>> results of analyses were skewed in favor of the prosecution >> the fbi can't force the states to look at those cases >> the truth will set you free yeah...don't kid yourself >> the system has failed me >> no family. >> that we can stay with. we don't have anything. >> one of the worst storm systems ever in the u.s., more than 100 tornadoes leveled neighborhoods leaving 35 people dead. >> a new drug cocktail under the spotlight, it takes more than 40 minutes for an inmate to die.

>> i am banning mr. sterling for life from any association with the clippers organization or the nba. >> the nba taking swift action against clippers owner donald sterling, reaction to the stiff punishment that could cost him his team. >> it was my first real job, so it was exciting, and we made good money. >> some of the original rosy the riveters railroad fighting to keep a piece of their history alive. >> good morning. welcome to aljazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm del walters. >> three days of tornadoes leaving the country in radio ins, dozens of twisters ripping from the great plains to the deep south. the storm front is losing steam this morning, lowering the risk of new tornadoes, but now raising the threat of flooding. >> for towns in the wake of these deadly storms, the damage is staggering. we have the latest on the deadly outbreak. >> it will take time before we

know exactly how many tornadoes touched down. early reports puts the number at 111 over the last three days. that would make it one of the worst outbreaks in american history. at this point, we know at least 35 people have been killed as a result of the wild weather. so far, the impact has been felt from oklahoma to north carolina with 13 states reporting severe weather conditions. in the wake of the storms, people are beginning to survey the damage and attempting to pick up the pieces. >> it's moving to the right. >> a third straight night of violent tornadoes had 22 million people on high alert across the south and southeast. this one spotted moving through eastern north carolina. >> it's touching down. >> tornadoes also touching down in georgia, one twisted through a residential subdivision near columbus, leveling homes and forcing families to hide in closets. the deep south can't catch a

break, more tornadoes on tuesday in alabama and mississippi. >> we're still in somewhat of a search and rescue mode. we have still have people that have been unr. unaccounted for. >> the twister had a wind speed of 135 miles per hour, damaging more than 2,000 homes and businesses. >> this is a tornado emergency. >> a local t.v. meteorologist was live on the air telling viewers to run for cover, then he ordered his own newsroom to do the same. the aftermath and hard hit areas had thousands of people distraught over their destroyed homes. the robinson family of kansas cannot bear to look as the city bull dozes their house. so many people wonder what's next. >> we have family. >> that we can stay with, but we don't have anything. >> yet, they are fortunate, considering others are coping with the loss of loved ones, like the family of 31-year-old

daniel of arkansas, the iraq veteran died in his home shielding his two young daughters from falling debris. his wife and the girls survived. >> what a great dad he was. he really loved those girls, loved his wife, what a great son he was, you know. you couldn't ask for a better son. >> this slow-moving storm system is still threatens parts of the southeast while the risk of tornadoes is dropping, the risk of flooding is increasing. in mobile, alabama, a man had to be rescued from a flooding creek. he held on to a tree limb for more than a half hour. you can see a firefighter swim out to him with a life jacket and then pull him to safety. extreme flooding is affecting florida, as well. two people drowned when their car was submerged on a flooded highway in pensacola. >> there could be more tornadoes today, but the worst may be over. >> let's bring in meteorologist nicole mitchell with the new threat, though, that is now facing the east coast. good morning, nicole.

>> good morning, it is definitely a flood threat. we still have the strong storms including a calm areas under tornado watches this morning. that means the conditions are there, but we're not seeing anything eminent, so you still want to be prepared. this is so slow moving and such a core of heavy rain associated with it. we see images of flooding this morning and flooding on the list of weather things that can cause loss of life is very high on that list. if you add in hurricanes, it goes to number one. this has been out of the pensacola area. this is what you do not want to do is drive through this, because you can get stuck so easily. we already had a couple people loss of life in their car because of this and the emergency people try a rescue, risking them, as well. heavy rain near the coastline, eight inches or more, a couple isolated spots close to a foot of rain and in some places easily three, four or more inches per hour.

in terms of storm reports, our day monday was our peak say with hundreds of reports. yesterday was much fewer, but we have had isolated reports. today a little more isolated, but severe risk mid atlantic southward. not only do we have all the flood areas today, but all of that rain is moving its way up the east coast, so most of the east coast is under some sort of flood wash for those concerns. definitely don't drive into that. back to you. >> another state is under fire over an experimental death cocktail used to kill death row inmates. a double execution was forced to stop after the first one backfired. 38-year-old convicted murderer clayton locket was con vatting for 20 minutes before eventually dying of a heart attack. a second death row execution has been postponed for two weeks.

several states are being sued to reveal the contents of the untested drug mixture. this latest mishap has reignited the debate. >> 10 minutes after the first injection was applied, clayton locket was declared unconscious. minutes after he was given the second drug, witnesses say something went very wrong. >> at 6:39, he still is lifting his shoulders and head off the gurnee, grimacing and appears to be in distress. >> from start to finish, 6:39 is when they closed the curtains on us. a 16 minute process to watch. >> what witnesses watched before those curtains went down was locket reportedly twitching and convulsing, at one point uttering words while punching his teeth. >> there was concern that the drugs were not having the effect, so the doctor observed

the line and determined that the line had blown. >> meaning, according to a physician in the death chamber that drugs were no longer flowing into locket's vain, which had ruptured. the execution was immediately halted, but 43 minutes after the first injection, locket convicted of murder, rape and kidnapping died anyway. >> at 7:06, inmate suffered a heart attack and passed away. >> the botched execution had the governor delay second execution, charles warner scheduled to die two hours after locket. while the governor ordered a review of the state execution procedures, locket's death will surely that is it under more scrutiny. last week, oklahoma supreme court rejected a lawsuit claiming they were entitled to know the source of the drugs being used in their lethal injections. that resulted in delays, lead got to men being scheduled to

die on the same day, what would have been a first for the state in almost 80 years. >> oklahoma's governor would not say whether warner would get an extended stay beyond two weeks. she said the decision will be based on the state's investigation of the botched execution. stay with aljazeera for continuing crunch of oklahoma's botched execution and how this could affect the legal arguments of other death row inmates. >> there may be a small glimmer of hope for the flight of missing malaysian airlines 370. these images say their underwater imaging technology located airplane correctage in the bay of bengal. that's a long way from the current search area, which is more than 1,000 miles northwest of perth, australia in the southern indian ocean. australian authorities ended the aerial search, but are wrapping

up undersea efforts and down playing these latest images. >> pro russian separatists are in control of buildings in a second key city, taking over the government headquarters near the russian border. there were violent clashes in kiev's independence square between pro and anti-government factions. 150 u.s. paratroopers arrived in estonia to begin training exercises with their army. we are in slovyansk,--donetsk right now. what is happening now near the russian border? >> well, i'm about 50 miles from the russian border in the city of donetsk, the principle city in the east. nato tell us on the russian side of the border, the build up has not pulled back, it is still

there tens of thousands strong. on this side of the border, pro russian activists have been extremely successful in taking over administrative buildings, police stations in a string of cities and towns and are meeting very little opposition from the ukrainian police force and no opposition whatsoever from the ukrainian army at the moment. >> meanwhile, far from where you are in kiev, in independence square, we are again seeing violence. what do you know about who is involved in last night's clashes? what we understand is that unknown rights group marched through the square to commemorate the deaths of protestors during the overthrow of president yanukovych back in february and they were attacked by others in the square who were not on the far right, if you follow me. it's potentially significant,

because it shows political divisions in kiev and the west. i think the real significant crisis for ukraine is here in the east at the moment. >> it does show how complicated things are right in kiev, as well. meanwhile, the e.u. is meeting in brussels and it may add more names to that sanctions list. fro where you are standing, are sanctions impacting russia or its supporters in eastern ukraine? >> that's a very difficult question to ask. you'd have to say the ultimate intention of these sanctions is to prevent a russian invasion of eastern ukraine and if that invasion does not happen, was it due to the sanctioners not. i suspect we might be arguing about that for months or years to come, but as rewards the conduct of pro russian groups in the east, they don't seem deterred at all, quite the contrary. they seem more emboldened on each day, going very much on the offensive, they are on the

front, sanctions or not. >> barnaby phillips for us in donetsk in eastern you a crane, thank you. >> parliamentary elections, first time they have headed to the polls since the u.s. pulled out in 2011. there are reports of attacks outside the capitol. we are at a polling side in baghdad. how has the turnout been so far where you are? >> this polling station in central baghdad, they are voting just through those doors, has about 3,500 registered voters, about 1,000 people have turned up so far. now what an independent election monitoring body told us that across baghdad, they think the turnout has been 40-45%, quite good so far. still about three hours of polling to go. one big issue is voter fraud.

in 2010, the supreme court had to step in, so they changed the way voting, you can probably see this card, has a chip in it like a credit card to try to stop voter fraud. the turnout has been quite good and it looks like it could be quite a good turnout. >> current prime minister promising security if he gets elected to a third term. is that a promise he can keep, considering the infrastructure already in place and it has not worked so far? >> he has staked his entire election campaign, it has been about security, saying i'm the only person who can bring security to iraq. many politicians have criticized him saying he is the one who brought insecurity, he hasn't done outreach work with the

sunni politicians. he is under tremendous amounts of criticism. election day has been secure, an unprecedented security operation, the commercial air space closed. there was a curfew in place. there's no traffic, commercial or private traffic out on the streets, only authorized cars and that accounts for the fact that we've seen a few incidents, but not very many on polling day. what that means for the rest, who managed to make a coalition and who manages to witness elections, we won't know results for weeks to come while this political bickering goes on. >> reporting from baghdad, thank you very much. you can follow aljazeera's coverage of the iraqi elections by using the hash tag has #iraq.

>> hard to say whether it was a coincidence, but a big playoff victory for the l.a. clippersers last night after the book was thrown at their boss. i understand this decision may not be the end of the story. good morning, by wait. >> good morning. i would say the weather report for here calls for a high chance of litigation and lots of it. a lifetime ban from all basketball related activities for donald sterling, along with a multi-million dollars fine for a series of explosive racist remarks he made. what would be the nba's most damaging blow, the decision to sell the team could wind up being a legal battle for the ages. >> i thought they were great, you know. i was really proud of them. you know, you could see them getting tired a lot. i thought that was from all the

emotional, you know, baggage over the last four days. i just thought they had great mental toughness tonight. >> a triumph factual playoff win for the clippers, turning the tables on the golden state warriors with a double digit victory, playing to a packed house on their home court, the only one not enattendance team owner donald sterling. >> effective immediately, i am banning mr. sterling for life from any association with the clippers organization or the nba. >> the 80-year-old billionaire benched for life, new nba commissioner adam seller saying sterling admitted it was his voice heard making racist remarks in a conversation secretly recorded by his exgirlfriend: >> a fine of $2.5 million and an

unprecedented power play, forcing sterling to put a for sale sign on the clippers if 75% of team owners agree. >> i will urge to exercise authors to force a sale of the team and will do everything in my power to ensure that that happens. >> but the real estate tycoon has a team of a list attorneys and is no stranger to the courtroom. he has shelled out millions over the past decade settling lawsuits and federal charges relate to go rental discrimination at properties he owns. he already told fox news he's not selling his prized possession, setting the stage for a legal showdown. several advertisements were blocked out at the staple center tuesday night as sponsors cut dies with the team. everyone seems satisfied with the response to sterling's racist rant. >> it's a great day for the united states, it was a great

day for the nba, it was a great day for all people of all races, but especially, you know, african-americans, latinos, who, you know, he was speaking out against. >> donald sterling was not in attendance last night, but his wife, rochelle was, sitting in the owner's box. she personally called the clippers head coach doc rivers to ask if he was ok with that and he said yes. certainly doc rivers has come out as a classy and eloquent speaker on this whole affair. he comes out smelling like a rose. >> thank you very much. >> stay with aljazeera for continuing coverage of the clippers controversy. coming up, the legal issues involved in forcing sterling to sell the team. >> also coming up, you heard us talking about it, that botched execution, raising new questions about the death penalty in america. >> how this could affect capital punishment in other states.

>> $2 billion is our big number of the day. >> why it could mean big changes for the way we all get around. >> it was in many ways one of the birth places of modern america. >> how the original rosy the riveters paved the way for the working women of today and saving a critical piece of history.

>> today's big number is $302 billion, that's how much a new transportation proposal to overhaul the nation's aging infrastructure. >> the federal highway trust fund will run out of money by late august, meaning transportation aid to states could be held up and workers laid off. that would be at construction sites nationwide. >> the plan would pump $150 billion into programs, reducing restrictions on interstate tools and fines for safety violations.

>> a new lethal cocktail is blurring the constitutional line. 38 convicted killer clayton locket is the latest death row inmate to suffer from an experimental mixture of drugs. states haven't proved whether the lethal mixture causes death in a humane manner. to dig deeper into the issue, deborah is a law professor at fordham university and joins us. they used a

>> states conduct executions by a state by state process. we might see a committee or some kind of oversight to get experts together to determine what is the best way to execute people in this country. we've never had that kind of oversight. >> professor of allow at fordham, university, thanks for your oversight. >> let's check on temperatures across the country today. >> nicole mitchell is back. >> definitely contrast as we get going this morning into portions of the midwest. thirty's, minneapolis at 36 on the backside of the frontal system causing problems in the stormy weather. ahead of that, memphis 49 is behind atlanta, ahead in that warm sector is 70 degrees. now, up and down the coastline, d.c., again, warm side 70, new york, 50 is a high today on the cooler side of all that.

temperatures improve at rain starts to dry out. >> the basketball world continuing to react to the punishment handed down to donald sterling. >> to see what adam silver did was best for the nba and our brand. >> some praise the punishment, others say it went too far, possibly setting sterling up to suh the nba. >> you have to take the good with the bad, while pollution levels are dropping, something else is putting you at risk. >> doing chores is a struggle for children. >> making it illegal if they don't is one of the headlines around the world.

>> good morning. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. >> i'm stephanie sy. >> we're going to weigh in on legal implications if clipper owner donald sterling decides to fight the nba's move to take his

team away from him. >> a convention of this, rose sigh the riveters, all getting together to preserve u.s. history. >> you know those ride sharing programs many cities have, they're becoming popular, but some cities are trying to ban them. >> the national weather service trying to determine how many more tornadoes may such down and how many touched down already during that three day outbreak. 35 were killed when storms went from the plains to the south, now creating flooding concerns. >> pro russian accept are a activities have seized another government building. ukrainian security forces are unable to control the going rest. the countries acting penalty said the goal is to keep it from spreading. >> the nba handing donald sterling the stiffest punishment in the history of the league, banned from all basketball activities for life, now facing

a fine of $2.5 million, now if 75% of team owners agree, they're going to force him to sell his team. reaction to the season by the new nba commissioner adam silver is pouring in from coaches, players and politicians. >> i thought adam silver today was fantastic. personally, i thought he made a decision that really was the right one that had to be made. >> i personally want to thank commissioner silver for bringing down the hammer, for being as strong as he could be for saying that none of us as americans will stand for the racism we heard. >> what silver did was best for the nba and our brand. he's in control and did the right thing. >> this is a proud day for all of us players, for our league and i want to thank everybody for all their hard work to find this quick resolution a understand hopefully, we can see out adam silver's decision today

and make this a thing of the past as quickly as possible. >> i'm just thrilled with what commissioner silver did. he got on the case immediately. he got to the bottom of whatever mysteries that there were involved in this, and figured out what the truth was, and his actions and focus were so on the mark. >> the reaction continues. within attorney specializing in sports law joins us. did the commissioner go too far, far enough, or just right? >> he went as far as he could have gone, as we understand the rules. the nba constitution is confidential, but as we know, as we've been told, this is the maximum penalty that could have been issued. you know, he made it clear that he was going to do everything in his power to force that sale to get the three quarters of the votes to force the sale.

>> mccownen said he was outraged by what sterling said and said this is a slippery slope. that con hours. >> up the issue of the washington redskins, saying the name is offensive. can they tell the owner of the redskins to sell his team if he doesn't change the name. >> that's the issue and there are anti trust issues, as well. you can see why an owner like cuban who has had problems and been find by the nba would not want necessarily for there to be a very light test for forced sale. >> if you were advicing donald sterling, what would you tell him? >> i would tell him to walk. the team is worth a lot less with him as owner or continuing to own the team with the sponsors heading for the exits than for him to sell it. he could try the sovereigned earth policy, no one wins, bring

further negative attention to himself. he's become the pariah of professional sports. >> if he files against the league, what happens next? >> there are delays, the matter gets tied up in court, there's more publicity, it continues to be bad for him and the nba. >> the delays wind up for money in his pocket. he bought the theme at the 1980's, so the longer he waits, the more valuable the team becomes especially if they do well in the playoffs or go all the way. >> who's going to want to play for a team especially people of color with an owner making comments or having views like that with the sponsors exiting. >> what about the current owner's wife. she called doc rivers saying can i sit in the owner's box.

he graciously said yes. what if she becomes the owner of the clippers alone? >> that raises other factors. of course she is not him, but you would wonder how others would feel about that. i think the nba wants the family out. >> the founder and managing attorney at romano law, specializing in sports law. coming up, we are going to continue to dig into the nba's decision to abandon that would sterling and how the nature of the racist recordings could affect the case moving forward. >> three in critical condition following a shooting at a fedex shipping facility in atlanta. the wounds are described at life threatening. the sheeter i had fight as 19-year-old getty kramer shot a security guard before entering the warehouse where he shot five others before taking his own life. >> federal prosecutors are

offering a plea deal to a tunisian man accused of trying to establish a terror cell in the u.s. and helping with a plot in canada to derail a train. the government asked him to plead guilty to charges of making false statements and possessing identification documents in an attempt to defraud the u.s. if he takes the deal, he could face as little as six months in prison. he entered a not guilty plea and risks up to 50 years behind bars if convicted of the original charges. >> 50 are dead following a series of attacks in sir are a, attacks targeting civilians in pro government areas on tuesday. on tuesday. president bashar al assad announced intention to say run in june, the assad government accused of attacking those civilians in aleppo with barrel bombs. human rights watch said hundreds have been killed in 85 attacks on that city in the past two months. >> voting is underway in iraq, choosing the next prime minister

and parliament. this is the first election since u.s. troops with drew in 2011. we look at the complex relationship that still exists between the u.s. and iraq. >> after more than eight years of war in iraq, the u.s. military packed its bags and left at thent of 2011. it did so, hoping the iraqi people would be a model of democracy for the rest of the middle east. >> had opportunities there. i think if they take advantage of the opportunity, they can become a leader in this region. we're hopeful that the right things will continue to happen. >> the u.s. didn't want to pull out, at least not entirely. president barack obama was prepared to keep 10,000 troops for security training and counter terror operations, but only if they could be shielded from local prosecution. the iraqi parliament said no. analysts say the iraqi people are now paying the price. >> i think it is regrettable the united states is gone and with all due respect to iraqi

friends, he made a mistake. some people will blame president obama for not having been generous enough in the offer he made and ultimately it was not unreasonable to expect the iraqi parliament to make this decision. on this issue, i put the blame squarely on the iraqis. >> the prime minister has failed to share power with sunnis and kurds, welcoming political influence from tehran and even though the oil industry brought in $98 billion, he is still asking for military and economic aid, $2.3 billion in 2012, $590 million in 2013, and nearly as much for this year. that has washington fearing it's now dealing with an auto contract who will not listen. >> i think the only real leverage we had was arms sales. the most you could do was to

regularly ask or push at least politely within the constraints of diplomacy, the government to be more national, more inclusive and less corrupt. >> analysts say they don't expect wednesday's elections to impact u.s.-iraqi relations. iraq has every right to chart its own course regardless what the u.s. thinks might be best for it. >> a senior national security fellow with the foundation recently returned from iraq and joins us this morning. mr. alivant, thanks for being with us. iraq has a major security problem, the prime minister seeking a third term is dealing with an al-qaeda led insurgency in the anbar province, spillover from fighting in neighboring syria. if reelected, will that help or

exacerbate the instability? >> it depends on the type of coalition that he's able to put together. he's not just going to be able to run the government with just his party. he's going to have to put together a coalition of parties that will have to include sunnies and kurds and dependents on the character of the government he's able to put together if he wins. it's very possible some third party candidate could win and we could see a different prime minister, unlikely, but possible. >> possible, most experts say he is the front runner, at least his party is. the other party mentioned at a possible challenger is the islamic supreme council of iraq. what do we need to know about that shia faction. >> it's an interesting faction. what is now called the council for iraq has changed.

they've moved away from the iranian influenced and now a more moderate party and very real alternative to malaki. they did well in the provincial elections last year. it's very possible they could have a good day today. >> you you talked about the kurds and sunnis. some say they will be further politically marginalized in these elections and in some areas asked to boycott the vote. >> they boycotted the vote in 2005 and didn't have a voice. they've learned a lesson about that just taking you out of the process. i don't think that's a serious concern. it will be interesting to see what goes forward. the sunnis are rung in two or three major and two minor parties, depending how you count, so they'll be easy to pull into the government in pieces, a block here, a block

there. i think we will see sunni representation inside this government. >> so far voter turnout is 40-45%. is security the main issue for iraqis today? what else are they voting on or are they voting along sectary an lines today? >> the constitution pushes them that way. it will be interesting to see if voters tend to cross lines. there are more secular parties, business oriented parties. it will be interesting today. >> he has run on a security platform. what does washington want. >> more stability, a government that will try to reduce the corruption particularly in the security forces so that they can

effectively fight this syrian spillover insurgency that is raging very effectively in an bar. i think washington's biggest concern is get a government that will address this problem very, very clearly and that we can talk to about it. >> let me ask you a broader question. has the on going violence and instability within iraq prevented democracy from taking hold in iraq? you'll remember that the u.s. thought that iraq could be held up as an example of democracy for the region. what does it say if democracy can't thrive there? >> well, democracy is thriving in iraq in places. i just talked about the provincial elections of last year. those went very, very well and in the elections, we regularly have parties that were in control in one year find themselves voted out and another party altogether comes in, just as we find in mature democracies. at the lower level in the

provinces, their states, that really does happen. baghdad and the national government has been a different story, it's been more awkward, more gawky. it's difficult for them to put together this government with these very three ethnic sectarian groups and different interests. they're working through it, but it's a high degree of difficulty and we need to remember that. >> important context for us here. thank you. >> coming up, we'll check in on how the election is going and have a live report from a baghdad polling center. >> voters in wisconsin won't need a photo i.d., ruled it violates the constitution and unfairly targets minority and low income voter that law was passed in 2011. the judge said a tom appealing case of voter fraud was not

made. many don't have a valid photoa d. lawyers for the state will appeal. >> the white house addressing sexual assaults on college campuses, a task report finding only 12% of students who are victims report the crime. most of women. the white house said colleges aren't doing enough to protect them, so asking colleges to conduct anonymous student surveys, the white house launching a website called notalone.gough to track complaints on campus. >> in a misguided attempt to protect resultations, too many colleges and universities have minimized and underreported the problem of sexual violence on campus. >> coming up at 8:50, we will take a closer look at the issue of sex assaults on college campuses. >> the senate is expected to take up president obama's proposal to raise the minimum wage. the bill would raise the hourly

minimum to $10.10. the gop is not worried about low wage earners, it is suggested. 26 states plus the district of columbia all have higher minimum wages. >> venezuela did raise its minimum wage as the country struggles with fast rising inflation, the second increase in recent months and puts the minimum salary at $675 a month. the president will consider another wage increase later this year. the country has been plagued by months of protests over high crime, inflation, and shortages of basic goods. 41 people have been killed in rioting. >> there's a new air quality report that says the air we breathe is getting better, but a lot of u.s. cities still have a long way to go. >> the american lung association's annual state of the air report finds particle pollution is down, thanks to cleaner diesel fuel and power

plants, but ozone pollution up, less stuff floating around, but smog is worse. the lung association blames warmer weather. >> it's bad news for public health. we take climate change seriously. >> it could lead to more asthma, heart attack and stroke. they count 147 million people, almost half the country living in unhealthy air. los angeles saw record low particle pollution last year, but had more high ozone days than the year before. all but three of the top 25 cities saw ozone levels increase. the report comes just hours after the u.s. supreme court ruled 6-2 that the federal government can police particle pollution that floats across state lines. >> this is a about basic health and a level playing field. >> it's a big defeat for coal and other industries that fought

the rule. >> the stayed shows half of us live in cities and counties with unhealthy ozone levels, 14% with high particle pollution rates and only four u.s. cities made the cleanest air list, including bang gore maine, bismarck, north carolina, fort myers florida and salinas, california. >> the military put into place new guidelines for service members and their hair. these are female styles they didn't want. members of congress signed a petition and sent to it secretary of defense hagel and the policy will be reviewed. >> the men's included hair and

tattoos. >> it is a bat toll get your kids to do chores. lawmakers in spain working on a bill that would make children legally obligated to do the house work, affects those under the age of 18. they are expected to participate in family life, respect their parents and siblings and perform household duties. >> how do you enforce that? honey make your bed or you're defying the law? >> the cast in the star war series's next installment is revealed. three returning for a new trilogy. >> chewbacca is now 69 years old. >> i didn't know he aged. adam driver's going to be in the new one. >> they paved the way for the working women of today.

>> it was a different type of work, and it was fun. >> the original rosy the riveters did more than just build world war ii planes. >> they have a better understanding of what makes that value containic lava flow flow slowly and spew high into the air like a fountain. it is our discovery of the day.

>> there is a method to the madness of a volcano. >> scientists have researched why they produce spectacular lava fountains and other times milder flows. they've collected data. >> new data suggestion different eruptions reflect fluctuations

inside the earth, magma rises high into the air. >> understandion it can help decide what is a safe zone near volcanos. >> up next, trying to rescue the birth place of rosie the riveter. >> first, the weather. there is some wet weather on the east coast. >> there is a lot of wet weather. it is a soaker out there, flooding concerns so much that we've had. if you're in an area you can't see how deep the water is, some places have gotten a half foot of rain along the coastline, numerous cars stranded, lives lost, so be careful. you can see this is a broad system. on the backside of this, not seeing reports of snow this morning, but cold rain in minnesota. you got snow yesterday with the

system and all that rain moving up the east coast. now we have flood watches up here, as well. although it's been windy, maybe the rain jacket is better. >> rosie the riveter is a cultural icon, symbolizing american women going to work during world war ii. >> i thought there was one, but today a factory outside detroit is barely standing. some of the arm women are trying to save the unique piece of history. >> during world war ii, the willow run plant in michigan churned out a b24 bomber every hour. the meal workforce went off to war and women began moving on to the factory floor. forty those workers were employed at its peak, most of them women, including one tapped by hollywood for a film about the war effort at home.

she became the working embodiment of the popular poster, rosie the riveter, a symbol of female empowerment that spread across the nation and special icon for the workers at willow run. >> it was my first real job, so it was exciting, and we made good money for them. >> 91-year-old marjorie walters toiled on the lines in the 1940's. she returned to willow run a couple of months ago to take part in the largest gathering of rosies ever, clad in the posters familiar blue jump suits and scarves, for some, the memories came flooding back. >> very exciting, really. i mean, i met people, i enjoyed working here and i really liked rivetting, it was a different type of work and it was fun. >> for decades after the war, this facility, once the world

said largest factory, made cars. when general motors went bankrupt, the plant was shut down. today, it's in danger of being demolished to make way for an advanced vehicle research center. a nearby museum is trying to save a part of the plant to preserve a piece of history. >> it was a plant that was racially integrated, unionized and where men and women got equal pay for equal work in the 1940's at a time when none of these things was the norm, it was one of the birth places of modern america. >> last year, the yanukovych air museum helped the save the bomber plant campaign to help purchase 175,000 square feet of space. nearly $7 million has been raised in less than a year to repurpose part of this old factory. if those behind the save the bomber plant campaign are successful, they plan to convert the factory into a museum

dedicated to aviation and all of those rosies who helped spark social change. >> michael montgomery said donations are pouring in. he's hopeful that plans to keep what remains of the historic factory will soon take flight. aljazeera america, ypsilanti michigan. >> fans have until tomorrow to raise the funds to convert that plant to the museum. >> as many as 111 tornadoes touching down this week. 35 deaths blamed on those storms which are heading up the east coast. >> voters in iraq casting ballots. >> a lifetime ban against the owner of the l.a. clippersers owner, also band from activities after a recording of racist comments. >> the obama administration looking to crack down on sex

assaults on college campuses. we'll talk about whether new recommend is as go far enough to protect young women. >> we will be back in just two minutes. you're watching aljazeera america. >> 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

>> award winning producer and director joe berlinger exposes the truth. >> our current system has gone awry... >> a justice system rum by human beings, can run off the rails. >> sometimes the system doesn't serve and protect, and the innocent pay the price. what goes wrong?

>> it's a nightmarish alternative reality, sometimes you can't win... >> an original investigative series. when justice is not for all... the system with joe beringer only on al jazeera america >> first tornadoes, now heavy rain and flooding. violent weather packing a 1-2 punch across the midwest and southern united states. >> effective immediately i am banning mr. sterling for life from any association with the clippers organizations or the nba. >> as you heard, banned for life, the nba comes down hard on donald sterling for racial

remarks deemed out of bounds. >> democracy in iraq, 22 million voters go to the poles as sectarian violence rises to some of its worst levels since u.s. troops pulled out. >> listen up. >> listen up, guys. >> hey, guys, listen up. >> no one should ever hit a woman. >> the white house steps up, stepping in to combat sexual assault on college campuses. >> good morning. welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm del walters. >> heartbreaking devastating the only way to say describe scenes across middle america and the deep south. >> the tornado outbreak began sunday, spawning 100 twisters, homes have been reduced to rubble, lives lost. >> the most recent twisters touching down in western north carolina, now as those storms are moving east, they are losing some steam, but still packing quite a punch. >> that punch coming in the form of flooding. on i-10 near pensacola, florida, traffic was at a standstill as

10 inches of rain fell. >> that rain is still falling in florida, georgia and new england. we have the latest on what these storms are leaving behind in their wake, quite a mess out there. >> such a serious storm system affect be a huge swath of the country, the most impact felt from oklahoma to north carolina, 13 states reporting severe weather conditions. we know at least 35 people have died as a result of the dangerous storms that produced 111 tornadoes making this one of the worst outbreaks in american history. >> it's moving to the right. >> a third straight night of violent tornadoes had 22 million people on high alert across the south and southeast, this one spotted moving through easter north carolina.

>> it's touching down. >> tornadoes also touching down in georgia, one twisted through a residential subdivision near columbus, leveling homes and forcing families to hide in closets. the deep south can't catch a break, more tornadoes on tuesday in alabama and mississippi. >> we're still in somewhat of a search and rescue mode. we have still have people that have been unaccounted for. >> the twister had a wind speed of 135 miles per hour, damaging more than 2,000 homes and businesses. >> this is a tornado emergency. >> a local t.v. meteorologist was live on the air telling viewers to run for cover, then he ordered his own newsroom to do the same. the aftermath and hard hit areas had thousands of people distraught over their destroyed homes. the robinson family of kansas cannot bear to look as the city bulldozes their house. so many people wonder what's next. >> we have family. >> that we can stay with, but we don't have anything. >> yet, they are fortunate,

considering others are coping with the loss of loved ones, like the family of 31-year-old daniel of arkansas, the iraq veteran died in his home shielding his two young daughters from falling debris. his wife and the girls survived. >> what a great dad he was. he really loved those girls, loved his wife, what a great son he was, you know. you couldn't ask for a better son. >> this storm system threatens parts of the southeast, the danger of flooding is rising. in mobile, alabama, a man had toes rescued from a flooding creek, holding on to a tree limb for more than an hour. severe flooding has already turned deadly in northwest florida, two people drowned when their car was submerged in a flooded highway. >> let's get more on this storm system with meteorologist nicole

mitchell. >> the risk for severe weather has been slowly diminishing, the damaging wind and hail we are still seeing, but not as much. this is a slow mover, that's why it's been able to dump in some cases inches per hours as it's moved across. close to a foot in isolated locations. i talked about the storms and the damage that we're see he egg, the severe weather, our biggest day was monday, started ramping up sunday, the big day for severe weather was sunday, less storm reports yesterday and today, we're expecting this to move up the coastline with slight chances out here. areas in green are under different flood watches and warnings. if you can't see how deep the water is, it doesn't take more

than a few inches to knock you off your feet and a foot or two to actually move your car along. that can happen quickly especially around the rivers and highways. this is where we have our risk today, again, that risk for some isolated tornadoes, some hail, some high winds, not as big of a risk as we've seen the last couple of days, but more rain has moved up the coastline, so much of the coastline now is under some sort of at least flood watch for that potential for heavy rain, a lot of places even up into the northeast will see a few inches, two, three or more as this moves along. >> we continue to follow the story of an execution gone terribly wrong in oklahoma a 38-year-old convicted murderer died of a massive heart attack rather than the drug cocktail used. witnesses say the botched execution lasted minutes after the first injection meant to render him unconscious. he began convulsing and tried to lift his head from the gurnee

that he was strapped into. doctors say the death chamber drugs were no longer flowing into his vain because it ruptured. >> there was some concern at that time that the drugs were not having the effect. the doctor observed the line and determined that it had blown. >> that botched execution promises oklahoma's governor to stay the execution of another inmate scheduled to die on the same die as locket. inmate charles warner will remain on death row for two weeks while they review execution procedures conducted and then present that to the governor. >> a big playoff victory for the los angeles clippers just hours after the nba threw the book at their house. >> we have the details. this may not be the end of this controversy. >> it almost certainly will not be the end of this controversy. a lifetime ban from all basketball related activities for sterling, along with a

multi-million dollars fine was doled out to sterling for a series of racist remarks he made. what would be the nba's most damaging blow forcing sterling to sell the team could wind up being a legal battle for the ages. >> i thought they were great, i was really proud of them. you know, you could see them getting tired a lot. i thought that was from all the emotional, you know, baggage over the last four days. i just thought they had great mental toughness tonight. >> a triumphant playoff win for the clippers, turning the tables on the golden state warriors with a double digit victory, playing to a packed house on their home court, the only one not in attendance team owner

donald sterling. >> effective immediately, i am banning mr. sterling for life from any association with the clippers organization or the nba. >> the 80-year-old billionaire benched for life, new nba commissioner adam silver saying sterling admitted it was his voice heard making racist remarks in a conversation secretly recorded by his exgirlfriend: >> a fine of $2.5 million and an unprecedented power play, forcing sterling to put a for sale sign on the clippers if 75% of team owners agree. >> he has a a team of a list attorneys and no stranger to the courtroom, shelling out millions of dollars settling lawsuits and federal charges related to rental discrimination at properties he owns. he already told fox news he's not selling his prized possession, setting the stage for a legal showdown.

>> i think i would tell him to walk away. the team is worth less with him as owner or continue to go own the team with the sponsors heading for the exits than it would be for him to sell it. he could try the sovereigned earth policy. nobody wins in that situation. >> advertisements were blacked out as sponsors cut ties with the team. everyone seemed satisfied with the league's response to sterling's racist and the. >> this is a proud day for all of us players, for our league and i want to thank everybody for all their hard work to find this quick resolution. >> donald sterling understandably was not at the game last night, but his wife was there for the playoff games, sitting in the owner's box. she personally called the clippers head coach doc rivers to ask if he was ok with that and he said yes. he's certainly been the picture of grace through all this. >> coming up in 10 minutes, we'll continue our look at the nba's decision against sterling and how the millions of dollars

tied to the clippers could sway his next move. >> pro russian accept are a activities in ukraine in control of government buildings in two more cities. demonstrators took over a building near the border with russia. >> overnight, buildings fell in another city and there was violence in independence square in kiev. we have more from donetsk in eastern ukraine. >> the police force is proving a completely unreliable ally for the government in kiev. there have been further takeovers in another town

further north of donetsk from where i'm speaking to you. it would seem at this upon the, the pro russian groups do not seem deterred by the threat or reality of sanctions from the european union and the united states. the impetus for the pro russian groups is to control as large an area as possible before may 11 when they want to hold a referendum on greater autonomy or perhaps breaking away from the rest of ukraine. >> that's our barnaby phillips. the u.s. military presence is growing, 150 paratroopers arriving from the united states to begin a series of training exercises with the h estonia ar. >> >> voting continues in iraq. a lot of iraqis are too scared

to cast ballots today. >> the prime minister has voted. he wants a third term in the job. >> i call upon all iraqis to participate in large numbers in the election. they will have a right to monitor and ask questions. those who don't take part will have no rights. i wish to see a huge turnout. god willing we will celebrate a successful election and defeat terrorism. >> there are 9,000 candidates competing for 328 seats. it's the first election since the u.s. pulled forces out three years ago. the previous election saw a 62% turnout and this tile, there's a massive security operation underway to try to make the streets safe enough to get as many people as possible to go out and vote. many will have to walk, rods into the polling stations closed. the election is being held during a period of widespread

violence. in an bar, the iraqi army is involved in a conflict with fighters from the islamic state of iraq. many people told aljazeera they're afraid to go out and vote. the army insists it's safe. no sickle block is expected to win a majority in the parliament, so a coalition government will have to be formed. >> when you have so many opponents inside the political process, you must sit down with them and make negotiations, even if they are not with your ethnic numbers or even if he's a christian and so on. this is the positive thing about democracy. >> iraqis have a day to vote, but establishing a government could take many months. >> stay with aljazeera america on this. later this hour, we'll go to a polling station in baghdad for the latest as people cast votes today. >> countries searching for that

missing makes airlines flight 370 say the wreckage detected off the coast of bangladesh is all likelihood not the missing aircraft, saying the wreckage was detected in the bay of bengal 120 miles south of bangladesh. that's a long way from the search area located more than 1,000 miles west of perth in the southern indian ocean. australian authorities ended the aerial search, now ramping up undersea efforts. >> a salvage effort is set to begin today in the san francisco bay knew divers located the wreckage of a small plane that went down following a midair crash sunday. it was discovered tuesday afternoon with the help of an underwater camera. the two planes were returning from an air show at the time of the crash. the body of the pilot has yet to be recovered. the pilot of the second plane managed to land safely. >> three in critical condition

following tuesdays shooting at a fedex shipping facility in atlanta. the wounds of two life threatening. the shooter, 19-year-old getty kramer first shot a security guard before entering the warehouse before shooting five and taking his own life. >> investigators in california looking into an explosion that injured people at a car rim polishing business in orange county that may have stored magnesium. workers evacuated minutes after that fire broke out. two men were taken to the hospital with burns covering 90% of their bodies. >> wisconsin voters won't have to present a photo i.d. the next time they head to the polls. a federal judge ruled the state's voter i.d. law view lathes the constitution and unfairly targets minorities and low income voters. the law was passed in 2011 but the judge said the state has yet to make a compelling case that

voter fraud exists. many do not have a valid photo i.d. the state will appeal. >> the senate is expected to take up the president's proposal to race the minute come wage from $7.25 to $10.10 by the end of 2016. it is expected to be a hot topic on the campaign trail. 26 states, as well as the district of columbia all have higher minimum wages. >> the nba coming down with a hammer on the owner of the l.a. clippers over racist remarks. >> the decision on basketball and other professional sports. >> a relic of the past showing new signs of life, how over plowing on farms is giving way to dust bowls. >> a demonstration to help the homeless turns ugly, violence between protestors and police. that and other videos straight ahead.

>> let's check videos captured

by citizens around the world. >> starting with a violent scene outside city hall in brazil, police clashing with mostly homeless protestors. elaine captured this scene involving demonstrators throwing stones and lighting tires on fire. a vote was postponed which would have approved new public housing. >> russia showing off military strength in mass co, thousands gathered watching armored vehicles and tanks pass by for an annual parade. >> mother nature flexing muscle in nova scotia is that. it was parked next to a foot bridge on what appears to absheet of ice being moved several feet by strong gusts of wind. >> we went from the cold war to

the cold winter. >> up next, the steps nba owners could take to force donald sterling out as the owner of the clippers. >> temperatures across the nation today, nicole mitchell is back. nicole. >> maybe not ice and wind pushing your plane off the runway, but definitely wet weather that might slow you down. you can really tell the temperature contrast. this morning, memphis at 51 versus atlanta at 71. atlanta is on the warm side of all of that air. temperatures in the midwest rung 10-20 below average today on the backside that have cold front. that puts chicago at 56 degrees. another big contrast between washington, d.c. a high of 70, new york staying at 50 under colder rain. >> tomorrow, some of the rain starts to clear out a little bit especially as we get later into the day, so more mild air across the east coast. temperatures will make it into the 70's. mitt parts of the country starts to nudge up warmer.

>> i'm just happy that commissioner adam silver came down hard and showed that we can't let people get away with this. >> the situation went well. they did their own investigation and basically made a statement that there is racism. we're all people. and we need to understand that we're all different and i applaud him. >> i love what silver did. i am a clipper fan and i decided to stick with it. >> i applaud the commissioner. a great show of force. we don't need that kind of stuff in our league or word.

>> nba commissioner adam silver banning l.a. clippers owner, not the first executive -- cincinnati reds owner marge shot forced to sell her team for using racially offensive language. >> in 1987, l.a. dodgers owner suspended for racially charged remarks. george steinbrenner suspended from making contribution to say richard nixon's campaign. good morning. >> good morning. >> this action by adam silver, the nba commissioner, puts donald sterling among the ranks and we looked at this, lance armstrong, shoeless joe jackson in sports history, so how unprecedented was what we saw yesterday? >> it was very unprecedented and strong. there wasn't progressive

discipline, mr. wasn't more wrangling. adam silver took the high ground and put sterling definitely on the defensive in what figures to be a long fight. >> people saying this is compared to marge shot and cincinnati reds being taken from her, forced to sell the team after racially insensitive remarks. >> it's similar, two differences. shot was a second or 30 offender and suspended for a year and ultimately they found financial irregularities in her owning of the reds. also baseball has an anti trust exemption. the owners can use their power and commissioner more liberally than other sports, soology bit different. >> according to paragraph 13 of the nba's constitution, owners have the right by a three quarter vote to revoke ownership if an owner fails to fulfill a contractual obligation in such a way as to affect the nba or its members adversely. can other team owners now force sterling to sell?

>> they have two paths. they can use article 15 to convene that vote and try it. because they specifically say the circumstances, i'm not sure his conduct fits that perfectly and that is the harder way on some level. the easier way is to come up with cash and by him out and negotiate this as a 11. that's about a $30 million per head capital call for the rest of the owners, but might be the easier path now that he's band and the pressure on him. >> is it possible that he could laugh all the way to the bank? he bought this team for $12 million, now valid at $575 million, so if he ties it up in court, protracts this, should he wind up being the beneficiary of his own? >> he certainly could that. i expect this team to sell above the value. that's one of the things that's a big concern for them. i expect if he ultimately sell,

he'll sell at a significant profit even over market value, maybe upwards of $800 million. >> you hear people say these comments were recorded secretly, private conversations that then were made public. does that have a bearing on anything that we're seeing right now? >> i think only when it goes to mitigate the penalty. i don't think it has any ability to affect whether they can be heard, whether they can be considered as a basis for a penalty, but maybe you could argue if you're sterling this was private conduct that was unfairly illegally recorded and then made public, a black male scenario. >> mark cuban comes out days after the remarks saying they were ugly, but it puts the league on a slippery slope. what did he mean for that? >> i think the idea does the league want to take the franchise for a private comment or a personal belief, even an ugly one, does that become a basis for disqualifying ownership or possibly taking someone's property.

that's an issue that the other owners probably ever concerned about because they're all billionaires and targets in their own way. >> players are million ayres, a lot of people wonder why the team players couldn't walk off. >> they certainly threatened to. the players was the players want to play in the playoff and they're the innocent parties in this. the union is using the pressure of this to try to reassert themselves to see the books of the nba and i think this is an important time to keep the players happy. i think silver's message was in large measure intended for the players, advertisers and fans of the league. >> robert, thanks for being with us this morning. >> it's a crime that affects one in five women on college campuses across the country. now the obama administration plans to confront sexual assaults among students. >> art turns to art to combat the deadly attacks in syria. the message and inspiration

behind the artists' activism. >> they're trying to put in place provisions which around good, that would put drivers out of work. >> the battle on streets around the world over popular programs helping people get a ride. >> a look now at our images of the day and violent clashes in kiev and the independence square area there as right wing groups battle protestors who have occupied that square since the demonstration that ousted former president viktor yanukovych.

>> this is a live look at the kansas city skyline on a cloudy wednesday morning. that is the scene on i-70 heading west. >> you spent time there, right? >> met my wife in kansas city, love the ribs, love her.

good morning, welcome to aljazeera america. i just got major brownie points. >> robin's going to be calling you later. the white house unveils a new campaign, a series to combat sexual assaults on college campuses. how the administration looks to battle the culture that fuels the aggressive behavior. >> popular ride sharing programs allow regular people to become chauffeurs is not sitting well with those who drive for a living. >> a series of attacks in syria targeting civilians and pro government areas on tuesday in damascus and homs. president bashar al assad announced plans to run for reelection in june. the government is accused of attacking civilians in aleppo with barrel bombs. human rights watch said hundreds have been killed in attacks on that city in the past two months. >> this is despite a u.n. resolution in february calling

for all sides to stop the attacks. while a group of artists now responding to that violence with a campaign of their own. they are trying to bring a small ray of hope in a country ravaged by war. >> on the streets of aleppo, it's hard to imagine people driven by much more than staying alive, but the bombed out buildings have become this artist's canvas, his message an inspiration to people under siege. >> when i read graffiti like that, i feel better. he said the bombs will kill our fear, not what we believe in. our determination grows. he is an artist turned activist. he writes about barrel bombs, the weapon of choice of syrian forces in aleppo. for more than seven months, barrel bombs have terrorized people, packed with explosive

are dropped from helicopters. they are wildly inaccurately with little chance of ever hitting their targets, but they have hit and killed hundreds of civilians. the artists know they can't beat the bombs but are determined to deem with the terror they generate, simple messages to encourage people in their third year of war not to give up. >> we are like any other media, trying to convey a message to the people and raise awareness. we write things that give clear ideas about the revolution. >> their work is on display throughout the neighborhoods. this reads aleppo more treasures than gold, another, aleppo, you're in hour heart. they have had to contend with fighters painting over their graffiti, but it shows serious war can be as much about information as combat.

the spray can is his most effective weapon. >> those slogans now competing with election slogans in syria. the country's president announced voting will take place in june and bashar al assad will be seeking another term. >> it is a grave exercise in democracy, despite attacks in several cities, people in iraq voting in parliamentary elections today. this is the first time her heading to the polls since the u.s. pulled out troops in 2011. we are at a polling site in the capitol, baghdad. two and a half hours left until voting ends, what has the turnout been like where you are? >> there are 3,500 registered voters here and i'm told that at least 1500 people have voted here. that's not an official figure but an election monitoring group looking at the figures for baghdad suggest the turnout

could be as high as 60%. in 2010, the turnout for the whole of iraq was 62%. one of the reasons that turnout is going to be seen as being very good is this unprecedented security operation that's been mounted across the country as particularly here in baghdad. >> the prime minister looking for another term it is that voting today is a chance for citizens to fight back against terrorists. is security the number one issue for iraqis today? >> that's one of the number one issues, the other poverty, another corruption and clearly oil. there's a real fear in society of car bombs, suicide attacks. 7,700 people have died in the last 12 months alone and that's a huge figure.

that's really the security is a very big issue for them. the prime minister has said he will provide security but politicians blame him for not reaching out to the sunni's enough and that's the reason for the violence. >> a historic day in baghdad. you can follow aljazeera's coverage of the iraq elections using the #iraqvote on twitter. >> the front runner casting his video. also voting in kashmir, streets filled with more security personnel than voters, many saying they want independence from india and separatist groups calling for a boycott at the

polls. >> the nation's highest court coming down hard on cross state polluters. the supreme court issued a strong 6-2 ruling that upholds the government's decision to regulate air pollution across state boundaries. it settles a case that challenged the e.p.a.'s cross state pollution rules. the law protects up-wind states from high polluting, low wind states who cause them to fail federal air standards. >> there is a new warning about smog saying particle pollution is down but ozone pollution rising, which means more smog. warmer temperatures are a factor. the report claims half the u.s. population lives in counties with unhealthy ozone levels. johnson and johnson temporarily stopping aify road surgical device. it will stop selling the device as well as distribution and

promotion of it. the company will not pull it from the market. two weeks ago, the f.d.a. urged doctors to stop using it because of that cancer risk. >> a new effort from the white house to help colleges fight sexual assault, they say one in five college women is sexually assaulted, usually during her first two years on campus. the crimes often go unreported. the white house hopes to change that. >> we have a big problem. we need your help. >> it's happening on college campuses, at bars, at parties. >> that problem is sexual assault on campuses. in this white house video, hollywood stars call on young men to listen up. >> if she doesn't consent, or if she can't consent, it's rape, it's assault. >> it's a crime. it's wrong. >> it's a message the obama administration says needs to be spread on college campuses. >> in a misguided and short sighted attempt to protect reputations, too many colleges

and universities have tried to minimize and underreport the problem of sexual violence on calendar pus. >> only 12% of college students sexually assaulted report the crime. most are women. many don't know how to file a report or are too ashamed or afraid. >> survivors often find themselves caught in a system where the odds of them finding justice or even finding someone who believes them are stacked against them. >> in the past years, students from several colleges have filed complaints that their universities mishandled their sexual assault cases. dart mouth's college is one of them. these ads claim the university has a rape problem. >> the list of offenses is familiar to us all. >> he vowed to expel the worst student offenders, but the white house says colleges are not

doing enough, usuallying anonymous surveys of students asking about sexual assaults on campus. it hopes that make that mandatory by 2016. this new government website will track how campuses deal with complaints of sexual assaults. it shows students how to report the crimes and find help from crisis centers in their areas. some critics say these steps won't be enough, but vice president joe biden said the message can be spread. >> no man has a right ever to raise his hand to a woman. period. end of story. it is assault if they do. >> that was roxanne siberi regarding. lisa is the vice president of government relations at the american association of university women. she joins us from washington this morning. thanks for being with us. at the height of what's

described as a sexual assault epidemic, why have colleges come in tight focus? >> it's become a focus because such a large cluster of young college -- is a life changing experience for folks -- i think it's an appropriate place for us to be talking about -- >> this really reflects a larger problem, but one of the recommendations-- there can be

recommend is as in terms of how that plays out. this is really a great tool, not just for the administration -- to be sure they have a better picture. it's good for the students to have a sense that their administration want to hear from them. oftentimes, this kind of anonymous reporting is the only way you're going to get something accurate on this particular difficult topic. >> the big issue seems to be that when these incidents happen, women don't feel they can report them to the administration at their schools. is there anything in this task force recommendation that you think will compel college women to report the incidents of sexual assault that they're experiencing? >> yesterday, the department of education's office issued essentially some new guidance on

campus sexual assault. it is an amazing frequently asked questions document that goes over 50 questions that folks have when they look at this issue both from an administrator and student standpoint. this is actually an opportunity for colleges and universities who want to step up to the plate, quit worrying about it as a p.r. problem, grab the bull by the hopes, say we know this is an issue, we're going to take it head on, getting their heads out of the sand and we've got great recommendation to say guide us along. >> you mentioned the new died lines from the department of education, how how do they enforce those guidelines at individual campuses? >> lot of this comes under title nine, the federally funded law that prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded education programs. through the office of civil rights, they provide technicalrr resolution agreements and at the end of the day, if they really

need to, they can yank federal funding, which for any school would obviously be a death sentence. we take it seriously. i think the office of civil rights is taking it seriously. i think they don't want to go in as kind of big footing folks. they want to be helpful. we all have a stake in improving this situation and i don't think they want to come down as the heavy so much as they want to be a useful part of the solution. >> to raise awareness of this issue, the government yesterday released this public safety announcement. we showed video of it earlier. it's basically a bunch of male actors urging men not to rape, not to sexually assault. here's video here use that. what do you make of this decision on this p.s.a. to not include women? >> well, you know, in many respects, i think that women have been talking about violence against women for a long time, but i think we know that if we're really going to make

headway, we've got to have men at the table, as well. i think this p.s.a. is a good idea. i also think, you know, quite frankly, everybody needs to be paying attendance. when we're talking about a college community that is such a broad swath, a diverse swath of folks, we need to make sure everybody's at the table having the same conversation. >> thank you. >> prosecutors are trying to change the notion that some global banks are just too big to jail. "the new york times" reporting that prosecutors are close to slapping two large banks with criminal charges. the purse are meeting with federal regulators about how to punish those banks without putting them out of business. >> prosecutors are offering a plea deal to a tunisian man

accused of trying to set up a terror cell in the u.s. and attack a train in canada. prosecutors want him to plead guilty to making false statements and trying to defraud the u.s. he could face as little as six months in prison. he has pleaded not guilty and risks up to 50 years behind bars if convicted on original charges. >> cross country driving could get more pricey, the doors opened for states to collect tolls on interstate highways, reversing a decades long ban for collecting cash on the 46,000 miles of highways. that money would go for badly needed infrastructure repairs. >> ride sharing is a popular alternative for commuters, allowing people to use their own cars and sometimes make money when they take on other passengers. it's an unregulated industry and some cities are even looking to ban it altogether.

>> when i heard about car ride sharing, i thought that's for me. >> for dan, driving strangers around town is a great way to make cash and pass the time. >> it is a hobby for me, absolutely. i don't make a living doing this. i've got a regular job. i just enjoy meeting people and giving them rides. >> as a contract employee of three popular ride sharing services, he sets his own schedule and faces little scrutiny from city regulators in chicago, much to the dismay of traditional cab companies. >> this is a tax see medallion. >> a license to operate a cab, the city auctions medallions sometimes for hundreds of thousands of dollars, but ride sharing cars around required to have them. a taxi services company said that's making the medallions worthless. >> you're taking any old car, even a convertible works in this

case, and you can go and get sign up with one of these companies, and then you're in business. >> he is among a group of cab operators suing the city of chicago to stop ride sharing. >> we can't have a situation where they aren't subject to any regulation. >> illinois state representative wrote newly proposed state regulations requiring an annual fee to be paid to the city, have more insurance and special licensing for drivers providing rides for more than 18 hours a week. the most popular of the services said the opposition comes from cab companies failure to innovate, like the ability to hail a cab from the 37th floor of an office building and waiting for you when you step outside. >> the general manager of the company said it conducts federal state and regional background checks and insurance provides $1 million in liability coverage exceeding taxi companies. >> they're trying to put in place provisions which aren't

good for consumers, riders, provisions which would put drivers out of work. >> the company argues the service will flee if it becomes too restrictive. dan has joined a lawsuit to prevent that. >> the system is regulated on its own. the city doesn't need to be heavy handed and the state doesn't need to tell the city how to manage its affairs. >> for now, he's happy to share his car with paying customers. aljazeera, chicago. >> san francisco bay's lift is available in 66 cities across the u.s. and uber available worldwide including a launch in beijing. >> they have been the subject of history and literary discussion since the 1930's. >> dust bowls are making a return in the 21st century and for some americans, threatening a way of life.

>> there is sad news coming from the entertainment world. bob hoskins died. he started on british t.v., later made the leap to the big screen earning an oscar nod. he played eddie valuant in the 1980's animated movie "who framed roger rabbit." he had suffered from park con son's disease. he passed away at his home in england. >> just ahead, the new dust bowl that's appeared in one part of the u.s. >> first, nothing but wet here. let's check in with meteorologist nicole mitchell. it is raining in a lot of the country. >> the eastern third, really, you parole have a better chance of getting wet today than not getting wet. the storm system behind,

temperatures from the mississippi valley to the rockies blow average. cold rain in minute state and wisconsin, heavy rain through the south. risk for severe weather not as great as a couple of days ago, biggest risk hail and damaging winds, isolated tornadoes possible. then, because of all the rain, already flood concerns and warnings through the south and the watches, the potential for that will spread through the north. many places will get two or three-inches, isolated parts even higher. it is going to be a soggy one. >> thank you very much. >> most of us think of the dust bowl as long gone, that farming disaster from the history books, but scientists say it's back. 12 years of drought in the southern plains turning what was green into fields of tumble weeds. those who live there now struggling to survive. >> this is not the desert

southwest. it was colorado's most productive land, but today the only things left alive are cactus and tumble wees. >> these are some of the most abrasive things you can cut. >> russell keeps roads open in crawly county. after over a decade of drought, his enemy is the tumble weed. >> everybody sold their cows off and there wasn't enough cows to eat the weeds. we got rain at the right them and the weeds grew and there you have it, the perfect storm of tumble weeds. >> this machine aany lathes tumble weeds and spits them out. despite work, they still clog the roads. >> they start off soft and green, but after a while, it dries up and gross into this monster. each one of these has 250,000

seed pods and that's a lot of tumble we'd. >> this part of colorado, including vast areas of no mexico, oklahoma and texas are experiencing the worst drought sips the 1930's. normal rainfall is 14 inches a year. last year, there were only three. the dust bowl has returned. >> you cannot find any three and a half year period that has been this dry in the history of this area with data going back to the 1880's. >> this is a quiet ranch. >> it is now, yep. >> doug's family has ranched here for generations. >> this was always physical of hay, this little pen here and then i had cattle on both sides, fed cattle on that both sides. >> what happened to them? >> had to tell them. >> why? >> because of the drought. >> the county commissioner said ranchers are going under. >> i can't keep my cattle, so how do i keep my livelihood and

pay taxes? the rippling effect of this for the economy in the area can be devastating. >> the drought was the hot poetic in a packed room at the annual arkansas river basin wore forum, but nolan is hopeful the warming some forecasters expect will finally bring rain. >> there's always optimism. you always think it will be better next year. >> russell, the guy they call puff daddy is in a never-ending battle with the tumble weed. without rain, it's just a matter of time before the rain kicks them up and sends them his way. aljazeera, colorado. >> how much does it cost to clean up tumble weeds? more than 100,000 since november clearing roads. that's more than a third of its annual budget. >> a literary classic is making its way to the digital age.

"to kill a macing bird" will be released as an e book. the author is excited for her book to reach a new generation of readers. consider ago recent poll, more than half of americans are e reader fans. you can expect to find it hitting ipads and kindles. >> you are looking at the cast of the new star wars movies, markham mill, harrison ford, carrie fisher, c3po, r2d2 will be back. adam driver and harry potter actor are in the cast. it is the seventh in the popular series directed by lost producer and star trek director.

>> so much hype around that movie. that will do it for this edition of aljazeera america. >> have a great morning.

this is al jazeera. ♪ hello there, welcome to the news hour, i'm laura kyle in doha with our top stories. iraqis make their mark as millions vote in an election that will shape the country's future. at least 30 people, mainly children are reported dead after an air strike on a school in syria's biggest city. pro-russian separatists take control