>> on the next talk to al jazeera >> oscar winner sean penn shares his views on privacy rights, press freedom and his controversial relationship with hugo chavez >> talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america >> this is news news live from new york city of i'm tony tony with a look at today's top stories. a big defeat of affirmative actions on college campuses from the nation's highest court. and there could be major changes in how you watch tv. also... >> no nation has the right to simply grab land from another nation. >> vice president joe biden tells russia to stand down during his visit to ukraine,

plus a month after the deadly mudslide in washington state president obama tours the disaster area. vice president joe biden is on his way to washington after a two-day visit to kiev, ukraine. he is the highest level u.s. official to visit after the crisis erupt there had. biden urging russia to stop supporting the masked men who have seized government buildings in the eastern part of the country. barnaby phillips reports now from kiev 12,347 they have tough words for rush.

>> no nation has the right to grab land from another nation. no nation has that right. >> russia should stick to its international commitment and obligations. we demand that russia fulfills it's international obligations and not behave like gangster notice modern century. the americans are promising more support for the ukrainian economy. to help ukraine reduce it's independence on russian gas. that will take time, and time is one thing that government in kiev does not have. in kiev's independent square the crowds have gone. the roads are still blocked. the mood still defiant as if there is unfinished business here. last week's geneva agreement said the illegal occupation of all public spaces in ukraine should end, and the russians

argue this applies as much here in kiev as it does anywhere in the east of the country. but here in independent square they say that their country is under attack from russia, and that these barricades and this occupation should continue because the future is still so uncertain. joe biden having encouraged the ukrainian government with his strong language. he returns home to washington leaving the ukrainians to deal with their powerful nation to the east.

>> reporter: four states could share a border state with russia. they will each get pair tradition troopers from the u.s. army. all of these paratroopers will be conducted infantry exercises with their local military counterparts for the next four weeks. the pentagon said this will continue over the jo foreseeable issue. this is from the pentagon spokesperson. >> we have renewed our resolve to strengthening the defense ma plans and continued commitment to reinforcing our n.a.t.o. allies in central and eastern europe. a company sized contingent of paratroopers from the 173rd infantry brigade airborne based in italy will arrive

tomorrow to begin exercises with polish troops. >> reporter: this does not mean that the u.s. is, quote, trying to go it along with states that border with russia. when n.a.t.o. comes up with a set of exercises and deployment that it feels like it should be taking as an alliance the u.s. will be front and center taking part in those exercises. it's also worth noting that at this time the uss taylor is now in the black sea for a routine visit as well. >> the supreme court took on two major issues today. the justices issued a ruling in one case and heard arguments with another another blow to affirmative action. the decision could have an impact across the country. libby casey with more from washington. >> reporter: this goes back t to 2006 when voters went to the polls and passed an amendment to

the constitution. now the lower federal court said that law was discriminatory and struck it down. but the supreme court disagreed and the michigan law will stand. the vote was 6-2. justice elena kagan recused herself because she was working with the obama administration when this went before the lower court. justice kennedy is an interesting one to watch because he is often a swing vote, and in this case he sided with the more conservative members. justice kennedy wrote the majority opinion saying that this case is not a debate of how racial references should be resolved, he stated that they do not have the authority to over state case law.

justice soto myore wrote from the bench that she said that this puts the burden on minority applicants that other applicants that don't have. michigan is one of eight states that gives racial preferences. but there are 42 other states that it can still use affirmative action. this case does not change that. however, they may embolden groups to try to pass laws banning affirmative action there. there is initial signs of how the bans of affirmative action are working at the state level in michigan, also in california, a large state that does not allow for preferenc preferentiat based on race.

>> the supreme court heard arguments in a case that could change how we watch television. the case involves a copyright dispute between major networks and aero . iit allows watching the networks on mobile devices. >> this is one of the biggest copyright cases in decades. it could have a major impact on how we all watch television. the justices seem a bit conflicted of what to do on text start up an aereo. >> aereo allows view tours watch television over the internet. the cost is a fraction of what cable companies charge and is targeted to people who don't want to watch or pay for cable channels but do want their local stations. but aereo is not

paying broadcasters such as abc, nbc and cb s and their attorneys argue that violates copyright laws that publicly distribute the programs to pay for them. >> what is at stake is really the nature of broadcast television as we know it. >> reporter: aereo which is only two years old and available in 11 cities so far say it is not distributing content. just renting equipment, those tiny tv antennas. >> from our perspective the issue in the case was whether viewers had a right to have an ten in a and dvd in their home to local television, that right should be infringed by moving the antenna and the dvr to the cloud. >> the justices seemed conflicted. aereo's technical model seems designed to circumvent copyright

laws, but what would it mean for the growing cloud computer industry, the thought echoed by a group that supports aereo. >> it's hard to draw distinction between aereo and cloud services, that are right now questionly legal. >> reporter: the justices are likely to write a very narrow decision should they rule against aereo. and aereo said if they lose, they may have to close up shop. the networks lose they may move to cable. >> president obama goes to

washington state to look at the mudslide destruction. who is the president meeting with at this hour? >> reporter: right now he's up the road about a quarterly of a mile talking with some of the victims of that landslide that hit about a month ago. the president also got a chance to see that massive wall of mud, rocks, trees up close, getting a tour on the ground of the mudslide. he also got a bigger picture to see the impact that this slide had on the valley. now a lot of people here are going to realize at some point that it's time for them to move forward. there are a lot of challenges ahead. with the president being here and under scores the fact that it's been a solid month since this slide hit, and a time to look to the future may be very near. marla lives on the edge of the slide which left her home

undamaged but her world torn apart. >> it will never be the same. i have to accept that. everybody is just trying to move forward, but it will be difficult because everything has changed so much. and the landscaping has changed, and there are friends that we won't see again. >> reporter: an one-lane access road has been built across a corner of her property and will be improved. within weeks 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 this cleared. >> reporter: the only through-road in the slide area 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 formal timeline for reopening the road. >> the area has changed. the river has changed course. there are things we have to take into consideration before we have a long-term resolution.

>> reporter: now working its way through the mile of mud and debris former fish biologist said that the fish population also bounce back naturally. >> if that area is wisely left alone, over the long term it could provide some very important and very good fish habitat. >> evidence of the human tragedy is everywhere. yellow ribbon still line bridges and fences along the highway, flags remain at half-staff. the ridges above the valley are dotted by heavily logged areas. some have pointed to clearcutting and heavy rain as contributing factors in the slide. one logging contract nearby has been suspended. others will be reviewed for landslide riffs. >> thank you so much is what i

always say. because i do appreciate all the different benefits that are going on. >> reporter: and like others in this valley she'll keep trying to balance what was lost and what's ahead. >> we'll just keep on going. you know, we just--there will always be memorials once a year there will be a memorial. we just keep on going the best we can. >> just keep on going, indeed. we've seen the front end of the presidential motorcade. the motorcycles come by here. the president will come back and talk to first responders at the oso firehouse which is just across the road. people are getting a lift from the spirits of the visit. no u.s. president has ever come to the valley, so this is a big day. the total cost of the effort to clean up, repair the road set at $42 million. tony? >> alan shaw letter for us. thank you.

people living here fear that it could happen again. >> it took 15 seconds for the earth to swallow the heart of la conchita. in january 2005100 year storm, 116 inches of rain in 16 days unloosed the hillside and then a mountain of earth descended on the town. >> it just breaks our heart for the people in washington. we absolutely understand. >> that's your house.

these are gone. >> this one here, you see the dirt? the bulldozer was digging it, and it came down like that. >> reporter: with the landscape of still buried homes and tributes to the dead. la conchita bears resemblance to the slide one month ago. the slide was forewarned, and it was preceded by one small slide and it's almost certain to happen again. >> that commute is at risk for deep seeded landslide and mud flows. at this point we don't have an avenue to move them. >> reporter: in 1995 the landslide took down the left-hand side of this hill. so contractors built a wall. then a landslide took down the right side of the hill and took down the wall like a house of

cards. >> reporter: they say that wall was never meant to stop the slide. to fix the problem it would cost $56 million. >> the county has done nothing to fix this hill at all. >> so it remains as it was after the slide. >> and what the study said was this hill will fail again. it will fail in the same location, and it will fail for the same reason. the dirt is too steep for the hillside. >> reporter: residents learn if you press the government you can get a study done, but you can't necessarily get the safeguards that the study recommends. now they help themselves. they wait, watch for heavy rains, and prepare to leave in a hurry. john henry,age, la conchita. >> the death count for the south korea ferry disaster has risen to 100, and there are 200 people still missing. rescue teams have the grim task of returning bodies to the

shore. >> reporter: they just want to take their children home to give them a fun. more than 100 now and counting. at sea this huge operation is still classified as a rescue effort goes on. diving crews having to feel their way to the ship to get to areas where most of the trapped passengers are thought to rema remain. >> this started up questions of safety standards and enforcement across the industry. the government on tuesday instructed all shipping companies to carry out safety checks, and aiding if necessary inspectors would turn up anonymously and unannounced. >> reporter: but as the company is classified as excellent it was not ever submitted to external inspections. they only had to submit documents. and they spent very little

training its staff. >> according to the report last year it spent just $500 on staff training. looking at that we can say that they didn't spend any money on education and crew member safety training. >> reporter: the family of the survivors say the investigation could wait. they called on the media to report more accurately and less invasively and for the government to move faster. >> please understand the anguished hearts of the parents who want to go into the water and search for their trapped children themselves. they're delaying the response of the government. >> reporter: among the bodies brought to shore on tuesday, on saturday her mother toldage that her fate was in god's hands. her father, who had been sustaining himself by challenging authorities spoke of his guilt for not telling her to get off the ship. at least now they can take their

daughter home. so many others are still waiting nearly one week on. aaljazeera. and we'll show you how in a millisecond there could be hundreds of millions of dollars of profits or losses. and hillary clinton with problems with her potential campaign. that's for today's power politics.

>> the national spotlight increasingly on hillary clinton. >> for more than a year former secretary of state hillary clinton has been in the 16 presidential contest without being officially in. this status has frozen the democratic race to keep other

candidates from entering. things are now getting trickier. a super pac raising donations for clinton. her memoirs are in the works and lynclinton's numbers are droppi. her favorability rate has dropped to 45%. and it's the first time she has been below 50% on the approval rating since 2008. spokesman for clinton would not comment and clinton had said repeat lid she has not made up her mind on the candidacy. still the polling trend for clinton is not good. for any presidential candidate the first task for voter support comes in the iowa caucuses. through the years many candidates had tried to pander

to iowa farmers by giving support for biofuel subsidies. but now a new study concludes that corn-based biofuels are worse for the environment than gasoline. the analysis published in the journal nature climate change says ethanol leads to a 7% increase in greenhouse gas initiatives. finally republican house speaker john boehner of ohio is a long service office holder who is facing a tea party challenger. while the candidate, j.d. winteregg, yes, that's is his name. >> you make a great team. it's been that way since the day you met. but you're recognize tile dysfunction could be a problem of blood flow.

times when a politician has been in washington too long it goes to his head and he can't get the job done. to have your voice heard at the federal level, when using winteregg it's nice to know that your boards wil boarders will b. >> well, he's out there trying. >> thank you. so, so this week real money with ail ail has the special series on high frequency training. you won't believe the amount of money traded. if you are a first trade you could make millions. >> reporter: back in the 1920's you would have to wait 20 minutes on a ticker tape to see the latest information on the

stock. now trading information is instantaneous. traveling nearly at the speed of light. it's so fast only the fastest computers can keep up with the pace. this is the trading floor of the new york stock exchange. and it's almost completel completely--humans are not needed at all any more. to begin to understand how the stock market really works you need to go across the hudson river to new jersey. now the markets are also completely computerized. data networks and server farms at five key sites in new jersey are where most trades actually happen. i'm in new jersey 30 miles from manhattan. this high security building behind me is the new york stock exchange data center. it's here. not on the floor of the new york stock exchange where all the trades take place. if you are a high speed trader and you're looking at a fraction

of a second advantage you have to be physically close to this server farm as you can could. that's called collocation. you pay to have your server in that building. only the biggest players can do that. that shorter distance matters even if it's only a few feet. according to one estimate having a connection that is just one millisecond faster than your competition could mean an extra $100 million a year for a high frequency trader. this question to trim a fraction of a second from the time it takes to send stock information from london to new york stock exchange. and there is talk of using a laser across the atlantic. >> it is a succession of 30 blips or high altitude platforms that would be geotation near at 75,000 feet talking to one another over this same laser technology. that would connect new york to london. and it would do it in 30

milliseconds versus 60. >> the price tag for this trans-atlantic air bridge that will save 30 milliseconds? $500 million. aiali velshi. age. >> right here on al jazeera. 88 period of syria's chemical weapons have been destroyed. that news comes on the heels of another chlorine gas attack in syria, and the ruling that could change the way you watch television and how you pay for it.

>> the debate that divides america, unites the critics, a reason to watch al jazeera america the standout television event borderland, is gritty honesty. >> a lot of people don't have a clue what goes on down here, the only way to find out, is to see it yourselves. >> taking viewers beyond the debate. >> don't miss al jazeera america's critically acclaimed series borderland on al jazeera america also available on demand >> we're getting a look at the

school where gunmen kidnapped teenage students. we have reports from the capitol city. >> reporter: these are the first images of what suspected boko haram fighters did to a state girl school last tuesday. dormitories were bombed and teaching rooms set alight. school officials say 200 girls were kidnapped in the violence and driven away on lorries into the bush. this girl managed to escape. >> we thought they were soldiers and they asked us to board a vehicle which was headed out. my friends and i jumped from the vehicle and ran back home because we realized they didn't look innocent. >> reporter: the attackers spoke to one teacher. >> they took around 11. they said that they runaway.

>> how many of them? >> around 200. over 200. but now we have 42 students. >> reporter: but these numbers have not been confirmed by the parents. no one has claimed responsibility for the attack. but it does look like the work of boko haram. it's against western education and wants a strict islamic law emposed around the country. on saturday boko haram supposedly set a fire, none of the students were harmed. >> reporter: the nigerian military said they launched a major operation to find the girls. rand there are hundreds of soldiers are being used in the operation. a weak since the girls were abducted many parents feel not

enough is being done. al jazeera, nigeria. >> recent violence in south sudan has caused thousands t to flee from violence. in bentiu alone 22,000 have fled for u.n. protection. it all began when rebels there allegedly killed hundreds of residents based on their ethnicity. something that the rebels deny. it's a similar story in the city of bor. >> the family has lost three sons and all their property in the recent fight over bor, the capitol of the south sudan state. >> we protect our destroyed homes. we have run for shelter. we hoped that u.n. could provide

shelter and food. >> reporter: more than 5,000 people are seeking refuge in this camp. they have to leave their homes as fighting intensifies, but they are still not safe. dozens were killed here on friday when more than 300 had been attacked with auto weapons and rocket-propelled grenades. there are fears of revenge killings. >> some of our young men were killed. we gave the u.n. 72 hour ultimatum to transfer these loyalists to another area. >> reporter: the u.n. condemned the violence and calling it unacceptable. they demand the government to insure u.n. basis. but that seems to have little effect on the ways on th situate ground. >> they don't have their freedom. they are afraid. we are concerned about their lives and their welfare.

south sudan is facing a humanitarian crisis. aid agencies are warning that unless urgent steps are taken to allow farmers to plant crops for next year, it may face one of the worst famines in history. >> in north korea there are fe fears that pyongyang will preparing for a fourth test. it said that it increased activity in a test start. some say the test is a hoax to stir up trouble. in thailand, a vote has been postponed again. a rare meeting of 60 political parties failed to set the election date. the democrat party has largely driven the anti-government protests accusing the prime

minister of corruption. in syria an u.n. task force said it has destroyed 88% of that country's chemical weapons. in the meantime time there are allegation as of chemical attack in the hama province this past week. syrian rebels and government forces are blaming one another. we have reports from neighboring turkey, and we should warn you some of the images in this report are disturbing. >> reporter: they have problems breathing. they cough, vomit. doctors say that these people are victories of chlorine gas bombs. these arthis is a hospital in te countryside. activists say syrian government helicopters have been dropping barrel bombs containing this gas. hundreds of people have been treated. >> they have been six attacks in the use of chlorine guns. when the bombs are dropped, the smell of chlorine spreads across

the ground. three people have died so far. >> this is not the first time toxic materials have been used in the war. sarin gas was used in a damascus suburb, killing hundreds of people. an inquiry did not reveal who used them, but a reduction of chemical stock pile agreements were reached. >> in the opposition dominated village we are examining allegations that the government was responsible. we take all allegations of the use of chemicals in combat very seriously. >> reporter: but the people who are being targeted say that's not enough. they want these attacks to stop. >> they are using it as a field for experiment. they want to see how effective

chlorine gas is to forcing people to flee. many people have left town. >> reporter: it's not the only area where reported attacks have been seen. >> reporter: chlorine is not a banned agent but it is not allowed to be used as a weapon of war. civilians have been the victims of these attacks. >> i think you're going to hear noise abouts this, but i don't think any particular country or the international community is going to act on this right now. you sort of got that sense from the white house. they want to wait until the last bit of chemical weapons is officially destroyed, then they'll take on this other issue as a separate investigation. >> reporter: people here feel the government is banking on international silence as it continues to clear these towns in its push to retake territory. al jazeera. >> new federal lawsuit has been filed, challenging georgia's ban

on gay marriage. maria inez joins us. >> reporter: gay rights group is challenging georgia's ban on same-sex marriages. the suit was filed today on behalf of seven people. georgia voters approved the gay marriage ban in 2004. this latest lawsuit is one of many challenges of similar bans throughout the u.s. in phoenix, arizona, a tanker exploded killing two people. the tanker exploded in an industrial area this morning. the victim saviored severe burns on their bodies. 100 firefighters were brought in to battle the blazen. in pennsylvania the police expect to press charges against a hospital patient for allegedly selling heroin. the woman was staying at the intensive care unit in the hospital. staff became suspicious when too many people walked in and out of her room. a confidential informant bought the drug from the suspect last

friday. the 15-year-old who survived a flight inside the wheel well of a plane was hoping to visit his mother in africa. he didn't realize that the plane he snuck on to was headed to maui. he was unhappy living with his father and stepmom in california. the teenager jived inside the wheel well. he was unconscious during the five-hour flight. flight personnel spotted him walking on the ramp. he was a runaway boy. >> pretty desperate. >> he got on the first plane that he saw. >> trying to head home to mama. maria. thank you. the supreme court heard arguments today in a dispute between the major networks and aereo. it's a internet start up company. it allows viewers to watch programs on computers and mobile devices. the case comes as more americans are cutting the cord. what does that mean?

>> reporter: it means that a lot of people are frustrated the cable tea and the cost. 251,000 people canceled their cable subscriptions. 1 million americans now pay for their television. the cost continues to climb. we spend on average $86 a month on cable tv. that's expected to rise to $123 a month by next year. cable rates have been climbing at 6% every year. one reason is because the networks are demanding more money to air their shows. espn, for instance, collects $5 per person per month from the cable companies. it is by far one of the most popular channels and collects for it. that adds up to billions of dollars a year. since it's owned by disney it can leverage that demand for espn and force it to carry other channels like disney channel, commercials do matter, but these fees are increasingly lucrative.

big broadcasters alone collect $3 billion from cable companies for the right to air their networks. that $3 billion number is expected to double in five years. that is why the networks have become more reliant on the cable companies, and why the networks have largely resisted making their programs available online. >> that is amazing. >> that's why your cable bill is just so expensive. >> espn $5 a month? >> $5 a month. >> can i get just that? i don't know if you can do that a la carte. we go to a technology media company, jeff, good to see you. the top line from "the new york times" right through this day in court is that the supreme court seemed to have conflicting impulses considering this request from broadcasters to shut down aereo.

did you see it that way? >> yes, you could tell the justices were torn on how to rule. i think they were sympathetic to the argument that aereo is like a cloud, and it's offering something that is free already in the airwaves, but they don't want to blow off tv all together. but on the other hand they're worried about the cloud computing industry, they don't want to give broadcasters new property rights in drop box and g mail. they're trying to write this in a very narrow way. >> we'll get to the cloud space in a moment. i'm just starting to get this. jeff, look, is aereo blatantly in your view violating federal copyright laws by streaming live tv over the internet without paying the networks for that? >> no, it's clear you can't do that. in 1976 when cable came along and put up antennas they went to

congress and said you can't take the signals and rebroadcast. the customer chooses when to get the signal, record it and replay it. just like you can with a dvr or tivo. that's a personal recording, private performance. the broadcasters are saying no, it's a public performance. aereo has a good argument but i think the justices are worried about the consequences. >> they're worried about a ruling against aereo would effect other cloud-based services. this is where i need you to walk me through this. help me here. >> it's a complicated argument. what's the broadcast--what the justices are worried about when we talk about the cloud, we're talking about services like drop box or google drive where we store all our media. in the cloud as they say. what that means is if you put your file or your show in your personal cloud that you own

legally and i have a show that i own legally, and we're both playing it at the same time is that a public performance? what the broadcasters are saying is that there is a risk that that law would be that, and it could lead to content own necessary hollywood really regulating and asserting copyright in an area that they haven't before which is how we store our files in the cloud. >> gotcha, let's say that aereo actually wins. will you buy the threat from the broadcast networks that they'll take their signals off the air and put them on cable? if that's the case, why not just do a pure cable play right now? >> well, they would reach fewer people if they did that. if they said yes, we'll take our signals off the air, but that's not an easy thing to do. they would lose a lot of their audience if they did that. remember in these situations the broadcasters are prone to argue that the sky is falling. this case resembles 30 years ago a case of beta maximum when

vcrs first came out they said they can't allow this, this will blow up the tv business. the supreme court ruled that it's going to be okay. fast forwarding to now, no pun intended, it looks like the tv industry has adapted to it just fine. >> whoever wins or loses here, will it have a real impact on our wallets? consumer's wallets? >> that's a good question. because you noted at the outset of the show this can't go on forever. that espn goes up every year. the price of the transmission goes up every year, and consumers are stuck pay, $50 to $100 to hundred dollars for channels they don't want. if the supreme court sides with aereo. people will cut the cord. you can buy netflix, sports, and

your tv bill is lower. that's where the game change could be, but it's not going to happen right away. >> it's disruptive. that's for sure. jeff roberts joining us from washington. jeff, appreciate your time. thank you. stale ahead on al jazeera america. jacob ward joins us thon earth day with a look at new technology designed to turn our trash into cash. and turning the concrete jungles across americans into gardens to feed the community around them. we're back in a moment. trades near the speed of light... >> if you're not trading at those speeds, you're toast! >> billions of dollars at stake, is our economy insecurity now at the mercy of these machines? >> humans aren't able to receive information in that timeframe. >> we're looking at the risks, rewards, and dangers of high frequency trading >> there are no rules or regulations >> all this week on the new expanded real money with ali velshi helping you balance your finances and your life.

now an hour, starting at 7 eastern / 4 pacific only on al jazeera america

>> delivering fresh food to your grocery store. we visited one rooftop farm in

new york city. >> the process of building more rooftop farms. >> i think investors were intrigued to the idea in part to the growing trend of locally sourced food. we were able to attract a significant amount of investment. we raised $15 million. >> this is about as local as it gets. the second gotham greens greenhouse was built on top of a whole foods supermarket. the main advantage of growing produce in an urban environment is the shortened supply chain. gotham specializes in highly perishable vegetables and herbs

typically shipped from far away. here they sell it downstairs and throughout the region. this helps support the produce and the cost. many in new york get their produce from california all the way from the west coast. that means it's a-week-old by the time it hits store shelves. but not here. >> it's a model that appears to be gaining an interest as well as investors. >> we come in and say we're going to grow produce on a commercial scale level locally or at least regionally, right? that means the produce will be fresher, tastier, safer, and it will more attractive. supermarkets love this idea. >> reporter: so, too, does government which has provided grant money to gotham greens and other urban farms. >> they don't just produce food but stem storm water run off, provide greenery for

neighborhoods. they are places where people can learn how to farm and get job skills. they really are beneficial in a lot of different ways. >> experts caution the business model is still new and largely untested. but as long as the demand for fresh local food condition cont, urban farmers will expect their profits to continue growing. >> earth day has gone from being one senator's dream to an international day of action. this year's theme is green cities. working to make clean renewable power. >> reporter: this is the central valley. it's probably one of the most agriculturally productive parts of the united states. soon the food groans in these fields will be providing electricity to 500 homes thanks

to these bio digesters. now i had many technology i could have shown you on earth day but i decided to show you up close and personal something that is very futuristic and very clean fool. >> there is a little watermelon, a little lasagna for you. a little bananas. this is token garbage. what sets this system apart is that this doesn't have to be mixed with water. it can just go right into the digester in solid form like this. get spun for a little white in this system, and then gets slowly pulled into the chambers here which collect methane gas. garbage that is loaded here will put out enough power to power 500 homes. in a community like davis where the university is here, it's perfect as a closed system. that's what really sets this apart. in ten days it produces enough power for 500 homes when

typically a landfill requires months to put out that much methane. >> the technology is to turn solid organic waste treatment and it will take solid waste without adding water, and it is more efficient at lower costs. >> as the gorge is shoveled in over there, it moves into this big tank where digestion begins. microbes eat away at it in a process that does not use oxygen. then it moves over to this tank here which is where it really begins to give off the bio gas which is methane. normally that gas would escape in the atmosphere if this was sitting in the landfill. but in ten days it gives off enough methane gas to power 500 homes. 500 homes give off their solid food waste and enough

electricity to power those homes comes back. it's a beautiful closed loop. >> when davis first started this project, they did a feasibility study. they found to build a 25-ton per bay capacity digest interior the ground up it would cost $24 million. this facility using products and technology, we were able to build a 50-ton per day facility for just under $9 million. >> what is extraordinary about this system, right now this is only used on a municipal scale to get rid of sewage right across the river from where you are there is the new town creek waste water facility that produces sewage, and that's just to get rid of it. can you take this project and blowing it up to an urban scale that could put a dent into humanity h's energy problems.

>> the new york police department social media campaign backfires in a big way. we'll explain.

>> call it a twitter campaign gone horribly wrong. today the new york social media asked for help and posters lit up the site posting anything but that. >> reporter: it started with this tweet. they put out this picture saying do you have a photo with the nypd? tweet it and tag it. but some people did. like for instance lindsay saying nice friendly officers, but it didn't take long before people started posting images of arrests, police brutality and

anything but positive encounters. here the nypd engages with its community members changing hearts and minds one baton at a time. >> ouch. >> reporter: and this one says, do you have a photo with the nypd, sure thing. and this is someone getting arrested. this one says, need a massage? the nypd is here to help you, and boy are they good. >> is this trending right now? >> reporter: it's trending. it's number two nationally on twitter right now. >> a couple of more. >> reporter: casey writes, and we're going to have to run you over just for good measure. you see here the police on his motorcycle and this person on the floor. and take a look at this one. a picture that i took in time square in 2010 of minnie mouse getting arrested. or at least getting some type of citation. >> there is a new police commission who are is the old police commissioner years ago,

and they just tried something different, right? >> reporter: they did, and it didn't go well, though. in a matter of hours this happened. >> maria, appreciate it. that's all the time we have for this news hour. i'm tony harris. "real money with ali velshi" is next on al jazeera america. >> multi million mega mergers involved some of the biggest drug companies in the world. we'll look at what it means if you're invested in one or if you count on the drugs that me make to stay healthy. lasers, fiberoptics and the need for speed at any cost. my week long look at high frequency trading focusing on the technology that can turn milliseconds into hundreds of millions of dollars. and shielding a company from an ignition recall