the website aljazeera.com or facebook for google+, and you can find us on twitter. see you next time. >> hello and welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we are covering for you. the court rules that hobby lobby can claim religious exemption. troops battle it out with rebel forces to declare an islamic state. and a new law that allows guns in schools and churches causes concern and confusion.

>> on this, the last day, the supreme court term the ruling called the hobby lobby case. lisa stark is in washington, tell us more about the ruling. >> reporter: it was a blow to the obama administration and one section of the affordable care act for some companies, the section that requires employers to provide contraceptive coverage as part of their healthcare plan. there were big crowds outside of the supreme court waiting for this decision, a politically fraught one in a 5-4 decision the court ruled in favor of hobby lobby, this large chain of privately owned arts and crafts stores. the owners david and barbara green had argued that they were religiously opposed to providing some kinds of contraception as

plan b the "morning-after pill." they saw it as a form of abortion. they decided some can claim exemption from the mandate. there were cheers when the decision was announced. laurie beckett filed the case on behalf of hobby lobby, here's what they had to say. >> today's decision is a landmark decision for religious freedom. the supreme court recognize that american families do not lose their fundamental rights when they open a family business. today's victory against this unjust mandate is important not just for families like the greens, but also for religious ministries like the little sisters of the core and all americans who speak to live

according to their consciences. >> now what the court found was that the mandate violated the restore ration ac restoration act of 1993. ginsberg called the ruling a decision of startling breadth, and she said the court has ventured into a minefield. planned parenthood saying today the supreme court ruled against american women and families giving bosses the right to discriminate against women and deny their employees access to birth control coverage. the grouped said it is unbelievable that in 2014 we are still fighting about whether women should have access to birth control. now the court did say that the government can pick up these cost it is it wants, and it made it clear that it does not apply to other parts of the affordable

care act such as requirements that employers pay for vaccinations and blood transfusions. we're hearing republicans applaud the decision. del, we have yet to hear yet a reaction from the white house. a big decision by the supreme court. >> lisa, one of two decisions by the court today. tell us about the other. >> reporter: the other involved unions, this was closely watched by union members. this is about pamela harris who cares for her mentally disabled son. she said she would have to pay unions. she said she didn't want to do that. the court agreed the home healthworks should not have to pay for their fair share dues but left intact a larger decision they made a few years

ago. they left intact a decision saying some public employees unions workers do have to pay their fair share even if they don't want to join the union. this was a closely watched decision. again another 5-4 decision. both of these 5-4. >> lisa stark following the supreme court decisions. thank you very much. now to iraq. isil has changed its name to islamic state. it has carved out 150 miles from iraq to syria. >> in an audio message in a manifesto published on the web a line in the sand has been drawn. islamic state is a new name for isil. it's a new group of the steaks o establishment of the

caliphate. it intends to unite areas from syria under its flag. the last time a caliphate existed in a world was i when the empire was in its last days. this announcement will put pressure on iraq and syria. it's designed to get people to rally around the group's cause but it will have a political impact here in iraq. on july 1st the parliament come together to discuss the formation of a new government. this announcement plus other pressures will be a big test for nouri al-maliki to see if he has what it takes to remain in the job. but th many are not confident that the president has support.

>> i believe the chances for the current prime minister to run for a third term are very low in comparison to other candidates. we believe that it is better to choose the one who can get the consensus and acceptance of all the political parties and blocs across the political and sectarian divide. sunni applications have long called for the prime minister to go and openly say that his exclusionary style is to blame. >> firstly, his policies have ended his political life expectancy. his great failure not being up to the task is not managing state institutions and has manned in a professional way to be biased and unjust in different segments of the iraqi society. it is these factors that have helped him lose his support. >> politically maliki did win the vote in iraq, but not enough to form a government, so he needs alliances. alliances we needs in other

political blocs to remain prime minister. with the islamic state with their declaration the pressure for all sides is mounting. from al jazeera, baghdad. >> meanwhile, kurds have closed their borders. they are on the lookout with fighters aligned with the newly declared islamic state. >> reporter: there is no mistaking who is in charge here. the self declared islamic state which has been fighting for a wider rebellion i don't know for weeks guards the gates of mosul. there are snipers positioned in position in iraq's northern city. this is a front line. 500 meters away are the kurdish forces. they have been fort flying their defenses days after a suicide-bombing targeted their forces at this crossing. >> on june 26th the islamic state suicide-bomber and a truck

exploded at the checkpoint. that's why we're beefing up security. >> authorities hearsay that they are facing a threat. they tighten controls and impose new restrictions at all crossing points. at the start of the crisis hundreds of thousands of people fled mosul. they were able to use cars, but things have changed. they can only enter by foot. and only a handful of people are arriving because the kurdish security forces have new security measures in place. [ baby screaming ] >> while those measures might make life more divot fo difficult for main iraqis, kurdish officials insist that it is needed. >> the islamic state is plan to go control the whole of iraq and they'll impose their own rules on the people of iraq. they don't respect human rights,

so we're willing to spill our blood on the front line to protect our women and children. >> reporter: they share a 1,000 kilometer border with the sunni groups, and they have engaged in clashes over the past few weeks. the kurds so far have been able to hold their lines. but the presence in this region under scores how serious think consider this threat. >> two bombs went off near the presidential palace in cairo. we should warn you about the videos that we're about to show pup an officer was killed in an explosion today. the one year anniversary of the protest that led to the overthrow of president mohamed morsi. still unclear build this person was inside the palace during the time of the explosion.

in just four hours the truce between ukraine and separatist is about to expire. they have greed during a phone call to a new bilateral cease-fire. we report from donetsk to end the conflict. >> reporter: the diplomatic pressure to find a breakthrough here in eastern ukraine. perhaps the biggest factor in all of this would be the involvement of russia. don't forget on friday when european leaders met in brussels. although the idea of further sanctions was sheffield they would be left on the back burner to be rekindled now, there will be another conference call between the ukrainian president,

the president of france and the german chancellor, the hope is further compromise can be made. but the reality on the grouped is that there have been continued violations of the cease-fire. without some kind of concrete progress the slide into renewal of all out conflict is almost inevitable. >> as core pistorius is back in court. he was in a psychiatric hospital having his mental health evaluated. it was ruled that he was notmenty incapacitated when he was shot and killed his girlfriend last year. the automaker hiring kenneth feinberg to handle settlement to people gelabl eligible for payment. g.m. will set aside $1 million for each death related to the

effect. gm's faulty ignition switches have been linked to 13 deaths and 54 accidents. president obama accident to extend the security. >> georgia is ground zero, but georgia does not stand in this alone. this is an american problem. >> schools, bars and even churches, the new law that takes effect tomorrow and why some say it spells trouble.

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news >> they will continue looking for suvivors... >> 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 >> we want to take you book washington where there are two major developments coming out of the white house today. ththe president is planning to ask for more fund to go deal with a growing number of immigrants crossing the u.s.-mexican border. libby casey, tell us about the new nominee secretary post. >> reporter: we expect him to

announce his choice of robert mcdonald. he resider ahe retireed from proctor & gamble. he served in the army, and this comes a month after erik shinseki stepped down as head of va and after the white house called the va a corrosive culture. they have looked outside of the white house to look for someone to come up with solutions. >> the president said he wants two billion dollars, what is it for and will congress agree? >> he has sent letters to congressional leaders asking for help, while there have to price tag attached to the e-mail this is expected to cost $2 billion. this is to help children who

cross the border from countries like el salvador and guatemala. the president has called this urgent situation and some groups are concerned about the language in this letter and what what the president is calling for. primarily a deterrent strategy, sending these kids back to their home countries. the president is looking for funding for more judgments, more border enforcement. they see this as a crisis and they want to see the republicans send the message that if you send your kids here we will send them back. but there are grave concerns if they can put the children ultimately in more danger. libby casey, thank you very much. >> one of the most sweeping pro gun measures taking effect tomorrow, the new law allows

those with gun permits to take their guns pretty much anywhere. >> it's officially called the georgia safe carry protection act but opponents have dubbed it the guns everywhere law. inside ebenezer baptist church in lappet where martin luther king jr. was once pastor, parishioners are concerned. >> georgia is ground zero, but georgia does not stand in this alone. this is an american problem. >> the sweeping law allows licensed gun owners to carry guns into places of worship, bars and schools. if the church, bar owner or school board allows them. >> there is a great deal of confusion among my colleagues and from conversations that i'm having even among law enforcement. >> here's one of the reasons why. the law also says that gun owners can carry a loaded weapon

into unsecured buildings likely bares and perhaps even a city hall and no one can ask them if they have a permit. in addition you see them on a public sidewalk. if law enforcement sees me with a loaded gun on my side that person cannot come and ask me if i have a permit. a gun rights group that backed the new law and formulated the detail. >> we're talking about a constitutional right that is enumerated in the constitution. you may well act why does someone need to run a tv station or run a blog on the internet. it's not a need to do t they have a right to do it. >> how political was the drafting of this bill? >> it was about as political as you can get. >> reporter: steve anthony teaches political science at georgia university. he said there will be activists

who test the new law and gun opponents running suits in the next few months. >> you will see challenges in the entire law and you'll see more precise challenges about different provisions. and of course it will be up to the courts to decide which ones move forward. >> gun activists like john monroe think people are overreacting. >> the overwhelming majority of the provisions in the bill are things that nobody is talking about, and nobody would really care about except perhaps people who are rapidly anti-gun and don't believe that people should not be allowed to carry guns at all any way. >> the state of georgia has decided we can carry guns everywhere. >> for this congregation and this leader there is sadness. >> this is done at the behest of those who profiteer with the

sell of guns and death. >> officials say the lebanese marie faked a hostage video and then showed up in beirut one month after he went missing i in 2004. highways been charged with discertification and then he fled to canada and on to lebanon. the marines charged him with a second count of desertion. fans gear up for come's big game. and marking the holy month of ramadan.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the headlines. the set back for obamacare and the the affordable care act. the company can refuse to

provide certain bit control to its employees. a group calling itself islamic state has declared its leader. iraq's government forces are still fighting forces of islamic state and takrit. president obama has asked congress for $2 billion to deal with immigrants crossing the border alone. he's calling it humanitarian crisis. jeffy fowl and matthew miller committed hostile acts against north korea. they each entered the country as tourists. kenneth bae was also arrested and convicted to 15 years of hard labor. well over the weekend four teams earned their way to the world cup quarterfinals. >> team u.s. has now arrived in

the coastal city of brazil gearing up for tomorrow's win or go home world cup match against undefeated belgium and the american fans are optimistic. >> i think the u.s. is going to win. it will be a tight game. >> i think we have a really good shot. >> the u.s. players say they are up to the challenge. >> when we step on the field it will be a hard game, one that tests us in every way, but like i keep saying we're excited by it, and we'll be ready to go. >> i think we'll be able to handle the pressure. we will see. mistakes in soccer is a mistake every couple minutes. >> but the coach said there is no room for mistakes. it is do or die. >> now going to knock out games. everyone has to call out his 100% for the team. and i believe that in our team

so far nobody can claim that he reached his 100% yet. >> good news for the u.s. their star forward josie altidore will be back on the team. but it's not known how effective he'll be on the field. >> we're optimistic to have him. >> on sunday tiny costa rica did the unthinkable defeating powerhouse greece in a 5-3 nail biter. thousands of fans partied late into the night celebrating that county' country's ever appearance in the quarterfinal. a penalty kick led netherlands to victory but some mexican fans just can't get over it. >> this is a blatant robbery. we lost because the guys lost

fighting. >> and today two european powerhouses take on a couple of african squads. >> we're looking at a lot of extreme weather here happening across the country. we have tropical storms that look like they could be the developing. the atlantic and pacific with severe weather where there is flooding taking place. the temperatures show the warmest there coming up in houston with 85, and memphis 84. at nebraska is the boundary of cooler air. we have tornado warn its issues already. and severe thunderstorms warnings, flash flooding and additional river flooding from all this rain coming down. these are the storms that developed right over nebraska pushing east towards iowa and a number of watches and warnings

are in effect. if you're in this area you could have severe thunderstorms and the green colors of the flash flood watches, warnings, and river flood warnings in effect over that same area. the additional rain will not help that situation. here is minneapolis to st. louis. these are all flood gauges that are at moderate to major flooding area. this is from minneapolis to st. louis and the rain is coming down. off the coast of florida is there a storm developing. there is a cluster of thunderstorms that looks like it's trying to organize and could become a tropical storm in the next 48 hours. we have all the computer forecast models showing the track, and it clearly turns to the north-northeast. it could effect the carolinas and then moving up to the northeast here, but it easily

could stay out in the ocean. no threat of this going inland. coastal areas will want to watch how this develops and keep an eye on the latest forecast track should it intensify. we see all this rain to the south over the next several hours and it will work its way north. look at this line. this is a front approaching. this is why it will turn and stay out of the ocean as this colder air moves in. anything developing will move to the north and then curve to the northeast staying out over the atlanta. watching the coastal areas here closely. they could be dealing wit dealing with tropical weather. >> thank you very much. the holy month of ramadan across the muslim world people of all stripes coming together for the breaking of the fast. malaysia is home to more than 18 million muslims, many of them fasting from sunrise to sunset. it's meant to help people

reflect on islam's holist month. we want to thank you for joining us on al jazeera america. "inside story" is next. you can check out our website at www.aljazeera.com where the news never stops. [♪ music ] >> maybe you've already been feeling that way, but now you've got data. a report that liberals and conservatives are moving further apart it's the inside story.