>> 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 >> we haven't seen any indications that they are pulling back their troops. >> word leaders are skeptical of russia's pledge to pull troops back as pro russian accept are a activities are in eastern ukraine. >> the search for hundreds of school girls in nigeria is intense filing, shine ago spotlight on human trafficking around the globe.

>> six months after the typhoon, millions in the philippines are struggling to recover. >> college football stars getting ready to punch their tickets to the pros, the big money behind the nfl draft. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm del walters. >> after months of escalating violence between russia and ukraine that some believe be pushing the two nations closer to war, it appears russian president maybe putting on the brakes. >> he said he would pull russian troops and changed his tune on the elections and referendum in several cities. pro russian forces havioned putin's request saying sunday's wrench comes will go on as planned. kievs leaders as well as american and nato officials taking a wait and see approach to putin's latest declarations. >> on the same day russia displayed its military might in

red square, inside the kremlin, president vladimir putin grabbed the most attention with a series of surprising announcements, including the withdrawal of 40,000 troops amassed along ukraine's border. >> we're always told that our forces on the ukrainian border are a concern. we are withdrawing them. today they are not on the ukrainian border. they are in places where they conduct their regular tasks and training grounds. >> the u.s. and nato are taking his statements with caution, saying satellite images show the russian troops have not budged. >> let me assure you that if we get visible evidence that they are actually pulling back their troops, i would be the very first to welcome it. >> a political solution is what president putin's he wants. he has come out against a referendum set to take place, calling for independence in parts of eastern ukraine, but

the leader of pro russian fighters occupying the government building in donetsk said putin can't give instruction. >> putin called it a move in the right direction that should proceed. the change in tone comes as the obama administration ha ramped up talk of additional sanctions, triggered by any attempts by russia to disrupt the may 25 elections. >> supporters on each side of the crisis have varying views of their country. a new research shows that 77% of ukrainians, including russian speakers prefer a unified country. 14% think regions within the country should have the option

to secede. 41% approve of the interim government's performance. >> 92% of russians surveyed have a favorable view of the country, 83% approve of putin's handling of world affairs. 23% have a positive view of the u.s. >> we have the details of the referendum vote, jonah reports from donetsk. >> the council has decided to go ahead with the wrench did you mean this sunday. that was announced by the chairman of the people's republic, saying he respected the attempt by president putin to try and calm the situation, to find a solution for the situation, but he said with

increasing violence in the east and south of the country with the ukrainian army carrying out what he called the criminal orders of kiev, there was no choice. he said we are the hand of the people and the people's will must be respected. he then handed the microphone to somebody who is described as the head of the central election commission of the people's republic of kiev, saying the referendum would be carried out. he said according to international storms and standards, on a matter of principle, if we had not gone ahead with this referendum, we would have lost the trust of the simple people. the contra occasions are are is that this movement, there is no formal structure at all, so no way of monitoring the result or the veracity of whatever result is announced after may 11.

>> reporting from donetsk, aukraine. >> thailand has indicted the former prime minister over a controversial rice buying scheme. the senate could impeach her and ban her from power for five years. she has faced months of protest across the country calling for her to resign. we're going to talk to richard butler, the former australian ambassador to thailand about the ongoing turmoil in bangkok. >> rebels have blown up a military base in the hard hit city of aleppo in syria. the carlton hotel was used by government troops, along with several other buildings in the area. the rebels used underground explosives. this same hotel was the target of an attack in february. it is unclear how many casualties there were in today's attack. both sides in the syrian war

maybe investigated for war crimes. the obama administration pushed for an investigation. the new resolution would allow the i.c.c. to investigate alleged criminal acts committed by syrian authorities and rebel groups. so far, the 15 nation council approved prefers investigations for libya and darfur in sudan. >> amnesty international saying both sides in sudan have committed war crimes and violated human rights, saying the abuses began in december when the conflict began, finding cell tons, and dozens of mass graves. civilians have been massacred in the very places they south ref final, including u.n. com pounds, ammonis city international saying both sides target the civilians for their ethnicity and perceived political affiliations. this wednesday, the government promised a one month suspension of attacks on rebel forces. the president and rebel leader

both expected to meet face-to-face on friday for peace talks. >> the u.s., england, china and france are all joining the search for the missing school girls in nigeria. more than 200 girls were abducted by the armed rebel group boko haram which has threatened to sell the children. also accused of launching a deadly attack on a village earlier this week, leaving thee hundred dead. president obama said members were following their darkest impulses. the kidnappings have been sparking protests in nigeria and around the world. wednesday, nigerian government officials defended their response to the situation. >> it's unfair to this government to say that we have somehow resisted assistance from the international community. all the way, the government of nigeria has solicited for assistance and cooperation and

support of the international community. >> the pakistani school girl who survived being shot by the taliban is speaking out on behalf of the kidnapped girls, saying the world must respond to the kidnapping. she terms the bbc if we remain silent, this will happen more and more. >> the kidnappings are spreading talk about violence against women. lisa stark reports on how human rights groups are fighting to get the girls back home. >> the protests are growing, the pressure is growing to find the young nigerian school girls, teenagers whose only crime was to try to get an education. as amnesty international offices in washington, d.c., they fear the girls are facing daily violence, including sexual violence. >> i'm very concerned about their safety, about the nearly 300 girls that have been missing

for three weeks with no action to release them. >> another group, women for women international is on the ground in nigeria and seven our countries, working to empower women. those they help are rattled, even though they're not in the area where the girls were taken. >> devastation and frustration, as you can imagine or all people in nigeria. it's incredibly frustrating to see that this is happening and not being able to move quickly and do something themselves. >> the kidnapping of so many young women at the same time from the same place has caught the world's attention. >> i really hope that this unfortunate incident and what's happening now can really continue to open people's eyes to what women are facing around the world every day, to the violence against young women and girls that is common. >> 35% of women worldwide have

experienced abuse by their partner, or sexual violence by someone other than their partner. >> violence against women is called a global health problem of epidemic proportions. >> sexual violence has long gone hand-in-hand with conflicts and wars but in the early 1990's after the systemic rape of tens of thousands of women in bosnia, such violence became an official war crime, a crime against humanity. >> we've seen people taken to the international courts because of the perpetration of violence. >> to end sexual violence requires cultural changes, education, economic opportunity and raising the status of women, no easy task in many countries. for now, though, the international outcry is focused firmly on the kidnapped school

girls and the effort to find them. lisa stark, aljazeera, washington. >> first lady michelle obama tweeting a picture of herself with the #bringourgirlsback, joining more than 1 million people showing support on twitter. coming up at 7:30, we're going to talk about the situation and the rise of boko haram approximate the former ambassador to nigeria. >> the c.e.o. that owned the south korean ferry that capsized was arrested. he did nothing to stop it from leaving port despite knowing it was overloaded.

>> an egyptian born cleric defending himself in new york city, taking the witness stand denying charges of support be trim. federal prosecutors say he trained to create an al-qaeda corn in oregon. the london born cleric became well known for his hate filled speeches at his mosque. >> a conservative watchdog group claiming the white house still holding secret documents on benghazi showing a false narrative created after the attack on benghazi libya. the letter was discovered explaining its rationale for not releasing those documents, coming as the house decides whether to form a committee to investigate the attack. >> house republicans are holding a former i.r.s. official in

contempt of congress, low is lerner refused to answer questions about her alleged involvement in targeting tea party groups seeking tax exempt status. the contempt resolution asks the justice department to seek criminal prosecution against lerner. the house is requesting that a special council investigate the i.r.s. scandal. >> some states in northern parts of the midwest are facing a severe weather risk today. >> for more, let's bring in meteorologist nicole mitchell. good morning. >> good morning. april, may are our big months for severe weather, but more typically is what we call tornado alley, more into the central plains. to see the risk this far north, a little more typical in june. this is a little earlier in the season for places like minnesota and iowa. here's the broad picture. you can see the area of moisture through the central united states. we had that disturbance stuck in place for a couple of days finally getting movement, picking up more moisture and

enough heat energy with this system that we'll definitely see more storms. we saw a number of those yesterday with wind and hail the primary risk. already showers this morning and you're not imagining that. on the backside of this in parts of montana and wyoming, seeing snow that could shift into south da kucinich at a or nebraska, cold air behind the system. >> the moisture today, just snow on the backside, most of this is rain. the heaviest parts of oklahoma and texas. unfortunately, the eastern side of those two states, because once you get into north texas, we have extreme drought conditions. it would be nice to get more of the rain just a little further to the west. looking closer as where we expect the severe weather, anywhere under the yellow is a slight risk, the green are thunderstorms. the best chance of moderate risk, minnesota and iowa, wind and hail the primary risk, watch for areas of hail, not ruling out isolated tornadoes, as well.

the moisture for the rest of the day, you can see this moving in and all the way southward, watching for some of that. also want to point out you've seen the latter frames of this, moisture moving into the west coast. looks like we'll be watching for kind of an increase in the pattern there, as well. back to you guys. >> west coast wouldn't mind some of that. >> they can use it, yes. >> thank you. >> it has been six months since typhoon haiyan slammed into the philippines, killing 6,000 people and changing the lives of millions of those who survived. as we report, many filipinos are still struggling to recover. >> survivors of typhoon haiyan say they want to be heard. here, farmers are upset about just how long the recovery in their towns is taking. they accuse the local government of being slow. they still need emergency assistance. >> i think everybody is

recovered. >> farmers going hungry. we need food, shelter, we need to be given capital to clean our farms, gasoline, seed links. this is like second haiyan for us. we are unable to do anything at all. >> his sentiments are repeated 100 times over. across the island, most fishermen have repaired their boats and gone back to sea. they are catching far pure fish. around 14 million people were affected when the strongest typhoon to ever make landfall struck the philippines last

november. over 6,300 people were killed and over a thousand still missing. for many survivors, finding decent housing remains a pressing concern. >> more than 2 million people are still living without adequate shelter. most of them are living in tents, still hoping for help with rebuilding their homes. >> access to basic services like water and sanitation is also a problem. schools have reopened, but around 1.7 million children remain displaced, living in disaster zones where they are vulnerable to exploitation. >> why do we have six months later, a population who wants to take their destinies in their hand, proud to conserve whatever is left of their dignity after being so much beaten up by the typhoon six months ago. >> there are signs of

improvement. it's no longer an emergency, but a recovery. for many survivors, that isn't good enough. aljazeera, philippines. >> an official with the international red cross said it may take more than three years before the recovery effort there is complete. >> it is a new kind of war on drugs, drugs that are especially dangerous and very easy to get. >> despite taking a bunch of those synthetic drugs off the street this week, law enforcement said they may be chasing their tails to stop them. >> they come into my house, burn my house, break everything inside my house, that's better for me than taking my daughter. >> anguish for the mothers of the daughters kidnapped in nigeria. they still feel abandoned despite the support from parents around the world. >> $58 billion is today's big number. >> who stands to make that much money off of a $20 million investment.

>> the sun rising right now, that's fort myers florida, 70 degrees already, 7:00 in the morning on the east coast. wow. it would be nice to be down there. r

>> alibaba's i.p.o. poised to make a lot of money. today's big number, $58 billion. >> that's exactly how much could be gained from early investment in the tiny he commerce startup. >> in 2000, he added alibaba to a portfolio including sprint and yahoo japan, investing $20 million, giving him a 34% stake in the company. >> not bad if you can get it. amazon shoppers will soon be able to get their goods sooner, delivering packages on sunday. the program is going to expand to 15 cities, including philadelphia, austin, texas, new

orleans and cincinnati. amazon saying sunday delivery will be veil for customers at no extra charge. colorado lawmakers running the first marijuana banking system, similar to credit unions. the state legalized recreational marijuana in january, but businesses are oftenned by the big banks and forced to operate mostly in cash. the banks are worried about getting in trouble, because while pot maybe legal in colorado, it's still a federal crime. the federal reserve as you might expect has to sign off on the plan. >> the drug enforcement administration is cracking down on so-called synthetic drugs. the d.e.a. has made more than 150 arrests in 25 states since january, including a big sweep yesterday. we explain why the pressure is on to take drugs like man made marijuana off the streets. >> synthetic drugs have been a staple of the clubbing scene for years in cities like may be with

the k2, spice and bat colts the most well known. the amphetamine like drugs are mostly made in asia and sold legally in stores in pacts like this, as herbal in sense or poe poor re. >> patients come in combative, psychotic, difficult to control, many times have to be put on life support in order to control them. >> between 2010 and 2011, visits to emergency rooms due to synthetic drug complications more than doubled to 28,500. one of these so called designer drugs, synthetic marijuana is popular among young people. according to a university of michigan study, one in nine high school seniors used it in 2012, putting it just below marijuana and hashish in popularity. dr. randy cast is the e.r. director at regional memorial hospital in hollywood, florida. he said the danger of these synthetic drugs is no one knows

exactly how the combination of compounds being cooked up in a lab will affect the body. on top of that, each time the federal government bans one the product, the makers modify the recipe, change the name and back on the market itself. >> the d.e.a. just can't keep you have the with the number of different compounds out there, so some of not listed as controlled substances. >> many seized are not expressly prohibited, but adopting the drugs to be categorized as controlled substances. since the beginning of the year, d.e.a. have been raiding,s, warehouses and homes across the country, seizing synthetic drugs and arresting people. agents conducted raised in 28 states wednesday. the d.e.a. said prosecutions are rising witness agencies across the country adapt to the rapidly evolving landscape of the designer drug industry. aljazeera, miami. >> coming in our next hour, how

the money from these synthetic drugs has been traced to the middle east, plus the effort to stop the spread of the man made narcotics. >> we want to check temperatures across the country. fort myers, florida, 71 degrees. >> meteorologist nicole mitchell is here. doesn't look like that across the nation. >> no, depending on what side of the dividing line you're on this morning, we definitely have colder temperatures behind a front coming through. ahead of that, chicago, 69, very warm this morning. 34 in billings. we get a closer look at the midwest, rapid city andoma 63 versus 33, the 33 supporting snow this morning in rapid city. i have a lot of friends in the area, everyone's sick of the snow at this point. through the day, big temperature contrast, depending where you are. back to you. >> she did say snow. >> she did. >> heartbreak and anger as the

search continues for those missing school girls down in nigeria. >> i just feel like killing myself. >> as one mother worries about her daughter, parents around the world show their support, including the first lady, michelle obama. >> an out of control driver sends people running for their lives. why police say he did it on purpose, trying to run down people in his way. >> high school boys in trouble for the way they pitched their prom dates. >> they actually held an nfl style draft. >> oh, no. oh, no. [ laughter ]

>> good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm del walters. >> straight ahead, nigeria still dealing with the abduction of those school girls, playing host to a major international event

the economic forum. >> the nfl draft and how those dollars break down. >> also ahead in our next half hour, american high school seniors getting low marks for reading and math. we'll talk about how student performances are getting worse. >> despite calls from russian president vladimir putin to delay this weekend's vote, pro russians in eastern ukraine plan to move forward with the referendum for out my. putin called for a pullback of his troops, word leaders saying there is no indication that is happening yet. >> south korean authorities have detained the leader of the ferry company, saying he knew it was overweight with cargo but allowed it to leave port. >> the armed rebel group boko haram is accused of killing villagers in the same area they

kidnapped 270 school girls last month. france and china are assisting with the search for those missing girls. there are no plans for u.s. combat troops to hit the ground. >> votes are being counted in south africa's general election, results pouring in. for more, we go to pretoria. mr. zuma is leading despite problems. why is that? >> well, the african national congress is seen as the party that helped in apartheid. imagine you live in a country whereby you're treated badly because of the color of your skin by a minority. older people haven't forgotten that, and make sure their

children haven't forgotten. they still have a lot of support because people are still loyal to the a.n.c. that loyalty and that support could change if people feel the a.n.c. is taking too long to deliver on promises to the poor. right now in this selection, it does look like the a.n.c. definitely is leading. >> they are expected to win by just a margin, which makes this interesting. what does this say about the future of south africa, and are there other parties waiting in the wings so to speak? >> that's the key thing about the selection. people expect the a.n.c. to win the national vote. the question is by what margin. in 2009, they won 65% of the vote. if they get less than that this time around, it could be a wake up call for the leadership. the new kid on the block, economic freedom fighters are doing well in the selection, so those not happy with the ruling

party seem to be voting for the smaller opposition party. when it could mine is that the a.n.c. has to pull up its socks for future elections. if it doesn't deliver quickly to the poor who are angry and frustrated, they could lose support in future elections. >> also in pretoria, former olympic star oscar pistorius is back on trial for killing his girlfriend. they are putting together a time line of events leading up to the shooting. autopsy results show there was still food in her stomach when her body was found. prosecutors say that contradicts oscar pistorius's saying that they ate eight hours earlier. >> the parents of the kidnapped school girls in nigeria are

outraged by the government claiming the a be duckies never happened. >> a traumatized mother, esther hasn't come to terms with the abduction of her 15-year-old daughter. she still thinks it's a bad dream she'll awake from. her daughter is among the over 270 girls taken by cocoa has ram fighters. more than three weeks on, they remain missing. >> i prefer that you go into my house, burn my house, break everything inside of my house, that would be better for me than taking my daughter, even taking my life, at that moment, i think i'm satisfied more than taking my daughter away. i'm not happy at all. i just feel like killing myself. >> most of the families in this once vibrant community, for them, life will never be the same. homes and government offices were set on fire by the

attackers, but the sharpest pain inflicted on the people was here, at the girls' secondary school. >> a month ago, this school was full of life, hundreds of girls here were looking forward to fulfilling their dreams, and now it lies in radio ins antgirls all gone. >> their attackers came before midnight and bundled more than 300 girls on trucks before taking them into the forest. 33 of them escaped. among them, this girl, who's father insists we hide her identity, fearing she might be targeted especially after the arrest of protestors in the nigerian capitol. >> after they attacked the town, they then took us to their camp. i and three other girls lied to them, saying that we needed to use the toilet. that is how we ran away. they chased us, but we kept running. >> there is a sense of fear in the community, but people are outraged at the suggestion that

the abduction never took place. >> this is not only baffling and amazing, but heartbreaking that the initial tragedy, a global calamity is being politicized. >> the news that some foreign powers is underway there are, but the tragedy long lasting. >> robin sanders is the former ambassador to nigeria. we toll osies for the satellite delays. any notion that this may be a concocted story, your reaction to that. >> i think that doesn't have any base, certainly it is not a

concocted story. there's enough evidence to really underscore that not only has this happened, but that there's enough reaction to the tragedy that shows that there's a commitment and a galvanization of the nigerian nation to try to get these girls back. >> while nigeria's military was supposed to be looking for these girls, boko haram attacks and kills at least 300 more people in the small town, how can this happen and is this an indication that the government has no control over the northern part of nigeria? >> there's a number of things at play here. it's a big area, and i think that from the west, we can forget how large this area is. the military is stretched pretty thin in a number of place and i think you have so many soft targets that they're going to have to really look at a way of

trying to coalesce these soft targets so that they all are better protected by police and military. the situation here is very serious, everyone here quite galvanized. i'm really, really happy that the nigerian government has accepted the assistance from the united states government. there's a lot we can do to help them try to address not only the general security issues in the north but really try to help them find the girls that were abducted. >> you say that the resources are stretched thin, and this is the question a lot of people are asking. with such a tragedy taking place, should the world economic forum meeting in nigeria this week, should that have been canceled and what does that say about the priorities of the nigerian government? >> >> i've heard that comment since

i've been here and i'm on the other side of that discussion. i think the forum should have continued. these are the issues that are being discussed here, as well. i don't think the forum should have been postponed. i think that it really brings focus to the challenges that nigeria's facing in the security area and i think it's gal vannized the world leaders that are here, galvanized the participants that are here and i think that all of us need to come together in the international community, because this is first and foremost a human rights issues for these young girls and i think that all of us that are focused on human rights issues really realize just how important it is for the entire international community to help nigeria, not only contain the security situation in the north, but work with them as partners to try and find a way to get these girls back. >> miss sanders in this world of cell phones, satellites and drones, it is hard for many to fathom that 300 girls are still

missing. are you confident at this point in time that these girls will be found? >> i think that it's a real challenge for the security apparatus here to find the girls. unfortunately, three weeks has passed, but there are a lot of resources that still can be used. the border control for me is one of the biggest issues, better check points and really making sure that soft targets are better protected. i think that all of us really desire in our hearts for these girls to be able to come back. i am worried a bit that maybe some of them have been taken across the border and i think that we need to work with the neighbors of nigeria, cameroon, chad, any injury to work with their intelligence services to see what they can do to help identify where these girls might be if they are in their countries with that you're right, there's a lot of

technology that can be used to help in this situation. i that those are the resources that the united government has offered. the united kingdom has offered resores, china has offered resources, so a lot of technology i think is going to be brought to bare to better not only surveil the border areas, but better increase their check points. i was in the north on saturday, and sunday of this last week, and there are a lot of things that i noticed with my security hat on that maybe they could do better in terms of using technology to check vehicles, to check for bomb detection and to use some of the new technology at some of these very, very sensitive check points. i think these things are very, very important and partners like the u.s. are bringing these materials to bear and to assist nigeria. >> robin sanders, former u.n. ambassador to nigeria.

>> thailand's ousted prime minister has been indicted for her role in a controversial rice subsidy plan coming one day after she was thrown out of office for abuse of power. she faces an impeachment vote from senate which could ban her from politics for five years. the administration's been dogged by corruption allegations. here to discuss the prime minister's ouster is richard butler, former action bat door to thailand and permanent representative to the united nations. you've held many international positions, but you've been in thailand recently. give us context here. this is the third time since 2006 that a prime minister representing her brother's government has been removed by court order. help us understand why this keeps happening.

>> two reasons, stephanie, the country is divided, heavily divided between a more educated and prosperous in bangkok and north and northeast, mainly rural. the tension between those two is an abiding fact of thai politics. the north believe they don't get a fair shake from bangkok. the second reason is the key one here, the actions of the family of the former prime minister is the latest iteration. that family has walked its way through thai politics for over a decade now in a transapparently corrupt way, buying votes through the rice subsidy program, among many other things i could mention, too. >> but vote buying is one of the allegations that comes up over and over again. >> absolutely. >> especially given that their support base tends to be poor. how does her ouster affect the power dynamics in thailand. >> i'm not sure it does.

their fundamental need is to get their democracy to work a whole lot better than it does now. it is deeply corrupted, in particular through what the family has done, and they need to find a way of changing that. they need to find a way of conducting elections which is closer to something like representative democracy. >> she was removed by the judicial branch of the thai government, so is the judiciary independent, and is that a good thing? >> oh, independence has many variation, but on the whole, i think it probable is, but this decision, i fear, is a flawed one, because of all of the things that they could have said from the bench, the court bench, they dwelled on -- >> the government appointee. >> which of course, the prime minister has a right to do.

that's why the court decision will be seen in political firms. that's why i think we will see trouble on the streets again and will the army intervene like it has in the past. >> what about the king? >> the king is so revered and important, in the past when i was ambassador there, on one occasion, a coup was underway and he stepped forward and said stop this. stop this. >> where has he been? >> he's deeply ill and has been for a few years now. people don't know when the end will come. when it does, there will be a very, very deep sadness in thailand but there will be i suggest and fear the political problem. but in the meantime, i think this decision will lead to more trouble in the streets and the first question will be what will the military do. i think the king will probably not be able to do much, however

they will try to make the election system fairer. >> thank you for your insight's this morning. >> good to be here. >> frogs that could give fred astaire a run for his money. why scientists are worried it may be their last dance. it is our discovery of the day. >> the future of professional football gathering here in the big apple, the annual nfl draft beginning today. openly gay player michael sam is on the list. why he isn't likely to go in the first round.

rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america >> time for another check of the national forecast with nicole mitchell. >> a few areas we're watching the rain this morning, including a band moving through the northeast overnight. you might want the umbrella. should clear more into the afternoon hours. midsection of the country is where things are going to pop.

i'll talk more about that severe weather coming up and the potential. even on the backside of this, we have winter advisories for two to six inches of snow possible, parts of south dakota and getting into member and moor rain moving in the northwest. the season hasn't started yet, but rain coming this morning to places in mexico and the tropical area that could develop, from one of my favorite movies, del, that location. >> name that movie. >> one of the bond movies, wasn't it? >> "shawshank redemption." >> football fans gearing up for one of sports biggest nights, millions of dollars at stake when the nfl draft kicks off right here in new york city. these days, the draft is getting almost as much attention as the games. >> inside radio city, it's a high stakes spectacle, 250 college athletes looking to cash in and become overnight

millionaires. a simple move up or down the list can mean millions in salary gains or lost, and big bucks for the respective teams. this year, the houston texasens own the number one overall pick, but where will johnny manziel go in the draft, the brash, heisman trophy winner electrified on the college gridiron at texas a&m but can he dominate in the nfl? >> nothing's changed. continue to get better every day and through this off-season and through this process, yeah, it's to try and put myself in the best position possible to get drafted. at the same time, i want to be good and continue to get better as a player. >> experts agree he'll be a top tin pick. one well to do texas a and m alum is pressuring the houston texans to pick him number one overall, putting bill boards up all over houston, a key to keep johnny football in texas. >> i'm hoping i can convince the

texans ownership to draft him. i don't want to go to cleveland or any of the other places considering him. it would be great if he could play in houston. >> south carolina's clooney is a gifted athlete at 6'6", 270 pounds, a defensive end with speed of a wide receiver. >> michael sam made national headlines for coming on in february. now the former missouri player is hope to go make history by becoming the first openly gay player to be drafted and then play in the nfl. >> just wish you guys would see me as michael sam the football player instead of michael sam the gay football player. i want to play whoever picks me up as a defensive end or outside linebacker to rush that passer, because that's what i do best. >> sam is expected to be a mid to late round pick. number pace like being number one. this year's overall top pick is

slated to receive a $24 million contract, including a $15 million signing bonus. not bad for a kit just out of college. let the games begin. the first round of the nfl draft gets underway tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern time at radio city music hall in new york city and wraps up on saturday with rounds four through seven. ross shimabuku, aljazeera. >> robert bolan is the chair of sports management at new york university and a former nfl agent. walk us through the numbers and money tied to the draft. first of all, much money are we talking about on a number one pick versus a number two. >> you start to think about a million dollars from the first pick to the second pick in signing bonus and then it will drop a million for each successive pick. the last player picked in the first round will get a signing bonus for $4 million, so a spread of $20 million.

>> that's cash, what we get up front for the signing bonus. >> it's spread out a little bit, but that's guaranteed. >> michael sam could be the first openly picked gay player. do you see him being picked in the high rounds and what happens if he doesn't get drafted? >> i don't see him picked in the high rounds at all, but that's positionual and football related, not related at all to his sexuality. he is alleges undersized outside linebacker, modest combine workout and ok pro day workout. >> he's still going to put a lot of bodies in the seats. >> you hope he would. the question is if he's drafted in the sixth, seventh round or be a priority for a free agent afterwards. i used to hope my players weren't drafted late so i could choose a team that wants them. >> 78% of the players declare bankruptcy within five years

after being drafted. what does that say about whether players are ready for that money. >> it's very true they're not ready for the money and also the pay structure. football players are usually paid in 18 game checks during the season, the bulk of their salary unless they get off-season signing beanos. it's very hard for a young person to budget a year round getting paid something in the neighborhood of a million dollars a week. >> should we be taking a look at managers who allow these players, so many of them going bankrupt? >> we should look at that and look at how the pay structure works in sports. plenty of people take money away from players. that is a cottage industry around the world. i saw agents that do that. we should look at how we pay players, defer money to help them get through the years after their career. >> robert bolan, thank you very much, former agent himself.

>> it is time now for our discovery of the day. they're called dancing frogs. scientists discovered 14 new species of them in the mountains of southern india. only the male frogs actually dance. it's a unique breeding behavior called foot flagging. they stretch their leg out to attract female frogs. the male frogs outnumber the ladies nearly 100-1, sue there is a lot of competition for affections. they are the size of a walnut. scientists worry they are endangered, because the naturally wet environment where they live has been drying up. >> have you ever wondered what the beginning of the universe looked like? there is a reenactment, showing how the universe looked 12 million years after the big bang, right up until today, some 14 billion years later. it includes exploding gas

clouds, block holes and countless stars. scientists describe it as one of the most complex computer models ever created, taking super computers six months to complete, it would have taken the average desk to be 2,000 years to do the same thing. >> i'm still stuck on the dancing frog. >> you should try that move. to headlines around the world, the associated press says nintendo is refusing to ad same sex activities to one of its games. >> it's a virtual game and has people paired up, so people in the same sex community said they wanted to have same-sex couples paired up, but the video game makers said no, we're not going to do that. it has created a fire storm. >> it's raised issues about localized games. same sex is illegal in japan. >> carson city officials are

pushing to make bullying a crime. they are not going to lock anybody up, but convicted teens, found guilty of bullying can face misdemeanor charges. >> it will be the first in the country if it passes, raising questions about whether legislators should be deciding what a bully is. >> tonight is the annual nfl draft. some southern california high school kids maybe taking it too far. boys thought it was a good idea to choose prom dates by holding an nfl style draft. >> which goes to show whenever you think the dean agers cannot do something dumber, they do. >> they do. >> they do. >> u.s. officials are accusing israel of going touser, spying on america. we'll tell you what this could mean for the future relationship between two allies. >> america's high school seniors not getting the passing grade when it comes to math and reading, the rim effect on how children are taught in this country.

>> we are back with more in just two minutes. we're leaving you with a live look at prague.

>> you followed their journey across the border >> it was heart wrenching... >> now see how it changed the lives of the people involved. >> i didn't go back to the person that i was before i left... >> an emotional borderland reunion >> this trip was personal to me... this is real...

>> long held beliefs >>...illegal in mexico too.. >> learn the language! come here... >>...most ridiculous thing i've heard in my life >> tested by hard lived truths... >> these migrants are being exploited >> beyond borderland... only on al jazeera america

>> good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm del walters. after months of violence between russia and ukraine that some believe has been pushing them closer to war, it now appears russia's president, vladimir putin is putting on the brakes. >> putin turned heads saying wednesday he will pull russian troops from the ukraine border and changed his tune on ukraine elections. pro russian forces havionednd ps request, saying sunday's votes will go on as planned. nato officials are taking a wait and see approach to putin's latest declarations. >> on the same day russia displayed its military might in moscow's red square, inside the kremlin, president putin had

surprising announcements. >> he said he would pull russian troops and changed his tune on the elections and referendum in several cities. pro russian forces havioned putin's request saying sunday's wrench comes will go on as planned. kievs leaders as well as american and nato officials taking a wait and see approach to putin's latest declarations. >> on the same day russia displayed its military might in red square, inside the kremlin, president vladimir putin grabbed the most attention with a series of surprising announcements, including the withdrawal of 40,000 troops amassed along ukraine's border. >> we're always told that our forces on the ukrainian border are a concern. we are withdrawing them. today they are not on the ukrainian border. they are in places where they conduct their regular tasks and training grounds. >> the u.s. and nato are taking his statements with caution, saying satellite images show the russian troops have not budged. >> let me assure you that if we get visible evidence that they

are actually pulling back their troops, i would be the very first to welcome it. >> a political solution is what president putin's he wants. he has come out against a referendum set to take place, calling for independence in parts of eastern ukraine, but the leader of pro russian fighters occupying the government building in donetsk said putin can't give instruction. >> putin is not the president of donetsk. he can't give us orders and instructions. >> as for the upcoming election in ukraine, an election with no pro russian presidential candidates, putin calls is a mover in the right direction that should proceed. the change in tone comes as the obama administration has ramped up talk of additional sanctions, triggered by any attempts by russia to disrupt the may 25 elections. >> as we mentioned at the top, accept are a activities in donetsk are animate the elections will go ahead. >> the people's republic of donetsk decided to go ahead with the referendum scheduled may 11, this coming sunday. we've just come from a press

conference that was announced by the chairman of the people's re. , saying he respected the attempt by president putin to try to calm the situation, find a solution, but he said with the ukrainian army carrying out what he called the criminal orders of kiev, there was no choice. he said we are the hand of the people and the people's will must be respected. he then handed the microphone to somebody described as the head of the central election commission of the people's re public have donetsk, saying 3 million ballot papers have been printed, everything set to go for sunday's referendum. it would be carried out he said according to international norms and standards. he said on a matter of principle, if we had not gone ahead with this referendum, we would have lost the trust of the simple people. the contra occasions are that this movement is very much a minority here. however, there are no monitors

to watch what is going on. there is no government structure involved here, no normal structures at all, no way of monitoring the result for veras city of whatever is announced may 11. >> reporting from donetsk, ukraine. >> the search for nigerian school girls has become an international effort. armed group boko haram has claimed responsibility and threatening to sell the girls, also accused of launching a deadly attack on a village earlier this week, leaving 300 dead. the kidnappings have sparked protests in nigeria and around the world. last night in los angeles, president obama condemned the kidnappers. >> we only need to look at today's headlines, the devastation of syria, the murders and kidnappings in

nigeria, the sect arian conflict, the tribal conflicts, to see that we have not yet extinguished man's darkest impulses. >> police in nigeria are now offering a $300,000 reward for anyone who can lead them to the kidnapped school girls. >> according to our report by foreign policy, the obama administration is backing france when it pushes for that investigation. the new resolution would also allow the i.c.c. to investigate alleged criminal acts that are committed by both side, so far,

the 15 nation council has improved investigations for libya and darfur in sudan. >> two days of talks over iran's nuclear program have wrapped up in new york city, top iranian officials met with leaders from six nations, including the u.s. one said there was a deep divide over the future of iran's atomic exhibits. western countries believe iran has worked toward developing a nuclear weapon, tehran saying it is peaceful and generated for power. the next round of talks are set for vienna next week. >> investigators found cell he tons and mass graves in south sudan, civilians massacred where they south ref final, including u.n. compounds. firms from both sides expected to meet friday for peace talks. we're going to be meeting some of the people caught up in this conflict, including survivors of that violence.

>> prosecutors have detained the head of the company that owns the ferry which capsized last month in south korea, killing hundreds. authorities believe the companies president was aware the ferry exceeded its cargo limit but did not stop it from leaving port. four employees have already been indicted. more than 260 people died in the disaster, 35 victims still missing. >> more rain and afghanistan prompting fears of yet another landslide, more than 2,000 people buried in that mud last friday. those who survived last week's disaster now preparing for the worst. we have the latest from afghanistan. >> survivors of the landslide have suffered a terrible night. there's been heavy rains, intense winds, so strong that some of their tents blew away and the temperature has dropped considerably. as you can imagine, the situation here has become even

more miserable than it was. many people telling us that they are afraid that this rain, if it continues, will trigger another landslide and that this time, they will lose their lives. so the situation here frankly very difficult for the people who have been displaced by this landslide, although there is aid here, the distribution and the coordination remains quite chaotic, people saying they are not getting the help they need nearly one week after this huge landslide. >> a conservative watchdog group claiming the white house is still withholding secret documents on benghazi. judicial watch alleges the documents reveal how obama administrators created a false narrative the day after that attack on the consulate in benghazi, libya, saying the information was discovered in a letter from the justice democratic explaining its

rationale for not releasing those documents. it comes as a decision will be made to appoint a committee to investigate the attack. >> low is lerner refused to answer questions about her alleged involvement for the i.r.s. targets groups seeking exempt status. the white house is suggesting the i.r.s. be investigated. >> those recalled general motors cars still safe to drive, according to the department of transportation. some senators were calling on owners to be advised to park their cars, the department of transportation saying there is no need, saying g.m.'s actions are sufficient. they are recalling 2 million small cars across the country, replace be ignition situation that is shut off the engine and cut the power to the airbags. there have been at least 13 deaths related to this particular problem. >> the d.o.t. is now requiring

companies to tell state officials when they are moving large shipments of crude oil by rail. officials have been under pressure to respond to a series of oil by rail accidents, including one just last week in virginia. the dot is discouraging the use of older tanker cars. >> concern over net neutrality, google, facebook and amazon just some of the companies asking federal regulators to drop its plans to investigate web traffic regulators to be investigated. >> parts of the u.s. will face an increased risk of severe storms today. >> i think at one point, she's going to mention the dreaded snow word. let's turn now to nicole mitchell. >> seriously? snow? >> at least it's not for where you live, del, pretty much all

del cares about i think at this point, where you're getting it, you're not appreciating it very much. ed mitt section of the country has this system that's been plaguing us for the a couple of days with hot temperature, finally a little more energy, some draw from the gulf of mexico with moisture. we definitely have a dynamic system. the snowy side we're seeing, most of this is warm. it's when you get on the backside, places like rapid city, south dakota has been seeing snow this morning. it's very late in the season. everyone is like ok, enough already, it was a hard enough winter, we don't need this in the spring. because of dynamic temperatures and everything else with this system, we could see strong storms, the heaviest rain with all of this will be into texas, oklahoma, that corridor where we could get two or three inches of rain widespread, isolated spots more. it would be nice if there was a little farther to the west where we have extreme drought conditions, not looking like we're going to get that in parts

of north texas, for example. yesterday wind and hail the primary risk, isolated tornadoes, that could happen again today and moderate risk in minnesota and iowa. it's warm enough on this side of the storm, that's a little far north actually for this time of year. otherwise, through the rest of the day, we're going to see this develop and behind that, more into the northwest, as well. it's going to be a busy forecast for us out there. a lot going on, it's spring, a little bit of everything. >> busy weather day, nicole, mitchell, thank you. >> the egyptian born cleric is defending himself in federal court in new york city. he lost both of his hands in afghanistan, took the witness stand denying charges he supported terrorism. federal prosecutors say he tried to create an al-qaeda training camp in oregon and helped kidnap tourist it is in yes, ma'am anyone in 1998. he became known for hate filled speeches. his lawyer claims he was working

for the british secret service m15. >> lawyers for the accused boston marathon bomber asking a judge to strike evidence they say was taken without an attorney present. federal investigators question dzhokar tsarnaev while he was handcuffed to a hospital bed. they have asked for the death penalty to be taken off the table. the trial is set for november. >> there has been a major sweep of synthetic drug zealers on wednesday in several states. the d.e.a. is going after people who sell and make a popular but very dangerous man made drug. we have more on the nationwide crack down. >> the massive raid spread across 28 states. >> you don't always have to be moving big quantities or

suitcases of money for us to notice you. sometimes it is a river of poison that runs through just a few city blocks. just enough crack and heroin in a neighborhood. >> the drug includes molly and the synthetic marijuana called spice, more powerful and dangerous than the real thing. >> people lose their minds on this stuff. it really is a poison. >> we had a 14-year-old who smoked spice and hallucinated and thought he had demons inside of him and tried to cut it out with a chefs knife. >> the rage involved 45d.e.a. offices, 200 search warrants, 150 arrests, more than $20 million in cash and assets seized and hundreds of thousands of individually packaged ready to sell synthetic drugs. many of the drugs are sold on line and sold as bath salts or plant food to hide their real

purpose. >> they call it product synergy, federal and local agents seizing man made narcotics. their conclusion, synthetic drugs now reach nearly every corner of america. >> authorities say they traced the flow of the drug money to yemen, jordan, syria, lebanon and other sites in the middle east. aljazeera, chicago. >> a predawn fire at the home of a former tennis star ends with four dead. the mystery behind the motive and what police are doing to find the killers. >> he is not as strong as he used to be, and you get confused sometimes. >> there is a growing medical threat in parts of the u.s. that could be fatal. how extreme weather is increasing the chances of an airborne illness that is spreading.

>> what started as a civil debate erupting into a brawl. that video and other videos captured by our citizen journalists around the world.

>> aljazeera america. >> starting with a fire at a gas plant in the toronto area, a large explosion, a number of them actually, instagram user uploading this image of the fire balls erupts in ontario, one employee suffered non-life threatenle burns. >> coast guard releasing this video. this footage is of the court guard's rescue efforts as a ship sank. the group was attempting to across the sea from turkey at the time. >> a very heated debate erupting into a fight while being broadcast live on jordanian t.v. the two panelists were on a talk

show when one accused the other as bang deviate supporting the revolution, prompting the two men to do this struggle. looks like us during commercial breaks. >> obviously the conflict in syria, the tension spread to go neighboring country. >> sometimes the news gets so serious and it's nice to laugh at something. temperatures across the nation today with nicole mitchell. that was her in the middle. >> you would never do anything like that. >> i have moments i think about those things and i just eat more chocolate. >> you might want some chocolate, temperatures in the third's, we have snow in this part of the country, ahead of that, nice mild air is going to help influence severe weather for the day. a big contrast, 30's in one part of south dakota. you get to the opposite side of

the state and south into nebraska, you have 60. it's a big can frost, supporting areas we were mentioning with the snow. even into the high temperatures for today, 40's behind versus 80's ahead of all of this. looking at the rest of the country witness we go along, so the mississippi river is kind of one of our dividing lines, really warm air on the east side of this, anywhere up to washington, d.c. at 83 degrees, new york not quite as warm, we're under the influence of more rain this morning, cloud cover keeping it cool, but a lot cooler on the backside of this, including where we're going to get new rain, 58 degrees and seattle, definitely contrast. i think snow at this point, if del had to personally deal with it, caused that reaction. >> nicole mitchell, thank you. >> the family of a texas teen who killed four people during that drunk driving accident is now told he'll have to pay one victim $2 million. the case of 17-year-old ethan kouts gained notoriety when his

attorney saying his wealthy upbringing made him unaware of the consequences. $2 million will go to the injured teen in the crash. >> an airborne funk gal infection is called valley fever and the latest drought is making the situation worse. >> the sun beats down over the parched land in the third dry year for california. the weather has without unexpected consequences. for virginia, it first felt like the flu, but then she started walking slower, feeling confused and found herself unable to communicate. >> we were discussing one of our relative's son who place baseball. she said does he play boos ball, i said i don't know, dear. we thought she had a stroke.

>> it was valley fever, a disease caused by a soil fungus and in this part of rural california, a growing problem. it appears most frequently in the american southwest and what's troubling is the number of cases have shot up from some 2000 in 1998 to more than 22,000 in 2011. >> the wind out here picks up the dust carrying the if you know gal spores and with just one breath as you walk by, it's possible to contract valley fever. >> just one airborne spore kicked up from the soil can cause valley fever. scientists say climate change and a new dust bowl has spread the effection. most vulnerable are farm workers. for some, it comes and goes in weeks, but for the unlucky few, it becomes a life long illness. >> somewhere around 3% of all

patients infected with valley fever will develop into a chronic infection. they have like a chronic pneumonia, they lose a lot of lung tissue. >> the illness is difficult to treat. >> it is a slowly responsive to anti funk gal therapy compared to other infections we're used to manage. it requires two medications for severe cases. >> virginia's ordeal in and out of hospitals lasted seven months. >> you've lost sort of permanently 10 pounds in body weight and i'd say it's mostly muscle, so she's not anywhere near as strong as she used to be, and you get confused sometimes. >> but at least i know when i get confused, so that's good. [ laughter ] >> they still wonder where virginia got sick. she feels tired much of the time and for her, the battle with valley fever will never be completely over.

aljazeera, david, california. >> the federal centers for disease control estimates valley fever kills 160 people annually. >> we're supposed to be friends, but there's a new report out claiming israel is spying on the u.s. it's an explosive report some say will hurt the relations between the two countries, the so-called secrets they were allegedly trying to steal. >> a snapshot of american education leaves much to be desired. the national report card that understandably may have parents worried about their kids. >> it's called the most controversial rodeo in the world, it has nothing to do with animal rights, but everything to do with the cowboys who take part. some say they have no business being there. >> a look now at hour images of the day, and a look at the voting taking place around the world in key elections, including iraq, india and south africa. we'll get the latest on that contest as the governing african national congress looks to hold

on to power.

>> you're looking live at radio city music hall in new york city, the site of this year's nfl draft that kicks off at 8:00 p.m. eastern and houston texans have the first pick. that would be with all the umbrellas, the frozen and rainy tundra of new york. >> it's not that cold. >> welcome back. >> the u.s. finding itself possibly in another spying scandal, but this time it's on the receiving end allegedly of the eaves dropping by a major ally. >> a discovery in florida, police investigating the discovery of four family members found in a potential murder-suicide at a home owned by former tennis star. >> a new report on the crisis in south sudan, amnesty international said both sides are committing war crimes and violating basic human rights. we spoke with survivors who now

live in fear as civil war rages around them. >> entire towns burned to the ground, the fighting and destruction during the conflict in south sudan displaced more than a million people. in every place affected by the fighting, the bodies of the dead have been left in the open. fighting engulfed in december and spread around the country. peter has to live under the protection of the u.n. at a camp for the displaced. he's so afraid of retribution, we couldn't identify him. he was taken there after he survived the massacre of 300 men from his tribe. he was locked in a room with hundreds on the outskirts of the city without explanation. >> after it got dark, an armed soldier appeared in each window and doorway of the room. they fired at us from outside and when everything was quiet, came inside to look for the survivors. they went around the room with a torch, looking for people who

were moving and when they found them, they shot them dead. i hid under the corpses and pretended to be dead and they never found me. >> of the two or 300 men inside the room, only a dozen survived. most of the tribe now either live in the u.n. camp or fled the city. >> what began as the political contest between the president from the dinka tribe and former deputy who is nuar soon boiled into full blown conflict. there was an effort to protect the nature of the violence, but overtime, it was so widespread it wasn't possible. the destruction continued as territory changed hands from government to rebels and back again, in some cases five or six times. with each exchange, the controlled violence escalated with civilians not only affected, but targeted. in the town, aid workers found patients shot in their beds by rebel forces, taking the town

back from the government army. >> by april, other places of sanctuary were attacked and another massacre took place in a town. these victim were from darfur, perceived as loyal to government forces. days later, there was a reprisal attack. another massacre, another 46 people killed, this time in sight of u.n. peace keepers. >> what has happened, really, all of them have committed atrocities, each side have to be accountable. >> each attack brings reprise also and an escalation to the violence. the political leaders agreed to meet for peace talks, but the divisions between the tribes are so entrenched now that there are concerns a political solution won't stop the killings.

aljazeera, south sudan. >> leaders are expected to meet on friday. >> congress moving one step closer to banning the n.s.a.'s data collection program, the house committee voting unanimously to amendment the freedom act requiring the agency to get case by case approval for its collections, requiring the n.s.a. to apply for phone records only if there is a reasonable ground for that information. the bill now moves to the house floor for a full vote. >> tuesday, newsweek report that had u.s. intelligence officials are calling out israel for crossing the line when it comes to spying in the u.s. joining us to discuss how and why countries spy on one another is defense council member of the truman national security practice. thank for being with us. israel is considered one of the

u.s.'s strongest allies in the middle east. were you surprised by this report, which the foreign minister has said is baseless? >> not really. i think the united states intelligence committee has been well aware that allies make attemptses to collect intelligence using a variety of sources here in the united states. >> was there anything new to you in this report? the u.s. snows israel has speed in the past. that's why jonathan pollard was sentenced to life in prison in 1987. >> we haven't seen the actual report. we're looking at a newsweek story of a report, but in that, there's an allegation that israeli's were using their intelligence service for industrial espionage in an attempt to steal trade secrets and use that for future economic gain. certainly that would be something that would be frowned upon. we see much more of that from stark rivals, like russia and cline in a, who use their forel intelligence service to say steal trade secrets. >> why are industrial and technical secrets the red line, so to speak, when it comes to

the norms of international spying? >> i don't know that i would call them red lines but certainly in the united states, we have a very firm set of laws and standards in which we do not use the u.s. intelligence community to steal trade secrets. >> how do we know that? >> you have to take it as face value. there is no more firmly regulated set of intelligence agencies than those we have in the united states. >> during the german chancellor's visit to washington, the u.s. refused to sign that no spy agreement that had been discussed. how is the n.s.a. tapping of angela merkel's phone fit into all of this? does that go beyond the norm when it comes to spying? i am trying to figure out what is acceptable spying and what is not. >> it's a fair question. i think what we'll see with the wake of the n.s.a. spying, which was a peace of the gravest, most

dangerous set of leaks in national security history and there was some fallout from it. i think what we're going to see is a much closer alignment between angela merkel and president obama on friday, particularly in the face of russian aggression and ukraine and a much closer alliance as we see strays jacobives alined between germany and the united states. >> defense council member at the trough man national security project joining us from washington, thank you so much. >> the united states expressing concern over reports a chinese vessel is ramming vietnamese ships in the south china sea, the state department calling for restraint. the u.s. is asking both countries to conduct themselves in a safe and appropriate manner in accordance with international law. >> canceled classes in haiti

turning into clashes between students and police. >> the a.n.c. appears now to be headed for victory. early results from wednesday's election showing the african national congress is expected to hold power. that party came to power under the leadership of nelson mandela. it's been dogged by criticism over high unemployment. has the a.n.c. maintained its large lead despite allegations it's faced? >> it seems it has, because the

black majority see the a.n.c. as a positive heavy and are loyal to the party. that's why they keep voting for it. some people say realistically, 20 years of democracy, the a.n.c. is still seen as the party that has the interest of poor black people, so they still have lots of support. and they say if they take too long to deliver on promisees to the poor, they had see support become less in future elections. >> the a.n.c. is expected to win by a margin this time, not as big as in years past. what does this say about voters right now in south africa and the future of the country? >> it says people are getting frustrated, some of them at least. we've seen in recent weeks people protesting in poor neighborhoods, saying they need water, electricity, sanitation, decent housing. twenty years of democracy people are saying why are we still living in scall lower. we've seen opposition parties

come up with democratic alliance and freedom fighters promising to seize land in south africa. that could be buy a.n.c. accounted see a slight dip in support. >> in pretoria, former olympic scar oscar pistorius is on trial for killing his girlfriend. in court, prosecutors tried to put together a time line of events leading up to the shooting. autopsy results show there was still food in reeva steenkamp stomach when her body was found contradicting the story that they ate eight hours earlier. >> for fans in louisiana, a favorite is being held always as angola prison and the cowboys of the show are some of the state's most violent criminals.

some are calling it is most controversial rodeo in the world. >> it's billed as the wildest show in the south, and for good reason. it pits nerves against the raw power of a raging bull. the last man sitting wins cash. these around trained cowboys. they're inmates as one of louisiana's most secure prisons. >> today they can be king of a day. we've got to rehabilitate them so if any of them get out, they don't hurt you again. this is part of the rehabilitative program and part of our rent industry is to do this rodeo. >> known as the farm, it houses some of the country's most dangerous criminals, including murderers and rapists. to join the rodeo, the rules are somewhat relaxed. >> inmates run their own arts and craft stores and are allowed

to make money to keep businesses going, but it's the rodeo that attracts the most attention. >> this is nothing short of an inhumane spectator sport. half the prisoners are first time offenders and injuries are common place. >> staff here wouldn't give information about just how many prisoners have been hurt over the years. they say every precaution is taken and there's little sympathy for convicted criminals. >> they have nothing to lose, i guess, just something fun and different for them to do. >> they got a choice, just like they had a choice what they was doing. they made the choice to come here. >> none of the prisoners are forced to take part in the rodeo. the $500 prize money for the grand finale known as guts and glory ensures participation is high and for many the highlight of a life behind bars.

>> when i came out here, i was instantly hooked. for me to come out here and find a rodeo has been a joy for me and my family. we come every year. >> at the prison, the average sentence is 95 years, most of these men will die and be buried here. for them, this rodeo is a taste of freedom, if only for a few seconds. aljazeera, angola, louisiana. >> the first angola prison rodeo held in 1965, today attracting 10,000 spectators for each show. >> a raging inferno destroyed a million dollar mansion owned by a former tennis star. >> police suspect foul play. >> the community where this took place is affluent, home to derek

jeter and tony dung gee. police are investigating what they think could be murder. >> i was walking my dogs. as i walked by, the house exploded. >> that 911 call before 6:00 a.m. wednesday morning described the fiery scene at a mansion in the tampa, florida suburb of avila owned by retired tennis star james blake. he was not there. inside, officials say they found four bodies. >> we have confirmed that the residence is being rented by the campbell family. we have discovered two males and two females in the residence, however we have not been able to positively identify the bodies. >> students at nearby carol wood day school said it belonged to the family.

two teens attend the school. police say this was not an accident. >> we have confirmed that there were also various fireworks, small commercial type fireworks throughout the residence. we also have confirmed that the fire was started intentionally by an unknown accelerant. >> then, the spokeswoman had this response to the question of whether one or more of the victims had also been shot. >> on two of the victims, there is upper body trauma, but we're still going to have to wait for medical examiner to determine the exact cause of death and what those particular injuries were. >> another hillsborough county sheriff spokeswoman is quoted as saying they are not looking for a suspect in this case, multiple reports saying they believe this to be a murder-suicide. >> thank you. >> brazil says they are opting

for plan b. ahead of the world cup. lagging construction and ballooning budgets in several cities forcing the country to scale back plans for the games. some projects will be left unfinished, some put off until after the tournament. road systems in south paolo and accommodations for media will be put off. >> pushed out of their homes by rising rent, desperate to have their troubles heard. >> the man and his family are clearing land to build a place to sleep. they have few other options. >> we are fighting for housing. i have a big family. >> this area on the outskirts of

sao palo, you see people building six structures made of sticks. they are working families, the majority women and children, taking over as squatters see their meager incomes stretched, skyrocketing prices for housing, sometimes three times higher. >> >> now an estimated 2,000 families here, more than 5,000 people arriving every day.

>> it's private land, there for two decades. an owner could try to have these people forced to leave from here. that's happened in recent months. people tell me they will fight it, won't leave under any circumstances. >> we can't pay rent, my husband is sick and i'm a maid. we can't pay more.

>> the world cup opens june 12. >> winning a defense contract worth $1.25 billion for a fleet of helicopters, building six new marine helicopters is a step toward building 21. the current marine one helicopters were at built by the company, some in service now since 1974. >> another wave of job cuts for investment bank barkley, planning to slash almost 20,000 jobs over the next three years, including 2,000 this year. the bank currently has 140,000 employees around the world, more than half the job cuts will fall in the u.k. last year, the bank agreed to pay $453 million in fines after admitting that its employees conspired to manipulate the rates. >> amazon is expanding sunday delivery service, making the

announcement late wednesday, adding 15 more cities to a growing list of places where people can receive packages on sunday. dallas, houston, new orleans and philadelphia are a few of the expansion cities. shoppers in los angeles and new york have enjoyed that perk since late last year. it will be available for customers at no extra charge. >> the scores are in and america's high school seniors not making the grade in reading and math. >> the steps needed to boost the scores as students face increasingly stiff competition both here at home and abroad. >> you're taking a live look now at the beach in aruba. i'm sure it's a lot nicer there than most of the country. it's 84 degrees. >> buy the sunscreen and roll over at least once an hour.

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>> a man is under arrest for trying to plow his car into this crowd of people in houston, texas. 100 people were in the path of the car. one person was clipped before police were able to get him out and wrestle him to the ground. they say he is the father of the man accused of killing another man during a fight. take a look at it. the murder suspect still on the loose. >> welcome to al jazeera america. breaking down how this countries high school seniors scored in reading a understand math. >> we have a live look at new york city where there is a huge cloud hanging over manhattan, a gray and dismal morning. let's get the weather from nicole mitchell. >> i gave the warning yesterday to enjoy the sunshine, that

there would be more showers overnight. it looks like we'll get breaks into the afternoon hours in this portion of the country, much more widespread moisture in the central united states. you can see showers, spottier behind that. i've got one of the afternoon flights going out of town. hopefully that fares better than the morning flights. >> we'll get wetter a understand cooler over the days, our big player today, anywhere in the central united states, snow on the backside to severe weather with the biggest risk minnesota and iowa for today. stay tuned to your weather radios. back to you. >> a southern california school is apologizing to parents for a controversial homework assignment on the holocaust. eighth grade students were asked to consider whether the holocaust was created for political gain or didn't happen at all. that led to national outrage and death threats aimed at school

officials. the school board said the essay was meant to satisfactory a common core standard for critical thinking. the district superintendent said he's accepted full responsibility and has changed the assignment. >> the department of education releasing the nation's report card examining test scores of more than 90,000 public and private high school seniors, taking a look at the numbers, 26% scored in the proficient level in math. that's unchanged from 2009. the students did better in reading, 38% at least proficient, but that number also unchanged from 2009. of the 13 states where math and reading was sampled, massachusetts and connecticut ranking the best. the executive director of the national assessment govern board joins us. four years, stagnant scores and some getting worse compared to

1992. why? >> well, the test doesn't really tell us why. we only report the results, but it's true that no change has been occurring in student achievement recently. >> any parent out there will tell that you over the last two decades, schools have been teaching to the test and students often forget what they learn right after tests are taken. is this an indication that the people at the top aren't listening to the parents who sit with children slogging through hours of homework every night? >> >> the test measures abbroad curriculum, measuring what students retain rather than the one-on-one preparation for an individual test. >> are we to assume that our students just aren't get anything smarter? >> i think we can assume they're staying about the same on the whole. that's the average. there are students improving and

students who are not, but on the whole, we are staying about the same. i believe they can do better. students can rise to a challenge. >> why are students still the same in some cases as they were back in 1992? >> well, the department of education through n.c.s. released a study on the math curriculum, mathematics in particular. some of the courses that are labeled certain courses don't teach the content of those courses and i would encourage anyone interested to look into that math core concept study and try to see if the course their students are taking is aligned to the subject matter that be taught in that course. >> the course highlights the achievement gap. the numbers here, in 2013, the white students scored 30 points higher than most black students in math, 20 points higher in reading and 20% higher than hispanics in math and 20% points

higher in reading. >> they are reviewed by members of the governing board. every item that's on the test is reviewed by our members and a committee that looks for specific bias. beyond that, they are analyzed by sub groups, so the items that reflect an overall bias are eliminated from the item pool. >> the executive director of the national assessment govern board joins us from washington, d.c., thank you very much. >> scientists say for the first time they have created artificial d.n.a. you may remember from school, on you genetic code contains four letters, the so-called building blocks of d.n.a. scientists say they have created cells with two additional letters. the advantage could lead to new antibiotics, vaccines, other medical products.

some suggest it could race serious ethical concerns. >> if you yawn, while there are ethical questions, a new study is debunk ago common theory about it. researchers finding that the only predictor of yawning is temperature, suggesting peopledown because their brines are too hot, not because they're bored or tired or see somebody else doing it. it may be the way to regulate brain temperature, when you yawn, it help to say lower your body temperature. >> i buy that. all right. tomorrow on aljazeera america, a heart-stopping study. why your surgeon's weekend plans could have the impact on heart by pass surgery, the chances of survival could decrease depending what day the operation takes place. that's tomorrow. >> that will do it for us. >> have a great morning.

>> on the next talk to al jazeera lawyer david boies gives surprising insight intos his most historic case bush vs. gore and tells of his relentless fight for civil rights >> this is the defining issue today... >> talk to al jazeera

only on al jazeera america >> welcome back to this news hour in doha. >> this will be the beginning of the end of terror in nigeria. >> nigeria's president welcomes international help to fight the armed group boc boko haram