the show may be over, but the consider considers on the website aljazeera.com/consider-this or welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy here are the stories we're following for you. a supreme court that changes the rules for college admissions. >> but now it's time for russia to stop talking and start acting. >> joe biden calls on russia to pull back its forces in ukraine. a massacre in south sudan, the un says they were targeted killings based on ethnicity. and the sunshine state tries to

revive its orchid population. ♪ college admissions are about to change just a short time ago, the u.s. supreme court dealt another blow to affirmative action programs. the court upheld the rights of states to ban racial preferences in university admissions. libby, good morning, what does this ruling mean for universities across the country? >> it's really focused on the state of michigan. voters back in 2006 passed a referendum that colleges and universities could not measure things like race, ethnicity or gender in the hiring process. now a lower court, lower than the supreme court struck that down, saying it was discriminatory. today the supreme court pushed

back, and overrode that, and they said the michigan law stands. that means that voters in that state get their wish, they get to say that colleges, universities, and in fact, even perhaps workplaces cannot use racial preference in the hiring process. the majority wrote for the supreme court that this is about rights of voters, and their ability to choose whether to prioritize race or not. stephanie? >> libby what are the other wider implications of this ruling? >> michigan's one of eight states -- there are seven others, including california that have voted to ban racial preference, so this may give those states more security in their decisions. there are 42 states that do allow for affirmative action. but this may em-bolden legislators to try to overturn any press -- precedent that has

already been in place. and we'll look at what the admission rates are like in places like michigan. elite schools are seeing lower admissions for african-americans, also hispanics when other state's top schools are seeing around the country. >> yeah, major precedent set this morning by the supreme court. libby thank you. and the highest court is also hearing a case that could change the way we watch television. broadcasters say the live tv streaming startup areoviolates their broadcasting rights. vice president joe biden is urging russia to pull its troops back. it promised support to ukraine and warned russia of additional

sanctions in what we called provocative behavior. >> we call on russia to stop supporting men, hiding behind masks, in unmarked uniforms, sewing unrest in eastern ukraine. >> reporter: the vice president pledged an additional $50 million to the country. he also said another aid package from the amf would soon be finalized. >> joe biden had some tough words for russia here in kiev. he said that no country had the right to take a part of another country, that the geneva agreement is not an open-end process, but russia needs to stand by its commitments. we also had many words of praise for the interim government here which is operating under difficulties but pushing ahead to root out corruption.

this visit and the language would have been very welcomed by the kiev government. it needs friends and they don't come more powerful than the united states, but ultimately this is a government that feels that its country is in something of an existential crisis. and while words and rhetoric from the americans are welcome, little bits of economic assistance are also welcome. at the end of the day joe biden will be flying home to washington and somehow the government in kiev needs to find a way in which it can coexist with russia. >> barn bee fims reporting from kiev. the united states is condemning what it is calling the targeted killings of people in south sudan. more than 200 people were killed in a mask last week. bodies have littered the streets

of the city now under the control of anti-government forces. south sudan's government has been battling forces loyal to the former vice president. but he said they were not behind the attacks. we have blurred out some images, but the disyou you are about to see is disturbing. >> reporter: the things that could be seen along the road were horrific. there were no preparation for what was to come. there was so many dead bodies that construction equipment was used to move them. the stench of death was overwhelming, even for the rebel soldiers standing guard. ak kwoerding to the government of south sudan, the presence of rebels in the town is a clear indication of the responsibility. >> the rebel are not committed

as you can see. they have been violating the cessation of hostilities which we signed on the 23 of january, 24th. >> this like other towns in south sudan has changed hands several times since fighting began in december. here people from darfur are believed to have been targeted for a specific reason, because rebels from sudan are commonly believed to have been fighting alongside the president. >> what we have seen in these towns is utterly horrible and beyond description. >> reporter: the un has accused the rebel forces of killing civilians based on their ethnicity a charge any rebel commander in the area denies. >> no, i do not -- i deny that report. we don't kill the -- those who are in the mosque. i think who are those people, we don't know.

we do not know. >> reporter: as the conflict continues the levels of violence seem to be escalating with even the traditional places of sanctuary coming under attack. one week after they were abducted there's no word on the missing nigerian schoolgirls. the discrepancies continues. >> reporter: there's conflicting information and ongoing confusion about the number of girls that were kidnapped through the government's secondary school. initially the official figure given was 129 girls missing. however, the school principle now says that number has risen to 230. however, the principals statement has not been corroborated by the security officials. this confuse is being

exacerbated by the fact that there has been no video or photographic evidence of these girls, also it has been impossible to access the area because authorities say it is too dangerous. there is growing anger amongst parents who are calling on the security services to do everything they can to find these girls. in a separate incident not too far away, over the weekend another government secondary school was attacked by armed militants. it is not known who was behind the attack, but it does look like the work of boko haram. the military say they are doing everything to protect girls, but given the ongoing situation and the fact that these girls remain

missing, there's huge certains about the ability of the services to protect the students. french troops in the center african republic escorted a convoy of muslims away from rebel attacked on monday. more than 900 remain sheltered inside a mosque. almost 200,000 people have fled the country since december and an additional 160,000 are expected to this year. the first distress call from that sinking ferry came from a frightened boy. the child's call was forwarded to several agencies before reaching the coast guard. the death toll continues to rise. more than 100 people are confirmed dead and 200 are still missing. and earlier a funeral was held for a navy officer who died

while trying to rescue people. funerals were also held for ten students who died in the accident. harry fawcett has more. >> reporter: they just want to take their children home to give them a funeral, but still they have to wait and watch as each newly discovered body is marked up on the white board, description, clothing, and distinguishing features. at sea this huge operation still classified as a rescue effort goes on. diving crews having to feel their way through the ship to get to the areas where most of the trapped passengers are thought to remain. this has thrown up questions about regulation and enforcement across south korean's shipping industry. the government ordered all companies to carry out safety checks, adding if necessary inspectors could turn up anonymously and unannounced. but the ferry's owners weren't

subject to any external inspection. this excellent company appears to been spending very little on training staff. >> translator: according to the annual report for last year, it spent just $500 on staff training. looking at that we can say they didn't spending any money on education including crew member safety training. >> reporter: in the family's hometown, the familiar list said the investigation could wait. they called on the media to report more accurately and less invasively and for the government to move faster. >> translator: please understand the anguished hearts of the parents who want to go into the water themselves. all south koreans are condemning the late response of the government. >> reporter: among the bodies brought ashore on tuesday that of kim. on saturday her mother told al jazeera that her fate was in

god's hands. her phat wloer has been sustaining himself spoke of his guilt for not telling her to get off of the ship. at least now they can take their daughter home, so many others are still waiting nearly one week on. harry fawcett al jazeera. the trial of al jazeera's three detained journal lists has continued. they have been behind bars now for 115 days. the south al jazeera journalist has been held without trial since last august. al jazeera rejects all charges and continues to demand the journalist's release. still to come, the u.s. may significantly drop the number of troops in afghanistan, and bringing back a classic beauty. florida tries to restore its orchid population.

>> these protestors have decided that today they will be arrested >> these people have chased a president from power, they've torn down a state... >> what's clear is that people don't just need protection, they need assistance.

south korean's defense ministry is reporting increased activity near the north's nuclear site. the south warning it could mean north korea is about to call a nuclear test. north korea has had three nuclear tests since 2006. the number of u.s. forces in afghanistan could decrease significantly. it could go from 33,000 troops down to 5,000. the smaller forces being considered following afghanistan's smooth election. they believe afghan force may now be able to handle the taliban insurgency. president obama is on his way to washington state to meet with families from the deadly mud slide. 41 bodies have been recovered from the disaster. as al jazeera reports survivors

are still looking for answers. >> reporter: marla lives on the edge of the slide, which left her home undamaged but ore world torn part. >> it will never be the same, and i have to accept that. the landscaping has changed and -- and there's friends that we won't see again. >> reporter: a 1-lane access road has been built across her property and will be improved. pilot cars will be escorting traffic one way on several daily trips around the slide for commuters who have been cut off. >> it will be months before they can get it cleared. >> reporter: the only through-road is still mostly buried, the extent of the damage unknown. the state transportation department hopes the fix will be measured in months, but there is still no former time line for reopening the road. >> there are a lot of things that we have to take into

consideration before we have a long term solution for the area. >> reporter: as for the river itself, former fish biologist says the sammon and steal head populations will bounce back naturally. >> if that area is probably wisely left alone, over the long term, it could provide some very important and very good fish habitat. >> reporter: but evidence of the human tragedy is everywhere. yellow ribbons still line fences along the highway. the ridges are dotted by heavily logged areas. some have pointed to clear-cutting and heavy rain as contributing factors in the slide. one logging contract nearby has been suspended others will be reviewed for land slide risk. through it all marla has facebooked 10 to 12 hours aday,

she estimates, sharing pictures and memorials. >> thank you so much is what i always say, because i do appreciate all of the different benefits going on. >> reporter: and like others she will keep trying to balance what is lost and what is ahead. >> we just keep on going, you know, there are always be memorials, probably once a year there will be a memorial, and we just keep on going the best we can. farms are popping up on roof tops and warehouses across the country. it is a growing business and delivering fresh food to your grocery store. >> reporter: we have got bok choy growing there. we have green leaf lettuce. >> reporter: lettuce and tomatoes aren't the only things growing at gotham greens.

the business itself is expanding. the cofounder claims to have the only two commercial roof top greenhouses in the country, and they are in the process of building more. >> investors were very intrigued by the guy in part of the growing trend of locally produced food. we have raised over $15 million to date. >> reporter: this is about as local as it gets. the second gotham greens greenhouse was built right on top of a whole food's supermarket. the main advantage is the shortened supply chain. gotham specializes in highly perishable vegetables and herbs. here they sell it right downstairs as well as throughout the region. this reduces the energy used to transport the produce as well that's cost. many stores in new york get their produce from california,

all the way on the west coast. that means it is already a week old by the time it hits store shelves, but not here. it's a model that appears to be gaining interest and investors. >> we come in and say we're going to grow produce on a commercial scale level locally or at least regionally, and that means the produce will be fresher, tastier, supermarkets love this idea. >> reporter: so too was government which has provided grant money. >> they don't just produce food, they also stem stormwater runoff, they provide greenery, they are places where people can learn how to farm and get job skills. so they really are beneficial in a lot of different ways. >> reporter: experts caution the business model is still new and

largely untested, but as long as the demand for fresh food continues they expect their profits to keep growing. orchids with one of the world's most desirable flowers and also the most diverse of the plant world. in florida orchids used to be plentiful and now they are endangered. natasha ghoneim joins us from coral gables, florida. i see you have something in your hand. >> i do. and i must confess, i dropped this earlier, and i don't do so again. these are from a lab where they have been growing for many, many months. they are going to take these or kids and actually grew them -- i was told they use a kind of superglue on to the branches of

trees in coral gable, the hope is to in the next few years have them scattered. these exotic flowers once bloomed across the state of florida. >> we have more orchid species than any other place in the united states. we have about 100 different orchid species native to florida. >> reporter: today they are endangered. found in mainly protected areas, such as here. now fairchild is hoping to take florida back to the 1800s, to a time when orchids were plentiful. >> we want to get these beautiful plants out where people can enjoy them. but it's also an interesting

project in urban restoration. >> reporter: the goal is to plant 1 million orchids over the next five years. sees the consistency of powder are planted in these bottles, up to 1,000 grow inside nine months later they are big enough to be moved from the bottle. in three to five years orchids will bloom and look like this. no one knows how they will fair, but you won't be looking down to enjoy them, you'll be looking up to ensure they thrive. the hope is by planting them high above the ground their odds of survival will be greater. jane graham says the million or kid project will be beautiful. the birds and bees will love the

flowers, but beyond that, she is not so sure it will have a significant impact on the environment. >> it's a nice thing to do, promoting native plants, but is it going to save the everglades or florida's environment, i don't think so. >> reporter: the director says the goal is simply to give everyone a chance to enjoy their beauty. eventually people who visit the garden will be given a free one, so they can continue to enjoy the allure of the orchid. this project will cost $1.2 million over the next five years and stephanie it's coming solely from donations and grants, and so far the project is $300,000 on the way toward their goal. >> another reason to visit florida. natasha ghoneim, thanks so much. next, people in rome came out to celebrate a big birthday.

♪ welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy here are today's headlines at that hour. college admissions are changing. just a short time ago, the u.s. sfoouk dealt another blow to after mirmtive action programs, and upheld the rights of states to ban racial preferences in

university admissions. vice president joe biden met with lawmakers today in kiev announcing an additional $50 million in political and economic aid. the money includes $11 million for the country's elections next month. it stressed that it will not recognize russia's annexation of crimea. more than 100 people have died, 200 are unaccounted for in the ferry accident. ♪ i want to start out with the temperatures. east coast ahead of a cold front, a warm surge of air. a lot of temperatures into the 70s. into the west coast, cooler air today, 54 in seattle. these are the high temperatures for the day. the outlook, the cold front

isn't going to have a lot of moisture with it, but the west coast a little bit more moisture and that includes because it's cold enough some snow snow for some of the higher elevations. it's great for the snow pack but will make the driving a little tricky. on the south side it is really going to crank up the wind. and the fire dangers will be elevated for the next couple of days with this system. the other thing as the system moves its way across the country into the day tomorrow, we'll start to tap into some moisture and warm temperatures once again, and the instability that we have that risk for severe weather. that's anywhere from texas northward into nebraska. now back to you. rome celebrated its official birthday, founded in 573 bc rome is now 2,767 years old. they celebrated with a parade.

and the coliseum held a special program on emperor adjust us the. thank you for watching al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. "inside story" is next. and for news updates throughout the day head to aljazeera.com. >> both its biggest fans and strongest opponents said that nafta was going to bring the america, mexican and canadian dismiss. now who was right about nafta? that's the "inside story."