mexican families struggling to learn what has become of their missing children take evidence into their own hands. >> basically they are the citizens of forensic science to break the monopoly of the state. by doing this we change the rules of the game. >> and maybe finding clues giving their mothers peace. with each sweep of her baton, she's changing the sound of classical music of. >> you are not supposed to clap or cough. there's so many things you are not supposed to do i found it off-putting. >> "america tonight"s adam may with balt may's maestro, breaking barriers at the conductors podium and expanding opportunities for a younger generation of artists to try out a new beat. [ ♪ music ] good evening thanks for joining us, i'm joie chen, welcome to "america tonight" the weekend edition. we begin with the fall out of war. more than half a million veterans in the wars of iraq and afghanistan suffered disability connected to service, ranging from the physical to psychological scars. there is increasing concern from millions saying the military should recognise their wounds from poisons they were exposed to in the line of duty. sheila macvicar begins an exclusive indepth look at what many believe will be the toxic legacy of iraq and afghanistan. >> i've lost a lot. and i don't like being like this. >> 35-year-old antony thornton suffers a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. >> i cannot tell you my wife's middle name or my daughter's. i don't remember everybody's name. >> doctors had to take out part of that brain. the left termoral load and part of the compass. he has trouble speaking, can't read and has trouble keeping up with the daughter. thornton believes he was exposed to toxins whilst serving his country. >> massive open air burn pits like this operated on he military bases across iraq and afghanistan. at the height of the wars, more than 250 bases burnt their trash. releasing large plumes of smoke into the air. during the day time it was solid black. you could smell it. and depending on where the sun was, it would - it was so thick, it would block some of the sun. >> thornton worked as a prison guard at camp buta. and said smoke from burn picks lingered above the living quarters. three years after coming home doctors found the tuna. they produced a lot of toxins and ploourins, for example, benz een, and a lot of those substances were produced. >> reporter: kerry baker is a former official, who analysed the toxins found in burn pit smoke. >> some are dying. we have claims from whichedios who are dying from various types of cancers, and young guys that have diabetes, or have lymphoma. >> baker is representing rodney mies. a specialist that lived half a mile from a big pit. >> there was a yellow haze over the base. everyone had respiratory illnesses. doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong until he had a lung biopsy. >> it showed i had titanium, aluminium, steel, silica in my lungs. slow down. there's nowhere else that i could have got medals. i never worked in anything that would have exposed me to that. >> reporter: he was diagnosed with constricted bronchitis, a rare lung disease. >> i get winded. it's like sucking through a small straw. >> we have been seeing a population of patients with unexplained shortness of breath, following service in iraq and afghanistan. >> dr robert miller is a pulmonologist. at hits clinic he saw veterans with mysterious breathing problems. he performed lung biopsies on his patients - one of the first to do so. his diagnosis constricted bronchitis. >> is this something you find in a healthy person, fit for deployment. >> no. this is an uncommon diagnosis in an otherwise healthy individual. >> dr miller says burn pits are a possible explanation. but when he presented his findings to dod they stopped sending him patients. we know people are sick. we trying to determine whether pits are responsible. the department said they have looked at numerous studies and found no link to burn pits for long-term effect. >> we looked at several thousands individuals, service members assigned to locations with burn pits versus locations without burn pits. we looked at that data and were unable to identify definitive health risks. >> reporter: dr miller says the military need to recognise that small air waves disease could be linked to environmentalal exposure in iraq and afghanistan and should be treated like other battlefield injuries. >> i think we compensate people for loss of limb. we compensate people for ptsk, we should confizzate people for people with 70% of their airways. and no longer climbing a flight of stares. >> it's not veterans that have been diagnosed. tony was a civilian contractor who worked as a firefighter and paramedic in iraq and afghanistan. >> diagnosed with air waves disease. i can walk. it's hard to run or swim. >> reporter: maddock was exposed to a burn pit in afghanistan. >> there was a toyota in there, so was the battery. tyres, seats. 55 gallon drums of i don't know what. at 41 years old he had to abandon his career with a first responder. >> throwing trash in the states is bad for you, and so is the american lung association, and every environmental agency. the insurance company paid part of his bills, telling him there wasn't enough tooling his evidence. they made it home safely. they didn't get hit by i.e.d. they come home and within months die of cancer. it's heart-breaking. >> susan is a lawyer leading a lawsuit targetting kbr. highlighted by dod getting rid of race on many of its bases. she said they foot the bill, anyone settled. the company received a billion for his logistical report. they received all is that money if they didn't perform on the contracts. they didn't bring in the incinerato incinerators. they are not the military or public servants. they are for profit enterprise. >> kbr declined to comment. after years of lobbying, in june they started on online residency for veterans who feel they are sick from burn pits. so far 25,000 signed up. >> we met other people that have been affected. and a lot of people say things like this is our generations agent orange. >> reporter: thornton's wife jamie says that her husband feels betrayed after serving his country for 10 years. >> these people go and risk and forego so much for our country, and then our country doesn't stand, you know:. >> with more and more veterans and contractors coming forward claiming that burp pits made -- burn pits made them sick, pressure on the military and veterans' affairs is mounting in a moment - the burn pits that may have sick ebbed americans in afghanistan and iraq. not only were they illegal, but a safe option was available. why millions in taxpayers dollars went to waste, while service members were put at risk. already 25,000 people have signed up on the vst a's online regs distri. "america tonight"s sheila macvicar investigates why the military continues to use burn pits even after they were outlawed. >> reporter: for years in afghanistan and iraq the u.s. military burnt its trash. everything from garbage to chemicals, tires, plastics and more in smouldering burn pits. burn pits that by law should have been put in a business. a law passed by congress in 2009, designed to protect the health of servicemen and women and the contractors working alongside them. if they have 100 people at a base, and are there for more than 90 days, you need to develop plans to get rid of the burn pits. >> jean was tasked with inspecting how the u.s. spent money in afghanistan. the department of defense had a legal obligation to invest in incinerators. they burnt trash with less toxic pollution. not only did the military not follow the law, it wasted more than $20 million of the taxpayers dollars. >> i think they understand the sponsor of using incinerators and burn pits. i don't think they understand how to get this done. who is proper oversight management, how do they hold it accountable. it goes back to one thing. poor management oversight and holding people accountable. the u.s. army corp issued contracts for 19 incinerators to be installed on u.s. bases. the inspector general is investigating why that did not happen. >> it's no secret that burn pits were used. the question is why when you have an insin rater, perfectly good paid for insinerator, that each cost $5 million a piece, that could have taken care of the problem. >> reporter: susan burke is a lawyer representing hundreds of veterans and military contractors who say their health has been harmed by exposure to toxic smoke. she is suing the military contractor hired by the government to take care of trash. >> the taxpayers, the government paid all the money to a company, kbr, formerly halliburton, in order to handle waste disposal. they used open air burning, which is supposed to be used in exceptional circumstances. the office looked into the practice in afghanistan, and released several reports on the continued use of open-aired burn pits by other contractors. among them, a february report from the air base in harr at finding a burn pit. incinerators were unused in the background. another report in december 2013 from forward operating base found that brand new incinerators were not being used. a denver based contractor was paid $5.4 million for machines with safety deficiencies. and in july 2013. where over 13,000 troops were stationed at the time, finding continued use of burn pits, while two incinerators sat unused and two others not used. the inspector general's office says more than $11 million was wasted. >> why do you think the incinerators were installed and not used. >> some were installed incorrectly. some were not properly maintained. in one case they built the insinerator in a poor location, and couldn't use forklifts to put the trash in. they had to put it in by hand. improper planning and operation maintenance and not holding contractors accountable were the reasons we had the problems. >> what is worse even though the army core of engineers new the incinerators, they paid the contractors the full amount of the contracts. >> why is it that they would pay a contractor for work they didn't finish. i wouldn't pay a contractor for work on the house. >> why they pay contractors the full price of the contract when they have not fulfilled the requirement of the contract. >> in one case, the case where the insinerator had 180, we had an inquiry into why the contract was paid off. >> the result. >> they exonerated everyone. >> the team is trying to find out why contractors got their full price, more than $20 million, when the army's paperwork shows that the contractor was told to fix beens and didn't. >> -- problems and didn't. >> the lawer says given health risks, continued use is mined boggling. >> we are not dealing with a novel environmental harm that may or may not be concrete. if you look in this nation, 50 years ago people used to burn trash in their backyard. there was a lot of work done. you breathe in the smoke from burning trash and cause injury to themselves. you outlaw that type of burping of waste. >> reporter: dod responded to the reports by saying it will further investigate why incinerators were not used. so far the department of defense insists the link between burn pits and long-term health problems is not proven. still, the cost of caring for sick veterans is born by the tax pair, the same taxpayer that bought and paid for the incinerators. >> the dod wrote the contract for waste disposal. the company was supposed to dispose of waste in a way responsible. who is responsible? >> the company is responsible. they received the money but didn't perform on the contracts. they didn't bring in the incinerators or handle it properly. who is footing the bill? >> the taxpayers. the taxpayers paid for a service they didn't get. >> "america tonight" wanted to talk to kbr, a major contractor responsible. the company declined to comment. >> one thing we as an agency want to do is hold people accountable. it's the only way to prevent this happening again. it's difficult to do that. >> as more and more veterans return home, reporting illness. the legacy of the burp pits may be with us for -- burn pits may be with us for years. when we return - a costly subscription. cheap generic and a spike worrying pharmacists. >> i show people that bottle up there. that used to cost me $100 to buy. now it costs about $3,000. >> what is happening to generic drug prices and who is picking up the tab? >> my name is elenor and for the last 25 years i was bernie madoff's secretary. >> an unimaginable story of betrayal. >> they lived this incredible life. it just never occurred to me that they were living on the dime of the clients. >> greed... >> bernie was stealing every nickel but he wasn't trading anything. >> ... and entitlement. >> you took my grandchildren's future away from them. the new york city police department has begun testing body cameras, one of many reforms the det hopes will bring -- department hopes will bring greater transparency after the death of eric garner. the death was captured on camera by a man later arrested on gun charges, three weeks after eric garner's death. he has been released and is awaiting trial. adam may, "america tonight" correspondent, spoke to him about the video and why it may have made him a target. >> you're taking it out on me. >> reporter: emotions ran high when chrissy got a call from her husband. their life was turned upside down. he is the man who filmed the fatal encounter between police and eric garner. >> i can't breathe. i can't breathe. >> reporter: at the time ramsay was hailed a hero for his video expose, before he, himself, was arrested and thrown in gaol. what are you going to do with the mess that you are in right now. >> i'll fight it to the end. hopefully i'll win ... speaking to "america tonight" from gaol in august, he claimed he was set up on a bogus charge on illegally possessing a handgun. he was witnessed handing off a weapon. they stopped him. >> we met up with his mother, wife and two younger brothers at a pizza shop not far from where he shot the video. >> have you seen your husband with the guy? >> never. >> when you heard the charges, what was your initial rehabilitation. >> i cried, i said it's total [ bleep ]. i was in shock. >> reporter: his mother and wife claimed police had been following him around staten island since the video wept viral. what evidence do you have of that? >> i have pictures and video of the cops in the house, down the street. he'd walk down the street, they'd circle, looking, pointing, shining the spotlight in the bedroom. >> reporter: chrissie couldn't show the pictures tore -- or video because an attorney advised to keep it in a safe place. "america tonight" reached out to the police, they did not respond. >> i don't regret it, i wished the whole thing didn't happen, that the man lost his life. it's something that had to be exposed. i hate what is going on. >> this is not the first time that ramsay has been in trouble with the war. he has a rap sheet including assault and robbery charges and a 2013 arrest for me asking a woman with a -- menacing a woman with a handgun. ramsay's wife says it's irrelevant. >> they are trying to discredit him. at the end of the day, regardless, if it's the worst person in the world, the video shows what happened. >> there's no comment on the news that there'll be no indictment in the eric garner case. he's dealing with his own problems. release from rikers island on bail in august. awaiting his trial at the richmond report scheduled for january 22nd. one problem that is having an impact on the health of many americans, the soaring cost on american drugs. they have counted on them. it accounts for 85% of all medicines dispensed. patients can no longer afford them. the cost of generics increased by 1,000%. we look at what is behind the hike and talk to pharmacists in the middle. >> reporter: this doctor owned this pharmacy in columbian heights for a decade and never experienced anything like this before. >> we don't know how to explain it to the customers. it's a big change. >> he serves almost 100 people a day, predominantly black and he's panics from low income households. the big change is the dramatic rise in the cost of generic drugs. >> generics are priced so high. >> as much as 100% or 1,000%. >> consumers come. they know they are familiar with the prices before, and it is a big shock. >> it began a year ago, an antibiotic that cost $20 last october, by april this year, the price was $1,849. this one, used to treat asthma and lung conditions refailed for $11 -- refailed for $11. six months later it sold for $344. generic drugs account for 85% of all medicines. it's the lower prices making it popular. it's a formula that worked well for years. it's a marketplace governed by the competition. what we see is fewer drug companies and many not selling the same drug as their competitors. there's less price competition, because you don't have as many sellers in the market. >> reporter: this professor studies health policy and management. >> when we have less competition, they can charge what they want. >> the doctor is never sure when the next price rise will come, or whether the customers will afford them. and we dispense it. tomorrow, the same drug comes with an increase of $200. it's the independent pharmacist caught in the middle. responsible for serving the needs of the community and trying to run a small business. >> we are busy fighting generic drug spikes. >> reporter: douglas is the c.e.o. of the national city pharmacist association, a group with 23,000 melt bers, and he is baffled by the price rises. >> why are we seeing a spice in products that have been around for decades. they are going up 1,000, 2,000, 10,000%, and payments to the pharmacies are staying the same, and patients are left with the bill, and pharmacies are left having to subsidise big gaps in payment and losing lots of money. >> community form says are in a difficult -- pharmacies are in a difficult position. having to absorb large amounts and lower amounts they are paid. it's something that is n sustainable. >> a member told me about a breast cancer drug. in this case the gap in the price increase was $250. the pharmacy had to decide whether or not to fill the prescription and lose $250, which you don't stay in business, or help the poor patient. that's what they did. it's not a good decision that a business opener wants to make. staying in business or help my patient patient. >> reporter: he spends some of his days visiting pharmacies. >> the thing with the some happened is it was a supply issue, but it didn't go down. but they are telling stockholders "we'll have double digit earnings." >> reporter: five years ago stacy wept into a partnership with a friend and take over the pharmacy. she is struggling with the price rise. >> i show people the bottle up there. it used to cost me $100 to buy. now it costs me $3,000 to buy. it effect customers and my patient. us. but it doesn't steam to affect them. >> by them she means the pharmaceutical companies. she says the price rises are forcing her into an ethical dilemma, sometimes ethical. >> i lost as much of $100, $150. but they are my patient. i wouldn't feel right turning them away because of an unfair situation on the insurance side. >> there has to be a fair payment to the generic company, but the farmers have to be paid. >> reporter: douglas recognises the supply chain issues, but says it's hard to find some of the price hikes. they cut off supply. when there's less supply, it creases supply. then there are other cases where it's gone up and there's not a smoking gun to go back to. >> it's that smoking gun that has elijah cummins investigating the price hikes. >> today, according to recent reports, more than one out of four americans do not fill their prescriptions because they cannot afford the cost. think about that for a second. in a recent hearing senator sanders put the issue front and center. >> we wanted to know if there was a rational economic reason as to why patients saw the price increases or whether it was a question of greed, companies able to raise prices to whatever level they wanted, and that is, in fact, what they did. those are the questions that we wanted to ask to is number of drug companies. not one of the companies that we asked to testify chose to come to respond to the questions. >> reporter: in october senator sanders and the professor started an examination into 10 specific drugs, several companies are under scrutiny. one of the companies of a drug that spiked is being examined. the department of justice is looking for correspondence with a competitor or an employees of a compete for in the case of generic medications. >> more subtle, hard to prove recollects and we don't have evidence -- prove, and we don't have evidence is that the companies will talk to each other. >> stacy swarts realises market forces are at play. >> the concept is you let in four or five companies in, it drives the prices down. if you have one or two players, they don't have the incentive to drive it down. >> someone is paying for the cost. if it's not the patient. it will be the employer or taxpayer. someone is paying for it. no free lunches. >> the price rocketed. >> the cvc tells us one out of every five patients ask their doctors to prescribe a cheaper drug. the most affected the uninsured, those that pay cash and those with high deduct ability. insurance companies send out health premiums, they are likely to be higher to offset generic drug costs when we return, the search for their children, and for answers. >> there's something that is schizophrenic about the idea that the state commits a crime and you demand the state to bring you truth, and that has to work. we need to think of new ways to approach the problem. >> mexico's missing long seemed removed from the capital. adam raney reports from mexico on the crisis forcing mothers to do their own detective work. >> start with one issue education... gun control... the gap between rich and poor... job creation... climate change... tax policy... the economy... iran... healthcare... ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony... >> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america a wave of mass protests that gripped mexico swept across the border with activists demonstrating in the united states. they want an end of military substance to mexico and the war on drugs, saying that it fuelled violence. government corruption - after 43 college students went missing. police handed them to drug gangs to be killed. before that, tens of thousands disappeared in mexico in recent years, and most cases remain unsolved. al jazeera's adam raney is in mexico with the families calling for answers. [ ♪ music ] >> reporter: a song for the missing in this garage in the outskirts of mexico city. people come to remember a federal police officer and others that went missing five years ago. they disappeared on a mission. a mission to a lawless state. thought to have been killed by a drug gang, bodies have never been found. investigators told the mother that they are not musicians, not to expect much. she started searching on her own. she was shocked by investigators before. >>: >> reporter: perhaps that's why few of mexico's missing have been found. an estimated 30,000 have gone missing in the drug war since 2006. 90% of crimes go uppunished in mexico. investigators usually don't find bones of the missing. at protests people carry pictures of loved ones they hope are alive. the truth is they'll probably never see them again. >> mexico's missing long seemed far removed from the capital. the case of the 43 student that went missing when out raising funds focused anger on the leaders like no other case before. >> rodriguez found strength among others that lost someone they loved. and joined this group of families of the missing. the goal is not to mourn, but to find clues about their loved ones disappearance. >> reporter: with the help of two young mexican academics, they have launched citizen-led forensics, an independent web database for d.n.a. samples and evidence collected by families of the missing themselves. free from police interference, the data will be stored abroad to keep it safe. their mission - to fill the cap left by authorities. the reasoning - victims' families are more motivated. >> this is the website. you scroll down and find at the bottom the registry. and then you can collect your information and access information from there, using your special password. you'll be the only owner of your information. >> this man founded citizen led forensics with support from the university, where they are based in england. they spent years abroad studying criminology and forensics. >> we want to fight corruption and impunity in mexico. we thought about how we could making is that was resistant to the attacks. organised crime, the state. basically the citizens at the center, to break the monopoly of the state. by doing this we change the rules of the game. >> we are not bringing in experts from outside, but rather putting together all these families. they have become experts in the searches. so we are putting them together to create a forensic science system. it is reliable, and at the center are people more interested in finding a loved one. >> they see this as a pivotal time for mexico. there's never been greater attention on the missing. this is fernando, his father another member of the group has been searching for him since men dressed as police kidnapped him in 2007:. >>:. >> based on his own experience, he investigated other cases. he helped to find a ranch where the notorious criminal known as the stew maker dissolved more than 300 bodies in acid. >>:. >> while the government races to identify remains of the 43 students, the identified of the other bodies unearthed in the search is not a priority. citizen headed d.n.a. spearheaded for families that have been searching for years for their loved ones. this person heads the attorney-general's office. >> the reason that this group has been founded - does it mean the attorney-general's office and authorities in mexico are not doing their job? >> > >>: >> reporter: members from the citizen group found 10 more grace, in addition to the 100 vigilantes say they found. there was no one there from the government. after finding bones, the group left a flag for investigators. >>: >> reporter: citizen led forensics is involved in a case in the first exhumation in mexico, working with a peruvian team to conduct d.n.a. on the remains of brenda, a young woman missing since 2011. because of discrepancies in the evidence. her family suspects authorities give them someone else's body. remains on the 43 students are expect soon. there's little clarity. >> what will happen to the other bodies, will they go back to the grave without identity? there's something frenetic about the idea that the state commits a crime, and brings you truth and through all the experts. we need to thing of new ways to approach the problem. >> reporter: in the search for a new way, they are launching a campaign on the air waes. the constant reframe, i will find you. >> it's basic human dignity. we are born with a name. it doesn't matter who we are. we deserve to go to the grave with a name. >> reporter: they hope to help their country find its footing after so many years on a violent past that report from al jazeera's adam raney in mexico coming up in the final segment tonight... [ ♪ music ] ..hitting the high notes. baltimore's maestro and the sound of change she's brought to her symphony and community. i'm thomas drayton, coming up at the top of the hour, of 0 detainees have been -- 60 detainees have been travelled -- six detainees have been transferred to uruguay. >> and we look at the raid that killed luke somers, and pierre corky. 10 al qaeda fighters were also killed. a hacking at sony pictures led to cyber security concerns. all that and more straight ahead. finally from us this hour - the sounds of change. maybe you think classical music is boring, it's not for you. maybe you haven't been to the right sympathy. the dynamic singer at the podium may make all the difference, as she has in her community, adam may, queueing up the orchestra from baltimore. [ ♪ music ] >> reporter: the power of marin allsop sneaks up on you. the music conductor of the baltimore symphony is the first female to lead a major american orchestra. mist ra allsop is considered one of the world's leading conductors. [ ♪ music ] >> reporter: there's enormous power in that little baton. she uses the tool to help the audiences imagination take flight, she is, surprisingly, down to earth. >> classical music became quite extreme in terms of you are not supposed to clap, you are not supposed to cough. there are so many things that you are not supposed to do that i found that very off-putting. whereabouts my parents, and our home life of classical music is fun. we had a couple of dogs that would scream, shouting. >> reporter: the child of professional musicians, allsop decided to become a conductor at the ripe old age of nine. were there many role models to look up to being a woman. >> that didn't occur to me, i have to say. >> her mentor is leonard bernstein, famous for making classical music accessible. >> my dad took me to the new york philharmonican. a guy came out. he was so charismatic. he was having so much fun. his influence and encouragement set her on a life's path. >> it ignored the rules. that appealed to me: . >> when allsop came to baltimore, she noticed the orchestra didn't represent the city. what she saw driving to work was a world apart from symphony hall. >> for me, classical music needs to be about inclusion and accessibility. baltimore like many big american cities has real changes, particularly in terms of this huge economic divide between the poor and the wealthy. that combined with the fact that batt more is a majority population of av fan american, yet in our orchestra and in most, they are very, very few fern musicians. j is that, what can we do to impact that? >> her solution - orchids. a series of afterschool music classes. all kinds of music. taught in five public elementary schools. with 50 full and part-time teachers every day in some of the roughest parts of baltimore. allsop started the programme with 100,000. she was awarded for a mcarthur genius prize. funding comes from grants and the federal state and local government. >> what do you think the kids get out of this? >> it is transformative for a kid because you earn incredible skills, you learn that things don't come overnight. the hand-eye coordination, the athleticism is enormous. then, of course, there's working with others. >> allsop's counterpart is artistic director dan. >> he got go crazy. >> reporter: he makes no bones about the ambition of the musical mission. >> i met mary and she said i want you to think about the biggest problems and we can solve them through music. we looked at the social ills, poverty, homelessness, racism, and started attacking them. at that point we thought about the fact that we are fighting a war here. >> are you playing today. >> excellent. how is that? all right. i think that's okay. all right. ready. >> it's a war she may be winning note by note. [ ♪ music ] >> reporter: rodney is the father of the lead violinist. >> to me, it mopes keeping them off the -- means keeping them off the street, keeping them busy. i think the music helps with commonsense. he's a lot more in order. he remind me of an older person. >> the students share victories with the icon they call ms marin. percussionist has been part of it for the last five years. >> in my environment a lot of people were doing drugs, drinking. some people would be affected by that. since i've been in the programme, it hoped me turn away from stuff like that. >> we started with 30 kids and have 750 today. if we go, we should reach 80,000, that's my goal. 83,000. >> that's it. >> that's the number of kids in baltimore public schools. >> get them up in there. >> absolutely. >> allsop is a conductor's conductor, teaching college students at johns hopkins conservatory. >> much better. and you are not twisting or anything. really good. >> reporter: when you start doing it, how do you do it? >> this is the trick - tricky aspect of conducting, you don't have an instrument. it's like playing air violin, it's imagined. in order to pr, you need -- practice, you need 40 people to come over. >> reporter: mike came to the peabody from california specifically to learn from allsop. what makes mary a good conductor in your opinion? >> when you watch mary, what she does, it's so clear what she wants. >> she's inspirational. >> she is. she's my all-time mentor. >> the mayor give me a mini lesson. it was a little nerve-racking. >> no hary potter. >> the first thing, up beat. one, two, three. you're a natural. don't give you your day job. >> reporter: i will not. she battles criticism from fellow conductors that don't see a place for a woman with a baton. you were the first female to lead a major orchestra like this. >> well, someone had to be the first, i suppose. >> did that glass ceiling exist? >> yes. i thought there would be more women on the podium within 10 years, 20 years not much company. finally if i don't change the horizon, who will. >> in 2002, allsop started a fellowship for female conductors. she's had nine recipients so far, and hopes it's the beginning, part of a mission to spread the pour of music. -- power of music. >> music is a transformative experience for people. when you come together with other human being in one space. it can be unique for you. it's not mandated that you hear a piece of music in any way. and letting go of everything just for a couple of hours can be liberating. >> it's a message the maestro and her baton wants to spread to the world. and that is the sounds of "america tonight". coming up this week on the programme - no-compete clauses supposed to keep a company's secrets secret. many low wage workers have been forced to sign them, hurting chances to achieve a better job. meet the workers fighting back. you can log on to aljazeera.com/americatonight or join the conversation at twitter and facebook. detention. >> al jazeera rejects all the charges and demands immediate release. >> thousands calling for their freedom. >> it's a clear violation of their human rights. >> we have strongly urged the government to release those journalists. >> journalism is not a crime. is this is al jazeera america, i'm thomas drayton in new york. let's get you caught up on the top stories this hour. released by the u.s. six guantanamo bay detainees getting used to a new life in uruguay. israeli war planes bombed government-held areas in damascus. officials want the united nations to take actions. forensic evidence is putting towards a grim fate for dozens of missing mexican college students. cyber attacks are becoming more common and