>> it's time to turn the page on more than a decade in which so much of our foreign policy was focused on the wars in afghanistan and iraq. >> the president unveiled his plans to withdraw troops, now sets out his foreign policy agenda. >> catherine cooper. james hong. >> thousands gather to remember the victims of the deadly rampage in santa barbara while

california lawmakers take steps to prevent similar tragedies in the future. >> the south china sea, why those waters are so important to so many countries. >> a baby girl just hours old snatched from a hospital. how facebook helped catch the kidnapper and reunite a family with their newborn. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm del walterser. >> the president resetting america's foreign policy after a decade of war, announcing the shift today during an address at west point. >> it comes amid criticism of his handling of the ukraine crisis, the civil war in syria and an emerging china. tuesday the president announced plans to end the military presence in afghanistan by the end of his term. >> three years ago, there were more than 100,000 troops stationed in afghanistan. the president is going to low their number to 32,000 this month and blow 10,000 by the end of next year. >> our white house correspondent

mike viqueira is in washington this morning. what can we expect to hear from the president today? >> you can look at today as the third act in a three act play. first there was that surprise visit to baghram air base in the heart of afghanistan over memorial day. yesterday, the president appearing in the rose gordon announcing that troop withdrawal strategy and how many troops were going to be left in afghanistan and their mission. today, the president says he wants to turn the page to a new era in american foreign policy. >> it was the first year of his administration when president obama went to west point to announce a surge in american forces in afghanistan. >> as commander-in-chief, i have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 u.s. troops to afghanistan. >> four and a half years later, the president returns to west point, this time the day after announcing how the american role in afghanistan will end. >> it's time to turn the page on more than a decade in which so

much of our foreign policy was focused on afghanistan and iraq. >> having declared al-qaeda decimated in afghanistan, officials say mr. obama will focus on fighting affiliates and extremists in other unstable parts of the world, including africa. much of the speech is expected to be a rebut ale to critics point to go syria, ukraine, iran and the middle east, all conflicts where they view the president as misguided and weak. >> this is the ultimate result of a feckless foreign policy where nobody believes in america's strength anymore. >> asked repeatedly to respond during his trip to asia, the president grew agitated. >> why is it that everybody is so eager to use military force after a decade of war at enormous costs to our troops and to our budget?

what is it exactly that these critics think would have been accomplished? >> mr. obama called for diplomacy and the use of force as a loft resort. >> you hit singles, doubles every once in a while, we may be able to hit a home run. >> there is another obstacle in the penalty's way, a war weary public. >> americans say they want to do less in the world but don't want their security threatened because we pulled back too far or too fast. >> the president departs the south lawn for west point in just under two hours' time. >> we're going to be carrying that live here, but the president also has a trip planned to europe next week to deal with another major foreign policy issue. >> it's a perfect example of what the president has to address in this post afghanistan era and what the president has

been addressing for the better part of a couple of years now, hot spots around the world. we mentioned a couple of them. in ukraine, those elections just happened a few days ago, where the reformer, the pro european reformer won. the president travels to a nato country. no one needs to be reminded of its history under the warsaw pact. they want reassurance. then he goes to g7 to talk about further sanctions on the russians with the europeans who simply don't want to get anymore severe in terms of their sanctions, because it would harm their economy. >> right away, a test of this foreign policy pivot. mike viqueira reporting from washington, thank you. coming up, grading president obama's foreign policy and a programming note, at 10:00 a.m. eastern, we'll be bringing you the president's speech at west point live. >> in afghanistan, a car from the u.s. consulate under attack, two americans hurt in that incident.

it happened in one of afghanistan's largest cities. u.s. embassy and kabul saying the adjustment government is working with afghan authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. >> a pregnant woman in pakistan has been stoned to death by her own family. the woman, just 25 years of age was the victim of a so-called honor killing. she had apparently ejected an arranged marriage and instead married the man she loved. she was attacked outside a courthouse bay group of about 20 people, including her father and her own brothers. her father has been arrested, police are now looking for all the others involved in that attack. >> california state lawmakers are proposing new gun legislation in response to last week's mass murder in santa barbara. it would create a gun violence restraining order. it would allow police to get a court order to prevent potentially violent individuals from purchasing or owning a gun. jennifer london is in california. what can you tell us about this

new california gun bill? >> good morning, stephanie. the two pieces of legislation were introduced yesterday afternoon before the interfaith memorial here on campus. one measure is a gun rye lens restraining order. this could be south by a judge from law enforcement at the request of family or friends. right now, there is no gun ownership prohibition unless somebody has been involuntary committed because of mental health issues. the second piece of legislation also introduced calls for establishing statewide protocols for welfare visits. this is when law enforcement is called on to check on somebody with a history of mental health illness, requiring that agents check to see if this person has purchased any firearms. sheriff deputies here in santa barbara county did visit with elliot roger sometime before the shootings, saying they something

viewed him. they found him to be a shy young man that didn't appear to pose any danger. >> one victim's father has been vocal calling for more gun legislation. >> meanwhile on tuesday, the u.c. santa barbara campus held a memorial. how did the school honor those victims. >> the school did hold and interfaith memorial. there was upwards of 15,000 people in attendance there to honor the 660s shot and stabbed to death friday night, honored by friends, family members, staff, faculty, community members here. there was talk of hope, recovery, there was talk about making the community stronger, because of the events from friday night. there was also talk about making sure this never happens again. >> it's intolerable, the situation. we all know it. it's not news to us. it's unbelievable that we're at this point. too many people have died and it should be not one more.

>> not one more has become somewhat of a battle cry here in santa barbara. you can see someone wrote that here in chalk on the street. this is part of a larger makeshift memorial that has sprung up in the community, people continue to come here and leave messages of support. we have candles lit. they continue to leave flowers here. >> jennifer, thank you. >> the supreme court rejecting news of i.q. scores to determine whether a death row inmate can be executed. tuesday's decision involved the case of freddie hall. his attorneys argued there was evidence to show the 68-year-old florida inmate is mentally disabled, even though he scored higher than 70 on i.q. tests, the basis used by florida and several other states. the states determine who fits into the category. >> a federal judge is a asked to

overturn organ bans on same-sexx marriages. it is fighting in court for the right to defend the band on behalf of oregon members. oregon's attorney general has refused to defend the ban. >> the attention of the possibility gone has been caught, chuck heigl ordering a review of mental health care facilities as two deaths were reported at hospitals. >> i don't hate the v.a., they've got some of the greatest employees, caregivers in the world, but their management, they got to change. >> i know that they can schedule people in faster than what they do. >> we kept our word. we served honorably. >> they are veterans who fought long ago, now in a different kind of battle. frustrated by delayed medical points in what they call a lack

of care at veterans afar facilities nationwide, thor stories are too common, since allegations surfaced that long waits for medical care contributed to the deaths of up to 40 veterans. >> whether it's allegations of v.a. staff covering up long wait times for cooking the books, i will not stand for it. not as commander-in-chief but also not as an american. >> a week after one of president obama's top aids arrived at the center of the scandal, secretary of defense ordered a sweeping review of the military's health system to begin immediately. the 90 day study will focus on access to care, patient safety and quality of care at military facilities, serving almost 10 million active duty soldiers. those facilities are not specifically related to the v.a., but a pentagon official said the veterans scandal sparked its investigation,

adding: >> the announcement comes on the heels of two deaths at one of the army's busiest hospitals in fort bragg. those patients died shortly after visiting emergency rooms at the womac army medical center. "the new york times" reports the dealts led in part to the removal of the center's top commander and suspension of his three deputies. >> the secretary of veterans affairs is expected to provide president obama with a preliminary assessment of the problems at the v.a. later this week. >> 20 patients and a nurse were killed after a fire broke out at a hospital in south korea. the flames were put out quickly, but many bedridden patients suffocated because of toxic fumes. the facility located 200 miles

from seoul treats elderly patients suffering from dementia. an yea 1-year-old man with dementia was retained for starting the fire. >> ukraine regained control of the airport in donetsk monday. the military saying 40 fighters were killed in the attack. the standoff continues. >> last night and this morning again, there were some sporadic exchange of fire in that area. basically, the pro russian gunman surrounded that airport, so even if the government is in control of the main terminal and the tarmac there, the airport cannot be open to the public and there still is no access to that airport. i think also, it seems that the pro russian fighters are taking a larger perimeter around that airport as a checkpoint and the road blocks have become closer to the city and certainly people

here are extremely worried, especially those who live in the areas, now the road blocks are under their building. they have taken precautions. we've seen on the side roads, people putting sandbags, blocking access to these roads. we've seen others also trying to take some other voled weapons that they say this is the only thing they have to defend themselves, so certainly a lot of worry here. i have to say that yesterday and even this morning, there is basically no one on the streets and most of the shops are still closed. >> that is aljazeera in donetsk. >> egypt is extending its presidential elections to three days, just 37% have cost ballots so far. this is the second presidential election in two years. the man widely expected to win is egyp's former army chief,al sisi. he helped overthrow the country's first democratically

elected president, mohamed morsi. >> the pea party pulling off a major victory in tax, dan patrick beating out the incumbent. both were vying for the republican slot for lt. governor. patrick is the founder of the tea party caucus in the texas legislature. another winning the republican nomination for attorney general, beating out fellow lawmaker. the tea party didn't fare well in other states. >> tuesday ending the career of the oldest member of congress. ralph hall losing his bid for an 18th term the house was beat by the former u.s. attorney in that area. he spent 34 years in office with his first term coming during the carter administration. >> flood producing rains are slamming the south today. >> we turn to our meteorologist nicole mitchell. good morning. >> if you were traveling through

houston earlier this morning, a heavy line of rain moving through. here's a look at the broad picture. you can see most of our western half once again is dry and a lot more instability on the eastern half of the country. where we have the most significant amounts of rain today, already the areas highlighted in green, those are all flood watches, so texas to mississippi, the reds flood warnings that means you already of the flooding conditions, and especially lots of life in some of these flood conditions, people stuck in cars, so if you don't know how deep that is, don't go into it. the orange surrounding that is for the potential, the watch for severe thunderstorms, as well. we can see severe weather out of this, too, but flooding is going to be the primary risk. you can see that spiral in the atmosphere is where the low pressure is, sucking in all this gulf moisture, depositing over land and it is going to be slowly moving across the coast the next couple of days. this is a three day projection and you can see as we go day

after day gets helper and heavier, the ground becomes more saturated, so more concern. totals, easily six or seven inches in isolated spots and we have spots that are greater than that. you can see a lot of hit and miss stuff for the rest of the eastern half of the country. that's a severe weather area for us today as is part of the plains. look for that slight risk along the coastline, as i said, really, the big concern is going to be that flood risk this morning. >> it's always deeper than it looks. >> it always is. you don't want your car in that. it could flood out. >> the man behind the n.s.a. leaks defending his credentials. >> i was trained as a spy in sort of the traditional sense of the word. >> why edward snowden felt the need to set the record straight about what he really did for the president. >> we had the baby and it was amazing. >> facebook to the rescue, the social media site credited for the safe return of a newborn

baby snatched from a hospital maternity ward. >> $10.5 million is our big number of the day. >> who is making that kind of mine and why a lot of people around happy about it.

>> it pays to be at the top. $10,500,000 is today's big number. >> that is the new median pay for c.e.o.'s, executive salaries topping eight figures. they now make 257 times the average worker salary. >> here are some of the names, monster beverage c.e.o. raking in the biggest salary increase, earning $6.2 million. that is a raise of 679% from 2012. >> willard oberton saw his plummet down to under $800,000, a 97% decrease. >> neighbors industries c.e.o.

pulled in $68.3 million. >> the highest paid female was from t.j.x. >> edward snowden is defending his credibility, saying he was trained as a spy, saying the government has been misleading the public labeling him as a hacker and systems administrator. he did lectures for the defense intelligence agency. >> i am a technical specialist. i am a technical expert. york with people, i don't recruit agents. what i do is i put systems to work for the united states, and i've done that at all levels from the bottom on the ground all the way to the top. >> snowden currently living in exile in moscow, his american passport revoked. he faces charges of espionage in the u.s. >> the parents of a brand new baby are thanking people on facebook for the safe return of

their daughter, who was kidnapped from the hospital. i love a happy ending. >> the baby's mother said every click made the difference. little victoria is a couple of days old now, but hours old when she was stolen from her parents right out of the maternity ward. the accused kidnapper allegedly drove out of the hospital parking lot with a baby onboard sign in the back window. within a matter of hours, a plea for help on facebook connected tip officers to law enforcement who tracked down the suspect and the baby. >> as he cradled the newborn, the police officer was on the verge of tears as he brought the baby girl back to her parents. she was born in a quebec hospital monday. their baby girl was barely 16 hours old when a woman posing as a nurse dressed in scrubs told them she needed to run some routine tests and left with the

infant. when the hospital staff realized what happened, the baby's aunt took to facebook for help, writing in french, my friends, i need you, about an hour ago, my niece victoria was abducted. she gave a description of the suspect and added a surveillance picture from the hospital, urging people share, share, every second counts for our little victoria. the post was shared 40,000 times, and that does not include thousands more from the facebook pages of the new parents. the alert went viral and these two teenage girls spotted it on social media. one of their facebook friends recognized the accused kidnapper, led police to an apartment where they caught the suspect and found the baby safe and sound. >> we had the baby and it was amazing. >> once reunited with their baby daughter, the parents posted their gratitude on mind, writing facebook is the only reason victoria is in my arms right now. all of quebec sent its support and three hours later, we experienced the happiest moment

of our lives. little victoria is aptly named for this victory. >> now as part of her thank you posting on facebook, the mother included a warning to other new parents urging them not to be fooled by a uniform. there is certainly a serious message here. >> you never think that could happen. speaking of facebook, thailand's military is going after social media to prevent criticism of last week's coup. the information technology ministry temporarily blocked facebook today, releasing a statement saying they have called twitter and instagram for cooperation. many of outside use be social mediaia. >> detroit is ridding the city of thousands of radio i understand and abandoned buildings, unveiling a new plan to rid 80,000 decaying homes and lots. the cost of $2 billion is a large sum for a city that is bankrupt. officials hope the plan will

launch a detroit comeback. >> we're going to have to attack this with a lot of different strategies. we're going to go after private business owners who have the deep pockets. >> the city will spend at least $850 million tearing down about 40,000 abandoned buildings. about 500 million of that coming from the federal government. >> let's get a check of temperatures across the nation today. >> wednesday, we're halfway through the week, so a short week for many, that's a good thing. a lot of warm air through the out again, 70's, houston where we have the thunderstorms this morning, but a little bit of cooler air as we get from the great lakes into the northeast. that's because of a cold front that's come through the region. usually, they come a little more west to east. this one is a back door one coming down from the north. that's dropped temperatures from yesterday morning about 10 or 15 degrees, places like new york city. today will be a cooler one for

this region, but still not too uncomfortable through the day. >> i saw 17 degrees in phoenix? >> i'll take my 60 some degrees. >> nicole, thank you very much. >> syria starts vote forego a new president today. >> there are others who won't cast a ballot. many call the election a far as and say it won't end that countries civil war. >> from dealing with syria to pulling troops out of afghanistan, president obama coming under increasing fire for his foreign policy. we'll talk about the experts about whether that criticism is warranted. >> a wood-be robber armed with a sword no match for an 89-year-old shop owner. it's a headline around the world. >> a foggy wednesday morning, a 14-degree temperature drop from yesterday, it's 58 in new york city right now.

>> good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. >> i'm stephanie sy. ahead, we'll be putting president obama's foreign policy decisions under the microscope, a critical discussion about his agenda. >> the regulations helping california farmers thrive, others suffering through the drought. >> disabled people in afghanistan are using basketball to heal. >> first a look at the top stories this morning, thousands turning out for memorial service for the six victims of the massacre in santa barbara friday. they were killed on a shooting and stabbing spree, changes being proposed to the state's gun laws. >> pro-russian separatists are dead after a battle with ukraine's military, ukraine

regaining control of the airport in donetsk. the president of chechnya is denying reports it's country sent troops to help the pro russian side. >> a review of the military health system following the death of two patients in north carolina, the health care system for veterans, the v.a. hospitals already under investigation. >> syria is a week away from presidential elections. thousands of syrians living abroad can cast ballots today, however voting has been banned in several countries. critics say the only candidate that can win is the country's current president, bashar al assad. we report from the syrian-turkey border. >> there are over 1 million syrians in turkey. the reality here is very different. people are more concerned about surviving has not taking parted in any election. just this morning, we saw two families cross into turkey

illegally, escaping the violence from their hometown. behind me is an official border crossing and people continue to pour in. people are from the provinces of aleppo that live in the northern part of the country where the rebels control the territories. the government launched a massive intensive bombing campaign trying to retake those territories back. people here people the elections are nothing more than a joke. they believe that this is not democracy, it will not be free or fair. they cannot vote or support a government that has been killing its people. it's a question more about surviving. we managed to speak to a number of activists who say that it's important that they reach out to those who are living inside the government-controlled areas, because on june 3, there will be presidential elections inside syria. what they want is to discourage people from going to the ballot box, because as much as they

can, they want to make sure that these elections are not legitimate. already, they see this as illegitimate and unlawful, but they haven't been able to stop it. >> the state department asking americans to get out, leave libya immediately, a new travel warning saying the security situation in that country is unpredictable and unstable. it warns to americans may be targets for kidnappings or death. the government limiting staffing in tripoli and warning against non-essential travel outside the capitol. u.s. marines have readied ships off the coast just in case the embassy needs to be evacuated. >> e.u. leaders are reviewing their policies following parliamentary elections. far right and anti e.u. parties scored victories in france, and denmark. >> some european leaders bruised

by the election are on a mission to reform the e.u., reeling from the victory. and david cameron, trying to deal with the u.k. >> we need change, an approach that recognizes that europe should concentrate on growth and jobs and not try to do so much. we need an approach that recognizes that brussels has got too big, too bossy, too interfearing. >> e.u. is not a popular body. >> we just had a quite dramatic european election with new skeptical parties, extreme rationalist parties, a massive spectrum from the left to the center to the right, there is a big dissident voice in this parliament. you wouldn't have thought anything had happened at all and it was business as usual. >> several of the e.u. leaders are determined that it should not be business as usual here.

they are facing tough challenges at home and they want the e.u. to repuck to consistent on job creation and investment. some of them want to talk about national borders and immigration. more and more e.u. leaders want less europe, not more. >> sunday's election showed that the number of people unhappy with the e.u. in its current form is rising. the question is can leaders fixed big problems at home while oh, boying the e.u.'s rules and regulations. can they create jobs and growth, can they limit migration, one of the central principle of the whole european project. no big decisions were taken at this meeting. it will take many more before we know how the reforms will look. some of these leaders don't have much time. >> european council president says voters in europe have sent a strong message to the e.u. he says e.u. leaders will now place economic growth and competitiveness at the top of

their agenda. >> 13 years after the war in afghanistan began, the president says it is time to bring it to an end, laying out a plan to withdraw troops on tuesday and expected to layout the rest of his fortune poles agenda today. by 2015's end, there would be 10,000 less troops in that country. the president said it's time for the afghan people to take control of its own destiny. >> i'm confident if we carry out this approach we can not only responsibly end our war in afghanistan, and achieve the objectives that took us to war in the first place, we will also be able to begin a new chapter in the story of american leadership around the world. >> now the afghan taliban criticizing the decision to keep troops in the country. in a statement, they say no u.s. troops are acceptable. the national security editor for think progress.org and a vice president and director of the center of international security

atlantic council join us this morning. good morning. i want to start with the poll numbers. according to the latest numbers, the president's foreign policy approval now sits at 39% and 48%, so they say they disprove of the president's actions. he's being criticized for over using adjustment drones. what does that number represent? more of the fact that the republican's have had a pretty good messaging strategy unified that obama is weak and our allies don't support the united states as they once have. i think that's resonated fairly deep within the american public. if you actually look at polling on individual issues, such as you know withdrawing troops from

afghanistan, withdrawing troops from iraq and the president's diplomatic strategy with iran rewarding its nuclear program. when we poll these individual issue, you'll find a solid majority support for these individual policies. i think it's more of a context of people not really understanding that, you know, his wide foreign policy ideas in general. i think that's part of the reason why he's coming out to do the speech today. >> you have not been timid about your feelings on this in the past, saying that americans may be more war weary, but the president's job is to do the difficult and unpopular, adding the word is not going to wait for us to recover, as they say sometimes the enemy gets a vote. is the american public wrong when it says it wants these wan to end? >> no, not at all. i mean, i think a responsible termination of these wars, and i emphasize the word responsible, i think is very must have in

american interests, but as i said, this sort of narrative of withdrawal, i think is fine by -- is fine, but not sufficient. it needs to be complimented by some sense that there is something that the united states would intervene for -- like what's going on in the world. >> what is that something? >> it's a great question. the world is sort of in turmoil, china is being aggressive in asia, including against u.s. allies, russia is being aggressive in europe, the middle east is in flames, vast humanitarian suffering in syria, 160,000 dead, what people are looking for is how do we make sense of this, what can the u.s. do. i think the u.s. has to make clear that there are some issues that in support of its national interests, the united states and in particular, president obama

will use military force to deal with. i think in particular, the syria episode last fall and continuing is really a wound in the president's overall foreign policy. >> let's go back to jair. that line in the sand that the president drew is now sharply criticized. is it right saying the united states has to stand for something, if it doesn't stand for something, it stands for nothing. >> i think that's pretty difficult, given the complex nature of multiple problems going throughout the world. i think you look that president bush had the freedom agenda and the bush doctrine. i think that's not really president obama's style. i don't think he really wants to be nailed down to one particular ideology or one particular foreign policy point of view. if you look at all the different issues going on throughout the world, he's taken a sort of piecemeal approach. it's very difficult to nail down one specific catch phrase for

president obama's foreign policy. i think that's why people are having a hard time wondering what it actually is. >> but should there be a policy, should there be something that the rest of the word can depend on when it comes to the u.s. president? >> i think the president can he is spouse american values of freedom and democracy. i think you can articulate a foreign policy around these general ideas, but i think at the end of the day for the president, it's going to be tough for him to kind of nail it down into one or two words, because of the piecemeal approach that he's taken so far. >> we talk about leadership an awful lot, yet the landscape in syria and infrastructure droid in iraq and now the conflict in ukraine, isn't it time for leadership, american leadership to tell the rest of the people of the world that there might be a weren't way and you should be seeking it as opposed to military conflict? >> well, i think there are a range of tools that are available, especially for what

still is the world's most powerful nation, the united states, so deal with these things. i'm not suggesting that the military is the only tool, but i am suggest that go because of the syria episode last fall in particular, that countries that are seeking, that are thinking about aggression are now doing it, because they don't think, they don't trust the united states is going to stop them. this happened in the 1930's rewarding the world in general where there wasn't any clear to counter potential aggression, so we saw it proliferate. we are see that go now. if we don't want to live in a much more dangerous world, we're going to have to make it very clear that we have a robust set of tools that we can wield, not only military, but including military and that we're willing to use it for certain things. >> thank you both for being with

us this morning. at 10:00 this morning, we're going to bring you the president's speech live at west point. >> it is first-come, first-serve for some water customers in drought stricken california. while many towns cut deliveries, some companies, farms and other businesses get what they need for free. it all comes down water rights put in place years ago. >> in the middle of the desert, 60 miles outside los angeles, water is plentiful and farmers flourishing. eugene owns this 680-acre farm, a far cry from many drought stricken farms further north where water is a scarce commodity. >> i wish they didn't have to go through this. >> californians have been fighting for water rights for

more than a cent we. it's a battle of the have and have notes, thanks to special designations from the late 1800s, giving some land owners unlimited access to rivers and streams while others have been required to conserve. >> these have been established for a long, long time and people who own those rights have invest add lot of money in their operations, so i don't think they should be cut off. >> some 3800 entities ever these senior water rights. more than half of major corporations, including pacific gas and electric. this year, the state cut its water deliveries to farmers and cities by 95%, but senior rights holders are exempt. >> california water rights are allocated on a first in time use and basis. the people there first have a prior claim to the allocated water. >> there isn't an accurate

picture of how much they consume, they estimate it. >> this farm has been largely unaffected by the drought. >> eugene, who is self reporting welcomes stricter monitoring. >> in times of drought, it just seems logical that we know how much water's being used. >> with the drought expected to continue, the battle over california's most precious resource will also rage on. lancaster, california. >> it's estimated the water rights group uses trillions of gallons of water per year. >> other stories making headlines, the first lady getting political, fighting back over her healthy school lunch program. she's fighting a measure in the house that would let some schools opt out. larger food manufacturers are saying the rules in inflictable, and expensive.

aljazeera did some digging on our own and found schools out there are struggling to get kids to eat those healthy options, some winding up in the trash. >> does that mean you shouldn't offer the healthier options at all, which is what some lobbyists want. >> make the kids eat their vegetables. >> waging holy war against a candy company. some muslims calling for a nationwide boycott of all cadbury products. traces of pig d.n.a. were found in chocolates. this has actually been confirmed. two dozen muslim activists are walking for all out war on cadbury. they believe that the chocolate that has pig matter in it may lead muslims to turn away from the religion, causing social problems, happening in the country. >> there has been some huge plot is what they believe. >> an 89-year-old store owner fending off a suspected robber

with a golf club. she found a tall skinny man with a ski mask trying to take her money from a cash register. he had a sword. she grabbed the golf club. >> she grabbed a pair of scissors. he took the cash register, but dropped it, because he was on a bicycle. she got her cash back. >> a dispute sparking another international incident. >> this time it's china and vietnam at odds over a chain in a oil rig in the south china sea. why it led to the sinking of a boat in those disputed waters. >> cracking down on exploding targets and it has nothing to do with gun control. the serious reason these targets popular with gun owners are banned in some places. >> centuries old artwork found hidden inside a landmark millions of people visit each and every year is our discovery of the day. day.

>> it is time now for our discovery of the day, each year, millions of visitors flock to an ancient temple in cambodia. built in the 15th century, it is one of the largest religious monuments built. a new discovery there, previously unseen artwork that may have been hidden for centuries. the paintings were found using digital technology. there are detailed murals of elephants and people riding horses. they found about 200 paintings inside that temple. >> u.s. officials are calling for restraint following the latest standoff between china and vietnam. yesterday, a wooden vietnamese

fishing bolt was sank by a chinese vessel. the 10 fisherman were rescued. it happened near where china built an oil rig. china claims the fishing bolt was the aggressor, vietnam said the fishing bolt was rapidly. >> we are seeking additional information. we remain concerned about dangerous conduct and intimidation by vessels operating in this area by the chinese. we continue to call on all parties to exercise restraint and take steps to lower the tensions. >> countries have long fought over the china sea and its natural resources. joining us is author of the coming collapse of china. thanks for being with us this morning. let's talk about the area that we're looking at and look at a map. the red line that we see on this map denotes the area claimed by china, which is most of the sea.

the oil rig and the sunken vietnamese fishing boat were near the paracel islands, but the rig was in vietnam's exclusive economic zone as defined by the united nations. how would you characterize china's recent moves? >> this is clearly aggressive. china as a member has ratified the u.n. convention on the law in the sea. this area where the rig is is vietnam's exclusive economic zone, which means china has no right to tow their rig there and start drilling. this is an act of aggression. when the state democratic says for both sides to exercise restraight is unfair. vietnam would protect its territory. we would protect our territory if china towed that rig off of hawaii. we shouldn't exercise restraint and vietnam shouldn't either. >> you feel the u.n. should take a stronger stance here? >> it should.

we do have a mutual defense treaty with the philippines and allowed china to seize property from them in 2012 and that was a mistake. we should have taken stronger action there. because we let china do that, they said aggression pays and have been involved in behavior there and elsewhere. >> we had a guest speaking about aggression worldwide from different countries, in reference to china, in reference to russia's actions in ukraine. at a time when president obama is recalibrating his foreign policy, has the u.s. stance away from being the world's police emboldened china toward this type of action? >> we certainly have emboldened china. while they've engaged in provocative acts against vietnam, philippines and south korea and japan, we have done

nothing. >> is nothing fair? we did just sign a major defense pact with the philippines. it hasn't gone into effect yet, but there is this pivot toward asia you hear washington talk about. >> every time china has done something belligerent we have not imposed costs on beige forego doing that. the chinese have said oh, my gosh, we can do this and the united states isn't going to do anything. of course, we're trying to now work more closely with the philippines and others, but it's late for doing that. this is something we should have been doing a long time ago and we should have prevented the chinese from seizing the property. >> there are intertwined commercial interests, the vietnamese need the chinese, the investment. >> also the chinese need the vietnamese and need us. trade surplus against the u.s. was $318.4 billion, 1226% of

china's overall surplus, so, you know, they can't replace the u.s. market, but we can replace china as a supplier and we need to exercise that leverage. that's something that we could do and get the chinese to back off if we made it clear that we would close off the u.s. market if they engage in these pro crock active acts against us and our allies. >> thanks so much for your opinions this morning. >> this has been a very busy fire season especially in the west and there are fears it's only going to get worse as the temperatures rise this summer. in an effort to protect the nation's park, the authorities are closing in on exploding targets. they spark fires. the targets add a new dimension to the shooting experience. as these you tube videos show, they explode when hit, sending

flammable debris in all direction. >> it is a real danger. >> this video produced by the forest service shows how easily the targets can start a fire. >> that one on a bail of hey and when that went off started a fire within seconds. >> results have been costly. >> as these have become popular, we've seen about 16 or so fires, $33 million in suppression costs. >> those fires have occurred across the u.s. from california to utah to pennsylvania. in colorado, the targets are linked to six fires. an exploding fire destroyed more than a thousand agers of land west of colorado springs. >> the targets are not illegal. you can get them at pretty much any sporting goods store or gun shop. they cost $5 a shot.

>> though these are not allowed by the forest service, they can be used on private clubs or private land and could spark fires in nearby brush and timber. >> i have used these on a personal basis. >> sportsman regis frank know the thrills when the chemicals inside are mixed together. >> there's two components, oxidizer and catalyst. >> then ignited by a high speed bullet. this weapon's safety instructor knows the dangers. >> folks will put these into metal containers and there are fragments that can hurt people in addition to the fire hazard. >> that has led to the targeted banned at many shooting centers, like this one outside of denver. the fourest service is now considering a permanent ban, meaning anyone caught with using exploding targets could face a fine of up to $5,000 and six months in jail.

aljazeera, denver, colorado. >> the national forest service already banning exploding targets in four states, including idaho, montana and the dakotas. >> let's check the wet weather across the u.s. nicole mitchell is back. i see wet weather. >> heavy rain in louisiana this morning, you can see we were just talking about some of that drought out west. persistent drought in this region. you need to be very careful with campfires, anything exploding, leave that go cigarette out the window, which you should never do anyway, things like that. this is the corridor of heavy rain for the next three day period. it's a wet go in new orleans as you head out the door. >> ahead in our next hour, we are going to talk about people struggling to put food on the table involving a government decision making it difficult today for millions trying to buy

fresh fruits and vegetables. >> the game of basketball helping disabled people in afghanistan get a new start on life. >> we will be back in two minutes with more aljazeera america.

real reporting that brings you the world. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america.

>> it's time to stop the gun violence. our children deserve a land free from fear. >> anger turning to action in california, as family and friends warn the victims of the santa barbara rampage. lawmakers look to prevent another tragedy with new gun control measures. >> laying out the future of america's foreign policy, the president with a shift of priorities abroad beginning in

afghanistan. >> an election extension controversy in egypt, vying to become the country's next 39, both criticizing the decision to give voters more time to turn out. >> we are seeing efforts to roll back these new standards. >> the first lady waging a food fight with republicans. why she's upset over a plan to change school lunch standards. >> good morning. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm del walters. lawmakers in california looking at new gun laws in the wake of last week's deadly shooting rampage. they propose a restraining order designed to keep people from getting access to guns. >> it comes as students are trying to come to grips with the tragedy. on tuesday, a memorial service was held on campus to honor the victims. >> students and community members here continue to express

their shock, their grief, their disbrief that this happened. they also continue to leave messages of support. this is just one of a number of makeshift memorials that have sprung up around the community. yesterday thousands came together at an inner faith memorial held here on campus to honor the victims. for those who witnessed friday night's killing rampage that left six dead and seven wounded and those returning to campus after the long holiday weekend, it was a day of mourning and reflection. >> george chen. catherine cooper. james hong. christopher roth michaels martinez. david wang. veronica weis. >> an inner faith memorial

helped the healing process. residents of the community spent the day visiting makeshift memorials, therapy dogs and grief counselors were there to help students, while an impromptu group of students went around offering hugs. elliot roger, the 22-year-old identified by police as the killer made his motives known in a document, as well as a you tube video posted before the murders. he expressed his anger as he described being rejected by women and talked about making them pay with their lives. three men were also killed in the attack, but it was rogers scripted plan to kill the women that he said wronged him, that touched off a conversation about violence against women on college campuses. >> we can't go about our daily lives and act like nothing happened. we need to tell our community that this is not ok. >> as a woman, i on this campus, i feel i personally feel attacked and i feel anyone if

you identify with the female gender or not is feeling this right now. >> on campus as the community deems with grief and disbelief, there is growing frustration that rogers' on line postings and videos are still accessible. as people continue to repost the blog, giving the gunman a continued voice from the grave. >> by sharing it, seven more people share it and see it. >> that's how he wanted to be remembered. we don't want him to be remembered at all. >> today, classes resume for the first time since friday's deadly rampage. >> what can you tell us about this proposed gun restraining order bill proposed by california lawmakers? >> this piece of legislation was introduced yesterday before the inner faith memorial on campus that we just talked about and it's a gun violence restraining order. it could be sought at the

request of family and friends. this is modeled after texas in connecticut, indiana and the idea that the hope with this bill is that a judge could issue a firearms restraining order very similar to a domestic violence restraining order. again, the hope is that it could prevent a tragedy like this. we know that the mother of the gunman, elliot roger did go to police and talked about concerns over her son's mental health, but because he'd never been in trouble with the law before, because he'd never been institutionalized, there was little police could do. >> he was able to buy his guns legally. jennifer london, thank you. >> authorities in southern california also investigating the degrees of a family of four. officers found the bodies in orange county tuesday morning. neighbors heard three shots and a woman screaming. the family had two children, a daughter in high school and a son in his 20's.

police believe it maybe a case of murder-suicide. >> defense secretary hagel ordered a 90 day review of the health care system for military service members. his request comes amid an investigation into the treatment delays and secret waiting lists at veteran's hospitals. the review will assess the quality of health care at military treatment facilities, as well as the care the department pays for civilian providers. the system currently treats 9.6 million active duty soldiers, retirees and eligible family members. the assessment comes as the army ousted the commander of one of its busiest hospitals. colonel steven bruster was removed. two patients in the hospital died during a 10 day span after visiting the emergency room. earn officials suspended three top deputies connected to those deaths. >> after more than a decade of war, the president resetting america's foreign policy agenda today during the commencement

address at west point. the pivot comes amid criticism of his handling ukraine, syria and china. meanwhile, the president announced plans to end u.s. military presence in afghanistan. >> we have to recognize afghanistan will not be a perfect place and it is not america's responsibility to make it one. the future of havin afghanistant be decided by afghans. >> mike viqueira is in washington, d.c. let's start with the president's announcement yesterday. take us through the specifics of that troop withdrawal plan. >> it's really a coordinated role from the white house. we saw the president in his visit to afghanistan over the weekend. yesterday, the announcement in the rose gordon, today the major speech on foreign policy. yesterday, it was another surprise. the president appearing in the rose garden announcing that he had come to terms and expects that the new afghan leadership will sign the agreement.

the president proposes to leave 9,800 american troops there by the end of this year after the conclusion of america's combat role after 13 years of war in afghanistan. the president says a year after that, in 2015, the number will be reduced by half, the troops consolidated in kabul and baghram air base. by the end of the 2016, everything back to normal with a normal staff and embassy personnel, plus some security personnel left over. this is the meat on the bones. the president had been saying for years that he was going to get out of afghanistan. he followed through on that promise. now we understand what the residual force is going to look like and their mission, counter trithing and training afghan troops. >> what topics do we expect the president to touch on at west point this morning? >> the president hopes to turn the page. he said as much yesterday in the rose garden. after the wars in iraq and afghanistan, he wants to refocus american foreign policy.

we've heard this many times over the course of the last five and a half years, the reset with russia, the rebalance toward the asia pacific. the president says we are going to be focusing after al-qaeda is on the run in afghanistan, there are other extremist groups and affiliates that have sprung up elsewhere in africa and north africa, as well. the president is going to try to pivot to those areas. >> aljazeera america will bring the president's speech to you live when he speaks at west point. that takes place at 10:00 a.m. eastern time. >> the president's foreign policy speech is expected to include comments on syria. it is reported he may sign off on a project to provide military train to go rebels in that country. officials speaking on condition of anonymity say it will mean sending u.s. troops to neighboring jordan. those troops will help instruct vetted members of the syrian army on tactics, including

counter terrorism. president obama still hasn't given final approval for the initiative. washington has spent more than $200 million so far in non-lethal a aid for syria's war. >> there are reports this morning president obama is asking the department of home land security to hold off on finishing a review on u.s. deportation policies until the end of summer. white house officials say the president is making that move in hopes that congress will pass some kind of legislation before the he remembers in november. they are looking at a window in june and july before the fall campaign begins in earn northwest. >> the white house is investigating the outing of a top c.i.a. official in afghanistan. the name was released to the public during president obama's surprise visit this past weekend. it was included in an official report for journalists covering the visit, which was then shared with thousands of people on the white house's media email list. it's a crime to intentionally expose the identity of an undercover officer. >> edward snowden defending his credibility in an interview with

nbc news, saying he was trained as a spy. he said the government is misleading the public. snowden claims he worked for the c.i.a., n.s.a. and gave electures for the d.i.a. >> i am a technical specialist. i am a technical expert. york with people. i don't recruit agents. what i do is i put systems to work for the united states. i've done that at all levels from the bottom on the ground all the way to the top. >> snowden currently lives in compile in moscow. his american passport has been revoked. he faces charges of espionage in the u.s. >> a former computer hacker turned federal informant does not get prison time, praised for helping the f.b.i. foil hundreds of cyber attacks. >> hector has spent the last three years helping the f.b.i. arrest people that used to be his friends. now he's appeared in court to

collect his reward, a short sentence of time served and a year of supervised release. they infiltrated contractors and agencies around the world, credited for shutting down visa and matter card for refusing to process donations to wikileaks. he decided to help the government for the sake of his two young cousins, who he was raising. >> he placed his family first. i think the judge recognized that his commitment to as a foster father was enormous, and it was for him, you know, the choice to put his family first, which is not a difficult decision. >> inside the courtroom, the judge used the word extraordinary over and over

again to describe his cooperation with the government. prosecutors say he helped prevent more than 300 cyber attacks, including one on the water system of a major u.s. city. >> he helped gather information that led to the arrest of eight hackers, drawing them out in on line chats and sharing the information with the f.b.i. his case raised question about the government's conduct. one hacker now serving a 10 year sentence said he was encouraged to collect information from foreign governments. he told the judge he's not the same person he was three years ago. his lawyers say the information he helped gather could lead to even more arrests. >> aljazeera, new york. >> some of the targets saved from crippling cyber attacks include the army, congress and an american t.v. network. >> the federal trade commission claims data brokers who collect and sell information about consumers for marketing purposes are operating with a fundamental

lack of transparency. there's a new report that suggest congress enact legislation for those companies to reveal more information about themselves. they want consumers to get access to the information collected about them and allow them to keep certain information out of the hands of those data brokers. >> a large part of the country will be dealing with weather today, in some cases severe. >> be prepared for rain the next couple of days. the eastern half of the country much more unstable. you can see this spiraling in the atmosphere with the area of heavy rain. we also have a front sliding through the great lakes region. a fair amount of instability and chance for rain over the next couple of days. it's this southern end that is the soaker area. a lot of parts of southern louisiana, we've had it along

the coastline of texas, move through houston a little earlier this morning and start to go push more into mississippi as well. this is a slow moving system, that low that i was pointing out, so over the next couple days, it's going to give us copious amounts of rain. we've already had, you can see those areas in green through mississippi are flood watches, even areas in red flood warnings. that means you already have the flooding conditions. in this region in general, you can see the darker reds, that's the heavier stuff, and it spreads. as it does this over the next couple of days, the ground will saturate. moisture doesn't have anywhere to go. especially with people trapped in their cars causes some of the greatest loss of life. four to seven inches in a widespread area over the next couple of days not out of the question. even if you don't put yourself at risk, really there's a number on the car if you get all that moisture up in. it that's one of our concerns. that's a slight risk area as is that northern area of the

country today. flooding is really our biggest risk. >> those are the parts of texas that needed the rain. >> it's actually more western texas that needs the rain. if we could shift it, it would be wonderful. >> americans are asked to leave libya immediately, a travel warning saying the security situation is unpredictable and unstable, warning that americans may be targets for kidnappings, violence or death. non-essential travel outside the capitol is warned against. u.s. marines ever readied ships and helicopters in case the embassy needs to be evacuated. >> the united nations changing tactics in south sudan, vote to go roof from a government support nation building approach to simply protects its citizens. the u.n. saying that's happening because of a lack of a credible peace agreement. there have been two ceasefires since fighting began between troops loyal to the president and those to his opponent. more than a million people have

been displaced and thousands killed since december. >> in south korea, 21 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a hospital. the flames were put out quickly, but many of the bedridden elderly patients suffocated because of toxic fumes. as aljazeera reports, it's the second deadly fire in the country in as many days. >> emergency crews struggled to save the life of a patient. like most who died, this person was elderly and bedridden. the fire struck just after midnight, local time. most of the patients would have been asleep or sedated when the blaze took hold. >> of the victims with the bedridden patients who were unable to escape by themselves. despite the hospital's initial rescue efforts, many people were sacrificed. >> it's understood those who died had been staying on the second floor of a building annexed to the main hospital. it is a specialist unit, treating people with long term care needs.

many had dementia or were the victims of strokes. officials say the cause of death was smoke inhalation. this is the second fatal fire in a large building in the last few days. a blaze in the food court area of a bus terminal on monday killed eight people when precautionary measures failed to work properly. the authorities have said they believe this hospital fire was put out relatively quickly. the number of dead and injured and the fact that they were effectively helpless when the emergency happened may lead to questions about how effective the safety precautions were. the chief administrator has apologized for the fire and called it a terrible thing. dominic cain, aljazeera. >> the incident comes at a time of national mourning in south korea after 300 people died in a ferry accident there. >> gaining control of the second

largest airport in ukraine after a major operation. armed pro-russian separatists gaining control of an airport. the standoff continues. >> last night and this morning, there were sporadic exchange of fire in that area. basically, the pro russian gunman surrounded that airport. even if the government is in control of the main terminal and the tarmac there, the airport cannot be open to the public and there is no access. it seems the pro russian fighters are taking a larger perimeter around the airport as the check point and roadblocks have become closer to the city and certainly people here are worried, especially those who live in those areas, now the roadblocks are under their building. they have taken precautions for themselves. we've seen on the side roads some people putting sandbags,

blocking access to these roads. we've seen others also trying to take very old weapon that is they said this that this is the only thing they have to defend themselves, so certainly a lot of worry here in donetsk. yesterday and even this morning, there is basically no one on the streets and most of the shops are still closed. >> did you get a raise this year? the new record for c.e.o. salaries and how long you'd have to work to bring in the same bank roll. >> first lady getting political, the food fight that has her fired up. >> they're adorable and talented. musical mammals just some of the video taken by our citizen journalists.

♪ ♪ >> musical ma'am malls at the national zoo in washington, d.c., otters playing key board, not to be outdone by this sloth bear with a harmonica. it was part of the zoo's enrichment program for animals. >> their album is soaring to

number one. ahead, we'll talk about the new milestone for leaders of the business world. >> first a look at temperatures across the nation today. >> i love otters, because they always look like they're having a good time. talented and just loving life. >> 60's and 70's to start off the day. we've had cooler temperatures around the great lakes region with a back door cold front coming from the north instead of more typically west to east. that's dropped temperature, boston, this time yesterday morning, 71 degrees. this morning, dropping 21 of a difference, putting us at 50. that crisp air helps you sleep better. still warm temperatures through the midsection of the country. minneapolis is at 80 today. the one part of the country staying consistently cooler into the northwest, 61 for seattle.

>> nicole mitchell, thank you. >> l.a. clippers owner donald sterling is not interested in selling the team. he was banned for life from the league after his racially charged conversation was leading to the media. his attorney said sterling is going to fight the nba's efforts to force him to sell the clippers. he made those intention known in a letter to the league. clippers owner said nothing he said on the recording violated his ethics agreement with the nba, saying he's received offers of more than $2.5 billion for the clippers, and that a forced sale would force his family to take a huge tax loss. >> being called to appear in court in iran over complaints of a privacy beach, what's app and infra gram blocked. the country blocked twitter and facebook. the case comes as iranian president rouhani said the country should embrace the internet. it is unlikely mark zuckerberg

will appear in court. there is no extradition policy between iran and the u.s. >> $10,500,000 is the new average pay for a c.e.o. 2013 marking the fourth straight c.e.o. compensation rose. an employee would have to work 257 years just to make what the typical c.e.o. makes in a year, making 257 times above the average worker salary. the pay increases 9% above what they made in 2012. while u.s. workers say their pay rise just over 1% last year, we have more on how the rich just keep getting richer. >> with stocks soaring, they've become the ten million-dollar men and women, c.e.o. pay up to eight figures. the average worker's pay barely

inched up 1%. >> at the end of the day, it's in everyone's interest to have talented people at the top. >> just how much is that talent paid? the chief of an oil field services company took home the most, $68 million last year. just behind him, cbs's boss. the highest paid woman is the c.e.o. of t.j. max and marshalls. >> at some point if working americans are not paid fairly, then this consumer economy will lack the money to buy the goods that are produced. we are leading to a winner take all society. >> the company's say their chiefs deserve what they make, credited with generating billions for their companies. people who track wealth say

don't get too jealous. >> someone makes $10 million, they're in the 50% sample bracket and most likely going to walk away with half of that. >> in reality, it's not that simple and some investors have had enough. chipotle voted against giving the c.e.o. a 30% pay raise. other bosses could face a backlash. >> the system of paying c.e.o.'s is broken. the end result is that on net, senior executives once took 5% of corporate earnings, now 10%. it needs to stop. last year pay packages were up send%. >> an uphill battle in egypt, voting extended for a day. >> a newborn baby kidnapped from

the hospital. >> technology has been good for me chants but hurt farmer's markets and customers who shop here. on this word hunger day, we'll explain. >> a look now at hour images of the day, clashes between police and indigenous protestors over a bill to shrink the size of some of the reserves. officers find tear gas as the demonstrators were armed with bows and arrows.

families ripped apart... >> racial profiling >> sometimes they ask questions... sometimes they just handcuff people... >> deporting dreams... destroying lives... >> this state is literally redefining what it means to be a criminal alien fault lines al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> they're locking the doors... >> ground breaking... >> we have to get out of here... >> truth seeking... award winning investigative documentary series fault lines the deported only on al jazeera america >> michelle obama stepping into the political arena, criticizing republican lawmakers over a plan

involving healthy school lunches. we'll have the details of that proposal. >> she is upset. >> overcoming the odds, disabled people in afghanistan playing wheelchair basketball. >> a newborn baby kidnapped from a hospital in canada and returned. >> her parents thank the people on facebook for the swift recovery of their baby girl. we are happy to say the stair has a happy ending. >> absolutely. the baby's mother says every click on line made the difference. victoria is a couple of days old now but only 16 hours old when she was stolen from her parents right out of the maternity ward at the hospital. the accused kidnapper allegedly drove out of the hospital parking lot with a baby onboard sign in the back window. within a matter of hours, a plea for hem on facebook connected tip officers to law enforcement who tracked down the suspect and the baby. >> as he cradled the newborn in

his arms, a canadian police officer was on the verge of tears as he brought the girl back to her parents. little victoria was born to melissa and simon in a quebec hospital monday. their baby girl was barely 16 hours old when a woman posing as a nurse told them she needed to run routine tests and left with the infant. when the hospital staff realized what happened, the baby's aunt took to facebook for help, writing my friends, i need you. my niece victoria was abducted. she gave a description of the suspect and added a surveillance video, saying share, share, every second counts. the post was shared 40,000 times and that does not include thousands more from the facebook of the new parents. the alert went viral and these two teenaged girls spotted it on social media. one of their facebook friends recognized the accused

kidnapper. they led police to an apartment where they found the baby safe and sound. >> we had the baby and it was amazing. >> once reunite with the baby daughter, the parents posted gratitude, saying facebook is the only reason why victoria is in my arms right now. three hours later, we experienced the happiest moment of our lives. little victoria is aptly named for this victory. >> it wasn't just the facebook factor that brought her back. hospital staff realized very quickly that the baby had been taken. other patients also provided descriptions of the suspect and her car and investigators with quebec police got an amber alert out within minutes. from the moment the baby was taken to the time she was back in her mother's arms, three hours. >> aside from thanking people who helped on the facebook page, i understand the mother had a serious message, as well. >> she had this long thank you posting, but toward the end wanted to really make it clear

to new parents, always ask questions, don't be fooled by the uniform, verify the badge of any nurse who is bog to be with your newborn baby. >> a lot of hospitals are actually attaching little alarms to babies so this can't happen. this hospital didn't have this precaution. >> rebuilding from the ground up is what they are saying in detroit, the proposal local officials are putting out to restore what was once a vibrant city. more than a fifth of properties are plagued with blight. they're going to have to demolish abandoned buildings. the demolition is going to cost the city $2 billion. that includes more than 84,000 structures and vacant lots. nearly half need to be demolished or cleaned immediately because of their condition. >> the tea party pulled off a major victory in texas. in tuesdays run off election, state senator dan patrick beat out incumbent david dewirst,

both vying for the spot of lt. governor. he is a rising star in the party. another tea party favorite won the republican nomination for attorney general. the tea party has not fared as well in other states. >> ending the political career of the oldest member of congress, 91, losing his bid for his 18th term the house was beat by the forth 8-year-old, former u.s. attorney. his first term came during the carter administration. >> syria will hold presidential elections next week, but citizens living abroad vote today, costing their vote outside the syrian embass in beirut, lebanon. >> it's thousands and thousands of syrians who are in lebanon,

whether refugees or not have been here trying to cast their vote. i am here outside the syrian embassy in beirut. you can see the crowds, trying desperately to get in. some have been here since 6:00 a.m. most people said they were voting for president assad, some supporters of the syrian regime feel it's a victory. they feel this shows that he was able to prevail despite three years. this shot, you will see more people, thousands coming from the -- syrian security's don't want is to film. these elections are not fair and they will not recognize them. they are organized by those they are trying to overthrow. many left their homes have been living like refugees for the

past two years. they are here not only because they feel if they don't vote, their families will be punished. they feel they might not be able to return if they do not show up at the embassy today and vote. many feel the president has been able to prevail and they will to have deal with this reality and that's why they are here. we saw pregnant women due to give birth any minute, children brought because their family has no one to watch them. some are not moving away until they are able to vote, because they want it register that had they did show up. >> one of egypt's presidential candidates is threatening to pull out of the election after officials extended voting for another day. his opponental sisi, the former army chief is against the third day of voting there.

the vote was extended because of low turnout. >> election officials were supposed to be counting the ballots. the decision to open polls for the third day, some voters say it was necessary. >> i think it's a fantastic idea, because a lot of people were not able to go down today because of the hot weather as well as all people. tomorrow i think it turnout will be even bigger. >> talk shows on pro government television stations called on egyptians to vote and tuesday was declared a holiday for civil servant to say encourage them to go to the polls. those who fail to cast a ballot will be fined $70. the turnout was only 37%. the choice is a foregone conclusion, former army chiefal

sisi, the man who deposed the democratically elect the morsi following protests last year is sure to win. a low turnout runs the risk of tarnishing his victory. >> they want to engineer a certain outcome, not only a victory for al sisi to show that what occurred last summer was not a coup, to show that he has widespread support. that's the logic behind this extension of voting. >> a low turnout could provide a boost to the anti coup camp, calling for a boycott and defy add ban, despite the fact that thousands of their members are in prison. a former presidential candidate says sisi will pay a price for

the crackdown. >> if he continues, i think that he is going to fail. in this case, this is not the priority of the egyptian society at all. >> the political split is as bitter as ever, sisi's supporters were celebrating outside polling stations. others doubted the turnout was low. >> there is a big turnout, lots of people. it is organized. i stood in a long cue. i found my number was there and my name and i.d. number was there and it was easy. >> this is egypt's second presidential election in two years, and outcome is likely to keep egyptians divided. >> evan hill is a staff writer with aljazeera america, he has reported from egypt and the middle east now and writes for several magazines as well as us. by extending this voting for a third day, both candidates don't want it. is it in effect legitimizing the

election of sisi or putting an asterisk next to his name? >> some people will say it is an asterisk. a strongly worded statement was reds today strongly criticizing the decision to extend vote are for a third day. both campaigns objected to it. the campaign of the challenger, people thought he was going to withdraw. he in fact with drew his monitors from all the polling stations. what he's in effect saying is as i thought, this process is not going to be exactly free and fair, which it wasn't from the beginning, really. >> i have seen reports where there are polling stations that are completely empty, one next to a major mall where the mall was closed where people went home. is this the realization that the election is rigged, or just a silent protest that we're looking at on behalf of the egyptian people saying that by

not voting, they are actually casting a ballot of some sort. >> there are factors to consider in the low turnout numbers. one is empathy. egyptians voted in more than 10 national elections since the uprising in 2011. that's crazy. they voted for president multiple times, parliament multiple times, parliament annulled, their president was ousted by the military. a lot of people think what's the point anymore, none of this actually lasts. >> you think they are fed up. >> also there is a protest vote. i know many people boycotting. whether it's an active boycott, going to the polling station and nullifying your ballot or going home. the muslim brotherhood, the best political force organized in egypt's history certainly is not voting. >> how should the u.s. react? it is no seem rete the united states was not a fan of the muslim brotherhood and mohamed morsi, but he was democratically

elected and overthrown in a coo. now we have the general that led the overthrow. how should the u.s. react to the coronation of sisi. >> there's how should and how will the u.s. react. how should is up for debate, whether you believe the principles of national security, regional security trump democracy. people argue from both sides of this. how the u.s. will react, we can predict america's going to be ok with a sisi victory, barring any kind of major electoral fraud. the u.s. wants to see him elected by the will of the people, which i think will happen. i think the people will vote for sisi. after that, i think they'll go back to working on counter terrorism in the sinai peninsula, the suez canal will stay open. this will go back to business at usual for a while in terms of international relations.

>> there is a food fight brewing between some of the leading breakfast foot producers. pilgrim's pride wants to buy hillshire. the move comes two weeks after hillshire announced plans to buy pinnacle. the partnership would create a company with a combined revenue of $12.4 billion. >> for families on food stamps, it can be a struggle to put healthy food on the table. a move by the government decades ago has made it difficult for that to happen. we look closer at a new push to give low income shoppers better access to fresh goods. >> shopping at the seattle farmers market every week. >> apples, cheese, yeah. >> she's been coming here for 20 years, a believer that pretty sure, organic food is best. a workplace injury a few years

ago left her unable to work and forced her to seek government food assistance. snap or the supplemental assistance food program formerly known as food stamps, allows you to pick at farmer's markets in addition to traditional grocery stores. >> fresh organic from the farmers, it's local. >> it's as easy as swipe ago card and receiving toke bees. >> there is good value at a farmer's market. in some cases, the prices 10% to 20% lower than a grocery store. >> paper food stamps were he said, but the switch to electronic cards was challenging. many farmer's markets didn't have electronic card readers or even electrical connections. >> in 1994, usda changed from food stamps, paper foot stamps to an electronic benefit transfer card, the snap e.b.t. card. at that time, what we saw at

farmers market was it plum melted. >> it remained a problem for a decade. the usda appropriated $8 million to help markets acquire the card readers and needed connections. it's paid off. last year, a record high, $21 million was redeemed, nearly double since 2011. a real benefit for farmers. >> it helps the bottom line. i mean, i wouldn't do it if it didn't. >> along with the growingese of using cards, it can go further. >> seattle's fresh bucks program lowrie sip cents to double their purchasing power, trading snap dollars for $20 in coupons. >> i love it. double, double you're beautiful health, everything. >> even so, more than 8,000

faxer's markets don't accept snap e.b.t. this popular market does not, citing the need for extra staff to apply for the money and manage the program. >> they have to be responsible for the token, the money, the reimbursement, and it's a staffing issue. >> farmers like o'neill hope the obstacles can be overcome. >> the manager sets it up and everybody gets a take snap and wic, everything cohesively, yeah, that's the dream. >> those who buy and sell can reap the benefits. >> more than 46 million people rely on government food assistance programs. >> since becoming first lady, michelle obama has championed the cause of promoting healthy eating habits in america's children. >> with congress threatening to roll back one of her frowning achievements, the first lady is fighting back.

we have more. >> that crouping achievement is the passage of the healthy hungry kids act. she lobbied for that is now allow. house republicans say the guidelines are under scrutiny. >> meeting with school nutrition officials, first lady michelle obama railed against the house bill that would allow schools to waive currently healthier lunch mandates that she championed, if the schools lose money for six months. >> this is unacceptable, not just as a first lady, but as a mother. now is not the time to roll back everything that we have worked for. our kids deserve so much better than that. >> supporters say the first lady's efforts like lets move and healthier school lunches have helped cut childhood

obesity by 43% over the last decade. effective last school year, the man dates set fat and calorie limits. they require students to take at least three food items, including one fruit orr vegetable. critics said that leads to lunches winding up in the garbage. >> i see a lot of kids throwing away most of the healthy foods, like bananas. >> over 1 million kids stopped buying school lunches since the new standards became law. kids said the healthier food wasn't tasty. >> they're forced to serve food kids won't eat, the waste is rising. >> transforming the health of an entire generation is no small task. we have to be willing to fight the hard fight now. >> again, house republicans no

fans of president obama, are behind the effort to grant schools a wafer from the new school lunch man dates. mrs. obama said we can't afford to play politics with our kids health. >> john, thank you very much. >> they have lost all use of their legs. many of them wounded by years of war. >> there's about a dozen disabled afghans, starting new lives playing basketball.r

>> a live look at the brooklyn bridge here in new york city, the sun fighting, trying to make it through the clouds on this wednesday morning. 61 degrees. it was balmy this time yesterday. >> 14-degree difference. welcome to al jazeera america. coming up, how disabled

afghani's injured by war bouncing back playing basketball. >> we turn to nicole mitchell. >> the temperature difference was the morning temperature difference. the afternoon difference is going to be 20 degrees cooler than yesterday. we definitely still have dry weather to the west coast. it's the eastern half of the country that has been more active. with the cold front coming through the northeast, great lakes, instability here, some showers over the next couple of days. it's that core of rain spreading across the south for really through friday, we'll be seeing this, very slow moving area of low pressure and it's dumped significant rain. louisiana under that now. we do have flood risks. be very careful as you head out this morning. >> thank you. >> it is no surprise, exercise, great 14 there's a new study out that shows it may be the fountain of youth. older adults who work out just a few minutes a day had a better

chance of maintaining their mobility as they age. seniors who added strength, flexibility and balance training saw overall health increase 18%. researchers studied 1600 people 70-89 who went from a sedentary to active lifestyle. >> for these athletes, it's about more than competition, they've already overcome great odds. >> high speeds and hard falls. this is afghanistan's only wheel their basketball team. they train at this purpose built facility in kabul, funded by the red cross, players of come from all over the country. some have spinal injuries from car accidents or genetic problems, but a majority are the victims of a decade of war. >> they aren't content to keep

their hoop dreams in kabul, but traveling to europe to become champions. >> one of them, 15 years ago suffered a spinal cord injury from a wound and hasn't walked since. >> we've been training for four years. we've never played against anyone else or have ever gone abroad. god willing, we do well. we're a strong team. i think we can win. >> they are trained by a coach from the united states and will face italy's national team. given their relative inexperience, they aren't expected to win, but it promises to be a special experience, not just for them, but for dr. alberto cairo, too, he has lived in kabul for the past 24 years. he helped create the wheelchair basketball program after realizing his patients needed more than just medical treatment. >> they feel more self

confident. they understand that they can do many things. they have become stronger to cope and to face the hard life that they have to face every day in afghanistan. to be disabled, to be a paralyzed person is difficult everywhere in the world, but here, where everywhere you have barriers is particularly difficult. >> disabled people face considerable discrimination in afghanistan. many rarely leave their homes and are often excluded from public life. these players are determined to show the world how capable they are. aljazeera, kabul. >> during that trip to italy, the team visit add beach on the coast. until then, none of them had ever seen the large body of water. >> tomorrow on aljazeera america, we've been talking about detroit struggling. >> why they may be able to tear a page out of the pittsburgh playbook, where that city managed a successful turnaround.

we'll have that tomorrow morning. >> thank you for watching us this morning. >> ahead in just two minutes, the latest on the syrian elections. >> we will see you right back here tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern time.

>> hello everyone. this is the newshour on al jazeera. syrian refugees get to vote early in a presidential elect n election. a public holiday in free transport as egypt's authorities try to counter a low turnout in presidential e elections there. french riot police move in with bulldozers to clear mac