we'll see you next time. >> good evening, everyone. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. >> middle school shooting a 12-year-old boy armed with a shotgun opens fire. two classmates wounded. we'll have the latest from new mexico. >> hunted down - nigeria's antigay laws hunting people down and persecution >> showdown in africa between armed vigilantes and drug lords >> holy moly, it's custom made

for the people's pope. it's his, but it could soon be yours. >> it lasted 10 seconds, a blast from a shotgun until a boy gave the weapon to a teacher. in that time a school became the backshop in roswell new mexico. stephanie stanton is live for us with that. >> good evening. this shooting happened around 8 o'clock this morning at berendo middle school in roz well. a 12-year-old boy, a 7th grader walked into the gymnasium and opened fire on his young classmates. >> police converge on a middle school in new mexico. the scene terrifying. >> there's one student possibly

shot >> the routine interrupted by a boy with a shotgun, a 12-year-old who shot two classmates. >> we have a 12-year-old and 13-year-old shot while sitting in the gym, waiting to go to class. >> the 12-year-old victim was injured and airlifted to a hospital in texas, in minutes it was over. >> the shooter was stopped by one staff member. who walked right up to him and asked him to step down the firearm. >> the mother and fathers struggled for information. >> at the school classmates of the suspect described him as a smart and nice kid. the is it-year-old boy shot was the target of the shooting, although the motive is unknown.

>> a short time ago in new mexico a press conference was held. the shooter's name was not released. one of the victims was a 12-year-old girl, kendall sanders. she now in stable condition. the other victim is a 12-year-old boy and his family asked he not be identified. we understand that he suffered injuries to his face and neck and remains in critical condition. during the press conference the government talking about a teacher in the gym at the time of the shooting and he's been hailed a hero. >> i visited with mr masterson, john masterson. he was an amazing man. he was in the gym on the gym floor. the eighth graders were on one

side of the gym. he was facing away from the shooter and the shooter facing away from him. he hears the first shot, thinking it was a firecracker. he turns and sees the young man shoots and shoots and is pointing the firearm arm at mr masterson. mr masterson begins to talk to him to put it down. the young man put the gun down and raised his hands. >> at this hour, once again, the suspect is in the custody of new mexico state police, pending charges. >> stephanie stanton, thank you. >> now to nigeria. making news for its policy against home sexuality. new legislation bans same-sex marriages, gay organizations, any public affection between members of the same sex. same-sex couples could face 14 years in prison.

there has been multiple arrests and violence. juan carlos molina puts nigeria's law into context with others around the world >> gay rights vary widely. some country allow full same-sex marriage, many are conservative, with a handful allowing the death penalty. let's take a look. 14 countries allow full same-sex marriage. most in europe. new zealand canada and south africa among others allow it. in the united states 17 states in the district of columbia legalized same-sex marriage. 29 banned it. get this, being gay is considered a crime in 76 countries - most in africa and the middle east. in mauritania, sudan, yemen and iran, being gay can be punishable by death. >> michael is a gay right's

activist and founded an organization supporting hiv positive men. he was forced to fully the country after being the target the hate crimes. >> michael joins us. >> good afternoon. >> what was your rehabilitation to the new law? >> i felt so bad about it. it was a death sentence. this is not the issue nigeria should be looking at. we have other issues, issues around corruption, policies, not gay people. gay marriages and others are asking to be free, to live your lives, assess health-care service, not to be gaoled or killed. i believe it is a death sentencement -- sentence. >> what do you understand is happening in nigeria, to your friends? >> right now there's a lot of

panicking. people are scared. areas are closed down because of bill, and the law says you can't open because, you know, you provide services for a gayman and you will go to gaol. people will not be able to access our services or live without drugs, which is dangerous for the public >> you came from nigeria to attend a conference in the united states. i understand that word got back to nigeria, when you got back to nigeria, that you said you were gay and you were targeted with that with hate crimes in nigeria. tell us about that. >> i was here in july 2012 for a conference, and a "the washington post" did an interview where i cas accidentally showed. when i got home i was beaten up,

broke my hand and i had death threats. i came to the states where i sought asylum. >> you founded an organization in nigeria. >> in nigeria, i worked to a different organization, an organization for hiv gay men. i have hiv myself. gay hiv - i cannot say with the general publication, you have a double stigma, meaning h.i.v. positive and then being gay. it's a different thing. they face for discrimination than the gay population, so that's why we started. there are other organizations with gaye men. gay men with h.i.v. cannot access services.

>> michael, thank you for sharing your story. >> a federal judge in tulsa declared oklahoma's ban on same-sex marriage an unconstitutional saying it violates the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. l assume sex couples will not walk down the isle, the judge put the ruling on hold until a similar appeal case in utah is decided. >> fall out from a statement by key israeli officials, when the israeli official described secretary of state john kerry as obsessive when it came to peace in the middle east. the white house called it offensive. >> there's no sign of a breakthrough in the ratest round of israeli palestine peace talks. the israeli defence minister says the process is a waste of time, blaming the u.s. secretary of state. according to israel's largest

newspaper he said during a private conversation: >> as for the talks himself, he was just as displaysive. >> there's no allegations with the palestinians. americans are holding negotiations with us and in parallel with the palestinians. we are the only side to give anything. the release of murderers and the palestinians have given nothing. >> the obama administration was not pleased. >> we find the remarks. defence minister to be defensive and inappropriate, given all that the united states has done to support israel's security needs, and will continue to do. >> late on tuesday there was an apology to john kerry, saying he didn't mean to cause offense. the comment were made because he doesn't like a u.s.-drafted security plan relying on high-tech equipment, not israeli

soldiers to protect the border between israel and a palestine independent borderline. binyamin netanyahu didn't come on tuesday. sippy live ni aused them of damaging the two country's relationship. it raises questions about how united they are as they move forward in talks with the palestinians. >> in new jersey governor chris christie gave his state of the state address. the bridge scandal was what everyone wanted to know about. john terrett reports. >> new jersey governor chris christie used his state address to issue another apologise. >> in the last week i certainly tested this administration. mistakes were clearly made and as a result we let down the

people we were entrusted to serve >> chris christie tried to turn the media's focus away from the scandal. education was a main point. he wants to lengthen the school day and year. he touched on crime and called for making urban areas safer. chris christie insisted recent allegations against him in the team will not stop the state from getting things done. >> what has occurred does not define us or our state. this administration, and this legislature will not allow the work that needs to be done to improve the people's lives in new jersey to be delayed for any reason. >> but the speech may do little to slow the growing controversy surrounding him. the latest questions concern a series of tv ads pushing tourism on the jersey shore. >> we are stronger than the storm. >> the marketing campaign is under securitiy. at issue was whether christy put

himself and family front and center in the ads, in the middle of a re-election bid. there are concerns that the chris christie team spent $2 million more on production costs than the next lowest bid, a firm to which chris christie's office had ties. >> frank pal own said he alerted the department of housing and urban development saying that the cash could have been spent on victims. they are investigating. then there's bridge-gate. a week ago the government was forced to apologise for a traffic scandal. a close aide ordered lane closures, snarling traffic. the state democrat refused to store the bid for a second term. until now many saw him as a front runner in the presidential race. today chris christie insisted he remain focussed on getting the

job done as governor of new jersey and promised to cooperate with any investigation. >> on to washington where president obama's first cabinet meeting of the year was used to renew a call for a bill to create jobs. congress were pushed to expand long-term unemployment benefits. more from mike viqueira. >> it was the first cabinet of the years, and president obama used it to express foundation. going around congress, the legislative process and doing small bore things, partnering with nonprofit and the private sector to improve the economy in separate sectors and pockets of the country. we saw him do it last week with promise zones announcing the first five of 20. he travels to north carolina where he expect to announce an initiative to spur the manufacturing issue.

the way it was phrased really raised a lot of eyebrows. >> i have a pen and a phone. i can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move the ball forward in helping to make sure our kids get the best education, and our businesses get the support and help they need to grow in advance, to make sure that people are getting the skills they need to get the jobs. >> republicans have reacted with dismay, saying the president can't go around congress when he feels the need. the president said he will use the pen to sign executive orders to get some of the things that he wants. >> congress will have additional work over the course of the next several weeks. it's important that they do something about unemployment insurance. >> last week there was hope for an extension of long-term unemployment benefits. this week a quagmire, biggering

between republicans and democrats over a procedure how to move forward. you name it, it is a familiar story. the upshot is 1.3 million americans were put off of long-term unemployed insurance benefits at the end of last year - that number is growing, ipp creasing each day, 1.5 off long term unemployment benefits, and the senate bogged down in gridlock. how long should the extensions last. another area of disagreement. this is the senate. the house has not tackled that. it looks like it will be a long-flawed, if it can be done at all. two votes failed. the white house had this reaction:

>> now that is the white house version. republicans have another story, accusing harry reid of trying to make them look bad, trying to have it all his way, have his cake and eat it too. the details are mercy, ugly. the upshot is no unemployment extension, not this week. >> in west virginia officials continue to lift the water ban on contaminated areas. about 40,000 people use the tap water again following the chemical leak. freedom industries still under investigation. a restraining order in place against the company to ensure no important documents or materials are removed. with the do not use order lifted elizabeth is not comfortable. >> i'm a mum.

my daughter is not drinking the water for a while. i'll wash my dishes and do some things like that. do cleaning things, but we are going to drink and cook with bottled water. i wouldn't be surprised if i felt nervous enough that i'm drinking and cooking with bottled water for a couple of weeks. they say it's a really minnizual 0.00 amount. because no one intended this to go into drinking water, they don't know the long-term effects. and as a parent you don't want to take a chance with your child. >> officials say it will be a few days. >> going to pot. not all states are onbored with pot. >> and letters to jackie. for the first time we see

letters to the fairest lady after the shooting death of john kennedy.

>> now to egypt where on the first day of voting on a new constitution there was new violence. 11 were killed in fighting between security forces and deposed president mohamed morsi. polls are closed but will reopen in a few hours. the vote is seen as a referendum on the military which ousted mohamed morsi in july. al jazeera is covering this from outside the county, mohamed fadel fahmy, baher mohamed, and correspondent peter greste have been held for 17 days, accused of spreading lies harmful to the state security and joining a terrorist group. al jazeera says the allegations are fabricated. >> two other reporters, producer and cameraman, have been held for several months. >> the crisis is escalating in south sudan. 200 refugees drowned when a

ferry capsized in the white nile river. they were packed on a boat trying to escape clashes. >> government officials say the ferry capsized on monday. there was fighting on the outskirts of the town. rumours spread that the rebels were coming back into town to retake it. people tried to get out. many ran to the river. a boat was overloaded. women and children, and it capsized. here is more bad news for civilians. the rebels end malay call and there's fighting between rebels and government troops. the humanitarian crisis is a concern, like bor and jonglei. thousands are hiding in u.n. camps trying to get away from the fighting.

a lot of people hope talks in ethiopia can come up with something concrete and there could be a cease fire. >> no end in sight to the violence in syria, a week before the summit scheduled to find a solution to the crisis. the amateur video of the aftermath of a series of air strikes, the target was insurgents. the opposition is firm on their goal, to remove bashar al-assad from office. that's a message from a member of the opposition group, the syrian national coalition, and made the comments during an interview. >> this is a war, it's a revolution about the people of syria seeking to regain their constitutional rights and human rights and dictatorship in the

bashar al-assad regime. there's no solution to the crisis. he is the subject of the differences and he's the cause of starting these crisis. >> "inside story" airs: >> to chicago, and a new effort to handwritten as the power of the word. researchers discovered a child in a poor family hears fewer words than kids in an affluent family. the 30 million word initiative encourages low income parents to talk to their children more. diane eastabrook reports. >> y. >> enisha is always putting her daughter to the test. >> how many crackers are there? . >> one, two, three, 2004. >> the 21-year-old single mum

learnt how to improve her daughter's vocabulary through 30 million words. it is a gap that exists between higher income kids who interact more with parents and lower income kids who sometimes don't. it helps to improve their vocabulary by teaching parents different ways to talk to them. a ped om ter measures numbers. >> during the study, the fifth or sixth week, my daughter called something ridiculous and was it was like, "who are you talking to?" >> dr dana, developed 30 million words after noticing some low-income patients didn't progress as well as others following surgery. >> i realised the difference had nothing to do with hearing loss,

but the language environment that i was exposed to. the difference fell along almost always socioeconomic lines. >> it was conducted in the mid-1990s by two child psychologists, finding three-year-olds who interacted more were better prepared for kindergarten, intended to be better readers later. >> she attracted results and found a corelation between parent/child interaction. >> she increased the numbers, went down, went up and doubled where she started. a strong vocabulary is no guarantee kids will succeed in school. it is hoped it gives alana an advantage, and her little brother as well. >> coming up, cash for

concussion. a federal judge says the n.f.l.'s huge proposed settlement is not nearly enough. >> lily mystery. a tiny rare flower is snatched by thieves.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. here are the top stories. in nick nigeria, a crackdown on gay rights. dozens have been arrested. secretary of state john kerry condemned that law. >> john kerry's involved in a war of words. israel's defence minister apologises after ridiculing the secretary of state in his peace efforts, calling john kerry obsessive and messionic and the plan for peace was not worth the

paper it was written on. the white house condemned the comments. >> a message from new jersey governor chris christie. in a state of the state address he said mistakes were smad and apologised for letting people down, but said the bridge-gate scandal did not define him or the state. >> mexico's drug cartels are brutal and better armed than the police. that makes what is happening south of the border surprising. a ruthless cartel is being challenged for control of the city not by the army or a gang, but vigilante groups armed and determined to win. the battles have been dead will and 12 from both sides have been killed. now the mexican government is stepping in. robert vallerb shia joins us now. it's good to have you on the program. >> thank you for inviting me on

your show >> is there a chance that this kind of thing could work. >> we can see examples, such as in columbia, the use of the word columbianisation, but it's an example that paramilt airianism can fuel more violence than is in mexico. in 2011 there was a case of beheaded bodies in one of the states, and this was perpetrated by the so-called cellar killers or a cartel. it's a paramilitary group and still is. they have colluded with the gulf cartel and others which is led by the most dangerous men in the world today. >> let me see if i can understand this. it's clear that the cartels have money and that in some cases they have bought off parts of

the government and the police so, you know, obviously this must be a surprise to see these vigilantes. do you expect more to crop up, or not? >> well, according to some security experts i conquer. it's strange to see par milt airianism has not spread given the dire situation and mistrust on security forces. today we see that a group of police men and servicemen tried to enter the region, the heartland and the pop awelation themselves pushed them back. that's when we had the cross fires. >> people are fed up, is that what this is? >> absolutely. the fact that ever since former president felipe calderon started a war against the drug cartels we have 70,000 deaths

because of this war. the fight that - there's no way out of this situation, that fact, has left people to arm themselves. it's protected by the constitution. >> does that mean this may put political pressure on the government. >> absolutely. the fact that they sent military troops, it's an indicator that things are out of control and the government is trying to gain control of security. >> what impact does this have on the border of the united states, >> it's too soon to tell, but let's not forget the case of fast and furious, when the u.s. government was influxing guns into the border so they were able to catch drug kingpins, and they land in the wrong handand all these were using gun, that's

what we are talking about. it's too soon to tell whether the paramilitaries will affect the border. it will be an interesting story to watch. >> now to france. it's surprising that a love affair would make new, but the relationship with an actress of the president is rocking the established. >> francis hollande wanted to use the news conference to layout his vision for reviving the french economy and reclaiming france's status on the world stage. that was the plan. >> translation: if france wants to maintain influence and carry weight it must find economic strengths. >> above all the president didn't want the conference to be

about his personal laf. it was the subject of the first question he had to answer. trins trins everyone in his private life can go through difficult times. there are painful moments, but i have one principle and that is that private business is dealt with privately, respectful of one another's private life. it's neither the time nor the moment to do so. >> there has been a lot of speculation in the madia about how the president would deflect questions on his personal life. opinion polls suggest his alleged affair has not of impact on his popularity. that popularity is very low. this was a president on the defensive. defensive on the economy and his personal life. it can hardly be the fresh start that he'd hoped for. >> so francis hollande promised to create jobs, lower taxes and reduce public spending. he promised to tell the french

people soon whether they have a first lady. >> a federal judge denied a $765 million settlement by the n.f.l. over concussion-relied ailments suffered by former players. michael eaves joins us with more on what this means. >> it's a little convoluted. it was the largest sports-related settlement in history. the n.f.l. may pay more than the original record-breaking settlement. anita brody rejected preliminary approval saying: >> earlier i spoke with ted krawlis, sports lawyer and asked why the judge would refuse the settlement when the earlier judge called it a fair deal to

all parties. >> his job whereas to love the settlement. he was hired to produce the best settlement between the negotiating parties. the judge's job is different. from the judge's perspective she has to look out for the people not able to participate. we are talking as many as 20,000 players. negotiations were on behalf of one plaintiff between the parties. here we are talking about 19, 999 other people that judge brody is attempting to correct. >> in the wake of the ruling, what is the next step for the retired players, and the n.f.l. >> they'll go back to the drawing board and get a deal. the problem that the judge had was not necessarily with the amount of money paid to the individual players. the judge as concerned based upon economic models if more than 10% of the claimants, of the 20,000 people, 10% of that

hit the $5 million number, there was a possibility that 765 million was not going to be enough. >> it's a large sum of money. but when you talk of having to spread it over 20,000 people over the course of 60 years, there's not enough money. >> it's stopped for now. what happens next? >> the judge could come back and say after reviewing financial documents submit that she'll accept the ruling at $765 million, or they can renegotiate and the n.f.l. could add more, probably hundreds of millions, or probably the last thing that no one wants to go to is go to trial and see what the n.f.l. has in terms of evidence. >> we mentioned that alex rodriguez sued the players' association. what was the reaction? >> it wasn't good.

i spoke to several players, several different who played now and in the past about alex rodriguez suing. and not one person was supportive in his remark. some responses varied from he's an idiot to i wish he would go away. no one likes him for sure. a player i spoke to was mark millanton who was a team-mate of alex rodriguez with the yankees. >> i am surprised, you know. he is also a part of the players union. you know, i take it as a personal thing. i think most guys do. it's unfortunate it had to come to this. it will hurt the game. he had a decision and he made is and so forth. i just wish there was another way to go about it. and that none of this happened. >> again, it was personal.

he felt personal. he said he will make $61 million. he'll still make $61 million. he won't do that. nonetheless. that's what they think. >> we hear that the housing market is recovering. for millions, the dreams of home ownership is a financial nightmare. many owe more on their homes than they are worth. >> desiring more space and a family-friendly-neighbourhood for their children, sonja and her husband purchased a home in hollywood florida, buying at the peak of the market, paying top dollar. >> the value of the home definitely decreased by about $70,000. it makes us scared for the future, wondering if we will be

able to own the home outright, and makes us wonder if we should stay in the om. >> they are now considered underwater in the loan. meaning the amount owned is 25% higher than the value of the property. they paid almost $300,000 for a home now worth less than 200,000. >> the frustrating part is when i see at this time that the market is starting to change, i see friends and family purchasing homes and getting more for their money. >> according to new figures by reality track, a nation-wide retail place, 9.3 million u.s. residential properties are under water. florida has the highest, nevada leading the way. 34% of home owners are considered underwater.

61% are considered deeply under water and in the foreclosure process. >> south florida realtor attribute to to several factors, stem from the 2005/2006 boom when thousands purchased at the peak. >> there was a time that the money was cheap, and they had pick your mortgage and buyers bought and flip, and bought and flipped. >> while the rate of underwater homes is high. it is down from $10.9 million a year ago. interest rates are below 9%, home values increasing 20%. inventory is up. underwater home owners are advised to consider their options. >> hire a professional, a credit company. get your home sorted. >> as for home owner knight, despite the challenges she and

her husband face with the mortgage and underwater status she believes in the american dream of home ownership and hopes the market will continue to strengthen. >> coming up - game change. a court's ruling and what it means for what you see and how much you pay online. plus to the highest bidder, the pope's harley davidson hits the auction block.

>> good evening, we are looking at the nextle polar outbreak. last week one came through, and there'll be another. we expect to get anywhere between 10-12 inches of snow. now the temperatures look like this. they are dropping behind the system. fargo minus center. think thunder bay minus 4. we have a lot of warnings and watches. what we are concerned about here is blizzard watches as well as the high wind watches and warnings here, because that will bring the temperatures down because of wind chill into the minus 20 and 30 degrees range. dangerous situation right there. now, the rest of the snow will fall. we'll get a new batch of snow

out of canada affecting north dakota and minnesota. the arctic outbreak will make its way down to the south. watch the area of purple - wednesday, thursday colder. friday morning look at the lows we are expecting in atlanta. 21 degrees. miami, you'll see 47.

>> now the internet is open, anyone can visit any website, whether it belongs to a media company, called net neutrality, saying the internet access should be easy and equal amongst sites. today a federal appeals court ruled that the fcc cannot force

net neutralityies on verizon and others. jake ward is here internet like verizon. they are common carriers, responsible for bringing the internet to you without treat everything as equal and neutral. >> what will in the parlance of those that grew up with the internet. the idea of an equal access to all sites has been a bedrock principal and now the companies that bring you the internet have the option of blocking sites,

charging extra money to net otht a slower internet. network. the internet has been treated as a public resource. cable television, that's how it works, you could make that argument. most are not happy with how cable television works. i can't say that you&i would want to carry that model to loo cable television and how it's delivered. >> interesting to follow this.

>> only about one-third of adults in the united states got the flu shot last season. doctors say if that's the case many will be at risk. the center for disease control says h1 n 1. the flu is widespread in 35 states, rates are high in 13 states, and mostly in the south and south-west. >> high prices and long lines great people in colorado buying marijuana legally. in the state of washington regulators are working through thousands of applications for growing, processing and selling pot. allen schauffler is in north barna ball washington with that story. >> there's a lot of uncertainty. two cities to talk about, one, kenmore, where they look to washington d.c. and the obama administration for assurances that the pot-selling is legal

and okay. here, north barnaville, population 961, where the mayor and the city council have a different plan. >> licences for growing and processing marijuana will be issued next month with retail stores likely opening in june. different cities are taking different approaches. >> we are trying to be careful. >> we thought someone has to be first. >> kenmore is a city of 21,000. the mayor says he wants to honour voter wishes but the city has to protect economic interests, particularly federal grants for highway improvements. >> when we receive funds from the federal government we have to sign an affidavit saying we are in compliance with state and federal law. the justice department indicated that it will not interfere. that's policy and not law. in kenmore and dozens of cities,

a moratorium is in place. >> we want clarification and make sure that we are doing things the right way. >> mayor maker is concerned that while sellers get the profit, the city gets no direct payment. and could lose money. cities get nothing of that revenue. >> money is a big part of the reason for a different approach, 150 miles south in the city of north bonaville. >> we are looking at ways to ensure public safety and make sure the revenue generated stays within the community. >> the mayor is not worried about the collision with federal law. the city wants to own and run its own pot store. if we are involved from the start, we can have more n put into what happens and what goes on. >> north bonaville is the only

city to apply for a licence to sell. >> we are focused on doing it correctly, safe and how we can use the profits we do make to have a better community. >> lawyers who specialise in pot loss say waiting for clarification is a waste of time. >> my advice for the cities is to stop waiting. it's not binding law, but the best you can get. >> ken more and north bonaville two cities on two different tracks. >> what they have done is set up a public development authority, a citizens-run agency running the store and dispersing profits. there's a little buffer that way between city politics and money made. >> two retailers will be licensed.

they don't know if they'll get a licence and fhe business. >> now to the vatican. how is this for a pope mobile. it is pope francises custom maid harley davidson super glide bicycle. it was given as a gift. it will go to the highest bidder. the pope will auction the harley off next month, with the proceeds going to charity. >> the price tag for the bike is 20,000. the pope put his signature on the bike tank. >> coming up - almost extinct and now a rare lily may be lost forever. plus, to jackie. the condolence letters after the death of president kennedy. 50 years later they are being released.

>> in indonesia more than 25,000 fled their homes following a series of violent volcano eruptions. mount sinabung has been dormant but is now at the highest level

of alert. indonesia lies with 130 active volcanos. a rare plant may be closer to extinction. a miniature water lily has been stolen from a botanic garden in london. it has no common name, but the garden staff call it the pig ni rwandan lily. it's half an inch and the flower is barely larger than a fingernail. london's cue gardens is one of two places to cultivate the lily. >> for the first time today, never before seen letters of condole appses sent to jackie kennedy follow the assassination in 1963. in a collection available at the presidential library in boston, the letters are from the first lady's papers. we spoke to an author who has written extensively about jackie

kennedy. >> 50 years ago kennedy addressed the nature, thanking the country for the 800,000 letters received. the j.f.k. library released some of those letters that had not been sent before. letters from maxine mcnair, the moth are of the denise mcnair, who was killed at the age of 11 years old, by a ku klux klan bombing of a church. she talked about the shock, and it reminded her. the tragic news came across the airwaves, my matter said it isn't true, it didn't happen. she went on to say, "isn't it strange how people with so much to give in this world are taken. it's god's will, not for us to question." 50 years ago today

mrs. kennedy addressed the nation and thanked us for letters of condolences. there were heart-felt outpourings of grief. some were things like a 10-year-old girl wrote and said "i think you are the nicest lady in the world." i mean it too. she was trying to show the nation that she was stoic and you have to soldier on. >> there are 22,000 letters in the series, including telegrams, postcards and momentos from around the world. pages and pages of world war i history are a click away. the first batch of world war i diaries went online. britain's national archives took on the task. the collection is 1.5 million pages and they hope it will

>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. here are the top stories. in nigeria new laws are in place that sharply limit gay rights. the president signed legislation banning same sex marriage in that country. activists say police arrested dozens of people. israel's defence minister apologised after issuing harsh words, calling kerry obsessive and messianic and said the plan for peace between israel and the palestinians was not worth the paper it was written on. the white house condemned the comment. chris christie admits that makes were made and what he said at that