crain's new president is sworn in. a look at the candy company billionaire with a long road ahead. another win for gay rights. wisconsin's ban on same-sex marriage has been ruled illegal. the fight to keep it in place has already begun. >> get ready to race.

the belmont stakes happen here in new york. it might make history. >> okay. i have an hour of my life back or four hours of my life back. >> the american city with the fastest internet. be surprised to which town is being compared to hong kong just because of its lightning speed service. >> good morning. i am happy to be with you. i am morgan radford from candy magnate to head of state. petro poroshenko was sworn in this morning as the country's 5th president, becoming the youngest president since ukraine became independent from russia. poroshenko won the may 25th election with more than half the vote, making him the very first candidate to do so since 1991. meanwhile, heavy fighting continued in the east as

government forces stepped up their assault on pro-russian fighters. poroshenko is scheduled to hold peace talks with an envoy from vladimir putin today. both men met briefly at friday's d day commenrations in france and pledged to work together to end the violence. >> robin walker has more. >> reporter: tough fighting talk from the newly inaugurated president petro poroshenko, particularly with regard to the rebellion in the east of the country where he said the rebels would have to lay down their arms. he did offer some form of amnesty, he said, to those without blood on their hands, but that he was prepared to take the most serious measures to end the fighting there. and in one aspect, one area where he refused to make any compromises, he said, would be over russia's annexation of ukraine. >> who comes with a sword will

fall from the sword. citizens of ukraine will never enjoy the beauty of peace unless we settle down our relations with russia. russia occupied crimea which was, is, and will be ukrainei ukrainian as well. >> the newly inaugurated president said ukraine will go ahead and sign that agreement with the european union, an important trade agreement. but this is something that will also anger the russians, president vladimir putin has already stated that signing that agreement would be a bad idea for ukraine and harm ukraine's interests and harm russia's and, therefore, some form of sanctions, economic difficulties, could be placed on ukraine if it goes ahead with that eu agreement. these issues, crimea, east of the country and this closer

integration with europe that is going to force president poroshenko to the table with the russians and they will have to try to work out some kind of a compromise if things are going to be able to to move forward for this new president in this country in ukraine. >> that was al jazeera robin u you-forister-walker from kiev. >> violence intensified in the east. governments officials say separatists shot down another military helicopter. al jazeera david chader has those details. >> reporter: this video was released by separatist fighters showing how the transport plane was brought down by a surface to air missile. you can hear the cry of the man who launched it. the ukrainian government has confirmed the loss of the plane. they say it was carrying humanitarian supplies for civilians forced to flee their

homes to escape the latest clashes in the self-declared republic. the soft airplane is a propeller driven one and has no defenses against an incoming missile. this photograph shows the pilot and co-pilot managed to parachute out before the missile hit. it was fired by these separatist fighters defending their strong hold in the industrial town of slovyansk. 100 kilometers to the northeast of doppdon. we filmed these pictures nearly a week ago after they had brought down a ukrainian military helicopter in which a senior army general was among those killed. ukraine's president elect, petro poroshenko vowed at the time to punish those responsible. since then, it's been the focus of the fiercest fighting while kiev is labeled an antiterrorist operation. throughout friday, there were reports of a column of armored personnel carries and tanks advancing against the separatist

positions in the town. this is the ukrainian army's checkpoint just on the perimeter. it came under attack from mortars fired from a church. one soldier was killed and two others were injured. it's usually crowded with families fleeing the area. western leaders may have been gathering on the beaches of normandy to commemorate d day but when you drive through the self-declared republics here in east ukraine, many road signs point you to the city of bolingrad. in world war ii, it was known as stalin debrad. the defeat was the turning point, many believe. many fighters believe they are fighting fascism once again. david chader, al jazeera, dondon. >> the formalities are over and petro poroshenko will focus on moving his country toward peace. in just a moment, we will talk to an expert on ukraine to see exactly what lies ahead for the

new president and whether he can handle the pressure. breaking news out of iraqi where armed gunmen have stormed a university and are reportedly holding dozens of students hostage. it's happening as we speak at anbar in ramadi west of baghdad. officials tell the associate's press they are part of the islamic state of iraq. mean while, a pieceful protest turned violet in libya's capitol where supporters of the armed group clashed with demonstrators opposed to the military leader. al jazeera stefanie dekker has more. >> reporter: it started as a peaceful protest in tripoli. then it turned to chaos. this lady said she is against the formal general haftar, and they are being fired on. it's not clear who fired on who, but this is the first time that these protests have turned violent. they have been taking place over the last few fridays since

haftar launched his operation against what he called ta rift drupes. a violent day in the capitol. friday, a car bomb targeted the man in charge of integrating militia into the police force. >> it's the people out there who don't want to build institutions, we welcome everything they will try to do befo with all of our efforts. there is no other option but to build a police force and the army. all of the militias have to disban. >> people tell us it was a massive explosion which could be heard up to 20 kilometers away. there is nothing left of the car but it did cause major structural damage to the streets. no one knows who was behind the attack. ever since callikhalifa hastar

out going prime minister seem to side with haftar. he and in benghazi and called on all revolutionaries and young men who can fight to join the battle against what he called the invisible enemy. it's language that won't do anything to cool an already tense and dangerously unpredictable situation. stefanie dekker, al jazeera, tripoli the u.s. is using media to ramp up efforts against abovel boka haram. the state department is financing a 24 hour satellite channel called aria 24 aimed at countering extremism. it started last year and will air in the country's tissue leapt north. the nigerian government has been under international pressure since boka haram abducted nearly 300 school girls in april. >> tracy morgan is in critical condition following an accident on a new jersey turnpike. his limo bus overturned after a six-vehicle accident that included two tractor-trailers.

one person was killed in the 1:00 a.m. accident. morgan is in intensive care at a nearby hospital. he was scheduled to perform just last night at dover downs in delaware and may have been on his way home. >> it's race day at the bellmont stakes. hours are getting ready for a sprint to the finish in the third and final leg of the third u.s. triple crown. fans are hoping to see california chrome make history. al jazeera's jay gray is live for us in belmont. jay, it's been 36 years since we have had a triple crown winner. and california has won the first two races. so what are his chances of sweeping a win this time around? >> yeah. i think they are really good, morgan. great to talk to you. but we have had this scenario before. in fact, as you talk about, for almost four decades, the sport of kings with no new crown. for many con tenders, it's the longer oval here at belmont, the wider turns and the track that the jackdaws call the sand box that has caused the biggest problems and then the great

equalizer today. california chrome hoping to best that and the crowd of 10 rivals he will be racing against to do what he has done in the derby and the preakness crossed the finish line ahead of the field. all that's left now is for california chrome to do what he does best: run. >> he is as ready as he can get, you know. he's such a nice horse as far as his temperament goes. he doesn't get too worked up about anything. >> that hasn't stopped anyone else from getting worked up about what could happen here. >> every place i go, he is on the front page of the papers, on television shows all over the country. i mean i never seen a horse get this kind of publicity in a long time. >> because it's been such a long time: 36 years. since a horse as won the triple crown. >> 36 years is unbelievable. you see it all over the place.

being in new york, the possibility is going to be unreal. >> a possibility that will pull 120,000 or more to bullmont park. some couldn't wait and showed up yesterday. not that concerned about what was happening on the track then but instead focused on what they might see in this evening's race. >> you hope chrome wins tomorrow? >> uh-huh. to make history. >> history that could be just a few hours and a mile and a half away. . >> yeah, you know, it's that mile and a half that could be the biggest challenge. bell hospital will be the first race that chrome has ever run that longer distance. live at the bellmont, i am jay gray. morgan back to you. >> jay, thank you for being with us this morning. coming up, another first at the bell mont stakes, a female trainer is vying for the title marking what could be history in the making. and thankfully the weather is cooperating with today's race.

al jazeera is right here with that forecast. dave, what can the belmont fans expect today? >> can't come lplain about the weather. it's bust across the northeast. a little cool now but nothing on the radar picture here all clear. the rain's cleared out. the northeast is looking clear with just a few clouds out there. >> that's about it. temperatures have dropped a bit. the dry air is in place. the humidity is not a factor today. 60s to start the day. even a few 50s out there. a little cool u but climbing into the 80s this afternoon. high pressure controls the weather across the northeast, not the case in the south and all the way to texas and oklahoma where we have had areas of severe weather moving through the area along with the rain. we are looking at a lot more rain coming in over the next three days, we will talk about anywhere from four to six inches of rain coming down. flash flooding is likely, this big area here, kansas, oklahoma, spreading east through missouri and arkansas. this will be on top of severe weather that came through the area just a few hours ago.

we are talking about wind problems, wind damage here this is some video that came in from arkansas. it shows that wind damage was the big issue here as these stormed rolled through. this is coming in from the state, the storm pre-dix center has a lot of wind damage reports, no tornado reports but just a line of severe weather creating damaging winds that move through the area. this is tracked by the radar pictures, all of these yellow dots in arkansas, where that video was coming out of. >> that's severe weather. there was some tornado activity in colorado, the red dots there are tornado reports but a lot of wind and hail damage coming in from these storms. they will continue top move throu through. this leip here is fairly severe through kansas and oklahoma. >> that's pushing east. more rain on top of that will lead to more flash flooding. not the best news there. morgan? >> thanks, dave. another victory for same-sex couples. on friday, a wisconsin judge struck down a ban on gay marriages. while the ruling was celebrated by gay rights' activists, the

victory may not be final. >> since the state's attorney general is seeking an emergency court order to stop it. same-sex marriage is now legal in 19 states plus the district of columbia. when it comes to cutting-edge technology, chattanooga may not be your first thought. thanks to the city's high-speed internet, it might rival sill connell valley. jonathan martin has more. >> reporter: with an appalachian mountain backdrop, chattanooga has prided itself on its scenic river front. now, an ultra high speed internet service. >> about 100 times faster than the national average. >> is driving growth in this small tennessee city. >> it's so much easier than anywhere else to do anything. >> the fiber optic internet connection transfers at 1 gigabyte per second, 40 times faster than cities like new york and on par with hong kong which has the fastest in the world. >> we have branded our community as the gig city, the first city

to have a gig. >> chattanooga, tennessee became america's first gig city. >> it started more than 4 years ago when epb, the city-owned utility company was looking to upgrade the power distribution center but with over $330 million in bonds and federal stimulus grants, engineers created a city-wide fib fiber optic network for $70 a month, epb customers, no matter where they live have access to the super fast internet. about 4,000 residencial customers are signed up. chattanooga's chamber of commerce reports in the last three years, more than 30 companies have moved here because of the gig creating about 1,000 jobs. >> jack ludder runs lamp post, an incubator for startups. he said the gig was a key reason for expanding in chattanooga. >> you realize how much time and money you are saving on every little transaction that really starts to add up, like, wow. an hour of my life back or four

hours of my life back. >> the difference is easy to see with video files. we uploaded a six-hour movie to youtube in just over four minutes. it would take roughly 45 minutes on most broadbast band connections. >> waiting on youtube to process it. >> a few other american cities have fiber optic networks, too? >> google fiber. >> google realtime added fiber network in three cities with plans for more. >> if you look at the united states versions the rest of the world when it comes to internet connectivity, we are well behind. i think five years. some say 10 years that this, you know, a lot more cities will have it if not most cities by then hopefully. >> chattanooga sees itself as having a head start on the rest of the country. now, leaders are focused on pushing beyond the basics using creatives and engineers to find new ways to take advantage of this new pace of networking. jonathan martin, al jazeera, chattanooga, tennessee. >> politicians c credited the city's internet with creating more than 1,000 jobs.

he made his billions in candy, but now he's president. coming up, the job ahead for ukraine's newest president. but will he be the one to turn the country around? a different kind of ambassador, the iconic car once filling the streets of india now at risk of going away forever. a wayward hippo gives police a run for their mother. when he he turned up and the illegal place that it came from.

good morning. welcome back to al jazeera america. live from new york city, i am morgan radford. the end of an automotive era. let's look at what temperatures we can expect across the country with meteorologist dave warren. if you like the warmer weather, it's coming. the rape is also coming. this is strong to severe storms. the damage reports that have come in, a lot of tornado reports there out west just east of the rockies. >> that's pushing east. this area of severe weather will get -- create wind damage as it continues to push through kansas and oklahoma into arkansas and

missou missouri. a line of severe storms breaking apart just a bit. >> risk for severe weather with gusty wind, maybe hail is possible here throughout the afternoon. >> rain will clear out. flooding will be a big problem over the next few days. but the heat continues to build across the south with temperatures into the 70s and phoenix, 80 degrees now heading for triple digits again today with dry weather there. so the fire danger risk is high. morgan? >> thanks so much, dave. the state department is sending a delegation to attend the inauguration of egypt's newest president. the country's former military chief officially takes over on sunday after winning nearly 97% of that vote. the latest in a very long line of presidents with a military background. now, he led the overthrow of egypt's first democratically elected president just last summer. morsi supporters have been protesting calling the elections a farce. the out going president is leaving office with quite a bit

of a bang. interim president addley mansuer passed several laws including criminalizing sexual harassment which will lead to a five-year jail sentence or heft couple fines. he passed a change in the parl parlor elections requiring a percentage of seats to go to women and to the minority coptic christian community. other laws include tax hikes on the rich and certifying religious preachers certified by the government. >>. >> al jazeera journalits have been held for 161 days. prosecutors demanded the maximum penalty. they want seven years in jail for our correspond event peter greste. arpingsz rejects all charges and demands their immediate release. another al jazeera journalist, abdullah al shamy has his latest court hearing postponed until june 11th. he has been held without charge

since august of last year and has been on hunger strike for four months. >> afghanistan's presidential fronts runner is promising to could not after two bombs targeted his motor kade. he walked away unharmed but six people, including three of his body guards were killed in that attack. >> the enemies of afghanistan failed in their plot today, but unfortunately, we have lost a number of our countrymen. three of my companions, three of our countrymen were martyred in today's attack. i express my sincere condolences to their families and may god rest their souls in peace. >> the run-off election takes place next week. no group has claimed responsibility for that attack. the taliban has reportedly threatened to target the elections of the the winner of next week's vote will preside over the withdrawal of sdmrus combat troops. >> india's most iconic car known as the ambassador could be a relic of the past.

why the maker of the curreountr first automobile may no longer be coming around the bend. >> reporter: the unmistakenable rev of an ambassador. >> it's a sound poojah dodd has scar issued her whole life? >> i love high car. >> growing up in india, it's the only vehicle her father drove. now she is carrying on the family tradition. >> it represents memories of childhood. we spent a lot of time traveling out of town in it with the family, and it also represents a lot because growing up, it meant it was driven by ministers and bureaucrats. >> for decades, it was the only car available in india and was used by everyone from the prime minister to taxi drivers. but this may be poojah's last ambassador. it's maker, hindistan motors

announced last month it was indefinitely suspending operations at its plant because of financial difficulties. it's workers are owed six months' salary. >> the company was not able to produce more than five cars a day. they were not able to meet the financial obligations like paying dealers' dues. >> even if these problems are resolved, production at this fame -- of this famous car may not resume. sales have plummeted from 1800 a year in the early 1990s in this dealership to 120 last year. the vehicle has failed to keep up with motoring innovations and the demands of consumers. >> you never see it on the road much. >> i am a young guy. so, i prefer sports models rather than going for an indian old car. >> they may not want to buy it,

but many indians are still nostalgic about their ambassadors? >> after 57 years on india's rugged roads, this grand old lady of motoring faces retirement. it won't just be the end of a car. it will be the end of an era. krisma vyas, new delhi. >> the automotive car just sold 2200 ambassadors last year. a new era for ukraine. a closer look at petro poroshenko, where he comes from and whether he is up for the challenge. >> this was everybody's fault. the system failed you guys. >> a crack in the legal system. how one investigative method that's been used for years has landed innocent people in prison. >> i was a bit of a novelty when i first showed up. >> shattering the glass ceiling. how one woman could make history with today's belmont stakes.

good morning. welcome back. these are today's top stories. race day is finally, here a run for history as california chrome goes for the triple crown at today's belmont race. more violence in east ukraine where pro-russian separatists shot down a government airplane. two crew members safely were ejected from that plane. officials say it was transporting humanitarian goods to people who had been displaced by the fighting. this all happening as the country swears in a new president. petro poroshenko spoke about the future a day after meeting with president putin in france. >> who expected is petra poroshenko? he has supported the pro-european movement. he faces several challenges as

hetains takes the reins of a country in crisis. a closer look at the man perhaps better known as "the chocolate king." "it's hard to see and it was brief, but remarkable nonetheless. the leaders of ukraine and russia meeting for the first time since the conflict erupted raising hopes of a possible ceasefire after months of fighting. >> russia needs to recognize the president elect poroshenko is the legitimately elected leader of ukraine. >> hopes are riding on poroshenko, the billionaire who says he is ready to talk with moscow. >> russia lost the battle for supporting terrorists. he is promising to quickly end fighting in the east while comparing the rebels to somali pie rates. >> they just want to conserve the illegal situation there. >> despite his tough talk, he's pushing for negotiations and amnesty, called the chocolate king, he made a fortunate building a candy empire with a reputation for honesty,

poroshenko promises to fight corruption and reform the economy. >> we want to build up the powerful european country if there is a player in the region. >> critics report he is part of the old system. he was overwhelmingly swept into office even though nearly half the country didn't vote. he has been in politics for 16 years, was a government minister before the revolution and owns television stations. >> ukraineians have heard empty properties before. many hope this leader is different. some already encouraged by his first steps jonathan betz, al jazeera, new york. the capitol of bangladesh, daka is the fastest growing mega city in the entire world. land prices are already higher than those here in manhattan but in part one of our series, urban pressure, thousands of the city's pour pooret residents are struggling just to pay the rent. >> gnomed shuman was 12 years

old when he and his family were kicked out of their home. they lived illegally in a slum. one day without warning, city officials came and bulldozed their homes. >> i felt really bad. i was only 12 years old when they destroyed my house. it was tough to see my parents cry. i cried a lot, too. it was very difficult. we couldn't get enough to eat and we slept on the streets. >> in the place where sumon's home used to be, there are high-rise apartment buildings. daka is one of the most densely populated cities in the world and real estate prices are soaring. according to brokers, lands could be twice as high as the average price of land in manhattan. >> has led to land grabbing putting pressure on the poorer residents of the city. today, he lives in a slum where

represents per square meter is higher than in the city's wealthier neighborhoods. >> it's in the heart of the most expensive part of the capitol. >> puts its tens of thousands of residents at constant risk of being evicted. many of the slums have been destroyed the. the people in koral but he had to fight off threats from land grabbers. >> we want the government to build high-rise apartments for us on just a small slice of this land and the rest of the land that the slum occupies can be freed up for whatever use and then, the slum residents can continue to live and work in this area. >> for mohammed shumon, the future is as uncertain as his past. it's the people who live in these slums, if they get their wish, his hope is that his younger brother won't also be cast out on to the street like he was. maher suffar, tata. >> in part two, we will look at

mexico city's metro, that's coming up in our next hour. >> if a dog walking with its owner looks a little bigger than normal, that's because it's not actually a dog. it's a hippopotamus. mexican police arrested this man after he said the hippo escaped from his house when he let it out of its cage for a walk. he was arrested for not having documentation to prove that he was, in fact, the owner. so a local circus has since come forward saying the hipo is actually theirs. >> the drought affecting the western u.s. has led several states to restrict water use. in some places, it's led to rationing. a little further south, just across the border, the effects of the drought are more stark. the residents of baja mexico, three are there is often no water at all. jennifer london has more. >> in this sprawling working-class neighborhood on the outskirts of encinada,

mexico you will find a street which means waterfall which is ironic because people here have been without running water for weeks. >> there is no water for the bathroom. no water to wash clothes or to do the dishes. >> it's a similar story next door where alexander lives. his family hasn't had water for three weeks. the problem isn't their pipes. >> the problem is the drought that we have had since 2009. it's affected the whole area. >> this is what the city's unprecedented water shortage looks like. encinada is the only municipality that does not get its water from the colorado river. it relies entirely on well water and reservoirs. both are nearly dry n january, city officials began rationing water, which is a polite way of saying the water was turned off three or four days a week. as the drought got worse, so did the rationing. marina cardenas has gone without water for eight days and

counting. >> one has to get a customed to it because at first, it's horrific not to have water. in order to conserve water, we have to get used to seeing a sink full of dishes before we wash them. >> when the pipes are shut off, the only water source for residents comes from these storage tanks scattered around the neighborhood. even this water is in limited supply. the water crisis unfolding right now is two-fold. clearly, there isn't enough water. parts of this reservoir have been turned into a road. you even have cowses grazing here what little water there is is oftentimes dirty and isn't safe to use. >> many residents ends up using bleach to treat the water they have managed to collect. but if you travel downtown where the tourists stay, you would never know encinada is drying up. hotels and businesses have plenty of water thanks to supplies from their own storage tanks which means locals living outside of town are the ones paying the price.

>> we understand they are upset. they have a right to get good service. we have to say our responsibility in the past, we didn't do a lot of things we should have done, and we are suffering for that. this is the area we are working now. >> alvarado says they are doing what they should have done: look for new sources of water. the immediate solution is two new underground wells that have just been completed in the last week. encinada is looking at desalination, but at this point, that's more of a pipe dream than a reality, which means for the near future, people here find themselves high and dry, caught in the crosshairs of an unprecedented water crisis. jennifer london, al jazeera, encinada mexico. >> they need 13 gallons of water a minute to function but at the moment they are each issing

11,575 gallons. >> allegations of veterans affairs who complained about malpractice were furnished by their supervisors. whistle blowers say their employers were demotedto when the employees tried to expose bad recordkeeping at va hospitals. so far, there are 37 cases of retaliation and the acting va chief, sloan gipson says this is unacceptable and he is doing everything he can to fix the problem. gipson took over last week after the former chief, eric shinseki resigned. >> it used to be considered reliable evidence in court. now, a number of false c convictions is raising some pretty serious questions about the reliability of eyewitness identification. 2 people who were negatively affected by the system's law who are hoping to change it sooner rather than later? >> he quickly jumped on me, on top of my body. i screamed and he quickly covered my mouth with a gloved hand and i felt something sharp

go against the left side of my neck and he told me to shut up or he would kill me. >> the year was 1984 when jennifer thompson, then a 22-year-old college student, was raped at knife point inside her off-campus apartment. it was dark, but she says she kept her eyes focused on her attacker's face and body, trying to memorize every detail. >> it almost gave me like a job, to surf vie, -- survive and know who this man is. you are going to know who this person is and send him to prison for the rest of his life. >> she did. thompson picked 22-year-old ronald cotton from a set of mug shots in a line-up and again, in front of jurors during the trial. he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. but 11 years later, dna evidence cleared cotton and led to another man who was eventually convicted. >> in the minds of juries, a positive eyewitness identification is almost a gold standard. >> since 1989, dna testing has

exonerated 250 people convicted of sexual assault of those, 185 or 74% had been erroneously identified by an eyewitness. most often, the victim. rob warden of northwestern university says soons has proven over and over the unreliability of eyewitness identification. >> one of the things that is so tragic in my mind about the criminal justice system is we allow a conviction to stand only on a single eyewitness identification. >> neuro scientists here at northwestern university have mapped the brain's memory process and why it is so often wrong. >> one part of your ear where there is no pulse. >> our memory storage is thought to be a reconstructive process. so, it's not the case that we store it, every detail of the memories we have. but we have stored some information and then at the time of retrieval when we are remembering, we see use those bits of information to

reconstruct the whole story. >> thompson says her own eyes and memories failed her despite her best efforts, a mistake she has to live with for the rest of her life. >> i felt completely responsible even though, you know, the detectives and the assistant assistant district attorney looked at me and said this was everybody's fault. the system failed you guys. this was not you. i took it that it was my fault, like i bore all of the responsibility on my shoulders. >> now, unlikely partners, thompson and cotton have traveled the country to share their story in the hope it will help reform the system. >> usher kareshi, chicago. >> on this week's episode of the system, we will take a look at what happened when eyewitnesses identify the wrong people. you can watch the full episode this sunday at 9:00 p.m. eastern, 6:00 p.m. pacific right here on al jazeera america. the cia has debuted on social media with a cheeky sense of humor. the agency september out its

first tweet on friday saying, we can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet. >>, of course, we want viral and just hours later, the agency tweeted thank you for the twitter welcome. we look forward to sharing unclassified content with you. the cia's new twitter and facebook pages will feature intelligence history, photos and facts. mobile phones already know your exact location on the planet, but now, a new google phone is being developed that will be able to sense the room you are in and even map your building. it will do all of that right from your pocket. al jazeera's jacob ward has that story. >> john, back in february, google debuted something it called project tango the company said was giving mobile devices a human scale understanding of space and motion. >> grand language means google is trying to put sensors into their devices that will let those devices construct a 3d map of everything. they will read your gestures down to the neutering of your

fingers. they will understand which room of your house they are in. they will probably even know what pocket of your pants they are in. they are going to recognize your face most likely. in february, google put out a prototype phone developers could use to build the kind of software that could take advantage of sensors like that. they have announced the first tablet built around the idea. it is matchly powerful. a big, beautiful sdmrdisplay an much ram as a mac book air. but what makes it different is that it's blist ling with ways of watching and measuring you and your environment. it has a wide-angle camera that faces you so that you can basically give it as much user information about yourself as possible. it has a powerful camera on the back that sees very well in the dark. >> should be useful. it contains a motion tracking camera and an integrated depth sensor for figuring out how far away things are. this is a tablet version of the kinect. it will be available for programs to play around with.

it's a research device and whatever they learn about it will go into future consumer devices. the research is going to change a number of things about our lives. in the last 5 aye years or so, data scientists have tried to quantify not just human behavior but human interactions with other people. one research team asked people in an office to wear devices that tracked their movements and that listened to the tone of their voice. the researchers came away with all sorts of data about impro improving efficiency at for instance a call center, based upon how fast people worked after taking a break. more brakes and chatting with your call center makes a call center more efficient. when you surf the web, you are used to the idea google serves up ads based upon what you were looking at on the last page. with tablets like these in the house, they could know that you and your kids are in the room and that you are playing a game, maybe even what game you are playing. it might suggest something you would enjoy like a beverage.

whatever it is, your personal devices are about to know a lot more about you. >> that's al jazeera's jacob ward from san francisco. now, you are looking live at belmont, new york, where all eyes are on california chrome. the fan favorite could break the 36-year triple crown drought. chrome isn't the only one who could make history. one trainer is hoping to become the first win trainer to win a triple crown race. jessica taff has more on that. >> in the sport of kings, cylinders a rice may be considered queen. she is one of the most successful female trainers in north america. no surprise if you know her linage. having grown up a family where everyone is in the industry, she was already a certified trainer by the time she was 23. in the 2013 new york-bred trainer of the year feels at home in the male-dominated profession. >> a lot of people talk about female trainers and think it's a

novelty but for you, you are a third-generation trainer. this has been second nature since day one. tell me about your history. >> yes. i mean i have been training horses in new york for two decades now, since i moved to new york. and i was a bit of a novelty when i first showed up. >> rice's track record speaks for herself, one the top 10 trainers of any gender and wracs and prize money. she made history in sarah together a in 2009 when she was the first-ever female to finish in the lead of the final trainer standings at the historic meet. one gemmeder barrier she hasn't broken is to be the first female trainer to win a triple crown race. >> we ran crews in the preakness. he may be running in the belmont. i certainly have my eye on the traverse. those are the races we are shooting. >> that's my bucket list. >> what is it that makes rice such a good trainer?

she said it's like being a talent scout and a coach. >> you have to train your players and, you know, between fitness and weight training and you also have to judge their abilities as to what their strengths and their weaknesses are. >> rice admits she may spend more time with horses that people and can't help but have a few favorites. >> i had a horse named soldier field that my brother had sent to me that was one of my very, very ferret horses. he won all over the country. every track, california, new york, and he was a terrific shipper and a great performer. he wasn't my most successful, but he was my favorite. >> at bell movnt park in elmont, new york. al jazeera. >> there is a female jockey in today's race, hoping to become the second woman to win since 1993. a major bridge that is tilting. today, we are learning officials may have actually known about the danger way before it was

closed. and looking to the past to improve the future, architects tapping into history to build a blue print for the future. >> we are looking at the future here of the forecast of more rain expected where we don't need it. flash flood watches are in effect. i will break it down and have the weekend forecast next. >> you are looking live at elmont where the test of the champion is a few short hours away. california chrome gearing up for the shot at the triple crown. live at belmont stakes coming up next t

america mobile app, available for your apple and android mobile device. download it now breaking news out of iraq this morning where armed gunmen have stormed the university and are reportedly holding dozens of students hostage. it's happening right now at anbar university in ramadi west

of baghdad. officials tell the associate press the gunmen are part of the islamic state of iraq, a splintser group of al-qaeda. we will have a live report from baghdad coming up at the top of the hour. we are also following developments in new brunswick, new jersey. this is a live look outside the hospital where communi yad tracy morgan is in critical condition following an accident as his bus turned over after a six-vehicle accident, including two tractor-trailers. morgan is in intensive care at a nearby hospital. he was scheduled to perform last night at dover downs in delaware and may have been on his way home. good morning and welcome back to al jazeera. i am morgan radford. how architects are learning from the past as they build for the future. our meteorologist dave warren. >> high pressure in droll. not much in the way of clouds or rain. just a little cooler temperature this morning. >> dry air is in place. >> temperature drops overnight. where it's mugy and too much

moisture is across the south and the southern plains. a lot of rain coming down with severe weather. we have had reports of tornado, wind damage and hail and more of that is happening now with this band of heavy rain. it's moving out of kansas and oklahoma but look at the forecast. more is in store. this is over the next three days. you will see how this area continues to fill in. another storm developing across the southwest pulling up a lot of moisture out of the gulf, in the same area, four to six inches of rain over the next three days, oklahoma, kansas, east to arkansas, missouri. flash flooding problems there. you can see the storm damage from last night's storm, the wind damage and hail even a few red dots there showing there was tornadoroy reports but now, it's the flooding problem across the southern planes and the lack of rain across the southwest. we have excessive heat warnings and red flag warnings in effect. the fire danger is high as we are looking at dry weather continuing and very little rain.

so that is the big problem there. here is the severe weather across kansas and oklahoma, extending to the east. now, this is a bow line. it bows out, an indication there is a lot of wind damage but very little rotation. so just wind damage reports coming in as this rain continues to push east, a close-up view shows the line is pushing out of oklahoma and kansas in through missouri. there is one or two severe storms here with the wind damage reported. >> that's the big problem is these storms could nntinue to p east. it's moving out. seeing more rain develop here in the panhandle of texas and oklahoma as another storm will develop and that's what's going to lead to the flooding here over the next three days. four to six inches of rain will be coming down. so flash flooding watches are in effect throughout this entire area. flash flood watches along with flood warnings meaning flooding can happen quickly. poor drainage areas flooding happens quickly with a lot of rain too soon. the top transportation official

in delaware saying his agency should have moved more quickly to inspect the i-495 bridge in wilmington. it was closed earlier this week because of structural problems. a business owner said he alerted the transportation department when he first noticed something was wrong all the way back in april. officials believe a huge mound of dirt weighing some 50,000 tons is responsible for the damage. >> architects from around the world arepeting in venice for the 14th international architecture exhibition where this show cases a different take on modern design. nick spieicer has more. >> reporter: they are gazing into the past through windows hundreds of years old. in the background, machines test the ones we used to. this is not your usual architecture fair featuring the latest gee-whiz sky scrapers. architect and curator wants this

biennale to be a rethink of the fundamentals of the buildings we live in. >> there is a vast amount of information, of beauty, of intelligence, of tradition, of technology, of future potentials that we forgot or neglected and that is there for the taking. >> a new perspective, then, on glass and even the historical evolution of the toilet since roman times. >> feelings are also on display, notably the false ones filled with the air conditioning, electricity and data cables which all invisibly make our modern lives liveable. >> a history of heating, from the fire pit to the modern kitchen to a ceiling with heat lamps that follow you as you walk through the room. and an exploration of secure doors from the medieval fortress to the modern airport , its security agents and metal

detectors. six months long, this biennale is for the general public and for academics to think of the funneled memthsdz of how we make shelter for ours. >> architecture, you go with some idea, still you should know the knowledge of it. the knowledge is from research, basically some history of things. it cannot create from your mind. you should have knowledge of it, all of the walls and the floors and you see everything together. it's like you really are going to think again about your own house. >> a chance to tear down some walls. old or new and take a fresh look at just why we live the way we do. nick spicer, al jazeera, venus. >> the exhibition will run for six months until november 23rdrd. now, to today's image of the day. it has a great story to go with it. surrounding by ferry employees is bernard jordan, an

89-year-old british veteran of d day. yesterday he was supposed to be in his nursing home but he we want mussing and nobody could find him. >> that's because jordan, without telling a single soul left the home and hopped on an over-night ferry to france so he could attend the anniversary of normandy. here is what we are following, ukraine's new president has been sworn in. poroshenko vowing to reunite his country and defiantly saying he will never give up on pro-russian. dozens of university students have been taken hostage in their dorm by the islamic state of ir iraq. getting ready for the big race, the belmont stakes taking place today on long island, new york. california chrome poised to become the first triple crown winner since 197 yeah. >> we are looking at more severe weather coming into the area today. storm damage reports from last night, flooding problems today. i will show you where with the national forecast coming up.

>> before you go, take a look at these live pictures from elmont new york. we will be live from belmont stakes in a few moments, when i am back with you in just two and a half minutes. stay tuned. >> al jazeera america's presents the system with joe burlinger observing a crime >> a shocking number of these eyewitnesses get it wrong >> how much would you remember? >> dark complected... medium height... you described most of the majority of the men in america >> sometimes witnesses get it right >> 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

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sxwrarn. >> new information about the shooter. >> hadn't been out there. it appears he wanted to go in the courthouse and take hostages. >> it could have been catastrophic. what a georgiaman may have been plotting before his court appearance and the police officer who took a bullet to stop it. plus banking on buds. colorado's new move to get the marijuana business a place to stash its cash. we begin this hour with breaking news out of iraq where university students and staff members are now free after being certain hostage by armed gunmen earlier this morning. good morning to you. welcome back to al jazeera america live from new york city. i am morgan radford. the gunman deserted the campus a little while ago. the hostages fled for is safety. it happened in ramadi. we will have a live report from baghdad in just a moment. >> ukraine has sworn in its new

president and earlier today, petro poroshenko became the country's 5th president since it gained independence from russia. he is the first candidate to win since 1991. he shifts his focus toward creating peace. he is scheduled to hold talks with moscow to end the violence in eastern ukraine. he will with have more on his inauguration later in the hour. the state department is sending a delegation to attend the inauguration of egypt's newest president. after winning nearly 97% of that vote. he is the latest in a long line of presidents with a military background. he led the overthrow of egypt's first democratically elected president, mohammed more see last summer. morsi supporters have been protesting his appointment calling the elections a complete as far as.

me meanwhile violence breaks out in tripoli where groups of haftar clash with those opposed to the military leader. undeterred after an assassination attempt, afghanist afghanistan's presidential fronts runner is promising to could not his campaign after two bombs targeted his motorcade. he was unharmed but six people, including three of his bodyguards were killed in that attack on friday. the run-off round of the presidential elections takes place next week and the winner will preside over the withdrawal of u.s. and coalition combat troops from the country. we go back now to our top story, the breaking news out of iraq where university students and staff are free after being taken hostage by armed gunmen earlier this morning. al jazeera's imran khan is live in baghdad. imran, we are hearing this may

have been the work of the islamic state of iraq. has that been verified yet? >> reporter: it hasn't been verified by the islamic state of iraq. they rarely take responsibility for any attacks that take place, specific attacks that take place. but the iraqi security forces here have said it was the work of the islamic state of iraq. let me tell you what happened. about seven hours ago, armed gunmen sparrowsed into the university. it's a saturday at the university, a day off for the university but there were students and university staff in the university. they took it over. there was an intention stand-off just opposite the road -- across the road. sorry. there was a police station. so, there was this intense stand-off that was going on. the isl fighters, they say, they are shooting. they were like threatening the students. however, as the day progressed, six or seven hours this lasted

for, they decided to leave into the back of the university and dissipate out. once that happened, the iraqi students could actually leave the university and then the police we want in and confirmed that there were no armed men in the university. so this took about six or seven hours. it's very unusual for a stand-off like this to take place. it's not a tactic we have seen isl fighters use before. what they are more used to doing, an attack we saw three hours earlier they we want and hit an iraqi army convoy which killed three ramie army soldiers. now, this hostage attempt on a university has a lot of people in iraq worried because it is a new tactic. we haven't seen this for a very long time. and people are wondering whether there is something that isl fighters and other armed groups may continue to do and how do you protect against that? questions are being asked. this was supposed to be a secure

facility. >> imran khan joining us live from backdad. thank you for being with us this morning. the white house is facing ba bashlash after bergdahl was freed for five detainees. president obama did he have venalities the controversial swap. the obama administration has been under is intensive pressure for not keeping congress in the loop. he said bergdahl's life was in danger and the president telling nbc the exchange was worth it. >> the fact is that we are ending a war in afghanistan. we have released both under my administration and previous administrations a large number of former taliban fighters, some of who returned to the battlefield, but by definition, you don't do prison exchanges with your friends. >> california senator dianne feinstein said she has no information of any credible threat against bergdahl. the taliban official also said sergeant bergdahltion was treated well during his five years in captivity. >> officials believe a georgia

man was planning to take hostages when he opened fire outside a county could courses. officials killed dennis marks before he made it inside that courthouse north of atlantaa. he was due to appear for a drug case. he and in body armor carrying an assault rival and grenades. a deputy guarding the courthouse was able to slow marks down until a s.w.a.t. team arrived. >> if that deputy hadn't been out there, yes, it appears he wanted to go in the courthouse and take hostages. he had flex ties with him for the purpose of restraining people. his purpose was to get into the court house. >> deputy distracted him away from that. >> he was shot in the leg but expected to make a full recovery. >> texas gun owners are protesting the state's open carry law. to make their point, they are openly carrying rivals to the state's republican convention. a report from fort worth on the second amendment demonstration. >> they are automatic rifles and

shot guns have been banned from restaurants like chipoltle and chili's. the nra criticized these as weird and counterproductive before taking it back. but these long guns are legal to carry openly and about 30 people brought them outside the texas republican convention in fort worth. chris miller is a mechanic who is engaged. he said he is just a regular guy who really doesn't want to carry his ar 15 for protection. he is just doing it to make a point. >> i just believe as free citizens we should have the option to either conceal or openly carry, you know, when you can open carry an ar 15 or a shotgun or a black powder revolver, but a modern handgun you can get arrested for open carrying, that's a little odd to say the least. >> that's something we would like to change. >> texas is one of only five states where you cannot carry a handgun out in the open. >> we are supposed to be the gun capitol of the world essentia y

essentially. >> the controversial demonstrations make some people uncomfortable although we found no such discomfort as members of open carry tarrant county approached folks around the state g.o.p. convention. >> chris miller says his group's not out to scare or intimidate but do the opposite. >> you see media all the time, it's a bad guy with a gun. we want to show people that, you know, good people own firearms, too, responsible people, attorneys, mechanics, just, you know, anybody. >> tara cowen's anybody, a customer call service rep with three kids. she said it's not practical carrying around an ar-15 for protection. she wants to carry a handgun without concealing it. >> it takes time to pull it out of wherever it's being concealed a lot. you know, that's wrong. >> that's wrong. if i had it openly on my side, pull it up and pull the trigger. >> demonstrations have garnered a lot of attention and the hope here is that attention turns into new leanlylation.

one person who really wants to see open carry handguns passed is a great grandmother. >> beverly donahue want to carry one as a deterrent. she said she doesn't want to use it? >> i don't want to be a radical or a weirdy. i just wand my second amendment rights. >> some state leaders say they support open carry but fear these groups bringing long guns out and into businesses is hurting the cause. the demonstrators disagree and don't plan to stop mark this sider, al jazeera, fort worth. >> the texan republican party is voting on a controversial platform. it may endorse a psychological treatment that tries to turn gay people straight. >> yes. . >> what's going on there? >> somebody shot someone. >> there is someone that was shot and that was hit with shrapnel. >> those are just a few of the

frantic calls to seattle e mergency officials on thursday where when he seconds earlier, 26-year-old erony bara armed with a shot gun started shooting inside an academic building. he killed one person and injured two others before being tackled by another student. the 9-1-1 calls came from students and from bystanders. the lawyer for the accused gunman said he suffers from mental health issues. he said he has been involuntarily committed in the past because of mental illness and that he is sorry for the shooting. it's being held without bail on suspicious of first degree murder and assault and at the same time, friends of a student who was killed. >> hes of was going for a final i had to pass with him. we were going to study at 3:00. i had to pick up a check on my internship. yeah, i was there. i was going to be late to meet him. he we want over and got shot.

>> students and friends at the seattle pacific university left notes and flowers and a makeshift memorial for lee. >> meanwhile, comedian tracy morgan is in critical condition this morning following an accident on the new jersey turnpike. his limo bus overturned after a six-vehicle accident that included two tractor-trailers. one person was killed in the 1:00 a.m. accident. morgan is in intensive care at a nearby hospital. he was scheduled to perform last night at dover downs in delaware and he may have been on his way home. >> severe weather through the midwest and south where arkansas takes yet another hard hit with a second day of storms. at least two people were killed by falling trees in the state and 50-mile-per-hour winds left thousands without power. residents are bracing for more storms expected today. so, now for the national forecast, we turn to meetrologist dave warren? >> not the best news there. expecting more severe weather. pretty much where it's been coming through the area. so, flooding and wind damage,

another problem again today, in fact, happening now. northeast is clear. you go a little farther south, that's where the storms are. temperatures are into the 50s and 60s, a little cooler this morning, but climbing this afternoon. nice dry weather. the temperature climbs from the morning low temperature. high pressure controls the weather in the northeast but here is the stormy weather across the south. this cluster of storms moving out of kansas and oklahoma, pushing to the east and more severe weather developed there in portions of colorado and just east of the rockies there and now we are expecting a lot of rain with this next storm coming in. so flooding will be a big issue here. this area expected to get about 4 to 6 inches of rain, and this is over the next three days. today, tomorrow, and monday flooding will be a big issue here, 4 to 6 inches of rain, flash flooding is the big problem because it could happen quickly. the flooding comes quickly and the waters drop quickly. now, these are storm damage reports. the wind damage with that video

you just saw there as the storms moved through arkansas but here in colorado, we had some tornado reports coming in and the radar detects the rotation, but the actual spotters can see this. >> that's when a tornado warning is confirmed. they look at the damage to see what the type of the tornado this was. this was from yesterday in colorado. certainly the reports coming in show that. now, the rain has pushed to the east. there is no severe warnings with this. just flooding problems and maybe a wind gust as the storm continues to push through and that will be moving through here over the next few hours. morgan? >> thanks so much, dave another victory for same-sex couples, on friday, a wisconsin judge struck down a ban on gay marriages. while the ruling was celebrated by gay rights advocateadvocates not be final. >> that's if the state's attorney general is eseeking an emergency court order to stop it. same-sex marriage is now legal in 19 states plus the district of columbia. >> colorado is trying to give marijuana businesses access to banks and pot sales are legal

there, but they are not nationwide, which is why some banks are pretty hesitant to do business with them. colorado's governor has approved a new financial system. as paul beban reports from denver, it still needs approval from the federal reserve. >> since recreational marijuana became legal on january 1st, business has been booming. there is one big problem: while it is perfectly legal here in colorado, it remains totally illegal under federal law. what that means is every pot-related business is a cash-only business. they can't work with banks. they can't accept checks. they can't accept credit cards. they have to pay their bills in cash. they have to pay taxes in cash. they have to pay their employees in cash. and that, of course, creates a lot of logistical problems. they have to store large amounts of cash in vaults on site. they have to transport that cash. all of it makes them a high target for crime, for robbery. the denver police this week issued a warning to pot-related business curriers saying they

are being targeted by thieves. so what the legislate it temperature and the governor arehov hoping to do is set up something like a co-op that would allow them to process checks and credit cards. they can't do that without a sign-off from the federal reserve which has indicated they are not going to go anywhere near that short of an act of congress changing the federal marijuana laws. while the leanly slate temperature, lawmakers, business advocates for the marijuana industry here are hope this will send a signal to federal regulators they want to move this forward, this is far from being what they called the last piece of the pot puzzle here in colorado. paul beban, al jazeera, denver. >> deadly clashes in syria turning thousands of married mothers into widows. >> the sound's heard very loud. my little one would sleep under the bed. the children would see with their own eyes. they would see the massacres with their own eyes. >> peniless and alone, the women

of syria's civil war and their desperate attempt to keep what's left of their families together. >> we've got one of the largest urban populations in the world next to a corral reef. >> the environment versus the economy. while florida is digging up precious corral and divers trying to save it with bare hands. >> the kruchlt ia joins twitter or did they? the spy agency's first tweet just after the break.

the cia has officiallydee debuted on social media and, of course, with a sense of humor. the agency september out the very first tweet on friday saying we can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet. >>, of course, went viral and just hours later, it tweeted, thank you for the twitter welcome. we look forward to sharing unclassified content with you. the cia's new twitter and facebook pages will feature intelligence history, photos and facts. [morning. welcome back to al jazeera america live from new york city. i am morgan radford. coming up next, an effort to save en dadangered coral reefs

florida but what temperatures can we expect with our meteorologist dave warren? >> parts of the country seeing cool temperatures: temperatures in the northeast with temperatures in the 50s and 60s this morning starting to warm up again, another hot day across the southern plains, dealing with the heat later today. these temperatures climbing above 100 degrees. so triple digits again today, especially across the southwest. dry weather there so the hot dry weather leading to fire dangers you see numbers climbing above 100 in phoenix and vegas at 103. we have excessive heat warnings and red flag warnings for the high fire danger there across the southwest. morgan? >> thanks, dave. >> miami is one of the busiest ports in the entire country but now, delicate coral there is at risk of being destroyed. arpingsz's natasha gname there is serious effort to the way to save it. >> believe it or not, this colorful, thriving coral reef is

living in the water of the main shipping champ of the port of miami. >> it's beautiful and exciting and sad a little bit because you know that they are all going to be that's because beginning on saturday, the army corps of engineers is dredging the channel as part of expansion contract. it will destroy the coral colonies underneath. on the edges, army corps drivers have retrieved healthy coral and transplanted them to an artificial coral reef north of the channel. there, they will be out of the path of cargo and cruise ships. the effort was mandated by the state of florida. but marine biologist andrew baker says there is still such a large number of coral reeves at risk. >> we've got one of the largest urban populations in the world next to a coral reef ecosystem. these corals are some of the valuable. the economic concerns are going to win once again. >> for almost two weeks, the

university of miami professor and his students have been diving for coral despite days of bad weather and pour visibility, they have retrieved about 1200. the researchers thought they had until mid july to keep diving. but the state, who issued the permit to dive, says the date was always subject to change given the dredging project. the state can't afford to give the divers extensions. each day of delay would cost taxpayers $100,000. >> it is a missed opportunity in that we could have gotten more. we could have saved more and, you know, we could have had years and years worth of research corals at our disposal. >> the corals are now sitting in these pools. baker and his team hope to study them and learn more about how coral reefs can survive in inhospitable environments such as the water of a shipping champ. >> if we are trying to save florida's reefs and the few we have are the most adaptable and hardy, tough resistant corals,

we should protect because they might represent the future for coral reeves in florida. >> army corps of engineers says the coral colonies will grow back as they did after the last dreaming project in 1991. but baker says that logic is faulty. when mother nature is showing us all around the world that it doesn't always bounce back. natasha gname, al jazeera, miami. >> from saving coral to saving a bridge, the top transportation official in delaware says he wished that his agency would have moved more quickly inspecting the i-495 bridge in willington. it was closed because of structural problems and a wilmington business owner said he alerted the transportation department when he noticed something was wrong with the bridge in april. officials believe a huge amount of dirt weighing some 50,000 tons was responsible for all of that damage. many americans strapped for catcash are dipping into their 401(k)

savings. al jazeera's mary snow explains why the penalties you pay are only part of the problem. >> reporter: like a piggy bank, 401(k) accounts can be an easy source of rainy day money. when someone taps into their 401(k) before turning 59 and a half, the irs hits them with a 10% penalty fee on top of any taxes they may owe on the money which is now considered income. >> that savings account that's supposed to be there for 30 years is a piggy bank. they have to crack it open. nobody wants to do that but people don't have other options. >> that $57,000,000,000 americans withdrew from their 401(k)s in 2011 earned the irs $57,000,000,000 in penalties. all that money being withdrawn from retirement accounts is making americans less prepared for retirement. according to a recent gallup survey, 48% of americans say

their 401(k) plans will be a major source of their retirement income. but according to one example, prematurely withdrawing $16,000 from a 401(k) at age 30 and not paying it back could cost $471 per month in retirement income or more than $50,000 over 20 years apsalmsing a retirement age of 67. for the decades, americans used their homes as piggy banks. rising home he can dewitty meant second mortgages, refinancing or home equity lines were an easy way to pull cash out of a home. all of that changed with the housing collapse of 2008. when americans became locked out of using their homes as atms, they began to turn to their 401(k)s as the next way to access easy money. for example, out standing home equity loans in 2013 were at $704,000,000,000, down 38% from their peak in 2007. irs penalties from premature

401(k) withdrawals are up 37% since 2003. >> 401(k) plans are structurally flaw truck driver. they are really do it yourself savings plans that have failed millions of americans miserably. >> for now, one thing seems certain. with the economy running in slow motion, americans are running out of piggy banks to crack open. mary snow, al jazeera. >> it's the test of the champ pip looking live at he will montgomery new york where california chrome is feeling his oats. we are live at the bellmont stakes. >> i love soccer, especially if i can play a match. if i am grown up, i want to join the national team. >> it's home to some of the most passionate soccer fans on the planet, but we will tell you which country has never made it to a world cup.

the session of the ukraine on the taking the oath of allegiance by the newly elected president is open. >> from candy magnate to head of state, billionaire petro poroshenko is officially sworn in as president of ukraine. welcome back to al jazeera america live from new york city. i am morgan radford. poroshenko won the may 25th election with more than half the vote. >> that's the first time that happened since the country gained independence from russia. poroshenko made sure to address the conflict in the eastern ukraine and he promised to find a solution. >> i began my work by the offering the peace plan and i am calling upon everyone who has taken arms in their hands,

please lay down your arms, and i guarantee the indemnity from criminal liability of those who don't have blood on their hands. the blood of peaceful citizens of ukraine. >> meanwhile, heavy fighting continues in the east as government forces stepped up the assault on pro-russian fighters. poroshenko is scheduled to hold peace talks with an envoy from russian president vladimir putin today. both met at friday's d day commenrations and pledged to work together to end the violence. robin foriester-walker has more. >> reporter: tough fighting talk for the newly inaugurated president petro poroshenko particularly with regard to the rebeb yon in the east of the country. he said rebels would have to lay d down arms. he said he would offer amnesty to those without blood on their hands but he wouas prepared to take the most serious measures

to end the fighting there. in one aspect, one area where he refused to make any compromises, he said, would be over russia's an exace of ukraine. >> who comes with a sword will fall from the sword: citizens of ukraine will never enjoy the beautiful of peace unless we settle down our relations with russia. russia occupied crimea, which was -- is and will be a ukraine as well. . >> the newly inaugurated president said ukraine will go ahead and sign that agreement with the european union, an important trade agreement, but this is something that will also anger the russians, president vladimir putin has already stated that signing that agreement with the eu would be a bad asked for ukraine and harm crain's interests and harm

russia's and, therefore, some form of sanctions, economic difficulties could be placed on ukraine if it goes ahead with that eu agreement. these issues, crimea, the east of the country and this closer integration with europe that is going to force president poroshenko to thetable with the russians and they will have to try to work out some kind of a compromise if things are going to be able to move forward for this new president in this country in ukraine. >> that's al jazeera robin foriestier-walker. >> the. >> hassan nasarala heads hezbollah. he is praising bashar-al-assad's win. he said the strong voter turnout septa clear mention from the syrian people. >> any political solution in syria begins and ends with president dr. bashar al asasad.

there is an elected president with seven years elected by millio millions. anyone has to talk with him to negotiate with him to discuss with him and reach a solution with him. >> nazrallah denies allegations that his group forced syrians and lebanon to participate in that vote. he the majority of those who have died fighting in syria are men, but women and children are often left behind struggling to go on with their lives. some of them are finding support in neighboring lebanon at a refugee camp. nick sheeve written reports on mothers trying to hold on to what's left of their broken families. >> every day, all day, amad dahar keeps vimming ill. he is in isolation with second degree burns. they fled here from syria and their rations were cut off in protest, helpless and

humiliated, she set herself on fire. >> i can only think of her getting better. i have nothing else. >> the wars ripped families apart. >> that's left the mothers of syria month among the most vulnerable. mon three jars will women and children. >> osmas has been in this home for widows for five months. she is from homs the city once known as the skralingdz of the revolution, today, there are barely any signs of life. somewhere in there, she lost her husband. today, she keeps him alive by wearing her wedding ring. here in lebanon, she doesn't feel alive or safe. she is scared to reveal her face. when they fled, she and her daughter didn't even have time to put on their shoes. when they fled, her son didn't

make it. . >> she spend her days teaching english. she contemplated suicide. her children kept her going. in this house, the children of widows can play and live. and the women learn skills like hair dressing. the idea is to give them the ability to support themselves. they have to because of all they have lost. oom abda arrived here two weeks with her sister and novu they fled when they could no longer hide from the war. she is also from homs. she said last month, the government bombed herb house. >> the sounds were very loud. my little one would sleep under the bed. the children would see with their own eyes. they would see the massacres

with their own eyes. >> and then a massacre took her own family. this card shows how one of her sons was jailed for life. another son disappeared. her husband is missing. and then last month, her brother and her other son were both killed fighting. . >> nobody in my family is left. five young men died. all of my family is gone. >> each of these families have a message to the united states: >> what would you want the people of america to know about your situation? >> the situation of the syrian people is very bad. they are millions like me. >> reporter: millions of lives, five days after we interviewed him, five days after we filmed his wife, 43-year-old miriam milhawi, she died from her bushes without the shelter or

the dignity that these widows today are clinging to so they can try and rebuild their families. nick sheeve rip, al jazeera, tripoli, lebanon. >> chaos in brazil's largest city with less than a week before the world cup, workers are on strike paralyzing the public transportation system. police used tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse protesters gathered inside a subway station. workers were demonstrating in favor of a salary hike. they say $582 isn't enough to support an entire family and this is all happening as ball fans head to sao paolo for the opening game on june 12th. it's race day at the bellmont stakes where horses are getting ready for a sprint to the finish. >> that's in the third and final leg of the u.s. triple crown. fans are closely watching, hoping to see if california chrome will, in fact, make history. al jazeera jay gray is live for us in belmont. jay, it's been 36 years since we

have had a triple crown winner. california chrome has won the first two races. so what exactly are his chances of sweeping a win this time around? >> . >> reporter: you know, morgan, it looks really good. this is a strong horse. this is a fast horse. one catch: it's never run this distance, never before has california chrome competed at a mile and a half. so that will be interesting to see how it can sustain that speed on the track. now, a lot of observers, a lot of people who watch this support much more closely than i do say this race is all about the jockey, the jockey being in control of knowing when to go and knowing how much more the horse has to give. we talked to the jockey earlier in the week from california chrome. this is what he had to say about preparations and his horse. >> after i work him, i got a littles more confidence. i think it's going to run big. >> you know, he's going to have to, to run big in what could be

the biggest race in a long time for horse racing, morgan. it's going to be a big day. can't blame it on the weather. the wealth is perfect. a slight breeze, sunny and conditions are just right. >> a beautiful day indeed, jay. we know that chrome, everyone is waited with batebbreath. who are some of the other standouts of today's race. >> you know, there are a few. let's start with wicked strong. wicked strong was supposed to compete and really maybe withn e derby finished fourth, took off the preakness and decided the hor horse is going to rest up. we will get it ready for this final run at the bellmont and he will be in the role of spoiler today. there are a few others, but one i like and one that's done very well on this track before is ton sub sill, a horse that's locally trained, been out here before. won sixrations on the track leading into this event. a lot of people don't know about that horse. watch to see what he does today. it could be a strong showing.

>> we will keep our eyes on tox ill. jay gray joining us live from elmont. thank you for being with us this morning. >> reporter: thank you. >> the world cup are kick off next week in brazil. around the world, many kids dream of playing soccer internal nationally. in indian easy i can't, it's a tough path. a majority haven't been paid for months. >> reporter: they share the same dream, to become professional players in indonesia. >> i love soccer, especially if i can play a match. if i am grown up, i want to join the national team. >> but here, local and foreign players are not being paid for months and even years. >> one of indonesia's star players didn't get paid until recently. >> at least 60% of all of the players haven't been paid for between two to nine months. this is, of course, a huge problem because the players are essential for soccer.

the players' association is still fighting for our rights. >> despite a huge passion for the sport, indonesian soccer is in dire straits. until earlier this year, it was split in 2 by political infighting after warnings by the international association organization, fifa, they are in and out unified but clubs are still facing financial problems resulting in a lack of youth development and training facilities. it's a dream of many to become professional ball players but their love for the game is often not rewarded. bad management and politics have destroyed many children's hopes. >> the government is trying to persuade the clubs to meet their obligations but without great success. >> so far, they have elected, for example, if there is any situation, but for those who are not good, it's quite poor.

i have to tell the truth to you. >> many professionals believe that unless circumstances change dramatically, it will take another 30 years before important ease i can't can compete in a world cup. the government is agreed and sizthe country he is ready to take part in the next one four years from now. al jazeera, jakarta. >> so there is also soccer fever in afghanistan where many women are breaking traditional gender barriers. they are competing in the country's first-ever female soccer free mere league, something unheard of under the rule of the taliban. the head of the women's soccer committee says it may take years to really be regarded as equal, but this is all a step in that direction. >> female soccer is a new phenomenon here for us to bring it to the afghan people who are still living with an old vision of soccer, it might take around 50 years. but still, we are hopeful and we will could not our struggle to make it common in our society.

>> soccer is a pretty popular support in afghanistan with stadiums often being packed during male soccer games. the national team, however, did not qualify for this year's world cup in brazil. >> it costs $2,000,000,000 and it doesn't even work. al new metro line in mexico city designed to keep millions of residents on the move. instead, construction errors have forced commuters on to old buses and rickety trains the add adam reports in urban purchase, that means a much longer ride to work. >> rush hour in mexico city always sees a crush of millions of people inching their way to work. but the morning commute has gotten longer for hundreds of thousands. more than half of the stations on the newest metro line have been closed because engineers year trains could come off of the tracks. >> when the new line opened in 2012, diana guerra was thrilled. now she spends much time on

buses between stations. >> this is a newly beltline. it is okay to do some minor maintenance but not mainly work. >> reporter: the opening of line 12 cut her ride to work under an hour. now, some days, it's more than two hours. the line was built by a consortium of mexican and foreign companies. there has been a lot of finger pointing, but it's unclear what has made the ride along the elevated sections risky. the tracks are worn down much more than they should be after barely a year in service. mexico city assembly member jorge gavino is issuing a study of leip 12. he is leery of companies. >> instead of looking for culprits, what we are doing is to work alongside the city's government to get the metro running again. >> mexico city's metro is behind only new york in number of

passengers. it's a source of pride for mexicans. for 50,000 people rode line 12 alone when it was operating fully. >> line 12 has these gleaming modern cars and has been referred to as the golden line. it already cost mexico city $2,000,000,000 and it's going to cost millions more just to get all of these trains fully back on track. >> the mayor said it could be six months before line 12 is fully up and running again. diana guerrero wants the line fixed as soon as possible so she can get to work on time. >> the buses are insufficient for all of the commuters. for all of us that use the metro. >> a few shared by hundreds of thousands like her who wait for the train to get the green light. adam raney, al jazeera, mexico city. >> tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. in part three of our urban series, urban pressure, we will look at how an influx of my grants in indian

has become a blessing and a curse. general motors can't stop recalling cars. the auto maker announced four more on friday. this time, it's due to airbags not deploying and radio signals that warn if a car door is open not going off. the company released this, almost 14 million vehicles just in the united states. some of those have been put off for more than 10 years resulting in at least 13 deaths. >> leaves the company with a string of legal suits. beginning july 1st, adults adopted in washington state will be able to access their original birth certificates. for many, it gives them a sense of identity and as tanya moseley explains, it allows access to critical medical records. >> pen johnson calls it her special box. >> me and the family getting ready for church. >> 50 years worth of photographs and documents, her memories, always framed by one defining fact. penny was adopted. >> it was always there.

always there. >> her parents told her when she was very young that she was adopted and with that came the wapitiacies. >> constantly searching faces. like, that are could be her. what if that was her. >> 28 years and thousands of mothers she found her birth mother through a intermediatiary appointed by a judge. the reality was nothing like the fantasy. her birth mother wanted fog to do with her. >> it was horrible. >> even though pennyts birth mother didn't want a relationship, finding her brought with it critical information. she felt she could have used much sooner. turns out the most direct way for adoptees to filed their birth parents is through this single sheet of paper, an original birth certificate, sealed in most states. >> my birth mother died of ovarian cancer three years ago. turns out her mother died of ovarian condition cancer and her mother's mother died of ovarian

cancer. kind of important. >> it was also important to know she had siblings. she went to school with her sister and different even know it. >> marching band, 1979, '80 and there i am, and there she is. >> one person apart. she was right there. >> the whole time in plain sight? >> yes. and i am searching everywhere. >> now under a new washington state law, adopted children born before 1993 line peni will have access to their original birth certificates. 13 other states have similar laws. adoption attorney mark dimeri says many adoption agencies promised birth mothers their identities would be kept secret. >> you have to understand how difficult that could be for someone, for their family to find out when they don't want it to happen. >> even though peni found. >> her birth mother, she is filing for her birth

certificate. >> it my information. it's my life. i deserve it. >> the final document in peni's search and a new beginning for thousands of adoptees seeking their birth parents. tanya moseley, al jazeera, seattle. >> washington's department of health is encouraging adoptees to pre-order birth certificates. they anticipate a rush for records nect month. it's the most widely used college exam in all of america and now is changing. the new act and what your students need to know to make the grade. >> the potential for energy production is huge... >> no noise, no clutter, just real reporting. the new al jazeera america mobile app,

available for your apple and android mobile device. download it now real reporting from around the

world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. good morning. you are looking the live at elmont new york where the test of the champions is a few short hours away. california chrome gearing up for a shot at the triple crown.

he could be the first in 36 years. welcome back to al jazeera america live from new york city. i am morgan radford. play ball or take a college entrance exam. >> that's a dilemma facing athletes in massachusetts. it started when thursday's play-off baseball game between two schools north of boston had to be rescheduled because of the rain. well, there is just one little problem. it was rescheduled for today. >> that's when more than a dozen of those players on both teams were scheduled to take their sats. >> i am probably going to go to the test because it's my future. >> we may have played our last game. we know there is about, you know, 17 other kids out here that are going to give it their best. >> it sucks. just having to stop here and have to take a test over the big game. >> local high school officials considered postponing the game until after the exam but in the end, they decided to continue the game as scheduled. >> speaking of high school, the most widely used college entrance exam is now evolving. the new act will assess just how

ready students are for a job while testing skills in science, technology, engineering and math while keeping the 36.scoring scale. so joining us now for our weekend conversation segment is floyd hammock, profess professor of educational sociology at nyu. thank you for being with us? >> my pleasure. >> tell us what exactly are these changes? >> the changes that are being talked about have to do with the scores most likely that are being reported to students. the test, itself, is not -- the act is not changing very much. but what they are doing is ininstead of simply telling students one score, they are breaking out a series of scores that students will get. they will break apart. they are going to create a combination of test scores called the stem test, which is a combination of math and a science test. they are going to be doing some individual english and writing scores. the idea is that students need

to have better information about their preparation for the kinds of demands that colleges and the workplace are going to make on them. and that's what the act is trying to do so that instead of having just a come pussit score, one to 36, there is going to be a set of scores which they think is going to provide more information to students and help them make some decisions about their preparation if they are weaker or stronger than they would otherwise be able to do. >> but will that set of scores be beneficial to the students? because the vice president of customer engagement at the act, let's pull the graphic of what he had to say. he said that he is trying to bring this back to a student focus to sharing scores that would make a student understand the relative strengths and weaknesses. but professor, are these changes in the best interest of the student? >> well it's hard to say one

thing or another, but i think in particular, given the nature of the demands that are constantly being increased on students that mosh information is better than less. there is a substantial number of students moving from high school into college. many of them are not as well prepared for college as they think they might be. and so they are often entering college not able to perform at the level that the college expects. many of them are required to take developmental courses, courses that don't provide college credit before they can qualify to take college courses. some find it hard to test out of that set of courses. thing drop out because they are notability use college credits. others have he aid and they use

financial aid that would otherwise be used for college credit courses and find themselves under financial stress. >> also encourages dropping out. >> professor, what about those who say, look. sat, act. this is a bunch of balony, not an accurate way to measure students' capabilities? >> that's -- admissions offices in college use a variety of indicators, high school gpa, student activities a bunch of other things? >> sure. >> students provide. the argument has been the standardized national tests provide a benchmark across the country for colleges to look at students' accomplishments even though they have been in very different high schools with very different kinds of rigger and course offerings. >> so this is a reliable data point? >> that's been the argument. the degree to which these test scores are actually predictive of college attainment is an open

question at this point. there has been studies recently of colleges that have gone test score optional and some of that research seems to suggest that there is not a whole lot of value added by these test scores in predicting students' success in college once they get there. >> we will see what happens once these changes are in fact made. thanks so much, professor floyd hammack. thank you for joining us this morning. >> let's get another look at the national forecast and the forecast for the belmont stakes. al jazeera's dave warren is right here with us to give us more on that. >> it looks good out there. temperatures have dropped but now they are climbing back up around philadelphia and 63 in new york. albany up to about 61 degrees, high pressure clear and dry across the northeast. crane across southeast. rain moving out of texas and oklahoma. >> could lead to flash flooding over the next few days.

morgan? >> thanks dave. right here on al jazeera america tomorrow, the inauguration serious questions about the democratic process. thanks so much for watching al jazeera america from new york city. i am live from new york. observing a crime >> a shocking number of these eyewitnesses get it wrong >> how much would you remember? >> dark complected... medium height... you described most of the majority of the men in america >> sometimes witnesses get it right >> 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

>> students freed. but violence continues elsewhere. >> we'll be live in baghdad with the latest. also coming up, ukraine's new president is sworn in promising to keep the country united, but with more power for the region. and the u.s. gunam