>> secretary of state john kerry leading and international summit on fighting isil as new reports surface of an iranian jet launching strikes against iraq. >> israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu dissolves parliament, accusion cabinet members of plotting a government takeover. a new election date set in israeli two years earlier than planned. >> expose tour burning trash in war zones is making soldiers

sick. a look at the life threatening consequences. >> prayers for rain answered in california, but now the worry is mudslides and floods. the drenching downpours inundating areas already damaged by drought and fire. >> good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. >> i'm stephanie sy. we have breaking news out of somalia, a suicide car bomb be left several dead. it happened next to a u.n. convoy near the airport. >> the car bomber blue himself up after driving between the convoy and security detail. officials believe al shabab is behind the attack. this comes after 36 quarry workers were killed in nearby kenya. >> the air force revealed the name of an american pilot who died fighting isil. captain william dubois was killed. >> secretary of state john kerry hosting the first anti isil

summit this morning in brussels. all 60 members of the coalition are taking part. the summit comes amid reports that iranian jets have joined the battle against isil in iraq. >> we are monitoring this summit. let's listen to what secretary kerry had to say this morning. >> we all recognize a common threat and that is a danger and threat to the interests and values of all of us. in opposing these terrorists, our diversity is in fact a source of remarkable strength, because it gives us the credibility and the breadth of reach to move against and counter any support that might exist for it around the world. >> we hear isil being referred to now as dash. why did kerry use that name? >> it was noticeable that he was

doing to repeatedly throughout that opening comment here in brussels. the reason why is a conference held in paris earlier in the autumn, some of the muslim nations approached the u.s. delegation and said look, by calling the terrorist group the slack -- isis or isil, it was associating islam with this terrorist group and they very strongly suggested that the u.s. that they started using the word daisch. >> we apologize that the shot is breaking up there. what does nato hope to accomplish during these meetings? >> it's very important to clarify this is not a nato meeting. yes, nato headquarters, but purely for logical nature.

this is a u.s. hosted meeting. what they are trying to achieve is two main things, review progress over the last five months since the fight against isil began and secondly, they're importantly trying to streamline the political consultation and political command structure. you can imagine with the coalition in excess of 60 countries is the need to try and find quick ways of making decisions, quick ways of disseminating information around the coalition. they are the two main issues they are addressing here in brussels today. >> is the u.s. also still trying to recruit even more nations to join its coalition against isil? >> well, they're certainly willing to take anybody that is willing to join, frankly. the secretary of state was at pains to say in his opening statement that basically anybody who has a contribution to make, he would like to hear from them.

he said the meeting today, he didn't want it to be just speeches, he wanted an open dialogue, people chipping in whenever they could with best practice that they could bring to the table, that should take place. i'm quite sure if there are more countries willing to contribute to what john kerry insisted was a global threat, clearly he would accept those contributions gladly. >> there are reports this morning that iran carried out its first airstrikes against isil in iraq. an unhand system is dispute that go oh reuters. >> iraq's prime minister is taking part in those meetings. >> nato has made clear they would welcome a request from iraq to provide support for the fight against isil. that request hadn't come, but it is expected to be discussed when prime minister abaddi along with the foreign minister and other officials, including security

officials meet secretary kerry and other nato country member officials at that meeting. what they're likely to talk about is some sort of training mission. that's what nato specializes in and what done in the past, while u.s. troops were here. that training not really so much the boots on the ground kind of how to use your weapons training, but more of an advanced command and control coordination, wimp the u.s. military sorely lacks. the u.s. has spent billions of dollars trying to train and equip the iraqi military with mixed success. so far we've seen that this is indeed a rather hollow army. that's what they're trying to address. >> iraq is denying reports that lebanon has captured isil leader's wife. iraq is standing by the claim. >> there is a new front runner for secretary of defense, the

rhodes scholar and physicist is the pentagon chief operating officer. he was assistant secretary of defense under president clinton. >> he is somebody with detailed understanding of the way that the department of defense works. i personally am a pretty strong advocate of people who performed well in deputy roles being promoted to the top job. >> carter's appointment will require senate approval, likely won't happen until after republicans take control in january. >> coming up at 7:20, we'll talk about it with retired army major mike lyons and the likelihood of confirmation by the senate. >> israel is taking steps toward holding new elections after prime minister benjamin netanyahu fired two top cabinet members. >> he accused them of plotting a takeover and israel is on track for a vote in marsh. >> it was a five party coalition that never got on and all came to a head with angry exchanges.

netanyahu has the last word, though. he fired his critics. >> almost from the first moment and maybe for a year reasons, in this government, there was friction, and there were opposing views. it was conduct under the threat of ultimatums and relentless attacks from within the government, at the government and at me, who stands at its head. >> finance minister had a showdown with netanyahu on monday night. he accused him of deliberately drugging the country into an unnecessary election. >> our relations with the united states have been damaged because of pat ron nicing and insulting behavior. gaza is not demilitary rides. we could have worked together to fix it. >> major disagreement were over the budget, defense spending and the plan to cut tax for first time house buyers. the justice minister had been

the most outspoken opponent to netanyahu's pretty project, a bill that would make israel a nation state of the jewish people, widely criticized as discriminating against israeli palestinian citizens. netanyahu had partnered with centrist parties, yet this government had become one of the most extreme in israeli history. he's understood to be looking for former allies from the past in his attempt at a fourth term. whoever may get the upper hand after this crisis will be faced with a constant of israeli politics. there may be 120 seats, but putting together a coalition will always be a patch work job. with no firm guarantee it will all hold together. >> there's a lot of dealing ahead. with the major security issues and gloom over chance of peace talks with the palestinians, the timing for an election isn't good. >> we have more on the day's

events with the israeli parliament. >> this was expected. it was expected that this vote would be in favor of the standing. it's one of several votes that will happen in the next few days we expect by mid next week, a decision, the official votes will all be finalized and it will be dissolved. this is foreign minister netanyahu's wish, he wants early elections and in order to do that, he wants a stronger coalition with less threats than ultimatums he says from some of the members of the coalition, so he needs to have early elections and form another coalition government. the expectation is that obviously there will be a vacuum in the next few months. the election is due to happen marsh 17. that was decided this morning. ahead of the vote, the government will be a

transitional government until then and it will continue to be functional until that election. >> meanwhile france has become the latest country to express support for a palestinian state. french lawmakers voted tuesday to recognize palestine. the move is largely symbolic. israel said it will harm the peace process. france the fifth country to pledge support for a palestinian state in the past few months. we will talk further about the vote in france. >> now to washington where house republicans could vote as soon as tomorrow to undo president obama's executive action on immigration. the legislation not expected to advance, but officials say it is part of a larger gop plan as they get ready to take control of congress. both houses next month. libby casey is in washington this morning. the plan is said to be a direct way to stop the president's executive action. >> republicans are trying to

push back both at the substance of what president obama has done on immigration and the way he did it, through executive action. they admit there's not a lot they can do right now. >> republicans of fume be over president obama's unilateral action over immigration. >> we have limited options and abilities to deal with it directly. >> that won't stop gop lawmakers from trying to fight the president's moves, which would temporarily shield 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation. the republican plan is to push back against the president while taking one option off the table. >> no more government shutdowns and threats to default on the national debt. >> with federal funding set to expire next week, republicans in the house are considering a spending bill that would keep most of the government running through next september, but there is one notable exception. the agency responsible for enforcing immigration rules.

>> they are talking about not doing homeland security. that's the way it is. >> the gop strategy would fund home land security only into early next year. that's when republicans will have a majority in both chambers, and time to find ways to stop the president's executive authority. the house is expected to vote to block the president's immigration reform but such a vote is symbolic and would die in the senate still controlled by democrats. >> to bring a stop to the action that the president wants. >> lawmakers on capitol hill grilled secretary of homeland security jay johnson tuesday who defended the president's plan. >> even functionally amnesty, current situation amounts to amnesty. >> republicans said the president is breaking the law and played clips of him saying he couldn't act on his own. >> i just took an action to change the law. >> so you say he didn't change the law, but the penalty said he did. >> secretary johnson said the

law is on the president's side and appeared unimpressed by the congressman's visual aid. >> i've been a lawyer 30 years. somebody plays me an eight word excerpt from a broader speech, i know to be suspicious. ok? that was very nice. >> jay johnson clearly has a legal background. he used to be general counsel for the pentagon and not only was he defending the president's immigration plan, he's actually an architect of it. he helped create it and took that message to capitol hill yesterday. >> everybody amazed that he countered those words so quickly. learning lessons from the past, the gop choosing not to shut down the government to get their way. >> the american public blames them for last year's government shut down, so leadership such as speaker boehner are remembering that lesson. however, that does not mean that some of the tea party members of the republican ranks aren't thinking about a government

shutdown either as a threat or something they'd be willing to go to the mat for. it comes down to a power struggle. at this point, it looks like leadership will have the upper hand. >> libby, thank you very much. >> lawyers in texas are making a last ditch effort to save a death row inmate, scott pinettey was found guilty of murdering his in laws. advocates say he is schizophrenic. >> there are no concerns about shipping lithium batteries on planes. this is video from the f.a.a. proving that batteries explode and catch fire in the cargo hold. it is worry that had suppression systems on the plane don't keep up. they want rules over how many can be shipped at once. >> rain falling on drought stricken communities in california is leading to this, mudslides, potential floods in

southern california seeing upwards of six inches of rain tuesday. crews are working to remove mud and debris, placing sandbags to keep water off soaked areas. >> if it rains too much, too fast, then engineers have told us that we'll probably get anywhere from 70-100 dump truckloads of dirt at our front door. >> let's just hope it comes gradually versus heavy downpour. >> another big concern is in ventura county north of los angeles, homes in one mud slide prone area there are under mandatory evacuation orders. >> gradually or heavy rain, there's more on tap, wind a understand flooding on tap for today. >> let's bring in nicole mitchell for the latest. >> we forget the snow, there's a snow side, too. we have everything in the kitchen sink going on. this is a look at forest falls an hour and a half outside of california at that where water built up against the mountains had the biggest amounts, because

everything runs its way down. as moisture hits the mountains, it has nothing to do but rain. those are the buyer amount the up to six inches. widespread, an inch or more, including los angeles. as we look at the map, los angeles set a record yesterday with that amount of rain and through this state, there were very few places that didn't report rain yesterday. more of that on tap, so we have this potent system. this is what it looked like yesterday covering the state. today, the upper piece of energy has gone northward with a little lingering southward. we're getting a break in the central portion of the state, not going to be permanent. that's why we will now see going forward the northern end of the state getting the most along with a little bit more on the southern end, but still enough rain coming in widespread, the areas of green that we have are the flood concerns and then the pinks, winter storm warning, the tutor snow of higher elevations. that builds the snow pack so later next we're, we'll have

more moisture available. >> nicole mitchell, thank you. >> president obama said to be close to tapping a new defense secretary. >> right now, all eyes point to a former top deputy, ashton carter. could his past military service hurt his chances? >> some say the new ambassador to hungary not qualified for the job. the white house responds to former soap opera producer turned diplomat. >> how a woman was saved after she -- >> wow -- >> yeah, she lost control of her car, plummeting into a river. >> our big number of the day, why retailers are smiling about how well they did on cyber monday.

>> today's big number is $2,040,000,000, the big money spent on cyber monday. >> research firm says sales were up 17% from last year, heaviest on line spending day in history. wal-mart got more orders on its website than ever before.

>> there are big questions about the new american ambassador to hungary. some say she is not qualified for the job. >> what are critics concerned about. >> that colleen bell is a soap opera producer. she's a soap opera producer, not an ambassador. she's also a major fundraiser for president obama. the 47-year-old was behind the bold and the beautiful, one of del's favorite. he's been a fan of the forester family for all of the 47 years. despite poor performance at her confirmation hearing, she was confirmed earlier this year. her qualifications make one hard pressed to come up with an answer. >> she is somebody who retains the confidence that the -- well let me say it this way, ambassador bell has the president's confidence that she will do an excellent job of

representing the united states and maintaining the important relationship that the united states has with the government and the people of hungary. >> bell raised $1.4 million for president obama's reelection campaign. senator john mccain who seems to be outraged at everything these days was predictably outraged, calling it a political favor. >> when we send a person who doesn't know the language, that's never been to the country, has no familiarity in foreign policy or national security to a nation of this importance, of this importance, then, my friends, we are making a serious mistake. >> the ambassador to argentina is criticized for never having been to argentina and not speaking spanish. at least he has seen the movie

evita. >> >> mike lyons is joining us this morning. ashton carter, what do you know about him, is he the right choice? >> he's been the number two and three person at the pentagon before. he'll be a caretaker type secretary. i don't see him bridging to a new administration, but well liked inside the building, familiar with the bureaucracy, with the budget and like. his only down fall is no military service but he that the respect of the people in the people. >> reads control larr, but not serving in the military. what does that say to the troops? chuck holder was a soldier's soldier. >> hagel wasn't that popular in

the building. it gets down to leadership style and your personality. what he'll do is bring other key things to the table, again, budgetary skills, getting along with congress. they are concerned about seek west reaction and they want funds restored. >> there are other issues, changing gears. the leader of isil's wife and son are held in lebanon. what does it say about the leader of a nation if his wife and son are fleeing? in other words i'm referring to this caliphate that baghdadi was trying to establish. >> it is so bizarre the fact that they're targets. where they were captured across the border in lebanon, they must have known they were tracking them and the fact that the lebanese could take them and hold them hostage shows the level of the depth of what we're dealing with. >> is hostage the right word? >> yeah, they'll possibly be traded for lebanese soldiers.

they'll possibly be used as a bargaining chip. again, family members in most cases in history are off limit, but not in that part of the world. >> the iraq prime minister acknowledged that they were getting help from iranian trainers, saying that they were just like american advisers. gain that with iran launching airstrikes against isil in iraq, are we seeing a new detente? >> not yet. you wake up this morning and iran is a better ally in our fight against isis than turkey. iran is a fundamental enemy, a long way to go, we won't do coordination on the ground with them, but it's a good sign, a good first step. our fear, we don't want iran and iraq to come together and form another military power. that would threaten other countries there. >> important context there. thank you for your insight. >> weather, new england dealing with freezing rain this morning. >> we'll check the forecast

again with nicole mitchell. >> areas we're watching closely, the band from yesterday through the northeast is really up into northern new england. with that freezing precipitation from new hampshire into maine, we're watching that. we could get more moisture across the great lakes region, the temperatures are starting to warm, won't be as cold as yesterday. this goes for the next couple hours that we have to worry about that concern. there had been a history of this. there might be a couple slick spots. that's why the advisories are still up. with temperatures warming, anything that is left will switch to plain rain, otherwise temperatures for today are on the climb. a lot of 50's up the coastline, still pretty frigid, temperatures in the 20's in the midwest. >> the capitol christmas tree lit last night, feels seasonal out there. >> it does. >> thank you very much. >> investigating the stepfather of michael brown. >> police want to know if what he said led to riots following

the grand jury decision to clear darren wilson. we are live with the details on that. >> protestors flood the streets in the indian city of bhopal, the site of the union carbide disaster that killed thousands 30 years ago today. >> nasa taking a major step forward in space travelle. how tomorrow said mission is getting us closer to putting a man on mars. >> a mystery fit for a science fiction film, about 100 brains missing from a college medical lab is one of the stories caught in our global net.

>> you're looking live at the u.s. capitol building in washington, the city getting in the christmas spirit with the lighting of the capitol tree last night. good morning and welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm del walters. ahead in this half hour, israel on the path toward early elections. we'll look at the possible

motives behind the political move in israel. >> an aljazeera exclusive, soldiers say they were made sick by burning garbage in iraq and afghanistan. what they're asking for now. >> in our next hour, a death penalty debate in texas. even republicans walking on the governor rick perry to stop the execution of a mentally ill death row inmate. >> police in missouri are looking into possible charges against the step four of michael brown. when the grand jury decided not to charge officer darren wilson, he made an emotional on camera comments. police want to know if that in cited the violence that followed. we are in ferguson this morning. good morning. what do we know about the potential case against brown's stepfather? >> good morning to you. we understand that the st. louis county police is handling this investigation, looking into seeing if he was trying to incite a riot after the grand jury decision came down. by now, most people have probably seen the video in which

he is standing over a crowd and yelling burn this b. down. michael brown's mother has said in several have views that she does not believe her husband should be charged, saying he basically got caught up in an emotional moment and should not be held accountable, but this is a part of a larger county and state investigation into a number of events that happened, including looting, the rioting and destruction of property, so again, st. louis county police investigating right now michael brown's stepfather. >> jonathan be with is there any indication the past few days of relative calm means that real change is happening in the community? >> you talk to a lot of people and they are hesitant to say things are back to normal but quick to point out that we are not seeing the violence, we are not seeing the large numbers come out in the nightly protests and perhaps the big indicator of that is missouri governor jay nixon announced he will scale back on the number of national guard troops here.

there were 700 before the grand jury announcement that spiked up to 2200 after the unrest. it's likely that we will see most national guard troops leave this area because the governor said things have relatively been calm over the last few nights. >> another development, federal officials arrested a man in washington state for making on line threats against officer darren wilson and his family. what do we know about that case? >> we understand this is a 46-year-old man from washington state. apparently he made a number of facebook threats and was trying to buy a gun saying that he was going to harm, physically harm darren wilson and his family. a federal prosecutor pointed out that people do have a right oh to free speech but not to make these kind of threats and not on social media. >> jonathan martin for us reporting in ferguson, thank you. >> just 15 miles away from ferguson, missouri, protestors taking to the streets for a second night but for a different

reason. they are angry about the murder of the bosnian immigrant beaten to death. st. louis police chief did come to that rally. >> new york city is bracing for a grand jury decision in the apparent police chokehold death of eric garner. >> we are hearing that the decision in this case could come down today. >> that's right. if not today, then definitely this week, according to the new york city police commissioner. considering what happened after last week's grand jury decision in ferguson, it's no surprise. city leaders in new york are doing what they can to get ready for a decision in this other intensely emotional case. >> the death of eric garner in stanton island new york sparked outrage. weeks before the shooting death of michael brown set over a fire storm over police tactics and race relations. last week, those angry at the

ferguson grand jury decision to not indict officer darren wilson disrupted manhattan roadways for hours. >> it's not just ferguson, we're dealing with stanton island, this is a national problem. >> a grand jury in new york has been combing through evidence for three months trying to decide whether to indict the officer for using a chokehold that is band. the confrontation was caught on tape. >> please leave me alone. >> he was stopped by police for illegally selling cigarettes. >> his last words would become a rallying cry. the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide caused in part by the chokehold. the officer's lawyer said it was more a result of his poor health. a small protest outside the district attorney's office. >> i hope the officer is indicted. >> any thoughts on what the

charges should be? >> murder. >> that's unlikely that the grand jury is looking at manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment. garner's mother urges protestors to keep it peaceful. >> we are still operating because through all this, we know god has the lost word. >> in anticipation of this decision, the nypd commissioner sent detectives to ferguson to help them prepare for possible confrontation. the lawyer for the officer in this case said he is nervous but grateful that he got the chance to testify. >> the mother saying she wants it to be peaceful. thank you very much. >> huge protests in india marking 30 years since the gas leak disaster in bhopal. thousands demanding more compensation for victims. more than 3700 people died when a union core bide pesticide plant leaked deadly gases in 1984. others say the death toll is

much higher. the company settled for nearly half a billion dollars. for more, head to aljazeera.com. >> the leaders of hong kong's occupy central movement surrendered to police, the three founders turning themselves in a day after calling object students to retreat from protest site. the calls have fallen on deaf ears. students continue to press for free elections in 2017. >> israeli planning to hold early elections in marsh, starting the process of dissolving itself after prime minister benjamin netanyahu fired to top ministers from the coalition government. that government was only formed in 2013. doug waxman is a previous off a of international science and co directs the middle east center. he joins us this morning. thanks for being with us. what happened, how did benjamin netanyahu's coalition fall apart? >> this was a something of a marriage of convenience, not a

government coalition that benjamin netanyahu wanted in the first place. with the sent terrorist parties in particular and i don't mean the outset has been something of a dysfunctional marriage. over the last few months, the tension's been building, particularly between netanyahu and the leader of the largest party. this has come to a head now. it's not really over one substantive issues. there are particular issues at stake here, but it's more of a clash of personalities and competing political ambitions. >> he was one of benjamin netanyahu's strongest supporters but claims some inside his own government were undermining him. is he right or just paranoid? >> he is right in the sense that he has faced continued criticism from within his own government especially from the two. his popularity has been

plummeting in recent months. he enjoyed popular support because of israel's actions in gaza but since then has really been dropping quite rapidly in the polls, and i think both men had been hoping to take political advantage of that. >> to outsiders, some wonder how much this is due to outside pressure on israeli. european nations now vote to go recognize a palestinian state, france becoming the fifth. >> well as the old adage goes, all politics is local. in israel, this is driven more by the kind of domestic machinations and maneuvers within israeli politics particularly netanyahu's own belief that he will benefit from early elections and he will emerge stronger. i don't think the vote in the french parliament will affect israelis but as far as isolation and change within european politics could affect the views of some israeli voters.

>> an american couple detained in qatar is expected to go hole. a travel ban for the woes has been lifted. they had been convicted of starving that you are daughter but a court threw out the verdict. >> police in abu dhabi are investigating the murder of american women. the attacker was covered from head to toe. the person attacked a single mother of 11-year-old twin boys in the restroom of a mal. the victim is only identified as a 37-year-old teacher. her exis on her way to the country to be with their son. >> we are learning more about what drove a man in west virginia to go on a shooting rampage. jodie lee hunt targeted his exgirlfriend and her new

boyfriend. he killed them and later found dead from a self inflicted gunshot wound. >> japanese air bag maker is refusing to comply with recalling the airbags. the company was given until midnight to expand the recall. the company said it should be up to car makers to deem with the problem. the airbags enplate with too much force and send metal shrapnel flying to the car, connected with five deaths. 14 million vehicles have been recalled worldwide. >> then there is this, this incredible scene out of china, a woman's car plunges off the roadway. she lost control and plunged into a canal. the driver went into the river. it took witnesses 20 minutes to rescue the woman. >> it could eventually be the vehicle that brings man or woman to mars and tomorrow it's hitting the launch pad.

>> we are following the excitement surrounding the launch of orion, called a water shed moment for nasa. >> it's being called the future of american space exploration. all systems are go for the spacecraft said to undergo its first test tomorrow. to say there is a lot riding on these rockets is an understatement. >> counting down to the debut of nasa's next frontier, a craft that could one day carry astronauts to the moon, an asteroid or even mars. first, it has to pass an unmanned test flight. >> we want to discovery things that are beyond our modeling capability and expertise, so they can learn it and fix it before they put people onboard. that's why thursday is to important. >> the capsule fitted atop three american made delta rockets capable of traveling farther into space than any vessel the world has ever seen.

it is expected to sore 3600 miles into space thursday then begin a 4,000-degree reentry into earth's atmosphere before splashing down in the pacific ocean. the main objective, testing four crucial systems, the radiation, heat shield, and parachutes. >> we had our review where our technical team went through the risk of this mission and all the hardware analysis, all the activity associated with this mission and we're good to go. >> nasa's space shuttle program was grounded three years. since then, the u.s. has paid russia more than $70 million a ride to put astronauts and core go into orbit. this launch comes just a month after the tragic death of a virgin galactic pilot antexplosion of an unhand commercial rocket on a mission to the space station. >> with that in mind, unlike prefers spacecraft, orion has a

launch abort system, a specially designed rocket booster that could push the crew capsule away in case of catastrophic failure. weather could be a factor. there is a slight chance of showers, but so far, all systems are go. >> another woman is accusing bill cosby of sexual assault. this accuser says it happened when she was 15 years old. she filed a lawsuit tuesday in los angeles saying cosby got her drunk and assaulted her at the playboy mansion. she said he asked her to lie about her age. at least 13 women have come forward accusing him of sexual assault. >> let's look at other stories caught in our global net. a school district in maine has to pay 75 behind to a transgender student. the associated press saying school administrators forced her to use a faculty restroom instead of school bathroom.

nicole is a biological male who i had died herself as a girl in the age of two. the grandfather of another student complained. >> this is an issue coming up at a lot of schools around the country. >> the university of texas is trying to solve a brain teaser of a mystery. ruffle 100 brains were stolen. they had belonged to deceased patients of an austin mental hospital and were transferred to you have r.u.t.20 years ago. one brain may belong to a chars whitman, sniper who killed 16 people at the university of texas in 1966. he was killed by police. you have to wonder what that person might be doing with those brains. >> i knew a neurologist who had one of those brains. she kept it under her sofa. they use them to study. >> we'll talk about it later. >> north korea's borders remain close because of ebola fierce. the guardian has saying it's

launched a website showing smiling children to launching missiles. the problem is i keep hearing hotel california, that song saying that you can check in anytime you want. >> but you can never leave. >> of course north korea's always closed to americans. it's very to get a visa there. >> exactly. >> it is a common but dangerous chore carried out by american soldiers in iraq and afghanistan. >> an aljazeera exclusive showing burn pits used to get rid of garbage. >> scientific proof of just what makes a mediterranean diet to good. what doctors have found is one of today's discoveries. >> saying goodbye to the man who helped give the rolling stones their sound.

>> time now for were you ever today's discoveries. there's new evidence of what makes the mediterranean diet so good for you. it may actually protect your d.n.a. from damage. >> researchers studied nurses and found those who stuck to fresh fruit, olive oil and fresh meets were healthier. >> what's causing the protective effects, the diet is linked to better heart health. >> to an august exclusive. thousands of soldiers say service in iraq and afghanistan left them sick. >> they were exposed to burning trashing. some suffer now from life threatening illnesses. >> 35-year-old anthony suffers from a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. >> i cannot tell you my wife's middle name, or my daughter's. i don't remember everybody's name. >> he believes he got sick from toxins he was exposed to while

serving his country. >> there he goes. >> massive open air burn pits like this operated on u.s. military bases across iraq and afghanistan. at the height of the wars, more than 250 bases burned their trash, releasing large plumes of black smoke sue into the air. >> they produce add lot of volatile organic compounds, for example, benzene. >> a former veterans affairs official analyzed the tax ins found in burn pit smoke. he is representing 31-year-old rodney niece, a specialist who lived a quarter mile from the largest burn pit in iraq. >> there was always a yellow haze over that base and everybody that you talked to had some type of respiratory issues with it. >> for seven years, doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong until he had a lung biopsy.

>> it showed that i had titanium, aluminum, iron, chromium, steel, silica in my lungs. slow down. there's nowhere else that i could have got metal in my how long. >> dr. robert miller is a pulmonologist. >> is this something that you would normally find in a healthy person, a person fit for deployment? >> no. this is a very uncommon diagnosis in an otherwise healthy individual. >> doctor miller says burn pits are one possible explanation, but when he presented his findings to d.o.d., they stopped sending him patients. the department of defense's top public health officials says they have looked at numerous studies and found no proven link to burn pits for long term health effects. >> we know people are sick. we're trying our best to try to

determine whether purpose pits are responsible. >> with more and more veterans and contractors coming forward claiming that burn pits made them sick, pressure on the military and veterans affairs is mounting. >> this evening, america tonight looks at the reasons why the military used burn pits instead of incinerators. was it a ploy to save money? that's tonight. >> the coach of a new jersey high school football team losing another job. the school board has stripped george najar of his role as strength and conditioning coach. he was suspended as coach, several members of the team accused of assaulting fellow players. >> let's get another look at the forecast. >> trouble spots morning, the big one on the west coast, but otherwise, we have the system that's going through the northeast and that was part of the frontal boundary. we had that disturbance develop. another one, you can just see

clouds now, but into the central plains is going to be a problem. as this clears out, watch this over the next couple of days, not quite getting there yet, but by the time we get to friday, some of these areas from arkansas to missouri could see an inch or two of rain easily. that's going to be another trouble spot for us. you have an inch or two of rain. we had that widespread through california, more on the rain today. especially now we're starting to see breaks in central california, the heaviest now in northern calendar cap. if you get closer to mountains, that's where we're having the bigger problems. that's how that sets up through the course of the day. more of this moves interior as we get today into tomorrow, as well it won't be widespread with the rain. >> nicole mitchell, busy day for you, thank you. >> authorities in chile investigating kidnappings of newborn babies from inside the hospital. it's believed some of those infants may have been sold to europeans and americans.

>> the investigation includes doctors, nurses, nuns and priests, as well. >> this is 100 kilometers south of the chilean capital. they have lived here since they were married. she was 16 when this photograph of her pregnant with twins was taken. two baby boys she never saw after giving birth in a santiago hospital. >> i was in the recovery room and they didn't bring me the babies and then this nun showed up. i will never forget her face, her eyes. she said i have bad news. what, i asked? your children died. don't make a scandal or drama and shut up. >> it was july, 1984. they were young, poor and frightened. the public hospital refused to give the father the babies bodies for burial. when she insisted her newborns were alive, she said the doctors

threatened to declare her in sane and lock her up. for years, they kept quiet until five months ago when they say a television report about a similar case involving a priest now under investigation for an illegal newborn adoption scheme. >> this is where it happened, at the old maternityward of the hospital, which has been closed for more than 10 years now. since the story broke, dozens of mothers have come forward alleging that the very same thing happened to them, that doctors, nurses and nuns told them that their apparently healthy newborn baby died but refused to produce a body or even a death certificate. >> gloria cortez returns to what she calls the scene of the crime for the first time since giving birth to a son in 1976. >> this is where my baby was stolen, she says. at the time, not even her husband believed her, but now they have joined an investigation carried out by a special prosecutor that has

shocked the country. >> the attorney represents 13 mothers. he says and its impossible to know how many babies were kidnapped between 1969 and the early 1990's, for now, the last documented case. >> for example, a mid wife would say that a baby was to be born at such and such an hour and instead of putting the real name, she'd write another name and leave with lawyers, nuns and doctors, it was a network. >> chiles catholic church is cooperating with the investigation, including a dutch nun who has acknowledged that she alone gave away around 100 newborns to childless couples from holland. >> at that time, a nun could enter a hospital and no one would question her or ask for identification or question why she was walking out of the maternity ward with a baby. >> in recent years, adopt laws

have become more stringent and public hospitals more scrutinized but that's no consolation for gloria cortez. >> son, if you're listening, just a photo, because i haven't been able to see your face in my dreams. i would settle for a photo if you don't want to meet me. >> maria and her husband say they want to embrace their twins. that he know many of the babies were taken abroad, but today, they are determined to find them. lucia new man, aljazeera, chile. >> just unimaginable. you know in neighboring argentina, there are hundreds of undocumented cases of babies there taken from imprisoned mothers during the 1970's. >> the same thing happened in ireland, those investigations are taking place there. implications all the way to the united states congress in that case. >> what is disturbing is the church's implications in this,

wimp means in many case it was the most vulnerable, the most disadvantaged that were taken advantage of. >> the rolling stones long time sacks phonist bobby keith has died. ♪ >> most famous for his solo on "brown sugar." the 70-year-old has been battling cirrhosis. he began his career playing sax for buddy holly as a teen. he played for the who, lynrd sknyrd and john lennon. >> in israel, they lit this huge christmas treener tel-aviv. a bell ringing santa was on hand. orthodox leader said celebration brings hope of unit among the regions three religions. >> i wish that this could bring peace to our land, to israel,

christian, muslims and jews. >> it ended with a final fireworks display. >> san francisco one of the most expensive cities, forcing people to give up their dream of living on the water. educate poor children. >> schools where kids need grade teaching the most. >> can unprepared teachers make a difference? >> why are we sending them teachers with 5 weeks of training? >> hundreds of days in detention. >> al jazeera rejects all the charges and demands immediate release. >> thousands calling for their freedom. >> it's a clear violation of their human rights. >> we have strongly urged the government to release those journalists. >> journalism is not a crime.

on tech know, >> i landed head first at 120 mph >> a shocking new way to treat brain injuries >> transcranial direct stimulation... don't try this at home... >> but some people are... >> it's not too much that we'ed fry any important brain parts... >> before you flip the switch,

get the facts... >> to say that passing a low level of current is automatically safe, is not true >> every saturday, go where technology meets humanity... >> sharks like affection >> tech know, only on al jazeera america >> time is ticking for one texas inmate set to be executed today. the efforts by his threw spare the life of a mentally ill man. >> the white house has settled on a new pentagon chief. >> faulty airbags, executives behind the japanese company behind the defective devices

face tough questions on capitol hill. >> i think the development of artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. >> a threat to mankind that could bring about its doom. the warning from steven hawking about why art if i believe intelligence may be too smart for our own good. >> welcome to aljazeera america, i'm stephanie sy. >> lawyers in texas making last ditch efforts to save a man from being executed. he is scheduled to be put to death this afternoon. he was found guilty of killing his in owe laws 20 years ago. >> his lawyers say he has a long history of mental illness, including psychosis and schizophrenia and doesn't understand his sentence. numerous courts on the state parole board disagree. we are following this case from texas. his lawyers have asked the supreme court to step in at this point. governor rick perry is staying silent. is his death likely to get

postponed? >> well, you see a lot of these last minute rushes to prevent an execution here at huntsville but what makes this case stand out is the ground swell of support behind the man. we've heard from u.n. experts, from conservatives and evangelical leaders saying this execution should be postponed, should be prevented. yet he is scheduled to die here in a little over 12 hours and the clock is ticking. >> an honorably discharged naval vet was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic at age 20. medication didn't work. he was hospitalized more than a dozen times, then in 1992, he shot and killed his wife's parents. >> he did so believing that this was a fight between good and evil and in killing them, he was getting rid of the devil. >> he insisted on representing himself at trial. >> scott wore a cowboy outfit with a purple necker chief

around his neck. he tucked his jeans into cowboy boots and he waived a cowboy bible, and spoke obsessively about cowboys and broncos. >> he tried to subpoena god, john f. kennedy and the pope and told jurors that an alter ego, sergeant was responsible for the killings. the verdict that came back guilty, the sentence death. >> he has now been on death row in texas for 19 years. his lawyers say he hasn't received treatment for schizophrenia for much of that time and has been instead decline. the defense hired forensic psychiatrist to assess him in 2007. >> he has one of the most severe forms of schizophrenia that i've ever seen. >> that year, a federal court ruled he was competent to be executed. the defense appealed to the supreme court at that time, resulting in a new legal standard for executing the

mentally ill. a defend must ration ally understand he is being punished for his crime. the justice did not say whether he specifically met that criteria and so the question remains open. >> in my opinion, it was pretty clear that he did not know why he was being put to death. he thought it was because he approached the word of the gospel. >> the state of texas says he is competent, cite ago recent lucid and intelligent prison visit with family. experts on the state's side concluded the schizophrenia is an act. >> could he be faking it? >> i can't imagine anyone fake that go kind of intensity, maybe five, 10 minutes, but this guy goes on for three hours. i have been on death row evaluating others and you can hear him in the background going on and on and on. >> it's the sign of a severely mentally ill man who doesn't

know right from wrong and who should be protected. >> i think that if scott is executed wednesday, we will be taking a step that in this country is virtually unprecedented and what this would say about the american justice system is that we've crossed a moral line. >> yet here we are wednesday and the death chamber is inside this building behind me. the execution is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. central time. there has been no movement on the petition before the supreme court nor on the request for clemency before rick puree. >> texas has for years been the state with the largest number of executions. if the rule does change for mentally ill prisoners, how would that affect the state. >> it's interesting here that this case both established that rule and is the first to test it in the state of texas. if you remember, in 2007 when this case first went before the

supreme court, justices refined the test for legal competency to be executed, so the irony is that his case both created that test and now is the first one to see whether it will work. >> live in huntsville, texas, thank you. >> coming up, we talk with the torn has represented andrea yates, she was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the killings of her children. we'll get his take on the race to halt this execution. >> the campaign to crush isil is the subject of high level talks in brussels today. >> secretary of state john kerry is hosting the first-ever anti isil summit, all 60 members of the coalition are taking part and it comes amid reports that iranian jets have joined the battle in iraq. >> as for who will lead the u.s. efforts, ashton carter the front runner to replace chuck hagel, the former pentagon chief operating officer and a rhodes

scholar and theoretical physicist. the white house not denying the ashton rumor, but not fanning the flames, either. >> white thousand spokesman josh ernest wouldn't say whether or not he is the pick. he is someone who has served the pentagon in a senior level position, and has been get confirmation through the senate. he remained coy about whether that equals a nomination to lead the pentagon. >> hi, there. >> how are you doing? >> ashton carter is a physicist and former chief weapons buyer and president obama's top choice for secretary of defense. >> he's somebody that does have a detailed understanding of the way the department of defense works. >> the 60-year-old has a long history at the pentagon. from 2011-2013, he was the deputy defense secretary, the number two position under chuck

hagel, managing an annual budget of $600 billion. from 2009-2011, as undersecretary of acquisition, he bought weapons, and scaled back or canceled outdated programs. in 2011, carter said his goals were to get better weapons to the troops and a better deal for the public. >> my second priority has been to deliver better buying power to the taxpayers and the war fighters for their defense dollars. >> senator john mccain, who was expected to be the next chair of the senate armed services committee has called carter qualified and non-controversial, but while he was a pentagon insider, he's nerve served in the military. some question whether he has the qualities necessary for the job. >> he's been behind the scenes doing the hard technical issues but never been the guy who's actually maybe not been in the uniform, but have done hard things to make hard leadership decisions. >> on a personal level, carter

could be described as a brainiac. he he has a degree in physics and mid evil history in yale, a doctorate in theoretical physics from oxford where he was a rhodes scholar. >> in the words of politico, makes think tankers hearts flutter. >> the white house has not said whether it has any personnel announcements to make yet. we'll be watching to see if there is word coming out today that that's coming down the pike. >> hard to make a think tanker's hard flutter. do we expect pushback from republicans if carter is the nominee? >> you heard senator mccain that he is someone who has supported him in the past. there does seem to be respect among the republican ranks for what he he's been able to do at d.o.d., but there will always be pushback, because this is a presidential nomination process

and it will be an opportunity to bring up criticisms of the president's overall policy. >> libby, thank you very much. >> america's top diplomat is leading an international summit object fighting isil. >> we all recognize a common threat and dash is a danger to the interests of all of us. in opposing these terrorists, our diversity is in fact a source of remarkable strength, because it gives us the credibility and the breadth of reach to move against dash not only in iraq and syria but to counter any support that might exist for it around the world. >> dash is how isil is referred to regionally. the high level talks include all 60 members of the coalition forces. paul brennan has the latest from

brussels. >> this is the first ministerial level meeting of this isil coalition and comes from the strategy outlined in august by john kerry, where he said clearly back then that airstrikes alone would not be sufficient to combat the isil threat. there are five prongs to it, providing military support for the coalition partners on the front line of the battle. this moving the sources of funding for isil, stopping the flow of fighters joining the ranks of isil, but also importantly addressing humanitarian crisis which are perhaps fueling people's desire to join isil and finally destroying the brand of isil which john kerry calls the brand, to challenge the presumption that isil puts out that it is the fewer form of islam, the duty of fighters to join isil, because they are performing pure jihad. all those issues will be challenged as part of the conference here at this ministerial level. the other important thing they are addressing in brussels is to

streamline the command and political control structure. with a coalition of more than 60 nations, there is going to have to be some degree of streamline to go produce some efficiency of decision making. that is one of the top items on the agenda here. >> the u.s. has seared out the mass majority of the airstrikes against isil in syria and iraq. dozens more countries have offered other support including information and intelligence. >> the american couple detained in qatar are expected to come home today. a travel ban for matthew and grace wong has been lived. the court overturned their murder conviction. they had been in jail for starving their adopted daughter to death. aljazeera is owned by qatari interests but maintains editorial control. >> a stand against president obama's stand on immigration, the gop plans a vote to block his plan. >> it may not go far now but

could point to things to come. >> republican leaders now concede there is little they can dew at least in the short term to stop president obama from going it alone on immigration. >> it's a serious threat to our system of government. we have limited options and limited boots to deal with it directly. >> house speaker john boehner does plan a house vote to block mr. obama later this week but it will die in the senate, where democrats have control for one more month. the effort will be little more than a chance for conservatives to vent anger. >> they did nothing on immigration. >> there is plenty of anger. tuesday's target, homeland security secretary jay johnson, time after time in a capitol hill hearing, republicans asked what gives president obama the constitutional right to act on immigration without congress? >> i'm fully comfortable that we have the legal authority to push forward these reforms in

particular, specifically with regard to deferred action, that is an authority to presidents have used for decades. >> don't just start yelling, young ladies. >> it was the president's recent comment in response to pro reform hecklers that drew the sharpest rebuke. >> but what you're not paying attention to is the fact that i just took an action to change the law. >> to republicans, it was a telling comment. >> so you say it didn't change the law, but the president said he changed the law. >> he acted within existing law, we acted within our existing legal authority. >> tuesday, the white house tried to explain. >> i think he was speaking cloak we'llly. >> there is no trust anymore that the executive will enforce the law, so we're stuck. it's a shame.

>> mike viqueira, aljazeera, the white house. >> republicans say they will work to cut off the funding for the president's actions when they are in control of congress. >> japanese air bag manufacturer takata is in the congressional hot seat today. >> the top executive will testify about faulty airbags as the company is now rebuking a government call to launch a nationwide recall. let's go to washington now. lisa, what can we expect when the executive testifies today? >> certainly some heated questions, and the takata vice president will apologize, saying the company is sorry for deaths or injuries caused by their airbags, but will continue to insist that they think what is needed is a regional recall in states with high humidity problems. they think that's part of the problem that causes these airbags to explode with such force is the humidity in those states. the government has called on takata to issue a nationwide recall, the deadline for doing

that was midnight last night. takata has said we think it should be up to the automakers, we are not going to issue that recall. the national highway traffic safety administration issued a statement now saying this is deeply disappointing, and going on to say that takata shares responsibility for keeping drivers safe and we believe anything short of a national recall does not live up to that responsibility and the government saying they will review takata's response entirely before deciding on their next move in this fight. >> ultimately, this is about people and the victims. that you talk to one of those victims who had an air bag explode in an incident. what did he have to say? >> i did. his name is cory bur dock, a florida resident. he was driving in his honda civic in may of this year and had a simple rear end accident. he told us what happened next. here's what he said: >> all i remember was hearing a

big explosion, it sounded like a shotgun and my right side went black, pitch black, like nighttime black, and there was smoke and stuff flying in the air. i had to get out of the car, that was my only thing, get out of the car, get out of the car. >> so when these airbags explode, pieces of shrapnel can fly at drivers and others. that's what happened to cory and he is now permanently blind in his right eye. obviously he wants to ensure this doesn't happen to anyone else. >> lisa stark, thank you very much. >> rain is falling on drought stricken communities in california but with that comes mudslides and fears of flooding. parts of southern california saw six inches of rain tuesday. the biggest danger is near areas that were recently scorched by wildfires. for more, let's bring in

meteorologist nicole mitchell. good morning. >> kind of a mixed bag. >> the entire state is in some sort of drought category, a lot of it under the exceptional, the highest category, so the rain is really needed. it was widespread through the course of the state, we were seeing scenes with rain but also scenes like this one, some land slides, mudslides and the cleanup because of all this. people ask me which part of california was getting hit. it was the whole state. look at that satellite. you can see the potent system out as it spiral out, bringing high winds, heavy precipitation. the northern portion still bringing heavy rain, even to southern california. a little bit of a break right now right in central california, but the whole state will get bans from time to time. it's not just the rain. moisture for the higher elevation, snow, that is mostly good news because it helps out the snow pack, but as this continues to add up today and into tomorrow, this is the next 48 hours, you can see anywhere along the coastline, northern portions of the state and along

the mountains where that rain gets stuck and rains out, flooding is still a concern. >> still not a drought buster. >> this will help, but this is such a long term drought, one rain doesn't do it. >> israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu shaking up his cab knelt and setting the stage for new elections. we talk with a journalist about the signal this move is sending both at home and abroad. >> the wife of an american in prison in cuba issuing a warning as he enters his fifth year behind bars. the grim prognosis she is giving for his chance of surviving another year. >> the smithsonian using technology to create a sculpture of president obama.

>> officials say a suicide bomber drove a vehicle packed with explosives into a building. at least three were killed. >> cars and buses in flames in athens, greece as protestors torched the vehicles during a solidarity marsh for a jailed

anarchist. he was convicted of involvement in a bank robbery and demanding to leave prison in order to attend university. >> president obama getting the 3-d treatment, the smithsonian using state-of-the-art technology to capture the likeness and create a sculpture of his head using a 3-d printer. >> france sending a message to israel tuesday, lawmakers voting to recognize a palestinian state. the vote is largely symbolic. israel is denouncing it. france is the fifth country to express support in recent weeks for a two state solution. >> israel is making plans to replace its government. the parliament started the process of dissolving. new elections are set for marsh coming after prime minister benjamin netanyahu fired two top ministers from his cabinet.

what will the key issues for israelisen facing, security with palestinians, ires nuclear prom or economic reforms? >> it's always about security here, that's the main issue every election. we only need one, it's not what we need, but happens once you're attacked, then entire agenda is highjacked by this issue. the terror issue and security of the personal security is always on the agenda here every election. having said that, the government is dissolving after dispute about housing market crisis in israel that has been taking place here for the last six or seven years. benjamin netanyahu the prime minister is blamed for not taking care of this housing crisis and the finance minister that was just fired yesterday

was trying to promote the bill to solve that, and the government wasn't able to agree on that. it's like the chronic issue is the trigger, but if you look, the israeli government, you see a total breaking down of misbehavior, cabinet fights, it's just been going on for -- >> it didn't come as a surprise. i want to let me ask you this. a lot of israelis mostly on the left felt frustrated not seeing any viable opposition to netanyahu. how likely is it that he's going to reelected? >> there is a strong antisentment. it's always a problem, the prime minister controls in a an indirect way some of the media

and also he is still popular, so i'm not sure how strong that sentiment in order to -- for him to lose the elections. some of the sentiment of the anti sentiment is coming from the right wing. people are frustrated by the way he is too moderate handling -- inside israel, they were very, very upset with the attacks on israel and the way hamas -- >> i think that's what's going to surprise a lot of people, because are there concerns now in israel about how this is viewed from the outside? does a divided government signal an opening for external criticism from israel's enemies, because we thought and i speak for the collective outside world, they believe that benjamin netanyahu was strong in the wake of the gaza conflict.

>> yes, there is huge criticism mounting from the right wing, saying he he's too moderate, weak, too -- the reason you see the -- >> i will apologize, skype being skype, it was not going well. thank you very much. >> the wife of an imprisoned american is on the brink of death, today marks the fifth year aid worker alan gross has been locked up in havana. his wife said he will not endure another year of confinement, describing him as gown,

hobbling, missing five teeth. he was arrested in cuba in december of 2009. officials accused him of importing banned technology and establishing a secret internet service for cuban jews. >> rain causing problems in the east coast this morning. let's go to nicole mitchell for more on that. good morning. >> good morning. we're getting benefit because temperatures are starting to go up to the point where it's just plain rain. everything from an active west coast, system brewing into the central plains and also into the northeast. we've been watching that moisture. yesterday, that was areas of everything from snow to some freezing precipitation and rain. you can see most of the freezing stuff not only is moving out, but starting to change to rain as the temperatures rise. we will have spotty moisture behind that, but it is spotty and mostly just rain. the temperatures climb into the 50's for places like new york city, better than yesterday, helping to keep the moisture on the rain side. back behind that front, well behind, we saw temperatures in

the 20's. speaking of the front, that was an area of disturbance that developed off of it. another is brewing in the central plains. places like arkansas and missouri, cumulative through friday, we could see rain settle over the area. >> ok, thank you. >> the clock is ticking this morning as lawyers race to stop an execution of a mentally ill man in texas. we're going to be talking with a former defense attorney for andrea yates about the fight to keep him alive in a case that has struck an emotional chord there. >> sounding off about artificial intelligence, a threat said it poses to the future of mankind.

>> the cast sytem is alive and well in america >> a city divided >> this is the third shooting in 24 hours in baltimore >> raveged by violence... > for any black community it's always been a recession >> can a community break the cycle? >> the way the game is rigged... they can't win... >> fault lines, al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> today they will be arrested... >> ground breaking... they're firing canisters of gas at us... emmy award winning investigative series... baltimore anatomy of an american city only on al jazeera america >> lawmakers will grill the

chairman of the company takata about their faulty airbags. ahead, for all who enjoy holiday songs on the radio, we explain how it is a jolly christmas tune for pasting sales. >> launching a new spaceship and make the first step toward putting astronauts on mars. >> a look at our latest headlines, talks in plus sells with secretary of state john kerry meeting with leaders from the 60 member coalition fighting isil. the meeting comes amid reports that iranian jets ever joined the battle in iraq. president obama is reportedly considering ashton carter to replace outgoing defense secretary chuck hagel. he is a pentagon veteran, the pentagon says chief operating officer, rhodes scholar and theoretical physicist. >> executives from takata set to

appear before congress in a few hours facing scrutiny over fault eye airbags. the company miss add federal deadline for a nationwide recall. five deaths are linked to the airbags. >> police in ferguson, missouri are looking into possible charges against the step four of michael brown. when the grand jury decided not to indict darren wilson for brown's death, he made an emotional on camera plea. police want to know if he in cited the violence that followed. jonathan, first let's listen to the comment that is at the center of all of this controversy. >> burn this [bleep] down! >> those comments made right after darren wilson was cleared, the officer in this case. what do we know about the to president obama 10 she will case this time against brown's stepfather? >> we know that the st. louis county police, the absolute county police will be handling

the investigation to determine whether or not he was trying to incite a riot after all that we saw on november 24 after the grand jury decision. he was heard saying burn this b. down. michael brown's mother has said publicly he should not be charged because he got caught up in the emotion like a lot of people. the st. louis county police will be looking into this. this is part of a larger investigation they are conducting, local and state investigation into a lot of the events that happened that night, including arson, looting and destruction of property. >> is there any indication this morning that the past few days that we've seen of relative calm have brought about changes there? >> you know, people here in the community are hesitant to say things are back to normal but do see changes. over the last few nights, we have not seen the large numbers coming out to protest. there has not been violence that has been happening at night. for that reason, missouri

governor jay nixon is pulling back significantly on the number of national guard troops. you might remember before the grand jury decision, there were 700 troops here. he increase that had, so over the last few days, the number has dropped. over the next few days, we will likely see most troops go home. >> federal officials arresting a man in washington state for making on line threats against darren wilson and his family. what do we know about that case? >> we understand that federal prosecutors have charged this man, a 46-year-old man from washington state, he allegedly made threats on facebook several times saying that he was going to have a gun and get a gun and harm darren wilson and his family, so federal prosecutors, the f.b.i. pointing out people have a right to free speech but you not to make threats like this. >> jonathan, thank you very much. >> new york city police are preparing for a grand jury

decision in the death of eric garner. that could come any day. the man died while being detained by police. the jurors are weighing whether to indict the officer for his death using an apparent chokehold. >> in texas, lawyers are asking the supreme court to stop the execution of a mentally ill inmate. he murdered his in laws in 1992 and is set to die by lethal injection today. he has a long history of mental illness, secluding schizophrenia. lower courts have repeatedly ruled him competent. we are joined now from houston. he represented and dehe i can't yates during her trials, including her 2006 retrial. she was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the killings of her children. sir, thank you for joining us on the program this morning. this is literally the 11t 11th hour for the man scheduled to be executed at 6:00 p.m. central time. you say the supreme court should intervene. why?

>> well, the entire process unfortunately has taken on the appearance of a sham. that includes his trial, which involved him representing himself in an almost comical but absurd fashion, presenting a defense of insanity, clearly not competent to stand trial nor was he competent to represent himself. this culmination, you mentioned the 11th hour, it's the 11t 11th hour for scott, but it's also the 11th hour for in my opinion the perception of criminal justice in the state of texas. i hope -- >> this is a man diagnosed with schizophrenia multiple times. it's been through the courts,

through the appeals court, went to the supreme court in 2007. how did texas judges arrive at the conclusion that he is competent for execution? >> the problem is that in order to be competent to be executed, one has to understand, have a rational and factual understanding of the consequences of his act. scott believes that he is scheduled to be executed simply because he's preaching the word of god to fellow inmates on death row and the ultimate satanic influence as he perceives it to be, the state of texas with the judge and with the court appointed lawyer and the prosecutors are trying to seize him from participating as a preacher on death row. he doesn't understand the consequences of his act, why he

is being executed, and all we're asking for is two things, a delay so that he can be evaluated for competency to stand at death's row door and the walk into that room and be heat ally injected and we're asking for commutation of his sentence. a dozen hospitalizations, most of which were involuntary. >> it's clear that he has a long history of mental illnesses. when your former client andrea yates was found not guilty, there was an outcry by many that said justice for those children haven't been done.

he is a convicted murderer at the end of the day. what do you say in response to people who believe he deserves to be executed whether or not he fully understands why? >> well, i would simply say that people have to understand the reality of mental illness. this man's delusion is his real world. he makes decisions based on an unreality reality. the individuals that say that an individual who is severely mentally ill, cast him to the winds is literally a voice of a society that ignores the very basic moral principles upon which we are formed. >> i want to read to you what the dallas morning news has said in an editorial about this, saying the state of texas

appears to be operating absent a moral and legal compass in its determination to execute scott pineti. why has this case hit such a chord? >> well, i believe it's because the severity of this man's mental illness. he is -- it all started with the absurdity of his trial. representing himself, he wore a costume, purple texas western cowboy costume, subpoenaed jesus christ, subpoenaed the pope, subpoenaed john f. ken de, took the witness stand, and in a very bizarre way, just scared everyone to death and as a consequence, he wasn't capable of putting together a rational defense. >> a lot of people also saying that he may ever faked it, but

there certainly is a lot of evidence you cite to the contrary. i'll let you get that phone call. criminal defense attorney george parnum, thank you for your insights on the case. >> we'll be following this through the day. >> san francisco called one of the most innovative and creative places on the planet with the salt of life, we love it that can match downtown chicago or manhattan. >> that standard of living is giving new meaning to the real estate market in the bay area. >> it's a beautiful city, but one that has become exorbitantly expensive to live in. average month within a 10-mile radius, just under $3,000 for a one bedroom apartment according to one real estate tracker. there is an alternative. >> we're seeing many many more people living aboard boat as an opportunity for lower cost rent. >> for as little at the quarter

of the cost, you can get a waterfront view in a quiet neighborhood. supply can't meet demand. they moved just this september on to this 42-foot troweler called traveler. >> >> tim can't afford anyplace in silicon valley where he works as a vice president of a software company and this is all he really needs, one main bedroom and then a smaller bunk for visitors. as a live aboard, his home downs as a way to great vacations. >> we plan to take it down to california, eventually down to mexico. >> with more than 60 moo arenas in the bay area, space still comes up, but inquiries are increasing and waiting lists long. >> there are draw backs to the nautical life. some live here but have to contend with a busy shipping lane, a lot of ferries, and

these critters. >> sea lions do not make poll light neighbors, but it's a price some are willing to pay. live aboards have to adjust to cramped quarters. what may seem like a simpler way of living is not for everyone. >> this is so romantic, so great, three weeks later, they're gone, they're gone. >> something to consider for anyone thinking about making a move, the most successful newcomers remain those who have had some experience and background in boating. >> it's definitely worth the tradeoff of living in this environment. >> the area's small group of live aboards tell us this has become for them the only way to live in the bay. aljazeera, san francisco. >> it sure is a pretty view. more wealth is concentrated in the bay area than any other place in the country. >> we are one day away from a

monumental step forward in space. tomorrow, the orion will launch without anyone aboard. it will travel 3600 miles out and back. the goal is to show whether humans can travel deep beyond's earth orbit. it was a first step toward considering sending astronauts to mars. >> a dire warning from steven hawkings. >> why he thinks artificial intelligence could spell the doom of the human race. >> jingle bell, christmas music around the clock, radio stations cashing in on holiday cheer with non-stop christmas music. >> ashton carter seen at president obama's likely choice to be the next secretary of defense. >> a grim outlook on his potential impact with this quote:

>> the gop leader with that straight talk, next.

>> who said i don't see any difficulty except that he understands he is the last man standing and he'll ever new influence on decisions affecting national security. >> senator john mccain weighing in on the expected nomination of ashton carter as the next secretary of defense. >> he just warned the world about the dangers of computers becoming smarter than humans, but renowned physicist steven hawking is about to get an upgrade to his own artificial intelligence. >> this comes out as a new movie with b. his life is out in theaters. >> it is an amazing story, given a handful of years to live and going strong at more than 70. he said he's fully aware of improving his own artificial

intelligence software, the technology that allows him to speak, but at the same time, he says smart computers could lead to the end of the world. >> ever since humans figured out a way to get robots to start thinking for us, we are frightened of machines making mankind obsolete or turning on us. that fear has been the fodder for many sci-fi films. in spade odyssey. >> hello, hall, do you read me? >> in i, robot, a single and droid develops a mind of its own and in the terminator franchise, that's based on the premise of a computerized defense system turning on the world it developed. in reality, as long as humans are in control of the power switch, there's little to be afraid of. >> if a robot takes a misstep,

beturn it off. they don't evolve the same was he we did. >> steven hawking used his artificial intelligence to sound the alarm saying that artificial intelligence could bring about an apocalypse. >> a development of artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. >> he relied on technology to move and speaking since struck by a.l.s., the muscular disease. if he is also the subject of a new bio pick fears artificial intelligence, should we? well, not everyone is as gloomy about its prospects. >> these technologies are valuable and not going to take on a life of their own and pursue their own intentions. >> despite the doomsday scenario, hawking remains thus system about advances, like new speech software. >> without it, i would not be able to speak to you today. >> he's excited about being able to write much faster, but won't change his robotic voice, as

artificial as it sounds, that's hawking's trademark. >> that is true and that movie about his life has a strong performance by the british actor already being talked about as an oscar contender. >> the on line director of popular science joins us in studio. as i was thinking about this segment, i thought about this, you can't walk down any street in the city in the united states without people being.com glued to their smart

phones. >> what is he talking about when he says full artificial intelligence? >> it behavioral is conscious, can think for itself, change itself. what he is not talking about is google search or predictive typing or a number of other like kind of dumb artificial intelligence applications that are used every day. >> as we as a society be freaked out right now, be worried? robots are on mars and an asteroid, but we're not. >> i don't think we should be freaked out just yet. what is valuable about what steven hawking said is that we are talking about this. we're get to go a point where it might be possible, i don't know when, whether 50 years or 100 years from now or sooner than that, but get to go a point where it might go possible and we should be talking it.

if we create something like artificial intelligence that is cog any sent and can think for itself with that we have created an alien being. it's an important conversation to have, what happens if we do this and should we he do it. >> the star trek movies, brought out recorders and it became a flip phone and iphone. twenty years from now, will it be too late to have this discussion? >> it's a risk. i watched star wars growing up. we should be talking about it now. we don't know he when it's going to happen. that's the big point here is we're talking about something that hasn't yet come to pass and now is the time to be talking about it, especially when we have the sort of small bits and pieces we might need to assemble something that is fully cognizant of itself. >> a long time ago, they tried a talking television personality, max head room. that didn't go anywhere.

thanks for being with us this morning. >> christmas is four weeks away, but already arrived on the radio, as real money tells us, there's big money in holiday music. >> the next time you hear christmas music on the radio, listen carefully. you might just hear the sound of cash registers ringing all across america. this is wezw. >> south jerseys christmas music station. >> a small automated 4,000-watt radio station transmitting to new jersey. what makes it unique is it's the very first radio station in the nation to go all christmas music 24 hours a day. when does it start playing juggle bells, white christmas and silent night?

october 17, a full two weeks before halloween. it can be enormously profitable. the industry calls it flipping and according to neilson, radio stations that flip can enjoy an average 129% lift in ratings. in fact, the average all holiday radio audience is 500% larger on christmas eave than during the rest of the year. >> when we go all christmas, our ratings double every year, and under our signal, we become the number one station in the county. our revenue's explode. >> according to fisher, flipping is like a christmas present to the small station, providing an additional $250,000 in revenue each year. >> the beauty of christmas radio is that every retailer is a candidate for a christmas promotion. >> it's a trend that's catching

on. 2790 radio stations flipped in 2004 to around the clock holiday music. by 2013, that number almost doubled to 488 radio stations. annual revenues for all radio stations last year was 17 that $.7 billion, up from $16 billion in 2009. >> radio is the cockroach of media. it can't be killed. >> radio is very simple, radio is free. you don't need to give anybody your credit card. you don't need to download software. >> there's no reason why we couldn't continue. if we're making money and making people happy, isn't that what radio stations are supposed to do? >> ultimately those endless loops of christmas music may give hundreds of radio stations around the nation a reason to be full of holiday cheer. >> it's the gift that keeps on giving the whole year. >> mary snow, aljazeera.

>> the holiday music phenomenon happens on line. pandora said last season, subscribers listened to 241 million hours of holiday music, and that could go up even more this year. >> nicole mitchell, let's see, christmas music in october? >> i can deal with the decorations, it's a little too early for the non-stop music for me, like the week before christmas, i'm good with it. as we head out, it feels more like fall, technically still is fall. in california, we are watching heavy rain. yesterday it was widespread, today spottier. we have the northern piece of energy and still that flow in the south bringing the moisture in, but as this piles up for today and to really, problems abound. we've got flooding near the los angeles area where we've picked up a lot of places one or two inches of rain. you get toward the mountain, that's heavier amounts and we could see a foot or two of snow,

still additional in the area helping with the snow pack. >> a quick update on a story we told you about earlier in the program on the american calm that was detained in qatar. matthew and grace wong have now left that canary, traveling back to the u.s. they had been convicted of starving their adopted daughter. a court threw out that verdict recently. aljazeera is owned by qatar interests but maintains independent editorial control. >> coming up from doha, the latest from brussels on the meetings on the fight against isil. >> the orion launch, it could be a major step forward in the exploration of space and we will bring it to you live. >> that's it for us here in new york. >> we leave you with the i am manuals of the day, the 10 people honored adventurers for the year. >> elected for remarkable achievement in adventure, and

humanitarianism. >> we will see you back here tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m.

our coalition does not install hate, but rather the courage to build a future based on shared interests, shared values, and a shared faith in one another. >> diplomats gather from around the world to discussion their opposition to isil fighters. i'm live from doha. also ahead, israel will hold early elections in march next year, after the rul