>> i'm ali velshi, the news has become this thing where you talk to experts about people, and al jazeera has really tried to talk to people, about their stories. we are not meant to be your first choice for entertainment. we are ment to be your first choice for the news. >> after five years in captivity, family and friends celebrate freedom. not everyone thinks swapping the soldier for tag about that leaders was appropriate or legal. >> pass that is and has mass create a new unified government. israel urges the international community not to recognize it. >> president obama reveals his plan for reducing pollution.

why some say the proposal could be a job killer and drive up energy costses. >> forcing street food vendors out of business three. >> this u.s. army sergeant is recovering after spending five years as a taliban prisoner, cap stud in june, 2009. he was the only u.s. prisoner of war in afghanistan. to get him back, the u.s. exchanged five taliban prisoners held at guantanamo bay, a move criticized by politicians. chuck hagel said his health and safety were in danger. we have team coverage this morning, randall pinkston in washington. what is the reaction to the

sergeant's release in his hometown? >> this little town has been celebrating his release, there are yellow ribbons all over the town. this is where he used to to work when he was a teenager. you can see signs of welcome home. his parents are ecstatic their son is free. >> his parents haven't sewn to him since his release. sunday they spoke to him indirectly, hoping he'll see this press conference soon. >> five years is a seemingly endless long time but you've made it. you are free, freedom is yours, i will see you soon, my beloved sun.

>> i'm proud of your desire and action to serve this country in a very difficult, long war, but most of all, i'm proud of how much you wanted to help the afghan people. >> his hometown in idaho is draped in yellow ribbon as it has been for five years. new signs fill store windows on main street and people are willing to set aside the controversies surrounding both his capture and release, just glad to know he is finally safe. >> i'm just glad that he was released and we just have to continue to fight the terrorism, you know? >> members of the p.o.w.-m.i.a. community have supported the family and said a rally set for june will be huge, whether the soldier is here or not. >> we could have thousands and thousands of motorcycles, it would not surprise me one bit,

in fact i'm counting on it, because they deserve the support that that shows. >> the local support, some comfort for parents still hurting and still waiting to see their son. >> i love you. i'm your father. can you speak english still, i would write him. i hope your english is coming back and i want you to know that i love you. >> while the celebrations are taking place in idaho, there is a political fire storm on capitol hill. we are in washington with that part of the story. some top republicans accusing president obama of breaking the law. what are they basing that on?

>> congress placed restrictions on movements of detainees out of guantanamo bay. one requires the defense secretary to notify congress 30 days in advance of any movement. five detainees were moved out without 30 day notice because according to secretary headache he will there wasn't enough time and the need for secrecy. >> in washington, news of the freedom is tinged with criticism over the decision to release five detainees in guantanamo. >> what is going to happen to these five individuals. >> john mccain said he thinks the detainees swapped pose a threat to u.s. security. >> it's disturb that go these individuals would have the

ability to reenter the fight and they are big, high level people, possibly responsible for the deaths of thousands. >> mike rogers worries that the administration may be setting a dangerous precedent. >> we have now set a price. we have a changing footprint in afghanistan, which would put our soldiers at risk for this notion that if i can get one, i can get five taliban released. >> rogers and other republicans accuse the administration of violating the law. they argue that the defense secretary failed to notify congress 30 days in advance of the release of the prisoners. en route to afghanistan, defense secretary hagel said the deal was necessary to safe bergdahl's life. >> this was an operation that had to be very close.

only very, very few people knew about this operation. we did not want to jeopardize leaks. we could not afford any leaks anywhere. >> justice department lawyers concluded the rescue was an urgent matter, permitting the administration to make the swap. >> we had reason to be concerned this was an urgent and acute situation, that his life could have been at risk. we did not have 30 days to wait and had we waited and lost him, i don't think anybody would have forgiven the united states government. >> that explanation unlikely to satisfactory critics, some of whom are calling for an investigation. >> several soldiers who served with bergdahl are you seeing him of being a deserter, costing lives. six soldiers were killed in searches for him.

some demand bergdahl face a military trial for his actions. the u.s. doesn't have diplomatic relations with the taliban. this was that was brokered by qatar and american ally. the five taliban prisoners formerly held are now in the gulf nation. while president obama was quick to thank the emir for his role in the release, goo tar's foreign minister isn't saying much about the process. >> excuse me for not disclosing details, however, when qatar takes the role of intermediary, it plays this role on an interimmediate basis. >> president obama has been given assurances that u.s. national security will be safeguarded. aljazeera america was founded by

and owned by qatari interests. we'll have more including a conversation about whether the obama addeddion overstepped his bounds without notifying congress before obtaining the release. >> a blast at a bar in the town of mubi happened saturday. there's been no claim of responsibility, but nigerian officials believe boko haram is to blame. >> hundreds gathered in the nigerian capitol to pray for the safe return of more than 200 kidnapped school girls abducted in april by boko haram. the military announced it knew where the girls were held but said a rescue operation could endanger their lives. russia and ukraine are fighting

on many fronts including a battle over oil. ukraine owes $5 billion. they paid part of the bill over the weekend, but russia double's its fees in an act of economic aggression, threatens europe's gas supply. in donetsk, they brace for violence. >> it is quiet in the city, the shops shut up, some boarding buildings up altogether. many, like igor are fearful a military operation may be imminent. >> anything can happen. ar tilly bombing or maybe an airplane shot down over the city. i know about the military operation at the airport which is why when i drive through the city, i'm worried. nobody thought kiev could have

wand a war against us. >> the reality of the chronic was brought home. dozens of pro are you sure fighters were killed in the siege. some believe it's only a matter before the entire town is retaken. >> two of my grandsons were just born. we waited for them a long time. now it feels like they are in a lot of danger. i worry about them. you the craneian government is a dictatorship. >> chechnya fighters took us to an undisclosed location for an interview. we were escorted out. these men are clearly on edge. elsewhere in the city, pro russian fighters aren't as

visible. check points near deserted. >> the city administration building has had barricades cleared. there are fewer separatists here than in the past few months. kiev would like to negotiate its way out of the cries. the people's republic said there will be no talks until pro russian groups leave the region. >> just this morning, hundreds of armed rebels attacked border guards camp in an eastern city. five rebels were killed. >> ukraine will be one of the many important topics on president obama's agenda when he visits europe this week. we'll talk about that trip in our next half hour. the former ambassador to the united nations thomas pickering will speak with us.

>> juan carlos has ruled for nearly 40 years and was one of the world's most popular monarachs. spain is a democracy where the royal family plays a originally symbolic role. >> syrians head to the poles in an election the u.s. is calling a sham. the presidential vote is almost certain to seal bashar al assad's leadership for a third seven year term, but with the civil war raging, many in rebel-held areas can't take part, fearing for their safety. thousands of others are expected to boycott the vote. james bays looks at how the international community is dealing with the situation. >> they are arguably the two most senior, most respected international diplomats in the world. former u.n. secretary general and veteran negotiator's efforts have failed. peace in syria seems a distant

prospect, the death toll higher than imagined when the conflict started more than three years ago. no one's able to keep an accurate count. it is without doubt the most deadly conflict of the century. >> the hard work starts now. >> the peace efforts were based on a rare moment of international agreement, the geneva accord of june 2012, calling for a new transitional government in syria with full executive powers. both sides came to geneva earlier this year to work out how to create the transitional good afternoon, but the assad delegation wouldn't even agree with the agenda. there is no chance for a transitional government if president assad is reelected. for the duration of the war, there's been only rare moments of unity on syria here. russia backed by china is likely to continue to use its veto if

necessary in support of the government. but how will the rest of the international community respond to an election that technically gives bashar al assad another seven years in power? >> one observer believes and election will not change the minds of the nations who declared the regime an international pariah. >> i don't think there's a powerful imperative for any outside state, whether commercially because they want to do business with syria, a country which there is no business to be done with or geo politically because they want to get on russia and iran's good side, there's not a powerful i am per active to even pretend that election is real. the election will change things maybe within assad's mind and that of his small entourage. >> life inside syria continues to get worse. the u.n. and international aid agencies are finding almost impossible as to get medicine

and aid to besieged areas. there's talk of a resolution on humanitarian access, but getting the agreement of russia and china will be difficult. four times in the past three years, the two nations have used their veto to block resolutions on syria. on the ground, the death toll mounts, doing nothing to break the deadlock around this table at the united nations. >> the u.s. is currently considering a project to train and equip moderate syrian rebels. >> hundreds of people took total streets of hong kong sunday to remember the 1989 massacre in tienanmen square, marking the 25th anniversary of the crack down. hong kong is the only place in china where the event is publicly recognized. china is sensorring content on the internet and social media. >> there is a nationwide manhunt underway after explosives were

found inside a san francisco apartment. federal agents are looking for 42-year-old ryan kelly chamberlain ii. they found materials inside his home on saturday. since then, he has been entirely off the grid. >> he's considered armed and dangerous. we encourage anyone who sees this man with that description to call us or dial 911. we had explosives. there's no chemical, biological radiation known at this time. >> back in 2003, cam about her len was a campaign organizer for govern newsome when he ran for mayor of san francisco. chamberlain launched an unsuccessful bid for california assembly seat in 2002. >> the midwest faces a risk of severe weather and flooding. good monday morning to you, nicole. >> we had a decent stretch in the midwest and then this

weekend came and the storms definitely started ruling through. this system already has a history. the northern edge is where we have flood concerns now. you can see this line going through, also a equal line through the night meaning high and damaging winds. a couple isolated reports of tornadoes, places like iowa through kansas and then on the edge, a little more of the hail. right now, not looking at the chance of severe weather today, but all these spots of green is where you've gotten enough rain so you're under a watch or warning for some potential flash flooding out there in flooded areas. be very careful as you head out the door. this is what we expect. you can see heavy rain in oklahoma. we'll take it anywhere we can get it in terms of the rain. through of the rest of the day, the green, that's thunderstorms, that's for today. as we get into tomorrow, that's where we're more concerned, because this system in this same

core dumping areas of heavy rain, but a moderate risk for severe weather. that means that, you know, usually we're in that slight risk area. this is more elevated, something we're going to have to watch in states from nebraska through illinois through the day tomorrow, that severe weather potential. in the meantime today, a core of rain especially around the great lakes, we're going to be dealing with that spreading into portions of the central plains this morning. too much water in in place, not enough into the southwest. fire risk and excessive heat for today. i'll have more on that hot forecast in a few minutes. >> still not getting a break out west. >> a firefight rocks benghazi with a militia attacking a special forces base. grooms fighting for control of libya. >> marching for marijuana, thousands of people took to the streets to push for legalized pot. >> today's big number is

2,050,000,000, how it's connected to polluted air in the midwest. >> looking at the sun rising in north carolina this monday morning, june 2.

>> the obama administration making a big push to reduce pollution. today's big number is 2,050,000,000 tons. that's the amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced in the u.s. last year. later this morning, the environmental protection agency is expected to propose a new plan to cut emissions from coal plants 30% by 2030. emissions are down 15% since 2005 to meet the goal. the u.s. will need to cut 500 metric tons of emissions over 25 years. the e.p.a. is keeping tight-lipped about the details until announced later today. it will give states flexibility to decide how they will make cuts. some options include shifting from coal to natural gas,

investing in renewable energy, upgrading power plants. president obama has asked thei p.a. to finalize the plan by 2015. in his weekly address, he said emissions are a public health problem. we are joined live from washington, d.c. to discuss the new proposal. what will this mean for consumers? >> in terms of electricity bills, which is what consumers are worried about, they could shoot up $289 billion over the next 15 years as part of this plan. that's one reason why you're hearing critics argue against it. mitch mcconnell, kentucky republican here says that he's introducing a bill to try to stop this plan in its tracks. the yale project for climate change did a survey, finding that americans are largely behind these limits on

emissions, even if it means higher electricity bills. >> that's interesting. we'll wait for the details on how they plan to address energy prices in this plan. it comes, this proposal as mid term election campaigns are trying to round up support. >> will it become a campaign issue now? >> it certainly could be. it may not be the biggest campaign issue out there as we obviously have a lot, but it will likely be a campaign issue, because you've largely got democrats lined up on one side and republicans critical of the at the lined up on the other side. the president cited the recent report on climate change on saturday when he talked about this as part of the reason for moving ahead with its climate change plan. in terms of the politics, jobs are going to have a lot to do with that. the chamber of commerce and others say hundreds of thousands of jobs could be lost as a result of this. they're saying that the president has a war on coal,

that this is an assault on jobs in the united states. the president on the other hand says that when it comes to jobs, we can actually see more jobs, so it's sort of a political back and forth about energy, but that really ends up coming down to jobs and whether or not this is going to help or hurt jobs in this country. >> time for another check of the weather. >> we still this morning have really warm temperatures out there all the way up to chicago into the 70's. it's probably a night where you had the air conditioning going all evening. sixty's for the coastline and more 50's through the rockies. as we get through the day today, that heat stays with the east coast for the next couple days, even though chances for showers and storms go out starting into the day tomorrow. eighty's through the midwest. look at this. this is the area we're concerned, phoenix 110, that's part as we get south of this, of that excessive heat advisory

we're watching for this afternoon, with temperatures, southern parts of abc news going well above 100 degrees. if you're out for any period of time, never this time of year leave, you shouldn't do it anyway, the kids, the pets in the car. as nice as it might sound to have that cold marguerita on a day like that, alcohol dehydrates you, caffeine hydrate you, so use the water, as well. >> marijuana advocates in chile are calling for legalize of the drug. thousands of people smoked and played music parading through the streets of santiago. they want the drug decriminalized and want to be able to grow it for private use. >> i'm marching because i want an old age without pain. i want a quiet old age and it is an alternative for the pain of illnesses. uruguay is the only south american country where marijuana

is illegal. >> president obama will be visiting oh other countries, what is on his agenda. >> an international outcry, a country threatening to put a woman to death for changing her religion. where it's happening and what's being done to save her life. >> nasa, testing gigantic parachutes that could make a trip to mars a reality.

>> good morning. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. here are our top stories this morning. u.s. army sergeant beau bergdahl is free after being held by the taliban for five years. the white house agreed to release five taliban leaders in exchange for his freedom. some politicians say the obama

administration did the right to do so without checking with congress. >> the leaders of the new palestinian unity government have just been sworn in, completing the reconciliation pact between fatah and hamas. israel's prime minister will not recognize the government. >> a manhunt is underway for a san francisco man who had a large stash of explosives in his apartment. investigators say ryan kelly chamberlain ii had deadly materials inside his home. >> an attack on an army camp in libya triggered heavy fighting, leaving seven dead and dozens injured in benghazi. rebel groups have been battling forces loyal to a former army general on a campaign to rid libya of fighters who he said the libyan government has failed to control. we report from tripoli. >> it started in the early hours of the morning, residents in the

eastern city awoke to this. [ explosions ] >> we have seen explosions. the fighting is going at the edge. >> fighters from the armed group and others attacked a special forces base with sworn allegiance to the retired general. it soon turned into a full scale war. there have been casualties. civilians are among the dead. benghazi is a heavily populated city and fighting is spilling into residential areas. air strikes have been launched in recent weeks by groups accused of extremism and terrorism. they are now fighting back. residents described the fighting

as even worse than the day gadhafi forces tried to enter the city in 2011. >> there's a lot of anger here at the seat of power in tripoli. many libbens believe excessive governments haven't done enough to reign in the many heavily armed militias. with political deadlock in the capitol, there are two prime ministers and two governors vying for power. many libbens believe it's time to put the differences aside and prioritize the safety of their people. >> a grim milestone in iraq, the united nations said may was the deadliest month in the country. so far this year, 800 people were killed. that toll could be higher because the u.n. figures do not include casualties in anbar province where the iraqi army has beenifieding armed grooms. the u.n. said the worst hit city is baghdad. 315 people were killed in the capitol in may. the u.s. pulled out of iraq in 2011. >> some of the u.s. veterans who served in iraq having suffering

shortness of breath since returning. titanium and other metals were found in the dust as a u.s. base in iraq. human lungs are unable to get rid of that dust naturally. it is associated with pulmonary fibrosis and hypertension. >> a new bill to revamp health care for veterans aims to fix the long delays millions of vets have been dealing with at hospitals nationwide. the legislation would make it easier to get treatment outside the v.a. system. that bill will be introduced later this week. friday, v.a. secretary shinseki resigned in the face of the scandal. >> a dispute in the gaza strip is coming to an end. fatah and hamas created a new government this morning. palestinian penalty swore in his new cabinet members, saying all of politically unaffiliated.

the two groups have been fighting in the area for seven years. they have tried multiple times to come together. israel dropped out of mideast peace talks after that talk was announced. hamas is considered a terrorist group. >> in zambia, a movement is pushing the government to write a new constitution. the leading party promised to deliver one when it took power three years ago. critics say the government is stalling on reforms that could weaken the president's powers. >> these students are performing a play about the controversy surrounding the constitution. december bees were promised 13 years ago, but the front has failed to deliver. >> recently, students were arrested for protesting in these tee shirts.

>> we felt really bad and really got scared. as a citizen, where is my right, my right to expression? >> the students are part of a new group called the grand coalition, alliance of politics, church leaders and civil society groups who say police often intimidate them. >> if adopted, it would weaken the president's power, prompting leading critics to argue delays are a deliberate tactic by the ruling party, accusing it of trying to protect the president. >> the leaked draft puts an age limit on the president at 75. the incumbent is older. a party must win at least 50% of the vote to automatically appoint the president and avoid a runoff. the markets are busy, but zambranoee i can't's economy is in trouble, adding to the grand coalition's demands. >> the government is not compelled to insure its citizens

drink clean water or have access to medical if a sits, make sure the citizens have food on the table. >> the opposition must be patient or risk stalling the process completely. >> government also feels if they bow to this, they are just giving in to what the opposition wants. >> what the. wants was supposed to be decided in a referendum on the constitution. that seems unlikely now, but the election in 2016 is one deadline the government will find unaooh voightable and potentially punishing. tanya page, aljazeera, zambia. >> in march, zambia's parliament voted against the government releasing a new constitutional draft. they are expected to take it up again later this month. >> tonight, president obama

leaves for europe, to poland, belgium and france. he'll meet with eastern european leaders in warsaw first, including ukraine's newly elected president. on friday, president obama and russian president vladimir putin will both be in normandy france to attend as her moneys marking the 70th anniversary of the d-day invasion. thomas pickering is a former u.n. ambassador to the united nations, several countries, including russia between 1993-1996 and joins us from washington this morning. sir, thanks for being with us here on aljazeera. >> thank you. >> this is president obama's first overseas trip since he gave a foreign policy speech at west point, a major foreign policy speech. what do you believe the president needs to accomplish in

this visit? >> i think he first needs to reassure the europeans that we stand with them, that we're clearly going to continue to provide the lead, that ukraine has totally or at least momentarily totally upset some of the confidence and some of of the balance in europe that does need to be eaffirmed. the president made a start in his west point speech last wednesday. there are a number of elements in that that he will want to spell out for the european leaders, particularly those close to russia and face what could be called the greatest degree of uncertainty about where things will go and where the u.s. will stand in terms of helping them. >> that is particularly the case i believe in poland, where they have been calling for a stronger u.s. stance against russia. former polish president lech walesa said the world is at a

dangerous point and maybe it really is the case that lots of bad things are happening in the world because there is no leadership. do poland and other nato members have a reason to be worried and what guarantees should president obama give warsaw? >> i don't think that they do. i think their perception is important. he speaks for an important part of the uncertainty in poland and across europe. therefore, the president will to have put clearly on the line what he is prepared to continue to do to deal with the russian threat, if i can put it that way, to ukraine and how to move it ahead. he will meet the new ukrainian president. that's important. i think that ukraine needs to be put back on a firm economic footing. the separatists need to be dealt with. it appears as if some of their activity is winding down. it appears as if mr. putin is not going to try to press through with additional measures

to try to take control of eastern ukraine at least in any way directly and partially indirectly, heapfully he'll be able to see mr. putin in france on friday along with other leaders and begin the process that has to happen politically of winding this down, getting the russian troops offer the border and help to go rebuild ukraine. >> do you think having president putin be at that ceremony in normandy on friday makes it appear as though russia is not being isolated by the international community? >> we have to walk a very careful course between total isolation and no communication and therefore no way to fix things. a continuation of isolation in an institutional sense, easy not going to be in brussels in the g7 is an important point. we need to keep lines open to the russians to be able to talk to them about change, about fixing things, about moving the question ahead. we need to have that both to determine whether in fact there

is any real give in the russian position or whether in fact the russians are going to stay hard nosed and we have to take further tough measure to say push them along. >> i understand that you actually recently met with sergey lavrov, russia's foreign minister. what did you come away with in that meeting. >> i unfortunately did not meet with sergey lavrov. >> i apologize. i have my information wrong. >> that's ok. secretary kerry's been talking about his relationship with foreign minister lavrov. i can't fill you in in any way at all on that particular issue. it appears to be at the moment that that channel is not able to work very well or if it is, it's working very quietly. >> thoma thank you for your ins. >> the trial of three aljazeera journalists has been adjourned until thursday, bail denied for a 10th time to the

correspondents and producer. that this was their first court appearance since egypt's presidential elections last week. they have been held for more than five months, accused of conspiring with the outlawed muslim brotherhood. aljazeera rejects all of the charges and demands their immediate release. >> a suspect has been arrested in the deadly shooting at the jewish museum in brussels, he's a frenchman detained during a train inspection. police were tipped off. he was carrying two guns, one similar to the weapons used in the shooting. the suspect is held by anti terror investigators who believe he joined extremists in syria before returning to europe. >> the new elements in this investigation drove the attention once more to the problem of the returnees. in other words, the people going to syria in order to participate and combat and return afterwards to our country. >> three people were killed after a man opened fire just

inside the jewish museum. a fourth person is brain dead. >> south korea is urging north korea to release a jailed missionary. he was sentenced friday to life in a hard labor camp for allegedly spying and trying to set up underground churches. north korean media said the south korean dap lift was arrested in october and was threatening the countries supreme lead errship. south korea said the punishment is unfair and too strong. >> there is word a christian woman in sudan may soon be released, in prison for rejecting islam and given a death sentence. her family is still waiting for the government to make it official. >> her polite captured the attention of the world. this 27-year-old woman was sentenced to death by hanging. it caused an outcry. brought up as a christian by her mother despite having a muslim

father, she always fauld the faith of her mother. the prostitution demanded she follow her father's faith. she reversed. she first charged with adultery and sentenced to 100 lashes, all this while she was heavily pregnant. the baby she gave birth to in prison, her husband was granted access to see the child and 20-month-old son in jail. they fear for her health and the legal battle they face to release her. >> the decision of the court is basically wrong. it is an oppressive sentence against an ordinary human and not legal. if we read the details, it lacks wisdom. >> the international outcry that followed and the campaign to free her have perhaps taken the government by surprise. the announcement by the government of her imminent release comes as an enormous relief of her family but is still democrat on a court order. >> this is a political

statement. the judiciary of sudan is the body who has to determine the situation. >> there is a long history of christianity in sudan, by minority rights are restricted there. it heights how the government should protect those from other religions in line with international agreements. aljazeera. >> a spokesman for sudan's ministry of foreign affairs said right now there is no plan to release her. lawyers hope a judge will grant an appeal filed by her husband. >> redrawing the map of the world's largest democracy as a new state is born in india. the southern state has formerly split into two, carving out a new one. it's been a long time demand of residents there who feel the region has been neglected by the government. the debate simmered for half a century and there are several other accept are a activities movements in india and today

could remove demands in those regions. >> a new era of street vendors, fighting to keep a culinary tradition alive. >> attacked by a shark, fun on the water turns to terror. witnesses tell how one woman survived. >> how speaking a second language can keep you young in our discovery of the day. >> looking live here at the statue of liberty, a view from new york city's battery park this monday morning.

>> talk to aljazeera only on al jazeera america >> it's time now for our discovery of the day. new research shows learning a second language may slow the aging process. scientists studied 800 people,

testing intelligence back in the 1940's and again when they reached their 70's. those who spoke more than one language spoke higher on intelligence tests. it seemed to increase reading skills and overall intelligence. the researchers say it didn't matter what age the participants learned that second language. >> nasa has captured rare footage of a massive solar flare on the face of the sun. it's like a volcanic eruption that blasts off super heat particles. the flare sent them hurdling in space, headed toward genius. nasa is testing whether they can send humans to mars, tomorrow launching a vehicle off the island of kauai. it uses bigger and stronger parachutes than those used to launch rovers to the red planet which could make it easier to

put astronauts onboard. >> hurricane season is officially underway. we have what you need to know about it. >> officially starts june 1 through the end of november. it's on a curve, though. the chance of anything developing in june about 50%, the height of the season august, september, so pretty quiet right now with a couple of exceptions. i'll get to those in a minute. there's a list of names that comes out every year, boy-girl-boy-girl. i highlighted a couple in jell-o. these lifts recycle every six years. remember faye? not bad enough to be replaced in the name, but gustav was, so we have a new name. ike was one withage storm surges. storm surge projects are put out because sometimes the intensity and storm surge can be

different, like ike, so we'll be better prepared for storms with less intensity but a bigger flooding potential. >> in chicago, 40 couples held a group wedding. gay and straight couples took part in the ceremony at the unity in chicago church. hundreds of friends, family members and supporters were there to celebrate with them on the first day same-sex couples could marry in their state. >> it's a historic day that so many we'll around the country and illinois worked hard to achieve. >> renewing our vows and also supporting this whole function of equal marriage through illinois and hopefully through the country. >> sunday marks the first day all 102 illinois counties could issue licenses to same sex calls. >> the backstreets of the cities in asia are renowned for their cheap food. urban development is pushing up

rent and putting many out of business. many of the beloved eateries are serving up their last dish. >> he has been making and serving up dimsom for 35 years. two years ago, his lease went up 50%. he fears another similar rent rise or even worse. >> many of the buildings have already been redeveloped and older people who lived around here and were my customers moved away. >> nestling in the shadow of the office blocks, the older traditional back streets of hong kong are being squeezed by rising rents and more expensive eateries. >> there used to be lots of old chinese restaurants here, but now there's only one. there are no more cafes anymore. >> food stores numbered in their

hundreds when he set this one up with his father in the 1960's. now it's one of barely 20 left, and with no interest from his children in running it, it will probably close when he finally hangs up his ladle. >> as neighborhoods have been transformed, hong kong faces how to develop into a modern metropolis while 16 maintaining its heritage. given the gritty nature of street culture, there's some who wouldn't mind losing it for good. >> stores are closing and disappear. >> some believe the authorities ever used recent food safety scares and virus outbreaks to unfairly target cheaper street food outlets. the result, a vanishing heritage. >> for connoisseurs of local

tradition or cheap eats, hong kong offers a rapidly diminishing menu. >> rapidly diminishing indeed. fewer than 28 outdoor foot stalls remain in hong kong. >> a florida woman was attacked bay shark on sunday off the coast of fort lauderdale. the 22-year-old was on a boat in the inner coastal water way. she first scared to take a dip in the water. just moments after jumping in, they spotted the tail of a bull shark. >> a big splash not water, turned back and there was a fin. that was it. >> she was immediately rushed to surgery and you can see the half moon shaped white on her leg. the muscles in her leg were shredded. she is expected to fully recover. >> he's a world renowned artist with installations in london and paris and now is an ambassador for the upcoming world cup.

he says it's all about love. he tells about it in his own words. >> hi, i'm an artist and i live here in miami beach, florida. ♪ >> i think the message in my work is positive and is about love. i think this is what i put in my work, lots of love. i was born in brazil. since i was a kid, i loved drawings and did a lot on notebooks and my mom used to tell me don't do too many drawings in the notebook, leave space to do your homework. i started drawing on everything i could put my hand on. one of the biggest things that happened to propel my career was that i did this series of

paintings and after that, so many things i would never imagine. i think it's so important to anybody in the world to do something for somebody else. you can do it for your family, your community. you can do it for your country, i love the idea of giving back. i'm thankful for the opportunity that i have and have been given to have this gifford to create my art and that people relate to it. this picture you see here, that's actually a picture of me working the pyramid. i want to do very large installation like i did in hyde park, like i did in miami with the superbowl. it's great to know that a lot of very special collectors collect my work. they love the idea of my art being enjoyed by the masses of the world.

they see my art and think i must be the happiest person in the world. i want my art to be what i feel every day and that's how i do it. >> ann davis played alice in the 70's hit and the 88-year-old davis died at a hospital in san antonio after falling over the weekend and hitting her head. >> here is what we are following at this hour. army sergeant beau bergdahl is free after held by the taliban for five years. the white house agreed to release five taliban detainees in exchange for his freedom. >> spain's king is object di indicating his thrown. his son takes over. >> ryan chamberlain had deadly materials inside his home in the

nob hill neighborhood. >> ditching the city in favor of more suburban settings, smaller communities helping foster success. success. >> misbehaving children locked up doing time while they should be in school. >> they have to prepare for jail >> throwing away our future >> we're using the same failed policies in districts throughout the country >> are we failing our kids? 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 school to prison pipeline only on al jazeera america

saturday on techknow. the earthquake business, it's similar to the weather business. understanding our earth. but everything happens faster. limiting disaster. these are the guts of the early warning system. saving lives. having 30 seconds of advanced warning is like a lifetime.

techknow, every saturday go where science meets humanity. this is some of the best driving i've ever done, even thought i can't see. techknow. we're here in the vortex. saturday, 7:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> long time rivals working

together, fatah and hamas swearing in a new palestinian unity government. the new friction created with israel. >> if you can't find a job, make a job, so we did. >> a canvas of opportunity, how artists are crafting a new life and a vibrant future in one small town. >> federal agents are on the hunt for a man accused of collecting explosives in the middle of a major american city. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> the f.b.i. raided an apartment in downtown san francisco on saturday. inside, they say they found an arsenal of potentially deadly materials. now investigators are looking for the suspect, a man who is well known in the community. >> flabbergasted, just out of character for anything that i know about ryan. >> he was very poll light. >> 42-year-old ryan kelly chamberlain ii the focus of a nationwide manhunt. >> es considered armed and

dangerous. we encourage anyone who sees this man to call us or to dial 911. his home just blocked away from some of the city's most popular hotshots. they found a stash of explosives. >> i've met him once or twice before, i've seen him, he's kind of a quiet guy, nice enough. >> quiet, but no stranger to the public eye. he was once a campaign organizer for california's lt. governor govern newsome when he ran for mayor in 2003. he also made his own bid for an assembly seat in california back in 2002, but was unfunctionsful, the f.b.i. say he's now an outlaw. >> there's no chemical biological or radiation known at this time. genuine know that the word ricin was used. i'm going to put that out and

say no, we do not believe and have nothing to conclusively say there was any source of ricin at the residence. >> there are no details on what explosives were discovered or when he planned for them. chamberlain has been completely off the grid since the search. >> where is he right now? does he know this is going on? >> ryan chamberlain was last seen saturday afternoon south of san francisco. the f.b.i. says he may be driving a white 2008 nissan altima with either california or texas license plates. the plate may have one of these two numbers on it. anyone with information should call the f.b.i. >> president obama is using his executive power to say take on climate change. the environment protection agency is expected to unveil a new plan to cut carbon emissions

by 2013. they are down 15% since 2005. to meet the goal, the u.s. will need to cut 500 metric tons of emissions over 25 years. the plan will give states and power companies flexibility to choose how to reach the targets, including shifting from coal to natural gas, investing in renewable energy, upgrading power plants and encourages electricity to be used during off peak hours. president obama has asked the plan to be finished by 2016. >> tonight, president obama leaves for europe, stopping in poland, belgium and france. he'll first meet with eastern european leaders in warsaw, including ukraine's newly elected president. in brussels he will talk to financial powers in the newly formed group of seven after russia was pushed out friday, president obama and vladimir putin will be in normandy to attend as her moneys marking the

seventh anniversary of the d-day invasion. >> the government maybe spying on your digital photos according to edward snowden. the nsa has been using special cost wear to collect millions of images from emails, texts, social media and video calls, including tens of thousands of pictures pristine enough to use for facial recognition. the n.s.a. defend said its use of the technology saying it can help find intelligence targets around the world. >> u.s. army sergeant bergdahl has been released from the taliban. he was captured in june, 2009. he was the only known u.s. prisoner of war in afghanistan. the u.s. exchanged five taliban prisoners being held at guantanamo bay, a move criticized by some in washington. for those in his home state, this is time for celebration.

>> we have been talking about this moment for the last five years. the party that we anticipate that we're going to be putting together for june 28 is going to be an awesome time to be able to put a period at the end of this sentence for beau. >> the prisoner swap with the taliban that treat bergdahl was sponsored by the emir of qatar. aljazeera was owned in part by qatari interests. we have team covering of the release this morning. let's begin in bergdahl's hometown in idaho. what is the reaction to the news there? >> this town has been celebrating all weekend long. there are yellow ribbons all over the town. this is the coffee shop where he used to work as a teenager. signs in front say welcome home. it is going to be a long time

before he is back, but the celebration continues here. everybody is overjoyed for his release. >> i think the bottom line is that beau's home and whatever controversy there might be, i think this community feels his return is the highlight and the most important thing. >> that's a woman who lives in haley, she is overjoyed for beau's release and she believes that there will be some debate about what's going to happen, but people just ready to celebrate when beau returns. >> jim, does the community have anything special landed to celebrate the homecoming? >> yes, there's going to be a big celebration at the end of june that's happened every year during the five years of his cop activity. this year is going to be bigger and better. there's going to be a concert and big celebration. all the people here can hope beau is back for that event on

june 28. >> jim, thank you. >> bergdahl's release and the prisoner swap is playing out differently on capitol hill. randall pinkston joins us with that part of the story. a political fire storm there, some republican lawmakers angry about the prisoner swap. let's listen. >> we have now set a price, so we have a changing foot print in afghanistan, which would put our soldiers at risk for this notion that if i can get one, i can get five taliban released. >> they are not just saying that. they're saying the president's move might have been illegal. what's the basis for that argument? >> there are a number of criticisms of the release and one of them, the allegation that it was illegal because the congress has required a 30 day notice from the defense secretary for the movement of any detainees out of guantanamo. secretary hagel says that there

was no time, that the release was a matter of urgency and there was no time to give congress 30 days notice, but there was a need for secrecy. congress was informed, but it was after the deal was struck. another criticism is that many charged that the five detainee's still pose a threat to american security. they were and are high level members of the taliban. that was the government that harbored osama bin laden and al-qaeda, which struck america september 11. >> several soldiers who served with bergdahl and several veterans have accused him of being a deserter. what kind of action are they demanding now? >> this is the dark side of what until now has been a story about a hero. for sometime now, some years, some military members who were in afghanistan at the time of bergdahl's disappearance raised questions about the circumstances, specifically whether he left willingly or taken by force.

a former retired general laid out some of the possible scenarios going forward. >> fit turns out that he deserted his post and that he in fact willingly went over to the side of the enemy for whatever purpose and good american soldiers died in the process, that is not something that should be left to the side. >> no one is saying that happened. this will be a matter of investigation, and presumably is a matter of some of the interrogation, the debriefing that he is currently undergoing in europe. it is interesting to point out that so far, military authorities have not allowed him to speak to his family. >> this is interesting, indeed. randall pinkston for us, thank you. >> we're going to dive deeper into the criticism coming out of washington over this deal to bring sergeant bergdahl home and risk that may result from it. >> an explease in nigeria leaves

12 dead. the blast happened sunday evening at a bar. a crowd gathered to watch soccer at the time of the explosion. there's been no claim of responsibility. officials believe boko haram is to blame. hundreds gathered in the nigerian capitol sunday to pray for the safe return of more than 200 kidnapped school girls abducted in april by boko haram. last week, the nigerian military said it knew where the girls were held but a rescue operation could endanger their lives. >> an attack on a camp in libya left seven dead, dozens injured. it happened in the eastern city of benghazi. probably groups have been battling forces loyal to a former army general.

is the fighting still going on? it's described to us as a tense calm at the moment. the fighting went on for eight hours. it started at 3:30 in the morning libya time and really terrorized the residents of the western part of the city. this former general has launched an operation against what he calls terrorist extremist groups. today, one of those groups retaliated in attacks, a group that has sworn allegiance to the general. they have fled their houses. a lot of people are trying to get somewhere safe, because they don't know what is going to happen next. at the moment, what's being described to us as a tense calm that in city. >> what is the root of this conflict between these rebels and this former army general?

>> well, the situation in libya is very complicated. there are groups here who people will tell you are extremists in their views. they want to establish an islamic state. they're accused of having attacked the american consulate in 2012 in benghazi and killing the ambassadors, also targeted that city. people are fed up with the security situation. there is no security here and you have all these different militia's from various groups and extremely well armed, answer to go no one. this is the concern. we just heard explosions here. haven't confirmed what they are, but everyone in this country very tense. >> stephanie, thank you. the trial of three aljazeera journalists in egypt has been

adjourned until thursday, a cairo judge denying bail to the correspondents and producer. this was their first court appearance since the presidential elections last week. they have been held for more than five months, accused of conspiring with the outlawed muslim brotherhood. aljazeera rejects the charges and demands their immediate release. >> an emotional meeting for two grieving fathers thrust into the national spotlight by a tragedy. elliot roger killed six, then himself in a shooting and stabbing free in sanity bash, california. his father, peter, sat down with richard martinez yesterday. his son, christopher was one victim killed as elliot roger opened fire on unsuspecting people at a deli. few details were given about what was discussed. >> it is too dangerous to search

for six climbers who went missing last week. they are believed to have died in an avalanche or deadly fall on mount regnier. they have not been heard from since last wednesday. this could be one of the worst accidents on the mountain since the 1980's. >> hundreds gathered in western colorado sunday to remember three killed in last week's massive mud slides. clarence nichols, his 24-year-old son and their friend were caught in the mud slide while checking irrigation problems related to a smaller slide. their bodies have not been recovered. the slide was more than four files wide and 200 feet deep. >> a small either quake rattles southern california near the city of westwood yesterday at 7:30 p.m. it comes after a 4.4 quake struck. last night's quake was too far

away to be considered an after shock. >> parts of the country will deal with heavy rain today with the possibility of severe weather break out. >> it was already a little touch and go over the weekend for a few places. a lot of you had a really lovely weekend. it was the midsection of the country with this system, pretty easy to pick out where we've already had that history of severe weather, anywhere from a couple of isolated tornadoes, iowa and kansas to a lot of wind damage. you can see the equal line associated with this in the earlier frames before this started to break down. now the heavier rain with that missouri into oklahoma, a couple of places that need it. we would love to shift this just a little bit fart tort west. the northern edge of all of this, you can see heavy rain getting that, that's that squall line before it started to break up a little more. what we're going to see with all of this, already because the places that have gotten heavy

rain, green pockets you are seeing are flood watches and warnings, because of being around too saturated. watch those areas if you're near that and trying to drive around. moisture around the great lakes, eventually the east coast gets some better chances over the next couple of days. today, all the green, that's just the chance for thunderstorms. not really the severe risk. tomorrow, though, this really picks up, this corridor from illinois into nebraska, moderate risk for wind, hail, even some of those tornadoes out there. that's a pretty elevated risk for us. that's also the core of the heavy rain, so definitely expecting flooding, as well. >> the king of spain has announced he is abdicating his throne. the king will step down and his son will take over. he has ruled nearly 40 years and was one of the world's most popular man narcs, but his reputation took a hit because of a corruption investigation into

his daughter and her husband. spain is a democracy where the royal family plays a largely symbolic role. >> a long standing feud in the west bank is coming to an end. fatah and llama created a new palestinian unity government this morning. the new cabinet were sworn in about an hour ago, all of them politically unaffiliated. the two groups have been fighting and tried multiple times to come together. israel dropped out of peace talks after this was announced. >> the man suspected of carrying out an attack on a jewish museum overseas is now in custody. the. >> tragedy at an air show. a pilot loses control of his plane. how his risky maneuvers may have contributed to the accident. >> one soccer fan proving to be

a nuisance with a paper airplane, all the way in the nose bleed seats. that on the other stories captured by citizen journalists around the world.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. let's get a check now of the videos captured by citizen journalists around the world. at least six are dead in the russian region of sigh berra where rains led to this flooding. some of the devastation is captured there. the government declared state of emergency in some areas. more than 10,000 people have been evacuated. >> a solar powered plane is chipping away at a lofty goal, this image of the inaugural flight in switzerland. it is a modified version of the one that flew across the u.s. last year. the plane is set to fly around the world next year using only the sun's power. >> this footage of an english soccer fan. he threw a paper airplane from

the nose bleed seats, making it all the way to the field, hitting one of peru's players in the head, right in the middle of the game. >> straight head, the man police say is responsible for a deadly attack on a jewish museum and his connection to groups. >> first a check of the weather. >> summer starts later in june, the midsection of the country all the way up through chicago dealing with this. phoenix, 91 degrees right now. that's the hot core of the country, a lot of the eastern half in the 80's. excessive heat advisories because of heat and dry conditions, a lot of these well above 100 web enhancing the fire

risk through this region. be very careful that have. of course, you don't really want to do it anymore anytime of year, but this is the time of year it only takes 70 degrees for a few minutes to get that car temperature above 100, so the kids, the pets, don't leave anything inside. i wouldn't do it anytime of year, you especially not know. >> even 70 degrees, i wouldn't have thought. >> the co owner of the philadelphia inquirer was one of seven who died in a plane crash in massachusetts, killed with the private jet burst into flames while taking off saturday night. he and the rest of the passengers were head to go new jersey after attending a fundraiser. investigators are trying to figure out what caused the accident. >> a crash at a central wisconsin air show has claimed the life of a 47-year-old pilot. it happened sunday afternoon at the stevens point municipal airport with a lot of people watching. the pilot was performing aerial maneuvers when it went down in a wooded air outside the airport.

authorities immediately ended the air show and the crash is being investigated. >> a suspect in the deadly shooting at the. >> irv museum in brussels has been arrested, held by antti terrorist investigators. officials believe he may have tie to say militant extremists in syria. >> this is the moment a lone gunman fired into the. >> issue museum last weekend in brussels. police are holding the man suspected of the attack, killing three, include i go two tourists, leaving another critically ill. he was arrested as he got off a coach in marseille. he's been referred to the anti terrorism forces and had a rifle and another weapon on him, as well as a camera with a video recording where he admits the shooting. french authorities say the 29-year-old served five years in prison for robbery before traveling to syria. >> on december 31, 2012, 3 weeks after his release.

he went to syria from brussels via london, beirut and istanbul. he stayed over a year in syria where it seems he joined the ranks of militant groups. >> belgium's federal prosecutor says the arrest highlights a growing threat to domestic security. >> the new elements in this investigation brought the attention once more to the problem of the returnees. in other words, the people going to syria in order to participate and combat and return afterwards to our country. >> all the european countries are confronted at the moment with this prop. >> the director of the brussels museum said the problem that needs tackling is anti-semitism. >> it's like an iceberg, what you see and what is underneath. what is underneath is much more important than what you see. ok, we arrested somebody, and

then, and then... >> meanwhile at this shrine, they're struggling to make sense of the attack. >> since the arrest, the french president has promised a fight any radicals entering the country from syria. >> fresh concerns over security in the wake of the deal to bring u.s. army sergeant beau bergdahl home. some argue it puts american troops at greater risk. >> syrians set to head to the polls to decide whether bashar al assad stays in office among the countries continuing conflict. why some of calling the election a sam. >> it's got art, it's got food, it's got everything that you don't think a small town should have. >> a community for artists who are ditching the city life for country life in growing numbers. the seattle suburb that's seen an in flux of creative minds. >> a look now at hour images of the day, the l.a. kings game

seven victory in overtime against the defending stanley cup champions. the kings face the new york rangers in an east versus west battle for the stanley cup.

>> the statue of liberty from lower manhattan, it's shaping up to be a beautiful day. plenty of sunshine. good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. >> protestors taking to the streets in hong kong ahead of the 20th afford of the tienanmen square crack down. >> telling a white lie to get a day off work. we'll tell you why one group of workers maybe doing that more frequently than others. >> senate lawmakers setting up a bill to fix the long delay vets

have been dealing with at v.a. hospitals nationwide. the new legislation would make it easy tore get treatment outside the v.a. system. the bill will be introduced later this week. >> some of those veterans from the iraq war have complained of shortness of breath after returning home. new research links their symptoms to titanium and other metals found in the dust at a u.s. base in iraq. scientists say that dust is different than others, because human lungs are unable to get rid of it naturally. titanium and iron are both associated with pulmonary fibrosis and hypertension. >> a grim milestone from iraq, the united nation says may has been the deadliest month in the country this year. 800 people have been killed. that toll could be higher because the u.n. figures do not include casualties in the anbar province where the iraqi army has been fighting armed groups.

excluding that region, the u.n. said the worst hit city is the capitol, baghdad. 315 people have been killed there in may. the u.s. pulled out of iraq in 2011. >> voting begins tomorrow in syria to pick the country's next president. the man widely expected to win a third term in office is syria's current leader, bashar al assad. the u.s. and syrian opposition leaders are dismissing the election as a fraud. >> syrian civilians fleeing fighting, an all too family scene from the conflict that has displaced over 2.5 million people, killing more than 160,000. with opposition fighters determined to launch attacks on the government-held certify to disrupt the elections, images in this amateur video show civilians leaving the city. supporters of assad are turning out in the thousands to vote at embassies abroad. >> i hope to syria will go back to how it was before.

i hope peace and stat will return so we can all live together like we used to. >> at the syrian embassy in beirut, the turnout, 80,000 syrians was unexpectedly high. >> there is a fervent base of support that he has. it's undeniable that in jordan or lebanon, we see people who do sport him and he still has that core support. >> some refugees were excluded from the voting. >> some call the entire election a far as. assad was the only candidate on the ballot earlier. this time, he's running against two little known rivals and new rules require candidates to have lived in syria for the last 10 years. >> the commander of the rebel free syrian army urged a

boycott. in the past few months, forces have gained traction aided by hezbollah fighters from lebanon and continued support from iran. >> you have a lot of atrocities just endemic. they have no shelter, security or stability. a lot of people have reached that exhaustion point. >> assad has been campaigning in public recently. during this recent appearance, he vowed to rebuild. he also invoked the same phrase used in the past, saying the crisis can only be resolved with an iron fist. >> if bashar al assad wins the election as expected, it will be his third term of seven years. >> a new state is born in india, redrawing the map of the world's

largest democracy, the southern state has split into two, carving out a new one. people living in the region have demanded their own state for half a century, saying they are neglected by the government. they finally received travel from the authorities today. there are several other accept are a activities movements. >> the taliban is hailing the exchange of five guantanamo bay detainees for sergeant beau bergdahl as a big victory. the former prisoners are in qatar where they will stay for one year. the u.s. doesn't have diplomatic relations with the taliban, so the exchange was brokered by the u.s. ally, qatar. >> the convoy carrying taliban leaders moves on highway in doha. they stop halfway to be greeted by a taliban delegation based in the capitol.

you can see three, but there i see no video of the other two. they were all detained for 12 years in guantanamo. their release was part of a prisoner swap. in exchange for their release, the taliban freed u.s. soldier beau bergdahl who spent five years in captivity. the deal was criticized by members of the congress who said it would embolden the taliban to take more american hostages. >> the release of five mid to high level taliban is shocking to me especially without coming to congress. it says in the law congress has to be notified. in putting five people potentially back on the bat field, even though our troops are out in 2016. you now are going to have five people on the ground targeting american troops, afghan troops

and the afghan people. >> the white house says the deal was instrumental in saving the life of an american prisoner of war. >> this engagement indirectly with the taliban was for the specific purpose of releasing beau bergdahl, but we have long said and hoped that there could be afghan led reconciliation between afghanistan and its opponents including the taliban. if this he can change opens that door a little bit, then we would welcome it and certainly hope that in any event that the reconciliation which we have all long said is essential can proceed. >> the afghan government was highly critical, describing the

deal as a breach of international law. this is the most significant deal the u.s. has made with the taliban since they opened an office in qatar a year ago. the office is widely seen as a move to push the taliban to engage in talks with the u.s. over the future of afghanistan. the main goal remains to convince the taliban to join the government in kabul if they renounce violence and break ties with al-qaeda. >> an editorial note here, aljazeera america was founded by and owned by qatari interests. here to analyze the deal and mixed response from congress, jim walsh. he joins us from water town, massachusetts this morning. good morning, mr. walsh. it's always great to see. you let's start with this, in a joint statement, two republicanles said the president should have notified congress and that: does this set a

dangerous precedent? >> it doesn't. first of all, it's not a precedent. every country that's been at war has prisoner exchanges, including the united states, who has negotiated in the past, ronald reagan, you may remember famously secretly tried to negotiate arms for hostages. president bush during the iraq war negotiated with a sunni terrorists who were killing american soldiers and eventually were converted to what we call the sons of iraq. every country does this. israel trades hundreds of palestinian prisoners for a single israeli soldier. it's not unprecedented. the taliban want to kill americans. we want to kill the tap ban. how much more incentive do you

need? i don't think this fundamentally changes the dynamic at all. >> if the taliban wants to kill americans, a lot of americans still associate the taliban with harboring the 9/11 highjackers, so has that case been well made by the obama administration to the american people that this will not lead to a national security problem? >> well, i don't really know about the case that the administration has made. i didn't see all the coverage of it. let's, you know, step back and look at the big picture here. this is five people. you know, this is not going to tip the balance in afghanistan. for that matter, we're getting out of afghanistan in two years. i just as soon let's bring that last prisoner home before we leave rather than leaving him behind. i think that's a compelling humanitarian case. the administration is simultaneously trying to get everyone out of guantanamo bay, so in some ways, they are doing double duty here, getting people out of gitmo, but getting an

american soldier back home in return. they're going to release some of these five. are some going to rejoin the taliban army? i assume so, but i also think it's likely that some of them are probably older, may have suffered while in guantanamo and may not return to the battlefield and the incident tim 10 or 12 years, the taliban has moved on, there's no leadership. are they going to be able to reassert their leadership 12 years after the fact? i don't know. every country does prisoner swaps and every time you do one, there's that possibility. >> you alluded to the timing of this, president obama recently announcing that he plans to withdraw all u.s. troops from afghanistan by the end of his term. do you think that bergdahl's release was timed to represent closure for america in that country? >> i think probably a lot of different things came together. there were concerns about our

ole jeer's health and whether this was coming to a critical stage. i'm in no position to assess that, but let's set that aside. there's the fact that these negotiations have been going on for a while. they started and stopped and started and stopped with the taliban pulling back at different points. this was really a moment of opportunity. what that opportunity comes, you're going to have to seize it, whether there's a 30 day notification rule to congress or not. if that window is open, you have to take the opportunity when it's there. i think it was that and the larger policy implications as well with the closing of gitmo. the driver here was there was an opportunity to do something, an opportunity that had not been present for years until the administration took it. >> hundreds of people took to the streets of hong kong sunday to remember the 1989 massacre in tienanmen square, marking the

25th anniversary of the crackdown in which pro democracy pro tests were crushed by chinese authorities. hong kong is the only place in china where the event is publicly recognized. in the runoff to wednesday's anniversary, content is censored on the internet. >> price caps on fuel and loan guarantees for small businesses are hoped to kickstart the countrying bangkok. a new ban on political protests is forcing demonstrators to get creative about where and how they protest. >> thailand's military rulers responded to the threat of popular protest, according to the playbook. what's become clear is the protestors determined to seize the initiative and make their own rules and run rings around the police and army.

everyone thought there would be demonstrations at this main intersection. the whole area was sealed off, trains didn't stop at stations in the area. it was a set piece of preemptive crowd control, affirming the zero tolerance taken on protests. then, word came in through social media. it says see you at terminal 21. that's a shopping mall in a different area. >> troops a understand police moved in quickly, fire power included a light machine gun. this clearly wasn't the kind of traditional mass protest bangkok has seen much of over the past six months. this was protest/mob style. perfectly ordinary people would suddenly hold up pieces of paper, some blank. they'd shout for elections and pop up in different parts of the

area. the police have had to block this entrance into a well known shopping zone in the central part of bangkok because of this cat and mouse game they're playing to with the protestors. >> while opponents to martial law seized the initiative, police and troops had to chase around the place when they heard shots and chanting. they started to play national anthems on laud speakers to cover anti coup songs. all this is in violation of the firm crackdown on pro tests ordered by the military, but the handful of protestors here didn't seem to care. >> no, i'm not afraid are arrest. my rights are mine. why do i have to be afraid? i'm being robbed and instead of helping me, the cops protect the thieves and works to arrest people whose rights have been stolen. >> it was like the traditional

thai saying, rightedding an elephant to catch a grasshopper. >> on sunday, the thai army tried to stop protest and military has banned political gatherings of five or more people. >> more than a dozen people are feared dead after a helicopter crashed in russia. the chopper crashed into a lake in the northwestern city on sunday. two passengers were rescued after floating to the surface still strapped to their seats. seven died, nine others are still missing. among those feared dead, regional government officials and top executives from a russian fertilizer company. >> russia and ukraine are fighting on many problems, including a battle over oil. the russian gas giant says ukraine owes it more than $5 billion. ukraine paid part that have bill over the weekend, but said russia doubled its fees in an act of economic aggression.

the dispute threatens the gas supply running through the country. in donetsk, residents brace for more violence. >> anker requiet in the city, business owners in the center of the city have shut up shop, some boarding buildings. igor lives behind an empty store and is fearful. >> anything can happen, artillery or an airplane dropping down on the city. i'm worried. one or two years ago, nobody that had kiev would wage war against us just for having a different opinion. >> the battle for control of the city's airport on monday brought the reality of this conflict home for the people here. dozens of pro-russian separatists were killed in the

siege. >> two of my grand sons were just born. we waited for them a long time and now they are in danger. i am worried about them and pray for them. the ukrainian government is a dictator ship. >> a new element to the crisis, a battle hardened group mom chechnya. we were told to get into a truck for an interview. we declined. these men say they're bringing order, but are clearly on edge. pro-russian separatists aren't as visible as usual. >> the center of the pro russian movement, the city administration building, it's been a few days since the ba italian cleared the barricades

from in front of the building. there are fewer accept are a activities than we've seen in months. >> kiev would like to negotiate out of this crisis. they visit the donetsk people's republic and said there will be no talks until a withdrawal from the region. >> just this morning, hundreds of armed rebels attacked a border guard camp in the eastern city. ukrainian military officials say five rebels were killed. >> apple's big developer's conference starts today in san francisco, one of the few times of the year the country shows off what it's working on. techies eagerly await news. apple keeps the avent's agenda under wraps. here are rumors buzzing around. there could be changes to the operating system, everything from your toaster to toothbrush could be connected to your iphone. a new health and wellness app is called health book.

there are rumors of a new iphone six or wearable device, like an i watch. >> you may be able to have a private lunch with warren buffet in a fundraiser which helps the poor and homeless. previous winners paid up to $2 million to share a meme with the billionaire investor. the luncheon have raised $16 million over the last 15 years. the auction is open until friday night. >> calm it a mental health day, call it a family emergency, but the bottom line is sometimes people lie to get a day off from work. one group is doing it more than everyone else. researchers discovered it by accident. >> in a survey asking people about their bucket list for vacation travels, surveyors stumbled across something about vacation. >> some companies don't

encourage people to take all of their paid vacation. people are using sort of this sneak to take an unplanned vacation day. >> sneak, fib, white lie, whatever. employees seem more willing to use one excuse in particular to get an extra day off. >> we just found that the sick family member was what arose to the top, but there were a few others. >> the survey looking for what bucket list travelers want in the way of accommodations found that the newest members of the american workforce are the ones most likely to lie for the extra day away. >> millennials do that a little more than their counter parts, about 63% of millennials have used the excuse, the most common i'm sick or a family member's sick. >> phony excuses for a day off is not just an american habit, a global survey recently found 71% of workers in china admit to calling in sick when they really

weren't. >> according to the bureau of labor statistics, the average american full time employee gets eight sick days a year. at the start of a new job, that increases to more than 10 days a year once they work for the organization for 10 years. >> the stereotype of the scarfing artist proving to be a reality for some. finding a better life by trading in the big city for small town america. erica. >> when you have an eyewitness to say i saw him do it, that is the best evidence. >> and sometimes sometimes they don't >> no one is listening to us... george is innocent... >> the system with joe burlinger only on al jazeera america

fault lines the school to prison pipeline only on al jazeera america >> nasa captured rare footage of a massive solar flare on the face of the sun. it's like a volcanic eruption that blasts super heated particles from the surface. it happened may nine, sending those particles hurling through space. they headed toward venus.

welcome to al jazeera america. just ahead, the factors driving artists to set up shops in small towns, first a look at the wet weather across the u.s. nicole mitchell is back. >> midsection of the country is definitely where we'll see activity. you can see some of that on this broad satellite. we're looking at the atlantic. really, this time of year, june 1 is when we start our atlantic hurricane season. we have a little activity we're watching, kind of this boundary that cuts across central america. slight chance that we would have development, kind of here around the peninsula, but at better chance on a pacific side that that could develop up. that's something that we'll be watching here. the formation areas for this time of year, really into the gulf of mexico is not until these waters get more active into august, september that we see that come across africa, but where i was showing you that possible system we're monitoring, definitely the temperatures warm enough in the water to support that if nuggets

going. >> the starving ordereddist, it's a cliche that has become a reality in cities across the u.s. mean times are forting artists to move into affordable small towns r. towns. one unique town has become an artist haven. >> as the sunrises, edison, washington comes to life. 75 miles north of seattle with an estimated grand total of 209 people, it doesn't have a police department or mayor. there isn't even a traffic light. what it does have is artists. lots of them. they're working. >> everyone wins here. they're the most beautiful, loving people you've ever met. >> this 24-year-old moved here from california a year ago. >> this is a sculpture i did out of felt and bound cedar drift wood. >> she is doing this without breaking the bank.

her studio rent is $150 a month, half the cost in seattle. artists have steadily moved from big cities like new york and l.a. to towns like edison in search of a community that's affordable. >> if you can't find a job, make a job. so we did. >> it's what artists did, this couple opening a cavita six years ago. food is served with an artistic flare. they own two cafes and a gallery. that was never possible in seattle. >> in a small place like this, you have creator obligation, i think and a duty to be creating positive space. especially if you choose to do business here. >> it's a place where artists can make a living. these believes are specially stopped where artists can live, work and sell their art. there are four galleries within a two block radius and a store

solely dedicated to selling local art. >> aren't they awesome? >> the batter system is alive and well here. artists trade their art and services for food and rent. some believe the artists have turned this old logging town near extinction back to life. >> it's got art, food, it's got everything that you don't think a small town should have suddenly happens here. >> turner says sure, edison is not perfect, but it beats the big city. >> my family doesn't have to worry, because i've got people watching out, and, you know, when the world gets really hard, you go fishing, be with the fish. >> dispelling the notion of the starving artist, creating art and community in small town america. tonia moseley, aljazeera, edison, washington. >> even as many artists leave for smaller towns, there are thousands living in new york city.

there are 140,000 artists in new york. >> thanks for joining us, ahead, new violence in libya and the abdication of the throne by spain's king.

[ explosions. >> helicopter attacks in ben gas did i as forces loyal to a former libyan official step up their militias. hello there, you're watching the al jazeera news hour live from london. also coming up from the program russia calls for an u.n.