>> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. bulldozers and bear hands pulling victims from the debris of a massive mudslide in washington state. but signs of hope as a four-year-old boy as you can see here is rescued. >> if russia continues on its current course, however, the isolation will deepen. >> president obama warning russia of new sanctions unless it negotiates with world series. >> osama bin laden's son-in-law found guilty on all counts.

and objects found on satellite that may be linked to malaysia flight 370. >> five days after a mudslide buried a small washington town authorities are still sifting through the debris looking for dozens of missing people. we're also getting a look at the dramatic rescue of a four-year-old boy you can see here in the corner of the picture, who was trapped. but as you can see here was rescued. at least 16 people have died, and that number will rise much higher. al jazeera's abby gibbs is in arlington, washington, for us. >> reporter: we just finished hearing from emergency response officials, and we've got good news in all of this. first off the river levels

dropped easing fears of flooding this week, and those rescued this week are all improving at the hospital, all great news, but we're now into day five of this search. there are 200 search and rescue people on the ground trying to find anyone who is still alive. they're seeing federal assistance from the national guard and fema. now on tuesday they were able to locate eight bodies and they should recover those today. they hope that is what they're doing as we speak. that will bring the death toll to 24. 176 people are are still missing. this is a methodical search done mostly by hands and the cadaver dogs. that seems to be the best. they're still calling this a searcsearch and rescue. they continue to hope to find someone alive today. >> let's bring in mary beth o'leary with snohomish county management, mary beth, thanks

for talking to us. we know you're busy. what is the latest you can share with us on the search? >> we don't have any updated numbers from this morning. we did--there were eight more bodies located late yesterday, but because it was late in the day, and daylight was going away, we had to wait until today. so that is part of the task for today, extracting those eight bodies, and then also the search continues. >> and mar marybeth, talk to usw difficult this is. we've seen reports that the rescue and recovery teams are having great difficulty getting to different areas because the ground in certain areas is still pretty unstable, is that correct? >> unstable as well as the consistency of quick sand. there is a lot of water in the dirt, and so getting out into

that, in some places, you know, two meters high of debris, getting across that, and all of the debris that is with it is just really difficult, especially out in the middle of it. they're working from the edges, obviously. >> tell me about the forecast for later in the week as the teams continue to try to do their work. my understanding is that rain is moving back into the area later in the week, and that will only make things, i would imagine, more difficult. >> yes, rain is a difficulty for us. one, it adds to the water that is in the dirt. it adds to the river level where the mudslide happened. it blocked the river and the water behind it, the water up stream from that is continuing to rise, so all of those factors make the rescue more difficult. >> well, marybeth, we're used to seeing these rescue efforts

all-hands on deck sort of thing. is there anything that the county needs to assist in this effort? >> at this point the county has said that they are in good shape, that the responders that they have, and the volunteers that they're using only local volunteers, people who know the area, and have specific skills as soilers, loggers, heavy equipment operators, they believe they have what they need right now, and so we're just mostly asking for thoughts and prayers and donations. >> and better weather would help as well. >> yes. >> marybeth, we appreciate your time. marmarybeth o'leary with the snohomish management. president obama took center stage when he met with n.a.t.o. and european union leaders in

belgium. he said that russia must not be allowed to run roughshod over ukraine. i'm curious how much was really accomplished tonight? >> reporter: well, tony, that's a great question. it's day three in europe for president obama, and it's another day of president obama making the case not only to european leaders but european citizens, if it comes to sanctions against russia. if russia continues to escalate the crisis in ukraine, any sanction is going to be well worth the price. european leaders in the union building behind me, and then on to a very broadly speech to young people where he invoked democracy, let's listen.

>> we want the russian people to live in prosperity, dignity like everyone else, proud of their own history. but that does not mean that russia can run roughshod over its neighbors. >> in a sense it was a broadly iis heisemantic speech. he talked about the need to bring russia in line to continue to isolate russia. this was a continuing theme over the last three days, stressing unity with european allies, but he also left the door open for further diplomacy. >> russia's leadership is challenging truths that only a few weeks ago seemed self-evident. that in the 21st century the borders of europe cannot be redrawn with force. >> the president has left

brussels, belgium. he's on to southern europe now. first thing he has a meeting with pope francis. >> what is the latest on the secret service agents who were sent home? >> reporter: oh, there were three, actually, tony, and this happened--this happened right off the bat. it happened before the president arrived in the netherlands on the outset of this trip to europe. we have confirmed through sources with the secret service, they have been sent home for disciplinary reasons. they're called the counter assault team. we often see them on the white house ground. they're heavily armed and in motorcade, they're the president's last line of defense if the unthinkable were to happen. one was found drunk and passed out in a hotel hallway in amsterdam, before the president

arrived in a night of partying. this hearkens back to a previous scandal, do you remember another foreign service trip in cart hane colombia. they were send home for disciplinary reasons. >> mike viqueira for news brussels. good to see you. thank you. as russia and the west battle over crimea people who live in the disputed black sea peninsula are trying to adjust to a new life now that russia has taken complete control of the area. jennifer glasse in sevastopol as we now have to call russian crimea? >> reporter: well good evening, tony. you know life has not changed an awful lot for many people. there are some bumps in the

road, lots of changes that still have to be done here. you know, they've got the currency, they'll take things slowly. people's concerns--they're very enthusiastic about the pension--you can hear the dogs behind me, they are throwing me off a bit. people think that pensions will be higher, benefits will be higher, the army will be paid better, but even as this transition from ukraine russia happens, there are lots of changes that have to be made. [ knocking on door ] >> igor is looking for a buyer in sevastopl for his two-floor, two bedroom apartment. he spent eight months renovating. how much will it be? sadly right now i can't put a price on t he says because with the change between russia and

ukraine, he said, the rules just aren't clear yet. you that could mean a difference of $25,000 or more on his asking price, which is around $200,000 the real estate agent said the changes mean all she can do right now is look for properties to sell and wait for things to become clearer. you. >> we still don't know what the russian rules are yet, but i think we will know soon. >> she doesn't even know what interest rates will be. her firm is selling dozens of apartments all over the city. now it's just a waiting game, she said. russia wasted no time in taking control of crimea. on the streets of sevastopol, it says one russia. >> the shops are open, and people are going about their daily lives. but there is still a lot of work

to be done for the transition to be complete. >> reporter: much of it falls on officials, members of sevatopol legislature. people ask her about currency and passports. >> not anyone who wants to stay will be called an outcast. >> i thank them for the sanctions, she said, you know why? because it will force us to take care of ourselves faster. ivan is also looking to make the transition to russian rule smoother. ukraine, he said, is not helping. >> we're being sabotaged by the ukrainian government because they won't give us access to registries or real estate documents. they just won't give them to us.

>> reporter: he said ukraine is withholding health and court records proof that ukraine does not care about the people of crimea. officials work to bring sevastopol in line are russia, a new generation is practicing old traditions here. >> and tony, there is a real urgency here to get all of those little niggly things sorted out like what will tourists need to get here this summer? will they need russian visas? crimea visas? crimea depends on tourism, and they're confident that people will come. but will cruise ships be allowed to come here? all of that will still be decided. >> jennifer, what is happening right now with the ukrainian military there in cry maria?

>> reporter: well, they got the order to leave, waiting for it all to be organized. we have big movement tonight the head of the air force base, it macon vince some of the military to finally leave. they're waiting for their commanders to be released. but of course they've live here they've got children in school here. russian also take a list of who is going to stay, who is going to go, and they're trying to organize who is going to go, and there are many maybe leaving by train. it's a wrenching time for ukrainian military, very despondent and unhappy with how this has turned out here thrown off their bases, off their ships, and now heading back to a

broken up ukraine on the mainland. >> the moment you go back live we hear the dogs again. i want to know who let the dogs out cage those dogs. i apologize for that, thank you. >> owe saoweosama bin laden's sw may spend the rest of his life in prison. he has been found guilty for his role in al-qaeda as a spokesman. what are the details? >> reporter: yes, the trial itself only lasted three weeks, tony, far charter than we had been expecting, but today the voice of al-qaeda has been violented. the 48-year-old kuwaiti sulaiman abu ghaith who is facing life in prison, as you say, insisted he

would be al-qaeda's spokesman during the time of 9/11, and warned of sending storms of planes as bombs to the united states. they said the authorities have simply got the wrong man, and those videos, they were simply religious videos, nothing more. the jury had the case for five hours and they completely disagreed, sending sulaiman abu ghaith to jail probably for life, convicting him on all charges against him. he's going to be sentenced on september 8th, and tony, as i said already he's facing life in prison. these federal judges when they get cases like this, when the defendant is finally convicted they tend to throw the book at them. we'll see what happens on september 8th. >> you might think this jury considered the facts in a fair and impartial way, but i have to ask the question, was the conviction ever in doubt given the case was heard in new york just a few blocks from the world trade center site?

>> reporter: no, it's a very fair question because the world trade center site is ten blocks away from here. i know the defense was very concerned that he wouldn't get a fair trial because it was happening in new york, and because he is sow sam bin laden's son-in-law. but in the end i have to say that the judge didn't take any grandstandin grandstany party in this case. there was no appearance by the driver of osama bin laden who is in yemen in the end. what the jury did hear from was two convicted terrorists. one who appeared here in new york, and one who appeared from video link from london, and from abu ghaith who spoke calmly and sounded be reasonable and said more than he needed to in answer to the questions, something in the end may have

hurt his case. the prosecution aid they hope this verdict brings some comfort to the families of the victims of 9/11 after al-qaeda's murderous designs. but the lead defense attorney for sulaiman abu ghaith said he intends to come back, meaning abu ghaith to come back and appeal this verdict because he said the trial was not held in open but in secret. tony. >> there is cautious optimism for the search of missing malaysian flight 370. there are several objects in the southern indian ocean that could be debris from the missing flight. randall pinkston has the latest. >> reporter: the french satellite took photographs of 120 objects strewn over 154 square mile area of the southern indian ocean. if you take a look at the map you can see those objects are

approximately 1500 miles southwest of perth, australia. they have found roughly in the same area where satellites have spotted other possible debris from the missing plane. satellites from commune, france, and from australia. this is the same area where planes and ships have been looking for debris from the plane. unfortunately so far they have not managed to retrieve any of the debris from the ocean, so they cannot say conclusively that there is a match with mh 370. australia is in champ of the search in the southern indian ocean that is a multi national search with help from japan, australia, the u.s. australia prime minister said notwithstanding the failure so far they'll continue the search. >> for australiai have pledged n

cooperation in the discovery of the operation. the crash is about as close to nowhere as is possible to be, but it's closer to australia than to anywhere else. >> reporter: 12 planes went up today, found nothing. they will try again tomorrow. >> and coming up on al jazeera america, americans without health insurance will have more time to get it. why the white house is extending the deadline for obamacare. and a look at why female veterans are more likely than any group to wind up homeless when they come back from battle.

>> so i'm told we have an afternoon swoon on wall street. swoon is the word. the dow falling 98 points. stocks turning lower after president obama said russia could face even tougher sanctions over its actions in ukraine. whone big loser is king digital. you heard the wildly popular

candy crush video game. it saw its shares sink more than 15% in the first day of trading. almost 1 million nissan vehicles in the u.s. are being recalled. a software problem could prevent front passenger airbags from deploying. the recall affects late model altima. there is the list. americans who don't have health insurance will have a little bit more time to get it. the white house is extending the deadline for the affordable care act to help those whose applications have been held up on the website. we're back to the website again? jonathan betz is here with how many actually--we're back to the website? >> reporter: still paying for those problems in october. people who want to sign up for obamacare have a few weeks to do it. that deadline pushed back a few more weeks. the white house hoping that

7 million people would sign up for insurance, but after the problems with the website it lowered the expectations. now 6 million is the goal. but since the sign up in october the numbers have been growing at a pretty good clip. 5 million people have enrolled which is encouraging for supporters but still 1 million short of what they would like. now for every ten people who sign up the white house would like four of them to be young, healthy adults. this will help make the program work. but so far obamacare only has been attracting a little more than two young people for every ten that sign up. that could become an issue although the numbers overall do show a big turn around from the disastrous launch. the white house wants to give more people time to sign up. >> as more women take on combat roles in the military they're coming home to a very different battlefield. today female veterans are more likely than any other group to end up on the streets or living in shelters. as part of our

six-part series "homeless in america," carol ann mckinley explains why this may be happening. ♪ amazing grace >> you wouldn't expect someone who is living in a car to be singing a song of hope, but erica thomas did not give up home even when this car was all she had. >> so this is the back of the burlington coat factory. this is actually where i slept many of the nights. >> a homecoming for a navy veteran who spent four years aboard the uss ronald reagan. >> i was building bombs. >> the problems came when her job did not translate to a civilian job. she was forced to move in with her mom. when that house flooded, the car became her home.

>> it was devastating for hey. ericaly longs to the america's fastest growing homeless population, female veterans. in 2013 there were 4500 homeless women vets their numbers growing as more women rotate through the military. nearly half of them are sicks of military sexual trauma. >> so the assault occurred when i was 25. >> in 1990 orlinda marquez was an officer on the military fast track until she was assaulted by an enlisted man. severe ptsd set in when the army blamed her. she is now 100% disabled. >> the president, the congress, everyone has made it clear that this is a national embarrassment. >> the va said they are addressing the unique problem which leads female vets into homelessness. >> female veterans do present with more depression, anxiety disorder and trauma, ptsd. these all sort of combine to form a perfect storm that does

put these women more at risk. >> the veteran's administration is playing catch up and is now building housing for women with children and those who live alone, including homeless facilities with locked quarters separated by gender for safety. >> this is my bed. >> this is nice. >> no more sleeping in the car. [♪ singing ] >> this summer with the help of the g.i. bill erica will graduate with an accounting degree. >> i feel like nothing can stop me, like i'm going through life. >> with thousands more women like erica coming home from war the v.a. has promised to end homelessness by 2015 is going to be a challenge. carol mckinley, al jazeera, denver coming up, buddhist in myanmar setting villages on fire and killing muslims because of a warning that muslims will destroy their way of life.

anand an american man is caughtp in the middle of the crisis. we have reports from myanmar next.

>> at myanmar opens up to the west it's facing big obstacles to fledgling democracy. violence began three years ago when men were convicted for raping a buddhist woman. it has ballooned into an international crisis leaving hundreds dead and thousands more displaced. the most effected are muslim. roxana saberi traveled to myanmar and met an american who is caught in the middle of the conflict. >> jack rendler moved to a myanmar to teach buddhist monks english. he wound up teaching them about democracy and human rights, too.

he wants them to respect muslims, but this is turning out harder than he thought. [ bells ] >> mornings at the monk monastery begin with meditation. and today a chance to meet their guest. but the prayers here are for everyone. they ask for love and happiness for all. >> we should live in peace and live together. >> but some monks in myanmar spreading a very different message. buddhist mobs have chased muslims from their homes, set their villages on fire and in some cases killed them. the inspiration for much of this man is this man, he's called the face of buddhist terror.

in the monastery there is an american who has been caught between the two worlds. just year jack rendler left his family in minnesota to teach these young monks english. >> equality before the law. >> he soon realized they wanted to learn much more. >> what were they most curious about? >> the first question was what's the difference between human rights, freedom, and democracy? >> jack had these students write esays in class. they're taking turn reading out loud. >> the students seem to understand the concept, but jack said some of them see muslims in myanmar as an exception. >> there is not as much acceptance right now that human

rights should apply also equally to muslim populations. >> jonah became a monk when he was just eight. now he is a senior at the monastery. we asked what he learned about human. >> right do you think all people in myanmar should have the same human rights? >> yes, in myanmar, also other country. >> every race, every religion? should have the same rights? >> yes. >> so what do you say-- >> but then we ask him but u wirathu, the monk who has compared muslims to mad dogs. >> he is a hero for me. >> he is a hero for you? >> i like him very much. but not all things because a normal monk or a normal people can make mistake, some mistakes i don't like but mostly i like him. >> why do you like him? >> why do i like him?

he always breach about muslim and buddhism, how different we are. they have a chance to get married, four wives. if they do like that, in 50 years myanmar will disappear in the world. >> how these monks define human rights matters to the future of myanmar. >> monks are recorded in this society and in this culture as the keepers of the ethical and moral flame that is at the heart of buddhism. [ bells ringing ] >> every day the monks of kaungsuwai monastery file through the nearest village. people here live in shacks, and own very little, but they give what they can to the monks. >> i donate food to them every day to do a good deed to reach heaven. >> 12 of the monks will graduate from the monastery this month. whatever path they follow jack hopes they will spread tolerance

and understanding. >> jack just flew back where he works for amnesty international. he has multiple sclerosis, so sometimes he's in pain and has trouble moving. >> i'm wondering what the government is saying about the violence, about the fighting between the buddhist and the rohingya. >> some o say that the rohingya are not even part of the country. >> human rights watch says the violence in myanmar's eastern

rakhine state has led to a coordinated campaign against the muslim rohingya population. since 2012 more than 300 people are said to have been killed in back and forth attacks there, and one point 1 million rohingya are stateless. myanmar say they been low to bangladesh but dhaka's government says no, and has repeatedly turned boats of refugees away. most of the 140,000 people displaced by fighting are ethnic rohingyas. we have outlined the issues here. now you know, there is another potential flash point on the horizon here that i want you to talk to here. are you concerned that the country's up coming census will attempt to count everyone in the country will inflame tensions between buddhist and muslims

even further? >> yes, that is a serious concern to human rights organizations about the upcoming census, not only for muslims but also with other ethnic minorities. >> yes. >> this is going to determine if it is manipulated, and to make minorities even less in their population, and that will translate into elec electoral assignments of how many mps or members of congress they can have. that's one of the issues. but when it comes to rohingya muslim they are not considered citizens, and they're viewed by everyone not only the government but everyone. >> so t.kumar, i've been

following this for the last few years, and i'm stunned by the level of violence. i know all of these conflicts have flash points, but how have buddhist been able to reconcile their non-violent believes with the kind of forceful opposition against the muslims? can you explain this to me? >> it's a mystery to all of us. you know, all the regions are peaceful, but one thing that bothers us is not buddhist, the civilian who is are using violence or preaching violence, it's the religious leaders. >> yes, yes. >> who are leading this. so that's what surprises us. and also the government is not acting against them. there are two angles one is the buddhist monk who are taking the lead to attacking and abusing

muslims for religious reasons, and also the government is turning a blind eye, also the democratic leaders is also not fully speaking out. >> now let me stop you there. let me put a question to you about aung san suu kyi, the nobel laureate. we understand that she's likely to run for president, but does amnesty international disappoi disappointed because a ung san su, kyi disappointed for not speaking out? >> amnesty international is disappointed in all leaders including aung san suu kyi. the winner of nobel peace prize

should have the authority to speak out against abuses against anyone. so we are disappointed, and we hope she'll correct her path and speak out. >> t. kumar, thank you. asian advocacy director with amnesty international. >> the arab league has decided to give the vacant syrian delegations seat to the main opposition party. the syrian national coalition will hold the seat starting this september. the regional body has just wrapped up its annual meeting which was dominated by the syrian crisis and shifting political landscapes in so-called arab spring nations. in curry, a court has ordered the government to restore access to twitter. prime minister reaccep recip tap

erdogan ordered the ban five days ago. the court has ordered in five days which could lead to take a place in the election. in egypt, the man who led the coup al sisi said he's running for the top job himself. we have the story of the man who has become egypt's most powerful official and his rise from relative obscurity. >> after three years of upheaval in egypt this is the man who could come out on top. military chief and defense minister al sisi announced his bid for the presidency. for months he denied he would seek the country's highest political office. his ambitions were first revealed in this leaked tape

recording where he dreamed nightly of being president. >> in one dream a voice told me, we'll give you what we have, not to anyone else. and in another dream i was told i was assured president of the republic. i replied i have always been sure i would become president of the republic. >> al sisi already had high profile support. during a trip to russia vladimi, president vladimir putin gave him his support. >> it is a very responsible decision to take charge of the mission for the fate of the egyptian people. >> al sisi has his supporters at home, too. he rose from relative obscurity to global prominence after deposing egypt's first democratically elected president

mohammed morsi. the coup followed the wave of protest against muslim brotherhood. al sisi as the leader of what they call the second revolution on june 30th last year. but there are many others against his rule, weeks of bloodshed followed morsi's ousting, and hundreds of president supporters were killed, and thousands arrested for protesting against the military takeover. an interim government backed by al sisi and the military kept morsi in jail and banned the muslim brotherhood, eventually declaring it a terrorist organization. as the nation descended into violence al sisi was given more powers. a year and a half after morsi gave him the rank of corner general he now holds the higher post of field marshal given to him by his own appointee interim president. al sisi said he's running for president because it's the will

of the people. but egypt remains divided society polarized by the january 25th revolution, and those who think stability even under a military ruler should remain the priority over democracy. >> falling asleep at the wheel seems to be the cause of a chicago train crash this week. do you remember the train ended up on the escalator. maria ines has more for us. >> reporter: the rater of a chicago train that crashed at o'hare airport said she fell asleep at the controls. the admission came as officials from the national transportation safety board investigated the crash. it left 32 injured. the operator said she dozed off once before passing a station in february. and a piece of equipment may have malfunctioned prior to the crash. in texas a heart-stopping rescue of a construction worker

captured on video. the worker found himself trapped as the building was engulfed by flames. just as it seems he made it to safety, this happened. [ screaming ] >> incredibly the worker and the firefighter were not hurt when the building collapsed, and an investigation into the cause is underway. >> wow, wow. >> yes, a judge ruled that oklahoma's execution law is unconstitutional. the ruling is based on the lack of information made available to two death row inmates who want to know what drugs will be used at their execution next oh month. under the current law no one may divulge the source of the lethal injection. >> today's announcement comes after an appellate court ordered a halt to same sex marriage. it's reviewing another decision that struck down the ban on

them. in pennsylvania a woman who was abandoned as a baby inside of burger king restaurant has reunited with her birth mother. the 27-year-old went on facebook to ask for help to find her birth mother. the search led to a tearful reunion this week. she said it was pure joy to meet her mom, and she forgives her. the mother told her she was raped while traveling abroad at the age of 16, and hid the pregnancy from her parents. tony, the mother said she didn't take her to a hospital because in a hospital they would have asked questions. >> right, right, right. you brought that story to us, didn't you. >> yes. >> and played the video. >> that's right, and march 2nd is when she launched that campaign on facebook, and look at now. >> i think we thought at the time that this wouldn't work out, that they would be reyo reunited. >> we definitely hoped so, and she was. best of luck to her. >> maria, thank you at the next

newscast. coming up on al jazeera america, a big decision for college football players. this is huge, a federal agency said northwestern players can form, wait for it, an union.

>> al jazeera america. there's more to it. >> boy oh, boy, the ruling today by a federal agency could fund ledge change college athletics. michael yves is here with more on that. i can't wait. >> this is a huge ruling, especially for what it could mean down the road. >> yes. >> college athletes players association led by former quarterback cane coulter in a surprising decision which qualifies college football players as employees. thus opening the way for them to unionize. attorneys for the players argued that college football is a

commercial enterprise that relies on players labor to generate millions of dollars in profit annually. it was cited the players time commitment to their sport and their scholarship was tied directly to their performance as reasons for granting them union rights. orr went on flairs fall squarely within the national labor relations act in broad definition of the employee when one considers the common law definition of employee. >> they plan to appeal. >> these students athletes, are they looking for the ability, seeking the ability to unionize and get made by these universities. >> they're not doing it to get paid. if they do get paid by the schools they're no longer amateur athletes. their specific goals include when they made the bid was guarantee of coverage of sports

related medical insurance, insuring period procedure to reduce head injuries and ensuring better sponsorship. this only effects northwestern university, but other players could follow suit and make their own case to unionize. the nca said if you're an athletic athlete, college scholarship athlete you cannot get paid from a job outside of school. >> i can't make money to get pizza or go to a movie, take my girlfriend to dinner. can't do it because it's in violation of ncaa rules. >> that's why they can file to be employees and unionize. the ncaa's own rules led to the case of making this ruling what it is because they limit them in terms of earning so they must be employees. >> who is this kid again? the kid-- >> cane coulter, quarterback for

northwestern university. he's no longer in school. he's done. but he's been a forefront of this association right now. >> what happens here? you've got a whole process here, the ncaa will appeal and so we're years away from what could be, you know, the spector of young people taking advantage of this. >> this is how it should change. if you unionize you can strike, but athletic departments can lock you out. >> true, true, true. >> so the ncaa, it's been a non-profit organization for quite some time. it doesn't seem like it. >> unions in america have been on the decline for years, who would have thunk that it might be, it might be college athletes that kick-start the union movement in america again. it's a possibility. >> absolutely. >> michael yves, this is terrific stuff, wow, thank you. it's a new approach to stop

alcoholics from being a nuisance at city parks. amsterdam is using a barter system to get them back to work. they get beer in exchange for keeping the city clean. >> this is con, once a postman who once delivered mail. now picking up trash, in exchange the city offers them beer. five cans to be rationed throughout the day plus a warm meal. it's part of an unconventional program that keeps dutch working rather than loitering in the park where many are known to get

drunk, start fights and yell at passersby. >> have you been one of those who yell while getting drunk before this program? >> to be honest, yes. >> i see a big difference. >> janet overseas the total of 18 people in two groups as they clean the city in shifts. she also distributes the beer. two in the morning, two in the afternoon, and one when the cleaning project is complete. she's a supervisor, but also a support system. helping those who relapse, need outside assistance, or struggle to stay on track. >> the goal is not that the street is getting cleaner, it's that they feel more--they have more self-respect because they have something to do. >> coen has been in and out of clinics and detox, but his self-proclaimed progress with this project is exactly what the local district mayor hoped for when she agreed her district would help fund it in 2012. >> fatima elatik said problems

in the park had gotten pretty bad. even though giving alcoholics more alcohol is controversial, she says she was willing to try anything. >> we through everything we had at them, every project, every law, every fine, every opportunity to, you know, fine them for disturbances, but you know, just fining them isn't curing the problem. it's just targeting the symptom. >> elatik said she already witnessed changes in the personalities of the participants. like a man named fred. she remembers visiting him in the park months ago. >> he looked like a bum, somebody you wouldn't give any attention. nowadays he walks around, and he's proud of himself. >> do you think this program is helping you? >> yes, it is not easy. i fighting every day, every day when i go--break open and i standing before the mirror, every day i tell myself, fred,

try. do not drink this day. >> only time will tell whether these men can kick their habits. in the meantime, they have a job to do. a place to be, and a chance to change, which is enough to bring them a new sense of self-respect. lori jane gliha, al jazeera, amter exam. >> the girlfriend scooties, 12-year-old katie francis has sold more than 18,000 boxes of these. this is more than anyone has ever sold ever. she said she wanted to sell 20,000 by the end of the month. enjoy, everybody. and ready? enjoy. the today's top stories are next. a global finacial powerhouse >> the roman catholic church, they have an enormous amount of power >> accusations of corruption... >> there is a portion of the budget that takes care of all the clerical abuse issues. >> now we follow the money

and take you inside the vatican's financial empire. >> when it comes to money, this is one of the sloppiest organizations on earth... >> al jazeera america presents... holy money only on al jazeera america

>> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris with a look at the day's too much stories. president obama has an images for moscow. the u.s. and moscow will stand together. the president spoke at a summit of european leaders in brussels.

he spoke about the growing context between eastern and western powers. >> russian leadership are challenging truths that only a few weeks ago seemed self-evident. >> the death toll from the mud lied in washington state stands at 16. rescuers have not given up their search and are going through the wreckage to find survivors and bodies. satellite radar has detected objects that could be debris from the malaysian 370 missing plane. sulaiman abu ghaith, the son-in-law of osama bin laden has been conspi convicted for

conspiring to kill americans in the united states. if you have any questions about any stories during this news hour go to www.aljazeera.com. "inside story" is next. >> when is a deadline not a deadline? when you punch it full of caveats, exceptions and category carveouts, but march 31st and the enrollment deadline for the affordable care act is coming monday, and right now on "inside story."