... this is sarningz live from new york city. i am jonathan betz with today's top stories. russia claims it will not invade eastern ukraine as the u.s. steps up dem acy. people in southern california start their weekend with a jolt, a series of earthquakes shaking residents. a young woman leaves her ultra orthodox jewish roots to reveal what her life was like with her sect.

♪ there are signs the crisis in ukraine could be inching toward a diplomatic solution. secretary of state john kerry has changed travel plans and is headed to paris. he will meet with the russian prime minister. russia russians. >> videotaladimir putin reachedo obama last night and said he has no intention of invading. what can we read into this phone call between the two world leaders? >> reporter: you know, we are not exactly sure. tensions are -- what the intentions are of vladimir putin. he said he is concerned about what he called raging extremists here in kiev and search alavrov said russia would not invade ukraine, he also said russia

would protect sdrain in the interest of russian speakers in ukrainian regions. we don't know what that means. russia has been massing troops on the border with -- it's uncertain at what their purpose is. some kind of mixed messages, a lot of pressure here on transitional government in kiev, uncertain of what russia wants. a diplomatic move forward. the two presidents spoke for an hour, president's putin and obama. no phone call, president obama asked russia to move troops back. president putin making his concerns known about what he calls extremits. opening the door for two foreign ministers to meet. secretary kerry to meet with sergei lavrov. the two men have been in contact over the past two weeks, meeting in person, talking over the phone, and even with all of that happening, russia went forward and took over -- and took over kraim. so, it's crimea. so, i whether they could work out a deal that would lessen the

tensions of having russian troops on the border. >> it seems promising. jennifer, you have been in ukraine pretty much from the beginning of this crisis. i am curious to know how you think the country has changed these last few months >> reporter: well, you just look at the lightning changes. i just got back to kiev this morning. independence square has gone through so many incredible changes from the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators that were here in november, smaller numbers around the beginning of the year, to the swelling of numbers, the terrible clashes here that killed nearly 100 people on the square and then, of course, the takeover of crimea. i don't think when this all started in november and the protests against the ousted president, victor yanukovych not signing a deal with europe, i don't think anyone ever thought there would be an interim government here, there would ab new presidential election today and crimea would belong to russia. it's been lightning-fast,

incredible changes here i think people are still coming to terms with it. it's going to have a lot of i can plimplications for every da people here on may 1st, the price of gas will do you believe because gas has been subsidized by the government. >> that's just one of the many reforms the international monetary form has asked for in order to give ukraine the international aid that it needs. the international loan is about $18,000,000,000. they are expected to be approved by the imf. ukraine needs that money. it's economy is in shambles. it knows it has to make a lot of changes. already, of course, it's been through incredible changes as well. it's really been an incredible year so far for ukraine. >> the price of gas about to double there. >> that's sobering news. let's talk about crimea. today, they have just changed the time zone there to moscow's when you visit there part of the country, how russian does it now

appear? >> reporter: i spent a lot of time in sevastopol. >> city is incredibly russian. of course, it was home to russia's last -- is home to russia's last sea fleet and has always had very close ties with moscow. the russian flag is flying anywhere. many people there believe the referendum on march 16th and the move to rejoin moscow corrected historical mistake made 60 years ago when nikita crkruschev gave away crimea. passports weren't such an issue. residency isn't such an issue. now, a very big deal. they feel being able to go back to russia is something they very much welcome and kind of solidify that change, sevastopol and crimea join moscow's time zone, a symbolic change. their time zone changes two hours. people are saying it would be a

difficult weekend for them. the time zone here, we go to summertime here in kiev overnight tonight. the time will change one hour. but the idea that crimea, then, is not on ukrainian time at all but on moscow time, i think is one of those changes that moscow wanted to make clear that crimea is now very, very much a part of russia. >> jennifer glasse who has been in ukraine for months now. live. thank you. the grim job of combing through debris from the washington mud slide came to a brief stop today. exactly one week after the catasttree, this was the scene across the state: a somber moment of silence was observed at 10:37 a.m. local time memorializing the exact time the slide buried homes and forever changed lives. t tanya mosley joins us. an emotional day and a lot of uncertainty for all of those missing people

>> reporter: absolutely, jonathan. as you can see behind me, it's rainy and windy, but those crew members tell us they are working around the clock to found more than 90 still missing. as you said, at about 10:37 this morning, the town of derington about 20 myles outside of oso held a moment of silence to mark the exact moment the mud slide hit. a week later, this town is in shock, as you can imagine. it's hard to imagine that the entire town was wiped out. there were only about 190 residents of oso. now, friday, crews approximatelied several bodies from the debris but they are not yet among the official count. the coroner's office is going through dental records to positively identify the victims. they may not be officially counted until families are notified. only the survivors know that it will be a double challenge helping survivors move forward. now, stars in our hearts.

we'll be reminded. there is there is no getting over that. there is the reminder that's always there, and that scar on the mountain will never heal, nor will the scar in our hearts ever heal. >> now, the biggest challenge is the wet weather. although folks here are used to that, they are working in four-hour shifts searching for those bodies. the area is very, very complicated, as you can imagine. there is lots of debris, mounds of dirt, and in some places, it's like quicksand. >> an incredible search there, tanya. let's talk about the death toll if we can. are authorities still telling people they expect that number to rise? >> reporter: yes. and we are expected to possibly get an update later this evening. but 17 confirmed dead, 90 still missing. there were five survivors we just heard a few hours ago that all of them are either in

satisfactory or serious condition. now, we were talking a little bit about crews out there on the scene cleaning up. one of the crew members had a helmet to give us an idea of what it looks like, what they are dealing with, with all of the debris and dirt along with the rain and wind. >> tonya moseley life for us in arlington, washington today. the taliban attacked election headquarters in the capitol, the second in 24 hours, a week before the presidential elections. al jazeera's charles stratford has the latest >> reporter: under a week until presidential e elections, the taliban attacks again. the target this time, the headquarters of the independent election commission in kabul. at least four fighters were disguised as women when they entered a house close to the building. afghan's special forces and police reinforcements took their

possessions. >> i had three guards, two outside and one inside. i don't know what is happening right now. the stackers were wearing women's burkas. >> a witness told al jazeera the taliban fighters were armed with assault rifles and grenades, which is the second attack in the aftghan capitol in 24 hours the fourth in just over a week. the distances between the targets show how the taliban can still seemingly strike where it likes at the capital. on march 20th, taliban shot nine civilians go ahead including two girls. on march 25th, the office of the kabul proceedvincial election was attacked. two police officers and five taliban were killed in the gun battle. .3 days later t fighters targeted a group. a girl was killed by the suicide

bomber. security forces killed the four gunmen. saturday's attack was to the east of the city. the taliban seems to be doing all it can to scare voters away from the polling stations in next week's presidential vote. >> as the week gets close to the afghan e selections, very important in afghanistan, we believe and understand there are enemies who would launch attacks like they have so far in the past few days but they will not deter us from our commitments. >> the final address to afghanistan's parliament, president karzi said u.s. solders plus afghter must leavet the end of the year. he said afghan forces are ready to protect on their own and doesn't need u.s. military trainers to remain after american troops go home. with under a week before the vote for a new afghan leader, the country's security forces

are struggling to cope. charles stratford, al jazeera. joining us, live from washington, d.c. is retired army brigadier general. how concerned are you about these rising taliban attacks and what kind of impact they can have on thely next week? >> clearly, the purpose of these attacks is to delegitmize the elections coming up, not only in the eyes of the afghan people to show them they can be protected but in the eyes of the international community. the taliban's ultimate aim is to take over the country, and they believe that in this near-term effort to delegitmize the elections, that they can ta chief that goal. >> the commander of the nato forces in afghanistan told a congressional panel recently the taliban no longer presents a threat to the afghan government. do you agree with that? >> i think that i would differ with that assessment. what we have seen over the last week is that the taliban still has the initiative, can strike

when and where it wants, particularly the self targets and, quite frankly, despite what president karzi says, the afghan military and security forces have not demonstrated the capability to maintain a safe and secure environment in their own country. >> yet the united states and nato are pulling their forces out of afghanistan. is that the right course of action? >> as long as our troofz don't have the protections that are needed, there is no reason -- in factps don't have the protections that are needed, there is no reason -- in fact they don't have what we need to provide the troops. that will be the enduring legacy of car sigh that he allowed this to continue. we are seeing the same thing happen inside of iraq right now, the ongoing insurgency and the terrorism can be directly attributed to the lack of capability of the iraqi security forces. i don't see the afghan security forces ready to maintain security throughout the entire country of afghanistan.

sadly, people's lives will pay as a result. >> what can the united states, what can nat' do to change that? as you mentioned, a concern in iraq and now in afghanistan. is that a lot of the work that the united states has put into these countries could be reversed? >> well, one can only hope that the next administration is going to recognize the next afghani administration is going to recognize the need and the dangers of allowing the security vacuum to be created by the absence of coalition troops. we don't need large amounts driving up and down the streets of kabul. what we do need is a significant amount of trainers and advisors behind the scenes, continuing to mature the afghan forces so they can handle these kind of situations, which they are not handling now. >> so are you optimistic that possibly the new leader in afghanistan may reach a security deal with the united states? >> yeah. i rameally am. i think president karzi is doing this. he does not want to be the next naji bullah inside of

afghanistan if things go wrong. he will pass it on in what can only be considered a political move to the next administration with afghanistan. i certainly hope that the united states and nato are as eager to maintain a presence, albeit a small presence, but a vital presence, inside of afghanistan, and we don't allow to have happen in afghanistan what happened after the departure of the soviet soldiers in the '80s and quite frankly what we are seeing right now in iraq. >> a big concern. a lot can change over the next couple of days, especially with that election coming up in the week mark kemen, thank you for your time. >> sure, jonathan. aftershocks continue in southern california after a powerful earthquake, a 5.1 magnitude tremor was about 20 miles from downtown los angeles after 9:00 p.m. local time. since then, there have been more than 100 aftershocks in that area. al jazeera's stephanie stanton is live in fullerton, california near the quakes at the center. jennifer -- stephanie, excuse

me. what's the latest there >> reporter: good afternoon to you, jonathan. as you said, we are here in fullerton, not far from the e epicent epicenter. i am standing in front of a home that has been cordoned off by the fullerton fire department. this house is one of 26 homes that have been red tagged by the fire department meaning this house is uninhabitable. take a look at some of the damage. i will have my camera zoom in. you can see a huge crack in the foundati foundation, to the side of the garage. >> crack runtion all the way up near the front door. now, luckily, the folks who live here were not home when the quake struck. we are told they are expected back at any moment. as you said, jonathan, that quake registered 5.1 on the richter scale. it hit at 9:09 p.m. last night near lajavra. that is the epicenter, about 20 miles outside of downtown los angeles. take a look at some video that was shot the moment the quake struck. these diners were at a

restaurant in california. they were literally shaken out of their seats by -- by the quake. and, also, some of the other damage that we have seen in the area in nearby braya california, there was a rock slide that caused a car to overturn. the people sustained minor injuries. there was a water main break here in fullerton. crews are looking to repair that water main break. more than 100 aftershocks have struck since the initial quake. those after shocks ranging from two to magnitude 3.6. >> this is very normal, but normal includes a very wide range of rates of aftershocks. and so this is on the higher side of the average, nothing at all abnormal about it because we see very large variations and there have been plenty of sequences with even more aftershocks than this one but it's definitely good healthy

aftershocks. >> we are live here in fullerton, california, outside a home that has been red tagged. we are awaiting the rival of the owners -- rifle of the owners who live in this house and i also want to let you know that this house again is uninhab uninhabitable until city inspectors can get inside the house and deem it is safe for the people to come back here and live. >> that's what is happening here at southern california. jonathan, we will send it back to you. >> she said it was normal but it doesn't look normal at this point. stephanie, thank you. nigeria's wrung are being targeted in a place they should feel safest, schools. 700 students have been killed this year. a visit to the scene of the latest attack. >> it's been a month since their 14-year-old son was killed. they find comfort shuffling through his homework, looking at his good marks. he wanted to be a doctor before a fighter stormed his school, killed him and 30 other

students. i can't get what his body looked like. he was shot five times. it wakes me up at night. i can't sleep again. >> his classmate survived the attack and said female students were spared. >> some were crying. some were afraid. they said for us, we should. i don't want to go to school again. >> it's a feeling shared by many students across the area, one of the three northeastern states under law while they batter fighters. the group's name means western education is sinful. the members have been on a rampage against schools. more attacks have killed more than 100 students each month. officials say the latest attack in the boarding school in the

remote town killed 32 students. some people say more than 50 died here every single building in the school's compound was burned down. this is where the worst part of the attacks took place. the fighters locked up the male students inside their sleeping quarters. those who tried to escape from windows were shot or had their throats slit. the federal ministry of education shut down other skills and transferred students out of state. school attendance across the state has dropped with estimates ranging between 30 and 90%, depending upon how dangerous the area is. local government has been relocating students to safer areas within the state. there are neighboring state has closed 85 schools. officials here won't do that. >> that means giving in to them. it is big to all of us. let us face it. we will give our children the education they require.

>> parents are being encouraged to send their children back to school with promises of better security. but dyess's family isn't sure the time is right. such is the burden of generations making a choice between living today and striving for a better tomorrow. al jazeera, yobi state, northern nigeria. still to come on al jazeera america, efforts to move thousands of some ali refugees in kenya. separating from the orthodox jewish community. one woman tells her story.

war and poverty have pushed thousands off of somalia's border. many worried it could be lost. they must send refugees down to camps. there are fears of war violence. tanya page explains why. >> demala came 20 years ago. heruns 2 shops that sell fish. now, the government wants people like him sent back to designated refugee camps. it weighs on his mind but he has no intention of leaving his business and the life he has built. >> translator: it's not right.

we left our country for peace. telling us to go back when there is no peace makes no sense. if kenyans hate us that much, they better take us somewhere else, not back to the camps and not to somalia. >> adula lives near nairobi, a hub for somalis and an unknown number of somali refugees. without them, businesses here would grind to a halt. they are worried after police arrested hundreds of people. the government's justifying the crackdown because some of the gunmen involved in attacks might be run by al sha al thaal shaba they are worried there will be more violence if kenya doesn't move soldiers out. >> a lot of criminal activities, and it is for their own good that we are doing this and for

the good of their country. >> the government is encouraging people to inform on refugees and foster a sense of patriottism toward kenya over any loyalty they may feel toward their own community. the government is trying to fix the streets in eastly but the crackdown is damaging relations here instead of bringing unity for a common cause, people told us the government could just be encouraging extremism. >> it's a situation where many will be taken back to camps and they can be threatened by criminals and terrorists. >> the faithful overflow on to the foot path and unless by force, it seems no one is going anywhere. al jazeera, niairobnairobi. >> six palestinians were arrested after scuffles with israeli police. they used stun guns.

they were marching today marking the seizure of arab lands. .4 journalists were hurt. >> deborah if he woulding grew up in an ultra orthodox jewish sect. she had to shave her head and was forbidden to read books or sing. the 27-year-old has written about this secretive beautiful and a painful choice to leave her entire family behind. she shares her story in her own words >> my name is deborah feldman. i am the author of "unorthodoxed." it's growing up in the hadesic community in brooklyn and a memoir about the consequences of leaving that sect with my son. it was founded after world war ii with the belief that the holocaust had happened because it was a punishment for assimilation and for zinism. that's the only way to prevent another one happening again was

to recreate the european get toe and live the most fanatical jewish life. the environment i grew up, in the community, women have one role, mothers and wives. they are expected to have a lot of children. i wasn't allowed to read or educate myself academically so i didn't even get a high school diploma. my marriage was arranged. i was sent to marriage classes. you are taught to view your body with such horror and shame, you can't unlearn that. when my son was born, everything changed. it became so much less about me and my unhappiness and more about his future and what i could offer him. it made me desperate to change my life. >> that's when i started seeking out to go to college. this was a time when several sexual abuse scandals were surfacing in the community. the victims were blamed and the abusers were protected and i realized i would never be able to defend my son in such a circumstance. i felt i had to get out at all cost. i thought i would write a book. if i write a book, they won't

k kidnap my son because then the whole world will know they do that. there were people who were enraged, who wanted me dead. i got letters from my former family members telling me: we have your grave ready. we can't wait to dance on it. what kind of family does that? certainly no family worth staying with. i have friends who have sent me mail. my message would be no matter where you are, it is okay to be exactly you. it's the best possible way to be. it feels the best, and i think that's how we start change. deborah feldman in her own words. when we return on al jazeera america, the search for the missing malaysian jet continues but for how long? we look at the cost of the hunt. it's not just a game to these guys. soccer helping the homeless build a home of their own.

scomplrnling welcome back to al jazeera america s moments of silent after the mud slide. today's observation at 10:37 a.m. marks exactly one week since the deadly catastrophe. the death toll stands at 17. as many as 90 remain missing. a second taliban attack in the afghan capitol in 24 hours. four attackers were killed ahead of presidential elections next week. the aftershocks from last night's earthquake continue in southern california. more than 100 so far. the 5.1 magnitude quake after 9:00 p.m., at the epi center about 20 miles outside los angeles. t more than two dozen homes have been declared unsafe. secretary of state john kerry will meet with his russian counterpart in france tomorrow to discuss ukraine after putin

putin called mr. obama saying russia has no intention of invading eastern ukraine. in the race to lead ukraine, it's squaring up to be between a former chocolate maker and a previous prime minister jailed for years allegedly for political pay back. who is going to lead the country to stability? >> the two frontrunners have joined forces. local heady weight boxer forfeited to his political partner to one of the most respected figuring in ukrainian politics. the may 25th vote takes place in a country both describe as under russian occupation. in a climate of did i have vision and distrust, many are convinced by russian t.v. that kiev politicians are stooges and the west fascists. >> people in the east, south of ukraine who may be fearful of elections because of intervention, what message do you address to them? >> if you read our program,

there are special messages for the east and south. the first message is security. the second message is they will have all of their rights, including language rights, religious rights, minority rights. everything. . >> the deal prevented a division of forces who want closer ties with europe and an end to corruption and who are furious about the annexation of crimea. however, there will be another candidate from that camp, former prime minister yanukovych. >> she was officially nominated as the presidential candidate of her party on saturday. she, too, is promising a cleaner, more responsive politics but in the typical fire brand style, to stand up to russia >> translator: if the people will trust me with the presidency, i will never let any agressor take our land without a fight. my aim is to demand a cessation of okccupation of crimea.

i do not accept any of the analytical evidence that crimea is lost to ukraine and we have to come to terms with that. i may tell you now, i would never accept that. crimea is ukraine, and we will have it back and safe. >> roshinko, less than two months awaytion the stakes are more than choosing a president. they may determine if and how the country can stay together. nick speicer reporting from the ukrainian capitol. the search for the missing malaysian airliner is entering the fourth week. searchers have a possible new crash location but they also have a new challenge: finding the black box before the battery runs out. randall pinkston has the latest >> reporter: teams are racing against the clock to find the black box with vital information on the missing airliner. the transmitter will only work another seven to 10 days before the battery dies.

>> one day after the search moved 700 miles north in the indian ocean, cruise from two ships, one from china, the other from australia pulled debris from the water. despite satellite images of hundreds of objects spotted over the last hundred days, it's the first time anything has been retrieved. but so far, the objects do not match the missing malaysian airliner. on saturday, eight planes scanned a 97,000 square mile area. australia maritime officials say two of the planes spotted several objects which ships will now try to locate. four ships are in the area now with five more from the multi-national task force expected to reach the surf zone on sunday. flight mh-370 has been missing since march 8th with 239 passengers and crew on board, triggering a search that at one point covered an area from central asia to the southern indian ocean.

today, more than 20 nations are involved in the effort at huge expenses. >> every country is bearing its own costs. chinese are flying aircraft and australia is flying our aircraft. we are running airplanes. we aren't counting the cost. we are just doing what needs to be done to try to get to the bottom of this mystery. and that will go on. >> a spokesman says the department of defense has spent $4 million set aside to help find the missing plane. >> should last until early april. >> does not mean the u.s. will stop them then if the plane has not been found. >> the president made this clear secretary hagle has made it clear, we are going to stay with this as long as the malaisians need our help. >> in addition to deploying search aircraft and equipment, the u.s. is providing more assistance to malaysian authorities investigating the plane's disappearance as a

possible criminal act. randall pinkston, arizona, washington. >> let's bring in david gallo who helped lead the several for missing air france flight 447. david, good to see you there. >> hi. how are you? >> immigrate. thank you. i wanted to get your opinion on how significant it is for severalers now beginning to pull objec objects. we don't know if they are connected to the missing plane. how much jump is there -- junk is there in the indian ocean. >> quite a bit. i don't want to take away from the importance of filing that aircraft but it's been something as oceanographers we have been saying for an awful lot of time. occasions become a dumping ground for humanity. once this is over, we need to get back to that issue, because basically, if you eat seafood, you are starting to eat your garbage. it's a horrible mess in the occasions today. >> for the search here, do you think that they are getting closer to finding what happened to this missing plane? >> you know, i would hope so. i

mean there is an awful lot of human-generated stuff floating around. they keep -- i just recently am starting to hear they are recovering things spotted by the air from satellite, but no clues yet. so, you know, there is still not a sled of evidence that that aircraft has crashed into the land or sea. the. this is hor sglifsh the difference between this flight and the air france flight, 447, that you worked oniffic difference between this flight and the air france flight, 447, that you worked on how do you go about trying to nail down the location of this plane? does it have to start with finding objects floating on the surface like you did with air france? >> it doesn't have to. if you have a last-known position, and a few days ago, i thought we did with this plane. i thought we had a decent one. if you have floating debris on the surface, that can help. if you have acars, that can help but in this case, we've really

got very little to go by. if you want to call it the needle in the haystack, the hey attack is huge. >> with air france you had more to go by. did you reach the point in those years of searching for the black boxes that you kind of were reaching the point where you thought you may never find anything? >> i never lost hope. the team, we never lost hope. we were confident that given the support of the governments involved and the families and loved ones of the passengers that we would, in fact, find that aircraft, recover those black boxes. we weren't positive there would be information on them but there was. you know, there are times, though, when the public criticism comes down on you, and it's difficult. it's hurtful and it doesn't help. i understand it completely, but it's sad to see the miles per hour sister in malaysia being put under this kind of pressure, too, because again, whether he deserves it or not, it's not helpful. >> how do you continue searching when you are finding so little? like with air france t took two

years to find the black boxes? >> yeah. >> how was the decision made to keep on looking? >> we had the confidence of the -- well, two years, total, calendar time. but a total of about two phases, about 10 weeks at most out on the open ocean. the two years, the two phases were separated by a year of planning and going back out there again. it was the confidence of the french ntsb version athat allowd us to get back out there. it was their decision. they could have stopped but they told us, we will give you whatever you want for as long as you need to find that aircraft. and luckily, second phase, when we really hit our stride, we found the aircraft within about a week. >> so quickly, david, knowing what we know about the missing malaysian plane, do you share the concern of some that you may never find this plane? >> no. for the families and loved ones and the flying public and aerospace industry, as long as we want to find that plane, the plane will be found.

>> continue searching the indian ocean. with the woods ocean graphic institute, thank you for your time? >> you are welcome. u.s. secretary of defense chuck hagel says over 6,000 mreenl hired for cyber command by 2016 regarding internet attacks. >> america has adapted to new threats. but today, the network world, the world in which occasions are crossed at the speed of light presents challenges to american security that our nation has never before confronted. >> hagle, who is speech was broadcast makes it clear the government isn't trying to mill tar eyes cyber spaps. president obama made changes to how the national security administration collects phone data. every time you log onto a

computer or use your smart phone. we look at how private your data really is and how much of it is being checked by the government and by businesses. now to our series, homeless in america, it may not be the mainly leagues, but it is a life safer for some americans down on their luck. soccer in seattle is helping homeless kids find a home of their own. al jazeera's ali shaft ner has more >> reporter: a rough match for the street soccer seattle team down three goals early but being down and fighting back are things these teammates know well. they share a history of homelessness. most have lived on the streets or bounced from housing program to downtown shelter for years. number 17 is eddie caster he had a small room in this shelter when he heard about street soccer two years ago. >> i felt like in shelters, i never really had a personal space. >> now, he does have that space,

a big part of the big changes in his life. >> my own apartment, all mine, don't share with anybody. >> credits the team and the game, itself, for giving hill the structure, the discipline and support he needed as a teenager fighting to survive on his own. >> we wouldn't be having this conversation, you know, i would be somewhere else, maybe on the streets. >> the game has also brought an unexpected bonus, a soccer friend's family has unofficially adopted him, suddenly giving him somebody he can call mom and little sisters who share his love for soccer. for eddie who came to this country illegally as a 6-year-old and is working towards citizenship, the new stability has helped him get and keep a full-time job. >> be patient. just pass around. okay? chris burfind is the coach for this no-frills group. they meet in a church basement to talk about personal challenge challenges. pizza is the pre-game training meal. suggestions off of the field is

the biggest goal and eddie, now an assistant coach, an example for new team members. >> got a job, got housing. and that's really what we are looking for. >> this team is affiliated with the non--profit street soccer u.s.a. operating since 2010 with youth and adult programs in 16 cities, helping as many as 2000 homeless people a year. >> it athe same with soccer, if you want a goal, you have to work hard. you have to pass, be able to structure, communicate, give and go and get the goal. >> on this night, the comeback falls short, but the game, itself, seems victory enough for eddie castro and his teammates. >> we had fun. we did our best. everybody has a smile on their faces, so i am winning, you know, in my heart. >> 1, 2, 3! >> moving forward, using soccer to survive and looking ahead to new opportunities. anal shoveler, al jazeera, seattle. >> still ahead on al jazeera

america, how one college lacrosse team is helping understand theasc effects of concussions. and what does it take to earn the title of tennessee whiskey? we will talk about the controversy next. zeera america,

take a new look at news.america, back with ross. another sport concern about c concussio concussions, not just football. >> year, there are other contact sports. bleach believe it or not, la cross is boom okay college campuses. there were more teams added last year in la cross than in any other sport.

20 for men, 40 for women. like football and other contact sports, teams are trying to minimize the damage of concussions. just as fast, just as physical as ball and hockey. >> it's very tenacious, aggressive, incredibly explosive. somebody is going to get hit in the head and it's not going to go well. >> the cause and effect did of concussions has become one of the hottest topics in sports. sacred hard university men's lacrosse team is participating on concussions and affects on the brain. >> they have sustained impacts from another player, the ground, a la cross ball and stick. you have more variably did in the lacrosse world than you do in ball or soccer. >> leading the study at sake are a heart, a small university in the connecticut. she and her team began their reseveral in january, 2014 and are hoping to continue over the

next four years. >> the athletes are protected by typical protective gear but outfitted with one tiny exemption, accelerometers in the team's helmets. the sensors detect impact when the player gets hit by a ball, stick, another player or hits the ground. >> have you seen a change in the players? >> not at all. >> in any sport, you have to play fearless, and you have to play without worrying that you are going to get hurt. and so, i wouldn't -- there has been zero change in the way we have played. >> they do get excited. i am there are a couple of guys that they want to know if they have had the highest impact, and they get excited when they can hear their number and they have bragged about it, i do know. we don't condone that kind of behavior, but they are very curious. >> it's funny. you see the results of the tests, and you look and tuck actually pinpoint the moment during practice where it was like i got a shot off of the head. that was a writtener or, you know, yeah, i hit someone pretty

hard on that play. >> players wear these sensors in the helmets for the entire season, in practices and games. the information received from the sensors is then uploaded and analyzed by a university reseveral team. >> you can set of these accelerometer sensors to beep and to go off if an impact was sustained over a certain threshold. this will allow for better evaluation from medical personeth. the athletic trainers on the sideline. if the player sustains an impact tes threshold, they can be removed from play and they can be further evaluated for a concussion. >> i love checking my data. i don't love getting hit in the head. i love when i feel like i've got a substantial hit. wow i can't wait to see what that's going to look like letter. the players were baseline tested and will be given a synopsis when the season is complete. >> if we can minimize the number of con kingsz sus established by these players, we have an

improved chance of their long time quality of life. >> there is not any way to benefit me as a player but 10 or 15 years, if it's helping kid, what sports do i want my kids to play? >> i hope the findings they might get from our study may save somebodyts life or put somebody in a situation once their career is over to be able to have a life after whatever support they play -- sport they play. if we can do that, we have accomplished our mission. >> besides head trauma, she and her team are testing iq scores, depression and drug and alcohol dependency. great study going on. >> important research needs to be done there. >> yes. >> thanks, ross. let's turn to jal illa with weather. . >> reports of power lines down across florida right now, jonathan. a line of severe thunderstorms that continue to track across the plains, here high pressure is in control. this leip of storm has a history of producing damaging winds, hail, and we haven't seen any

tornados, but we could see some more severe thunderstorms as we track on into later tonight, across southern portions of florida. >> will continue to make it's way off shore. again, severe thunderstorm watch in effect. you can see there, illustrated by the yellow, until 11:00 o'clock tonight, a tornado watch a little bit further toward the north going to expire at 5:00 o'clock this evening. as we track further towards the north, you can see a little bit of snow coming down. that's right across portions of ohio making its way into western pennsylvania right around pittsburgh along i-70 and columbus ohio on i-71. also mixing in with a little bit of snow. be careful because the roads could be just a little bit wet. we have a flood watch in effect across the coastline from central pennsylvania all the way toward portions of new york it's been raining all day long. we expect more into this evening as well.

could see spotty ice and around areas later night tonight into tomorrow. we are looking at snow across the far north earthen portions of new york. we could see up to eight inches of snow in some places. meanwhile, out west, the rain continues to come down. we have a flood warning in effect just to the north of seattle right around everett be, washington. >> goes through monday. they could see an additional half inch of rain almost to three fours of an inch of rain. a little farther south, in southern california, reain as well. and across sierra and the southwest, we need the rain and snow given the fact they have been exceptionally dry for a long time. toward the east, looking at winter storm warnings across central portions of idaho as well. thanks. finally, tennessee is known for whiskey. what really makes itnique? it hayes imposed tight requirements. some question whether they are protecting customers or a corporate giant. more from nashville

>> reporter: whiskey making has long been a tennessee tradition. so much is produced, tennessee whiskey is considered it's own. burbon, jack daniels put tiny lynchberg on the map and ships 10 million cases of its product every year. geoff arnette is the master distiller. lately he has been away from his usual job to the capitol where he lobbies politicians to uphold a new law that strictly defines the process for making tennessee whiskey. >> i hoped we could debate it and make it because i think the state has been known for great whiskey a long time. >> product have always had to be made and bottled in the state. last year, the state added tighter requirements. now, all tennessee whiskey must undergo a charcoal process and be aged in new oak barrels. others say old barrels are

cheaper and can be just as good. arnette said it's about maintaining a standard of quality similar to france's requirement for calling a product champagne. >> we don't have to use colorings or flavorers because those things come from the barrel. sugars, the first time the barrel is used are readily available. >> richer runs a distillery where he ships about 30 cases of whiskey every year. he says consumers, not lawmakers, should design what defines quality. what's more, he says, the requirement to use new barrels can cost $100 more and can hurt smaller companies like his. >> we are seeing a tremendous shortage of those barrels. it's not going to be long before we see the price of barrels going up and up. >> pritchard and several other whiskey makers, most notably george nickel are pushing the state to rewrite the law. some law makers admit the legislature may have over stepped its bounds. >> if we man date what we call

tennessee whiskey, another manufacturer will come to us, seagram's and say we want to define tennessee vodka. here we go. somebody else comes and says we want to define tennessee tequila. >> we basically are violating interstate commerce laws. >> the state decided this week to table the issue for now, frustrating both sides. now, the decision on what constitutes tennessee whiskey in your glass may not be decided at the bar but in court. jonathan martin, al jazeera, nashville. that does it for us today. i am jonathan betz. thanks for watching us. i will be back with more news. headlines are after this very short break after al jazeera america. illegal immigration. >> al jazeera america presents... a breakthrough television event borderland a first hand view at the crisis on the border. >> how can i not be affected by it? >> strangers, with different points of view take a closer look at the

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you are watching al jazeera america live from america. i am yon than betsdz with today's top stories. secretary of state john kerry will meet with his russian counterpart in france tomorrow to discuss the situation until ukraine. this after president putin

called mr. obama last night saying russia has no intention invading eastern ukraine. a first responder with a head camera gives us a detailed look at what severalers are facing digging in the debris in washington. today marks one week since the mile-wide landslide. the official death count is 90. >> a second attack in the past 24 hours in kabul. four stackers were killed. the presidential election takes place next week. ships have picked up debris in the indian ocean but there is no confirmation that these objects had anything to do with the malaysian flight 370. the several has gone on for about a week before the black box batteries run out. aftershocks continue in southern california. there have been over 100 so far. a 5.1 magnitude quake hit after 9:00 p.m. with an epicenter 20 miles from downtown los

angeles. the worst dan was in fuller ton where more than 2 dozen buildings were declared unsafe. >> "fault lines: fire over water" starts right now on al jazeera america. >> had it not sparked fire, this story would be like that of many other low-intensity conflicts over resources waiting to erupt across this oil, gas and fresh-water rich country. back in 2010, the canadian province of new brunswick granted a texas-based company, southwestern energy, licenses to explore for shale gas - in exchange for investment worth 47 million dollars.