>> i know you are trying to take the dream and opportunities to kids around the world. it's a pleasure to have you with us, forest whitaker, best of luck with your efforts, they are important ones. >> true. >> great to see you. >> this is al jazeera america, live from new york city, i'm thomas drayton, here are the top stories we are following now. it could be one of the most important trips of his presidency - meeting with the giants of asia a rapidly approaching deadline for the iranian nuclear talks and the release of detainees at guantanamo bay. and celebrating the fall of the wall. germany parties 25 years later.

thanks for being with us. it's been five years since president obama visited the world's second-largest economy. now he is heading back to china and the region on a trip that could shape foreign policy legacy. they touched down in an air force base. patty culhane has more on the president's itinerary and agenda u.s. president obama once again heads off on a long journey to asia, with stops in china, myanmar and australia, a chance to fulfil a long-time promise of his presidency. >> pivot by the united states back to asia. >> our desire to pivot and focus on the asia pacific region.

>> we were able to pivot to the asia passivic region. into the pivot was part of the election campaign. is it a reality. >> experts say except for rotating a few thousands troops, the military presence has not increased by much. >> the numbers and potential may have looked higher. since the budget cuts went through, they've been able to hold asia level. it's not been as dramatic as one might have thought in the first place. >> if you look at trade, it's worse. the u.s. tradedeficit is asia when the president took office was $336 million. in 2013 it was 497 million. as the president heads back to the region, he has a renewed chance to change that, by pushing ahead with the trans-pacific partnership. more possible because his part yes lost control of the senate. the president was against giving

more authority to negotiate a deal. as the president lands, it's expected he'll make a push for the trade agreement, meeting with china's president to talk climate change, and head to myanmar, trying to save what the administration held up as chief foreign policy success. reconciliation and internal reconciliation which all but stalled. president obama hopes in trip builds a foundation for that for more indepth look at the president's agenda, the apec summit. join us for "the week ahead". that's at 8:30 eastern, 5:30 pacific. >> before president obama left washington, he traded words with republican leaders over immigration reform. senator mitch mcconnell and house speaker john boehner warned the president about using executive orders to bypass congress. today the president said the g.o.p. is unwilling or unable to address the issue. >> the senate produced a

bipartisan bill. i said to john boehner "john, let's get this passed through the house." for a year i stood back and let him work on this. he decided not to call the senate bill, and he couldn't produce his own bill. >> as the president arrives in asia two americans celebrate their return to the united states. kenneth bae and michael todd miller were freed by north korea yesterday. allen schauffler has the story. >> reporter: carrying his own bags, kenneth bae gets a hug from his mother, greets family members and takes a walk on u.s. soil, a walk to freedom on the tarmac at joint base lewis mccord. he and michael todd miller home again after imprisonment in north korea. kenneth bae's family worked tirelessly to keep his case alive in the public eye. >> we are finally here. my brother is home. all our hopes and prayers for

the moment have come true. we are so thankful. >> it's been amazing. blessing to see so many people being involved, getting reloved for the last two years, and mentioning thousands of people praying for me as well. i just want to say thank you all for supporting me, lifting me up. >> national intelligence committee james clapper made the trip. it was the culmination of back channel negotiations. a statement from the north korean government claims they had received an earnest apology from the president. it said that kenneth bae and miller behaved in prison and were sorry for what they had done. miller, from bakersfield california, was serving a 6-year sentence, charged with espionage, he did not address the media.

kenneth bae was accused of spreading christian material. his sentence, 15 years at hard labour, the last two americans known to be held by kim jong un's government. after two years in captivity, and serious health issues that hospitalized him for a time, kenneth bae says simply he is recovering. >> it's been amazing two years. i learnt a lot. i grew a lot. lost a lot of weight, in a good way. but i'm standing strong because of you once again, that was shouf reporting from washington -- allen schauffler reporting from washington state time is running out on a deal to limit iran's nuclear programme. secretary of state john kerry spent the day in iran negotiating. the talks are up against a deadline of november 24th. if a deal is reached, it will have to pass muster with a republican controlled senate. >> reporter: as diplomatic negotiations go, these have been a marathon.

in some shape or form there has been talks with iran on its nuclear programme for over a decade. now they could be in the final straight international negotiators, the so-called p5+1, the five permanent members of the u.n. security council, as well as germany, have set a deadline of november the 24th to reach a deal of. >> iran wants biting sanctions lifted. the international community will do that if it gets guarantee that iran's nuclear facilities can't be put to military use. there are stumbling blocks, but listen to the u.s. president and his secretary of state, and it's clear the two sides are closer than they have been before. >> my hope is that now is the moment for really political decisions to be made that make a judgment that we can show the world that countries with

differing views and systems, but a mutual interest in trying to i don't have a peaceful programme, can, in fact, do that. >> they have come to the table and netted seriously that they are not building a nuclear wepion, for the first time. the negotiators have a big task, even if they get a deal, selling it back home. mr zarif must convince skeptical hard liners who are suspicious of the u.s. for mr kerry the task is harder, lifting u.s. sanctions parts of a deal requires action by congress. >> if congress steps in and violates the deal, refuses to implement it. the primary winner will be the iranians, they'll be off the hook. >> reporter: talks have taken place in geneva, vienna, here at the united nations, in new york

and a secret tract to the negotiations in the gulf state of oman. oman is no longer a secret venue. with less than three weeks to the deadline, there's challenges. political dynamics in washington makes it more complicated not everywhere thinks the republican controlled senate will reject a deal with iran, we spoke with iran historian, and he believes u.s. lawmakers have little choice but to accept an agreement. >> congress might make sounds but in the final analysis, what are they going to offer instead. if they are talking about bomb, bomb iran, i don't think it's going to go down well with the american public to enter another war in the middle east. i think the line basically, that he has a deal, it avoids confrontation. what is going to basically be an

alternative to what congress would offer. >> this year, they will stay in iran for an unscheduled second day of talks fighting in kobane, near syria and turkey, the video taken from the turkey side of the border. more than 1,000 people have been killed since i.s.i.l. launched its offensive two months ago. u.s.-led air strikes hit the target in the north and east of syria, including an hoil field. >> still ahead, heavy artillery, fears mount to a return of full-scale fighting. >> inside controversial treatment used on guantanamo detainees. those stories and more coming up.

it has been the source of controversy since it opened. the guantanamo bay detention champ has been housing foreign detainees since 2002. though that's been talk of

closing the prison, there's no sign of it happening soon. >> in order to effect the appropriate disposition of individuals currently detained by the department of defense at guantanamo bay, and promptly to close the detention facility... >> the new president issued an edict after taking office. meant to begin the process of closing down the guantanamo bay detention camp. more than 5 years later it remains open. although president obama signed an order in january 2009 to suspend military tribunal proceedings at guantanamo, he was blocked by congress. >> american justice is what people believes separates the united states from other countries. >> later that year, in a 90 to 60 vote, the senate passed an amendment to the appropriations act in 2009. barring the funds needed for release or transfer.

the military prison, operational in january 2002 was established to hold and integrate what the bub administration called dangerous prisoners, and termed enemy combatants. >> are any of the 90 people al qaeda members? >> i doubt it. >> reporter: since 2002 the detention center housed 779 men, 15 minors, in what are called high value detainees. such as alleged mastermind khalid sheikh mohammed, transferred from a c.i.a. black site. according to human rights watch, 90 died in custody, six suspected to have committed suicide. many detainees have gone on hunger strikes. many alleged torture and sub par living conditions. amnesty international said detention facilities are emblem attic of cross human rights

abuses perpetrate by the u.s. government in the name of fighting terrorism. 149 prisoners are being held at a guantanamo bay detention center. 600 detainees have been released over the years, many without ever being charged the obama administration recently succeeded in a legal challenge to its controversial policy of force feeding prisoners. the federal judge said the treatment lacked commonsense and compassion, after another prisoner was repatriated last week. eric lewis, lawyer for both men joins us. >> your client mr diab has been released since 2009, so why is he at gitmo? >> he's at git mo because he's a syrian national and he can't come to the united states. he clearly is not a security threats to the united states or

anyone else. and he needs to find a third country that will take him. he's never been charged with anything, never done anything wrong, and yet he's lost 12 years of his life. >> i know there's a deal to send mr diab to uruguay. how difficult is the process once a detainee is cleared for release? >> well, once a detainee has been cleared, he either can be repatry oted to his own country, but the united states set high bars for security requirements. so the largest single group are yemenis. many of whom never did anything, but the yemeni government is not in a condition to provide security guarantees that the defense department wants, so until the u.s. can find a third country to take them, there they remain. it's difficult to get a third country to take the people when the united states categorically

refuses. >> i want to get back to the legal challenge. a judge criticized a government for showing common sense over a sick, depressed and desperate detainee. can you describe the feelings to us? >> sure. abu dye ib is 6 foot 5, he's been on hunger strikes for some years, not because he wants to die, but wants to call attention to the injustice done to him. he has severe health issues - back, kidney and others. he is unable to walk. the u.s. government has given him a wheelchair, taken away the wheelchair, given it to him again, and taken it away saying if you can't walk to your beatings, we'll extract you from your cell. now he has a wheelchair again. we hope it stays there.

he's put into a 5 point restraint chair, 100 centimetre tube is put down his nose, put in, taken out twice a day, causing him bleeding and a deal of pain. this has been going on for a long time. and it was clear that the defense department and military said we want to make it as inconvenient as possible for these men to exercise their right to peacefully protest through hunger strike. the procedures in place, we submitted, are gratuitously cruel and unnecessary. the judge appeared to agree that they were cruel and unnecessary... >> you pushed further. you and several media organizations sued the government to release the video of the way that mr diab was fed. the governments was until november the 7th to release the video, but the argument is it would violate detainees from public curiosity.

what is your response? >> that is nonsense. the detainees agreed to waive privilege or protection. they want the united states people and the world to see what is being done to them. so the notion that this is being done for their own protection is ludicrous. they are saying it's a national security matterer other than protecting the interests of the guards, there's no national security matter, these are difficult videos to watch. i have seen them, the court has seen them. it's important that the world sees what is going on in guantanamo, and one would hope it would be a catalyst to close guantanamo once and for all - years late, but once and for all. >> we'll have to leave it there. mr lewis, thank you thank you. >> now, to the latest on the crisis in ukraine.

the white house is expressing gave concern over reports that the russian military is pouring into donetsk. european monitors reported heavy tank and troop movement. observers say it is the worst fighting seen in a month. kim vinnell has more. >> smoke rises from donetsk, in a battle that has become a symbol of ukraine's crisis. through a ceasefire elections and constant calls for peace, the building now little more than a shell is still under siege. and as the scars of the battle spread, those caught in the middle can do little but watch on. even those living further from the frontline receive not so gentle reminders of the war raging around them. >> it's scary. of course it's scary, all normal

people that live hear, of course they are scared. >> translation: when it's closer we take shelter. when it's booming in the distance, we don't take notice. we are used to this situation. the fight for their allegiance continues unabated. this piece of propaganda complete with sound track aired on a pro-russian television station on sunday. fighters show heavy artillery on the move, then by daylight... ..make a show of fire power at their disposal. kiev says the east is spiralling into unrest. >> translation: there are reports of shelling by rebels on positions of the ain't terrorist forces from several directions. donetsk airport was shelled four times from antiaircraft weapons, artillery, tanks, grenade

launches and light weapons. >> some residents document the damage, the streets closest to the fight are for the most part deserted. as accusations fly over who is to blame for the return to hostilities, tired residents wait. >> despite a new government in yemen, the political crisis there is far from over. two major factions are rejecting the government. still, the prime minister says he has the support of the people. hashem ahelbarra reports from yemen's capital city, sanaa. >> reporter: yemen's prime minister abd-rabu mansour hadi looks confident. he's walking to address the nation with a message of hope. he faces a string of problems, including sectarian tensions, violence, instability and the rise of al qaeda. >> it's regular issues, international issues, we'll deal with it according to regional,

national, international capacity. it's not an easy thing to start in yemen. with the support of the yemeni people, and our brothers, with the support of the arab nations and the support of our friends from all over the world. >> reporter: this is the swearing in ceremony for the newly formed government. ministers loyal to the former president ali abdullah saleh showed up and backed the current president abd-rabu mansour hadi. there was a warn against such moves. this is the general. the new defence minister. he faces a delicate task of reforming an army, and getting the support from military commanders still loyal to ali abdullah saleh. his colleague, the general, is the intelligence chief and interior minister. his task is to deploy security forces in a capital controlled by shia houthi fighters.

>> the prime minister says he's open to talks with the houthis. >> houthi fighters are in yemenis. we try to include them. we have met with the fighters. what they are saying. this is the term they are using. they are a political fiction. we try to include them rather than exclude them. >> this is a government made up of professionals. this is the youngest. >> i think anyone not concerned would be abnormal. but i had a frank discussion with the prime minister on this, and on the portfolio specific and what the priorities are for the period, and what we can achieve, and we do hope that there is a clear vision on what needs to be done. >> reporter: the government has the backing of the international community. but political support is not enough in a country where almost half of the population is for. the chances that this government

and yemen's political crisis are slim. the president and the prime minister have little control over the army and the police, and the capital remains largely under the control of the houthi fighters. a situation that is likely to deepen yemen's political divide. >> hundreds of thousands of syrian refugees have been forced to flee jordan, they can't work there, leaving them dependent on aid. thousands now say that they have had the rug pulled out from under them again. >> this is a syrian widow living in jordan with her four children, and she's barely been able to make ends meet for the last four years. now they've been hungry for a month. a few weeks ago she has the text message informing her that her family is no longer eligible for food assistance from the world food program. the reason, they've been

identified of meeting their basic monthly food needs on her own. she only has rice and vegetables and has been forced to by food and is late in paying the rent. >> translation: we feel unwanted after losing the food vouchers. this is a policy forcing us back to our country or the refugee camps. syrians are unwanted. >> reporter: syrians are not allowed to work. she has started picking and cleaning olives at home to make money. 12,000 families have been excluded by the food voucher programme. a study conducted by the world food programme insists that they have access to sufficient income for networks. the majority of refugees do not have enough money, they rely on vouchers. many families are concerned

without the support they may have to resort to begging or sending children to work to put food on the table. the food vouchers are a life line for many. most syrian families sell some vouchers to buy necessarily nonfood items or pay rent. the u.n. had to prioritise vulnerable families based on a field study, concluding that 15% of syrians don't need the vouchers. there may have been errors. >> there are some people clear, when we run the data, that's an instant error, we can reinstate them. some we can be clear from living conditions and assets that they can survive on their own and can be excluded. >> there are many whose conditions are getting worse, the longer they stay in exile. the united nations statements nearly 6.5 million are internally displaced in

syria. 3 million are living as refugees in jordan, in neighbouring countries. violence on the streets of mexico. demonstrators demand answers about the death of 43 students. 45 years ago today the berlin wall began to fall. those stories coming up on al jazeera america

one year ago america tonight brought you the story that shocked the nation sex crimes on campus: >> i remember waking up and he was trying to have sex me... >> now we return

has anything changed? >> his continued presence on the campus put the entire community at risk >> for the better... >> i was arrested for another false charge that she had made up... >> america tonight's special report sex crimes on campus: one year later on al jazeera america jool welcome back to al jazeera america, here are the top stories that we are following. president obama is on his way to china, leaving joint base andrews and will land in china 8:00pm eastern. president obama will go to beijing for the apec economic summit. afterwards to myanmar and australia. the latest round of talks on iran's nuclear programme were held in oman. secretary of state john kerry met with the iranian foreign minister zarif. november 24th has been set as a deadline to reach agreement the fires battle against

i.s.i.l. in kobane continues. this is video from the turkish side of the border. u.s.-led air strikes hit tarts in the north and east of syria, including an oil field. >> in afghanistan one person is dead following an explosion inside the place headquarters kabul. it happened outside the police chief is office. jennifer glasse has more. >> reporter: police confirm it was a suicide bomber responsible for getting into police headquarters and blowing himself up near the police chief's office. the police chief is unhurt. a main deputy was killed and seven injured in the attack. police are looking at closed circuit tv footage. he was not in a place uniform, came in in civilian clothes, asking to see the police chief. he got to pass through layers of security, and are trying to determine how he did that. this is a secure compound in the heart of kabul.

not only to the police headquarters, but the governor's office, a court and prison. 30,000 go through the compound a day. it's a fortified compound with many levels of security. the taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. the police will be looking into how they managed to breach the heavy security at their compound in the heart of the capital, and how they managed to get explosives in as well. >> jennifer glasse protest over 43 missing students in mexico descended into chaos. the students were ambushed by police and handed over to a known drug gang. it came after an off the cuff comment by the attorney-general. we have a report on the growing outrage in mexico city. >> reporter: this is the national palace in mexico city. under attack from an angry crowd on saturday. the recent disappearance and apparent murder of 43 students

sparked similar protests across the country. >> the attorney-general says they were killed and their bodies burnt by drug gangs. but these protesters accuse government officials of being involved. >> i'm here to support my fellow students because the whole population nose that it was the government who killed them. it wasn't a drug cartel of criminals, it was the government. >> in guerrero state where the student studied, the parents of some victims gathered. they say the announcement that their children were killed provides no closure. >> translation: it hurts when we heard our children were dumped, burnt, gotten rid off. we don't want words, we want proof. >> reporter: increasing protests are a challenge for peno nieto.

calls for him to step down were heard in the capital as the crowd tried and failed to enter the palace. >> the president doesn't live there, but the attack is symbolic of who some believe to be answerable for the disappearance and apparent deaths of the students in nigeria, the number of kidnappings for ransom is on the rise. the crime is increasing in the prosperous oil-producing states. last month a construction worker from germany was killed in a kidnap attempt. the petroleum minister was kidnapped. the government kidnapped roxer goodell's 70-year-old uncle. more than 200 school girls were kidnapped in april. they are still missing. the spanish government says it's a meaningless gesture, but means a great deal to the residents of catalonia and spain. a vote by volunteers on whether

the region should be independent. 2 million votes were cast a vote that ticks all the boxes for supporters of catalonia's independence. on sunday, a record-breaking number of catalans turned up to have their say. the questions - do you want catalonia to become a state, and do you want a state to be independent. the vote as unospecial. kat -- unofficial. catalans hope it is a rehearsal for a vote in the future. >> i'm 80 years old, i've been fighting for independence all my life. i won't see it. i don't care, my grandsons will. >> reporter: more than the predictable outcome, the turn out counted. since the early hours of the morning catalans gathered at polling stations like this one, barcelona. in most cases the queues extended all around the block.

in the end more than 2 million people cast their ballot. organizers took it as a mandate. >> we are taking this seriously. there's a massive influx and the result is a yes and massive specific final yes. we will have to fulfil, and we'll have to deliver, right. doing what - well, working towards independence. proclaiming independence and going all over the world asking for recognition. not everyone here flies the flag of independence. >> i consider myself catalan and spanish. the government is stealing us. it cares about dividing a nation than stopping the cuts to the education or health system. >> this is just a smoke screen to hide corruption behind catalan politicians. >> the final outcome will be made public on monday. considering the overwhelming

turn out, organizers can claim to have won the right to hold an official referenda on independence. opposition and civil society groups are discussing a transition plan for the west african nation. the president stepped down after 27 years in power. protests erupted after he tried to extend his rule. after the president resigned, the military took over of the the military is urging the country to pant a civilian leader. politicians are helping to draft a new constitution. germans are marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. before it fell in 1989 the wall kept people from leaving communist east germany for 30 years. 8,000 ball oornings right there, were -- balloons, right there, were released to represent the

symbolling end to the cold war. more than a million people were expected to visit berlin. performances included pop and classical music. the day included sombre notes as well. officials placed roses in one of the wall's remaining sections in honour of those that lived under communist rule. many called for reflection and what it meant for germans. >> it is a moment where you have to step back and think about how did we come here. germany came a long way in 25 years of managing internal integration and a different role in the european union. we are asked to take leadership, which is something germans didn't want to, and it's more like taking responsibilities. there's a lot of positive things inside of the european union and the western alliance. it's a reminder that we shouldn't take things for granted. >> german chancellor angela merkel said the opening showed

that change is possible for people living unt oppression. -- under oppression. spice is in germany. >> reporter: german chancellor angela merkel started the day by remembering those killed whilst trying to escape to west germy. she grow up in east germany and never thought the berlin wall would come down through people power. the former soviet leader credited for paving the way cast a pal over celebrations by rarning of east-west -- warning of east-west teptions. >> bloodshed in europe and the middle east. and the breakdown of dialogue of major powers is of enormous concern. the world is on the brink of the war. we dent see the u.n. security council playing any roll tore taking action. >> a million, maybe more people are expected to take part in celebrations here at the brandenburg gate. the berlin wall ran in front of

it, dividing a city, a country, a continent and the world. in a superpower stand off. the world didn't come down because of decisions at the top, but tens of thousands of east germans taking to the streets. >> this former dissident was one of them. he oversees the files kept by the stasi secret police, and says the fall of the wall has a message for the world. >> what can you learn. i would say that resistance is worth it. that speaking truth to power is worth it, and democracy is not a construct, but is something that needs to be worked on every day. that is something that young people should be reminded of, especially in a democracy. >> a 15km line of lights follows the wall, and a death strip where soldiers shot to kill pope francis spoke about the

opening of the berlin wall today, addressing worshippers in st peter's square and reminded listeners that it calls attention to barriers that divide parts of the world from others. >> translation: 25 years ago in 1989 the wall of berlin fell. it was a symbol of an ideological division of europe and the world. the fall hoped suddenly but was the result of hard and long work of a lot of people who fought, prayed and suffered. some people lost their lives for it. never again may innocent people be persecuted and killed for belief and religion. pope francis spoke about pope john paul ii who helped to build support for the end of soef yen communist rule. the u.k. is marking remembrance honouring soldiers serving in

combat. 10,000 veterans marked. >> prime minister noted it is poignant in light of the 100th anniversary. a kandahar air base - british soldiers observed remembrance day. in honour of soldiers that died in the battlefield of afghanistan and iraq. british soldiers served in the fight. >> still to come, america's ambitious next steps into space. the journey of the orion continues, a slow possession. a remarkable story of a photograph of a slave that risked her life who witnessed the destruction of confederate robert e lee's home. >>

welcome back.

n.a.s.a. is planning to do something that hasn't been done in 40 years. the agency is planning to send a new spacecraft for a test flight into deep space, and hopes it will pave the way for a flight into mars. all of in this the wake of recent failures. >> reporter: after last weeks virgin galactic crash, and another explosion on lift off, n.a.s.a. had words. >> in the space business we are one big family, when someone has a failure, we feel it and rally behind them. >> ambitious plans continue for the orion spacecraft will by take a flight without a crew and eventually journey to mars. it looks similar to the other spacecraft. like apollo it launches vertically and parachutes into the ocean. next month's test launches the

orion 3,600 miles above the surface. 16 times higher than the international space station, and further than any spacecraft designed to carry humans has gone. 4.5 hours later, the orion will re-enter the atmosphere at speeds of 325 miles per hour. >> this test is crucial to understands the environmentals of deep space and making the vehicle as safe as we can. >> reporter: the launch and re-entry at high speeds and temperatures tests the heat shields. >> it will see 4,000 degrees, it's about 1.6 inches thick. it will burn off we protect 20% will burn off. that's part of the anominal plan. the big part of the test is to get it back, look at it. there's a lot of uncertainty. n.a.s.a.'s goal is to send the

orion with astronauts to the moon and behind. the first test mission is planned for 2018 from mild to cold, code to mild. can't keep up with the temperatures. rebecca stevenson is here. we are all over the place. >> full swing, the north air is trying to come down and hit up the warm hair from the south and can't make up its mind. it is extreme differences coming in. especially now. we are just on the cusp of an arctic outbreak. cold air will be pushing down this week into the central portion of the state. and eventually to the north-east. what we have got now is temperatures into the mid 30s for - right around the canadian border, and dropping into the 20s on some spots. you see the snow stretching from canada to montana. wyoming reported 2.5 inches of snow, and we are seeing temperatures in the teens in canada. this is what is on the way for us as we get into monday.

it's almost 15 degrees cooler than yesterday. temperatures now mid 20s, and the winds are gusting and will gust up to 50 miles honour. it will be a cold wind. we are concerned about wind chills and ice. arctic air on monday stretching towards parts of the nebraska. that far south already, and then tuesday it will make its way to texas. approximately be moderating so we don't expect polar air in north texas, it will be cooler than you are used to, 20 degrees cooler than what you are used to. the track of the storm, we know where the cold air is going, and now where a storm will come in and bush up the snow. it will track by monday, with plenty of snow, all the way down to colorado, and we'll see it spin up plenty of snow into michigan, minnesota, and we are looking at totals of snow fall

up to 2 feet potentially in some places, some places, as we get into parts of michigan. definitely a foot of show is forecast as you can see into parts of montreal and the dakotas. plenty of snow fall on the way. we are tracking it throughout the night. >> thank you. do you know the name doris payne. she was known as an international jewel thief, using beauty and sophisticated to make victims more likely to help than suspect her. the method to her madness is retold in the al jazeera documentary, the life and crimes of doris pain. >> she's so famous, her life story is about to become a movie starring halle berry. >> my methodology of stealing jewellery took me over the world. >> she made a career out of stealing and taking advantage of people. >> she starts the sleight of hand game in how she plays it,

which is to get several pieces, look at them, look at them, look at them. then she'll say what happened to the six carat yellow diamond with few inclusions. it was right here. let me go and look. doris will find it. oh, no, here it is. oh, she's trustworthy. and then she has you. >> it was a change. the finer the store, the bigger the challenge. new york, milan, paris and rome, london. i didn't know rodeo drive was it. i went. he gave me 1498. 98,000 pounds. 38,000 pounds, 8-9 carrots. >> zurich. $78. london, paris, italy.

fake jewellery. i could pull it off. >> we invite you to join us for al jazeera america presents. life and times of doris payne. >> before he joined the confederate. general lee lived on an state. and now another photograph shows another american that lived on that estate, and thanks to her, ar lining tonne house is the treasure trove it is today. >> reporter: the civil war, one of the first conflicts to be captured on camera. of all the thousands of images of that era, there is one group rarely portrayed. enslaved african-americans. still more rare, photographs of slaves who can be identified, which makes this photo taken at general robert e lee's estate, arlington house, one of a kind. there is no name on the photo.

in the museum collection there is another picture - clearly the same woman. when a national park service volunteer, collector of the early photographer found this listing on ebay, he knew the importance of the image, and alerted the group "save arlington house." what followed was a bidding war. arlington house donors came out on top, purchasing the rare photograph for $700. the mysterious woman in the photograph was celina gray, shown with two of her daughters in front of the still standing slave quarters of arlington house. brandon buys is a ranger with the national parks service. selena graves is something of a legend. when the lee family fled during the civil war, selena entrusted with the keys to the estate.

>> within a few short weeks, tens of thousands of union soldiers were in this area. >> reporter: the union soldiers were loot ght the house, filled with we longings originally belonging to george and martha washington. >> that stopped because celine sea told general mcdo youed that these were accounts critical to the nation. >> among the objects, china that george washington ate from, paintings, and pieces of tournament. how woods was it that selena gray, an enslaved african-american woman, could approach the commander. >> she had courage to approach the armed soldiers and a major general and tell them they needed to protect the objects. >> selena and her family stayed at the estate through the civil war and affidavits. general lee freed them before the emancipation proclamation.

they pooled resources and bought land nearby. finally leaving arlington house. but selena gray's legacy remains in her descendants that live in the area, and the stories and momentous preserved on a house on the hill, overlooking the capital of the united states six years after success flysafeguarding the treasures, selena and her family left arlington house and established convalescent camp. they farmed 15 acre property when we grew and sold vegetables. coming up on al jazeera america, hailing all ladies, a taxi service for women, by women.

welcome back, a taxi service is rolling in new york.

she rides features women-only drivers for women-only passengers. not only women are hailing one. >> reporter: delores has been behind the wheel of a taxi for 16 years. the 65-year-old dominican republic native says it was not an easy industry to break into. >> this is a job many men say is for them. i don't think so, you are not carrying the car, you are driving it. >> delores retired two years ago. she dusted off her licence and got back behind the wheel for a different ride. she rides. >> i got out. >> thank you for that. >> okay. >> a new service for women passengers only. featuring only women drivers. the service is the first of its kind in a city that estimates 236 million people, 60% women, hopping in cabs each year.

women have been driving taxis in new york since the 1940s. the taxi and limousine commission says 98.9% of cab drivers are male and over 500 people ales are behind the -- females are behind the wheel. >> it's a movement to empower women. we deserve yal rite and equal -- yal -- equal rights and equal pay. for mother that would like to work, but are home with the children, they have the flexibility of children. women call the taxis through smartphones and pay through the app. it's been a life saver after a bad experience with a male driver. >> halfway flow the ride the cab driver forgot to turn the meter on and made it seem like it was my fault. he basically threatened me saying "i'm not going to let you get out of the cab or we are getting on the mdr and i'll drop

you in the middle of the highway." it was said: some male drivers are not happy either. >> they have different ideas, then europe go for europe, asian people want asian, then it's a big thing creating in the city. >> reporter: she ride has 300 drives, and is recruiting more to meet demand. delores is confident women will support other women. >> translation: i know that once they try it the majority of women that see us behind the wheel will never stop calling. >> reporter: a call that they were eager to answer in a city that never sleeps. >> call again. >> i will once again the service is she taxis in new york city suburbs. city regulations do not allow them to use the word taxi in its name that will do it for this

hour. i'm thomas drayton in new york. "america tonight" is next. thanks for watching. on "america tonight", the weekend edition. raising terror at home. how a much-loved son found himself pulled to the other side of the world and into a world of extremist fighters before his mother even realised it. >> he said he couldn't come home, he finally found a purpose in life. he was where he belonged. he wasn't coming home. >> investigators warn the bid to radicalize a new generatio