personal. >> it's overwhelming to see this many people that have perished. >> lost lives are re-lived... >> all of these people shouldn't be dead. >> will there differences bring them together, or tear them apart. >> the only way to find out is to see it yourselves. >> which side of the fence are you on? borderland only on al jazeera america trough... this is al jazeera america, live from new york city. i am tony harris. russia warns of a civil war in ukraine if ukraines use any force, but ukraine fighting to gain government buildings. president obama signs two executive orders to help close the pay gap for women. we will take you to the state le dealing with the largest gap. 14 years polio free. now, to iraq. the chris christie bridge gate

scandal may have folks dropping support support for him as a presidential candidate. ukraine's government is struggling to stay in control of the eastern part of the country. earlier this week, pro-russian protesters seized government buildings in three cities. today, ukrainian forces retook a building in heart kiev while protesters fortified positions in donesk: some say protesters are using explosives and weapons to hold dozens of people against their will. al jazeera's kim vanille has the latest >> reporter: three gaze since seizing the building, pro-russians are reinforcing barricades. they have said police won't storm the building right away with negotiations between

politicians and police is hoping a deal can be reached. but that could be difficult with leaders speaking for different sections. >> there are private talks, and there are private negotiations between influential people. but no one is negotiating with the people of the republic. >> signs of the act viftz continued calls to join russia plaster the walls. after police moved in on their allies, those here are prepared for a showdown. >> despite all of the talk of negotiations, malatovcom cocktails are at the ready. if they move in with special police forces, that they are prepared to use them. they say donesk is a republic and one leader said they remain united. >> the authority that came to pour in kiev is illegal. they blame us and say we are separatists although a

declaration of sovereignty is not a sign of separatism. they are not destroying anything. >> the. >> he says the people's power is in council for fear they will be a target for kiev. he says they will ask moscow for protection if ukrainian authorities launch an attack. the crisis is causing tension in parliament too where a fist fight broke out after party leaders accused the government of kiev of complicity. >> translator: wasn't it you who provided a scenario and an example? it turns out you were following not an american plan but a russian one on how to destroy the independence of ukraine >> reporter: protesters say they will continue calls for a referendum maintaining donesk is independent and should be listened to as they wait for ukrainian authorities to make their move. al jazeera, dp donesk. the crisis took centerstage on capitol hill. john kerry faced difficult

questions about russia's actions in the country in front of a senate schmidt. libby casey has more >> reporter: secretary kerry addressed directly concerns accusations that russia is playing an active role in trying to destabilize eastern ukraine. >> that's clear and unmistakable involvement in destabilizing and engaging in sep rat test activities in the east of ukraine is more than deeply disturbing. no one should be fooled -- and believe me, no one is fooled -- by what could potentially be a con tried pretext for military intervention as we saw in crimea. equally as clear must be the reality that the united states and our allies will not hesitate to use 21st sent re tools to hold russia accountable for 19th century behavior. >> a secretary of state said there will be a meeting in next week between russians, ukrainians and the u.s. four-party talks, which are

significant in the secretary's eyes because it does mean that the ukrainians and the russians can sit at the say -- sit at the same table. the way secretary kerry scribes the u.s. relationship with russia, he said it's one of consternation and conflict but also, at times, cooperation in places like afghanistan. there was some pushback to the secretary by members of the committee like john mccain, republican of arizona, who referenced a theodore roosevelt quote about how leaders should speak softly and carry a big stake. he accuses him of speaking strongly and carrying a small stick, so small it might as well be a twig. when it comes to certain yaez i can't members of the committee with a to know what the obama administration is thinking. the top member of the g.o.p. on the senate foreign relations panel say they want more specifics from the obama administration and they also want to have more classified briefings to get more intel about what u.s. options are

there. another big issue: mid east peace talks. secretary kerry going in to this hear saying that this is a crucial moment but with both sides, both palestinians and israelis pulling back on some of their earlier agreements, here is how kerry summed up things right now. >> no other nation can give people the confidence to come together and confront some of the most difficult challenges in the same way as we are privileged t particularly about the middle east peace process. i read some who question why the secretary of state is engaged or is as intense as he might be or why the united states should be doing this if the parties don't want to do this. the parties say they want to continue these talks. the truth is the parties are actually still talking to each other in an effort to try to see if they can get over this hurdle and make that happen. >> today's hearing is actually about the budget, about the state department budget. but obviously whenever you get the secretary of state before

the foreign relationships schmidt committee, they are going to pepper him with a range of questions, and it wasn't just the middle east, syria, iran being discussed. also, about places like venzuela. so a brad swath of the globe covered in today's hearing. >> president obama used equal pay day to make a new push forqual. >> wages for women. >> equal pay day means that a woman has to work about this far in to 2014 to earn what a man earned in 2013. >> that's crazy. the president signed two executive orders. one bans federal contractors from retaliating against workers who discuss their pay. the other makes it easier for employees of federal contractors to get information about workplace compensation. this comes as the senate debates a bill that would make it easier for workers to sue companies for paying women less because of their gender. now, louisiana is considered to be the worst state in the

country to be a working woman. women there make $0.67 for every dollar a man earns. robert ray joins us from baton rouge, louisiana. walk us through the ways the gender pay gap is affecting women there >> reporter: tony, good afternoon. this pay gap is affecting women, children, families, generations to come, their healthcare, their everyday life. they think that if there -- the gap is closed, that the state will be better off and nationally, the country will be better off. in we look at numbers from the white house, 77% of working women, they earned just 77% of what their male counterparts earn, a staggering number. but as you said, the situation here in louisiana is even worse, and, also, the numbers are causing major challenges for the people here in the state. according to a study by the centre for american progress,

louisiana is the country's worst state for women, from wage gaps to the poverty rate. it leads the pack. >> thit's across the entire spectrum from the top university professors, the top women in law firms, the top women in economic firms, and women at the lowest wages, too. >> this is really nice. >> valerie lacier is a single woman of three who has been in search of a job for months. >> look at me. look at mrs. so-and-so. look at my qualifications. look at my college, you know, background. who is best. >> with the help of dress for success, new orleans, a non-profit who works with disadvantaged women's, she landed employment at the retail shop in the city's french quarter. >> let's try it. >> she is volunteering other women toward a better future. >> what happened was what they did for me, i wanted to move

forward, you know, pay it forward. >> according to the centre for american progress, women working full-time in louisiana earn only 67% of what men earn and more than 1 in 5 women and girls in the state are living in poverty. >> it's a complex issue: pay inequality is a very complex issue. >> julie swab harris is advocating for a change in state laws to deal with these issues of inequality and to advance the lives of women and children in louisiana. >> they have caused government to subsidize what business is not paying to women. lower income women have to subsidize with food stamps, housing subsidies, health, making health available to low income. it costs the economy, and it costs taxpayers. >> though harris is working on the state level, she thinks the national paycheck fairness act, a bill written to even the paycheck playing field should become law. according to supporters, the pay

gap is even more extreme for black women who earn $0.62 per every $1 a man is paid. for hispanic women, they only earn $0.54. >> valarie feels strongly that more legislative progress is needed to change the picture for future generations. >> we are going to have to make a push for it. we really will >> reporter: the fact that louisiana's legislature has the lowest percentage of female members in the country could add to the challenges of passing new laws to improve the health, wealth and future of women here torque, you can see the capitol building until bat online rouge. there have been actist groups about all day. seven women who have been lobbying the legislature to take up 10 bills on the table. they want some of those bills put into laws and they think that if, indeed, they are, it will help curb the wage gap and even the playing field for the many women and children here in the state of louisiana.

>> robert, one question, two parts to it: is there any law right now in louisiana that could allow women to ask? and this is crucial here, to ask their employer fort worth pay inequality? the other side is this: is there anything out there that would protect them if they did? current no. if you work for the federal government, you can ask according to what he passed today. but as far as on the state level, no. and that's part of what a lot of these women are pushing for. the fair paycheck act, which has already failed the senate twice is going back to a vote, we are told, tomorrow, perhaps the vote will occur and if it does, they are hoping that they get a yes on this because if indeed that does occur, they will be able to ask their employer, women in the state all over the country for that matter whether or not their wages are up to par without

retaliation of some part. this post card here says raise your hand if you thought we would have fair pay by now. this is being sent out to republican senator david vitter by many of the activist groups in the state. they are hoping they get his vote tomorrow if, indeed, it goes to the floor. also, louisiana democratic senator maryland rue is a big propo propone. we will see. maybe life will improve. >> robert ray for us in baton rouge, louisiana. robert, thank you. president obama pushes for equal pay. some reporting to a pay gap inside the white house, itself. the conservative american enterprise institute looked at white house payroll data and found the median salary for females is $65,000. the median salary for men is nearly $74,000. >> as up to a more than 12%

gender pay gap. the white house is quick to point out that those are averages, and says that men and women in the same positions earn the same pay. congress had tough questions about a social media internet site. the program was said to increase the flow of information in and out of cuba. the chair said it was a cocamamy idea that was doomed to failure. the associate press outlined the program. after 14 years of being polio free, at a time disease has rushed to iran. jonathan betz is here with more on its return and the occurrence of polio across the middle east. jonathan? >> tony, doctors are very worried about polio's recent spread. the virus had largely been wiped off of the map except in nigeria, afghanistan and

pakistan. in october, polio spread from pakistan to syria. outbreaks suddenly started paralyzing dozens of kids. it's something that country has not seen since 1999. now, the virus has jumped from syria to iraq for the first time there in 14 years. remember, polio is very contagious. it spreads from coughing and sneezing and it can paralyze young children within hours. there is no cure, but there is a vaccine. so this week, eight groups launched a massive vaccination effort to reach 22 million kids across the middle east in countries like egypt, turkey, lebanon because, keep in mind, as recently as 1988, the world had 350,000 cases of polio. but by last year, that number had been nearly erased. only a few hundreds cases. but if this is not stopped, the world health organization warns that within 10 years, by 2024, we could see polio infect as many as 200,000 children, tony. >> wow. jonathan, appreciate it.

thank you. search crews have not heard any new underwater sounds that could lead them to malasian airlines 370. signals heard over the weekend sparked hopes for a break through in the search. finding the sounds is crucialing to narrowing the search area in the indian ocean and time is of the essence. we mentioned this to you yesterday. the batteries on the plane's black boxes could soon die. the race for campaign staff, ad makers and fundraising talent is already underway in the 2016 presidential campaign but for potential candidate, new jersey governor chris christie, the ongoing bridgegate scandal appears to be a real hurdle. david shuster is more with that. >> republican operatives say the newest development in the criminal investigation are shaking the confidence of potential strategists and fundraisers who might otherwise commit to a presidential campaign for chris christie. they stem from multiple reports u.s. attorney paul fishman, the

lead prosecutor in the scandal recently doubled the number of investigators on the case. sources close to the investigation connell firmed david wildstein the executive who orchestrated lane closures is cooperating with the investigati investigation. he was appointed by christie and has told investigators he informed the governor at a 9-11 memorial event. that's just days after the lane closures ended but long before the govern says he learned -- the governor says he learned about them. federal prosecutors are bringing witnesses before a grand jury to decide whether there should be charges and a criminal trial. this sparks a new phase in the investigation. a grand jury, no judge is present. the normal rules of evidence don't apply. leading questions are allowed. hearsay testimony is permitted and often encouraged and the witness cannot have his or her attorney in the room. furthermore, a grand jury serves an accusatory function. the panel does not determine

innocence or guilt, only if probable cost exists to believe a felony was committed. at a news conference 10 days ago, christie asserted again he was not involved in the panelling or execution of the lane it closures and he expressed confidence that this case will not hurt him legally or politically. >> if i were running for reelection tomorrow, maybe it would be of moment to me. i already ran for reelection and got 61% of the vote. if i was running for something else sometime in the future, you know what poll i care about? you know, the ones before the fuel days before the election, not the ones now. they don't mean anything. >> to his point, the iowa caucus is the first presidential primary voting for 2016. those are 21 months away. but if you look at other candidates including jeb bush, rand paul and marco rubio, their top advisors are building potential organizations and are getting commitments from possible fundraisers, strategists and ad makers. the outreach from cristies team has been met with nervousness

and an act of granted you're doesn't help. >> coming up on al jazeera america, a bill to ban killer whale shows at sea world faces a new hurdle today. microsoft stops supporting windows xp today but what happens to thousands of businesses? 95% of atms that use it? [ grunting ]

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killer whales will still perform at sea world. a bill to ban shows had the first legislative test. it was prompted by a documentary that raised questions about how sea world treats its whales. jennifer london is in los angeles for us. jennifer, tell us more about the bill and what happened today in that committee hearing. the question gauging lawmakers is should orcas, also known as killer whales, be set free. animal rights activists for years have been trying to put an ends to killer whale and dolphin

shows in marine parks and aquar iums but the truth is, since the early 1970s, that is when the first orca in captivity was introduced, called shamu. >> was such a success that shamu became synonymous with sea world. the bill that was introduced by richard bloom seeks to end that. he is saying that california should make it illegal to have any killer whales held in activity for entertainment purposes. the bill seeks to end captive breeding programs and it says whenever possible, these massive mammals should be set back free, go back into the wild. now, today, in sacramento this bill faced its first legislative test, if you will. it was heard before a wildlife committee. they were taking public comments from both sides. and first, let's hear from what some of the people who support this bill had to say.

site their mortality rates are higher in captivity than in the wild. 100% of captive male orcas have fullly collapsed fins. >> this is getting attention even internationally. 1 woman testified she traveled from italy to have her voice heard. there were people from as far away as canada and, also, people from up and down the state of california. >> jennifer, how is sea worldsponding to all of this? up until this point, sea world has not spoken publically. they have only released a few written statements saying that the bill is not based upon science. they say the documentary "black fish" which was what sparked this bill is propaganda. but today, for the first time, we did hear from sea world, members of the park did attend the hearing in sacramento. >> safety is our number 1

priority in everything we do. it's a prerequisite to everything that we do. and it's the safety of the team members working with these animals, of our guests, and it's the safety of the killer whales, themselves >> reporter: and as you can imagine, there is alternates of emotion on both sides. so california lawmakers really need to proceed very carefully. tony, we do expect this bill will be heard in at least two more committee hearings before it could possibly go to the assembly floor for a vote. so we are sure to hear more from both sides on this. >> there was a lot at stake here jennifer london for us in los angeles. wall street, some green stocks finishing higher, with a snapping a 3-day losing streak. at least it's in positive territory. tech stocks which have been beaten down 4r5i89 helping to lead this small rally. lately h lead this small rally.

microsoft is no longer supporting the 12-year-old operating system, windows xp but it's estimated 30% of businesses and consumers still use xp as well as 95% of all atms, and that is raising concerns about the risk of cyber attacks. now that microsoft will no longer provide security updates. timsteins is with us, editor at large with cnet from albany, new york. it's good to see you again. what are the immediate effects, if any today for all of the people, the businesses, the organizations still using xp? >> there are no immediate affects. it's not like the pcs are going to stop working. all of the access are going to continue to work just like before. in fact, application manufacturers said they will support xp as well. anti- virus programs will continue to be updated and overa overall, it will work like buff but the big risk is like flying without a parachute. if something goes wrong, micro

soft said they are not going to provide support. >> how vulnerable, then, will xp users be to hackers, bugs? you mentioned something about updates to maybe some virus, anti-virus software. will xp eventually become unusable? it's much more vulnerable now. basically, the theory is because microsoft will be supporting other versions of windows, if a big exploit is found in one of those and microsoft doesn't fix it, that means pc users using xp will be vulnerable to exploits. people could get their information and do whatever they like with those machines. >> that's definitely a risk going forward. it was nothing right now you need to worry about. as time goes on, as xp gets older and older and older, that risk will increase. >> are will microsoft offer some kind of smoothtrition for xp users? or will everyone have to buy the new operating system?

>> they have been doing everything they could. they have been talking about it for a long time. there have been a lot of warning. they are giving $100 discount on new pcs, if you have an xp machine, you can get one for a $100 discount. they are supporting large corporations and for government everyoneties who can pay for support if they need to be on xp for some reason. if you are a consumer and you've got an xp machine now, probably be a good time to upgrade. >> what about the atms? i read something just a moment ago that 95% of the atms in the country are running xp are those atms more vulnerable starting today? >> there are definitely a lot of atms out there still running windows xp. they are vulnerable but not as risky as you might think. they are not publically on the internet like a lot of pcs. so, it's hard to get at those machines. that's not to say they are safe and certainly a lot of companies are now working hard to get

those machines off of windows xp but not quite as vulnerable as you might think. i think we will see some upgrades but i wouldn't stay awake working it. >> cnet's editor at large thank you. a victory for states refusing to reveal the drugs used to execute prisoners. we will look at why some of those states are ten to go controversial amountternatives to the standard drugs. an inside look at a landmark new treatment that has doctors freezing the body of someone who has been shot, putting them in a suspended state and then reviving them.

♪ a convicted murderer in texas lost another fight to put off his execution. a federal court ruled against

delaying the execution of 44-year-old rammero hernandez. he was convicted of beating a man to death and raping his wife in 1997. he is scheduled to die by lethal injection tomorrow. the experimental drugs that will be used are at the center of a growing controversy. some have called their use ba barberic. >> 32 states allow the death penalty. they rely mainly on lethal injections but the drugs are getting harder and harder to find. so some states are postponing executions. others are using alternatives critics say can cause a lot of pain. >> when dennis mcguire was put to death for murder, the state of ohio used an untested mix of drugs. what happened next, his family says, amounted to cruel and unusual punishment. witnesses say it took mcguire 26 minutes to die. >> for the first five minutes or so, his eyes rolled back in his head. he and to fall asleep and there

was a sudden convulsion. he gasnd. there was like a deep snore like a rattle that would stop and then start and then restart again. >> ohio resorted to the new cocktail after running out of this drug, pentobarbitol. in short supply thanks to this woman, barones sarah ludford as a member of the europeanpalci parliament, she was instrumental. >> they should not be diverted into a killing machine. and what the authorities do in response to the non-availability of legitmat channels is up to them. >> with more than 3,000 people on death rows across the country, states are exploring those other channels. states like missouri are turning to places like compounding pharmacies that mix and alter drugs. but some of those states are refusing to name their sources out of concern they will face public pressure, even violence.

prison officials in texas told us, we are not disclosing the identity of the pharmacy because of previous specific threats of serious physical harm made against businesses and theirs their employees that have provided drugs used in the lethal injection process. critics are demanding disclosure. they say the drugs are poolly tested and regulated and can lead to prolonged and painful executions. the barrones said that's enough reason to stop discussions all together. >> people being executed appear to be suffering pain and inhuman treatment because of the effects of these drugs which apparently, you know, are being kind of experiment. so, i think that's uncivilized. >> 39 peel were executed in the u.s. 38 by lethal injection. one by electirocution. because of this controversy, states like alabama,shire a ohi

oklahoma have been forced to postpone discussions. >> the court issue in the battle over secrecy is whether new drugs cause pain and suffering. lawyers for death row inmates have argued the 8th amendment for byrd cruel andnub punishment. courts say there isn't any proof to stop using the drug. let's bring richard dider, the executive director of the death penalty information center, a nonprofit organization that provides information on capital punishment. thank you for your time. let's sort of take a step back and move forward on this. so the drug that's been used in executions for years and years and years is now in short supply. so where are states going to get this new mix of drugs? >> well, they first went to europe to get the supply of that drug or an alternative drug. that was cut off as you indicated earlier, and so now, they are turning to something called compounding pharmacies,

which are small institutions here in the u.s., not largely regulated by the fda. they make up the drugs one dose at a time. and that's what states like missouri and texas have been using in their executions. >> so are states acquiring those drugs in any cases illegally? >> no. not necessarily illegally although there was some question about whether they could cross state lines. >> right. >> but it's more that they are not revealing where they are getting them from. >> right. >> so in a way, we don't know. we presume it's not illegally, but we don't know the credentials of the pharmacist or this pharmacy. did it ever produce contaminated drugs such as the ones that killed people until 2012 throughout the u.s. because ofmenningitis. >> part of the issue here is that there is a way, that there should be a way established for states to settle on a new drug to assist in killing people.

and that's what we are talking about here. >> would simply require bringing medical doctors into the consultation process. and is it part of the issue here that too many states simply aren't take that extra step? >> well, that's part of the issue. but the other side of the problem is, yes, this is a medical model. this is something that is performed in operating rooms affa every day. it's performed by doctors, anesthesiologists. and most doctors don't want anything to do with executions and the american medical association says ethically, they shouldn't. so doctors don't do these executions. prison guards do them with limited training, and that's one of the issues. they are using a drug that should work, but if it's poorly mixed, if it's poorly injected, if it's contaminated, then there is a danger of suffering during the execution and maybe severe

suffering. >> it's important for you to fill the audience in on there was a drug that is in short supply and am i correct? there are two controversial options that are being used in and, in one case, the ohio case, there is this drug, mitozolon that is highly controversial at this point. correct? >> yes. so, states were using anesthetics like sodium,o pentabarbitol. ohio switched to a saidatiedats they used it. it didn't fully work. the inmate was groaning and coughing, not the things you would expect to see in an operating room. something went wrong. the governor stopped the next execution in ohio. other states are continuing to use medazolan. >> the final analysis, what you are advocating here is for a

debate. right? about these drugs and greater transparency overall in this process? right? >> that's absolutely correct. most of the things the public does are open to the public to criticize or agree with. this process is all secret. so, it's not clear, you know, where these drugs are coming from, who is doing the nixing, as long as that goes on, people are going to be suspicious that the government is doing something less than ideal, underhanded, paying in cash, which is exactly what they are doing, a black bag sort of operation, and that is not simply the democratic way that we usually apply. >> richard dedier is the executive director of the death penalty information center joining us from washington, d.c. appreciate your time. ireland's president made a historic visit to the united kingdom as the countries try to mend their chilly relationship.

the queen received a former commander in the irish republican army, the ira fought the british for more than 70 years and split the two neighbors for generations. paul brennan reports >> reporter: when he first came to london as a 21-year-old, michael d. higgins worked as a restaurant waiter. now, age 72, he really is at the table. the president of his country, on a mission of diplomacy and reconciliation. this is a state visit with all of the ceremonthat goes with it, even a private lunch at the royal residence of windsor castle. the president is not just here for small talk. he has big issues to address. >> is buys more from the united kingdom than the british manage to sell to india, china and brazil. so a country of 4 and a half million people is more important to this place than a billion and

a half people around the world. >> the legacy of the period known as the troubles still haunts british and irish relations. for decades, the irish nationalists attacked and murdered british targets. for their part, british loyalists para militaries and elements within the police were guilty of murders and abuses. in the 1970 did, one of the ira commanders was a young martin mcginnis. two years ago, in a historic encounter, he and the queen shook hands. >> to receive the president of ireland and the deputy first minister, martin mcginnis who, himself was in the ira is a mark of how farm we have come. >> there are those who cannot forget and will not forgive. >> if mcginnis is going to be here today, let's have some balance. let's hear from the victims and survivors, somebody who has lost a relative be at that table as well. >> the modern relationship between britain and the republic

of ireland is no longer about bombs and guns. it's more about economic prospects than historic grievances. less than 10 years since the ira ended campaign of violence in the six northern countries known as "the proof convince." the message from this 4-day visit are that the ties that bind these two countries closer together are much stronger than the forces which would force them apart. paul brennan, al jazeera. windsor. >> in south africa, former olympian oscar pistorius broke down in tears while recounting the moment he discovered he fatally shot his girlfriend. >> i cried and i don't know how long. i don't know how long.

>> cameras were not allowed to record his testimony. the judge adjourned court immediately afterwards. pistorius is charged with murdering 29-year-old rev reva steincamp at his home. he said he thought she was an intruder. he faces a life sentence of 25 years if convicted. >> talks over iran's hit a speed bump saying they could have the materials for an atomic bomb in 2 months. it highlights the mistrust between the six world powers, the u.s. and others fear iran is working on a nuclear weapon. tehran main tajz the program is for paetsches purples. talks are scheduled to build al frank fame work deal. in kenya, the president is the deciding on a new law that legalizes polygamy. it is to blend western kenyan

culture. they say the proposed law goes too far. tanya page has the story. >> chief sammy tiquis says one of the benefits of his marriages is that the burden of chores is shared. most of the time, the union is harmonious because each of his wives had a say in the newcomer. >> it's important to be part of the negotiation because the land has to be divided again, and i have to make sure that the next one is willing to help with all of the chores. >> polygamy is about bringing whole families together. he consulted his wife's parents first. >> you go there and pick one and you go. no. >> kenya's parl parl has just pass add bill that legalizes polygamy. it is called cust mary unions should have a marriage certificate as legal proof. it also allows a man to marry again without his existing

wife's consent. >> the new bill has huge implications for women in customary marriages. if their husbands can mary without their consent, the wife has no control over how thinly her family's income and resources are spread. >> but supporters of the bill argue it covers all kenyans and raises the status of women, whether they are married in a mosque or a customary or civil union. >> all of them. the bill protects all of them. i am saying it because it is the women who are complaining. men are not complaining. this is one-sided. >> mohia is one of the mps who walked out of parliament during the debate. >> after all, we all elected. so, a a woman member, i should not make a law that disadvantage men and equally men, should not make laws that disadvantage the women. >> the marriage bill has led to

fierce de bate over the balance of equal rights, customary practices and modern interpretations. it needs to be signed by the president before it becomes law. tonya page, kenya. >> investigators are having for federal help in a string of highway shootings. trying to get to the bottom of this. >> tony police in kansas city are trying to find out if 13 shootings are connected. three drivers have been hit by gunfire in the past month and 10 other cars were hit by bullets with no one being injured. local police are working with federal investigators. they are asking drivers to be careful. the death toll continues to climb in that mud slide in washington. the body of another victim of last month's disaster was recovered today. >> puts the number of dead at 34. the white house today said president obama plans to visit the site later this month. in detroit, charges in the

beating of a driver who accidentally hit a child. two men face charges. steve utash was beaten when he stretched out of his truck to check on a child he had struck. he is hospitalized in a medically induced coma with critical head injuries. in long island, new york, look at the following photograph, a male stripper at an elderly residentts home. >> i don't want to take a look at this picture. >> you have to because you are on the show. the 85-year-old woman in the photograph is stuffing a dollar bill in the dancer's briefs. this image is part of a lawsuit against a nursing home filed by the son of the woman in the photo. his attorneys say the event was held for the staff and it says the resident lacks the mental capacity to protect herself. and good news for the family that was rescued from the pacific ocean last week. the federal agency that took part in the rescue will not ask them to pay for it. the navy, coast guard and national guard responded to a distress call from the kaufmans.

their boat broke down and their 1-year-old was sick. the agencies involved say they do not charge for the services. >> okay. maria, you are back a little later? right? we will talk about the awards last night. >> yes. >> we picked up an award. we like that. >> yeah. >> thanks. you know it sounds like a bit of science fiction here, but it is a landmark treatment where trauma surgeons put gunshot vict imdz into a suspended state by freezing their bodies. patients are neither alive nor dead and can be treated up to two hours later. what is going on here? are science and technology correspondent jacob ward joins us from san photographfrancisco how does this work? >> reporter: last week, we talked in the wake of the fort hood shootings about ho gun violence in the united states is .1 of the man drivers for making trauma surgery so sophisticated in the united states. well, that same gun violence now created they had new procedure which is really redefining what

it means to be dead. right now, if you were to die in an emergency room from a gunshot wound, you would stand less than a .7% chance of being revived. so doctors at the university of pi pittsburgh, arizona and elsewhere have developed a means of cooling patients to 10 degrees celsius, 50 degrees fahrenheit. they are neither alive nor dead. their hearts still as stones, patients can in theory come back to life after two hours in this state of suspended animation. in a new fda trial starting this month, 10 gunshot victims dead from cardiac arrest will receive the treatment in a pittsburgh hospital. if all goes well, five more hospitals will test the technique later this year. dr. reed, the trauma surgeon who saved gabby giffords has tested the procedure on pigs. >> so they are dead and you have brought them back? >> dead.

for hours. right? no blood in their body. 10 degrees, if you will of potassium. dead. det dead, dead. >> bringing a patient down to 10 degrees celsius can, in theory, buy a surgeon a couple of hours to bring them back. here at this facility, patients are brought down to negative 196 degrees celsius in the hopes that medical science will one day be able to revive them. >> alcor life extension agency is famous for preserving ted williams' head in this way. the technology here and what dr. rhi and others have developed are similar up to a point. >> it's closely related. our initial procedures, where we are removing the blood and body floods with a solution is what they are talking about doing. >> here, the dead are eventually en too manied in liquid nitrogen. it's based upon faith in future medical advances. but in a sense, dr. rhi's work

has caused him to share a similar faith that he can bring back more people. >> i think about using this for space travel. i think about cryogenic freezing. >> i went through every thought that you had. okay? everything that you mentioned. my brain has wandered about going to mars, about taking people with cancer and suspended them until we get their cancer cures going on. >> i think that if you bring in somebody to die that was shot and died yesterday, that scenario is not going to change. but for the people who died within five or 10 minutes of them hitting my bed, i think you can get to a part where we are going from 2% to 50% in a few years. therapeutic hypothermia could be the standard alongside cpr and defibrillation for saving people injured by a car accident in a few years. if that happens, we will have rewritten the clinical

definition of "death." >>. >> tony, once upon a time, cpr was not in existence. if someone to were to die and their heart stop, that would be it. now, we bring those people back with those kinds of procedures. this has the potential to bring people back from even more h horrible thins and change what we think about the line between life and death. >> asking that what if question over and over again. it's appreciated. >> coming up on al jazeera america, parents and teachers rallying to get a teacher's job back after he was suspended for stopping a teenager from selling pot.

>> this takes guts... 24 hours after the uconn huskies, the men's team took home final 4 championship. actually, they won the national title last night. the university's win's team is ready to battle it out for the

first time ever. in an ncaa basketball final, men's or women's two undefeated teams are fighting for the championship. connecticut and notre dame will tip off in nashville if uconn wins, it will be the second time the men's and women's team won championships the very same year. it last happened in 2004. so the pressure is mounting against a school district that decided to suspend a california science teacher and wrestling coach. the coach, mark black, wrestled with a teenager after telling him to stop selling pot. parents are rallying to get him reinstated. >> i want to show you first the video that went vehicle. it was taken at santa monica high school. here it is. we can play it for you full. coach black is wrestling with a teenager who was trying to sell pot in the classroom. this altercation followed. teacher pinned down the

teenager. the coach was put on leave after this video went viral. now, parents, teachers and students want the coach reinstated. so some people started a change.org petition. it has more than 6,000 signatures on it. they also started a facebook page saying we support coach black. take a look at this. it's got over 18,000 likes, almost 18,000 likes on it. it has pictures of the coach, and just messages, hundreds and hundreds of messages of support. michael hall saying that kid must have been on drugs because t the last guy you are going to start a fight with is the wrestling coach. christine saying you very de ly did the right thing. god bless you and your family. >> a quick question. i am assuming there was a resource officer at the school? it's not the responsibility of coaches and teachers to discipline in that way in the class? i would imagine. >> well, he was in the

classroom. he saw this teenager doing this. >> right. >> then this fight followed. >> okay. >> he pinned him down. people that watched the video said he didn't punch him. >> right? >> he pinned him down like a wrestling coach would. >> recallous what's going on there. i get your point. i get your point? >>acous what's going on there. i get your point. i get your point? >>. if you talk to him, you have a problem on your hands. if you don't, you have a problem. >> there was another option is what i am driving at. >> exactly. well, there is a full investigation going on. the school district superintendent called the incident utterly alarming. after she said that, she apologized for the comment and said any further action would be based upon a full investigation. >> i got you. so alisha, how much time do we have left in 30 in the show, inez, we picked up an award? we have been on the air seven or eight months? picking up awards? >> yeah. we picked up the shorty award. >> what is the shorty? >> it's the shorty award is for people who create content on organizations that create con tint for social media.

>> yeah. >> best news twitter. >> what are you and jared doing ther there? >> a duck face. >> is that? >> the digital team. they are the ones that should take this award because they are the ones that have this and sara jones also won an award. >> more at 6:00. debate. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story next only on al jazeera america >> the death toll could be much higher than anyone known. >> posing as a buyer... >> ...people ready then... >> mr. president >> who should answer for those people

this is al jazeera america live from new york city. a look at today's top stories. ukraine's government is trying to stay in control of its eastern regions. it's managed to recapture the

regional headquarters and attain dozens of proceed russian protesters. in another city, sep prattists placed explosives in a building they seized and are holding 60 hostages. secretary of state john kerry is accusing russia of trying to destabilize eastern ukraine. he made the remarks to the senate foreign relations committee. secretary kerry briefed senators. today, equal pay day, a day to highlight the income gap between men and women. president obama signed two executive orders designed to reduce the pay gap for women who work for federal contractors. >> the death toll hop. the rock and gravel barriers should drain debris field and prevent flooding and search crews looking for malaysian airline's flight 370 have not picked up any more of the underwater sounds they were hearing just a few days ago.

they had hoped the signals were from the plane's flight data recorder and black boxes, but since one month has passed since the flight disappeared, the batteries are likely to run out soon if they haven't already. those are the headlines. i am tony harris. "inside story" is next.