s. >> welcome to al jazeera. i'm del wal walters. the cover regarding the l.a. clippers. a conversation as ordered and then released as the owner of the clippers. sterling has not said one way or another if it is his voice that we hear. as we wait for commissioner adam silver, let's listen to what it

says. >> now, that was just one of the tapes released earlier by tmz. here is another tape. take a listen to this one. >> ross, this has created a firestorm within the nba. >> reporter: yes, this is uncharted territory for the league. this is donald sterling's first crisis he's facing.

no one knows what he has powers over, but he said he has broad powers to protect the league. many believe that commissioner adam silvers will issue a hefty fine. because 15 sponsors have already abandoned the clippers, and we'll see what happens from this point on. >> we're see team clippers and other teams coming forward and doing acts of protest courtside, bad news at the worst possible time. this has been a banner year. but of course this is a shadow over the league. it's one of those things where we're banding together. lebron james has been speaking out against donald sterling wearing the black socks and black arm bands. adam silver must make a stand, this will be the first thing that he does, and he needs to

protect the nba brand. >> that news conference set to take place at any moment in midtown, manhattan. we're covering the story from los angeles. i have to warn you right now that should the commissioner come out and begin to speak we will break in, but they are actually keeping a close watch on this story where you are. >> absolutely, deal. all eyes on adam silver to see what he does with these reasonablreportedcomments. there is a lot of turn among the players whether these fans will show up. we heard from golden state warriors' coach marc jackson say he wants the fans to boycott the game. as what sterling reportedly mentioned in those recordings.

we've got this game. it's the first really, if you know, clippers are usually not in the playoffs. this year they have a legitimate shot at this championship. the city should be excited for this, but the question really is will the fans show up in light of what has hands in the last few days. >> how much are they expecting as they call for boycotting. >> we haven't seen fans show up yet, but the fact that opposing coach marc jackson is calling for a boycott. doc rivers, the clippers' coach, he sayinsaying that he understaf the fans don't want to show up. but he insists that their focus is on beating the warriors, winning another game. they're trying to tune that out but it's becoming increasingly

difficult. >> we want to show you how this is having an economic impact on the los angeles clippers. this is a list of sponsors who have pulled their sport from the clippers. state farm insurance, car max, kia, who has a contract with one of the clippers superstar. redbull monday a fe among the f. this does not affect just the team but others, and many fear they may be next. >> this is what adam silver has to do in terms of a hefty fine and suspension. adam sterling bought this team at $20 million. and forbes has it worth

$700 million. from my understanding donald sterile willing file an antitrust lawsuit saying that the owners forced him out to sell at a lower applies. >> if anything can be said about donald sterling. it is that easil he is litaojo . >> and he was a prior to being an team owner, he was a lawyer. >> we want to you live to what hmagic johnson had to say about those tapes. >> he shouldn't own a team any more. he should stand up and say i don't want to own a team any more. especially when you have african-americans renting his apartments, come together games,

and playing for him, and coach forgive him. this is bad for everybody. this is bad for america. i'm upset about it. >> we heard from mark cuban from the dallas cowboys. >> in terms should we kick him out and start taking steps to really condemn people for what they say in the privacy of their own home that happens to be recorded. that's a slippery slope that i don't want to get on. there is a difference of what you say in the privacy of your home, which is what you think, versus what you say and versus of what you do. >> we should point out that mark cuban disagrees with what donald sterling had to say, but this is a difference between outrage and concerns business-wise. >> this is why he said this is a slippery slope. we have yet to hear from donald sterling. those who we need to hear from,

to verify if that was his voice or not. head coach doc rivers has within contemplating whether to address the crowd, we're not sure. will donald sterling show up at the game. doc rivers will decide whether he or one of the players will address the team. >> we're awaiting a news conference from commissioner adam silver. that will take place in midtown manhattan. as we await this news conference, what are they saying in los angeles? what is the mood? what is the sense of the city? >> this is a story that really has consumed this city. los angeles is one of the most

diversed cities, and that's why it's a surprise. the mayor has weighed in. he said he is in favor of new ownership, but he understands that there are legal hurdles in place. he has called for an indefinite suspension. having said that as we wait for this press conference, everyone is aware that it's up to the nba, adam silver to decide the next step. we know there are protests planned for the game. a lot of people here at the staple center waiting to see what the nba says, and then how the fans react to that. >> stand by. ross, as we mentioned, yes, there is a game. >> yes, the series is tied at 2-2, and it's been a great series. the clip percent mentally anperd physically drained. understandably so. monday he gave the team off. he canceled practice because he said they needed to breathe.

they were dealin dealing with te situation. they have a lot of anger, outrage, and they need to some how refocus. doc said it was his fault that the team lost. there are planned protests before today's game. >> the players saying it was about the players playing each other. but you were around the athletes. how much of an affect does this have on the athletes. >> reporter: basically at practice all they're talking about what do you think about donald sterling? did he say it? yesterday doc rivers held a 30-minute phone conversation, and it was all about donald sterling. nothing about the playoff game. this team has championship aspirations and all they're

talking about is donald steriling. >> we should point out these are millionaires being asked questions about their billionaire boss. and in the middle of all this the lawyers telling them, pr people saying this is what you, you can say, this is what you can avoid. >> a lot of players have been told not to talk about this subject. right now they're letting doc rivers be the spokesperson for this situation. it has worn on him, the team, and it's affecting their play. that's sad for the team because this playoff series has been unbelievable in overtime that is getting overshadowed by donald sterling. it's one of those things that you hope adam sterling does the right thing. there is public outrage, anger and display from the coaches, players, sponsors and even the president of the united states. >> we're waiting word from adam silver, the commissioner of the nba, regarding the controversial ocontroversyaround the owner of.

clippers. we're in los angeles, the players have taken actions on their own. they have worn their jerseys inside out so the names doesn't show. have they done enough welcome. >> reporter: it depends on who you talk to. some say the players should not have shown up in the first place. that's the ultimate. but others say they should win for themselves. if you followed the nba, now the clippers have struggled for years and years. they've been overshadowed by the lakers, but this year they have a legitimate shot at the

championship. among the fans there is a sense of disbelief, disappointment, that this could have been the clippers' year. they are in the playoffs. they're tied with the golden state warriors at 2-2, and that is overshadowed many wondering if the fans will show up tonight. >> this was a man sued by the justice department concerning racial discrimination in housing. there are many who were saying they should have seen this coming as far as the league is concerned. >> reporter: you're right. the l.a. times reporting anyone who knows the clippers sterling has made racially charged remarks. there are lawsuits settled in 2009 after discriminating geneagainst african-americans ad

latinos in his apartment buildings. we're about to hear from adam silver about what they plan to do, but even with this history in place there was nothing that the nba could have done to remove him were ownership. that's the bind that the nba is in today. we're expecting adam sill cher to hand down a hefty find, but not expulsion. and sterling could remain the owner of the team. >> we're going to have to cut you off. that was a false alarm. ross, the fact that so many in so many different places saying we have been here before with this particular owner in the nba. adam silver is now the board room here in new york city. this is the nba commissioner.

>> thank you all for being here. i apologize for starting a little bit late. shortly after the release of a audio regarding this past saturday morning of a conversation that allegedly included criminallers owner donald sterling in an interview of mr. sterling. that investigation is now complete. the central findings in the investigation are that the man heard in the recording and on a second recording from the same conversation that was released on sunday is mr. sterling, and that the hateful opinions voiced by that man are those of mr. mr. sterling. the views expressed by mr. sterling are deeply offensive and harmful. that they came from an nba owner

only heightens the damage and my personal outrage. sentiments of this kind are contrary to the principles of inclusion and respect that form the foundation of our diverse, multi cultural, and multi ethnic league. impersonally distraught that the views expressed by mr. sterling came from within, an institution that has historically taken a leadership role in matters of race relations and caused current and former players, coaches, fans, and partners of the nba to question their very association with the league. to them and pioneers of the game like earl lloyd, chuck couper,

sweetwater clifton, the late bill russell and particularly magic johnson, i apologize. according effective immediately i'm banning mr. sterling for life from any association with the clippers organization or the nba. mr. sterling may not attend any nba games, practices. he may not be present at any clippers facility, and he may not participate in any business or player-personal decisions involving the team. he will also be barred from attending nba board of governor meetings or participating in any other league activity. i'm also fining mr. sterling

$2.5 million, the maximum amount allowed under the nba constitution. these funds will be donated to organizations dedicated to answered discrimination and tolerance efforts that will be jointly selected by the nba and it's players association. as for mr. sterling's ownership interest in the clippers, i will urge the board of governors to exercise its authority to force a sale of the team, and will do anything in my power to ensure that that happens. this has been a painful moment for all members of the nba family. i appreciate the support and understanding of our players during this process, and i am particularly grateful for the

leadership shown by coach doc rivers, union president chris paul, and mayor kevin johnson of sacramento, who has been acting as the players representative in 24 matter. we stand together in condemn building sterling's views. they simply have no place in the nba. i'll take any questions. >> we'll start with scott in the back right. >> do you have any clue if mr. sterile willing acquiesce to the wishes of the nba or will he put up a fight? >> i have no idea. >> from polling the owners that you've spoken to, what support

do you think you have to force mr. sterling to sell the team? >> i didn't poll the owners. i spoke to several owners. i have their full support. >> huffington associated press. what authority do they have to force a sell. >> the owners have the authority subject to three-quarters vote of the ownership groups of the partners to remove him as an owner. >> hi, inside edition, the word you use specifically was outrage. you said you were personally outraged. yet many people believe that they are outraged for years people have known that this man is a racist slumlord and the nba has not done anything until today. can you please answer why? >> i can't speak to past actions

other than to say when specific evidence was brought to the nba, we acted. >> over here, second row on the left. >> should someone lose their team for remarks shared in private? is this a slippery slope? >> whether or not these remarks were shared in private, they are now public, and they represent his views. >> "new york post." adam, what was the process to coming to this decision over the last couple of days, and when did you decide this was the appropriate action to take? >> i ultimately decided this morning that this was the appropriate action and the process beginning saturday morning when this tape was first released was to appoint an

investigator. it was david anders from the whatell lipton firm. he conducted several interferes aninterviews,and concluded his n late last night. >> jeff, there on the left. >> jeff, "u.s.a. today." you said you would encourage owners to force the sell of the clippers. when will that action take place? >> the process will begin immediately. we will most likely use a standing committee of the nba or the equivalent of our executive committee as our advisory finance committee. i've had several discussions with glen taylor, our chairman of the board, and also the leader of the advisory finance committee, and we'll begin that process immediately. >> third row on the end, howard? >> adam, in your conversations with sterling, did he own up to

this immediately? was it only after you had come up with some proof, and what, if anything, has he expressed i approaching remorse, regret, anything, what is his sentiment at this point. >> mr. sterling acknowledged that it was his voice on the tape, and he has not expressed to me directly any other views. >> andrew rosario, what. message do you have for the clippers, first fans and the fans base moving forward. >> this league is far bigger than any one owner, any one coach, one player. this constitution has bee instit

we support the players. >> was the punishment designed in effect to get the message across to mr. sterling that there is no point in him, there is no advantage, there is no database nothing to be gained in continuing his ownership. and also in determining what the punishment would be including the suggestion to the board of governors did you take into account mr. sterling's past behavior or is it one over this one incident? >> in meeting out this punishment we did not take into account his past behavior. when the board ultimately considers his overall fitness to be an owner in the nba they will take into account a lifetime of behavior. >> ken. >> ken p berger.

can you layout what specific power in the constitution and buy laws you exercise with your ban, and what specific--was. a broad violation or specific violation, and with respect to the forced sale, what specific section of the constitution covers that, and is that a broad violation or a specific one. >> i'll let the lawyers layout to you the specific provisions of the constitution. just leave it that i have the authority to act as the way you i left it. >> is the nba considering more african-american ownership at this point? >> sorry, where am i looking with the. >> eighth row, back in the middle. >> could you repeat the question. >> is the nba considering more african-american ownership at this point? >> we're always open to ownership of people of all rac races, nationalities, ethnicities. we have african-american owners,

shaquille o'neill is an owner of the kings, dave robinson and i believe we have a very diverse league but i would like to see it become more diverse. >> magic johnson, is that an option at this point? >> magic johnson knows that he is always welcome to become an owner, and he's always welcome and a close friend to the nba family. >> maggie gray from si.com. did you talk to any of the players before you came to this decision? and what about the clippers players, if they do not want to play for a team owned by donald sterling, do they have recourse? >> i spoke to several players, coincidentally i had a trip brand foplanned before this, i n memphis and oakland and i had a

chance to speak with chris paul and members of the team, and i spoke extensively with doc rivers and kevin johnson has been representing the players' interest, and he and i have been speaking multiple times a day. i believe the players will be satisfied with the decision and renderings that we made today. if a player in the future doesn't want to play for the los angeles clippers and he's under contract, we'll deal with that when it happens, but that's not my sense of where we are right now. >> back on the left. >> hi, kelty knight from the insider. will this situation cause you to move forward to put in place oh new rules for owners of the nba? >> i'm not sure. we're always willing to take a fresh look at our rules, our constitution, our by laws, but i feel we have appropriate rules in place to cover a situation like this.

>> just to be clear when specific evidence was brought to the league, you did act. in past cases has donald sterling ever been fined or suspended for racial or offensive remarks, and if not, why not? >> he's never been suspended or fined by the league because while there have been well-documented rumors and cases filed, he was sued, and the plaintiff lost the lawsuit. that was elgin baylor. there was a case brought by the department of justice, in which ultimately donald sterling settled, and there was no finding of guilt. those are the only cases brought to our attention. when those--when those two litigations were brought, they were followed closely by the league gloves one of the greatest players of all time, elgin baylor accused don't sterling of running a plantation-style franchise, he

has a prominent standing in the league and he said serious things. >> it concerned us greatly. we followed the litigation closely, and ultimately elgin baylor did not prevail. >> from the source magazine, car max and state farm withdrew their sponsorship of the clippers. what would you tell other people who are on the fence or have withdrawn of people who want to invest in the l.a. clippers. >> i would say those marketing partners of the clippers and partners of the entire nba should judge us by our response to this incidence. i feel we responded reporterly and i hope they would return to their business relationships with the clippers. >> i wonder if you have spoken to mr. sterling about this ban or any of his representatives, and if so what has

mr. sterling's reaction been to the punishment? >> did i not speak directly to his representatives about this ban. i did not hear precisely what their reaction was. >> from the daily beast. has there been any decisions of whether any of the immediate members of mr. sterling's family, including richelle, will be able to stay in ownership or management in the league. >> no, there has been no decision about other members of the sterling family. i should say that this ruling apply specifically to donald sterling, and donald sterling's conduct only. >> commissioner, mike mcarthur from ad age. over a dozen sponsors have dropped the clippers. what has been the impact on the franchise and the league from

this scandal? >> mike, i don't know. this has all happened in three days. i'm hopeful that there will be no long term damage to the league, and to the clippers' organization. as i said earlier i'm outraged, and so i understand other people's outrage and this will take some time, and appropriate healing will be necessary. i can understand precisely whether they be people who affiliated with the nba or clippers for a long time or those corporate partners, i can understand how upset they are, and i'll do my best to bring them back into the nba family. >> in the middle. >> if the owners vote three forts vote not to force the sell can you still under your powers institute the lifetime ban. >> the lifetime ban has been instituted. that's independent in the force

of the sell of the team. >> can you tell us what you thought. >> when i first heard it, i was shocked. i had hoped that it was doctored, and that it wasn't, indeed, donald sterling. i had known donald for over 20 years and i suspected it was his voice. we set out immediately to investigate, and that was my reaction to bear down and get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible. >> commissioner, from abc, mayor johnson has indicated he would like the league to undertake a full accounting of donald sterling's past, and the failures by the nba act until now. is that an account you would be willing to undertake, and would you take the effort to mete out

other personal views of other nba owners at this point? >> i've had multiple conversations with kevin johnson, and i'm hoping that the actions that we take today will satisfy the players. i believe they should. >> commissioner, can you just tell us, you have known donald sterling for 20 years. what are your interactions over those 20 years been like with him? have you ever seen anything like this from him? have you felt anything like this, and what kind of man had you judged him to be prior to this? >> i have not been that close to him over the years, but there is nothing that i've ever seen in his behavior that would evidence these kinds of views. i've certainly, because there have been public filings about his activities i've been aware of those accusations, but there is nothing that i've seen firsthand that would indicate that he held the views expressed on these audio recordings.

>> commissioner, i'm curious you spoke about your personal response to this. in terms of donald sterling self-identifying as jewish, and you're doing the same as well, i wonder if there was a specific kind of pain associated with that for you, and if yout a certain responsibility within the jewish community to be responding. >> i think my response was as a human being. and i used the word distraught before. i spoke saturday morning directly to chris paul, doc rivers, and it wasn't even anger at that point. there was a certain somberness, frankly, i felt more strongly and personally for that team. while this affects every player and anyone associate with the nba family, with those players and those coaches to go out and do what they need to do, and play at the highest level in the world and have them hang over

this caused me to have a certain sadness, i would say, about the entire situation. i think this is regardless of anyone's religion, ethnicity, nationality. i think this is incredibly hurtful. >> at any time during your conversation with mr. sterling did he express remorse or denial regarding these comments? >> mr. sterling has not expressed those views directly to me. >> commissioner, it's been suggested that the clipper players be granted free agency at the end of this year as a result of this issue. is that something that could be considered? >> that is not something that we're considering. >> final question in the back in the middle. >> if you don't get the three-quarter vote that you

need, is it possible that donald sterling could be an absentee owner profiting from this team even though he's banned-- >> i expect to fully get the support that i need from the other nba owners to remove him. >> thank you. transcripts will be available later this afternoon. we'll e-mail them out. >> you're listening to a news conference by adam silver, he is the new commissioner of the nba, on the job for three months. what a difference a month makes. he announced say concerning the controversy involving donald sterling, the owners of the l.a. clippers, he now has been banned for life. he cannot go to the games, participate in any of the team activity. he has also been fined $2.5 million. silver explaining that is the

maximum that can be fined to an owner, and that sterling be forced to sell his team. >> impersonally distraught that the views expressed by mr. sterling came from within. an institution that has historically taken such a leadership role in matters of race relations. and cause current and former players, coaches, fans, and partners of the nba to question their very association with the league. >> ross with us in studio. to my knowledge this is the harshest penalty ever handed down to an owner in professional sports. >> adam silver, the new commissioner for three months needed to make a statement, and he dropped the hammer on donald sterling, banning him for life. the next is to try to force him

out. he needs three-quarters of the vote of other owners in the league to force him out. could file an antitrust law he saying that he's being forced out of the league, and that they're forcing him to sell it at a lower value. >> even though donald sterling has been banned from the nba, his wife has not been. his son has not been. leaving the door open that he may step down as president of basketball operations for the clip e, but they may take it's helm. >> his wife was sitting court side on sunday in the game floor, but then team president andy rosier has been running this team. donald sterling has been courtside for most of the games, but andy rosier has been runic the day-to-day operations. >> donald sterling, banned for life from the nba. the reaction that you're hearing

to far so soon? >> adam silver did drop the hammer, the stiffest penalty we were expecting a lifetime ban, but having said donald sterling remains the owners of the clippers as of now until the other owners vote on forcing the sell. here at the staple center what happens with the players. will more people show up knowing how adam silver ruled on the situation. you heard adam silver say that he was personally distraught, and the conversation that he had with the clippers players and head coach doc rivers and chris paul, he said he was personally affected by that. we've seen the players and head coach come out and say every day

they insist that the focus is on beating the warriors, the focus is on winning the playoffs. but adam silver gave us a behind the scenes of how the players and doc rivers has been dealing with the controversy as they focus on winning another game. >> and he put it mildly when he was asked a question about the future of the team, the future of the playoffs themselves, and how the players are going to do, and how the team will do. he pointed out to those that gathered that this was bigger than the game. this was bigger than the single game. this was bigger than a coach, owner or even the league itself. this was something that he saw as being deeply personal. >> absolutely. as.

>> you could tell that he was effected by this. with all that have, considering all of that, this is the conclusion that he came to in the investigation. >> joining us live from l.a. applies stand by. we have ross with me in the studio, but we're following several other developing stories. one, being a severe line of thunderstorms and tornadoes moving through the south. we're going to have an update on that system, and an update of some of the other headlines as we come back. stay with us.

>> we are following the developing situation involving the owner of the los angeles clippers. just a short while ago the nba commissioner banned donald sterling for life from the nba. we want to take you to a news conference. this is kevin johnson, the

acting spokesman speaking on behalf of the nba players association. >> where sports once again transcends, where sports provides a place for fundamental change on how the country should think and act. this is also a statement about where we are at a country. it doesn't matter if you're a professional basketball player weather millions oworth milliona man or woman who works hard for their families. there will be zero tolerance for constitutional racism no matter how rich or powerful. let me say how proud i am of the players of this league for standing up for themselves. the biggest stars to the every day players. they were not afraid to articulate their outrage and what they felt about this situation. they came out strong.

they came out powerful. and they did it in a very, very professional way. the players asked me to represent them. i was humbled and honored. they said to me, mayor, we want you to go to commissioner silver and tell him three things that are important for us. number one, we need immediate action. number two, we need the players' voice to be heard, our collective voice. we want to see this at the table, and we do not want to be passsive participants. thirdly, we want maximum punishment under the buy laws and constitution. what that equates for us as players there must be a change in ownership. [ cheering ] the players spoke. they acted. they were listened to.

the players' association is an organization that doesn't just represent one player, but it represents over 450 players in the nba. it represents the golden state warriors. it represents the l.a. clippers. it represents the l.a. lakers. it represents the 30 teams around the league and this league of players are standing together in one voice. the nba constitution states this: the commissioner shall be charged with protecting the integrity of the game and preserving public confidence to our fans. today the players believe the commissioner has done his duty. on this day adam silver is not only the owners' commissioner, he is also the players'

commissioner, and we're proud to call him our commissioner. [applause] i want to also say this is a very stark reminder that we still have a lot of work to do. yes, we have an african-american president, yes justice happened in a swift manner and forceful. yes, that occurred today. but these events remind all of us that hatred and bigotry are far from over. i hope that every bigot in this country sees what happened to mr. sterling and recognizes that if he can fall, so can you. at this point in time i want to say on behalf of the players we are so proud of our mayor of this great city of los angeles, the other mayors who came out

today, and you're going to hear from three or four players who represent current players, former players, and then we'll open it up to questions after they close it out. >> that is kevin johnson, the current mayor of sacramento, many of you nba fans will recognize him as the point guard in a used to play for the phoenix suns. behind him steve nash, one of his fellow players on the suns, with me in studio ross, neither of us have played basketball, i guarantee that, but you get the feeling talking and listening to the players that this was an issue that struck right at the core of what they felt and how they felt about being players for people who refer to themselves as owners. >> kevin johnson, he understands working for billionaire owners, and you saw steve nash as well as kareem abdul jabar. he's very passionate about treating man, woman, treating

them equally, no matter your pay skill, gender, it's about being equal and treating everybody fairly. >> again as we point out to our audience who might be joining us right now the verdict has been delivered by the nba, the commissioner of the nba announcing that donald sterling, owner of the l.a. clippers caught up in the vandal of a tape leaked by a woman who is alleged to be his mistress, has been banned for life from the nba. he was fined $2.5 million, the maximum fine that he said that the nba can give, and also suggesting to the teams' other owners that they will vote to force donald sterile to go sell the team. ross has been following this controversy with me here in studio, one thing you can say about the commissioner's decision it leaves very room to question if the league did the most it can do. this will go down in history with other big names banned for

life. >> adam silver made a statement. other players banned for life. pete rose and lance armstrong, the big name out there banned for life players-wise. but this is the first owner. adam silver will not tolerate bigotry, racism. this could have crepelled the league if he made another decision allowing donald sterling to stay. but he's forcing out donald sterling and this is the first step that will drag out. we'll hear from him. he will file the antitrust lawsuit saying the owners forced him out to sell the team at a lower cost. >> what are the questions that came up in the news conference how did the league not know what was going on with donald sterling with so much of it played out in the courts?

>> reporter: absolutely. that's a question that a lot of people here in los angeles who have been covering the clippers for so long has been asking. we've heard from sports writers from the la times who say those of us who have covered the clippers knew that donald sterling had this past. he had settled a lawsuit back in 2009 after accused of discriminating against african-americans and latinos in apartments that he owned. and then lawsuit filed by elgin baylor, who successfully sued sterling for discrimination saying that sterling ran a plantation-style organization. they put up on the screen there, "we are one." that seems to be the message from adam silver or kevin johnson.

we've heard this over and over from silver and kevin johnson, the owners have unified together to fight what kevin johnson and adam silver calls constitutio il racism. >> thank you very much. >> ross, i'm reminded there are millions of sports fans out there who have seen what has happened, they have heard what the comments were, and wondering what about my family? how does the team play against this backdrop, and pause for just a second to let them regroup. >> i think right now there is a sense of relief from the la clippers knowing that the decision handed down by the new commissioner was the right one. because there was so much controversy they were tired of answering question after question about owner sterling.

now they can move forward and try to win the playoff series. it was hard before when there was so much terror controversy,m sure there is a--but i'm sure there is a sense of relief. >> we want to catch you up with the rest of the news today. it is not good news. there are more deaths 30 people have died since sunday because of the weather you're seeing. that is just one of those storms, a massive twister touching down in tupelo, mississippi. cars, as you can see, tossed around like toys. there are several reports that we're hearing right now of damaged trees and homes that are destroyed. residents now just beginning to clean up. the president declaring arkansas, which was hard hit by these tornadoes, a disaster area. that means now that the federal aid will be sent in to help with the recovery, and weather experts saying these have been

devastating tornadoes in speed and damage that has been done, our own weather expert eboni deon, has been following these. where are we now, and what does the evening look like as it sets in. >> reporter: we'll be doing it all over again. more in the area that was hit hard yesterday, the city of madison, damaged homes there as the tornadoes went through that area. a new tornado watch has been issued. this about go until 9:00 tonight. and in decision to that we have a tornado watch that has ex-spider in the last five minutes. heavy rainfall associated with these storms along with a threat of large, damaging hail and high winds. this area is far reaching as far as where the severe weather lies. it goes up to the great lakes outside of chicago we had a few reports of stronger storms

that did spark a few tornado warnings earlier. here's a look at the storms right now. you can see that heavy rain moving off. that's just one batch. we have the second round, the severe weather that is starting to ramp up across the lower mississippi valley. >> also today, the supreme court expected to weigh in on a controversial police tactic. the police say it's about solving crimes, but is it? lisa stark has more. >> reporter: the question before the court, if the police stop you for any reason, any offense, can they then search the contents of your cell phone without a warrant? there are two cases before the court, and in the lower courts they disagreed whether this warrantless search was legal or not legal. if police officers pull someone over they have the right to pat them down or check their immediate surroundings to look for weapons or evidence of a crime that the suspect could quickly destroy. but does that right to conduct a search without a warrant extend

to your cell phone, which can these days could be an encyclopedia of your life. at the accountability center say police should not have that right. >> the information that we store on our cellphones make it different than simply going through a suspect's wallet or something that they might find in a person's pocket. we store our personal correspondence, medical information, financial information, our picks, so the level of intrusion that is at issue is much more substantial than we've ever seen before. >> in the two cases before the court, one involving a gang member, the other a suspected drug dealer, both had information in their cellphones that led to additional charges against the men. in the gang members case the appeals court ruled the cell phone search was legal. in the drug offense the appeals court threw out the conviction.

she believes both searches were in violation of the fourth amendment which protect he is against unreasonable searches and seizures. >> the framers of our constitution specifically wrote that into the constitution to protect against the police going on fishing expeditions like they did really in these cases when they searched through these individuals' phones to find something that they hoped a would be incriminating. >> the justice department disagrees saying that cellphones are critical tools for criminals used to arrange drug deals, pass pensions and store pornography. the police need quick as assess to that information. that's the question before the court. is it critical for the police to nab that information immediately or must they wait nor a warrant? this court decision could have very broad implications, perhaps beyond cellphones.

could they search your computer if it was sitting next to you in the car when they pulled you over without a warrant. we're expecting a decision from the justices on this critical case by june. >> lisa stark, thank you. we thank you for watching al jazeera america. i'm del walters. >> 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.

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