>> >> president obama meets are pope francis. >> revising the numbers - officials revise the numbers of missing in the mud slide. the numbers of victims is expected to grow. >> the national labour board says college athletes can unionize, how it could impact sport. >> parents talk about how the

easing of china's one-child policy is affecting their families. >> good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. president obama's european tour is in its fourth day and he is in vatican city for his first meeting with the pontiff. mike viqueira is travelling with the president in vatican city. good morning. the president and pope francis expected to meet for a short time. what is happening right now at the vatican? >> yes. well, i'm just going to turn my head for a second. the president's motorcade is across st. peters's square. the president arrived as you might imagine.

there were many onlookers lining the way, taking pictures. the president turns out. italians and others are interested. the president shook the hand of the pontiff and said, "i'm a great reminder." he has a full slate of activities in rome, including sightseeing at the colosseum. >> pope francis is expected to give the potential to the affordable care act, which is employers providing some cover. any word about that? >> the meeting is ongoing. it's not a surprise. when any american president favours abortion rights, meets with the leader of the roman

catholic church, it's clear no one is making a secret of that. you don't want to bring pol tucks into st. peters square, but this is part of the president's message at home, in paragraph with a pope who emphasised income inequality as a ms age. the president -- message. the president spoke an italian newspaper, talking about his desire to bring it up with the pope and a shared belief in doing something about the gap between rich and poor in the country. the country is going to bring up domestic programs, like razing the minimum wage and trying to find jobs for as many as possible, and framing that in the context of the gap between rich and poor. i might add this is the president's second time here. the first time meeting with pope francis.

michelle obama and himself met with pope benedict. >> there are a number of issues that way come up. is this is a trip that the white house has been highlighting on the president's fourth day in europe. >> they have been meeting for half an hour. mike viqueira at the vatican. >> secretary of state "consider this" meeting up with the president bringing him up to date on progress. secretary of state john kerry was in jordan for a meeting king abdullah ii. they discussed the israeli-pakistan peace negotiations. king abdullah said he'd like to see an independent state with a capital in east jerusalem. >> a glimmer of hope. emergency officials say the number of missing or unaccounted for is adjusting. 140 people previously unaccounted for have been located. the status of 35 people remains

uncertain. the death toll is 16, with nine bodies located, but not recovered. abby has been following the search and rescue effort. it's optimistic. the number of missing is lower than it was whp the search began. theremore to be done on the scene. >> good morning. so much more to be done. frankly, it's daunting. we are talking about a square mile area of mud. officials may not ever recover these bodies. and the time is not on its side. they have not found anyone alive since saturday. these are officials who admit that their head and heart are telling them two difference things. six days after the mud slide burying 49 homes, some in mud as deep as 25 feet, officials

lowered the number of people missing. >> the number is 90, it dropped. it may drop more than that. we are getting a clearer picture of intistuals who are out there that we need to focus on. even when the numbers provide a glimmer of hope, it's fading fast. >> when you find cars that are basically compacted to the size of a washing machine, it alleviates all hope. >> the emotional toll is having an impact on those that are missing and unaccounted for. >> we are humbled beyond belief. we have received - it is a very humbling. >> no one has been found alive since saturday but released. showing how counting the rescue mission has been, when first

responders spotted 4-year-old jacob spillers in the mud, hoisting him to safety. his father, three brothers and sisters were missing. >> he was obviously traumaticized. high was hypothermic. he had pants on, they were around his ankles. sorry, obviously i'm not a professional interview here. >> also released wednesday - calls describing the terror after the earth gave way: resources have been brought in. the soul mission, body removal. the seattle times site a 2010 report warning of the landslides in the same area, where the earth gave way. no easy answers for those heading up the search hear. >> sometimes big event happen,

and i want to understand why. >> it's important to note that in 2006 there was a similar slide right in that same area, a little smaller in its degree, and local officials spent millions to mitigate it. neighbours tell us that they felt safe. >> what about talk of aid for the folks affected by the disaster. >> it's a great question. they are looking for more aid. they have not seen much of it, with the distinction of fema. the state of washington plans to apply for aid later this week. it will help to put boots on the ground. thank you. two firefighters are dead after a fire in a brown stone. the two firemany killed battling the blaze on wednesday, trapped

in the basement of the brown stone. 13 firefighters were injured. officials say they were investigating the cause of the fire. winds in the 30 miles per hour gusting into the 40s fuelled the fire. more severe weather across the country. >> that was in the boston area. in boston they were saying that wind was fuelling that. this is the capture from yesterday. we had the low pressure out to see. different lines, and the closer we have them together. the more dramatic the change and the more the winds kick. a lot of places up and down the coast had winds gusting into the 40s. some of them, even nantucket, 50 miles per hour. the winds have settled down. we won't see the pattern.

we have winds lower, you can see a few gusts in the team. they shifted out of the south. that means we are eventually going to see more of the warm air versus the windows out of the north of the not only less of a windchill factor, but finally we'll see warming air eventually start to move in. this is the section where we were watching for severe weather, places mike missouri, and arkansas. you get the clash of cold air and worm moist air, and we have potential for wind damage. this is a slight risk, versus a risk we see this year being higher. also snow showers around the lakes. and washington state. and the recovery effort. we are getting rain and a break later into today. then more of that friday and

saturday. it's still going to stay moist in the area. which is well over the rain fall. back to you. >> the investigation into missing malaysia airlines flight mh370 is zeroing in on the captain. "usa today" said officials are looking into whether he steered the plane off course. there's no evidence of a mechanical failure or plane jacking. new satellite data spotted more objects in the southern indian ocean. for more, let's go to randall pinkston, who has been covering the story from washington, what can you tell us about the new satellite images? >> the latest images come from a satellite owned by the government of thailand. 300 objects captured by the satellite. 1600 miles south-west of perth, australia. that's about 100 or so miles south of 120 objects captured on

sunday by a french satellite. the question is whether both satellites were taking pictures of the same group of debris at different times, and the debris captured by the french satellite on sunday has shifted to the south-west. no way to know that so far, because nothing has been retreed from the o for matching the -- from the flight for matching the missing flight. the search has been delayed because of weather in the south indian ocean. >> and as night falls in that part of the world. let's go back to the report today. this is not the first time they focussed on the pilot. is there more speculation to this. >> we recall that early on, after the flight disappeared, that there was a suggestion that someone in the cockpit served off the transponder and

disconnected gear. al jazeera correspondent lisa stark was one of the first people, but the focus shifted to 53-year-old pilot zaharie ahmed shah, the senior man in the cockpit with 30 years spoorps with malaysia airlines. the officials are staying that he was the only one with the experience and expertise to make the plane disappear from its northern route towards the sworn and into the indian ocean. malaysian authorities found a computer from his at-home flight simulator. they handed it over with deleted files. fbi director said he was not ready to reveal the results. >> i have teams working literally around the clock to exploit that. i expect it to be done shortly, within a day or two. >> now, keep in mind despite the

suspicions about the pilot, it's not based on hardest. the malaysian police official, he was an anonymous interview, he says they did not find a connection between the pilot and a terrorist organization, nothing suspicious in his bank account. the only thing was the pilot's dismay about the connection of a government opposition leader who was sentenced on the day that the plane took off from kuala lumpur. >> makes you wonder if they know something they are not saying. randall pinkston reporting to us from washington. government officials want to beef up security. there should be armed personal during peak hours. they want panic alarms installed and to make agents go through akive shooter training. it's part of the shooting at los angeles international airport. the international monetary fund agreed to a bailout plan for

ukraine, estimating a loan between $14-$18 billion. the announce helmet after international monetary fund visited the country. jennifer glasse is in sevastopol. what does this i.m.f. deal entail. >> good morning, this is money that kiev, ukraine, desperately needs, it was close to default. it was supposed to get $15 from russia, and was off after the new government took power, ousting viktor yanukovych. the i.m.f. bailout is going to entail a lot of reforms, one will start on may the 1st, a 50% increase in domestic natural gas prices. they were subsidised and be the first of many changes for the people of ukraine, who have lived in an artificial economy. gas prices low. it was a condition of the i.m.f.

the board has to finalise this deal, the board will meet next month, they are expected to finalise it. it will also open the window for a billion dollars and united states, eight guarantees again. money that the ukraine needs. it was a terrible shape. it was voted by transparency international. everything needs to be reworked in terms of its economy. a lot of work to be done. it will be welcome news. a lot of changes. >> big aid package, a lot of positions. >> crimea is effectively decoupled on ukraine. it depends on russia. it prom used a billion. the people here are watching and waiting. another announcement from the bank, saying it will not reopen

in crimea. it's a big bank. it has about 8,000 depositors. because of the russian rules. russians rules is you have to be an investor, it's looking for a russian investor and it is trying to sell off its portfolio. there there's no land registry. they are not sure if and when they'll get them. we understand that russian officials are taking stock of the government assets. things that were taken from the ukrainian government. i know they figured out the financial cost. there's a lot of defense industries, a lot of resorts belonging to the states. it will be a further blow. crimea trying to realign itself. a lot of paperwork to be done

here. >> crimea filed a lawsuit. who knows whether that goes. the u.n. is predicting the vote will be in fiver of kiev, what will it -- five or of kiev. what will it many. . here in crimea, not much. we have seen clearly moscow is ignoring anything the international community says. it says the referendum on the 16th, is the will of the people. the take over was legal or fair, and they accused the rest of the world of being hip crits. the legal asem blip - their rules are not binding. military personnel have been watching, waiting, hoping that something - the u.n., might change things, allow them to

stay. we have former military personnel stuck here, staying in the ukrainian military, they'd like to stay in crimea, but they were hoping that some sort of international ruling might allow them to do it. it was wishful thinking here. >> they are caught between a rock and a hard place. >> thank you. college athletes are a step closer to cashing in on their success. >> hundreds of millions come into the schools. now the players want a part of it. >> why the labour board says college athletes have the right to immunize. >> the first two weeks was hell. we were wondering around trying to find a place to sleep, to bathe. >> the island paradise that is not ideal for those that can't afford the high price of living. >> president obama - these are live pictures from the vatican.

among the delegation, secretary of state john kerry, and the

s

good morning. and welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. how a decision to allow athletes to form unions could change college sports. first a look at the temperatures, meteorologist nicole mitchell is back. >> the coldest spot in the whole country, the mid atlantic up to the north-east, behind the weather system bringing in the colder air from canada. the winds abated. but washington d.c. colder than billings. in record territory, new york 23. the record is to. we are at least in that. if you feel cold, you are not acknowledging it. the wind abate. we'll see through the course of the day the mid section of the country warming up, fuelling the severe weather that we'll see later today. >> thank you. it's a ruling that could revolutionize college sports. a federal agency decided that football players can create a union of college athletes.

erica. this is unprecedented. >> it is, and could have national implications. it centres around a school attorney for the players behind the case argues that college football is a commercial enterprise relying on labour to generate billions in profit. >> ladies and gentlemen, you are in north-western wildcats. >> in a game-changing position a national game relations board found north-western footballers qualify as employees, meaning they have the right to unionize. the scholarships, compensation, coaches the managers. the board greed because the university exerts employer type relations. >> control over lives, scheduling, what they can do in their private lives and post on twitter. >> here is what the players' association wants - medical

coverage for players with injuries, better procedures to pursue spop orships. sponsorships. they said this a statement: >> as the university fills an appeal in illinois, lawyers in tennessee considers a bill that gives the student athletes a grant when they graduate. >> we'd love for them to graduate or start a business in tennessee. it will put the grant back into the state. >> former north-western players did not ask for money. the issue of commption looms large. >> hundreds of millions come into the schools. the players want a part of it. >> for know the push to unionize athletes, because of the federal

labour agency did not have jurisdiction. as for the n.c.a.a. they are disappointed with the ruling. they are with a love of sport not to be paid. it admits improvements are needed. the system needs not to be abandoned. >> we'll have rehabilitation to the decision. >> taking a look at business news. bank of america, they'll pay $9.3 billion. with the federal financing agency. that's bigger than jp moring's $5.1 billion. the bank said first quarter profits could take a hit. bank of america's former chief executive could be held accountable. for misleading investors before it bought the bank in 2008. louis will be barred from serving as an executive. city group shares were falling

5%. the fed found the bank needs a better plan for coping. the city was not alone. they were subjected to capital plans. on wall street stock futures are pointing to gains. president obama said russia could face tougher sanctions over its an actions in ukraine. here is how we stand: >> paving the pay for head of state. abdul fatah al-sisi substance down. supporters and critics - what they are saying about the candidacy. >> chinese adults who say they lived a life of loneliness talk

about the restrictions allowing them to give siblings brother and sisters. >> highlight of a match later. >> live at the vatican where president obama has been meeting with pope francis for the last

hour. >> welcome back. i'm stephanie sy, and these are the top stories at this hour. >> president obama wrapped up his first meeting with pope francis at the vaticanment it's day four of president obama's tour. it's the second visit by president obama to the vatican, me met with pope benedict 16 in 2009. >> the search for survivors of

the mud slide is in its sixth day. the number of missing is lowered to 90. 140 have been located. the status of 35 people is uncertain. bad weather suspending the search for missing malaysian airlines flight mh370 as new satellite images out of thailand spotted as many as three objects in the indian ocean. investigations as to whether the captain is responsible. "usa today" saying sources say that they may have been responsible for the change of course. >> it's been more than a year since mohamed morsi was removed from power. the military chief that lead the movement is running for the top job. we take a closer look at abdul fatah al-sisi and a deeply divided egypt. >> after briefing a military council meeting in cairo attended by the interim

president adly mansour, abdul fatah al-sisi made the announcement, one that makes it likely he'll be the next president of egypt. he went into the meeting as defence minister and head of the armed forces. announci announcing his resignation, he gave hays commitment. >> i spent all my life, and i will continue in the role. it's an important moment, the first time i put on my military uniform i was 15 years old. it is my hop our to have the uniform. i announce my will to run for the echip jan presidency. i will be honoured to have your support. after the announcement there were opposition demonstrations in several cities, including cairo, hell one. >> ses played a leading role,

overthrowing the president. he won the democratic election. mohamed morsi supporters say there'll be no stability in egypt under abdul fatah al-sisi said: >> abdul fatah al-sisi does have the support of millions of other egyptians, not least in the district, the capital where he grew up. >> i am happy he is running. it is his right to be president and his right to be in charge of the nation. he worked hard for it, and moved egypt to the right stage. we all support abdul fatah al-sisi, and god willing, he'll be successful. >> many are weary of the political uncertainty, ever since an uprising against hosni mubarak in 2011. others realise it looks bad for a leader to present himself.

he should remain defence minister. if he runs for the presidency, we expect trouble. abdul fatah al-sisi says he's running for president. it's the will of the people. egypt is deeply divided. polarized between those that want to return to democracy, and those that think stability should be a priority. >> here to discussion abdul fatah al-sisi's decision to run is a fellow at the foreign association. thank you for being was. do you think stability is more important than democracy to egypt chance? >> i think the path to democracy is through stability. i was reminded of a quote by theodore roosevelt who found himself in cairo 100 years ago, and there was a nationalist

turmoil. people wanted freedom from british rule. they said if they could get freedom, they'd have democracy. and the president said [ speaking foreign language ] >> which means god will wait, we need to be patient. >> an egyptian court sentenced 529 mohamed morsi supporters to death in a 2-day trial. more than 900 additional offenders are looking at trials for murder and terror: what role as ses played in the complete retregs of the muslim brotherhood, and the suppression of journalists and other activists? >> i think he's playing a sensitive and delicate balancing role. when he met with defense secrete chuck hagel a little over a month ago, the biggest point

that mr chuck hagel made with him is there needs to be complete transparency for the american people. i think that he's in a difficult situation right now because i don't think the american administration and the people are going to stopped for things like a death penalty for 529 people, and the other issues with journalists and so on. he has to take care of that. if i might add, with the ukrainian situation, things have become tougher for him because putin supported him before he announced his candidacy, and he's trying to make good with russia, and bringing stability to egypt and people on both sides are looking at him. the financial ratings are slightly better but not where they ought to be. >> he has real economic and social issues and the question

of legitimacy given the mainly rival, the muslim brotherhood has been taken out of the picture and dubbed a terror organization. is he a representative of the people? >> my opinion is he'll have to tack after getting elected. i guess you can't mean the camp of those that will get elected. once that happens is what's in his favour is he's a military man, a successful general. he is going to have to win back the legitimacy and that will be an uphill battle for him. i wish him luck. >> you mentioned the meeting with chuck hagel. his military aid used to be substantial. it has been filled. how do you think the u.s. will receive the president assuming he will be elected.

>> i think there'll be welcoming signs for him. i think the men demonstration and people will give him the time he needs. i'm not certain the time will be lopping. if he continues to repress journal itchments and his own people and continues to repress the only opposition that there is, the muslim brotherhood, then i think his tenure as far as the united states friendship will be short. thank you very much for your insight this morning. >> three al jazeera journalist are imprisoned in egypt. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and mohammed badr have been in gaol for 89 days. they are charged with collaborating with the mood where are and reporting biassed ins. the trial has been adjourned. >> the united states has been pushing a resolution calling for

an international independent investigation into human rights abuses during the end of the bloody war in 2009. tim friend is in geneva. why is this resolution getting no support at this moment. >> stephanie, there's growing frustration, and growing international concern sis that sri lanka has done little. to address of concerns about abuses which various international reports say are still happening within sri lanka. in addition, of course, to the culmination of that war, that war that went on for material three decades. and about 40,000 civilians may have been killed at the end of it when government forces surged into the north of sri lanka.

that's the main reason and there is growing frustration that sappinga, which, of course, says it's -- sank re, which, of course -- sri lanka which, of course, says it's interference in his affairs. it says it will make them worse. internationally it will be a crucial vote. we think it will happen in haf an hour's time. >> what are the chances of this resolution passing? >> well, they are pretty good. there has been two earlier similar resolutions which have not succeeded, have not progressed through the human rights council. this time the word is that it's going to be passed. the united states, with the backing of the u.k. are both steadfastly with this resolution, they have been lobbying hard, and, of course, there are countries and among them the big hitters - russia, china, who don't like the idea

of in principle havings into internal - their own intern affairs because of their own sensitivities. the word is that it's going to succeed. we'll know for sure in 25 minutes. >> we'll check back in with you later. >> the philippines signs an historic deal with the rebel group. president aquino presided over the deal, and it end a 40 year rebellion. the moro liberation front is who the deal is signed with. more than 25,000 have been killed. >> in change for an autonomous region and a government with its own powers and police department. the rebel group will give up. >> the taliban group has face to face talks. a peace deal is being pushed to end an insurgency.

pakistan's taliban shares an ideology similar to afghan. it has a separate leadership structure. >> china has begun to relax the one-child policy. gs couples will be able to have two children if a parent is an only child. the country could be facing a baby boom. >> at home, this child is the center of dangers of her adoring parents and grandparents. with her mother six months pregnant, she's about to get a sibling. because both her parents come from one-child families, they qualify under existing rules to have a second child. doing so means not subjecting the daughter to the loneliness that they endure. they can share things, they help each other. they play together.

most of us suffer a one child policy. the others don't have a brother or sister. >> now, under the new laws, if the persons are from a one-child family, opening up the prospect of a mini baby boom. it's to result in 2 million births a year. that will mean a greater demand in hospitals. but it is expected to provide relief in the long term to a one-child generation, burdened with looking after ageing parents. the social consequences are well-known as are most couples. parents in china's cities face the same financial dilemma when it comes to make the decision. in the small apart.

they their child-minding duties. she has siblings, but he is from a one-child family. they qualify to have a second child. they won't have one. bringing up baibie jang will cost $200,000, and they see the until child option as offering the best chance for the best chance in life. >> translation: my wife had to share with her siblings. my parents could spend everything on me. i want my son to have the best education and receive all of our love. >> the change in the one-child law poses challenges for china and a conundrum for parents. before they had a choice now there is none. >> china's one-child policy has been in place since 1979. authorities say it prevented as

pane as 400,000 births. >> there's a battle in the same-sex marriage. michigan's governor says the state will not recognise the same-sex marriages from last week. an appeals court suspended the initial ruling. it will take months before there's a judgment on the appeal. >> seg re dated schools in the gags -- segregated schools in the sit are in new york nation. latinos and blacks are in schools with no white classmates. the study says segregated school districts are to blame for the lack of diversity. >> unions and college athletes. john henry smith is here with more on the ruling that could shake up college sports. >> who would is think it moment. the national relations bard says college athletes are employees and can yun yopsize.

the llrb had been partitioned, led by quarterback cain colter. the regional director sited the players time commitment to sport and the fact that scholarships are tied to performance. there's a distinction. the ruling plies at this point to players at private universityies, not to those attending state schools like university of alabama. here is alicia jessop. forbes sports contributor. what the players sought is better health benefits. cain colter, a former quarterback. he had to pay for an m.r.i. pocket, on to be reimbursed and used it as an example for better health coverage that student athletes need in this system. that's one thing they are looking for.

it wouldn't be far fetched to believe down the road they seek monetary compensation outside the scholarships. >> to the hard wood. the heat and the pacers have been the best two teams in the catholic church. wednesday night they waged an epic battle for top dog status. paul george's speed. he scored 11 points in the first two games between the first two combined. he torched the king. lebron would get his and them some. game high 76. lebron didn't have help. dwayne wayne was the only other player. later in the fourth, heat down three, lebron with a double pump. three seconds left to bring miami within one. he'd have the ball and a chance. no good. the pacers beat the heat 84-83, in the east, 10 games to play.

>> manhattan coach was in the news after friend and coach of louisville complained about having to face him. now for something worse. the university of south florida was about to give him a million per year, and now the school karnt hire him because his resume states that he graduates from the university of connecticut. he did attend there, but there's no record of him getting his degree there. he was on his staff in louisville and says he's shocked by the revelation. there's no word was to whether he can return to his job in manhattan. >> commissioner indicated that while the league is moving towards expanding the play-off from 12 to 14, it probably - agarn, i say it won't happen.

here are rule changers you will see. the n.f.l. is making the goalpost higher. also, fumble recovery. amazingly they have not been renewable. outside the 2 minute mark, the cloth will no longer stop. >> next pre-season, they will begin. >> what it's like to be homeless in hawaii. >> some of us don't make enough to get a house. >> a side of the island most tourists never see. >> we have snow moving through the great lakes. the same system can cause other problems. we'll have the

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. next, the problem of homelessness in hawaii. but first, let's get a look at where the snow and rain may fall across the country, meteorologist nicole mitchell is back. >> a widespread area of moisture. the east coast dried out. activity on the north-west where we don't need it, where we have been 200% above rain fall in some cases. this is causing snow. michigan dealing with that. rain - chicago will be a slow commute. the broader area stretching to the south, developing through the day could bring strong storms. watch for wind and hail to be a primary threat. isolated tornados. we are getting into the spring storm as we get into spring. that brings a negative side of that. as i said, more rain.

a couple of breaks into the north-west. friday and saturday we are looking at more of this moisture where we can recover from the mud slide. the last month a lot above average, we had a wet february as well. so this is not going to be beneficial for some of those arse. back to you. >> astronomers believe they have discovered a dwarf planet that could extend the edge of the solar system, orbiting the sun beyond pluto. the newly disorder planet is 2012 vp, or biden, and its closest orbit represented by the red line is 7.4 billion miles from the sun. the earth is 93 million miles away from the sun. >> connecticut passed a $10 minimum raise, raising it from

$8.10. the governor will sign the bill, trumping washington state, passing a minimum state of $9.32. connecticut's minimum wage will not go in effect for three years, but increases yearly beginning in 2015 to $9.15, $9.60 and $10.10. >> beyond the white sand beaches, there's a side to hawaii that most do not see. camps made up of tents. jennifer london takes us inside the ohms in our series "homeless in america." >> beyond hawaii's beaches and shores, tucked in the shadows, along the coast. twinkles is one of hawaii's homeless, and agreed to take me on a tour of the camp where she and hundreds lived.

how long have you lived here? >> going on 11ors. through a maize of makeshift shelters, twinkles tent, a jumble of rooms patched with tarps and tent polls. >> looks like you have a sleeping area, a kitchen. >> kitchen, bathroom. >> life is not easy. twinkles describes it as living among leaves, but it's the only home she has. >> i never thought i would be here this long. it became home for me. for me this is reality. some of us don't make it, don't get a house. >> 271 people live in the camp. 38 of them are children. there are at least eight camps like this one all along the coast. closer to honolulu more tents, children and families on the treats. like tabitha and tracy and their 2-year-old. >> because we got evicted we

didn't have an address, so we lost the welfare and couldn't pay for anything. the first two weeks was hell. we were wandering around trying to find a place to sleep, to bathe and everything. >> by some estimates, there's more than 17,000 homeless people statewide, making hawaii's population the third largest in the cap ita - thanks to low winter games and high housing costs. >> it's a beautiful place to life. the cost of living is outrageous. that is a major contributing factor of why there are so many homeless in hawaii. it's getting worse admits hawaii's governor. >> not only is it more visible, there are greater numbers and the seriousness of it. >> to thatnd abercrombie created

a council of homelessness charged at getting people off the treats and into housing. >> we feel that acting, trying to rehabilitate houses. easier said than done according to the director of the community health center. >> the saying goes that the longer you are homeless, the harder it is to place into housing. >> twinkle has been there for a decade, saying this is home for me. >> solutions are hard to come by. for thousands, this is what homes in hawaii looks like - on the streets, under the freeways and in the shadows along the shore. >> the disappearance of a young homeless girl raises questions about the safety of children and families at shelters. that's next in the series "homeless in america", coming up in an hour.

>> the chinese tech company creating living cells using 3d bioprinter. the company says the cells are alive after nine days, and proves their available under 3 g printing conditions and the liveability of the cells has been improved. del walters joins us with a look at what we are following. >> we are following the meeting between president obama and pope francis that wrapped up. the first meeting between the two men. >> the number of people missing and washington state has been adjusted to less than 100. dangerous conditions could keep them from recovering all the victims from the mud slide. >> the national relations board ruling that ath leeth at north-western can form a union. ahead we'll dive deeper into the president's meeting with the pope and how policies in ideology shaped the sit down. >> officers in albuquerque in

hot water again - another datly shooting and what the chief says about the shooght. >> him nicole mitchell, snow to the great lakes. we'll have more about that. >> al jazeera america tips, dell and i will be back in 2 minutes. 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.

>> you have to be out here with them, no matter what. you have to find them. i don't like knowing that they're up there still missing. >> officials lower the number of missing in the washington mud slide even as the search for victims is expected to grow. >> the president and pope meet at the vatican tackling a number of global and domestic issues. >> the national labor relations board rules northwestern university football players can unionize. the school is fighting back.

>> parents come from a background of trauma they might not be as sensitive to those boundaries. >> the disappearance of a little girl from a homeless shelter shedding light on what families face protecting their kids. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm del walters. >> day six for the search for survivors in the washington mud slide. there is a glimmer of hope as the number of missing has been adjusted, the number lowered to 90. it was as high as 176 earlier in the week. >> 140 people who were previously unaccounted for reportedly located, but the status of 35 people remains uncertain. we have been following the search and rescue effort from

washington. while it's optimistic to say the number of missing is lower, there is still a lot more to be done there on the scene. >> good morning, stephanie and a lot more to be done. we're talking a square mile area with mud so thick and dangerous crews admit they may not be able to recover all of the bodies ever. they also admit that their heart and their heads say two very different things, as time is not on their side. they haven't been able to find anyone alive since saturday, and they're becoming more realistic about this rescue effort. >> six days after the massive mud slide that buried 49 homes, some in mud as deep as 20 feet, officials have now lowered the number of people missing. >> the number is 90. it did drop sickly. i do believe that it might drop a little bit more than that, but at least we're getting a clearer picture of the number of individuals that are out there that we need to focus on at this

point. >> even as the revised numbers provide a glimmer of hope, that hope is dwindling fast. >> we're finding cars that are basically compacted to the size of a washing machine, it pretty much alleviates all hope. >> the emotional toll is beginning to have an impact even on those charged with finding the still missing and unaccounted for. >> we are humbled beyond belief in this county. we have received -- it is very humbling. >> no one has been found alive since saturday when this video was taken, but just recently released showing how daunting the rescue mission has been when first responders on a helicopter spotted 4-year-old jacob spillers wading through the mud and hoisted him to safety. his father and three brothers and sisters are still missing. >> he was obviously very, very

traumatized. he had pants on, but down around his ankles. obviously i'm not a professional interviewer here. >> more calls describing the terror just after the earth gave way. >> all the homes are gone. >> additional resources have been brought in. two washington national guard helicopters arrived. their sole mission, body removal. the seattle times has cited a 2010 report that warned of deadly and destructive landslides in the exact same area where the earth gave way, but no easy answers from those heading up the search and recovery effort. >> people knew that this is a landslide prone area. sometimes big events just happen, and i want to understand why. >> it's also key to remember that back in 2006, there was a similar but smaller slide in that exact same area. local officials spent millions

of dollars to retrofit and secure that area. neighbors tell us that they felt safe. back to you has there been much federal aid? >> there has been a little bit, not much but important to note people that has already started here. the state of washington will apply for more federal aid, help to go get more boots on the ground and more hope in this rescue effort. >> abby, thank you. >> president obama's european tour now in its fourth day. this morning the president is meeting with the pope at the vatican, his first meeting with pope francis. mike viqueira is in washington. he met with the pope for 45 minutes. is there more than just the official meet and greet? >> well, there are significant issues that these two men will discuss, but the president arriving in rome or the vicinity

last night. here they were to meet for half an hour. the meeting went on for 50 minutes, the president thanking the pope for receiving them. they met privately for a while across a very simple wooden desk in the pope's quarters here in st. peters. afterwards, something that's become a tradition now, an exchange of gifts. the president presented the pope with a leather bound chest containing fruits and vegetable seeds grown in the white house garden. the pope is going to open up the pope summer residence, the garden shortly and the hope is that he will plant those seeds there. the president is still within the vatican. there are other officials that he and secretary of state john kerry are meeting now and later the president has a full slate

of activities here in rome with officials. >> they were expected to talk about the church's opposition to the affordable care act requiring employers to provide insurance coverage for contraception. any sign that that topic came up? >> well, we haven't heard anything yet from the president or his aids. obviously the president still inside the vatican. i don't think it's any surprise that when an american president, particularly one who favors abortion rights meets the leader of the catholic church that that that is an item that will be discussed, and the case being heard by the supreme court and their requirement that they cover their employees for contraceptive care. there are politics all around this, the president certainly hoping that the pope's popularity rubs off on him. the pope that something like a

70 -- i believe a 76 approval rating approval rating. catholics believe he is changing the church for the better. you compare that to the president's approval ratings, near an all time low in his presidency. the president, they both share a message of something they have in common for income inequality. the president in an interview this morning said he's going to bring up his efforts to raise the minimum wage and other initiatives that he has back in washington to help people grow out of poverty and decrease the income gap within the united states, so there are certainly political overtones to this visit, as well. >> mike viqueira live for us in vatican city, following the president, mike, thank you very much. >> pakistan's government and taliban concluded their first face-to-face talks on wednesday, pushing for a peace deal hoping to end an insurgency which has killed thousands in recent years.

pakistan's tall pan shares a policy with the leadership, an assembly is expected later this week. >> aljazeera's jennifer glasse is in sevastopol. unlike security council resolutions, general assembly are not legally binding. will it make any difference on the ground there? >> it's not expected to make any difference on the ground. i think what ukraine would like to see is a big vote in the security council. the question is how many of 193 members in new york will vote in favor of ukraine. apparently the resolution doesn't mention russia by name, but ukraine would like to see russia get a sense from the world that what they did here in crimea was wrong. i don't think it will change anything here in crimea, russia is firmly in control. they have no intention of giving it back. they are taking inventory today.

not only have they overrun the military and taken over the military installations, boats and equipment, they are also taking over any businesses, any properties that belong to the state, including hotels here, that includes military companies here that were state-owned companies, so the loss to ukraine is going to be big. the vote in the security council just symbolic to show ukraine that international support about what happened here in crimea. >> the international monetary fund agreed to a bailout plan for ukraine. what does the deal entail? >> that's about a $14 billion to $18 billion loan guarantees over the next year or so. it's money that ukraine desperately needs. actually, the prime minister said without those loan guarantees, that will unluck other loans from our countries, ukraine could go into default. it was voted the most corrupt

country in europe last year. it knows that it has a lot of problems. the i.m.f. is requiring a lot of reforms attached to that money and one will go into place may one when domestic gas prices in ukraine will go up 50%. it's going to be a very painful time for the people of ukraine to get the international money. >> gas prices had been controlled by russia, right, jennifer? >> well, the gas prices coming into ukraine definitely controlled by russia. they're going to go up, as well. that's going to be expensive, but the domestic gas prices were artificially low because of subs decease by the ukrainian government. the prim prime minister yatsenyk took over, he said it will be painful. they know the gas prices are going to be must have higher, but they have to reform their

internal economy and those with the conditions of the international monetary fund loans. the agreement will be finalized by the i.m.f. sometime next month. they will unluck loans from the united states, japan, european union and other countries. >> two firefighters are dead after a massive blaze erupted in boston. they were killed battling the blaze on wednesday. both were trapped in the basement where the fire started. 13 other firefighters were injured trying to rescue kennedy and walsh. fire officials are investigating but do not suspect foul play. >> a congressional report revealing new information about what authorities knew ahead of the boston marathon bombing, missing chances to arrest

tamerlan tsarnaev. >> gun rights organizations argued that the federal law had gone too far. >> parts of the u.s. could be hit with yet again severe weather today, creating the potential for a variety of dangerous conditions today. >> for more, let's bring in meteorologist nicole mitchell. >> good morning, yesterday we were talking about now, already to the more spring type of weather, the severe weather risks. moving to the midsection of the country, we're watching this broad area of instability. we do have a developing system already this morning on the northern tear of that. it's bringing snow to marquette, rain to chicago and not warm but

gusty winds out of the south. that keeps the temperatures from going down too much as all of this passes through. that is also funneling in the warm, moist air for parts of the south that we need to help fuel some of those storms. i have the area highlighted, what we're looking at, best chances for today, again, this is a slight risk, so anything we see, it looks like the probably be isolated, but just takes a couple storms to cause problems. strong winds, large hail a better threat to tornadoes, but there's still an isolated risk for that. a lot of the state of missouri, arkansas, we would watch for all of those elements to come together for that. widespread area along with all of this of the chance for rain and snow on the northern end and we're still having all of that wet weather into the west coast. could be some breaks today that would be very beneficial. if we go over the last month, all of this area is above average and especially where we had the mud slide area, 2% above average on the rain, so more rain is not what we need in this

and that is exactly what we will get. >> the focus of the investigation into missing malaysia airlines flight 370 now on the captain. u.s.a. today saying makes officials are looking into whether he deliberately led the plane off course. according to a high ranking official, there is no evidence of a mechanical failure or highjacking. search efforts stalled by bad weather thursday, new satellite data spotting more objects in the southern indian ocean. randall, what can you tell us about these new satellite images. >> seems every day we're getting new satellite images. this would be the fifth credible lead, these images coming from a thai satellite, approximately 300 objects, about 1,600 miles west of perth, australia. the pictures were taken on monday, one day after images were taken by a french

satellite, 120 objects by a french satellite, some 120 miles from the same area of the thai satellite. one obvious question is whether the thai and french satellites were taking pictures of the same objects at different times, and there is also the suggestion the obvious suggestion that perhaps those images just moved south, the objects moved south in that 48 hour period. the weather there is pretty rough, and there have been reports of a cyclone with 100-foot waves which arguably could have broken up those 120 objects into smaller pieces, but that's purely speculative. none of those objects have been retrieved, so we don't know if they are a match with the missing plane. >> this is not the first time that the investigation has focused on the pilot. >> no, it isn't. early on, after the flight disappeared, the focus was about

the pilot, the senior member of the cockpit, 53-year-old had 30 years experience with malaysian airlines. the unnamed malaysian police official telling u.s.a. today that shaw was the only person with the experience and expertise to make the plane disappear. the pilot had a flight simulator in his home and malaysian authorities handed over the computer with data that had been deleted. the f.b.i. is analyzing that data, so far no results. >> randall pinkston live in

washington, d.c. it's been a long time though, the families ever to be terribly frustrated. >> still a lot of speculation and not enough facts. >> albuquerque's police department facing a new claim of using excessive force. >> what the department's chief is saying about the latest deadly shooting involving his officers. >> also the mayor of one major u.s. city busted, arrested by federal agents, the charges he faces and the damage, that's already done to his political career. >> the big number of the day could be an economic tool to refrain vladimir putin over his actions in ukraine.

>> today's big number could be a game-changer in the wrist between the united states and russia, 700 million bar else, that's the number of bar else the u.s. has in oil in its strategic reserves. some suggest it be used as a tactic against moscow. >> right now global oil prices

sit at $106 a barrel. if that drops to $90 a barrel, it could potentially triple russia's economy. >> the idea is to sell 550,000-barrels a day from the reserves, those sales sufficient to puncture global on him prices and ruffle vladimir putin's feathers just a bit. >> the obama administration told 5 million-barrels of oil from its reserve last week, although the administration said the sale was unrelated to russia's advance into crimea. >> or so they say. >>. up next, new accusations of violence hitting one police department. >> first a look at what temperatures we can expect to see today. nicole mitchell is back, nicole. >> as we look out this morning, that system that passed up the east coastline, washington, d.c. at 30, seattle at 45 for example, much warmer. in fact, near record territory

in a couple places. for new york, the record is 20, 22 right now. just knowing that you're in the range gives you some perspective that it is cold. these winds out of the north will shift. some parts of the east coast already have the southerly winds but that same southerly flow out of the south is going to warm portions of the southern plains today, funneling in moisture. this heat, places like 66 degrees in memphis, that will be part of the risk for fuel for severe weather. we'll have more on that risk coming up. back to you. >> in business news, a couple of big temperatures connected to the financial crisis, bank of america will pay $9.3 billion to settle claims of mortgage fraud with the federal housing financing agency. it's a much bigger settlement than j.p. morgan's $5.1 billion settlement. bank of america's former chief executive reached a settlement for his role in the bank's acquisition of merrill lynch. he will pay $10 million for

allegedly misleading investors about the mounting failures when they bought the bank. >> citigroup shares are falling more than 5% after the federal reserve rejected citi's plan from buying back its own stock. the fed found the bank needs a better plan for coping with the severe recession. the fetials objected to the so-called capital plans of four other smaller banks, as well. >> mike co vast's new boss, the chief executive is widely expected to unveil a new version of office for the ipad. one watch herb said this is a very big move. >> analysts expect revenues up to $2 billion, one of the estimates out there in the market. that's a huge opportunity for the company and obviously

severing there ties with the windows era is a change. >> on wall street, do you futures up 39 points, markets sold off yesterday after president obama said russia could face stiffer sanctions over its actions in ukraine. the dow jones industrial average starting at 216268. the nasdaq at 4173. >> asia ending the day mostly lower, nikkei closing at a two week high up 1%. european markets are mixed. russia's main stock index is down 1%. >> the albuquerque police department under fire after a second deadly police shooting in just 10 days. this time they say police went too far.

>> this 911 call from a teenage girl brought albuquerque police. at the scene, a neighbor tells officers red wine had threatened her daughter. >> back off, or i got something for you. >> he ran inside the house. >> police say the 30-year-old was on probation for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. they say red wine came out with a gun. this is a video. >> put the gun down, please! [ gunfire ] >> this is the same moment captured on a witness's cell phone camera. we warn you, it's graphic. >> albuquerque police chief would not release video showing

red wine on camera but said he fired at officers first. eden said red wine's gun was recovered at the scene. >> when the suspect exited the department, the suspect did discharge his firearm. >> it's not clear from police or witness videos when or where that happened. witnesses told aljazeera a different version of events that red wine was unarmed and never threatened officers. a couple saw the shooting from 50 feet away. >> he came out of the door like this. ok? this is obviously. >> dropped it down to his side, started yelling for his sister and she started yelling back and then they opened up on him. >> witnesses say this is where he stood when police shot him in the chest, the ground still shows where he fell. >> tammy red wine had been on the phone with her brother trying to talk him down. >> i seen his chest and he went

like that and he fell back. i seen his shirt turn red and i knew they used live rounds and the lt. promised me that he wouldn't. he promised me that he would use non-lethal rounds and he lied. >> that assertion is under investigation. the shooting happened just hours after some 2000 demonstrators converged on police headquarters. they were protesting the earlier fatal shooting of the homeless and mentally ill man james boyd. both shootings happened during eaton's first month as chief. >> do you think you're doing a good job? >> i think the men and women off the albuquerque police department do their best job every day. i am investigating the police department from top to bottom, including myself. >> and now another death to evaluate. redwine is the 24th person to be killed in an albuquerque police department shooting in

less than five years. >> experts we talked to yesterday said something is wrong in the city, the justice department is right to do an investigation. >> president obama meets with pope francis, their common goals and the challenges their differences present. >> what was of the thing that you worried about the most that night? >> that somebody was going to try to cause harm to me or my child. >> moms trying to put a roof over their children's head, facing the challenge of keeping them safe. the risk faced in homeless shelters. >> northwestern university football players given the ok to face the first union of college athletes. the wide impact that decision could have. >> i'm john henry smith. the world's largest soccer party is coming soon to brazil and the hosts don't appear to be ready. we'll detail for you just how unword cup ready brazil is.

>> you're looking live at the

hoyle name of jesus in new york city. the president is conducting a papal meeting in rome this morning. >> the big legal ruling that could change the landscape of college sports. >> we'll talk about the disappearance of a little girl that is raising red flags about safety in the homeless community. >> in our next hour, a heinz province relaxes its one child policy. >> president obama is on the fourth day of his european tour at the vatican meeting with pope francis. this marks his second presidential visit to the vatican. he was there in 2009. in recent days, both president obama and pope francis expressed muteual concerns about income inequality. >> they haven't missed a day in 32 years feeding, teaching, sheltering, helping the poor get back on their feet. >> i'm not hungry anymore, and

my mind frame changed and hopefully i can get a job and start working. >> the catholic church has a long history helping what the gospel calls the least of these, the poor. it's the new pope, france, who after an era of feed fill i can't scandals and public outrage has brought the church's focus back to this core mission, through his action and his words. critical of the growing gap between the haves and have notes. >> during president obama's time in office, that gap between rich and poor in america has continued to grow. it's now the widest since 1928. it's an issue the president has turned into a central theme. >> combined trends of increased inequality and decreasing mobility pose a fundamental threat to the american dream, our way of life and what we stand for around the globe. >> though they share a message, popes suggest americans see them differently. one, the pope is bop larr, seven

in 10 catholics saying he represents a major change in the church. the president's ratings are near an all time low. the cardinal led chicago area clicks for five years and welcomes the president's focus but worried politics might muddy the message. >> it can confuse the issue, because it can be interpreted as just a political message, and so i think i go back to the old administration i can't hear what you're teaching because what you're doing makes too much noise. i think we have to put our money where our mouth is. i think the church has to do that and government has to do that. >> at baltimore's our daily bread, they witnessed what's called the francis effect firsthand. >> the energy around service is more focused, a greater increase and frankly a greater joy in coming together and to making a

difference in the lives of people. >> the polite of the poor, a shared message when president meets pope. mike viqueira, aljazeera, traveling with the president. >> patrick horn beck is chair of the theology democratic at fort happened university and joins us in the studio to talk more about this meeting, which happened about an hour ago. we haven't got much information, other than the gifts that pope francis gave to president obama. >> that's right, thanks for having me back on. we don't know what was said behind those closed doors. they were there 15 minutes more than scheduled. it was scheduled for 30 minutes, went more than 45. the president gave the poop a wooden box made out of wood from baltimore's first cathedral with seeds from the white house garden. >> we don't know what the pope gave the president -- >> actually we do, a copy of the first -- pope's write cyclical

letters, the teachings that popes write and he has written two of them, one started by his predecessor pope den detect, but the second one is the pope's first own writing. what's fascinating about it is it's a book that brought critiques on the one hand the free market economy and practice of abortion. the book symbolizes all the way the pope stands outside these normal conservative opinions in the u.s. >> that's a similar gift to the one pope benedict gave president obama in 2009, we don't know what they said in the meeting. we do know that the timing of this meeting is such that the supreme court this week is hearing arguments about the affordable care act's requirement that employers provide their employees with contraceptive coverage. this has been extremely controversial in the u.s. among relingous groups, not just catholics. do we believe this was

discussed? >> i don't know. one thing we do know is he has not made a practice of hitting on hot button issues. where his predecessor talked a lot about. >> like abortion and contraception. pope francis talking about the poor, refugees, immigrants and there's a lot more common ground there between the pope and president. my bet is they focused on issues where they agree. >> what do you think each leader would have wanted to emphasize. >> i don't want to speak for the pope or president. from the pope's perspective, i think he's speaking with the leader of the free world, the leader of the capitalist economy and one thing we've heard is the sense that he's worried that capital. >> is taking over more human concerns. he said we worry when the stock market goes up or down but don't think about it when a homeless person dies on the street. my sense is he gave that challenge first and foremost. >> which in some way does jive

with the push leading up to mid term elections. the vatican's chief justice cardinal raymond burke had harsh words for president obama ahead of his visit, stating: >> how prevalent is that view among clicks? >> i think it's fair to say burke is not speaking for most catholics, not even for pope francis. this was a man removed from a key vatican committee deciding who is going to become bishops within the church. i don't think it's the majority view. >> patrick, thanks for coming in. >> ahead of that meeting with

the pope, the president holding strategy sessions on ukraine on wednesday with nato and european union leaders. he met with nato secretary general. nato will increase its presence in hole land and baltic states. mr. obama saying russia stands alone in ukraine and will face further sanctions if the situation in crimea intensifies. >> we want the russian people to live in security, prosperity and dignity like everyone else, proud of their own history. that does not mean russia can run roughshod over its neighbors. >> a policy analyst with the cato institute center for global liberty and prosperity joins us from washington, d.c. this morning. the president telling reporters in brussels that nato needs a regular presence in countries that feel vulnerable to russia. >> if we've got collective

defense, everybody's got to chip in. i have had some concerns about a diminished level of defense spending among some of our partners innate toe. the situation in ukraine reminds us that our freedom isn't free. >> sounds like the gauntlet was laid down. what is the meaning behind those words? >> i think the main message from the president's speech yesterday is that every nato member state needs to step up in its security efforts. for far too long, eastern countries and european countries have been free riding on america's military presence in europe while the americans spend it's g.d.p. on military spending, germany 1.1% in the case of the czech republic.

these countries need to think about security priorities are, who friends and foes are and not simply rely on america to be the policing force. >> it's one thing for the president to say that those countries need to step up and chip in. the truth of the matter is europe like the united states has gone through a terrible recession and some of those countries simply can't afford, it's a guns and butter argument in many of those countries. how do you justify trying oh spend more to protect yourself when you don't have the money. >> many have economies that have grown out of the transitional troubles many years ago. there has been a shared sentiment to the security is somebody else's business. moreover, wealthy economies of the european union, the e.u. was

supposed to have a policy since a long time ago but we have yet to see the results that have. i think there is a strong case to be made for european security issues becoming truly and primarily european problem. >> the white house in the past has relied heavily on sanctions and has seen some success in iran, but russia could be a very tough sell to some european countries that depend on russia for 40% of its oil and natural gas. russia can't afford to lose europe as a trading partner, europe could go for sales, germany the largest foreign buyer of russian gas. is there any way europe can see these sanctions imposed and reduce its energy dependence on russia? >> one thing that is key is for e.u. to step up its efforts to target sanctions on mr. putin's

inner circle, people close to the regime who support the regime and have been complicit in much of the mischief that is happening in ukraine right now, and europe has been quite unwilling to move further in that direction. it is equally important for europeans to think about energy independence and links with russia. i don't think europe can get out of its present situation without exploring the shell gas in germany and france. that is a longer discussion and cannot be solved at 1e.u. summit. it is believed that everyone has an interest in the success of the ukrainian transition. that is something that is going to send the strongest signal to the russian public, showing them that there is a better way of

managing one's economy than having the old regime in charge. my hopes are really the success of the ukraine in transition. >> thank you for joining us. >> the mayor of charlotte, north carolina is under arrest for allegedly taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes, facing federal charges of theft and bribery. he resigned wednesday after charged. the f.b.i. said he accepted $4,800 in bribes from undercover agents. >> michigan's governor saying the state won't recognize same-sex marriages performed last weekend. they were legal at the time. a federal judge ruled michigan's ban against gay marriage was unconstitutional. an appeals court suspended that ruling. it will likely take months before there is an appeal. >> it's a ruling that could

revolutionize college sports, a federal agency decided football players at a big 10 university can create the nation's first union of college athletes. as we explain, the decision comes after former players argued college football is a commercial enterprise that relies on player's labor to generate billions of dollars in profit. >> in a game-changing decision, the national labor relations board found football players at northwestern now qualify as university employees, which means they have the right to unionize. the players argued their scholarships are compensation and coaches are their managers. the board agreed in part because the university exerts employer like control over the players. >> control over their time, over their scheduling, control over what they can do with their private lives, what they can post on twitter. >> the former football players behind the case are the founders of capa. they want medical coverage for

players who get long term injuries instead of losing their scholarships, better procedures to reduce head injuries and the potential to pursue sponsor ships. northwestern says they are students, adding in a statement: as the university files and appeal in illinois, lawmakers in tennessee consider a bill that gives its students athletes a grant when they graduate. >> we would love for them to continue their education or start a business up right here in the state which will put their grant revenue right back into the system of our state. >> while the former northwestern players did not ask for money, the issue of compensation looms large in the big business of college sports. >> hundreds of millions of dollars come into these schools and now the players want a part of it. >> for now, the only players who may get a part of it are at private schools like northwestern, because the labor

agency does not have jurisdiction over public universities. >> the ncaa says its disappointed with the ruling, adding students play for the love of the sport, not for a salary, while it admits improvements are needed, it says the current system still works. >> a lot of people talking about this. >> stay tuned. >> it was hoped that the 2014 world cup would be a coming out party for brazil. there are concerns brazil may not be ready. >> it's really close, isn't it? >> really, really close. i'm going to start with a little question i think we can relate to. have you ever planned a big party and realized at the last minute that you're not even being close to ready to start it on time? that's the polite brazil finds itself in 77 days from the start of the world cup. we look at their increasingly desperate dash to beat the clock. >> this stadium one of 12 planning to host world cup

matches may not resound to the cheers of international football fans after all. the mayor says the city may pull out of the cup because it has no money for facilities required by football's governing body fifa. brazil has been resoundly criticized for lack of preparation for this sport's biggest spectacle. recently, there has ban coverage of violence on the streets, including fire bomb attacks on police outposts in high crime areas. brazilian president is ready to order troops into rio's volatile slums, home to about 1.4 million people. deploying the army on to the streets potentially against its own citizens is not the image brazil wants to project. work on three stadiums is still not finished. projects including expansion of

airports, new transit systems and better roads may not be completed on time. brazil's expected to spend $11 billion or more to host the cup. some of that money has gone to projects of doubtful value, including this $500 million stadium in brazilia. >> the stadium is built to seat 70,000 spectators, but it's not clear what will happen to it after the world cup, because brazilia doesn't even have its own football team. >> when the country was awarded host nation status in 2007, the economy was booming, and with that, brazilians were full of national pride. since then, economic growth has slowed to 2%, and public attitudes have soured. a recent poll shows 54% of brazilians are pessimistic about the cup. more than 80% believe the money

would have been better spent object education and health care. >> rob reynolds, aljazeera, brazilia. >> lawmakers have approved measures to finance the building of those fifa required temporary structures. fifa says it takes three months to erect these structures and there are only two and a half months remaining before the cup begins. >> what do you do if you're just not ready for the world cup? >> i say one of these. >> say a prayer. >> returning home and ending up on the streets, why a growing number of female veterans are finding themselves homeless. >> we'll tell you about a new plan to provide food for the hungry. investments some farmers are making to help out their neighbors.

>> hey guys, wanna come to the united states?

>> dangers mothers face bringing their children to homeless shelters. >> first, nicole mitchell. >> i'm one of the people in the country that enjoy snow. not everybody is getting it, but we're still see that go into the mid atlantic. look at this line of clearing. off the east line is dry air, so that is a little clearing. snow through the great lakes today and into friday, it is more rain versus snow, but it is going to be wet along the east coast as all that have moves through. with that in the midsection today, this is the area we're watching, especially missouri into arkansas, but anywhere along that line, wind and hail could be a threat, isolated

chance of tornadoes. >> farmers are teaming up with an agricultural giant frying to feed the nation's hungry. the program is called invest an acre. when farmers donate grain, man santo will double the donation. farmers choose the amount to donate and the money goes to their food pantry of choice. >> there's farmers that donate personally here, but if they could donate it ingrain, double their pledge through the monsanto program, the money goes farther. >> that program started in 2012. its intention was to in form farmers looking to help out locally with their harvest. >> the disappearance of an 8-year-old homeless girl is raising questions about the safety of children and their families in shelters. we take you to the place in the nation's capitol where the girl went missing. >> these are the last known images of alyssa, surveillance

video of the hallway of a holiday inn express, the man by her side is a janitor where she stayed with her family. according to the washington, d.c. police report, the girl's family allowed him to take her away with him in february but the little girl never came home. >> it's been surreal and heartbreaking. >> danielle knows alicia well. she runs a play ground where she participated regularly. for more than a area the 8-year-old thrived on art probables and dreamed of being a model or cheerleader. department of human services, which oversees the homeless shelter aren't saying much about why an employee was permitted to interact with the little girl outside the shelter. homeless advocates say it's

understandable by families might be vulnerable to situation like alicia's. >> when parents come from backgrounds of trauma, they might not be as sensitive to boundaries and red flags. >> entire families just like hers are often crowded into small rooms. she can see why the janitor's offer of help might have seen appealing. >> imagine if you and your family of five were packed in a room like rats for 18 months and then someone offered to help relieve that burden and help you take care of some of your kids from time to time. >> advocates say the surge is not only pressuring homeless families, but also push ago city to cut corners. >> to better understand the extent of the problem, we spent time with this woman and her 12-year-old baby. d.c. law requires the district to provide housing for the homeless in severe weather

conditions, but the makeshift cots and portable walls provided didn't give enough protection or privacy for families with kids. >> what was the thing that you worried about the most that night? >> that somebody was going to try to cause harm to me or my child. >> thanks to a ruling by a d.c. judge who ordered the city to provide more private rooms, she qualifies for a city paid hotel room during hypo thermic temperatures. on this cold night after waiting for hours, the temperatures hovering in the 30's, she and her daughter end the up at the holiday inn express. >> i felt relieved that we're going to have peace and quiet for the most part, no one's going to bother us. my daughter is safe, i'm safe. she's comfortable. i don't have to worry at much. [ singing ] >> she and her little one snuggle in for some comfort here, but the worry continues

for another the one. it was in the hallway of this very same hotel where alicia was last seen one month ago. >> coming up, returning home from serving that you are country and ending up on the streets. [ singing ] >> why a growing number of female veterans are finding themselves homeless. >> del has a look at the stories we'll follow the next hour. >> the president wrapping up that meeting with pope francis at the vatican this morning now meeting with italy's president. >> the number of people missing in washington state now 90, dangerous conditions keeping recovery from all of the victims of that massive mud slide. >> the nlrb ruling university athletes can form a union. >> one hunted almost to extinction, the danger a growing

crocodile population is posing in australia. >> morning news continues, dell is back with you in two minutes. have a great morning. >> these protestors have decided that today they will be arrested >> these people have chased a president from power, they've torn down a state... >> what's clear is that people don't just need protection, they need assistance.

>> revising the numbers, officials lower the number of missing in the washington state mud slide even as the search is expected to grow. >> the president and pope meeting as the two men tackle a number of global and domestic issues. >> so this is the back of the burlington coat factory. this is actually where i slept many of the nights. >> the growing number of homeless female veterans and what's being done to make them

happy and find safer places to live. >> opportunistic killer. >> the battle over hunting crock dials comes to a head so to speak in australia. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. >> there has been hope in the search for the missing in the washington state mud slide, emergency officials saying the number of missing has been adjusted downward. it was 176 earlier in the week. 140 people first unaccounted for have been located. the status of 35 people at this hour remains uncertain. the official death toll standing at 16, now another nine bodies located, but not recovered. we have been following the search effort. abby, while it's optimistic to

say the number of missing is lower, still there is much to be done. >> good morning, dell, there is so much to be done. we're talking about a square mile of heavy mud that officials admit they my nat recover all of these bodies. they also say that time is really not on their side. they haven't found anyone alive since saturday and their head and their heart not really matching when they know the reality of this very dangerous recovery effort. >> six days after the massive mud slide that buried 49 homes, some in mud as deep as 20 feet, officials have now lowered the number of people missing. >> the number is 90. i believe it may drop lower. we're getting a clear picture of the number of individuals that are out there at this point. >> even as the revised numbers provide a glimmer of hope, that

hope is dwindling fast. >> we're finding cars that are basically com pathed to the size of a washington machine. it previous alleviates all hope. >> the emotional toll is beginning to impact even those charged with finding the still missing and unaccounted for. >> we are humbled beyond belief in this county. we have received -- it is -- this is very humbling. >> no one has been found alive since saturday when this video was taken, but just recently released, showing how daunting the rescue mission has been when first responders on a helicopter spotted 4-year-old jacob wading through the mud and hoisted him to safety. his father and three brothers and sisters are still missing. >> he was obviously very, very traumatized. he was hypo thermic. he had pants on, but they were down around his ankles.

sorry. obviously i'm not a professional interview here. >> more calls describing the tore roar just after the earth gave way. >> all the homes on steel head drive are gone. >> two national guard blackhawks helicopters arrived, their sole mission, body removal. >> the seattle times cited a 2010 report that warned of deadly and destructive land slides in the exact same area where the earth gave way, but no easy answers from those heading up the search and recovery effort. >> people knew that this is a landslide-prone area. sometimes, big events just happen. i want to understand why. >> it's important to note that back in 2006, there was a similar landslide right in that exact same area but smaller. local officials spent millions of dollars to mitigate that area, secure it and neighbors felt safe.

>> we know officials there received a phone call from the president, but what about any financial aid from the federal government? >> financial aid is going to be very important. there isn't much happening right now except for fema. the state of washington is planning on applying for more federal aid. as soon as they can get that, they're applying this week, that lil allow more boots on the ground to help with this effort. >> abby, thank you very much. >> the president's european tour now in day four. this morning, the president visiting the vatican for his first meeting ever with pope francis. this marks his second presidential visit to the vatican. he met with pope benedict in 2009. mike viqueira is in the vatican. the president spent 50 minutes with the pope. was there more to this than just that official meet and greet that we're used to seeing?

>> well, you know, there is a certain ritual aspect to this, a lot of angles and wrinkles to this story that we can get into. the president arriving here, this grand entrance, coming up the avenue, driving into st. peters square, entering st. peters and the offices of official residences of pope, greeting the pope. i'm a great admirer, thank you very much for receiving me, they went and met together sitting across from each other in a very simple wooden table. they met for 50 minutes within afterwards, the pope emerged. he shook hands with secretary of state john kerry, also here with the national security advicer susan rice. it's an exchange of gifts that becomes standard now when the president meets the pope, the president presenting the pope with a leather bound seed chest from fruits and vegetables in the white house garden. the pope will open a garden to

the public intended for gardening there. a form at, ritual and a warm greeting here for president obama. >> the president well represented at today's meeting, who else was there? >> we mentioned john kerry and national security advisor susan rice. there's a political undercurrent here, no question about it. first of all, the pope is known to be concerned, whenever a president and pope meet, the issue of abortion does come up. they are on opposite sides of that issue, particularly given the controversy in the united states and supreme court case heard about institutions providing contraceptive coverage, a stance that the catholic organizations have led the fight against. the pope is very popular the president happens to be not very popular right now, approval

ratings at an all time low for his term. there's no question the administration hoped to benefit from the francis effect. the pope told italian media that he was going to be bringing up his agenda about raising the minimum wage. these are fights going on in washington with republicans. this was a very ceremony yell and friendly meeting between these two leaders. >> mike, thank you very much. >> government officials want to beef security at the nation's airports, the transportation security administration saying there should be armed personnel at security check points and ticket counters during peak hours. they want panic alarm and for agents to under go training. all prompted by the fatal shooting at l.a.x. >> agreeing to a bailout plan

for ukraine, putting together an aid package of $14 billion to $18 billion after an i.m.f. visit to the country. jennifer glasse is live in sevastopol. what did this i.m.f. deal detail? >> it is between $14 billion and $18 billion over the next year or two, but it also is going to help unlock other i do. the united states promised $1 billion in aid to ukraine, which is all money that ukraine desperately needs, tied up in congress waiting to see if ukraine was going to issue the quite a few reforms the i.m.f. demands. ukraine made an announcement that it is going to double the price of gas for domestic users on may one. that was one of the big conditions. gas prices inside ukraine had been artificially low for a very long time. those are reforms the country is going to have to make to bring it in line with the rest of the economies in the world.

that's what the i.m.f.'s been asking for. hopefully this loan which still has to be finalized next month will help ukraine get more and more international aid. it desperately needs it. the acting prime minister yatsenyuk knows the changes have to be made. ukraine tries to bring itself into line with the rest of the world. >> the u.n. taking up the issue, talking about ukraine's territorial borders and russian aggression. what do they hope will come out of the u.n. general assembly today in kiev in ukraine? >> ukraine is hoping for a big vote today in new york. they want to see as many of those 193 countries represented vote on their side. of course this resolution is not binding.

it's not going to change anything. it's certainly not going to change anything here in crimea, russia has clearly shown it doesn't care what the international community thinks. it believes what has been done here was done under international law. ukraine wants to show most nations in the world don't believe that way. this is about showing russia how much of the international community stands against it. there's been a lot of lobbying in new york, russia a very, very influential country will be trying to get people to vote in their side, ukraine trying to get votes in father favor. >> the philippines signing and historic peace deal with a rebel muslim group. president aquino presided over the deal, ending a rebellion with the large effort islamic militant group, the liberation front. more than 120,000 people have been killed, the exchange is for an autonomous region and

government with its own police force and budget powers. the rebel groups will view to give up their violent struggle. >> two firefighters dead after a massive fire erupts in in boston. the firemen were killed battling the blaze wednesday. both were trapped in the basement of the home when the fire started. 13 other firefighters were injured trying to rescue the two men. fire officials are investigating the cause of the fire, but do not suspect foul play. >> winds in the 30-40-mile an hour range helping to fuel that deadly fire. nicole mitchell with more on conditions across the country. >> yesterday, we had the low pressure off the coastline. the black lines you see are pressure changes. the more dramatically the pressure changes, the higher the winds crank up, so that's why along the coastline especially, we saw winds in places like nantucket gust up to 50 miles an

hour, interior, discuss stained winds not only driving part of that fire in boston, but there was another fire in new jersey where winds made things very difficult. that situation has improved today, more of the winds shifting out of the south. that will nudge up temperatures a little bit and even more tomorrow. winds have died, so it's not creating a wind chill with chilly temperatures. the system we're watching is in the midsection of the country, everything from snow northward, already rage in chicago. anywhere from heavy rain in the gulf coast all all the way to that snow, that could be one of our problem areas, but this is getting the time of year where you get more of the chance for severe weather with the difference dynamics in the atmosphere. today is a slight risk, that's a good thing and strong winds and hail would be the biggest with that. isolated tornadoes are possible, places like missouri, you might remember back to 20 years, abit was a palm sunday, 1994, a very

dramatic tornado outbreak, so that can happen this time of year. i'm not saying it's going to happen today, but this is the time of year you want to think about that plan for yourself and your family. del. >> nicole, thank you very much. >> investigators trying to figure out what happened to missing malaysia airlines flight 370. there is evidence that shows the pilot may have been responsible. we'll talk about the clues that lead to that theory and how conclusive they are. >> hundreds of millions of dollars come into these schools and now the players want a part of it. >> college athletes one step closer to cashing in on their success. why the nlsb said college athletes have the right to unionize. >> president, the conditioning, everyone made it clear that this is a national embarrassment. >> combating the rising number of women, veterans who are winding up on the streets.

>> the focus of that investigation into missing malaysia airlines flight 370 now on the captain. "u.s.a. today" saying officials

are looking into whether he deliberately led the plane off course. according to an official, there is no evidence of mechanical failure or highjacking. the search efforts were stalled by bad weather again on thursday, new slight data spotting even more objects in the southern indian ocean. randall pinkston is live in washington, d.c. this is not the first time they focused on the pilot. >> early after the flight disappeared, authorities suspected someone in the cockpit deliberately turned offer the transponder and communications gear and directed the plane from its course to beijing to the west and later to the southwest over the indian ocean. the focus immediately went to the pilot. he was a veteran in the cockpit, the 53-year-old had 18,000 hours of flight time. officials say he was the only one with the experience and

expertise to make the plane disappear. a computer from his flight simulator in his home was handed over to the f.b.i. the f.b.i. director was asked by congressional committee whether he was ready to reveal results of the analysis. >> teams working literally around the clock, but i expect it to be done fairly shortly, within a day or two. >> whether or not the f.b.i. analysis shows any suspicious information from shaw's flight simulator, he that defenders, people who are saying that he would never have deliberately crashed this plane. investigators have not even connected him to a terrorist group. >> bad weather once again on thursday in australia coming at a time when many believe that we were looking at the longest -- the strongest evidence yet that we might have found that so-called debris field. >> we have now five different satellite sitings of debris that

they think may be connected to the missing flight. thai satellite show some 300 objects southwest of perth, australia. those pictures were taken on monday one day after a french satellite spotted 120 objects 1500 miles south of perth. the question are the satellites taking pictures of the same images at different times. possibly the objects have flowed south. we don't know, because they haven't retrieved them. they are still looking to link something to that missing plane. >> thank you very much. very real concerns what they are seeing could be junk. >> our aviation analyst here joins us from fort lauderdale florida, this morning. "u.s.a. today" is now focusing solely on the pilot.

they say that they have now talked to sources that the pilot is to blame for bringing this plane down. do you concur with that article and do you think they have enough information at this time? >> no, i do not concur. i do believe that there is more of a chance that the pilot was involved, but i don't think there's enough hard evidence to come to that conclusion at this point. there are other explanations, not as tight, perhaps, but none of this has been proven. we don't even know if this is the actual aircraft in the water. what we have is strong mathematical evidence from the satellite company that this is where it is likely, and we have the satellite photos that back that up, but until we actually see the airplane and we touch the parts, we can't verify that it's actually there, and then back the story up to determine how it got there.

>> what clues are being attached to this pilot that allows "u.s.a. today" to make such a strong assertion that it is the pilot who was solely responsible for bringing this plane down? >> well, their story in the paper is rather thin, if you ask me. they mention that he was connected with the politician who was arrested, and he was very upset about that. they also mention some personal problems that he had. all of this is innuendo and newt proof. we need something to connect up the pilot directly with some nefarious in tent. it is conceivable and possible that he could have done this, but they also suggest that no one else aboard that aircraft was capable of doing that. i disagree strongly with that. the first officer can certainly fly that airplane and turn it

several times and then put it on the auto pilot and continue straight ahead. the highjackers in 9/11 didn't have as much training as he did and they caused much more damage. >> it's safe to say that in this case was the co pilot who made the last communication with the tower with those words saying good night. if the pilot were responsible, wouldn't you ever heard some sound of distress in the co pilot's voice? >> possibly. if he knew that this was coming, but it's entirely possible that after he made those statements, that the captain calmly got up and came at him from behind and took him out, or that the co pilot was the guilty party and he did the same thing to the captain after he made those words -- after he made those comments, so we don't have enough information to put this on the captain. for that matter, there could

have been someone hidden and somehow got into that cockpit. >> jay, these new reports that we're seeing, as many as 300 pieces of debris floating in the south indian ocean, are you optimistic that we are finally starting to find the debris field? >> i am. i think that the data that came from the satellite company that predicted this is where the path is is powerful data, based on good, sound science, but it is still a theory, even though it's a strong theory, but i am optimistic that they will find something that is definitely from that aircraft and then we can move back from there. >> jay rollins, joining us from fort lauderdale, florida, thank you very much. >> we want to take time out right now to check temperatures across the country today with meteorologist nicole mitchell. >> the east coast has been our

alley cold spot of the country, temperatures are slowly nudging up. already warm air in the midwest. that is going to be part of our problem spot for today. that northeast flow is switching to more southerly flow, warming the region. this afternoon in the midsection, memphis at 66, that's part of that warm, moist air that will eventually feed into that risk for thunderstorms and possibly even severe storms. back to you. >> checking businesses, wall street seems poised to open higher on data for economic growth, do you futures up 17 points, markets selling off after the president said russia could face even tougher sanctions over its actions in ukraine, the dow starting at 16268, the s&p at 1862. the nasdaq is at 4173. oversees, asian markets end the day lower, nikkei closing at a

two week up, up 1%. european markets are lower. russia said main stopple index down more than 1%. the i.m.f. agreed to a bailout plan for ukraine. >> russian president vladimir putin warns that russia's access to payment systems limiting those access could backfire. last week, visa and master started said they would stop services credit cards issued by banks targeted by the sanctions. microsoft step the c.e.o. will unveil a new version of office that will work with apple's ipad, a first for the two tech titans, but one industry watcher said he can't lose track of what made microsoft successful. >> i think it's been trying to be america's coolest company and it's been completely out

maneuvered by google, facebook, you name it, apple, you know, its strength lie in the enterprise market in serving its big corporate customers. >> microsoft shares are up 10% since he took the helm, flirting with 14 year highs. >> a retailer known for its cool gadgets could soon be in bankruptcy, brook stone preparing to file with a plan in place to sell to another retailer. >> profits expected to be blow analyst estimates. the women's yoga wear retailer reporting profit in sales in the prefers months top forecast. trying to bounce back after a couple of missteps, including recall of a pants that were too sheer and controversial comments about women's bodies from its former chairman. >> there were warning signs before that deadly mud slide in

washington. why the area is to unstable and what ca can be done now to short up. >> i feel like nothing can stop me. like i'm a train just forcing through life. >> how the v.a. is addressing problems leading to female veterans homelessness. >> it will rip your hands wide open. on top of that, they to have look out for the mother crock. >> a crock do it hunt one of the only options to curtail a booming population. >> the big dance is back with four games tonight and tomorrow. why two of those will be truly historic.

>> welcome back, i'm del walters, these are our top stories. the president on day four of his european tour spent the morning

at the vatican meeting with pope francis. they spoke for 50 minutes. the president holding meetings today with italian president and prime minister. >> bad weather suspending the search for missing malaysia airlines flight 370. new satellite images out of thailand spot 300 objects in the indian ocean. investigators chasing new leads that the captain may be responsible for the crash. "u.s.a. today" reporting he may have changed the plane's course and there is no evidence of a mechanical failure or highjacking. >> the search for survivors in the mud slide in washington now in day six. the number of people missing has been lowered down to 90. more than 100 people missing have been located, but the status of 35 others remains unclear. >> according to the adjustment geological survey, 25-50 deaths can be attributed to landslides

each year, causing more than $1 billion in damages and occur in all 50 states. a professor of geology in san francisco joins us. >> people knew that this is a landslide prone area. sometimes big events just happen. sometimes large events that nobody sees happens. this event happened, and i want to find out why. i want to understand why. i want to understand the dynamic of a potential small earthquake behind it that shook it loose and i don't have those answers right now. >> they weren't warning of a problem. they were warning of a potentially catastrophic landslide back in 1999, 15 years ago, so do you think that they blew it? >> not really. the thing is we understand very

well the causes or factors behind an event like this but for the exact timing, that's something that's beyond us. here we've had those very, very heavy rainfalls, the constant pull of gravity, those factors exist all the time, a river eating at the base of the slope. you know the potential but not the when. >> this is not a matter of if there was going to be a massive mud slide, but in your opinion, a matter of when. >> exactly. they talk about that earthquake, a 1.1, wondering if that's what the trigger, what made it move, that's a pretty small earthquake. it's also possible that that 1.1 earthquake was actually caused by a rupture of rock setting up, in other words part of the landslide. it might have been a premonition of what was coming, rather than a trigger for the event. >> one reason geologists like yourself issue these findings and warn public officials is so

they don't build in these areas. do you sometimes feel that your warnings fall on deaf ears? >> well, i think our warnings are part of all kinds of things that people have to sort through. for us, we understand how mobile, how energetic the earth is and how prone things are to move, but for people, when you go out and here's a beautiful landscape with great vegetation, a river, a place you'd love to hang out and live. the idea that one of these years, one of these centuries a big landslide or earthquake might come is not compelling enough in the oversaul view. >> 35 people still missing are trapped down in that mud and muck. some people ever described it as quick sand. why is it so difficult to find these bodies? >> well, you know, the quick sand idea, this is even worse than quick sand in terms of trying to find them. you're literally encased in mud and as that dewaters and

hardens, there's a good chance some of those bodies will never be found. that's from things like hurricane mitch in central america where we had similar large, large landslides and many of these people were simply buried and lost to our view. >> how do you stabilize an area like this? you have indicated that it was prone to these mudslides, so if you are going to build in an area like this, how do you make it stable first? >> well, it's a very expensive process. basically, a hillside, a steep slope, if you add weight to the top, that tends to make it move or take away mass from the bottom, that tends to make it move. here we have a river nibbling away from the bottom of the hill. long term that's a destabilizing factor. you could reroute the river, very, very expensive, you could build a heavy dam and bolders at the base of the hill to slow erosion. in other words, some of the preventive measures are maybe cost more money than simply

moving the houses to another area. >> you've studied this area. are there other parts of this region that are just as prone to these massive mudslides? >> indeed, much of the state of washington, particularly the western side is very, very prone to these things. given a large earthquake, when we get a magnitude six or seven, we could easily have a thousand land slides triggered by that earthquake. not all of this sides or magnitude, but there's so much unstable ground from the glacial grinding of rocks over the thousands of years that landslides are simply a common phenomenon. >> pat, thank you very much for being with us this morning and getting up so early. >> the mayor of charlotte, north carolina under arrest for allegedly taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes, facing federal charges of theft and bribery. he resigned on wednesday after being charged. the f.b.i. said he accepted at

least $48,000 in bribes from undercover officers. >> just a short while ago, the united nations human rights council passing a crucial vote against sri lanka, calling for an independent investigation into human rights abuses during the end of the bloody civil war in 2009. u.s. and great britain pushing for that investigation, the u.n. report finding that as many as 40,000 people, many civilians, died in the end phase of that civil war. the government disputes the high death toll. >> china has begun to relax its one child policy, the new law being introduced in beijing already. now couples will be able to have two children. it's all part of one children only policy. the country could be facing a mini baby boom. >> at home in beijing, this

child enjoys being the center of attention. with her mother now six months pregnant, she's about to get a sibling. because both her parents come from one child families, they already qualified under existing rules to have a second child. doing so means not subjecting their daughter to the loneliness that they endured. >> they can share things, they can help each other. they play together. >> most of us suffer this one child policy because all of us don't have brothers and sisters. >> now under the new laws, if only one parent is from a one child family, the couple will qualify for the a second child, opening up the prospect of a mini baby boom. that is expected to result in possibly 2 million extra births a year, and that will mean a greater demand on hospitals and kindergartens.

it is expected to provide relieve in the long term for a one child generation burdened with looking after aging parents on their own. >> the social consequences of the one child generation are well known, as are the desires of most couples to want more than one child. the parents here especially in china's bigger cities face the same financial dilemma when it comes to making the decision on that second child as parents anywhere else. >> in their small apartment, the man shares child minding duties with his wife. she has siblings, but he is from a one child family. they qualify to have a second child, but won't, bringing up the baby will cost them nearly $200,000 over the next 18 years, and they see the single child option as offering the best chance for the best start in life. >> my wife had to share things

with her siblings but as an only child, my parents could spend everything on me. i want my son to have the best education and receive all of our love. >> the change in the one child law poses challenges for china and a conundrum for parents but at least they now have a choice where before there was none. aljazeera, by thissing. >> china's one child policy has been in place since 1979. it prevented as money as 400 million births. >> there is a new twist in that legal battle over same sex marriages in michigan, the state won't recognize same sex marriages performed last weekend. they were legal after a federal judge ruled the ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional but an appeals court suspended that ruling. it will take months to appeal. >> the most segregated schools in the nation are in new york state. many black and latino students are in schools with virtually no

quite classmates. in 11 school districts, the white population is less than 1%. the study said segregated school districts are to blame for the lack of diversity. >> a federal agency deciding football players in northwestern university can create the first union of college athletes. that is unprecedented. >> it certainly is. it could ever national implications. the case centers around a big 10 school. attorneys for the former players behind the case argue that college football is a commercial enterprise that relies on players' labor to generate billions of dollars in profits. >> ladies and gentlemen, your northwestern wildcats! >> in a game-changing decision, the nlrb found football players now qualify as university employees, wimp mean they have the right to unionize. the players argue the university

exerts control over their players. >> cool over scheduling, over their private lives. >> the founders of the players association want medical coverage for players who get long term injuries instead of losing their scholarships, better procedures to reduce head injuries and the 3010 she will to pursue commercial sponsor ships. northern rejected the argument saying they are not employees but students, adding in a statement: >> as the university files an appeal in illinois, lawmakers in the big college sports state of tennessee consider a bill that gives student athletes a grant when they graduate of up to $50,000. >> i would love for them to either continue their education or start a business in the state of tennessee which will put that

grant revenue right back into the system of our state. >> while the former northwestern players did not ask for money, the issue of compensation looms large in the big business of college sports. >> hundreds of millions of dollars come into these schools and now the players want a part of it. >> the push is to unionize athletes at private schools because the federal labor agency does not have jurisdiction over public agencies, the ncaa is disappointed with the ruling, adding students play for the love of their sport not from a salary. it says the current system still works. >> a lot of people saying that the coaches are getting rich off of these football programs, why not the players. >> they're just one group of people getting rich. nick sabin was the highest paid employee in the state, certainly there are a lot of people making

a lot of money off college sports. reaction to the ruling has been strong on both polar on that sits of the scale. pack 12 commissioner larry scott has this to say about the ruling first: >> mackey was the first president of the players

association. >> the ncaa tournament resumes tonight. among the four games on the docket are dayton versus stanford and wisconsin versus baylor. then there are the two high seed matchups, south top seed florida taking on fourth seeded ucla in memphis. the gator are knocked the bruins out in three of the last eight seasons. florida coach talks about dealing with the pressure. >> every game you get a chance to win, it becomes more difficult, becomes more challenging, becomes harder. i think the pressure that i place on myself would be more internal in terms of trying to get our team prepared and ready to play. i don't think my intensity or my passion has changed today from where it was 10 years ago as it receipts to that. >> the other one tonight happens in california arizona taking on san diego state.

arizona won the first matchup between these two teams 69-60 in november. wildcats coach sean miller is trying to make his first final four as coach fisher trying to pass the sweet 16 for the first time ever. >> they are out to prove that they're better than the outside world has given them credit and i think just their program in general, i think they have a chip on their shoulder that when you play them, it is a very competitive, hard-fought game. >> they're very athletic, they know what they want to do. there is no agenda in how they play, they guard, guard, guard, and they share the ball. that's a winning formula and they've got it. >> the other games take place friday, michigan versus tennessee and louisville versus kentucky will happen in indianapolis. the big dance returns to new york city for the first time

since 1961, when michigan state place virginia and iowa state tangles with u conn at madison square garden. that's your look at morning sports. del, i'll see you if the gordon. >> absolutely. >> we are following breaking news coming out of ukraine. the country's former foreign minister plans to run for president. she was sent to prison back in 2011 on corruption charges but was released last month. these are live images of her news conference. she led the orange revolution 10 years ago, but she still needs party approval and it is slated to meet this weekend. again, former prime minister of ukraine will run.

>> female veterans are the fastest growing segment of this country's homeless population. we talked to two women who went from the battlefield to the streets from our series "homeless in america." >> you wouldn't expect someone who was living in a car to be singing a song of hope, but erika thomas did not give up hope, 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 bleak homecoming for a navy veteran who spent four years aboard the uss ronald reagan.

>> i was building bombs, heavy lifting, a lot of tugging and pulling, there's no room for crying, you know. >> the tears came later when bomb building did not translate to a decent civilian job, then the recession forced her to move in with her mom. when that house flooded, the car became her home. >> it was devastating for me. >> she belongs to america's fastest growing homeless population, female veterans. there were 4500 women vets, their numbers growing as more women rotate through the military. nearly half of them were victims of military sexual trauma. >> the assault occurred when i was in 25. >> in 1990, she was an officer on the military fast track until she was sexually assaulted by an enlisted man. severe ptsd set in when the army blamed her. she is now 100% disabled. >> everyone has made it clear

that this is a national embarrassment. >> the v.a. says it is addressing unique problems which lead female vets into homelessness. >> female veterans present with more depression, anxiety disorder and trauma, ptsd. these all combine to form almost a perfect storm that does put these women more at risk. >> the veterans administration is playing catch up, and it's now building housing for women with children and those who live alone, including homeless facilities with locked quarters separated by gender for safety. my cozy bed, no more sleeping in the car. >> erika will graduate with an accounting degree. >> i feel like nothing can stop me, like i'm a train just

forcing through life. >> with thousands like erika coming home, the v.a.'s promise to end homelessness by 2014 is going to be a challenge. aljazeera, denver. >> the government accountability office saying two thirds of homeless female veterans are between 40-59, many of them have small children. >> a crocodile controversy in australia. the battle over whether or not they should be hunted. >> not only do we have the risk for severe weather today, but more problems in where we just had the mud slide in washington. i'll have details.

>> they say a picture is worth a thousand words, australia deciding to stick with its ban on crocodile hunting.

some say the hunts are needed to keep people safe. we'll have that story in a moment. first, where it is going to snow and rain across the country. nicole, you actually went crocodile hunting? [ laughter ] >> no, i did raft a river where there were crock dials all over the place. we had to be careful where you went swimming, very careful. you have to be careful in a couple place here, as well. as we go through portion of the northeast or the great lakes, we definitely have the snow, rain for chicago. this whole system is part of that risk for severe weather, especially arkansas and missouri, wind the primary threat. mudslides in washington state, already an onshore flow from california northward, more rain. we have another system behind that for the weekend, another one after that, so this area is going to stay very wet and more of those flood concerns in the weeks ahead.

>> os strong mess believe they have discovered a dwarf planet that could extend the edge of the solar system, beyond blue toe. it is named 2012 b.p. and nicknamed biden. it's believed to be 7.4 billion miles away from the sun, by comparison, the earth is 93 million miles away. >> there's new research finding signs of autism before birth, a study published in the new england journal of medicine found abnormal patterns of cell growth in autistic children. researchers believe it likely started in the second or last trimester of pregnancy. it could debunk the myth that childhood vaccines could be involved in autism. >> crock dials taking over australia, once hunted nearly to extinction, the government trying to figure out how to reign them in. aljazeera has more on the debate.

>> crocodiles are so abundant, they even jump for food. while their growing numbers are there, they mean a greater threat toe humans. >> they are dangerous and you must treat them with the respect they deserve. >> tom lost two fingers to one. today, he's in charge of capturing crocodiles that get too close to areas where people live. >> there were just a few thousand left, the government's ban has allowed the population to boom. he estimates there are now more than 100,000. >> when we first started, it was a situation where we were trying to bring cock dials up to an abundant number. today we face the problem of we're up to that, we've got too many, what do we do.

>> an 11-year-old girl taken by a crocodile after swimming in a restricted area. >> a 12-year-old boy died in a crocodile attack. >> attacks are on the rise in australia. often the victims are children. >> scientist has charted the reptile's return. he tries to collect eggs. female crocks are known to fiercely guard their nests. >> besides the this grass is called saw grass and will cut you. >> he believes the government's

decision to reject hunts is misguided. tour guides had planned to charge $20,000 for hunts. >> this is australia's biggest carnival. we've got nothing bigger. that's got to be worth something. if people think they're not worth anything, they don't want to conserve it. >> over here, we've got crocodile nests. >> some in the community oppose the idea. they revere crocodiles and believe humans are infringing on their territory. >> respect animal and the water, because the water, this is where they're grown. >> experts warn more human deaths are inevitable, leaving the question how long will these predators remain protected. aljazeera, australia. >> there has got to be a better way to make a living. crocodiles common in australia's north territory but still frightening to see, there are more than 100,000 in the wild.

the government taking 500 out of the wild each year. 13 people have been killed by them over the last 12 years. that will do it for this edition of aljazeera america. thanks for watching.

>> welcome. hopes to an end of 40 years of conflict, muslim rebels in the philippines sign a peace deal with the government. >> she's been a president and prisoner, now ukraine's tymoshenko announces a bid for the top job. >> leading the fight against al shabab.