the continuing use of what many say are abductions, rape and torture by a shadowy security service remain the biggest threats to people's security today. welcome to al jazeera america. i am del walters. these are the stories we are following for you: . >> our girls! our girls! >> there is no let-up in the international pressure to find the missing nigerian school girls. this new report says the government was warned much that attack hours before it happened. and new fighting in southeastern ukraine as pro-russian activists and ukrainian troops clash

again. another investigation into the benghazi attack. some democrats saying it is a political stunt. >> heaving fled their homes fora better life, these dreams of these immigrants are not coming true. . >> in nigeria, there is in that evidence that says nigh year i can't's military was warned and newb boko haram's plans but did nothing. the report by amnesty international says the military had a four-hour warning and saying the kidnapping of those 270 girls from a boarding school last month followed that very same warning. today, american and british teams are in nigeria helping with the search. he von edegi has more.

>> the forces have reached out to the presidency and so far, they have not responded to these clai claims. >> that's what they call them, claims by amnesty international. we don't know if they will choose to do so. obviously, this revelation that's coming from amnesty will shock nigerians. the question they will be asking is why: why would the military who are here to protect lives and property chooseto deliberately to ignore an sos, a cry for help from this community. what the nigergerian military is saying is that they are getting help from international partners to try to find these girls but they are simply not prepared to come on to al jazeera or any other television network and give the details of any operation to try to find out. they don't say it's not because they are not open. they say it's because it might actually harm the girls or affect the rescue.

>> it is sending a high-leafing to nigeria to help the government tackle what they call internal problems. >> the basic terms of what this representative would do are still being worked on. ultimately, it would include ways of strengthening cooperation on issues of counter terrorism and on issues of human rights. >> gonestrations continue around the world like this one where hundreds gathered in lagos protesting what they say is nigeria's slow response and rescue operations. also, in london, a protester saying we are not making a political demand. we are making a human demand. bring our girls back. secretary of state john kerry hosting a chat with young african leaders on twitter. he was asked if he thought the girls would be found while he says it's too early to conclude an outcome, he express the u.s. aid in the hunt and says the u.s. is determined to do everything it can do to help. a team of american specialists now on the ground in

new jers nigeria. the pentagon stressing what its members will and won't do while they are there. >> they will work out of embassy. we are not talking about u.s. military operations in nigeria to go find these girls. >> that's not the focus here the focus is sending subject matter experts that can help advice and assist the nigerian authorities in their search for these girls. >> pasto lal laolu akande is with us. thank you for being with us. >> thank you very much, del. >> you have been talking to people on the ground in nigeria and the feels of the missing girls what are you hearing about their hopes that theirs daughters will be rescued? >> thank you, del. there is a lot of expectations that there might be a rescue now

that the united states government is taking a very keen interest in the development. so, the people are hopeful, nigerians are hopeful and families of the victims, they have their hopes high just because the united states is now involved. >> pastor, there is a very real concern that what we are seeing is to nigerians, some are suggesting had these girls been taken in the south, there would have been a much quicker military response and a much faster response from the government. are they correct when they make that assumption? >> well, that is a very wide speculation. as much as the politicians try to divide the next, i must tell you, del, that nigerians are united whether they are christians or muslims, whether they are from the south or the north. it is the the politicians that try to bring a division.

it is the same kind of passion and the same kind of interest that the people have in the south that they also have in the north. so, it's not accurate to say that maybe it's a different situation. we are dealing here with a mission that has been living fairly at peace since index. even before. i can't tell you that i grew up in a family, even though i am christian, i grew up in a family that had muslims. i have muslim cousins and it was never a problem for us. >> for nigerian americans, this has ben a double tragedy some suggest. many saying they were optimistic the world economic forum would change the way the world looks at kidnappings and the killings took place. what do you says about that? they are talking for that question. what has been happening in nigeria or the last three weeks with the abductor of these girls

is not a new thing. on october 25, 2012, boko haram abducted two girls of mrs mrs. debora shatima, 7 and 9. we went to abuja and we addressed in press conference and we announced this is what has happened, and nobody paid attention. the nigerian government, nobody else. >> has a nigerian american, are you concerned or are you angry that the united states government and the rest of the international community acted slowly? and if so, why do you think they did? >> yeah. well, i don't know whether i should use the word "angry" but suddenly we were disappointed that the u.s. department, it took more than two years to make a determination that this group is a terrorist organization. what we founded the association, we got on the ball and we started meeting with u.s.

government officials and trying to explain to them that this is a terrorist group, but for almost -- almost 14 months, they never agreed with us until november, last year, that was when they agreed, so, yes, of course, we are very glad at least right now, everybody seems to be on the ball. >> pastor, briefly, though, for those that say that america cannot be the world's cops, what do you say about the nigerian government, and have they done enough to combat boko haram? >> well, we are disappointed that the nigerian government has not done enough even based on what they are capable to do. there is too much rhetoric and very less action. the nigerian government and the military have enough resources, have enough capacity to deal

with less than 200 people. but because of political posturing, because of lack of political will, we are where we are right now. now, we know that in terms of intelligence, the nigerian government might need help to structure its intelligence, but in terms of the nigerian military dealing with this, with this insurgency, we believe the government is large enough, is well equipped to deal with the situation, but there are all kinds of allegations, some of which we don't even want to talk about about why the military is in the position that it is right now. we believe that if the government puts its act together, they can deal with the situation. >> pastor laolu akande, joining us live from new york. pastor, thank you very much? >> thank you very much, mr. walters. >> victory day in russia, celebrations in moscow, thousands filling the straights for a parade, praising russia's military. russia's president, vladimir

putin celebrating from crimea where he hailed crimea's return to russia, calling it a return to the motherland. the government of kiev and western allies both condemning that visit. secretary of state john kerr struggle to go agree on a dmrok attic solution to the crisis in ukraine. on the ground, the violence continues. this time in the black sea town of mariopol. there are conflicting reports of how many people have been killed. the numbers we are being told range from 2 to 20. paul brennan is in kiev. >> reporter: police operation began mid-morning in a clear attempt by the authorities to finish what they started two days ago. video showed local residents trying to thwart the path of military vehicles. people here have scant loyalty to the authorities here. on friday, the authorities went for the police headquarters. after two hours of fighting, the

gun battle subsided. the building, itself, remained on fire. early reports spoke of several people dead and many more injured. the operation was launched on the day commemorating russia's victory over the nazis in world war ii. it was going to provide a platform for a massive outpouring of pro-russian sentiment. people shouted solidarity with mosque o mosque. people. >> russians are killing people in odessa. it's a message which is being warmly received by the beam people behind me. >> in a town of slovyansk where pro-russian militia are firmly in control room, the march was smaller but perhaps even more e de. speeches drawing parallels between the nazis and the current government in kiev. >> translator: today, fascism raises its wild face again taking power with armed force. we will never recognize those

authorities. ♪ >> reporter: in kiev, there was tight security as the acting prime minter and other members of the interim government attended their victory day commemorations. >> the escalating situation and this problem for those who possess arms. we will bring them to justice. but we started nationwide dialogue two weeks ago and we believe that the country rewill be united. >> ukraine doesn't look very united at the moment. paul brennan, al jazeera, dondon. >> well, the number is now 8. house vans launch agnew investigation into the 2012 attack of the u.s. consulate in libya. they say they are unhappy with the proebz and that there is new information to look at but stephanie sy tells us it's all about politics. >> on this vote, the yays are 232 and the nays is 136.

the resolution is sdovpd. >> the house panel includes several republicans and five democrats. house speaker john boehner says the committee armed with new information will get to the bottom of what happened in bengha benghazi, libya in 2012 and whether there was an obama administration cover-up. >> our commit saw the full truth. the administration tried to make sure they wouldn't find it. the white house says congress investigated the attack that killed christopher stevens and three other americans. >> the facts of yesterday are the facts today and it will be the facts no matter how often or how long republicans gauengage hily partisan efforts. >> democrats mulling whether or not to boycott the schmidt says republicans are trying to gain an advantage while an attempt to damage hillary clinton's presidential run. clinton who was secretary of state during the benghazi

attacks said there is nothing left to fine. >> said, their choice. i do not believe there is any reason for it to continue in this way, but they can get to call the shots in the congress. >> the state department initially blamed the attacks on protests sparked by a youtube video mocking the prophet mohammed. but newly released white house e-mails raise more questions, say republicans. they instructed then u.s. ambassador susan rice to underscore these are rooted in an internet video and not a broader failure of policy. republicans call this a smoking gun since rice in a round of interviews in the days after the attack said she received that information from the intelligence community. stephanie sy-a- the f.b.i. getting involved in the stand-off with clicin bandy. they say bundy supporters pointed guns at officers on april .12th.

the armed group has denied those allegations. they say ranchers from the bureau of land management were the ones pointing guns. government officials saying bundy 0s the government a million dollars. they say he failed to pay land use taxes for 20 years. political disputes in thailand spilling on to the streets of bangkok two days after the prime minister there was ousted, police using tear gas and water can options to break up anti-government marchers calling for the resignation of the entire government. the results are in, in south africa. it is that country's first election since nelson mandela's death with 99% of the votes counted, the party once led by mandel a appears to be headed for easy re-election. the anc says over 62% of the vote, the main obvious situation group is at 22%. the final votes will be announced tomorrow. in italy, sylvia berlosconi is performing public service. the court ordered the 77-year-old to help alzheimer's

patients. he was ousted from government and convicted of tax fraud last year. coming up on al jazeera america, demonstrators demanding action in albuquerque, income after a series of police-involved shootings.

did he have. >> mitchell: 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 >> i'm joie chen, i'm the host of america tonight, we're revolutionary because we're going back to doing best of storytelling. we have an ouportunity to really reach out and really talk to voices that we haven't heard before... i think al jazeera america is a watershed moment for american journalism

. >> tensions between the police and public in albuquerque, in general, are still riding high. residents disrupting a city council meeting protesting an increase in police shootings since 20s 10. there have been 39 of those deadly shootings. last month, a justice department concluding the problem is ongoing, a systemic problem of police using excessive force. for more on this story on the ongoing violence go to aljazeera.com. you will find more about the police-involved shootings and the efforts to bring change in that city on aljazeera.com. a south korea ian court is going to decide if a ceo of that company that owns the capsized

ferry can be formally charge would. authorities say he knew his book was overloaded when it left the port but didn't do anything about it. he is been held with 15 surviving crew members. 31 miss, 273 died. most of them high school students. families of those ferry victims staging a sit-in. many clutching photos of loved ones. come could be heard for begging with just 10 seconds with the president. relatives say they want more present from the president about the search operations. clashes in venzuela leaving one dead, four injured. it began early thursday morning, national guard troops rounding up hundreds of young protesters. demonstrators filling the streets of karakas. a police officer was shot and killed. well, for four years, beginning with the arab spring in 2010, migrants from north africa have been fleeing to europe.

>> that's creating problems in italy. authorities say they are struggle to go stem the tide but that left many migrants in limbo. nick sheechifrin ex pours how t feel forsaken by italy and the rest of europe >> reporter: look at this street. look again. now, consider this is rome. one of the world's great cities, one of the world's wealthiest countries, asylum seekers' lives are worse than in the countries they fled. >> we don't have homes. >> everyone here is from aratria. they left behind terrible violence looking for a better life. they didn't expect this. >> we didn't have a real place to eat. we don't have a real place to sleep. this is not our land. >> his room is about 160 square feet. he shares it with four people. he lived here for almost five years, ever since a harrowing

72-hour boat ride across the mediterranean. >> i swam. >> the island of lampadusa has been migrants' most appealing target, the closest entryway to europe, 70 miles from the african coast. last october, a boat like this one, if you will of people dreaming of a european future capsized. nearly 400 died. in his first official visit outside rome, pope francis made my grant death did a rallying cry. he urged the world to see the immigrant as our neighbor. >> i needed to come here to pray, to carry out a gesture of closeness. >> the coast guard expanded its patrols. today, it's intercepting more boats and as seen in this coast guard video, fewer are dying. survivors are offeredasylum. many are refusing so they can try to move on to a country they consider more welcoming. >> you have been here for six months? >> yeah. >> how long in the future, would

you say? >> yeah. >> kip iran berhani accepted asylum. he said that was just the beginning of his problems. >> i am not integrated into society. >> that's why we can't get jobs. and our lives. >> instead of the slums, he and about 450 migrants occupy this building that used to be a government office, but then it was a band oned until these families moved in to every single room. >> free. t he try today flee but under european law, because he landed in italy, every other country he asked for asylum rejected him and threw him in jail. >> how many jails in europe have you had to go to? >> about 10. >> he works a few hours a week as a gardener, unable to achieve his dream.

>> to have professional advancement, you know, master's degree, to change my life. entirely. i don't think so. >> so they are stuck. they can't change their lives here but they are not allowed to leave. nick schifrin, al jazeera, rome. at al jazeera america taking a closer look at the immigration controversy here at home. our groundbreaking series, "borderland" had six americans retrace the steps of migrants who died trying to get to this country. they reunite to share their stories. you can see the borderland reunion on sunday at 9:00 p.m. eastern time. up next, an update of the day's top stories and meet some of the n.f.l.'s newest stars. you are watching al jazeera america. ♪

what is this place? where are we? this is where we bring together reliably fast internet and the best in entertainment. we call it the x1 entertainment operating system. it looks like the future! we must have encountered a temporal vortex. further analytics are necessary. beam us up. ♪ that's my phone. hey. [ female announcer ] the x1 entertainment operating system. only from xfinity. tv and internet together like never before. welcome back to al jazeera america. i am del walters. these are your headlines this

hour. russians celebrating victory day honoring the end of world war i ii. vladimir putin taking part of the celebrations in crimea. >> that's his first visit to the region since it secedseceded. there is new evidence to suggest nigeria's military knew about boko haram's plans to attack the school in the north but failed to stop it. a report by amnesty international saying the nigerian military had a four-hour warning. the presidents of south sudan and the leader of the rebel movement meeting ethiopia. the u.s. pressured the two size trying to come together. so far has left thousands dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. speaking of numbers, millions of american mothers right now are waiting and wondering about mother's day. all of the pressure on your shoulders to deliver, ebony dion? >> i am a mom. i want great weather.

in new york city. elsewhere, i am not so sure. it's going to be 5050. so some of you will be happy with the forecast. others maybe not so much. >> could include the st. louis area because today, we are watching out for severe weather. we are going to see more of that, again, as we get into the weekend. this is what we are dealing with today. we have a cold front extending down from the great lakes, a lot of warm most air in advance of that. soggy. we have a lot of rain out there. it's stretching from parts of michigan all the way down into texas where we are now starting to see these isolated thunderstorms embedded in that, some of which have become severe. so we are watching out for that threat here, the southern areas of texas. the last area we talked about a watch possibly being issued. storm predictions that did put out a severe watch. it does include san antonio area. in addition to that, we have watching for heavy rainfalls. a number of areas will be dealing with flash flooding extending up into parts of the upper missile valley where we have a few isolated storms that have become severe around an

harbor michigan around motor city, keep an eye out because we will deal with some damaging winds. so high wind gusts will be a good bet with these storms as they continue to roll off to the east. but they are moving swiftly around 60 miles an hour. it won't be too long before we start to see those storms exiting. there is still plenty of rain in behind it. now, here is a look at what you can expect on saturday. this big storm system is a slow moving one. we are going to keep that threat of showers and storms in place across parts of the midwest in st. louis. notice the red over the area. much of missouri back into oklahoma, same deal, large damaging winds as well as hail and a few isolated toranados will be a possibility as we head into at least the first half of the weekend. temperaturewise, we are keeping that heat still around, 85 degrees on saturday, 87 around houston, notice denver at 68 degrees. well, enjoy it while you are. big changes on the way. not just for the eastern u.s.

but, also, back out across the west. we have our next store system moving down from the pacific northwest. it's going to head into the four corners region. we will deal with snow levels lowering and in some instances down valley floors and we could see a few inches piling up here around the denver area by the time we get into sunday and to monday. so, we will go for rain and storms with temperatures near 70 around denver on saturday and then temperatures will take that big dive. we do have a winter storm watch in effect for the mile-high city. del, back to you. >> never to late to bring out the if you ares. ebony dion thank you very much. well, some of you football fans celebrating. others are tearing up your fantasy ball rosters, the first round of the n.f.l. draft held last night. the first pick was picked by the houston, texans. the big loser might be the most pollarizing, johnny manziel. he fell to number 2010 picked finally, by the cleveland

browns. forbes estimating that cost johnny manziel $12 million. round 2 is tonight. we want to thank you for al jazeera america. i am del walters in new york. "tech know" is next. about innovations that can change lives. we're going to explore the intersection of hardware and humanity and we're doing it in a unique way. this is a show about science by scientists. let's check out our team of hard core nerds. kyle hill is an engineer. tonight, sharks, long feared for their ferocity, how they can protect us. the secret in in their skin. rachelle oldmixon is a neuroscien