given me. >> deciding their own future. >> i'm pretty burnt out... if i said that i'm perfectly fine, i would be lying. >> oscar winner alex gibney's "edge of eighteen". the powerful conclusion.

>> rescue workers pulled a man from the rubble of an explosion in china today. he survived three days. he was conscious when he was rescued. no other information about his condition has been released. the rescue happening as officials ordered residents of that area once again to evacuate. concerns are growing over possible toxic contamination. erica wood reports. >>reporter: the site of the explosions flattened building, many still burning three days

on. >> they said everyone on the road has to go over there because they're about to start the final battle against the fire. >>reporter: the death toll has risen every day and more than 20 of those killed so far are firefighters. many more are still missing and angry family members who have been shut out of a news conference demanded answers. >>reporter: there are still people being rescued. this 19-year-old firefighters pulled out after being buried in

the rubble for two days. but as the days go on, there will be fewer stories like that and more families demanding answers as to where their loved ones are and what potential potentially hazardous material is polluting their air 20 strikes on isil in the past 24 hours. 15 in iraq and 5 in syria. the strikes in iraq were concentrated near rhamadi where coalition forces are supporting the iraqi army to retake the city from isil. the u.s. coalition has been fighting isil for little more than over a year but is this a fight america really needs and does it need america's military? tomorrow that question is posed to a professor of

contemporariery middle eastern studies. >> this is not america's fight. they should not take ownership in this particular fight. if america were to intervene militarily, it would divert it because that's exactly what isis wants. they want to tell the muslims we not only defend you against the shiite, but also against the americans. the breakdown of institutions in iraq, syria, neighboring countries, what do you need? you need to put out the fires. you need to bridge the divide. >> but what about those calling for american help?

>> ten days ago an accident released toxins in a popular river in colorado. >> we are seeing some record-breaking temperatures today as well as into tomorrow all the way from the northern plains down to the southwest. temperatures are reaching into the high 90s for the north and into the triple digits for the south. more on that when i return.

>> [crowd chanting] hell no gmo.

today is not a day to fly in the eastern united states. more than 400 flights were delayed or canceled. tens of thousands of passengers were affected but the faa says it has nothing to do with a crash or hackers. the epa accidentally released toxic chemicals from an abandoned mine into a river in

colorado. things are getting back to normal but some question whether it's safe. >>reporter: it's a paradox of epic proportions. the epa has admitted to causing a toxic natural disaster. the river contained toxic levels of chemicals. in a part of the country where mistrust of the federal government runs deep. >> you're lying to everyone about what's going on. >>reporter: the epa has done little to ease the anger of residents first by claiming 1 million gallons of toxic water was released and only later admitting it was at least 3 million gallons. >> make no mistake, we will hold

the epa accountable and keep the epa honest when they say they intend to hold themselves accountable to an even higher standard than a private business. >>reporter: so far, the epa has spent more than $100 million on clean up. the government now says water quality in the river is now back to preevent conditions. earlier this week, the head of the epa came to colorado in person. >> one of the reasons for my being here is to let everybody know that epa does take full responsibility for this incident. >>reporter: the cleanup continues. the mustard color of the water has gone but the question of long term human and environmental and animal health is not going away as i looked as those images, i can only think about how hot it is right now in that region.

they need to get back in the water. >> absolutely. in that particular area, they're in the 90s. you got more to the southwest, the triple digits. a cold front will move through starting to cool off temperatures tomorrow. we're almost 20 degrees cooler across that region where this particular frontal boundary is going to bring rain to the region. cooler on monday. rapid city at 71 degrees with quite a bit of thunderstorm activity with that front. it's going to stall out and not really move further south.

anything south of that front is going to stay warm. north is a little above average there. take a look at the southwest. phoenix right now, 114 degrees. palm springs, california is at 117 degrees at the moment. and we do have excessive heat warnings in effect right here across the region. very dangerous conditions and for death valley of course, notorious for being hot. they're expected to go to about 125 degrees. tomorrow in the mojave desert, 117 degrees for them. for phoenix, tomorrow is the hottest day. about 106. that is going to be about average by the time you get to the end of the week. for las vegas, their average is about 102. so they're about 6 degrees above average for the next two days. very dangerous situation. the change for us is our temperatures are going to be going up as well.

>> i love when you say it's going to go down to 104 in las vegas when we come back, honoring those who died in world war ii.

the british royal family honoring soldiers from britain who fought the japanese in world war ii. we have this report from london. >>reporter: the day began with the queen attending a religious service with veterans of the fighting and the prime minister, david camron. later in what is known as horse guard's parade, there was the usual ceremony at an outside

ceremony conducted by prince charles. air force planes old and new flew overhead to honor those who died fighting the japanese and to pay tribute to those that survived. >> grow not old as we that are left grow old. age shall not weary them nor the years condemn. >>reporter: the british soldiers who fought the war were often referred to as the forgotten army. the legacy of their sacrifice is far more complicated of their colleagues who fought the nazis in europe. she supported troops by running

a canteen at the front lines. her future husband was a pow. >> when you saw them come out of the camps, it was terrible. but i'm really glad to be here. just the last time, you know, i shall do anything like this. >>reporter: the british fighting against japan was remote to many. it was fought in far off colonial outposts and had little impact on the home front. today, the resentment of japanese behavior in the war has largely been overcome. this is chance for those still alive to take the public ovation for those some believe never

received the recognition they deserved and marking the end of what has been known at the rape of nhanking as girls were forced into slavery as world war ii was coming to an end and now the question is when is it too late to apologize? >>reporter: 1937, japanese imperial forces unleashed six weeks of carnage including the mass murder and rape of japanese citizens by japanese troops. thousands of korean women and girls forced into sexual slavery for the imperial japanese army.

many believe japan has not atoned sufficiently as the 70th anniversary for the end of the war looms. >> august 15th will be a big day for the japanese to think about how they think about their past but also the way in which japan's neighbors in asia are kind of scrutinizing the public statement by japan's prime minister. but those expecting more repentance may be disappointed. the prime minister does not believe japan should keep apologizing for events from the past. he side stepped the issue earlier this year in the united states over korean comfort

women. historical wounds that feed into tensions between japan and china over disputed and increasingly militaryize territories in the east china sea. >> it's affected by the rise in chinese military capability and its willingness to display that capability. >>reporter: pushing for reinterpretation of the country's pacifist constitution so troops can fight overseas. militarized. military may be ready to move on from past sins, the memories of

their neighbors may prove to stick. america tonight is next. "america tonight" is next. [ ♪ music ] good evening, i'm michael oku, this is a special edition of "america tonight". this evening we focus our lens on a 1300 acre scratch of south los angeles, it was referred to as a cattle ranch, then a major good evening., then a major this neighborhood in south los angeles was once referred to as a cattle ranch and then a major railroad junction. at one point nicknamed mud town for the many dirt roads that remained unpaveed. but after 1965, very few would