Transcripts For ALJAZAM News 20240622

This is Aljazeera America live from new york city. Im randall pinkston. Good morning. For the first time in five decades, the u. S. And cuba today once again have formal diplomatic relations. After midnight, embassies were opened. There will be a flag raising this morning. Libby casey is live outside the Cuban Embassy. Tell us about the significance of this day in u. S. Cuba relations. Randall the fact that youre calling it the Cuban Embassy says everything. Later this morning the cuban flag will fly for the first time from this building in 54 years. Later this morning at the ceremony cubas foreign minister will be on hand. No one in that position has been here in take cased something the u. S. State department is calling historic. This comes since president obama in december announce add move to start normalizing relationships with cuba. This is being dubbed the cuban saw by some, and while certainly significant to have an embassy here, there has been a presence over the past decade, whats called an interest section. Both countries had it in each others capitals. Its a far cry from an embassy. They could only travel 25 miles away, so this is a change. Not everything is loosened up, the embargo is still officially in place and americans while they have more ability to travel to cuba, its not freeflowing you have to show or at least say you are going for educational purposes or for a humanitarian project. We know that there are critics of this opening of diplomatic relations. Who is criticizing the reopening of the Cuban Embassy and establishment of diplomatic relations with cuba . Were hearing from republican president ial candidates like marco rubio cuban american, represents florida in the senate, has a large and strong cuban american population. He called it president obamas capitulation monday, saying president obama is making concessions even as cubas castro regime is still practices repressive efforts against its people. Its not just republicans criticizing this move to normalize relations. We have heard some pushback from senator bob menendez, democratic from new jersey, also cuban american critical of some of the Obama Administration efforts. Congress has the say ultimately on whether or not to lift the embargo and they can try to do things like block the formal naming of an ambassador to cuba. Thank you libby casey in washington. Well be standing by for the flag raising. The u. S. Embassy in havana is open, as well, although without a formal flag raising ceremony until next month. As for cubans, melissa chan found many want to see the benefits of normalized diplomatic relations before they get too excited. Theres less ceremony here until u. S. Secretary of state john kerry arrives later this summer, you wont see the American Flag flying behind me. Cubans, theres happiness and relief, also a sense of cautious optimism. We decided to go to the university of havana and talk to students and professors there. With normalization we expect to see some kind of impact at the academic institutions. The reestablishment of diplomatic ties, some processes will speed up, such as the granting of visas especially for professors and students going both ways. Of course the opening of the embassy wont solve all the problems we have had. This is just like a door opening. It represents a possibility, but beyond that, it is necessary to continue formalization efforts. From the standpoint of finding a good job students need better resources Internet Access is very important fours and for our study and normalization will help. Just because the United States and cuba have embassies doesnt mean theyre friends. Take a look at the slogan behind me. It says patriotism or death and its a section set up right opposite the u. S. Building, essentially to allow cubans to protest and needle american diplomatics. Even though there are changes we wont expect friendlier relations for many years to come. We are learning more something the gunman who killed four marines and a sailor in chattanooga. The family of Mohammad Youssuf abdulazeez says he was treated for depression and had alcohol and drug problems. They say his trip to jordan last year was to escape bat influences at home. Meanwhile, investigators are pouring over his computer and cell phone trying to find clues to his motive. Bisi onileere is live for us in chattanooga this morning. What are we hearing from the family . Randall an unnamed family spokesperson said Mohammad Youssuf abdulazeez suffered a history of depression, alcohol and before you go abuse. Relatives tried on several occasions to get him into rehab most recently this past spring. Last year, want 24yearold was sent to jordan for several months to try to clean himself up, and when he returned, friends say that he was never the same. As recent as this past spring, the gunman was suspected gunman was arrested for d. U. I. He allegedly told authorities that he had been sniffing powdered caffeine and smoking marijuana. Authorities still have no idea what the motive was for last thursdays shooting rampage. Authorities are looking threw computer, cell phone and looking at his International Travel for answers. Randall. Lawmakers in washington are talking about Mohammad Youssuf abdulazeez and where he has traveled and his relationships. Yesterday morning lawmakers went on the rounds on television talking about how they suspect that this case may be tied to islamic rebel groups. One the accident lawmaker spoke to this yesterday. Take a listen. The father was on a watch list, was under an investigation that was closed. Well be looking at all those details, but, you know, this is again, the new sort of threat thats out there over the internet thats very hard to stop. We have 200,000 isis tweets per day. I can tell you that over the past couple of days that weve been down here, this memorial continues to grow. People have left flags balloons flowers messages to the families of the victims involved in this horrible tragedy. Bisi onileere in chattanooga, thank you. The u. S. Is reviewing an offer from afghanistans president to use his country as a hub for battling isil. Ashraf ghani met with joint chiefs chairman over the weekend in kabul. Dempsey said it shows afghans willingness to help with the fight, but it is too soon to say if the u. S. Will move ahead with any military hub there. The United Nations Security Council is expected today to give its approval to the iranian nook deal over the objections of one key ally. Defense secretary ash carter is in israel hoping to calm the fierce over the plan. He does not expect israel to drop its opposition to the agreement. Lets go to jerusalem. If carter says hes not going to be able to change israels mind, what do you think hes trying to achieve with this visit . Good morning randall. What we know is that ash carter is effectively going to be meeting with senior figures within israels military defense establishment, including israels defense minister in which he will discuss ways in which he will deepen military ties between the United States and israel. When you consider the fact that the u. S. Already gives israel around 3 billion every year in military support what we believe is that could translate into more money. Some suggesting well over a billion dollars more than israel currently gets. In saying that, the Prime Minister bennett has already criticized the suggestion that israel will receive more military aid or cash because of its opposition to this deal between global powers and iran, a deal president obama has described as a good deal, saying that if it was a good deal, why would israel need more military support as a result of it . So a lot of criticism and opposition here in israel to that deal, but one would imagine that if the u. S. Does make a formal offer that israel will take it. Of course, israel is not the only country in that region that is squeamish about the iran nuclear deal. Do you think the vote at the United Nations today might help ease fears among some of irans other neighbors . I think the fact of the matter is that many believe that this, at least with the United Nations, is a for gone conclusion, that this is a deal that will pass the u. N. Vote, although there will certainly be countries like israel, which will certainly be very unhappy with it, other countries will include nations like jordan and sawed rake. That is why ash carter will visit both of those countries in the coming days after he leaves israel tomorrow. Saudi arabia, i think is the key nation here that the u. S. Is concerned about. Of course they are very close allies. The u. S. Has a large military presence in the middle east, thanks largely in part to saudi arabias influence across the gulf region, as well. This is not a relationship that the u. S. Wants to harm, as well. Although saudi arabia hasnt been as vocal in criticism in the way Benjamin Netanyahu of israel has been, they are deeply concerned about a more powerful and more insurgent iran, its key rival in this region, so try to smooth these frayed relations, but a lot of concern in this region about that deal. Thank you live from jerusalem this morning. Iranian president rouhani campaigned on getting that nuclear deal, and promised female voters that he would improve their lives. There are already noticeable changes. The image of the iranian woman today covered head to toe as mandated by the islamic government can come across to the west as one of submission or second class status, but look past the hijab and youll find an astonishing level of participation in all levels of iranian society. You have over 50 of women graduating from universities. Women are delaying marriage, limiting the number of children that theyre having, and they want to be actively engaged in the workforce. In fact, women now account for nearly 60 of all college students. Theyve gained greater access to health care and Birth Control and 17 of adult females have joined the workforce. We have many women who are active in various sectors of Business Trade import, export and Even International transportation. Iranian women have taken on political life, as well. She is one of two female Vice President s in president rouhanis government and in charge of women and family affairs, but she is still the exception. Do you have a say at the table that is equal to men . We still need more women to be integrated within the system, and we must create room to use the full potential of our women. Iran ranks 132 out of 147 when it comes to women representation. Iranian women earn 59 which what men do. Iran is not saudi arabia. With all that have said, legal discrimination still exists in the civil and penal code. If a woman runs into the legal system, or into the courts, thats where they will realize that theres a huge disconnect between their role as a woman in society and what they are up against in the court system. Hardliners in iran have continued to fight for their progress. They threatened womens rights activists, pushed for tougher enforcement of the female dress code and even prevented women from attending sporting events. Its disturbing. After a time, its like saying if you have to do that, you have to talk like that, or you cant be in that position. Ultimately, that means president rouhanis government will have a tough time appeasing both islamic conservatives and an increasingly educated female voter agitating for greater rights. The fight will continue. The women are more than half of the University Graduates in iran. They are not paid as much as men for the same jobs. You are trying to get women into more government positions and to become members of the parliament. Can women ever be pull participants full and equal participants in society . In the last two years despite the Poor Condition passed on to us by the previous government, weve tried hard to gain the general trust of society and our women. Due to economic challenges, weve not been able to fully address womens issues, but the president has pointed out that womens equal participation and gender equality needs to be created. Ali velshi, al jazeera. His regime is believed to have killed nearly 40,000 people. Coming up on al jazeera the former leader of chad set to go on trial accused of crimes against humanity. Welcome to al jazeera america. Taking a look now at todays top stories, a search is underway to find four italian construction workers kidnapped in libya. They worked for an Italian Construction Company west of tripoli. Italy closed its embassy in libya in february. For the first time in three weeks, greek banks reopen their doors today as the country awaits fresh cash from europe. Customers can only make deposits and transfer money between accounts. There are still restrictions on cash withdrawals. The greek government reportedly ordered nearly 7 billion of payments to creditors now that it has a european bridge loan in place. Fifas top officials meet today to discuss reforms and to decide when they will elect a new president. Seth blatter resigned in june in the middle of a Corruption Scandal after 17 years he leading the International Soccer federation. He will stay on the job until a new president is elected. The trial of chads former president is underway. He is accused of crimes against humanity, his regime said to have killed as many as 40,000 people. What makes this trial different is that it is taking place on the african continent. Waiting 25 years for this day, he is about to face the man he believes is responsible for his torture. Hes rehearsed the moment time and time again. He knows exactly what he will say and how he will act. One look at former chadian president , and the memories come flooding back. Electric shocks, the choking and all the faces of people he was forced to bury during his four year confinement under has been rays rule. He has plunged an entire nation into four years of desperation and darkness. 40,000 people were killed and 200,000 tortured when habre was in power. Most were arabs and political opponents. The United States and france supports habre even as he turned his country into a police state. Most of the most feared torturers got training in the United States. He was overthrown in 1990 and fled the country. For 16 years victims of torture and campaigners tried to bring him to court while he lived quietly in senegal. His wife never suspected he would face justice. We came here to get asylum, protection from the state of senegal. Those who supported is turned against us. We feel betrayed. Hes now being charged for crimes against humanity in a court specifically created by the African Union in senegal. Hundreds of witnesses are expected to testify including this man. Away from the hagues International Criminal court at stake here is the possibility to set a precedent making universal justice accessible to all on this continent. I think what this trial shows more than anything else is that its possible for victims and their supporters, with tenacity, with peer severance, with imagination to actually get a dictator to court. The trial will not erase the horrors. Something has changed. Perhaps in the process this man may find some peace. Al jazeera. Trying to protect 6500 miles of rivers, why the interior department is proposing new rules against a specific type of mining. Meet the surfer who fought off a shark and survived. Moderately injured on sunday night before the bridge in Southern California buck would. There has been heavy flooding in the area, which is usually extremely dry. The bridge was called functionally obsolete in a federal report last year. The heavy rains that washed away that bridge will not be enough to alleviate californias drought. Like many places in the state the indian tribe reservation suffers from a lack of water but the troubles there may be caused in part by illegal marijuana cultivation. We have more. What youre seeing here are Marijuana Plants being cut down by these Police Officers on private property thats within the bounds of the reservation. What the people who have owned this pot farm say they are growing for medicinal purposes, but obviously as we can see there are hundreds of plants here which far exceeds the limit. We are seeing the environmental impact. This area was once full of trees, pine trees different sorts of shrubbery that was all taken down to create these fields where they could grow the marijuana. In addition, they have to be able to provide water. Thats one of the key scenes in this region. Weve seen pipelines piping through here. What theyre going to try to do is find out the water source. What we know is that for every marijuana plant it takes between six and 10 gallons a day. If you do the math, over hundreds of plants, thats a lot of water especially in the region like california, which is now coming up on its fourth year of drought. Coming up in our report tonight well tell you about the efforts of the community to try and stop this problem. Thats reporting from california. President obama is calling for new regulations to control mountain top mining. The proposals are aimed at protecting rivers and streams from pollution caused by the Coal Production process. Lets bring in Nicole Mitchell for todays viral impact. How much damage is this doing . Not only can it loose the rivers and streams but its actually covered up and ruins about 2,000 miles of rivers especially through the appalachian mountain terrain. The interior department is proposing a rule that Cole Companies monitor waterways to make sure they are not causing damage. They want to keep a butter zone that prohibits activities within 100 feet of streams. Lets compare. The traditional mining, they would just go right into this stream with conveyer belts and augers mountain top mining, so then everything he is kind of stays in place. They take up to 500 feet of the summit to get right to the coal and dump the land and mining waste into the neighboring valleys, a lot of times which contain streams. Thats how it gets in the water and has buried streams. This is what some of it can look like after everything is said and done. Coal Companies Like this method, because they can get more coal with fewer workers. As we continue, coal and everything it puts in the water mercury, lead, chromium. Heres the mercury problem around the country from coal fired plants. Texas has some of the worst mercury emissions which of very bad for humans. Now with the new proposed regulations, there will be a comment period. The Coal Companies have come out very strong, saying they are going to fight this pretty much tooth and nail. No surprise there. Thank you, nicole. He fought off a shark in the ocean and lived to tell the tale. Nick fanning was in the first minutes of a surfing competition in south africa when a shark approached him. It all happened on live t. V. Fanning punched and kicked the shark and went underwater with him until a safety team rescued him. Im happy to not ever compete again. Seriously, to walk away from that, im just so stoked. Fanning was not hurt. Thank you for joining us. Stephanie sy back in two minutes with more al jazeera morning news. After more than five decades the u. S. And cuba restore diplomatic ties. The embassies in havana and washington reopen. Defense secretary ash carter is in israel trying to calm fears about the iran nuclear deal. Mourning victims while searching for a motive. What the family of the chattanooga gunman is saying about his mental state. This is Aljazeera America live from new york city, im stephanie sy. A huge step forward in the u. S. Relationship with cuba happened with little fanfare overnight. Just after midnight, workers put the cuban flag up in the lobby. Its now part of the display of the flags of every country which the u. S. Has diplomatic relations. Embassies in havana and washington will formally open later this morning. Melissa chan is in cuba, but lets go to washington now. Tell us what you are expecting today. In a couple of hours the flag will raise as what is now the Cuban Embassy here in washington d. C. For the First Time Since 1961, its been 54 years since cuba and the u. S. Severed diplomatic ties. It was previously fairly limited what they could do. Workers here could only travel 25 miles away, so todays ceremony will mark a very significant turning point. The foreign minister of cuba will be on hand, the first time someone of that stature has been here in decades. The state department is calling that historic. This all comes after president obama announced in december an effort to start normalizing relations with cuba, and while that is underway, there is still a lot yet to be done. There is still officially the u. S. Embargo in place hundreds would have to act on that. If you want to travel to cuba, its easier now than six months ago, but its not totally free flowing yet. You still have to say what youre going for educational purposes or to do humanitarian projects. Obviously not everyone in washington is happy with the embassy reopening. What are the critics saying today . Were hearing from president ial candidate marco rubio, he is calling today president obamas capitation monday. He is saying that the white house is basically giving up a lot while the castro regime is still acting in a repressive way and still hurting the cuban people. Other president ial candidates are speaking out, as well. Its not just republicans, there are a couple of democrats including senator bob menendez from new jersey, cuban american, coming out with concerns. They are critical of the move president obama has made and congress is significant because it will take an act of congress to totally lift the u. S. Embargo, and senators Mike Marco Rubio are saying they will do what they can to stand in the way of the official naming of a u. S. Ambassador to cuba. Libby casey in washington, thank you. The u. S. Embassy in havana is also officially open today but the American Flag isnt flying there quite yet. The u. S. Is waiting to see how things play out. We have that perspective from havana. These 40ifyed walls were built when cuba was still a spanish colony, a testament to a country that was born feeling under siege. In the 700s, it was from europeans and pirate attacks and in more recent times from the United States. She remembers all do welcoming here with her students to help build this bomb shelter, one of hundreds constructed in havana in the last 20 years. The same way they bombed iran and iraq, we felt we had to protect ourselves from possible attacks from the United States. Thats why the renewal of diplomatic relations with the enemy as generations of cubans have seen the United States, is a long awaited game changer. Its a way of bringing us closer together after being separated so long. Every cuban has a friend or relative living in the United States so whats happening now makes us feel very happy so that well never have to resort to this again. In historic terms, it was only yesterday that the deployment of soviet missiles to cuba at the height of the cold war brought the world to the brink of a nuclear holocaust. This was built in the 1960s. Its all thats left of a lookout post used by cubas coast guard. They would stand watch here night and day in case there would be an invasion from the United States by sea. Now the only thing that you see are people looking towards the United States, but theyre just simply fishing. This weeks renewal of diplomatic relations does not erase political differences, but psychologically, it is as though a curtain has been lifted for most cubans. Geographically, we are so close that probably there is no latin American Country better prepared to one day be real brothers. You will see. Forgetting 50 years of hostilities is not so easy, especially for people like the 79yearold president of her neighborhood c. D. R. , committee for the defense of the revolution. She doesnt trust the americans. To begin with, they havent lifted the embargo against cuba, nor returned guantanamo to us, but here we are renewing ties. After all, we are civilized people. Clearly turning this building into a u. S. Embassy does not mean that cuba has a friend across the florida straits but it does mean that it no longer has an enemy. Al jazeera havana. Melissa chan is live this morning in havana. Good morning. There were protests yesterday outside the Cuban Embassy in d. C. Ahead of todays opening. How are people you have talked to in havana reacting . Well, stephanie its very interesting. There was this pull earlier this spring by the washington post, a very rare poll in cuba in which they discovered that 97 of cubans support normalization. When the announcement was made to in tent to normalize relations, there was compilation here and people described tears streaming down their faces. A lot of cubans understanding now that there is not going to be the kind of transformative changes they were hoping for within months. This situation is going to play it in increments of years. That does lead to the question of actual impact because of this Embassy Opening today. Do we know what has will be . Well, i think one of the First Industries thats going to be impacted is the Tourism Industry and theres certainly been a lot of coverage on this. Thats the most obvious one with americans coming to this island for the first time in droves. We understand, of course, the carnival cruises is also going to be stopping in havana. They made that announcement. Of course the effect of that is going to be an impact on the cuban economy. As many people have discussed the embargo is till here and thats going to have to change if the cubans want to feel significant impact. The other thing to point out though is if youre a cuban not in the Tourism Community no miami connection, its hard to get a sense of who you its going to impact that group in terms of the normalization of relations. Thats something thats going to play out over years. The cuban government has to decide what kind of regulations theyre going to set up for foreign investment. A lot of people are saying havana is going to start to change, squeal see starbucks and mcdonalds here. Not overnight and the two sides have much to work out. Beautiful view there. Thank you. The u. N. Security council is expected to give approval to the Iranian Nuclear deal over the objection of at least one key u. S. Ally in the middle east. Defense secretary Ashton Carter is in israel, hoping to calm fears over the plan. Contractor does not expect to persuade israel to drop opposition to the agreement. We have live in jerusalem. Good morning. If not to change israels mind, what is carters aim in his visit . Good morning, stephanie. Well mr. Carter has said quite categorically that he knows he cant change israels mind on this deal that has been inked between iran and global powers. However, what he is here for is to what he described as deepening military ties with israel. Now how thats going to look is a bit hard to say at this stage however we do understand that there may be some sort of agreement between the United States and israel, which would effectively see the current 3 billion a year that the u. S. Gives israel in military aid increased possibly by around a billion dollars more, so thats what we could see. However, whats interesting about that is that the israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has criticized the suggestion that the u. S. Will give israel more money or more weapons as the result of his deal with iran, saying if this deal is a good ok. I apologize for that. Reporting from jerusalem, were having problems with connection there, but we should note that Ashton Carter is also due in saudi arabia later this week, which also has concerns over the nuclear deal. I want to bring in richard nephew. He worked at the state departments lead sanctions experts for the people negotiating with iran from 20112013. Thank you for being here. How significant is the resolution that the u. N. Security council is looking at today symbolically and in practical terms . Symbolically, it is an important step. I think it would be seen by the International Community as an endorsement that irans nuke program is into a new able. The way the deal is set up, 90 days after the Security Council acts, iran has to start doing its nuclear steps. If you dont have a resolution, you dont have nuclear steps. It was written that after approval by the u. N. Security council which we do expect to happen whatever congress does wont matter, because the legal underpinning for the entire International Sanctions regime against iran will be dismantled. Is that accurate . No, i dont think so. In the Security Council resolution, there is nothing that requires u. S. Congress to act any which way. Congress has the Supreme Legislative Authority in the United States to act also the way the deal is structured, if congress doesnt act iran wont do its nuclear steps. Do you think if the u. N. Security council and we expect it to approve the deal, that willed a additional pressure on congress to approve the deal . I think thats what theyre concerned about. They are concerned that it will show that the entire International Community is behind this deal and that it would be them, only them with the decision to whack away. Yet while congress has 60 days to vote on whether to approve this deal starting from today, even if it doesnt approve the deal, does it really matter, because president obama threaten add veto of whether congress decides if it decides to disapprove the deal. I dont think that it can be overridden by the two thursday majority required. It is an important step if the congress were to say were rejecting this deal. It would signal a break in the u. S. Unity here. I know you have voiced support for this deal, but what about the lifting of the conventional arms embargo. Are there valid concerns over what that could mean, five, eight years down the line when iran will be able to get conventional arms, as well as bliss system missiles. Under the term of this deal, large sanctions on arms and Ballistic Missiles remain. We have the ability to affect those decisions. You served negotiating with iran just before rouhani the socalled more moderate president that is serving now engaged in these gorks. What are the key differences you observed between the administration you held discussions with and the one that has now achieved this deal. I think it was serious. It was a serious approach when they said we need to get these sanctions office. We are prepared for nuclear steps to do it. That was a sign that iran had woken up. Thank you for your insights this morning. Appreciate your time. Thank you. We are learning more about the gunman who killed four marines and a sailor in chattanooga. The family of Mohammad Youssuf abdulazeez said he was treated for depression and had alcohol and drug problems. Bisi onileere is live in chattanooga. Are these comments from the family providing any comfort to the community . To be honest with you no, its providing very little comfort at all. Chattanooga is a community that is known to welcome all faiths, but since that deadly cam page, there are a lot of muslims in this community who fear retribution. Over the past couple of days, you have seen overwhelming support for the victims but weve also seen signs of danger. As the Chattanooga Community mourns the shooting deaths of five servicemen, the family of the gunman breaks their silence. In a written Statement Released this weekend, Mohammad Youssuf abdulazeezs family expressed their shock horror, and grief at the tragic shooting saying the person who committed this horrible crime was not the son we knew and loved. For many years our son suffered from depression. It grieves us beyond belief to know that his pain found its expression in this heinous act of silence. If it can happen in chattanooga, it can happen anywhere anytime, anyplace. On the sunday talk shows today, members of congress discussed the killings i go chattanooga, appearing on abc the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security said that the f. B. I. Is zeroing in on Mohammad Youssuf abdulazeezs cell phone computer and trips to jordan for ties to rebel islamic groups. What keeps us up at night are really the ones that we dont know about and im afraid that this case falls into that category. At the site of one of the shooting scenes, a memorial for the four moo reasons and sailor gross. Anger is building among some. Steve smith posted this message on his facebook page. I cant agree that the best we can do is pray for chicago. I think the best thing we can do is ascertain who our enemies are, whether foreign or domestic. The doctor is a leader in the local muslim community. Have you heard from area muslims who are a little concerned about their safety . Some people are justifiably afraid to a small extent. He says muslims for the most part have felt welcomed here and hopes that the sudden sense of fear brought on by a lone gunman wont last long. When you see facebook posts like that that are very, very negative does that concern you . Negative facebook posts are theyre just a part of social media. Theyre bog to exist. Considering that its coming from someone in a position of public be defender, does that alarm you . I dont understand fully what a public defender is supposed to do but in my imagination a public defender is defending the peace of a society and i encourage him to defend peace by the most positive and peaceful means. Its a message that resonates with some. You know, when i moved down here, you know, i taught my kids you love everyone for who they are. One bad person cant change any of that. Right now, there is still little known about what motivated Mohammad Youssuf abdulazeez to attack. As authorities search for answers, support for the family of those who lost loved ones increases every day. The govern of tennessee this weekend said that he planned to issue a review of the security and safety at all military facilities here in the state. We are expected to learn more about where this investigation stands later today. Back to you. Ok. How are people there remembering the victims of the shootings today . Weve been here since friday, and this memorial behind me has grown. It grows by the hour. People are leaving behind American Flags balloons and flowers and messages about that the victims and to the victims families. Really an overwhelming show of support here in chattanooga tennessee over the past few days over this tragedy. Live for us in chattanooga thank you. The family of sandra bland has ordered an independent autopsy as questions swirl over her death in police custody. Friends and family turned out for a vigil in chicago on sunday. Authorities say she killed herself after a routine traffic stop. A prosecutor will present the findings to a texas grand jury. The hash tag justice for sandra is trending. People are posting images of recent protests. A change. Org petition has more than 100,000 signatures, asking the Justice Department to take over the investigation. The f. B. I. Is already looking into her death. Jury selection begins in charlotte in the trial of a white Police Officer accused of killing an unarmed black man. The 24yearold was shot after knocking on the door to a home. He was looking for help after his car went off the road. British Prime Minister David Cameron launch as five year plan today to defeat what he calls islamic extremism. The goal is to stop radicalization and counter the appeal of isil to the countrys youth. Steven hawking is donating 100 million to the waterloo Global Initiative to explore for life in other worlds. Donald trump sparks a republican backlash. Hes a war hero because he was captured. I like people that werent captured ok . I hate to tell you. In a war of words after mocking senator john mccains war record. An apology 74 years in the making mitsubishi says its sorry to american p. O. W. s of world war ii. The bruce lee legend is still larger than life more than 40 years after he died. This is a great place to work. Not because they have yoga meetings and a juice bar. Because theyre getting comcast business internet. Comcast business offers convenient installation appointments that work around your schedule. And it takes done. About an hour. Get reliable internet thats up to five times faster than dsl from the phone company. Call 8005016000 to switch today. Perks are nice. But the best thing you can give your business is comcast business. Comcast business. Built for business. Welcome to al jazeera america. It is 8 22 eastern, taking a look at todays other top stories around the nation. Intimate details are out over bill cosbys alleged sexual uncounters with women. In testimony in a lawsuit cosby dobs seducing women and having sex with them, including paying some of them to stay silent. The lawsuit was settled out of court. A new york man is accused of drunk driving after his truck crashed into a limo and killed four bridesmaids. A bridge collapse is complicating travel for thousands of drivers today the bridge on interstate 10 came down yesterday in heavy rain. Its a major connection between los angeles and phoenix. Its not clear when it will reopen. The race for the republican president ial nomination has taken a decidedly nasty turn. Many of his fellow candidates are calling on donald trump to apologize after he said senator john mccain wasnt a war hero. Trump isnt backing down. Hes written an op ed in u. S. A. Today this morning defending what he says has been a media disstores of his words. Unapologetic, a defiant donald trump refusing to take back disparaging comments he made about senator john mccains war record. Do you own john mccain an apology . No, not at all. The firestorm erupted at a forum in iowa, after donald trump questioned senator mccains status as a war hero. Hes not a war hero. Hes a war hero, five and a half years hes a war hero because he was captured. I like people who werent captured. Hes a war hero because he was captured. A former Navy Fighter Pilot mccain was battery wounded when his airplane was shot down over North Vietnam in 1967. I almost died. During his five and a half years as a prisoner of war mccain endured bouts of torture but refused Early Release to show solidarity with other american p. O. W. s. A record of Service Trumps gop rifles were quick to defend. Donald trump owes every American Veteran and in particular, john mccain, an apology. John mccain is an american hero. Mccains friend, senator licensed. I gram said trumps comments all but disqualified him to be president. The National Republican commit see distanced themselves saying there is no place in our party or country for comments of those who disparaged those who served honorably. Hillary clinton took aim at trumps latest political bomb she will. Theres nothing funny about the hate is spewing at immigrants and their families and now the comments again a genuine war hero, senator john mccain. The arizona senator accused trump of firing up the crazies in the party with anti immigration remarks. Mccain hasnt commented on the attack on his military record, but given the bipartisan backlash against trump silence may well be mccains most effective weapon in this war of words. Al jazeera. Now as for trumps war service, he was never drafted during the vietnam war. His campaign and military record show he received four student deferments while at the Wharton School of, and received a medical deferment due to bone spurs and a high draft number. Trumps Spokesman Says if he had been chosen to serve, he would have. President george h. W. Bush suffered a fall at his summer home in maine last week, breaking a bone in his neck. Doctors say he should make a full recovery in three to four months. Boosting the relationship with 9 11, welcoming the new leader to the white house. It could lead to the u. S. Playing a larger role in the fight against boko haram. I just saw him. I was waiting for the surf to come out. A surfer fends off a shark attack during a competition on live television. Welcome to al jazeera america. It is 8 29 eastern, taking a look at todays top stories. For the first time in 50 years, the u. S. And cuba have embassies in each others capitals. The Diplomatic Missions in havana and washington became embassies. The u. S. Flag raising in havana will take place next month. Eight Afghan Soldiers were killed when u. S. Helicopters fired at a checkpoint. The Defense Ministry says the choppers had been shot at from the ground and returned fire. This is the first friendly deadly fire since december. Defense secretary ash carter is in israel to calm fears about the nuclear deal with iran. The u. N. Security council is set to vote today to accept the deal. President obama will immediate the nigerian president at the white house. Conversations with him are expected to focus on boko haram. He is expected to ask for assistance. Since his election, he has promised to defeat boko haram. It has been more than a year since militants kidnapped 276 school girls. Fighting has been going on in nigeria for six years. The hash tag bring back our girls went global when those school girls were kidnapped. Efforts to find them have failed. We look at what happened when on line activism comes facetoface with reality. This video taken by their captors won the worlds attention last year with a hash tag bring back our girls. Celebrities and politicians endorsed the social Media Campaign and it gave people a way to unite around an emotional cause, from a europe to the u. S. And beyond. This is all over the world as women are rising and asking for more and leadership. The campaign amplified calls in nigeria. Bring back our girls in our and alive for then president Goodluck Jonathan to do more. It was nearly three weeks after the kidnappings that he first spoke about the crime. I am committed to making sure these girls are found and make sure that they join their families. Since then, some of the girls escaped, but most of still missing, raising questions not only about the nigerian governments abilities but also about the power of digital activism. The problem with a hash tag is that you think oh, as lock as it goes viral and word is talking about it, that will solve the problem. It doesnt necessarily do that. Many competing causes clamor for attention. We have this incredible ability to see stuff and because of that, were constantly bombarded. We look at something for 2. 7 seconds until Something Else grabs our attention. Social Media Campaigns call for a specific action tend to produce more tangible change. When there are major tsunamis or earthquake, the red cross immediately, they are very smart, they text help to a certain number and 10 will be added to your cell phone bill. People do that. They feel like their making a difference. There wasnt a specific call to action. If im sitting in my at in new york city and see the hash tag bring back our girls and i tweet it im not doing anything, other than tweeting it. The mass kidnapping of the girls from this school isnt the first event to win on line attention, only to see it fade away. He makes them mutilate peoples faces. The documentary kony 2012 intensified calls for joseph kony who kidnapped thousands of children to be brought to justice. It has more than 100 million views on you tube opinion the u. S. And the African Union have sent troops to search for kony, but he remains free. Some say this can create followers active in the Virtual World and the real world and point back the bring back our Girls Movement put the spotlight on deteriorating security in nigeria. This month the new president met with campaigners saying as thworld mes o they will not. Er continued a have a can he see and responsibility, as we watch the Current Administration take charge and take lead in rescuing the girls and ending insurgency. A court in senegal is beginning a long awaited trial against chads former president charged with crimes against humanity. Rights groups accuse him of ordering more than 40,000 political kill ins torture and other violations when he was president of chad from 19821990. Hundreds of witnesses are expected to testify during the trial. Greek banks reopened their doors today as the country awaits cash from europe. Account holders can make deposits and transfer money. We have a report from athens. Customers are happy restrictions are being lifted but are still wary. Downtown athens, lines have been short and crowds small but there is a sense of relief, a population glad that the banks are finally reopened, they can go back to their banks pay bills from within their banks some people can get a. T. M. Cards so that they can access money in a more easy fashion. One of the things that weve heard today is that there has been a real sense of concern here in greece the past few weeks that certain people didnt have access to their bank safety deposit boxes. There was a fear that perhaps the contents of those safety deposit boxes might be taken or seized, that people wouldnt have access to them again. So thats one of the things weve heard from people today is that theyre going to their banks to check to make sure the contents of their safety boxes there, still safe. Some will take the contents of those boxes back home with them. Thats how much distrust there is in greece of the financial institutions. At this hour, a sense of calm, were not seeing really any concern nation from the people gathered outside of the banks. The queues have been orderly people have gone into the bank and as of now everything seems calm. Reporting from athens. In afghanistan at least eight government soldiers died when two u. S. Helicopters fired at a checkpoint 30 miles east of the capital. Jennifer glasse has more on the incident some of calling friendly fire. That incident in Logar Province happened after dawn, early morning. Police tell us it was american, u. S. Helicopters that carried out an attack on two afghan army check points. Obviously some sort of mistake maybe some sort of communication error. That area is a very heavy fighting area, the taliban have a very, very big presence there and is one of the areas the taliban use. After this attack by u. S. Forces on Afghan Forces mistakenly, we presume, the americans say they are investigating, that right after this happened, the taliban launched a ground offensive in the same area. It is a very heavy fighting area. This is the first friendly fire incident since nato forces gave control to Afghan Forces at the beginning of the year and the first friendly fire incident. Jennifer glasse in kabul. Mitsubishi is apologizing for its actions during world war ii. On sunday, it became the first major Japanese Company to say it was sorry for using captured american soldiers as slave labor during world war ii with that more than 1,000 american prisoners of war worked at several industrial sites. 27 americans died in the labor camps. A 97yearold survivor was on hand to accept the apology. For 70 years since the war ended, the prisoners of war who worked for these Japanese Companies have asked for something very simple in that they asked for an apology for having to perform forced labor in the copper mines coal mines and all the other areas. About 12,000 american prisoners of war worked in japanese forced labor camps during world war ii. People are back on the beaches near Santa Barbara california months after an oil spill. There are questions about the cleanup process and private contractor that handled it. Jennifer london reports. On a hot summer day in the Southern California sun the beach is back in business. Closed for nearly two months after an oil spill fouled the coast just north of Santa Barbara, from a distance, the sand and surf looks clean but if you walk along certain stretches, tar is still washing ashore. Some of these tar blobs could be called by natural seepage with which the environment can handle. Its the huge release of ill all at once that is nearly impossible to clean up. You have the immediate release, the stuff you see on the beach and then the stuff you cant account for so in two years from now or two months from now when stuff keeps washing up on the beach, whos going to clean it up . Its a principle. Its not whether or not that tar blob is threatening humidity, its the principle of holding them accountable. We want to make sure that they come back and clean up their mess. Santa barbara county supervisor janet wolf is talking about claims all american, the owners and operators of the pipeline that ruptured may 19. She and other local leaders have been critical of the cleanup from Response Time to questions over how clean is clean. Theres a lock of trust and we still were not done. Yes, the oil has stopped coming through the you will culvert but the cleanup operation is not done. They have also questioned whether the Company Responsible for causing the spill should play a role in managing the response effort. As part of unified command the Oil Company Partners with a group of local state and federal agencies. Its common oil spill protocol, but the socalled cozy cleanup relationship doesnt sit well with wolf. I would say that its not appropriate for clients to be involved in that role. Why . We assume that its being looked at objectively with all the parties but i think again any Clear Thinking person would understand that having the responsible party or in this case, the polluter, be part of that to determine if your beach is clean is, i would say inappropriate, at best. We did reach out for an interview, which they declined. In san pedro we met with the federal lead for unified command. She said the reason they have a seat at the table is simple. Federal regulations require the responsible party be part of the process. How can the public trust them . How can the public trust that the information thats coming out is accurate, and its independently verified . Because i think everyone looks at the polluter and says little in your best interest if this story doesnt get out in its entirety and if you manage the information thats released. Right. So i just have to stress that although the responsible party is part of the unified command theyre not directing the response. They dont have any authority. Still this leaked internal document signed by members of unified command does show a concerted effort to control information given to the media. It recommends scheduling interviews with a handful of neutral to positive reporters to help tell the progress story. Kelsey bruger obtained the memo. It was creepy. Its also a little bit insulting to be named on that list, as far as unified command thinking they can spoon feed information to you and youre just going to turn it around into a story that makes them look good. Im familiar with that document. During the whole response, we had a joint information center. Really the goal of any joint information center, when you have a big response is to get the story out. What story . The story that the clean up people want to get out that everythings going well or the real story . The real story was what we did for the response, what we did to get out there and how effective we were at times and thats the story that we wanted to get out there. I dont sit in unified command, but i sit on the outside, and i see the information thats coming out and as a county supervisor, i know the information that were trying to get and were not getting it. With the cleanup operation almost complete, the answers may not come soon. The evidence is now in the hands of investigators but what is certain, theres still oil in the ocean leaving those who love this stretch of coast to wonder when it will wash ashore. Jennifer london, al jazeera california. The federal government is calling for new regulations to control whats called mountain top mining, proposals aimed at protecting rivers and streams from pollution caused by these processes. Lets bring in Nicole Mitchell. How much do this does this mining do . Not only causing more pollution into the rivers and streams, bub its buried 2,000 miles of streams in the appalachians as all those mountain tops end up in the water. A new regulatory rule would mandate companies to test and monitor streams before, during and after any mountain top mining to see how things are going. They want to extend a rule thats already out there having a buffer zone within 100 feet of any streams not having this type of activity. Heres what mountain top is. The old traditional mining, there would be a stream, they would go in with augers and bring it down the mountain. With mount to know top they cut off the top of the mountain, up to 500 feet. They can get more of the coal with less cost, less workers. What happens is all that land and the mining waste has been dumped into the valleys below. Heres what some of the water can look like and some of the things that are coming out is the slurry from washing coal, arsonic, barium, mercury all going into the ground water, as well as all the top of that mountain that comes down. Heres some of the mercury pollution. This isnt just from the mining. Its also from things like emissions from coal fired plants. You can see places that release the most and then it does get into our water supply, so places like the accident and around the appalachians, you can see those are some of the places with the highest emission levels. With all of this going on, theres about to be a fight because the rule is not in place yet. What will happen is it will go for public review, so the public will get to comment on that it. The Coal Companies and a couple of republicans from the area are saying they are going to fight this tooth and nail. They dont want those regulations in place. That would reduce those activities. Blowing off the top of a mountain, thats going to have an environmental impact. Nicole mitchell, thank you. Americans love shrimp. We eat four pounds per person each year, but much that have comes from farms overseas. Now one family in indiana is trying to change that. We have their story. If you think farming in indianas all about corn, think again. Theres a shrimp farm in the town of fowler that might change the way americans get their shrimp farm raised and nod ad chemicals. Hi, how are you . Very good. Hi, im daryl. Im carlana. They are accidental shrimp farming pioneers. With their two dozen basic back yard pools at growing tanks they perfected an indoor system with zero waste no chemicals and a 90 survival rate. Thats a third higher than traditional outdoor shrimp farms. Wow. This is like a little laboratory. Yes, it is. And a shrimp farm. Yes, it is. What is this foam . It is mostly c. O. 2 mixing with their feed that comes to the top. It will actually disappear. Its just part of the process . Part of the process. I got some. Yep you did. Theyre very translucent. As you can see here, this is their only protection, and hes mad right now. Hes very angry at me right now. The shrimp has a little horn. Yeah, if you look, thats where his heart is at, also. You can see his heart beating. Wow, you really can. A month later promoted to the Production Team where it will turn into dinner. Im going to have to keep going. You would have to keep going. You got six. Are you saying im a bad scooper . I get to do some shrimp tasting and more lab work tonight on techno at 6 30. We have 15 years to save these. A look at whats being done to keep endangered sound alive. Television icon norman lear we hoped we were delivering real characters. Flood waters swept away cars that still had passengers inside them. Rescue workers are searching for the missing. A search is underway for a group of kidnapped italian construction workers in libya. They were working west of tripoli. Its not clear who took them. Today marks 42 years since the death of martial arts legend bruce lee. He was 32 at the time. The chinese american fighter and actor continues to command a following. Rob mcbride has more on how people are honoring his legacy. His statue in the harbor is a draw just as his legacy still exerts a pull from a generation ago. At the fighting gym where his particular brand is still practice pupils emulate his moves. Ricky is a master who learned his kill from a master who learned directly from bruce lee. It provides a living link to the style and also the accompanying philosophy. Not only the kung fu, also how to live, work and how to face problems as a human being. He has grown up with that philosophy since seeing his first bruce lee movie as a teenager. He faced discrimination, but lee taught him it was suddenly ok to be chinese american. Although that period was short, it was in 1973, it was like magic like overnight chinese males became the big man on campus. Coming to hong kong for the opening of his exhibition, hundreds of exhibits chart the all too brief career of lee. From the handbook written by an unknown lee in 1963, through his eventual break into the International Movies that made him famous 10 years later. The exhibition is also a testimony to the struggles of being a chinese actor in america. Among the exhibits for the series the green hornet, bruce lees first starring role is a chart with the pay scale showing that despite being a costar, he was among the lowest paid in the cast. Fighting on screen, fighting off screen, he continues to inspire in different ways. Rob mcbride, al jazeera, hong kong. A professional surfer is lucky to be alive after a that correct attack during a competition off the coast of africa. Live Television Cameras captured a shark circling around mick fanning during the final round. He managed to land several punches on the sharks nose before a safety team rescued him. I dont know, i just had this instinct that something was behind me and then all of a sudden, i felt myself getting pulled underwater and then the thing came up and i was on my board, and it was like right there, i saw like the whole thing just thrashing around, but i was getting dragged under by my leg rope. Im just tripping out. The Commissioners Office has decided that there will be no final round today. Is that even a concern to you at this stage . Im happy to not even compete ever again. Like seriously like to walk away from that, im just so stoked and oh, man. Oh fannings leg tether was bitten in half by the shark. Neither he nor another surfer who encountered the shark were hurt. Raising to safe thousands of recordings. A unique collection of sounds could be lost forever within 15 years. We have more from london. Deep in the basement of the British Library a team of dedicated archivists is at work, carefully sifting through hundreds of thousands of rare recordings. Some sounds are so rare, this is the only place left they can still be heard. Like the voice of one of the most important writers in the english language, james joyce. It seems to me that i have been transported into a country far away from this country. And this, the playwright, George Bernard shaw. I am asked to give you a specimen of spoken english. The vast collections being carefully converted and stored in huge service for future generations, among them test recordings for now famous movie sound tracks and lost accent that is chart the development of the english language. Then i put this lure in. Some of the records are in fragile state. The library is battling to raise 60 million to digitize the collection. I think we have about 15 years to digitize before the equipment doesnt work. Cassette tapes, reel to reel and wax cylinders its a race against time to preserve this vital collection, firstly before the recordings deteriorate further and secondly before some of the means of playing these recordings disappear forever. One precious sound the library safely managed to preserve is that of the extinct hawaiian bird. Its far from easy listening. This is the sound of the last male singing for a female that died in a typhoon the year before. Its very moving. [ chirping ] the British Library may not have the power to save rare species from extinction. They are working entirely to keep endangered sounds alive. Al jazeera, at the British Library, london. Thats it for us here in new york. Im stephanie sy. Thanks for watching. Have a great morning. These are babies in prison. He stood in that bathroom and nobody went to help him. How many people have to get raped before somebody says whoa, we got a problem . Faultlines. What do we want . Al jazeera americas hardhitting. Today the will be arrested. Groundbreaking. Theyre firing canisters of gas at us. Emmy awardwinning, investigative series. We have to get out of here. The fda isnt testing enough. Now science is pursuing an organic alternative. These companies are trying out new technologies. No hormones are ever added into our tanks. Mmm techknows team of experts show you how the miracles of science. Im standing in a tropical windstorm. Can affect and surprise us. Wow, some of these are amazing. Techknow where Technology Meets humanity. Hello welcome to the news hour from doha. Coming up this hour, at least 28 people are killed in turkey near the border with syria. Around 100 others are injured. United Nations Security Council is meeting to endorse the nuclear deal between iran and world powers. Well be live from new york. Restarting the cuba friendship, after more than half a century flan are raised and