>> is a chance at a better life worth leaving loved ones behind? >> did omar get a chance to tell you goodbye before he left? >> which side of the fence are you on? >> sometimes immigration is the only alternative people have. borderland only on al jazeera america this is al jazerra america life from new york city, am tony haven us with a look at the top stories. boston within year later a day to honor those killed and wounded in the marathon bombing and those who rallied to help. ukraine takes its first military action against a pro-russian up rising in the east. first a fatal bombing. then 100 students abducted in a night raid. the ra radical islammist group expected in both attacks. saying the cia is using drones

for targeted killing overseas. ♪ ♪ it was one year ago today that two bombs exploded near the finish line of the boston marathon, survivors first responders and family members of the four people killed that week gathered this afternoon to mark the solemn anniversary at the exact moment the bombs went off a flag was raised at the site of the attack. ♪ what so proudly we hailed ♪ at the twilight's last gleaming ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars. >> and john terrett joins us now from boston's fenway park in boston. john, if you would, walk us through today's events. it was really well done by the

city. >> reporter: it was very well done. and i think, tony, this is a day that the city of boston has been seeking, as a cathartic moment to try to begin the healing process proper. after the bombings of a year ago. now, of course the healing process will truly begin if they can get away with a clean marathon next monday, which everybody here is working hard to try to achieve. but the process began this morning with a replaying ceremony in the central district of the city and, of course, at around about 2:49, just a bit early than that this afternoon in the pouring, driving rain there was a very moving one-minute of silence to remember those who fell and those that were injured and the city's bells tolled just afterwards as well. but the bulk of the day happened at the nearby heinz convention center where there were speak he can some of the injured, some politicians who came together to send out the message that boston in s* anis and always will be s,

it's very important to get this day right. the boston athletic organization who organization the it in conjunction of the city, did a very good job of remembering what happened but at the same time trying to move forward. the key speaker was the vice president, joe biden who came to town to represent the obama administration and also to speak on behalf of the people of america. towards the end of his address, he really ramped things up. making it clear how proud he was of those who survived and the city itself. take a look. >> next monday on patriots day, when i am told up to 36,000 people lineup to start the marathon, you will send a resounding message around the world not just to the rest of the world, but to the terrorists, that we will never yield. we will never cowher. [applause] >> america will never, ever, ever stand down.

we are boston. we are america. we respond, we endure, we overcome and we own the finish line! god bless you all. and may god protect our troops. [applause] >> reporter: and vice president biden also using humor in his speech as well saying how much he loved the city of boston, even though he didn't love the red sox. which is where i am standing now, by the way, in case you wondered outside the red sox headquarters here at fenway park. also governor duvall the governor of massachusetts spoke as well, but if the politicians gave rousing speeches, then it was the injured in the boston bombings who really said it best on behalf of everybody in the convention center. listen now to patrick downs who has only recently married his wife, jessica, both of them lost a leg, each of them lost a leg in the boston bombing a year ago, here is patrick making a very snowingal speech today. take a look.

>> a year ago today we chose to run towards smoke and danger. we chose to utilize our belts and purse straps to create tourniquets. we chose to hold the injured in our arms. we chose to offer our hearts to those in despair. and our treasures to those in need. we chose to love and that has made all the difference. >> reporter: there was a real outpouring of love for patrick today, tony. as there was for all of the speakers, quite frankly. and now the next big test for this city comes on monday. tony. >> john, let's talk about monday. and hour officials working now to set up security for next week's marathon? >> reporter: well, there is a lot going on. we have been in the city for the lost week or so and i have noticed more security officers in all sorts of locations in boston than i have seen before. and that you would normally expect to see. they have been building the finishing line and start line

for the best part of the last week now. there is added security on the streets right now. on top of that there are going to be, we are told, something like 3500 police officers along the route in the seven town that his lead up to boston in this marathon. and then the police chief told us last week, that he has at his disposal something like 22,000 staff that he can call upon on monday, all leave has been canceled so they will be available to him if needs it. on top of that, they are putting more fencing, they call it bicycle rack fencing out from the center of boston, much further than it was last year. there is enhanced tv coverage as well and training for staff who are going to be told to watch the spectators not the race this year. on top of that, of course, it's a 26.2-mile race, it's difficult to police, but they are determined to do their best, tone. >> i all right, john terrett for us, terrific work today, john. gone jon is it boston for us. john, thank you. after the bombings a memorial filled with flowers, teddy bears, shoes and more built up near the finish line.

that is now an enduring exhibit. erica joined a bombing survivor as she vice tid the display for the first time since the attack. >> dear boston. >> every day i run for the victims and their families. >> may we never fore he had. >> together we are one. >> we will get through this. >> peace and love. >> boston strong. >> so many notes. and the words are just -- they get you the most. >> until now jackie webb had never seen the makeshift memorial that multiplied along the street in boston. on april 15th of 2013, she was watching the boston marathon waiting for a friend to cross the finish line when the second pressure cooker bomb exploded. just a few feet away. >> i remember the blinding light. i remember everything go pitch black and i remember there being a lot of soot and the smell. just smelled like suggest have you evesum officerand it sulfurd it was overwhelming. >> reporter: she did not realize how bad she was hurt until she

dat down with a pair med. >> i can that's when i noticed that my leg was severely injured and that was it pretty much blown open. >> reporter: thashrapnel tore through her right leg, several surgeries later jack is a able to walk through the boston public library where she can final experience the memorial preserveed in this exhibit dedicated to those two died and survived. >> to all the victims whose lives are forever changed, boston is with you. boston loves you, boston strong. >> reporter: when this makeshift memorial was along the barricades of the crime scene one kind of object quickly started setting it apart from other memorials marking tragic events. running shoes. and lots of them. marathoners placed nearly 600 pairs in remembrance and while there are only about 150 on display here at the exhibit, they are front and center. a heart melt phil show of solidarity. >> there are womens size fives and then men 13 shoes that were left. >> reporter: the shoes inspired the curate tore turn the out

door memorial no to an indoor exhibition. >> after the bombing they get this extra meaning about what it meant for marathoners that day. sometimes the messages of morninmourning and sometimes mes of resilience. >> reporter: as powerful as the messages are she says the sneakers say a lot as runners keep them as momentums. >> for them to put them down here, it's impact. because you know they gave up something that is sacred to them. essentially for people that they don't even know. >> reporter: virtually everything here is away for perfect strangers to communicate with survivors like jackie: strangers. >> i know. i know, it's overwhelming. >> reporter: one year later. >> 2014. >> reporter: and the memorial carries on the conversation. jackie is still recovering

emotionally and physically. >> i still have surgeries and i am still in pain. >> reporter: despite the pain she says the love behind this simple salutation goes a long way in helping her to heal. >> the community and the people in it, which is overwhelming amount of support. and it was what we needed. they really rallied behind us and gave us strength to go on. >> reporter: erica, al jazerra. the white supremacist charged with killing three people at two jewish community sites in kansas city made his first court appearance today. 73-year-old frasier glencross appeared in court via video link, he's accused of killing a man and his grandson at one side and then killing a woman at a nearby location. i judge ordered him held on $10 million bond. his next court appearance is scheduled for april 24th, federal prosecutors could also file hate crimes charges in this case. a anybody of developments today in the crisis in ukraine. the country a's acting president

announced an anti terrorist operation against pro-russian activists who have seized several buildings. >> one of the first targets was a small airport in the town of. a fighter jet as you can see here flew over jet as ukrainian forces retook control of the facility. al jazerra's kim is near there. >> reporter: just in the past hour or so we are heard shots fired but for now, things are starting to calm down, nervously behind me pro-russian groups have blocked the entrance and exit to the military air field. on the other side of that barricade of the concrete wall, are military personnel, ukrainian special police forces, they are very much on high alert for any sort of action from this side. we heard a general or at least he said he was a general trying to get inside the air field a short time ago and he was held up by protesters and sort of roughed up a bit but they

eventually let had i pass through. we have heard reports of casualties but we have heard nothing from here. by there is conflicting information coming through. still about 400 or so people here watching this situation unfold. >> united nations secretary general ban ki-moon spoke with vladimir putin today and urged him to deescalate tensions in ukraine today. the call came after the u.n. released a report on anti--government demonstrations from earlier this year and how the country has been doing sense, al jazerra has more. >> reporter: in november 2013 the protests in kiev were about president yanukovych refuse to go sign an agreement with the european union, but soon turned in to something else. the new united nations report says the excessive use of force by the special police and other security forces led to a significant radicalization of

the protest movement. taillight calls for a thorough inning investigation in to the death of 121 peel, including 101 protesters and 17 police or other officers between december and february. the report says ukraine's interim government should insure accountability for all human rights violations committed during the period of unrest through independent effective and impartial investigations, prosecutions, and adequate sanctions of all those responsible for the violations. the u.n. team also looked at the situation in crimea where a controversial referendum led to the region joining the russian federation and a defecator annexation, the report says measures by the new crimea authorities are making it difficult for people who want to keep ukrainian sit sin ship to stay. the u.n. hcr says permitting unregulate the force to his carry out abusive regulations vie lightviolates human rates, y should dispanned all units and

protect people from their ill legal actions and insure all law enforcement activities are carried out by the police. of course the area of most concern is eastern ukraine, the situation mains tense after pro-russian demonstrators took over government buildings. in the east they say it's important to take initial measures to build confidence between the government and the people and among the various communities and reassure all people throughout ukraine that their main concerns will be addressed. but at the moment, there is not much sign of confidence building or dialogue. without outside pressure, it seems unlikely the ongoing crisis and the human rights violations that come with it, will end soon. al jazerra. one of america's closest friends in saudi arabia was moved from his post. the saudi state news agency says the prince is no longer the country's intelligence chief. he was the saudi ambassador to the united states.

from 198 1983 to 2005 and was ce to president reagan and the first president bush. as intelligence chief he was managing saudi arabia's role in the syrian civil war. 100 female students abducted from a stool school in northeastern nigeria today. the government killed a soldier and a police officer guarding the school. several of the teens managed to escape from the back of an open truck. this comes as questions are being raised about the nigerian government's ability to protect the country's scrap tal by attacks from this radical group. and these report new questions, more than 70 people were killed yesterday in an explosion in a bus station. more now from there. >> reporter: a police spokesperson has confirmed to al jazerra that the attack on this girl's college happened late monday night in to the early hours of tuesday morning think the premises of the college were apparently stormed by armed men who ordered young ladies out of their beds, out of their

dormitories in to trucks that were parked outside. there was also violence in the village where this college is situated, apparently some somethings were burned and some homes were destroyed. now so far no one group has claimed responsibility for this attack, but it looks like the work of the group that want islamic law imposed throughout the country. they are against western education and against the kind of education that these young girls were reaching and have been behind runs of attacks in the region over the last few years. they are also expected of taking part and being behind the attack that took place in the nigerian capital on monday in which many people were killed at a bus station. we have been to talk to some of those families who were caught up in the violence. mohamed and his family and friends are morning the loss of his son. he thinks he was killed in monday's bomb attack at the bus station. believed to have been planned by the armed group boko haram.

>> we have concluded that my child is perished in this bomb blast. because my child and my neighbor's child they were together. they were together. they saw their son but we have not seen mine. >> reporter: they have searched for the body in all of the hospitals where people injured in the blast are being treated. and morgue, but have not found their son. the government said it will pay the hospital bills of survivors and do all that it can to support their families. >> translator: i wish to use this medium to convey our heart felt sympathy to the families of those that lost loved ones and assure everyone of the full compliance with the presidential directives and the medical treatment of the injured persons. >> reporter: the government has reassured people security will be improved. but people here are still deeply worried that the violence has reached the capital. a pwaoupblg a ithis is the mostf

the country and the government is spending $7 billion a year on security and fighting the armed group boko haram. next month this is scheduled to host the world economic forum. despite monday's attack the government says it will still go ahead and it's deploying more than 6,000 soldiers and police officers to protect the delegates, officials here say it will be the biggest security operation ever undertaken. back at the t* at this house mohamed wishes such security could be provided for all nigerians. >> those in the high authority those are the ones, but the masses is unfortunate, we are not secure. if we are secured, they'll put them in this area where this bomb blast happened. it would detect, yes, that's a bomb. >> reporter: investigators are still at the site of the blast looking for clues. but in the hundreds of attacks launched by loc boko haram only0

have been charges th charged. many nigh year wednesda nigeriaw such an attack could have taken place so close to the capital because of all the money they are spending. these are the questions they are their asking. >> the group boko haram is believed to be responsible for both the bus station bombing and the school abduction, jonathan betz joins us now with a closer look at the group and its goals. >> tony, boko haram is actually a relatively new group but it's getting very violent fast. it works out of nigh year i can't and many consider it the nigerian taliban. the name loosely translates to western education is forbidden coming from its hate of democracy and western-style schools targeting kids trying to scare them from getting an education. it really only started launching large attacks in 2009.

since then it's been getting help from al qaeda groups carrying out cruel rampages like burning students alive in their dormses kidnapping others like this group, bombing police stations beheading truck drivers with chainsaws now its leader, the u.s. declared him a terrorist in 2012 and put a $7 million reward on his head. he has coldly declared he enjoys killing people. and he is waging a war. nigeria is already largely split with muss in the north, christies in the south and it's proving to be fertile grounds for recruits, there is incredible poverty and crumbs in nigeria along with a beautiful and unchecked police force turning some to extremism. boko haram's influence has been growing. in three years it's killed about 4,000 people and many feel it will only grow more powerful and it's leader has openly threatened the united states. >> repeatedly. jonathan, thank you.

coming up, is turbo tax trying to make doing your taxes more difficult than it needs to be? details of a new investigation. that's next. ♪ ♪

more than 6,000 retirees need to approve the new deal. and a bankruptcy judge needs to review an emergency manager kevin orr says a settlement could mean a speedy resolution to the bankruptcy filing. on wall street another day in positive territory for the dow. closing up today just shy of 90 points trading its stuff thanks to higher sales posted by coca cola and johnson and joh johnso. for today only you can get your hand on google glass. do you like google glass? are you familiar with that?

google's one-day sale lets you buy the device for $1,500, thank you, google. glass allows you to brows the web, take a picture, record video, get directions and sends messages. more of google glass hits the market later this year. and today is the deadline to file your taxes and for many that can be a complicated process, partly to blame companies like turbo tax we find out. who have lobbied to keep the tax system as it is. complicated. a nonprofit investigative group pro public uh-huhs been looking in to the lock inning efforts and liz day is the research director there, liz, good to see you. let me gee through the numbers, thanks for being here. >> thank you. >> they have lobbied to keep the tax code unchange asked. here is the question. can we draw a direct link between that lobbying and

congress not taking any real concrete steps to simplify the tax code? >> no, i don't i don't think we can draw any direct connection. what we dough no is that turbo tax is a very successful product. >> absolutely. >> it's the most popular tax software in america. >> were you able to determine the extent to which the lobbying has actually helped turbo tax? >> no, again that's difficult to say. we just know it's a very successful product from a very successful come. >> so lobby is for the current tax code are fighting something called return free filing. what is that? >> so return free filing is an old concept, it was endorsed by president reagan back in the '80s, what it would basically do is allow people with simple tax situations, say they have one job, one bank account, to get a tax return that's prefilled from the irs with information the government already gets.

it's also voluntary, so if you don't trust the government, you prefer to use your guy down the street that you have been using, you can do so. but for people that did want to use it, you could do your taxes for fro and in minutes. >> okay. so liz, let me understand what you were able to uncover here in your investigation. what's the ringing conclusion from your work here? >> well, that return-free filing is opposed by intuit who is a very powerful lobbyist. they have also done some sort of grassroots effort, say sponsor websites like stop i r.a. takes over.org. and have worked to get other pima pose today return-free action filing. what kind of arguments were they making? >> one of the biggest arguments is that it's a conflicts of interest for the irs to be both the prepar preparer of your taxn and also collecting the money.

>> great, where can we find your report. >> paypublic a.org. >> thank you. allegations that the cia has been used drones for targeted killings in the east, why some say it's government approved deception and why transgenders in india are now entitled to health care and job options. just like other minorities in the country. we are back in a moment.

♪ ♪ a new documentary alleges the cia has been using air force pilots to run the ci. 's drone program in afghanistan and pakistan. the u.s. has been increasingly reclient on drones to gather intelligence and carry out air strikes against suspected fighters. the film titled drone relies on

interviews from former drone operators and paints a picture of a government approved deception. >> it's always been the air force that has owned those missions. the cia might be the customer the air force has always flown it. >> the 17th that flies, i can't tell you what i am doing but i can tell you it's super secret. >> squadron 17 is area 51 isolate odd a single base i think it's pretty widely known that the cia controls their mission. i know right before i left they actually put privacy fences up so you couldn't even see the front doors or the parking lot. it got to where you don't even know who is in there anymore. >> people brag, people talk

about how they were so secret and that they were kicking so much ass and killing terrorists and the cia label is just an excuse to not have to give up any information. >> president obama outlined new guidelines to switch drone operations away from the cia last may. under the current law, the agency conducts operations with limited oversight and complete legal deniability. but the military and joint special operations command must follow a more transparent process. one that could be reviewed by more than senior congressional leaders and unlike the ci, a the military is subject to international law. soldiers even under orders can be prosecuted. private cia contractors cannot. and joining me now is tonya she made the documentary drone. tonya, it's good to talk to you, thank you for your time. take me back, what was the in pulse. >> hi, tony.

>> why did you ultimately decide to venture in to this project, to make this film? >> i decided to make this film when i saw how obama went from the promise to close guantanamo to killing people with drones outside of declared battlefields with no transparency and no true process and no accountability. and i think that the u.s. president until its use of drones is very dangerous and that's why i made this film. >> and you mention -- rewe mentioned in our lead in, our set-up to this, that there is an argument being made in your film and i'll read it back to you, that this program, the way it's being operated now, is government approved deception. make that argument for me, please.

>> well, if the film we see how obama promised to move the cia drone war out of cia and in to the hands of the u.s. air force. and we worked closely with several drone freight nurse our film and through our talks with them we realized that the program had been in the hands of the u.s. air force all along. and the drones have been operated by a regular u.s. air force squadron. and to us this changes radically questions of oversight of the program and the legality of the drone strikes. >> you know, i guess some folks who will be watching this and they'll ask the question, tell me why this is news? so the administration has been urging, we know that, you make the point here, the cia to turnover drone duties to the pentagon. so clearly based on your film that hasn't happened yet.

again the argument for many will be why is this news? >> will, nobody has really answered the question or asked the questions of who really flies the drones. and having actually the actual squadron that flies the drone be a regular u.s. air force squad run could pose very important new legal questions. the cia operates under very different laws. >> sure, sure. >> and now the questions are -- does also the u.s. air force are they protected by these laws are can now regular u.s. air force personnel be charged with war crimes. >> yeah. let me broaden it just a little bit here. in the making of this film did you come to any conclusions about the impact of the u.s. drone program on civilians? let me start there.

>> well, in the u.s. cia drone war, in pakistan, close to 3,000 people have been killed. many of them are civilians and many of them are children. and we really don't know a lot of about who they have been killing. and that is one point that we do make in the film. that there needs to be transparency around this issue you. also it's important to realize that the drones are not just killing civilians, but they are also terrorizing whole populations. and it's important to think about, you know, what could the consequences of this kind of warfare be and what kind of precedent is the u.s. setting here with its use of drones. >> i will grant you that, because we know that other nations are very interested in moving forward with plans for their own drone programs. but have you concluded -- the other side of the coin here is is have you come to any kind of conclusion is to whether or not the drone program is working as

an effective tool in the so-called war on terror? >> well, i don't make any conclusions in my film, but i do think it's important that we ask? crucial questions about how effective the drones are in the war on terror. we know that, you know, major important people from al qaeda has been taken out with the drones, but if you are taking out four, you know, high-profile terrorists and then killing 10 civilians, what is the consequences of that. and you know, it's important i think to look at the long-term and not just look at the short-term tactics. >> all right, thank you. and she is the documentary filmmaker, her film is titled drone. good to speak with you, thank you for your time. let's bring in al jazerra's legal contributor jamie floyd to

talk more about the lawfulness of this drone program. i gotta tell you there is a hot debate in this country about this. i wanted to have you on board to talk about this. under u.s. law, can the u.s. air force be used to carry out the cia's drone program. what are your thoughts on that. >> i like your question, what's the news here. there is no news. >> i wasn't being snarky. >> no. no. there is no news. but what she is doing is reframing the issue you. >> yes. >> so that's what this film does. because, look, there is very little law to answer your question. >> okay. >> specifically, there is very little law the domestic legal issue is about the central role of the cia. >> right. >> and that's what this film is about. because the cia is a secret organization and that means that we can't ask the legal questions we want to ask. and that's why this drone program is there. >> right. >> because you can't get at the legal questions and what the legal answers. >> what about the international --

>> i knew you were going there. >> there are all kind of international conventions and codes and laws. >> right. so the question is are you at war? because you really can't be striking at anyone, anyone, civilians, ever, and even at your enemy unless you are at war. so is this a war on terror or not? well, if we are in pakistan there are allies, this has been going on in pakistan, yemen, of course in afghanistan, sometimes in iraq, but mostly in pakistan, now, you can have consent to strike. but then you have the problems of the civilians, she didn't give you an answer why not? because it's cia and it's secret. the administration says fewer than 2% of the people hit have been civilians, critics of the administration say as many as 25%. >> yes. >> that's a huge variance. and that's why we want transparency. if we are critics of the administration, the administration says we can't give utterance parent is a because that puts our people at risk. >> jamie, terrific. well done. thank you.

it's great to have you on the program. >> my pleasure. >> jamie floyd with us. india's supreme court says transgenders must be recognized as a third concerned category meaning the government must provide the same health care and job options for transgenders as it does for other minorities. a report now from new delhi. >> reporter: india's transgender community has been officially recognized by the supreme court. >> i am very pleased about the judgment. i am overjoyed. the court has ruled i am an equal citizen of india, i aim human being and won't be treated like an' mall anymore. >> reporter: two supreme court judges advised the government to make sure that trans genders or those who identify with a different sex than their own are recognized legally as a third sex. they said the civil rights of transgender people are guaranteed as opportunities to equal employment. the court also said recognizing

them is not a social or medical issue by a a human rights issue for those fighting for their cause it's how they are ultimately designed by society that really matters they were defined as another. >> we talk other other, a lot of people refuse to be part of other if could be a could you a buffalo. it's a third stkwrepbtder gende. >> reporter: people here are known as heteros and have struggled to find acceptance, because of that many are sex workers and are offense discriminated against. those in the community hope the he on visual recognition will give them better action significants to education and health care. >> translator: the next generation of finding themselves that they need to be educates the and that's what we want for them. we lost out. and not to face the same

problem. >> reporter: there are an effort mated 3 million transgender in india and up to 50,000 of them live in the capital. on the sidelines of indian society for decades, the transgender community can potentially map out the future, beyond singing, dancing and begging, the illegal decision may be a step in the right direction. but in this largely conservative country. it may take a little longer to accept. al jazerra, new delhi. in mexico vigilantes once hailed as heros against cartels have until may 10th to register their guns with the government. they'll have to decide whether to join so-called rural defense corp.s or give up their arms, the 20,000 lidge lan a at 20,00l for pushes the cartels out of the state. but now the government wants to organize them in to civil defense forces. the venezuela the opposition is working with the vice president to work out a framework for negotiations but there are rising doubts the talks will produce a

breakthrough. the opposition wants the government to hold security forces responsible for the 41 protesters killed since february. president anything las maduro says the unrest has been fueled buyout sitby outside forces andd supplies have shift down venezuela's major cities. and in italy a court has ordered former prime minister silvio owe to a year of community service after a conviction for tax fraud. he faced jail time but got lenient i for his age, the 77-year-old has a cur curfew and must limit his travel, he was expelled from pardon me lament and banned from running in elect no, sir six years. another body discovered in the mudslide area of washington state. maria has that and more news from across america. >> in washington the death toll from the recent mudslide is now at 37. the discovery of another

victim's body was announced today the person's name was not released the sheriff's office says seven people are still listed as missing. in mississippi massive destruction following a powerful storm, about a dozen r.v. trailers were destroyed trees and power lines down. 50 miles per hour winds barreled through the gulf coast area, suffering the most damage. san francisco is considering a bill that would make it easier for tenants to rent out their homes on a short-term gaze us. the proposal would make short-term rentals legal but only if residents have liability insurance and meet other requirements. tenants have been at odds with landlord and hotel lobbyist over the use of sites like air b & b to represents out their homes, the law would not override lease agreements. and if you looked up at the sky overnight, you may have noticed this. the first lunary clippings of 2014. it's called the blood moon. visible from most of north america. it happened at around 3:30 in

the morning, eastern time. and if you didn't see it it, don't worry, tony, there will be other -- three others over the next year and a half. but if you missed those, you'll have to wait until 2032. >> can they schedule them a little earlier? >> yes. okay. all right. >> we weren't found f are found that one. >> coming up live, we'll take a look at nashville and why country music is gaining such popularity and raking in the cash. and a field where the negro league just played will be a permanent part of history. véeera

tv shows to sold out stadiums country music is hot and advertisers are lining up. now, while other genres are actually losing market share, country has grown mainstream. jonathan martin is in nashville and jonathan, i don't know if you are a country music fan, but more and more people are in this country. times have really changed, haven't they? >> reporter: they have. you know, i have lived in nashville for about six years, so country has just sort of grown on me. this is baying day for country

music, in account far, because we are live inside the country music hall of fame they unveiled a $100 million expansion today. so this place is basically doubled in size, a lot of people were waiting outside. so many in fact that they had to turn some people away. just another example of how this industry, country music is really growing. ♪ for only you were here right now ♪ >> reporter: a successful country songwriter in the '90s, james house is now seeing a resurgence in interest in his music with several top 10 records in europe. ♪ every time it rains >> i thought we would just do a little promotion tour and it sold out 16 shows. so that's resurgence. >> reporter: let my stars like jason aldeen, taye or swift and hunt are hayes, the country music landscape is changing. >> one year to five or six years

old, kind of ascend to go that star and superstar status and people are flooding their concerts and buying their music. >> reporter: music industry analysts call it a perfect storm. the younger enthusiasts joining the older core group of country fans. according to arbiton, country is now a tracking new, younger fans in the key 18 to 34-year-old demographic. >> advertisers and marketers go where the people are. and right now, the places are selling tons of concert tickets are country concerts. >> reporter: and the stars are becoming advertising icons themselves. >> just as these people are now the hot commodities to be on all the network tv shows, corporate sponsors are engaging country artists in ways that we haven't seen in the past. >> reporter: country music accounts for 14% of all u.s. music sales. the highest percentage and nba

at least five years. >> you got $100,000. >> reporter: all across the country you'll find country radio stations now number one. new york recently launched his first radio station in country in more than 15 years, so what makes country music fans so different? bill main is ahead of the country radio broadcasters, he says it comes down to loyalty. >> country music artists engage their fans in ways that artists of other genres just don't do. they will stay after shows and sign autographs for hours. they do meet and greets with fans at all of their shows. >> reporter: while the popularity of music genres often comes in waves, artists like john house believe with the format that's always been centered around lyrics, country music will always have staying power. >> when teams get a little tough or a little unsettled, seems -- people always get drawn back in to country music. >> reporter: and one of the things you often here about country music is that it is,

tony, multi generational, you will see sometimes grandparents, parents, and their kids, sometimes listen to this same artists, so really, again, just another reason that country music right now is so dominant. tony. >> very cool. all right, jonathan martin for us in nashville. jonathan good to see you, thank you. on this gate in 1947 jackie robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball. now, before that, blackball players could only play on segregated fields in those cities the negro leagues were often the best ticket in town. as john henry smith tells us, that includes a special field in new jersey that starting tomorrow is getting a major face lift. >> reporter: baseball is a sport with a rich history. but much like the country that popularized the game, america's past time also has a clouded history of race relations. in the 1870s, white teams and leagues were rejecting black, hispanic and native american players segregating the sport. however, this exclusion spawned an opportunity for the nonwhite

athletes to play their own game. >> the negro leagues h leagues y rose from the, ashes of segregation, but out of that came a wonderful story of pry up antriumph and conquest you won't let me play i will crete a league of my own. >> reporter: by the i remember to middle part of the 20th century the kneeing owe league d established themselves as a formidably baseball entity. in the small city of patterson new jersey the community was looking to build and show says an athletic venue that could house big ticket events. in 1932 this venture true hitch lift stadium opened and by 1934, the biggest ticket event in town was the new york black yankees of the negro leagues. >> what was interesting is prior to that in 1930, the census had african americans here in patterson at only 2.1%. i think that's very telling about how the community really

embraced negro league baseball and my argument is that it's because patterson really was historically a baseball town. >> reporter: jackie robinson broke major league baseball's color barrier by taking the field for the brooklyn dodgers on april 15th, 1947. that was immediately followed by patterson's own larry doby breaking the american league's color barrier in cleveland that july. these historic events left to the virtual demise of the negro league in 1951. however, from 1934 to 1937, and from 1939 to 1945, the black yankees called this stadium their home. >> there were a number of great players and great teams that made their way through patterson to play at hinch lift. we are talking about satchel page and larry doby and monty ervin and will i whaleses they are all hall of famers. >> reporter: the rich history of storied stadium was almost left

behind after it closed down in 19197. however the friends of the stadium brought national attention to the significance of that deteriorating building, eventually garnering national historic landmark stout u statun march 2013. >> i think to have that level of pride to play on the same field as some of the history ledge ens in the game will just be awesome for those kids. i think it will be able to lets them know that there is hope. hope that there is a possibility of getting out of not being stuck, not being a victim of your circumstance. that's what the stadium was about. >> reporter: patterson, new jersey is looking to use this relic as a cornerstone of its own rejuvenation process. while it would serve the public schools of the city and other local events, the venue's history will continue to tell a tale for generations of a league that thrived in the face of a nation torn apart biracial boundaries.

john henry smith, al jazerra. >> and coming up on al jazerra america, one year later, people across the country railing for boston strong. the social media movement taking off on the anniversary of the marathon bombing.

today marks the one-year anniversary of the boston marathon bombing. boston strong became the battle cry after the bombing. al jazerra's john terrett spoke to one survivor who has embodied that strengths. >> yeah. >> reporter: if you didn't know and especially if he hasn't swearing shorts you probably would never guess aaron home is a bilateral above the knee amputee who walks on two prosthetics worth more than $200,000. >> these are the latest and greatest in technology, these are microprocessor-powered knees. they were built by the mill tea. >> reporter: aaron was hit by a car in 2007 while helping a colleague change a tower by the side of the road. today his not for profit wiggle

your toes helps others who have also lost limbs. after the boston bombings, wiggle your toes was busy coming to the city put tippal times to offer advice. >> you don't know what the rest of your life is going to look like. you have no idea. am i going to walk again. am i going to depends on a wheelchair. is my house even equipped. you know, there is a lot of steps in my house, how will i get from the main level to how am i going to get in the house. this nonprofit also provides grants to buy prosthetics when insurance companies fall short as they did with young jane richard who lost her leg below the knee in boston. >> jane is really loving her running leg and she's using it as her primary leg, which a lot of the kids with we do equip with a running leg it turns out to be their primary leg. they are kids, they want to go. >> reporter: and jeff bowman who lost both legs and whose photograph became an iconic symbol of the day. >> i love the support that i get. and aaron, is you know, he's a great support team member for me. i call him often and shoot him

texts here and there and e-mails and he's always there for me. >> reporter: wiggle your toes is not aaron's full-time job. but it is his passion. a passion that drives him to help others on the road to recovery. >> john terrett reporting there. i gotta tell you social media is filled with messages of support and remembrance for those affected by the boston bombing. >> tony, throughout the day, people have been sending messages of resilience and support for boston using the #bostonstrong. and they have been sending out images ranging from american flags to sneakers. take a look at this, it's a banner that's hanging right now in the boston harbor saying, boston strong. this is an image that was tweeted out she writes appropriate gym attire today. tough, proud, brave, free, boston. and some of the survivors have been taking part in a project called dear world, appearing in pictures with messages on their bodies, take a look at this.

this is brittany, one of the survivors with her sister alyssa, they wanted to send the world this message, lover is stronger than terror. and this is lee ann, and she writes in memoriam of martin richards, june 9th, 2004 to april 15th 2013. and you also have this one, which is sydney, and she writes -- >> hello sydney. >> that's right. she's 18 years old, she says i live in massachusetts, my message was, you can scar me, but you can't stop me. and earlier she tweeted out this, she said last year i was fading a way in to oblivion on a boston sidewalk, today i am alive. >> i gotta tell you, i don't know how much you were able to see today but boston really did itself proud today. they did a really nice job with that memorial service with the remembrance celebration. and the moment of silence. and everything around that. it was really well done. they have got one more big hurdle to get -- to clear, that's next monday, when they

run the 2014 version of the boston marathon. and everyone is -- fingers crossed for that. maria, thank you, appreciate it. that's all the time at that for this news hour i am tony harris in new york city, "inside story" is neck on al jazerra america. >> you hello, i'm ray suarez. in the past several days millions of you heard the bad