trying to reach more users. c.e.o. is paying more then $4 billion on what's app. part of the facebook's attempt to boost its popularity with the younger demographic. those are the headlines, "america tonight" is next. on "america tonight", can it hold. amid the chaos, promise of a ceasefire in ukraine, but tempered by a step back. >> tapped out. in a californian community this counts on a flow of vintages and visitors, how the drought emergency is drying up hope. >> agriculture it the business of hope. you are planting, you have the crops and they require water. >> is it there a way to grow a

future? >> the palestine people is a story of a farmer that lost their land. >> the jordan valley, and why this rough patch may be the best path to peace. good evening, thanks for joining us, i'm joie chen. is it really over. amid spiralling violence and opposition, ukraine's president viktor yanukovych announced on his website that he and opposition leaders had agreed to a truce. whether this holds or not, the stunning images we have seen over the last two days, the capital city, kiev, on fire. a harsh crackdown by government forces and fierce push back by opponents aimed at forcing

change remain vivid and raise bigger questions about the important former soviet satellite nation. and why tensions exploded in the center of maydan - independence square. in the heart, fires smoulder. police wait to see if the latest reports of truce take hold. the memory of tuesday's clashes still raw. ukraine and american george travelled to maydan, but fund himself in the middle of a law. >> some got over a fence, some didn't. there was a gate. everybody tried to push into there. that didn't work. i was clunked. >> 25 died, including police

officers. >> translation: they are injuries caused by shrapnel, firearms, bullets, plastic bullets and there was also live round. >> condemnation came quickly, including for president obama. we called the ukrainian government responsible for making sure that it is dealing with peaceful protesters in an appropriate way. it includes making sure the ukrainian military does not step in to what should be a set of issues that could be resolved by civilians. both sides are dug in. vitaly klitschko took to youtube to blame the government. >> viktor yanukovych is responsible for terrorizing citizens, he alone is capable of stopping it. >> the government blamed the protesters. >> this is not a demonstration of democracy or will of the people. it's a manipulation and attempt to force authority.

al jazeera's jennifer glasse was in the share as protesters geared up for another violent night. >> you can see down here over the square this is what people are doing, getting ready for the next round of battles, that they say is coming. >> in a series of rapid fire political and diplomatic developments, viktor yanukovych met opposition leaders and announced a truce, cooling it the beginning of negotiations aimed at a succession of blood shed and stabilization of the situation in the country for the sake of civil peace. >> a well-known journalist andrei dobriansky joins us. is there an indication that the government is ready to negotiate an end to the standoff? >> i'm joy to have a ceasefire at the moment. everyone in maydan is prepared

to see another attack from the government troops. there is not much trust towards the government. >> you don't believe there's much trust. if there's a ceasefire at the moment, you think that may not last? >> absolutely. >> why are you so suspicious. many times it has happened, we were told it would not attack, and they did the opposite. >> what are you seeing or hearing in the square now, what are people saying. >> people are committed to what they do. if they wanted to scare people, they got the opposite result. there's thousands of committed

peop people. >> do you think the will of the people is weakened? >> not really. many people feel exhausted and tired. on the other hand, i think most of the people here, the maydan, many, for them, it's a unique chance to start major changes in the country. for a couple of occasions this country has been communist soviet legacy. most of us, it's a chance to re-establish the country in a noble and promising way. >> what will end the conflict. what will end the clashes in maydan now? >> people would like to see justice. they would like all the police officers responsible for the violence to be punished, all the

protesters released and see constitutional changes, and many would like to see an early presidential election. >> and does this require that the president step down before the protesters leave the maydan. >> legally there are several ways to get a presidential election. basically we are talking about president viktor yanukovych stepping down. what we see in ukraine in the recent days and weeks, i think we - the talks of peace, lig mate he loses as a president. i cannot imagine that he becomes the president of the nation after what has happened. >> do you think it's possible that he's ready to step down? >> i think it is, and with the enormous pressure from the

central, and the western community, he should understand that the election is the best way for the nation and the best way for him. >> we appreciate your being with us and giving us the insight from the scope there.. >> thank you so much. >> now, from one battle to another, this one closer to home for those of us here at al jazeera. the trial in egypt of three journalists of al jazeera english gets under way in cairo on thursday. producers mohamed fadel fahmy, and mohammed badr, and correspondent peter greste have been in detention for almost two months already, charged with having links to a terrorist organization and for spreading false news. meantime a global campaign for their release has been growing. "america tonight"'s lori jane gliha has more.

>> after almostate weeks in prison three al jazeera journalists will appear no court to respond to allegations that they supported terrorism by doing their job. mohamed fadel fahmy, mohammed badr and peter greste are among 20 charged. >> on christmas day the government declared the muslim brotherhood a terrorist organization, the culmination of a 6-month stand offpiting the brotherhood, and mohamed morsi against others. peter and his team looked for the impact. >> there's no alternative, no organizations make it down here. the government's decision is like likely to increase anger and resentment. >> security forces raided the journalists' hotels and arrested them. they were taken to the notorious toura prison where mohamed morsi

and his staff are being held. it will be weeks before charges are filed against them. >> in the meantime a global campaign calling for their release and press freedom picked up steam. the committee to protect journalists named egypt as one of the top 10 places for gaoling journalists and dangerous places for journalists to work. >> journalists and media freed am advocates gathered to voice outrage. from pakistan to peter greste's home base in kenya. across the globe leading journalists send a message to egyptian authorities. members of our own "america tonight" staff participated in the campaign. wednesday staff of british and international broadcasters gather outside egypt in protest ahead of the start of the trial. >> the crackdown is an abuse of

freedom and human rights. it's important that journalists do their job freely in egypt. >> it's the implications for the reporting that had international players concerned. >> the figures, regardless of affiliation should be protected and permitted to do their jobs freely in egypt. we have expressed concerns to the government of egypt in april to your question and urged the government to drop the charges and release the journalists and academics who have been detained. >> indeed, rests, detention and harassment are common. al jazeera has been singled out by the rulers. who accused qatar of bank rolling the muslim brotherhood. sips mohamed morsi's removal from power, dozens of staffers have been arrested, detained, beaten and harassed, offices raided and shutdown.

>> in an interview with german television, egypt's foreign minister insists that they treat journalists. >> our government and courts protect the baisk rights of -- basic rights of journalists. our government issued a declaration welcoming the appearance of foreign journalists, as long as they are accredited and observe egyptian law. >> ahead of the star, the detained journalists' relatives are concerned and hoping for a quick resolution. >> our first hope is unrealistic as it sounds, that they are acquitted on the first day. the next best thing is there isn't a long adjournment. >> the three men on al jazeera america's team are not the only ones on trial. 17 other journalists are being

tried in absentia, including sue turton, she's been in and out of cairo since the revolution in 2011. here is her story in her own words. >> in an alert that peter greste smuggled out of prison, he talked about how the stories he covered were unremarkable, they were a daily news fodder for a 24 hour news station. that's how i look back on that time. i turned up in september and was live at the arab league when we heard that the bureau in cairo had been raided. we moved out of the bureau and moved into a hotel. the marriott, which is accused of being a terrorist creme. we went dark, where you become the special correspondent that we don't name for security reasons. i reported for al jazeera america or english, on the telephone, or we'd put out a

story. i wouldn't put my name or face to it. we were concerned authorities wanted to close us down. a few weeks later i left. i came back in. we decided to start again. do all starts of stories, pollution, tv satire, the cotton industry in egypt, the gamut of stories. when i left in the early part of november, there didn't seem to be an immediate threat on the journalists. with the crackdown of all journalists in cairo, not just the foreign journalists who they were being careful, but the domestic media. they were starting to only broadcast what the milt-backed -- military-backed government wanted to be said or aired. no one was contradicting what the government was to say. there i was, christmas day, 25th december, anchoring for al jazeera, when peter greste

popped up on a live link and told us that the muslim brotherhood have been deemed a terrorist organization by the authorities in egypt. peter talked about how this was going to impact the whole of egypt. this was small areas protesting, going out on the streets saying that mohamed morsi, the head of the muslim brotherhood should be the president and a coup had removed him and that it was against the constitution of the country. i remember thinking to myself how peter was very balanced in his report,ing in spite of fact he's been in cairo a couple of weeks. he's been the eastern african respondent for a long time. he's an experienced journalist who worked for the bbc and the u.k., and has awards for a documentary made in somalia, he was well respected. it's 53 days since they've been in prison, 53 days, certainly from the beginning of that time,

d particularly when they were in dreadful circumstances. mohamed fadel fahmy and mohammed badr were kept in the scorpion prin, the most effective maximum security prison. their situation there was dreadful. they were turning the lights off 24 hours a day, they were getting little food, all possessions were taken off them. mohamed fadel fahmy had a dislocated shoulder, it was broken, and desperate for medical attention. early february i think it was, they have been put in the same cell, things have slightly improved. we hope and pray it's because there's been an uproar by the international press against their incarceration. not just on social media with a twitter campaign and facebook, and demonstrations on the streets like the one in london, but also the diplomatic proshure that has been going on across the world.

a lot of the time behind closed doors, sometimes maybe the white house came out and said we absolutely aber what is happening for journalists and we call for them to be released. very many other senior figures in government saying to the egyptian authorities, this is you locking up bona fide journalists and not terrorists. that is what we hope will happen as the court case opens on thursday. we hope three judges will recognise that the charges are against proper journalists just doing their job, and charges against them are politically motivated and they will throw the charges out of court and release our guys and clear the charges against myself and other al jazeera journalists. that's what my message, i suppose, is to the court. recognise that they are journalists doing their job. >> al jazeera's sue turton on

the outcry to free our colleagues. >> when we return - tightening the taps. >> we don't serve water automatically, and we make sure when people ask for water, we don't stick it in a big cup, we stick it in a smaller cup. north carolina's desperate measures and how close this community is to its last drob. also ahead - florida's latest stand your ground shooting controversy. a view from inside the jury room, and the verdict. why to one was convicted of killing young jordan davis. america brings you controversial... >> both parties are owned by the corporations. >> ..entertaining >> it's fun to play with ideas. >> ...thought provoking >> get your damn education. >> ...surprising >> oh, absolutely! >> ...exclusive one-on-one interviews with the most interesting people of our time.

>> you're listening because you want to see what's going to happen. >> i want to know what works what do you know works? >> conversations you won't find anywhere else. >> talk to al jazeera. >> only on al jazeera america. >> oh my! al jazeera america. we understand that every news story begins and ends with people. >> the efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. >> we pursue that story beyond the headline, pass the spokesperson, to the streets. >> thousands of riot police deployed across the capital. >> we put all of our global resources behind every story. >> it is a scene of utter devastation. >> and follow it no matter where it leads - all the way to you. al jazeera america, take a new look at news.

there's more to finical news than the ups and downs of the dow. for instance, can fracking change what you pay for water each month? have you thought about how climate change can effect your grocery bill? could rare minerals in china effect your cell phone bill? or, how a hospital in texas

could drive up your health care premium. i'll make the connections from the news to your money real. >> the. >> the drought emergency is becoming more dire with every drop. cute emergency, ten municipalities in risk of running out of water in ten days. residents who depend on well water. willits, the gateway to the redwoods. as chris bury reports, desperate times are calling for desperate measures. >> the small city of willits in northern california has a big problem: it is dangerously close to running out of water.

the supply is down to only about 100 days. the reservoirs that willits depends on are nearly empty. residents such as nicole flamer are approaching the point of desperation. >> we have x number of days of water left. and then what, i don't have a well at my house. >> water is so scarce, the city has ordered mandatory restrictions. 150 gallons per household per day. that's not much for a family of four. considering that flushing the toilet takes seven gallons. 10ist long is among those turning -- dennis long is among those turning down the pap. >> if you cut down to five minutes in a hot shower, turning off the tap and that helps. i know of sell people who are sponge-bathing. >> 150 miles north of san francisco, the city normally gets about 50 inches of rain a year. last year less than 17 inches fell, the

dryest year since the state started keeping records. willits are among 17 towns to impose water restrictions. no sprinkling of lawns, washing cars is allowed only with recycled water. businesses must cut water usage by 50%, businesses are closing for house at a time. >> we don't serve water automatically and we also make sure when people ask for water we don't stick it in a big cup. we stick it in a smaller cup. >> at buster's burgers, on maintain street where water is the talk of the town, melody seaton and others are making a point of not wasting water. >> we have to be cautious. >> and when melody leaves home,

the rationing continues. >> i have three kids. i've asked them don't leave the water running when you're brushing your teeth, use your towel twice. >> in the area south of the city, vineyards flourish. going into some of california's finest wines. here in sonoma county, in the thick of wine country, wine makers are worried about the worst drought i in histories , depending on the tourists that this county depends on. california has been so warm and dry that buds are appearing weeks ahead of schedule. more rain is needed for irrigating to keep them growing. john jordan whose family owns a

winery and 1200 acres in sonoma county, tells us rainfall is only 1/10 of normal. >> the rainy season comes in november and december. here when normally those months when reservoirs are filling and there's no demand for water in the vineyards, instead we are actually having to draw water from reservoirs that are not filling to protect against frost and to irrigate during a time of year when rain should be abundant and the grapes should be receiving water from rain rather than from reservoirs. >> jordan says it's too early to know how the drought will protect this year's vintage. growers are keeping their fingers crossed. >> agriculture hope. significant quantities of water is what they require. >> much of that water comes from the russian river, a vital supply for an area from sonoma

to san francisco. the tony town of healdsburg. >> the life blood, it really is, a huge source of water for drink vineyards. it's a source of water for salt salmon and steelhead. nobody has seen the river this low in -- that they can remember. it just hasn't happened. >> the kayak and canoe business depends directly on the russian river and the tourists who flock to wine country. but now much of the river is barely navigable. 20 feet below normal for this time of the year. >> it's pretty sobering, you can literally walk across the river. and you shouldn't be able to do that. you shouldn't be able to do that

in the summertime. it's lower than i've ever seen it. it's scary, very scary. >> scary and very sobering for the mayor of healdsburg and many others. the worst drought on record has led to a new appreciation for a far more vital resource: water. chris bury al jazeera, sonoma county, california. >> following up on the emergency, california governor jerry brown is proposing $687 million in relief and water conservation aimed at the environment and health impacts. joining us is linda rudolph, co-director for the center for climate change and health. appreciates you being with us linda. outline for us, it's hard for us to unthat more path owe -- to understand that more path owe

pathogens exposed. >> in ground award basins, what are contaminants or pathogens are going to be concentrate concentrated. just as you take salt out of a salty area you'll have more salinity. we are concerned that there are groundwater basins in california that are already contaminated from nitrates or nitrogen fertilizers or industrial chemicals or chemicals from industrial processes and as the water levels drop they can become more concentrated and makes it harder to treat the water. >> you're also looking at disease risk right? >> there are a couple of source he of disease risk that may be -- sources of disease risk that may be increased because of the drought. surface levels that become low

may have more pathogens in them, because the water temperature rises because of e. coli or salmonella, you can get more stagnant water that provides breeding grounds for modificatio mosquito et cetera that transmits west nile virus. creating more dust, the dust carries pollen, particulate matter which again irritates the respiratory system. and in california's central valley may carry the spores of diseases like valley fever that is a fungal disease. >> sounds like a dust bowl period of the '30s right? >> in the '30s people had

actually so much dust exposure that they died from dust pneumonia. and hopefully we won't experience that in california. >> okay quick thought here. we've heard in chris bury's report the idea of people taking shorter showers, mopping every other day, restaurants, people not getting water, in what sense, do we need to come to california to make a real difference here? >> we really need to look overall at how we can use our water more efficiently in agricultural and industries and in our residences, so that we are conserving what is a very, very precious resource. we need to take steps to make sure that we don't further contaminate our precious groundwater aquifers, how we can reuse or recycle water, there are many ways to do that. we need to look at capturing rainwater so we can conserve

water that otherwise would run off and flood our streets so there's many, many strategies. >> gotcha. linda rudolph, thank you. thanks very much. >> when we return, breaking the silence. a juror tells what really happened behind closed doors. a gunman that fired to stand his ground. >> no doubt about it, innovation changes our lives. opening doors ... opening possibilities. taking the impossible from lab ... to life. on techknow, our scientists bring you a sneak-peak of the future, and take you behind the scenes at our evolving world. techknow - ideas, invention, life. on al jazeera america

al jazeera america gives you the total news experience anytime, anywhere. more on every screen. digital, mobile, social. visit aljazeera.com. follow @ajam on twitter. and like aljazeera america on facebook for more stories, more access, more conversations. so you don't just stay on top of the news, go deeper and get more perspectives on every issue. al jazeera america.

s >> now a snapshot of headlines. the t.s.a. on extra alert after a threat of shoe bomb involving flights entering the united states. a specific float has not been identified nor is it

related to the toothpaste throat sochi. >> the wisconsin national guard soldier who posted this photo on instagram has been suspended. more than a dozen soldiers were casket. >> in san diego - border patrol shot and killed someone who threw a large rock. >> the curtain is pulled back on the latest stand your ground controversy, we watched a jury debate the mate of michael dunn. over the death of jordan davis. we ponder the jury's decision. it misunderstand dunn guilty of attempted murder, but couldn't agree on the serious charge,

first degree murder. now a juror probing her silence, telling abc news about the angry fight from the jury room and what they thought happened. >> a jury of seven women and five men convicted dunn on four of five counts of attempted murder. they were deadlocked on the first degree murder charge. juror number four identified as valerie says, "the claim of . >> i said you're not going to kill me you son of [ bleep ]. >> a life was taken, there's no longer a jordan davis, and there's one had been why that is. we pretty much knew after about two days with the self-defence thing that we'd be hung. the judge declared a mistrial on that count. the juror who spoke said the

panel was split 9 to 3. dunn never denied shooting dave. three of the nine bullets hit jordan davis, who was in the rear passenger street. juror number four said race was never discussed. jordan davis's parents said they believe the jury acted in good faith and hope a new jury will bring justice to their son. >> criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor ken joins us from florida. this is what we couldn't understand, what the jury was thinking. if you thought in this individual was guilty of attempted murder, how could there be no decision when it involved a death of the individual. was there an answer from what the juror said? >> well, this juror gave everything a lot of insight into

what went on in the jury room. you had 12 people that had to dlish rate and lisp to the evidence. problem listen to the juror, two and three jurors were convinced they had a doubt about self-defence. in other words they bout the self-defence argument, including the stand your ground instruction, preventing them coming back with a guilty verdict. the insight is helpful to the defense and prosecution, the next time the case is retried in front of a new 12 member jury. >> i want to read state government that juror number four said. she said: >> she did say that she felt

that mr dunn was guilty of the murder, but also what she's referring to here has to do with the shots. that is to say the jury convicted him of the attempted murder because the vehicle was moving away when he continued to fire, right. >> well, it's interesting. i mean, there could be a lot of interpretations to that. clearly she is saying the sequence, the time that it took to fire the shots entered into the deliberations. there's a reason they were able to come back of guilty of attempted second degree murder, not first degree murder, but guilty of the lesser included crimes on counts two, three and four of attempted murder. we are left with the main charge, first degree murder, of the timing, how they were over a period of time, on a time line, that three of them had a not guilty verdict in their lines

because of self-defence. again, our attention needs to be drawn back after the case is conconcluded as to whether the stand your ground law plays a part in causing confusion or a problem with juries coming back with unanimous verdict in self-defence cases where the applied. >> throughout the discussions and dlibations you said you were concerned going after the murder one charge, how hard it would be to get a conviction, where if the prosecutor made is a different decision, it may have been different. how does that play on, going forward, when the prosecutor says she's going to go again? >> now that the prosecutors knows that three jurors wanted a not guilty for self-defence, i think the prosecution needs to focus and redouble their efforts

on making sure they get the message across to the next jury, that the jury has the power to give great weight, some weight or no weight at all to the testimony of mr dunn, and we expect him to take the stand because self-defence is an affirmative defence. if the prosecution shows the next jury that they have the power to disbelief, not give credit to the testimony of mr dunn, you may be able to close the gap and convince the 12 jurors that he is guilty, and there is no reasonable doubt on the self-defence issue. >> and a last thought about jordan davis's parents, they have been out, they are concerned about getting justice for their son. have they handled this the right way, when we know there's going to be additional prosecution going forward? >> i think so.

they have handled this with grace, like any family under the circumstances with a son that has been killed. they handled it well. they gave credibility to the process of having a child of mr dunn. they have given credit to the jury trying to do the right thing, and do justice, and made statements that the jury acted in good faith. the family has been well composed and did everything appropriate under these circumstances. >> criminal defense attorney and prosecutor. thank you for your insight throughout the trial. >> thank you for having me. >> when we return to "america tonight", growing a future. >> the village was dead for 47 years. by bringing people back, we bring soil back to the land, we bring it to life again. >> why the jordan river valley peace.

>> and later - silicon valley. >> who you are and what you've done is less than your ideas and how ambitious you are and where you can take it >> if they can make it there,

real reporting that brings you the world. >> this is a pretty dangerous trip. >> security in beirut is tight. >> more reporters. >> they don't have the resources to take the fight to al shabaab. >> more bureaus, more stories. >> this is where the typhoon

came ashore. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. >> al jazeera, nairobi. >> on the turkey-syria border. >> venezuela. >> beijing. >> kabul. >> hong kong. >> ukraine. >> the artic. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. >> with a new deadline looming for the palestine-israeli peace talks looming. secretary of state john kerry met trying to find a way. the latest round hinges on one round, the jordan river valley. it's an israeli occupied strip of the jordan river. running along the

west bank. >> all his life this man has been a farmer. with the help of his son he harvests egg plants in fields he rents. but for this 53-year-old this land is not home. he lived, until he was six, on the jordan river. >> he was forced to move to these fields with his family. >> my home is down by the river. i consider the place i grew up, where i was born, our land, where we used to be free. >> israeli has the keys to his old farm. this man is, too, a farmer. beyond the security gate, beyond the mile-wide security zone, he harvests 6,000 date palms. this is one of the regions prized plots, a few hundred feet from the border with jordan. >> there's not too much land

elsewhere. this is the only land available to walk and cultivate. >> the jordan valley is a flash point in the israeli-palestine peace talks. the u.s. is trying to create a plan to ease concerns and transition the plan from israeli to palestine control. >> for his rail the valley is security. israel floods the area with farms and military to create a buffer. mining are planted through the valley. the sound of jets - the air force uses this as a training space. palestinians are not allowed here. thailand. >> it is a bit silly to have a palestinian following the army, asking permission to go to the border. it's a bit silly.

palestine. >> it's my land. >> the story of palestine people is the story of a farmer who lost his land. >> down the land this man is trying to take back the land one village at a time. decades. >> i studied what martin luther king did, gandhi, mandela. >> they need the valley. >> the jordan valley is the food basket. the jordan valley has the borders. we can't have free import or export without it. >> he fights the occupation not with weapons, but hammers and nails. he advocates nonviolence. today he is trying to

repopulate a village. by bringing people back we bring soil back to the land and bring it to life. >> they sleep in tents,ate cold breakfasts. and they chant that the occupation needs to end, a few feet from armed israeli soldiers. a few hours later, at about 1am the soldiers moved in. they used stun grenade, rounding up hundreds of activists, but they refused to be intimidated. nearby in an organization ambulance, he patched up a victim. soldiers drove the campaign out. other activists picked up where he left off. in the jordan valley they create a village called joseph. >> we will sleep in the open with no fear.

proof we are the rightful owners of the land. for a few hours israeli soldiers left them alone and approached them with cameras. as soon as the palestinians opened a tent, the soldiers shut them down. calmly the soldiers arrested the activists, they did not resist. but this nonviolent resistance we are trying to impose peace. we want the israeli establishment to under there is a cost and price of occupation and apartheid. >> that price is being paid by israeli farmers. israel's settlement has led to boycotts. israeli farmers lost $30 million in sales. they are willing to give up profits. israel is discussing annexing the jordan valley.

to show me why, high on the hill of a farm, the local mayor shows an abandoned military outpost. for his rail this is strategic depth. we are what stops anything vicious coming from the east. >> israel resisting the plan to move troops out, israel insists hands. >> i don't believe that any prime minister will give up the jordan valley for any agreement. >> i hope we'll have faith. i don't see it happening in my life. until then we carry on living, making living. we still have to bring bread to the table. yakko will continue his date farming and hozo and his family

will live on land they don't consider home. >> john kerry is more interested in the israeli people that give rights to the palestine people. >> until the u.s. can find a solution acceptable to both sides, the dispute over the jordan valley will prevent israelis and palestinians from finding peace. >> looking ahead on the program - on the front lines with the taliban. >> an ambush, and questions about the strength of the taliban today. a special fault lines investigation on thursday - on the front line with the taliban. ahead in final thoughts - new york city getting in tune with technology, the workforce in silicon alley.

consider this. the news of the day plus so much more. answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> it seems like they can't agree to anything in washington no matter what. al jazeera america. we open up your world. >> here on america tonight, an opportunity for all of america to be heard. >> our shows explore the issues that shape our lives. >> new questions are raised about the american intervention. >> from unexpected viewpoints to live changing innovations, dollars and cents to powerful storytelling. >> we are at a tipping point in america's history! >> al jazeera america. there's more to it.

>> finally from us this hour, technology is of course a staple in all our lives. it is also changing where jobs are today and who's filling them. the high tech center was once centered in the silicon valley. but new york city's silicon alley is not only now creating more jobs but more job equality as well. >> for many years, people thought new york was a one horse town, thriving on a financial sector. but there's a new horse in town. since 2007 the tech industry has grown 11%, adding 2600 jobs and nearly $6 billion in wages. >> new york has been able to grab on to the rise of the new wave of technology, advertising financial services, publishing all the things that new york is

good at, are things that are -- that the technology has been sort of driving off of. >> that makes tech the second largest contributor to the private sector behind finance as and real estate. but the tech boom has another benefit, it's bringing jobs to the boroughs and also to another kind of workers. >> what new york has is these outlying boroughs that are still partly of the city, that are cheaper, and where you can set up at a relatively low expense. that's kind of what's happened here, a spreading out of the jobs to other parts of new york. this is fantastic in terms of creating opportunity for minorities in new york. >> for example, queens has 2.2 million residents half of whom were born outside of the u.s. making convenes one of the most diverse communities in the entire country. queens native ju kai su started a tech company.

>> you don't necessarily have to go to an elite institution to break into the industry. so i think that presents an amazing opportunity, if we can teach people and provide the skills to students and people from kind of diverse communities here in queens and also from low to moderate income backgrounds it's a tremendous opportunity for mobility, increasing people's income. >> the numbers back him up. there's 25% more african americans, and for hispanic hispanics also. william atundi, his company connects artistsen online. he says new york's tech boom is the great social equalizer. >> not a cloi cloistered thing, it's a universal phenomenon.

who you are and what you've done matters less than your ideas and how ambitious you are and where you can take it. >> that will level the playing field greatly. morgan radford, al jazeera new york. >> that does it for us tonight. if you want to comment on any of our stories log on to our website, aljazeera.com/americatonight. we will have more of "america tonight" tomorrow. while you were asleep news was happening. >> here are the stories we're following. >> find out what happened and what to expect. >> international outrage. >> a day of political posturing. >> every morning from 5 to 9 am al jazeera america brings you more us and global news than any other american news channel. >> tell us exactly what is behind this story. >> from more sources around the world. >> the situation has intensified here at the border. >> start every morning, every day 5am to 9 eastern. >> with al jazeera america.

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