reports on crime and punishment in america. also tonight - shot in the arm, the case for childhood vaccinations gets a booster from an outbreak of measle, and worries about the return of other childhood diseases. why a small but growing number of parents say though to shots. >> what would happen if nobody vaccinated their kids at all? >> we'd be a lot healthier. >> you do. >> i do. >> michael okwu with a look at the measles epidemic and its movement. and swept away. what the tide brings the artist the sea. gooeping thanks for joining us for "america tonight", the weekend edition. it's hard to under the criminal mind, what is the truth about criminal congegss. do people who are truly in the confess to crimes they don't commit. we examine false confessions. they happen more often than you might think. "america tonight" correspondent sara hoy begins with the story of a man who pent spent nearly decades behind bars, but has proof he didn't do it. wsh this girl was roller skating when she was kill. >> two detectives came. i was sleeping. my sister opened a door. >> reporter: that morning, sunday moses was dragged out of his apartment. it would be 18 years before he returned home. >> 19 years old. i didn't know why that they were there it happened so abruptly that no one questioned where i was going. >> reporter: we travelled with moses to the scope of the crime, a public housing complx in the process of being demolished. this is the first time you've been here, what is going through your head. >> it's an out of body experience. something. >> reporter: police accused girl. >> they take me to the presight. when i arrived -- precinct. when i arrived they sat me in a cubicle with the detective and explained why i was there. when he told me i felt relieved, in the assistance that i know that i had nothing to do with it, and i knew nothing about for. >> moses thought he would be back with his family. it was the beginning of a gruelling 12 hour investigation. >> as time wept on and i denied it -- went on and i denied it they became aggressive. after i denied it for several hours, they got tired. and this is when detective scarsela came into the room and began to physically assault me. mean? >> he physically used his hands, slapped me, choked me and the rest of the officers held me so i wouldn't protect myself or i wouldn't lash back out at him. detective lewis scarsela was legendary at the time. known for making arrests and getting convictions. in 1995, the year moses was charged with murder the -- charged with murder the city's crime rate took a nose dive, attributed to aggressive policing. the murder of the 4-year-old girl outraged the community, and sunday moses was the suspect. >> at that point my mind went into survival mode. >> reporter: did you feel your life was in danger? >> yes, i did. at that point they weren't acting like detectives. they were acting like a gang. and i'm saying that they wouldn't accept anything outside of a confession, and now that i'm realising that, so that, with not knowing the law, of course, i said, well i'll tell them what they want to hear, and i can prove that that was a lie. >> detectives wrote up a confession for moses with their version of event. to pit an end to their problem put an end to their nightmare, moses signed it. >> reporter: why in the world would you confess to a crime you didn't do, a murder no less? >> i never thought i would get convicted. i just - the on thing i prayed for was that the rite people it. >> reporter: the confession with his signature proved to be more influential than any other evidence in court. >> who would falsely confess to a crime they didn't commit? >> ron is president of a public relations firm. after playing a role in high profile wrongful convictions he founded false convictions. >> 50% of exonerations involved false confessions. 25% nationwide and wrongful convictions involved a false confession. it is common and police are encouraged to get confessions. it's the most compelling piece of evidence for a jury and almost always results in a conviction. once it's in prosecutor's hands and before a judge or jury, it's over. he received stacks of letters were inmates looking for help. >> what about the guys in prison "i'm 33, incarcerated for is a years, i maintained that my confession is a false one", shaun harris wrote an alert. prison. this is full of legal cases. information about their families and about their cases and evidence of their innocence. that's what they are sending us, me, every day. >> interrogations should be recorded. in sunday moses case we needed to see the police officer, detective scarsela, we needed to see him choke moses and get his confession, anything less should not be allowed in court. >> reporter: less than half of all states require interrogations to be recorded. after a jury saw his confession, moses was sentenced to 16 years to life. >> i was in shock. others were crying. i couldn't see - i couldn't say much. i'm a very strong-willed person, but for a second, just for a second suicide flashed through my mind. moses mother elaine was beside herself at the thought of the youngst of eight children spending life in prison. >> i suffered a lot. i went through a lot of illnesses surgery, depression. it was so bad. i wanted to go in the subway and jump in the train track. that's how bad it was. moses began his sentence. in 2013, lewis scar sella, the detective that got mowses to confess became the target of an investigation himself. 50 cases were tarnished which the distribute attorney is now reviewing. moses is one of them. the torny took his case -- attorney took his case pro bono. >> no fibres, hairs, bullet traces, powder burns. not a shred of physical evidence to connect him with the crime. we began to investigate the case the first thing we did was talk to the eyewitnesss. those are people who had no reason to lie at the time or now. one of them was the cousin of the little girl who was killed. the other was the close friend of the little girl killed, and they told us that sony was not the person. >> reporter: in light of the new evidence and the da's review, moses went before the parole board to proclaim his innocence. the new york board of parole released him. >> welcome home. >> reporter: in december, days before his 38th birthday, sunday moses made his way home, and into the arms of those who never stopped believing in his inches. >> so much is running through my head. i'm getting my freedom and happy. that freedom is basic to life. you know. you take away someone's freedom they almost have no reason to live. it's like coming back from death. i don't take anything for granted. >> reporter: moses is not entirely free. the conviction review unit is looking at his case. neither the district attorney nor the detective would comment for this report. >> my name was dragged through the mud. my family was put through a lot of pain, and my son grew up without a father. he's the age that i got locked up at. in all of this, it seems like the victim was forgotten. there's still a mum out there who lost her child, who was looking at all of this stuff in the media, and she continues to blame me, despite everything that happeneds, she continues to blame me. so not only am i not vicinity kated by the system, but i'm not vindicated by the victim's mum, and the victim's family. >> he's a strong young man. will he ever get his life back? will he ever be the same again? i pray for a long life, that i live to see this happen. and i know god will keep me, and i will see his name. for now moses has a focus, forward. > i'm looking for the day that i will be cleared of the crime so i can move on with my life. our story from "america tonight" sara hoy reporting from brooklyn. coming up next on the programme - chronically the lonely struggle to cross the border. travellers unseen as they make long jourpies through the desert -- journeys through the desert leaving only the fabric of their lives. >> we're following the stories of people who have died in the desert >> the borderland memorial day marathon >> no ones prepared for this journey >> experience al jazeera america's critically acclaimed original series from the beginning >> experiencing it has changed me completely >> follow the journey as six americans face the immigration debate up close and personal. >> it's heartbreaking... >> i'm the enemy... >> i'm really pissed off... >> all of these people shouldn't be dead... >> it's insane... >> the borderland memorial day marathon only at al jazeera america families ripped apart... >> racial profiling >> sometimes they ask questions... sometimes they just handcuff people... >> deporting dreams... destroying lives... >> this state is literally redefining what it means to be a criminal alien fault lines al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> they're locking the doors... >> ground breaking... >> we have to get out of here... >> truth seeking... award winning investigative documentary series fault lines the deported only on al jazeera america [ ♪ music ] >> now to what is lost, and found, and what it can tell us about the long journey of migrants as they struggle to reach our borders. "america tonight"'s lori jane gliha reports on the remnants of life that becomes art. >> reporter: deep inside arizona's walker canyon this is a trail migrants use to illegally enter the united states. how far are we from the mexican border right now? >> right now - 3 miles. . >> reporter: okay. you say in order to get to this long? >> two days. just to get to the border, the point of crossing. >> reporter: bob key showed us the way. he's been tracking the packs and the people ta use them for years. every week he leaves food and water for thousands of migrants who make the daring journey. it's rough terrain and not everyone nation it out alive. according to the u.s. border patrol 194 people died along the border in 2013. there's a blankets there. >> yes, there's a blanket. >> if key doesn't see the people that cross, he knows they've been here, from the things they leave behind. >> i have seen this sweater before. when i saw it, and the grease on it, it made me thing of the people i saw from the shelter, coming up from central america riding the train. they get dirty, greasy, like that. very dangerous. >> reporter: these traces of the migrant journey become something else entirely. >> when i look at something like this, i see the journey. migrants crossed through james's property. it's a main route for border crosses dream. >> this was a full-on blanket torn in half. >> reporter: to some it may look like litter, but for james, an artist, it's a glimpse into history, worth preferring. over the past decade she has collected hundreds of items, most clothing twisted among tree branches or half buried. she collects the items with friend and artists antonia. >> when we first collected them it was collecting them to clean up the desert. as we started to collect them we realised that, you know, they were personal. they were no longer just objects we were picking up. this was material that was left behind, and i literally would stumble across it. >> their collection of lights grew. they had stacks of medication, perfume. >> people carry perfume. after three or four days in the again. >> reporter: they found photographs, handwritten letter, backpacks, shoes. >> reporter: you found this in the desert. is it somebody's id. >> i think it's the same person. certificates. >> birth permits. >> reporter: it was a left-behind diaper bag similar to this that caught their eye and captured their hearts, giving them an idea that would transfer trash into history. >> it was strewn about across the bluff. a baby bottle, the shampoo bottle, diners - all of it. there were little dresses, tiny dresses for a toddler. it was strongly identifying with this scene and with that material that i just - i remember feeling panicked and fright ned for this -- frightened for this woman. >> why did you pick it up and bring it home? >> i don't think there was a conscious intent at the time to display this material. we wanted to protect it and archive it. here is one, jose, 44 years old, male from mexico much cause of death is pending. >> reporter: gradually the things they collected became art, like this piece, which weaves the names of people who perished in the desert with the blue jeans of border crosses. the two had a bigger idea. >> by the time the vision materialized for me, and i talked to other artists about it, we felt strongly, especially those that lived here, that we had to do something. there was no public memorial at that time. >> reporter: they began to work on this, a sculpture to commemorate not only the migrants, but the mothers who lost them. they were inspired by real-life experience. her husband came across two children that illegally crossed the border. >> he brought them inside, they were scratched up. they car youred bottles -- carried bottles of water that were empty. they were scared. they were so scared. they've been wandering lost for two nights. >> she and her husband helped the children reunite with relatives. her encounter made the promote why james more important. >> reporter: you volunteered projects. >> she served as a model for the series of sculptures called "the mothers." >> i like this one. >> reporter: each covered in fabric made from clothing discovered in the desert. >> the idea of making it out of the clothing that we found, the clothing that carried d.n.a., sweat, tears, the blood on the clothing from the rips, from the thorps, and the fear. the first mother was made out of levis, she was blue. the second one was off-white, and she was khaki. and the third made out of ber lap bags that marijuana was crossed in. the two women are part of a network of artists and historians determined to place what some might consider trash in a different light. the area made it into sections like this one, in the detroit museum of modern art. twice. >> reporter: what would you say to people that see the items this think they are trash. >> i'd say go out there, walk around for yourself, and open up a backpack and pull out the letters and look at the pictures. it's in what you find. the stories are there. and you can't deny them. there's people, ids, people that - all their hopes are in the backpacks. >> we have to remember all of us, our culture is in what is left behind. >> reporter: it's why these life-sized sculptures of mother are important. they made them a decade ago, but they have begun to deteriorate. to the artists it's a symbol. >> we wanted them to break down the way the bodies do in the behind. >> reporter: it's what is left behind they see as history in the making. and looking ahead on the programme - tracking fumes at street level. a threat that could blow. >> it's a dangerous . that? >> that's a high concentration. 70,000 parts per million, gas, over the explosion threshold. if you had a spark... >> reporter: which could be anything, a match, a telecommunication line. >> that is potentially dangerous. it's not common, it's not normal, that's something that the gas companies care a lot about and work hard to fix. that's an example of something that could go wrong in a rare case some of the most historic cities in america, and often-packed urban areas. what lies beneath may be a danger to ageing pipes lacking and exposing risks. is there a way for government and gas companies to protect us. that report next week on "america tonight". straight ahead in this hour - parents and sometimes tough choices about whether to vaccinate or not, and that that means to other families. an indepth report is next. >> every saturday join us for exclusive, revealing, and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time. rosie perez >> i had to fight back, or else my ass was gonna get kicked... >> a tough childhood... >> there was a crying, there was a lot of laughter... >> finding her voice >> i was not a ham, i was ham & cheese... >> and turning it around... >> you don't have to let your circumstance dictate who you are as a person >> talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america real reporting that brings you the world. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. i think that al jazeera helps connect people in a way they haven't been connected before. it's a new approach to journalism. this is an opportunity for americans to learn something. we need to know what's going on around the world. we need to know what's going on in our back yard and i think al jazeera does just that. vé it has been decades since the measles virus has been a problem so long that man in the medical community don't know what the symptoms look like. but it is back, and in a big way. the c.d.c. reports 200 cases in 18 states - that's more than in all of last year already. public health officials warn that will be the worst year for measles since it was eradicated in 2000, and tie the return to a decision made by a small number of parents. an indepth look from michael okwu in california. >> so we don't vaccinate our kids. >> reporter: that might shock many parents, but holly and her husband shannon are part of a growing minority in well-heeled california. >> i think we are very aware from the foods that we eat, being more organic, non- g.m.o., we want the healthiest can. >> reporter: instead of vaccine they rely on holistic rentalment. including adjustment. they own a chiropractic office catering for young families. bloom heart thought about vaccines before she had kids, back when she was a lieutenant in the air force. the military required she get vaccines before deploying. she researched them and found studies linking vaccines to conditions like asthma and add. there were other concerns. >> i learnt that some of the vaccines had abortal foetal tissue or different d.n.a. things from animals or insects, and those kind of things concerned me. >> reporter: the fact is at various times foetal issue and insect cells have been used. none of that tissue was in the vaccine. bloom-hart declined to take them and it ended her military career. she had no regrets. >> reporter: what would happen in no one vaccinated their kids. healthier. >> you do. >> i do. >> reporter: as opposed to the fact ta we may expose ourselves to diseases easily. >> i do. ultimately the body is a self-healing organism. >> when a doctor says to you these methods are safe, effective and necessary, what do you say? >> i think that's their opinion. i disagree. >> reporter: many parents gree. in the wealthy beach front communities vaccination rates are plummeting, that has this doctor worried. >> i think people have to realise that when your child is not getting vaccinated your child is generally safe against measles, they are hitching a ride on the protection that all the other commug in that school -- children in that school are getting to keep them getting sick. it's because all the other kids are vaccinated. if we have numbers drop in orange country or around this country we'll see increases in numbers of cases of measles. >> reporter: that's what happened here. the country is battling a large outbreak of measles. 22 cases - all young children and health care workers. there's one paediatrician who is not troubled by the vaccination rates. dr bob sears, half his young patients are not vaccinated. >> i tell the parents that that's an okay decision. decision. >> do you say, look, if a bunch of parents made the decision, these are the consequences we might face? >> i do say that often in my discussions. i found most parents don't consider the public health benefit when they are making decisions for their own individual child. should they consider the issues. do i fault them for not considering the issues? >> not so much. i don't hold that against them. >> that view made him controversial in medical circles, but a hero to parents. million head his vaccine book. >> does dr bob sears bear responsibility for the outbreak. >> as clipishes we bear responsibility to do the right thing. the science is solid behind the nothings that getting vak -- notion that getting vaccinated is the safest, smartest thing to do. people are entitled to different facts. >> reporter: has he been case. >> the biggest information from dr sears and mothers is it's just measles. measles happiness, no one dies from it, it's not soars. the reality -- serious. the reality is of 22 persons we identified with meselfle, seven have been -- meselfle, seven have been hospitalized. if we have 1,000 people get measles, one of the 1,000 will die. they are the numbers in the united states. with. >> reporter: for parents that believe in vanning scenes dr sears -- vaccines, dr sears offers a variation. 3-year-old defence colton and gunner have been dreading this trip to the doctor. >> i don't want a shot. >> we are not worried. >> today they are off the hook. thanks to dr sears. no vaccine for two months. while most children at their age are fully vaccinated, dr sears tells parents that it's okay to slow down the c.d.c. schedule. why do it differently? because parents have a tough time watching kids suffer. >> some babies don't handle the vaccine schedule, there are side effect that occur. not often, but it does occur. side effects such as? >> brain swelling, enselfa lightize, seizure, rehabilitations. reactions. >> reporter: those are rare. >> parent don't want to be a statistic. >> we have to realise the perps at most risk are -- persons at most risk are young kids. if you wait until older in life to get vaccinated, you'll get the child vaccinated but you may miss the boat in terms of the highest risk of time when they get sick. >> reporter: orange county is not the only healthy area struck by a measles outbreak. the trend is playing out. affluent areas have seen vaccination rates drop, and measles cases spike. the issue has become a political light nipping road -- lightening road. all 50 states require children to be vaccinated, with exemptions from medical or religious reason. now 19 states allow philosophical exemptions. a pead tirns signature is required in some states for those signatures. >> the bill is passed. >> reporter: will you sign xp 'emmion forms? >> i have been signing hundreds of exemption forms. they are easy to sign. i feel that it does slight iing infringe on people's -- infringe on people's right to make medical decisions. >> reporter: to combat falling vaccination rates the country launched educational outreach programs. we listen in as school readiness nurses spoke to parents. this is in anna hype, the center of the -- anaheim, the center of the outbreak. >> we want to make sure you realise how important it is to keep children vaccinated. >> the mothers told us they have vaccinated their children. >> how concerned are you about the measles outbreak? >> it worries me a lot because i had a little sister that was 2 years old that passed away from measles. >> how old were you at the time? >> i was seven years old. >> reporter: fanning the flames of the anti-vaccine movement are hollywood celebrities, like christian kaveh lairy and alicia silverstone who publicised their decision not to vaccinate their children recollects and jenny mccarthy who blamed measles, mumps and rubella on autism. >> you ask any mother in the autism community we'll take the flu, over autism any frigging day of the week. they need to wake up and stop hurting our kids. >> my statement i like to make on vaccines and autisms is vaccines don't cause autism, except when they do. there are documented medical cases where vaccine has triggered an autism reaction. >> reporter: numerous studies looked at the relationship between vaccines and autism for over a decade and found no link. >> i think that people have to realise all evidence, all information out there is not created equal. when the c.d.c. says they have conducted studies that have looked at thousands, millions who received the nnr it's really very good information, not that the vak soon works, but that it is safe. overwhelmingly the evidence is that the vaccine is safe. the overwhelming immune system - there's no scientific basis behind it. >> it's a scientific way of saying poppy cock. >> reporter: how do you think it will be resolved. will we see more vaccinations fewer? >> that story has not been sold. clusters, outbreaks change minds, change people's perceptions. the bouty and importance is we have a way to keep the child safe and vaccinated. now, a special programming note for fewers. florida's invisible children and a system that has failed them. >> you don't care. you don't. this is one father that can tell you that. like i say, you don't care about my son or the rest of these kids. and i see it, live it every day. an "america tonight" report - shocking cases of abuse and neglect in one of the worse states for child application services in the country. sheila macvicar with the investigation - monday, # eastern. lost on september 11th and the 13 years since. >> from 9/11 my medical record showed my medical records were flawless, i didn't have anything wrong with me, until after 9/11. everything happened at once. >> theing sackry -- continuing sacrifices of those that risked everything to help. after the day that changed >> al jazeera america presents the system with joe burlinger >> the dna testing shows that these are not his hairs >> unreliable forensics >> the problem the bureaus got is they fail, it's a big, big deal... >> convicted of unspeakable crimes did flawed lab work take away their freedom? >> i was 18 when i went in... when i came out i was 50... you don't get it back... >> shocking truths revealed >> the system with joe burlinger only on al jazeera america this is the 900 page document we call obama care. it could change costs coverage and pretty much all of health care in america. well, my show sorts this all out. in fact, my staff has read the entire thing. which is probably more then most members of congress can claim. we'll separate politics from policy and just prescribe the facts. as visitors make their way to the newly opened 9/11 memorial museum, many find a monument a recovery. healing is a challenge for survivors, nearly 13 years after the attacks. among those suffering and continuing to die are those that risk everything - first responders that came to help. on long island here is our correspondent chris brewery. [ last post plays ]% >> police officer terry d, laney, n.y.p.d. >> reporter: this sound familiar, the reading of names at a 9/11 ceremony. it is not. >> lieutenant linda olsen, fdny. >> reporter: these are new names - 93 police officers, firefighters, paramedics, others - what they have in common, beyond the service on 9/11 and beyond, is death from illnesses directly related to their efforts at ground zero. >> today we are honour those who illnesses. >> reporter: their names are engrayed alongside -- engraved alongside 172 others on this memorial on home island, home to many first responders, including glen cline a new york police officer who rushed downtown that september morning. >> while on our way into manhattan we monitored the special operations division radio. we heard other police officers down at the trade center screaming "stay away from the towers, there's bodies coming out the windows." 14 of the new york city police officers who died that day belonged to clip's elite unit emergency services. in the months that followed the squad was achiped to the pull ver -- assigned to the pulverized remains, known as "the pile". >> reporter: how long were you down there? >> i spent about eight months on the pile, in the pile, under the pile. from start to finish. i was there when the last beam was removed. >> cline is 55 and retired. damaged. >> reporter: are you convinced it was part of 9/11? >> no doubt. we were required to take an ocean medical every year. up until 9/11 my medical records showed that my health was flawless. flawless. i didn't have anything wrong with me. until after 9/11. everything started to happen all at once. >> reporter: carol wears her n.y.p.d. windbreaker but disability forced her into an early requirement. since four, carol dreamed of being a police officer. at 9/11 she was one of the first on the scene after the first plane hit and inside tower two when it crumbled. >> i was trapped. when tower two collapsed i had no idea that it was collapsing. i grabbed with my left around out extended and hold the doorframe with one arm. the noise and the wind was insane. people blew by me, through me, under me, i held on mid air like a cartoon character. >> reporter: carol found herself under a pile of rubble, she and voices. >> we heard "holy mary mother of god", it repeated. we got out. that? >> we don't know. i said to ritchie "did you see the person?" he said, "no." she said "i think it was my father." my father had died. i think it was him just trying to help me get out.". >> reporter: they stayed to get others out. she's on the left in this striking photo of who cops helping a dazed woman to safety. almost immediately carol began to cough and vomit. >> we were trying to get the stuff off our face, trying to breathe, we were throwing up. eyes hurt bad. i had pain in my body. in the days after 9/11, the head of the e.p.a., christine todd whitman assured rescue breathe. >> 1500 responders died, we are lied to. we were told the air quality was safe. the only concern about getting new york city up and running. >> reporter: the vapourized building spewed out a toxic cloud - cement. remains. >> everything in the building we ingested. anyone there that inhaled that cloud. you know, desks, people, guns, ammo, paper - everything. >> reporter: so years later congress gave responders health benefits under an act named for a new york justice act. the 4 million in benefits did not cover cancer. at least 15 chemical compounds in smoke, dust and gas found in the rubble are classified as cancer causing. >> when we see the correlation between police officers, firefighters and construction workers who put time in down there, with the rare cancers, they had no choice. >> reporter: so in 2012 president obama signed a new version of the law covering more than 50 cancers, insurance for first responders such as carol. >> i could have left that day. i didn't. it was my job. happy to do it. i was glad to be there. would do it over again the same way. i would not change anything, i would not have left. the government has to step forward and take responsibility to help us. >> reporter: for carol the change in the law has new significance. the 49-year-old was perfectly healthy the day before 9/11. the explosion left her with knee and shoulder injuries that required surgery. she suffers from lung disease and a dijestive disorder. this month her doctors delivered a double dose of more bad news. >> they diagnosed me i have cancer, lim nottic cancer and leukaemia. that is a new diagnosis for me. i just got that two weeks ago. >> reporter: are you convinced it was as a result of that day, 9/11? >> you don't have to convince me, i know it was from 9/11. >> reporter: in a spare bedroom museum. >> reporter: it's a lot of memories here. >> yes. >> reporter: that remarkable photo. her hat and whistle. valor. >> i see you an is new york city valor. >> it's there, but, you know, it was bittersweet. it should go to all the people that died that day. >> reporter: glen cline's reminders are etched into his skin. the squad, the 14 they lost. he's worried there's a droga act is set to expire in two years. he those in time memories fade. glen and the others are pushing to make the law permanent. how concerned are you about your own health and future? >> every day for me is a struggle. i'm at the point i don't tag anything for granted. i wake up. lift up the shade and give god a kiss. i have a 9-year-old son and two old are children. i want to be here for them. i don't want to say i'm a hypoconnedry abbing. i don't want to get sick, i don't feel good. the first thought is "it's my time." i'll be honest with you, i'm scared. >> henry ploughman columbia. >> reporter: the names keep coming. one day they will outnumber all those who died on 9/11. and cover the empty wall of granite that awaits them. so each those not yet born on the terrible day will know of the men and women who served and suffered. and ahead in our final thoughts of the hour - a day at the beach. the artist's vision - maybe for moments in the sand. catch it before it all washes away. >> i'm ali velshi, the news has become this thing where you talk to experts about people, and al jazeera has really tried to talk to people, about their stories. we are not meant to be your first choice for entertainment. we are ment to be your first choice for the news. america mobile app, available for your apple and android mobile device. download it now [ ♪ music ] timely from us -- finally from us this hour on the holiday weekend as many of you beach it with family and friends, we dig deeper into the sands of time, to meet an artist who embraces the notion that nothing forever. >> i call myself an earth escape art unfortunate. i go into -- artist. i go into natural areas and work with natural materials to create my works. what i do is bring rakes to the beach and work with the wet sand during low tide. it changes texture and colour. and that's what i'm using as my paint. when i come to a location, i'm assessing it - what can i do here, what is possible. >> i see the beech. i didn't have much beech. perfect. >> i started with the first stroke. to set the first line, and i needed to figure out the next time, keeping it even. i wok with my partner to do that. i'll do a line down the middle and connect like that. you do a rake either side of it. i was putting a message inside the artwork. this one has an aztec inspiration, creating an alphabet. then i did crack leans to make it feel like it was an old piece of rock. it was carved. it was cracking. sand is tactile. i can feel it with my body. i can hear the sound of the rake through the sand. it makes a nice sound. i love working with the beach. i get so much canvas to work with, and i get to listen to the ocean at my side. i walk bare foot in the sand and release my cares and concerns. i love that. one of the benefits of working on the beach is that i can leave and the next high tide will wash it away. when i come back the next day i have a fresh canvas. i draw my inspiration for my designs all around me. i look at things with an eye towards how could this look on the beach, how can i translate this. when i see something cool, it could be an interesting pattern on fabric. lines on the rock, cloud. i'm drawn to japanese, chinese and other depictions of the elements. and i love patterns. when i started to do the artwork i did geometric ones that looked like crop circles. that was the way i could make large things and get it to look right. when i designed it i was creative and putting things together and there was a flow to that part of it. when i was on the beach i'm translating it, following steps, making it happen. it's fun, doing it is fun. the nature of the art connected me to the awareness that life itself it ephemeral. this will not last more than a few hours, a few minutes. at a bigger scope anything i do will not last. a wave will come and wipe out half of it, and it happiness many times, i feel blessed to have the life i'm living. i get to make a living doing what i love to do. where i love to do it. engaging with people who love what i'm doing. i can't imagine how things will be better and i feel grat feud for that. a great view as only time and tide will tell. that is it for us on "america tonight". remember if you want to comment on the stories we see on the programme. log on to the website. you can meet the team and get previews of stories we are working on. tell us what you like to see on our nightly current affairs programme. join in the conversation on twitter and facebook. goodnight, we'll have more of "america tonight" tomorrow. >> lz polls open in egypt's presidential election. former army chief abdul fatah al-sisi is poised for victory. this is al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also coming up, a political earthquake in the european union - the far right makes big gapes in the elections. the coup in thailand gets royal approval as the military rules to stifle dissent. an appeal for two presidents. the pope

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