welcome to al jazeera america. i'm dell. these are the stories we are following for you. investigators release the service records of the aledged foot hood shooter. secretary of state john kerry leaving the middle east peace talks and questioning the u.s. role as that process tries to move forward. and security concerns as afghanistan prepares for its presidential election.

new information is adding to the mist surrounding the aledged fort hood shootings. brandon is live in killeen, texas. what else have you learned today? >> this news come as a complete shock, total survise. you mentioned the army releasing his service record, and he received awards for his service. the 34-year-old was at one point deployed in iraq, but officials say he was never involved in combat. he was on medication and in the process of being diagnosed for ptsd, and he was upset about being granted a 24 hour leave to

at ten his mother's funeral. but he was not seen or viewed as someone who has violent tendencies, and his actions come as a total shock to his neighbors. >> we have very strong evidence that he had a medical history that indicates an unstable psychiatric history. and we believe that to be the fundamental underlying cause of factors. there may have been a verbal altercation with other soldier, or soldiers. and there is possible that preceded the shooting. >> he purchased the gun that is about ten minutes away from, the same gun store that was used to

purchase of the gun for the shooting in 2009. we know one of the names of one that was killed is tim owens, he is an illinois native. 37-year-old father. he is described by people that know him as a very likable guy. he was someone that we were told really had a rough upbringing, but the military really helped turn his life around. del. >> brandon thank you very much. and we're waiting for a news conference that will take place at fort hood. we'll bring you that when it happens life. a reality check. that's what secretary of state john kerry is saying about the mideast peace process. kerry warning now that the u.s. will not sit by forever. mike viqueira is at the house with. and why after working so long is kerry's patience just now starting to wear thin.

>> well, the frustration visible there's no question about that. he has been at this for 14 months. he has pursued this quest that a lot of people thought was a complete waste of time. secretary kerry saying as you reported it's time for a reality check, heading back from the redevelop, back to washington for consultations with president obama. what has happened over the course of the last couple of days to offer these discouraging signs? well, first it was the release of prisoners by the israelis to the palestinians. this was part of the framework of agreement to keep the negotiations moving. three releases had taken place, the fourth, the israelis balked. that lead to the palestinian leader signing papers to apply

for acknowledgment from the united nations. and then john kerry appeared with a moroccan leader and offered a grim assessment of the talks. >> regrettably in the last few days both sides have taken steps that are not helpful. and that's evident to everybody. so we are going to evaluate, very carefully, exactly where this is, and where it might possibly be able to go. >> at this moment the white house press secretary briefing reporters. the white house saying steps cannot be dictated by the united states, at this point it's up to the leaders to come to an agreement for a jewish state of israel living side by side with a palestinian state,

but emphasizing that these talks are not done yet. they are holding out hope. he says we remain committed to this task because the stakes are so high. >> both sides warning now is the time, so going forward what happens if these talks do collapse. >> obviously this is something that has veked administrations for decades. john kerry wanted to put a framework together. this is the nature of these negotiations, very laborious, step by step. and john kerry said look we have a lot of other fish to fry. issues in ukraine, the ongoing negotiations with iran and syria. we have got to focus our attention on these.

so he is cutting his trip short to cop -- consult with president obama. >> thank you very much. an afghan reporter was shot and killed in afghan. they were traveling along the border in pakistan when an officer fired in their car. a coworker was also injured. that attack comes on the eve of presidential elections in afghanistan. jane ferguson takes a look at the candidate that many say will be the next president. >> reporter: even though hoping to run this country can't travel its roads. this presidential candidate's helicopter lands at a spot just two hours from the capitol. a journal considered too dangerous for him.

he is seen as hamid karzai's chosen successor. the karzai government will be very well-known for a long time for horrendous levels of corruption. you were part of that. what will you do that differently? >> i think i -- first of all i have not been involved in crumb shun issues, and the fact that i have been involved i know what is happening, i know which kind of things we should do to correct this. i want to put this experience that i got in the service of the afghan people. >> reporter: while foreign minister, karzai refused to sign a bilateral agreement with the u.s. throwing the relations with the u.s. into crisis. >> the [ inaudible ] of afghanistan and the united states are solid. we have problems.

the problems happen with difference. i was personally involved in drafting it from the afghan side. i believe that the national interest of afghanistan has been interested, and it is in the interest of afghanistan and the united states, and i'm hopeful that this will be signed soon. >> reporter: in the city speeches are heard by thousands of locals, including supporters of war lords. of the eight men running, this is one of only three to have a female vice president, but political campaigns the world over, image and protocol mold themselves to campaign locations. >> reporter: when in the capital, candidates like this want to prevent themselves as a future of a modern afghan state, but when they travel to areas like this, 13 years since the fall of the taliban, there is not a single woman in this

crowd. he was educated in europe's finest schools. his legacy as a desendant of the old royal family is seen as an asset. if afghans decide they want more of the same style of government, then he standings a very strong chance of leading it. jane ferguson, al jazeera, afghanistan. scott smith is the afghanistan director for the united states institute of peace. he joins us live. when discussing afghanistan corruption always comes to mind. so will these elections be free and fair? >> i think everybody is expecting there will be a certain amount of fraud. it's an extremely difficult environment to hold elections in. but in 2009, which was marred

by -- by a significant amount of fraud. the first thing is, indications are of a fairly high turnout. and the more legitimate votes there are, the harder it is to change the election with fraudulent votes. so if there is a high turnout, the effect of fraud will be minimized. in 2009 the fraud was largely on the side of president karzai. but is it enough to change the outcome of the election. in 2009 the fraud was enough to change president karzai from above 50% to below 50%. but here it may be more evenly distributed. >> but what about the people who are already saying we will be looking at karzai 2.0 tomorrow? >> i actually don't think that's really true. i think if there's one thing that all of the candidates have in common, is that the

international community could live easily and have relations easily with all three of them as long as they are legitimately elected. it's an opportunity to reset the relationship with the u.s. and the international community in general. afghans know they need international financial support to keep the country running, and they though that depends on the next president having a good relationship with the u.s. in particular. president karzai has squandered a good amount of goodwill. >> mr. smith, what do you say to the american public that frankly seems not to care. the latest polls indicating that 82% of americans are now opposed to the war in afghanistan. in 2008 the opposition to the war was at 46%. so what do you say to americans

who believe that afghanistan was nothing more than a waste of time, and this election is the same? >> i think this election will provide an answer to that question one way or the other. again, if there is a high turnout, and it demonstrates in face of insecurity and taliban threats that afghans are willing to go out and vote. they are willing to endorse the political system and the constitution they have now. elect a president who has legitimacy and can rebuild relations with the rest of the world. i think that would be a very powerful signal. if on the other hand there's a low turnout, the vote is marred by fraud, security incidents, if the taliban can claim to have effectively defeated the election, then i think there -- will be an argument on the part of the nay sayers who right now are as you pointed out, tired of an engagement in

afghanistan that doesn't seem to be bringing benefit to us or the afghans, but a good election could turn that around. >> going forward what is the argument with the u.s. with a new leader keeping any boots on the ground after quite frankly a lot of people believe that president karzai really was rude to the united states going forward. >> it has to be seen as more than a relationship just with president karzai. and i think afghans are starting to envision new leaders. the reason for boots on the ground is the afghan army still needs training and support. they are now in the front line of the fighting, against the taliban. they are doing almost all of the combat, but they do need support. the other thing is, it's a

dangerous region. we have already invested a significant amount in this relationship, and it seems a little bit foolish to suddenly pull things away. and those are the arguments to stay involved with a presence there, and what we hope will be a constructive partnership, and a much less distressful partnership with the next leadership. >> scott smith live from washington, d.c. thank you very much. >> thank you. we are at this hour still waiting for that news conference in fort hood, texas. we're going to bring you that news conference live when it happens. and also straight ahead, helping those in pain. there is a new law in india, giving people more morphine when they need it. and refugees on a journey to

safety, so they thought, but for hundreds of women domestic abuse follows them. [ male announcer ] it's here -- xfinity watchathon week,

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in jordan the united nations estimating as many as 590,000 syrian refugees have fled that country. many women find themselves raped and sexually assaulted. and now counseling sessions are being offered as a way to cope. >> reporter: these are among the most vulnerable syrian women in jordan. they faced violence and abuse in sir, and also in exile. this woman says this session is now her only outlet. she says she became depressed here, and her marriage and family are suffering. >> translator: i'm no longer able to communicate with my son or husband. i used to spending a lot of time teaching my son and playing with him. i stopped. if i have discussions with any

husband, we fight. it's impossible to have a conversation. >> reporter: they are providing psychological support to many women. we can't ask what violence they were subjected to, because that could affect their progress. >> we hear stories of exploitation, women here are subject to exploitation, that means survival sex. that means that the men have no choice. and that they have to exchange sex for money to rent the apartment to buy food and diapers for the children. >> but rape remains under reported. less than 3% of the beneficiaries have reported rape. up to 40% of the women who come here are victims of domestic violence, but it's not just counseling sessions that they need. a lot of the women also come here to regain confidence and

rebuild their social skills, especially with other women. meeting other refugees who understand their hardships helps reduce stress. making new friends is also comforting, and taking a literacy class can boost their low self-esteem. this woman has just returned home from her fifth session. she started the sessions when arguments with her husband got out of hand. >> translator: i feel better when i return from the sessions. eve event -- vent and say everything in my heart. >> reporter: many of these women show just how destructive the war is on syrians. ♪

the latest report on jobs shows good but not great growth. the labor department saying 192,000 jobs were created last month. but the unemployment rate stayed the same. tom perez talking about it with ali velshi. >> we have now had 49 consecutive months of private sector growth. and over 90% of the jobs are full-time jobs, which if you compare it to previous recoveries is better than previous recoveries. >> you have can see more with ali velshi, on "real money with ali velshi." investors not showing much enthusiasm for today's jobs

report. the dow is down. but investors are gobbling up shares of grub hub. the online food delivery company saw sharesover $26 each last night. they are now worth $36. indians government just passing a new law that will make it easier to give morphine to terminally ill patients. here is more in part two of our series global morphine. >> reporter: terminally ill and with little time left. he was a butcher until he was diagnosed late with thyroid cancer. initially given painkillers. he is now on morphine to ease the daily pain. >> translator: i am okay now. i'm comfortable. earlier it was very painful, but now it's much better.

>> reporter: qualified nurses like this, and counselors working under strict government guidelines reach out to the poorest in society who have little access to expensive health care. hospitals are the first port of call for those in serious condition. a change in the law will now make morphine more readily available for those with cancer. access to drugs required to make the life of terminally ill patient bearable, will now become more available. such a change in the law makes the job of doctors easier, but there are potential problems. >> if we are not able to produce the demands that we have for the country, until now it has been the government which has been producing it. and obviously there is the possibility of increase, but large volumes may be able to

decrease the prices too. >> reporter: india only has the capacity to produce 250 kilograms of annual morphine. those who care for the terminally ill welcome the changes. >> i feel with the simplification of licensing procedures. we're going to find it much easier to access morphine or have it available where people need it most. until now it's been in meth -- metropolitan centers. >> reporter: the government says they plan to change that soon. for now he can have a decent quality of life for the time he has left with his family. one work of art causing a whole lot of controversy.

we'll tell you all about it, or whether it's curtains for this curtain. next.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters, these are your head lines at that hour. investigators look going the fort hood shootings, focusing now on the mental state of the gunman. he was described as a decorated soldier, but he was psychological unstable. in afghanistan a police officer shot two journalists, killing one. secretary of state john kerry says it is time for a reality check for the peace process between israel and the sta palestinians. i'm dave warren. watching the mid-atlantic now. as that area of severe weather

continues to push east. no severe thunderstorm warnings in effect yet, but the area of rain will continue to move through west virginia va. western virginia could see severe weather today. flash flooding could occur quickly. very heavy rain that is moving east. a line of severe weather moved through louisiana, but it is moving, so no flooding concerns here. severe thunderstorm watch still in effect. we could get gusty winds if these storms push through. snow is the problem across the great lakes. big area of low-pressure responsible for all of this weather. close of a foot of snow yesterday. we have the severe weather, and to the north is the winter storm warnings that are in effect.

this all will be clearing out over the next 24 hours. you might notice the temperature really climb if you are south of that front, that will be followed by severe weather and then schooler temperatures. temperatures will climb into the 80s across north carolina and south carolina. over the next 24 hours the front moves through. there is severe weather possible. by tomorrow and the within it's gone. high-pressure building in behind it. no more storms but cooler temperatures expected. del? >> dave, thank you. finally therapy the picasso stays on the ceiling for now. it is an unframed theater

curtain from 1919. the judge is set to hear more testimony next month. we want to thank each and every one of you for watching al jazeera america. "techknow," featuring tornadoland is next. and you can check us out 24 hours aday just be going to aljazeera.com. >> hello and welcome. i'm phil torres here to talk about innovations that can change lives. hardware and humanity and we're doing it in a unique way. a show of science by scientists. dr. shini somara shini somara is a mechanical engineer. as scientists test new building tines can they survive the most powerful twisters on the planets?