i'm ray suarez. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. an 84-year-old nun, scheduled to be sentenced today. whenever i can act on my own, to expand opportunity for more americans and help build our middle class, i'm going to do that. >> president obama this time ordering new fuel standards for u.s. trucks. and a look at how the fda is cracking down on those

television ads for prescription drugs. ♪ an elderly none who broke into a nuclear plant in tennessee is going to learn today how much time she is going to spend behind bars. jonathan martin is live outside of the courthouse in knoxville, and jonathan why did they break in to that plant that any first place? >> reporter: they say they broke in because they wanted to send a message to u.s. officials really expressing their disfaction of the stockpiling of nuclear weapons. the national security complex here in tennessee is supposed to

be one of the most secure places in the entire country, but these three peace activists were able to get into the cite, walk around for hours before anyone was able to catch them, they made their way up to one the enriched you yan um is stored, they spray painted the walls, splashed blood on the walls and hammered the walls. in the long one it also exposed a may security flaw. >> but jonathan, she's 84 years old. she is a nun. what type of prison term is she looking at. >> she and the other men are convicted of sabotage. i want to show you a number of peace activists are showing up here in support of megan rice outside of the court. if she is sentenced to those 20

years on the highing end, she could be talking about spending the rest of her life in prison, so a lot of people are showing up asking the judge to be lenient. a >> have they managed to fix security? >> well, yeah, there have been some changes. of course some of those we are not privy too. but even despite going there today, there is new fencing. there is more signage outside. they also have changed management out there and spent about $15 million to upgrade their overall security system. >> jonathan martin, thank you very much. another round of talks over iran's nuclear program currently underway in vienna. last year an agreement was

reached to temporarily freeze the nuclear program. soraya lennie has more on what to expect. >> reporter: the vienna talks are all about places like this, and what's going on in them. iran's nuclear facilities. the u.s. and its allies say iron's nuclear program is dangerous. iran says it is peaceful. both sides will try to find common ground to build a lasting deal. t the un says so far iran has kept his promises. >> translator: what is the future of this deal? i think iran will narrow things down by adhering to the agreement. all of the sanctions were imposed based on the nuclear issue, and if iran proves their activities are peaceful, the

west cannot continue the sanctions. >> reporter: the talks are expected to last for months, and there are serious challenges, particularly those posed by the israelis and saudis, who want a tougher deal and want to end iran's nuclear program not just limit it. >> translator: some are interested in continuation of regional tension and don't like that iran and the p5-plus-1 reached an agreement. they seek tension. i can name israeli's lobbyist as part of this. also saudi arabia and some of its traditional allies are interested in the failure of talks. >> reporter: for iran failure is unacceptable. what is happening at the same time are technical talks between iran and the un's atomic energy

agency. it's part of a two-track approach, and these technical talks on what iran may or may not have done in the past. iran has made seven commitments to clear up any outstanding issues by may. both sides hope this can build confidence boosting in vienna. and the prospects of a lasting political peace. president obama speaking a short time ago at a distribution center in maryland. he is using his executive powers once genocide stepping congress. annoying knew fuel standards for trucks. it is one of a number of executive actions he is taking on the issue of climate change. the president saying having more fuel efficient trucks will also boost the economy. >> for the first time in nearly 20 years, america producer more oil here at home than we buy from other countries.

all levels of dangerous carbon pollution that contributes to climate change has gone done as our production has gone up. and of the reasons why is because we dedicated ourselves to manufacturing new cars and new trucks that go farther on a gallon of gas. tomorrow the president heads to mexico where he will talk about a possible trade deal. the u.s. is seeking a prisoner swap with the taliban according to the "washington post." the obama administration has resume talks with the taliban to trade prisoners being held at guantanamo bay for army sergeant. it calls for five members of the f afghan taliban to be released into protective custody in exchange for the army sergeant.

a set back in talks between the taliban and pakistani government have been put on hold. >> reporter: these children can afford only one meal a day, and sometimes even that becomes a luxury. their mother cleans houses so she can afford to feed them. >> translator: i have no one else to earn for my family. it's very difficult for me to look after my children. at times we have no food. i know they have a miserable life, but what else can i do? >> reporter: she lives in a remote district. most of this area lacks basic facilities like clean water and electricity, and there are no real health or educational institutes here. she lost one of her sons in a suicide attack five years ago. her other boy was disabled in the sin incident, and her

husband had a heart attack after seeing the scattered remains of her son. >> my two sons went to the market. my elder son was killed and my other son disabled. i have no money for his treatment. i borrowed some from my relatives but i wasn't able to afford the expensive treatment. >> reporter: thousands of people are named by fighting here. she doesn't have much faith in the go. >> translator: going to get groerryes is a risk for us. i'm afraid to send out my children. no one has helped us, no one. the government has done nothing for us. the least they can do is provide treat for my son. >> reporter: so far the government hasn't been success at negotiating a deal with these people. despite her losses he is wants peace not revenge. >> translator: i do wish for these peace talks to succeed, then we will be able to go back

to our homes, and there will be no bomb blasts. like me no mather will have to lose her sons, no woman will have to become a widow. i need peace for my children. they should be able to play and have some happy moments. >> reporter: thousands like her are not asking for much. >> translator: i wish my children can getten education like other children. but we have no money to eat. two members of the punk band pussy riot have been released by police after being arrested in sochi. the women and 13 others were being questioned about a theft at a hotel where they were staying. violence breaking out again in ukraine.

this breaks weeks of relative calm in that country. at least three activists were killed in the clashes. >> reporter: a return to scenes that ukraine hasn't witnessed for weeks. anti-government protesters fighting with riot police surrounding parliament. ukraine's interior ministry says three officers were injured when protesters tried to drive a truck through their ranks. some demonstrators through stone and petrol bombs. earlier more than 10,000 people marched on independence square. their i'm to pressure parliament to debate a law that would restore the 2004 constitution, and limit the powers of the president. but when the discussion wasn't tabled opposition politicians who are a minority in parliament

blocked the session >> translator: as a responsibility politician, the president of ukraine should call early presidential and parliamentary elections. i'm convinced this will lower the temperature in society. it will be a way out, a brave decision. a and i'm urging him to pull the riot police off of the streets. >> reporter: so far the president shows no signs of doing that. on tuesday they attacked yanukovych's party headquarters, the latest reminder of the distance between the two. a settlement has lead an oklahoma pharmacy to stop selling an execution drug to the state of missouri.

the attorneys of michael taylor reaching that agreement, claiming that the execution drug can because severe pain. the state has plans to carry out the execution anyway. today the fda is announcing possible changes in tv commercials advertising those prescription drugs. erika pitzi tells us why consumer confusion seems to be playing a role in this. >> reporter: the lists of side effects in drug commercials sometimes seem to go on -- >> other risks include weight gain >> reporter: and on -- >> seizure, and impaired motor skills. >> reporter: the food and drug administration requires drugs to carry carrying of side effects. but now the fda is looking to fine tune those lists that

regulators say are often too long. the agency is starting a study to measure consumer comprehension when presented with less risks. the lesser ones could be covered by simply adding a line at potential additional risks. the hope is to better protect people by improving their overall understanding of the drug. that is erika pitzi reporting. it has been five years since president obama signed that economic stimulus package. the white house says it saved america from the brink of another great depression, but not everyone agrees. plus tensions boiling over in bangkok, as clashes between protesters turn deadly. said, h

you to ask... what did th what did they require on the property?

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. in south korea students are mourning the loss of their classmates who died when an auditorium roof collapsed. hundreds of others are recovering from their injuries. it is now believed that heavy snow caused the roof to come crashing down. police clashed with anti-government protesters in bangkok. >> reporter: police battle with protesters in thailand's capitol. on tuesday security forces launched their most concerted efforts yet to clear anti-government citizens which have paralyzed parts of bangkok for more than three months now. police called their operation the peace for bangkok commission. they tried to regain control of

government buildings that protesters had surrounded, including the parliament. but it was far from peaceful. dozens of protesters were injured as well as several police officers. gunfire was heard and a number of people were killed. the protesters insist they have been peaceful and that they will remain in the streets in spite of what they say is a violent police crackdown. people in thailand have had to live through a power struggle for almost eight years now. it's essentially the middle class supported by the establishment fighting against the prime minister and her billionaire brother. mass protests by both sides have taken place out there this time and been disbursed by the police. but the struggle seems endless and until that is settled the

cycle of protests seems certain to be repeated. ♪ wall street trying to regain the momentum it had before the president's day holiday. the nasdaq is showing strong gains thanks to tesla. it's shares are up 3%. the maker of the popular game candy crush is going publish. it will be listed on the new york stock exchange. the number of shares and the price have yet to be set. capitol one could be knocking on your door if you don't pay up. the bank's new contract says it can contact you in any manner, including coming to your home or your office. it indicates it will only visit customers when repossessioning large items like your car. china is now the world's

biggest buyer of gold. the chinese increased purchases by 23% last year. that puts china ahead of previous number one, india, by almost 100 tons. this week marks the fifth anniversary of president obama's massive stimulus bill. it was supposed to put millions of americans back to work. but americans are split on whether it did so. >> reporter: flash back five years to president obama just one month in office, signing the recovery act into law. >> the beginning of what we need to do to create jobs for americans scrambling in the wake of layoffs. >> reporter: today they are celebrating its success. >> it stopped the hemorrhaging. it gave us hope. it put people back to work. >> reporter: this white house report says the stimulus created

1.6 million jobs a year for four years, and avoided a second great depression, but much of america still calls the economy and unemployment their top concern. >> there are so many obstacles and things to go through to just survive every day. >> reporter: i think people expected there to be an upturn and it has been quite the opposite. >> reporter: republicans are attacking the act passed despite their objections. john boehner is calling it a classic case of big promises and big spending with little results. it is no wonder america lacks confidence in the economy. coming up next, san francisco has a brand new $6 billion bay bridge. but we'll tell you why one expert is now raising questions about its safety. plus an asteroid the size of three football fields flying by

earth. i must begin my journey, which will cause me to miss the end of the game. the x1 entertainment operating system lets your watch live tv anywhere. can i watch it in butterfly valley? sure. can i watch it in glimmering lake?

yep. here, too. what about the dark castle? you call that defense?! come on! [ female announcer ] watch live tv anywhere. the x1 entertainment operating system, only from xfinity. what is this place? where are we? this is where we bring together the fastest internet and the best in entertainment. we call it the x1 entertainment operating system. it looks like the future! we must have encountered a temporal vortex. further analytics are necessary. beam us up. ♪ that's my phone. hey. [ female announcer ] the x1 entertainment operating system, only from xfinity. tv and internet together like never before.

♪ welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. here are your headlines at this hour. another round of talks over iran's nuclear program currently underway in vienna. last year an agreement was reached to temporarily freeze the program, now officials are looking to make that deal permanent. the "washington post" reporting that the white house is k looking at a prisoner swap with the taliban. according to the post the white house has agreed to release five members of the taliban in exchange for birddoll. it is sentencing day for an elderly nun and two other peace activists who broke into tennessee nuclear plant. they admitted to the break in back in 2012. a judge will decide how much

time they face. leaks on the brand new san francisco bay bridge are raising concerns about the bridge's construction. 25 years and $6 billion later, there are new concerns about the construction. >> when you build big structures like this, bridges get water on them, in them, this thing was never designed to be water tight. >> reporter: andrew is taking us for an inspection of the eastern span of the bay bridge sthchl we were at this spot six months ago, at the bridge's opening. now we're looking for leaks. water is seeping from the deck into the steel frame below. but gordon says this is par for the course. an issue easily handled with continuing care. >> you just don't build a bridge like this, and dust off our hands and say here you go bay

area, and walk away. there is daily hourly maintenance on a structure like this. >> reporter: we entered the belly of the bridge. >> it's coming in here. >> reporter: construction and safety questions have dogged this project from the start, but in this case, gordon says these leaks are draining as they should. >> ultimately it will make its way here and drain out to the bay below. >> reporter: authorities say the bridge needed rain to be tested, and the bridge is performing exactly as planned. but an engineering professor disagrees. he has studied the bridge project for the past 15 years. >> if you have humid air next to steel, steel rusts, and you get

cur row shun. >> reporter: transportation officials say while the design may be innovative, it is not dangerous. >> the most attack thing to get across to the public is this bridge is safe. >> reporter: leaks are only one issue the bridge has to handle, the bay area straddles two fault lines and this show piece was built to survive multiple earthquakes. a tall order from the start. these early concerns should shake consumer confidence that the bridge could handle the big one when it hits. i'm meteorologist dave warren, talking about storms here. a lot of storms coming down

out-west. this is just east of aspen in colorado, an avalanche killed two people. that was from a camera from one of the people in the avalanche, now we're looking at snow across the northwest. rain in the valleys and we can have avalanche warnings issued. in the meantime we're looking at this storm moving out. this is the east now. new england states had a period of very heavy snow early this morning. three to close to four inches came down right about the rush hour. now things are improving greatly. high-pressure controls our for one day, and then another area of low-pressure moves in. a little warmer, so it looks like a period of rain and snow, but this will happen during the day tomorrow. this will be clearing out, and

then we're clear for at least another day or two before that big storm takes shape over the midwest. and this will have big impacts. the storm intensifies east of the rockies thursday. starting to see some rain develop and snow. big storm taking shape right over illinois, and just west of chicago. a wide range of weather coming in. first we talk about the winter stormer weather, but in this area may have some heavy rain, even severe weather. there's a risk for severe weather on thursday and friday as the storm moves east, and that will be followed by bittle old air and some storm again. a massive astro whisked by earth last night 2 million miles

away. it was traveling at 27,000 miles an hour when it zipped past. it posed no harm. thanks for watching al jazeera america. i'm del walters. "the stream" is next. and check us out 24 hours a day on aljazeera.com. ♪ hi, i am lisa fletcher and >> i am lisa fletcher. you are in the stream. states spend more on prisons than they do on schools. could a push from washington change that? we are going to take a look at renewed efforts to restore rights to ex acog s and ask if it could make communities safer and save tax dollars.