our website, aljazeera.com/considerthis. we'll see you next time. ♪ this is "al jazeera america." i am john seigenthaler. >> protests in new york. another unarmed black man killed by police. another white officer cleared by a grand jury. >> this is not a new york issue nor a ferguson issue alone. >> there was anger and pain. >> he was screaming 11 times that he can't breathe. >> what happens next?

we begin with a night of protests in new york. angry demonstrators chanted, blocked major thoroughfares that new yorkers reacted to the news that a grand jury did not indictment a police officer in the chokehold death of eric gardner. paul beban joins us at new york time square. paul? >> reporter: that's right, john. we are about two to three blocks west of times square, the corner of 10th avenue and 42nd street. a large group of protesters just crossed on their way back to time square. they have been disrupting traffic around this area. we followed them out of times square a little while ago, about 150 to 200 people who laid down in the middle of the intersection, right in front of the port authority bus terminal right in the heart of times square, blocked traffic for three to four minutes. we jumped out of the vehicle, followed them west down 42nd

street. i think they went to the west side highway where there is another group of large protesters far arer uptown disrupting traffic. it looks like they made a loop and are heading back towards times square. this could go on all night, this game of cat and mouse with the protesters. they are being followed everywhere they go by a very large police presence but the police are standing off, really letting them have their run of the streets, not obstructed them in any way. just sort of really ushering them safely through these intersections go wherever they want to go and shutting down mid town wherever they are. john? >> there were reports some had been arrested. you haven't seen any arrests tonight? hum? >> no. not so far. so far, what we have seen here in the last half hour or so is a peaceful march. didn't seem to be organized. they make a left, a right, go against traffic. they go with traffic.

the police follow them wherever they go. we haven't seen any arrests here i suppose if things get a little more disruptive that could happen. >> paul, thank you. earlier tonight, the protesters were blocking, as paul mentioned, one of the busiest highways in new york city. jonathan betz was there when it happened. jonathan? >> reporter: yeah, john, we were not far from the west side highway on the west side of manhattan where hundreds of protesters ran into traffic stopping cars on the western part of manhattan. it's been a day of anger, sfr t sfruftstration. an officer would not be indicted in the death of eric garner. hundreds of people went to the streets, protesting and chanting the familiar slogans we have heard before, black lives matter along with a new one saying, i cannot breathe. those were the last words of eric gardner before he died in a chokehold with. on the westside highway, the protesters went there, shut down the major thoroughfare for a lot

of new yorkers, used by tens of thousands of people every day. things there did get a little tension. we saw police get in confrontations with the protesters. officers warned if protesters were blocking traffic and causing disruptions, they would be arrested. they were okay with protesters marching and chanting but when they got to the point they were blocking traffic, police did move in. we saw officers with shields on their face, carrying batons, getting into shouting matches with protesters. there were a couple of shoving incidents between the protesters and police officers and there were some arrests. for the most part, it has been a peaceful protest. it has been with the mayor a along with the police commissioner have urged all day, fierce they might see some of the violence they saw in ferguson. for the most part, the protests have remained peaceful. >> yjonathan betz, thank you. >> damon jones for law enforcement in america.

welcome. give me your reaction to the events of the last few hours. >> i wasn't surprised. new york has a history of not indictmenting officers through the grand jury process. >> so what happens now? what happens next? protesters continue to protest. but does anything change? >> nothing. i would say nothing has changed. we have been seeing young black men being killed by police and they are not going to jail, and they are not -- and they are not being charged. we have to really hold our elected officials accountable now. they need a statewide special prosecutor. we need them to pass ledge southlakes and start focusing on albany and governor cuomo to put that in place. a special prosecutor will relief the bias that the da's office and the police department are too close. you find a lot of the das are

supported by the local chief's association. they get a lot of money in campaigns from police unions and other different unions in tand police department. thousand can they fairly prosecute officers and a police department, investigate a police department that has been giving them campaign money? >> what do you say to people who argue that in ferguson and in new york, in this case, police officers were simply doing their job? >> well, i can't speak on ferguson but i can speak on the gardner case. >> because you have seen the video? >> we have seen the video. what that does is that takes away any promise because if an officer is having a body cam and we see them in their actions, we saw the actions here with the police officers and there still was no bill to indictment. so the whole body cam thing is going to go out the window. >> you don't think the country

needs body cams? >> i think body cams will do, but it has to be more. it has to be policy change. it has to be strict enforcement of the policy and we need a special prosecutor, an independent investigator because the da and police officers are too close. >> what could they have done? >> diffused the situation. they could have stepped back from the situation. now, we hear that they were called for a fight and he was saying he was not the problem, that that they checked with bystanders. was he the problem? we don't know. we don't know. but when a person feels that he is constantly being harassed by police, you have to diffuse the situation instead of escalate the situation. you saw the cops surrounding him. they were escalating the situation instead of stepping back. >> can you talk a little bit about why it was these police officers are spending this time on the street arresting a guy

apparently, according to police for elling what they call loose cigarettes, not illegal marijuana or drugs or anything like that. just loose cigarettes. >> well, that was the whole problem with the broken theory or no tolerance policing when it becomes harassment to -- for small -- small crimes and this is what happened. eric garner lost his life over a cigarette and the taxpayers of new york city are going to have to pay millions of dollars over a cigarette. >> why were those police officers spending their time doing that? >> because that was the policy of the department, to take on those little crimes and hopefully those little crimes won't end up to big crimes. now, people of color and poor people in those communities are looking at it as harassment. >> these protests go on new york. what other action can people take if they are upset about this? >> i think people neal need to

hold their elected officials accountable. >> damon jones, good to see you. thank you? >> thank you. >> attorney general eric holder announced the justice department will open a civil rights investigation into garner's death. pom says the new york grand jury decision sundayscores the need for america to strengths en the trust between communities and law enforcement? >> i am not interested in talk. i am interested in action. and i am absolutely committed, as president of the united states, to making sure that we have a country in which everybody beliefs in the correspondence principle that we were equal under the law. >> the president talked to the attorney general today about the new york decision. holder said the federal investigation into garner's death will be indent, thorough, and he said it would be fair. we will have much more coverage later this on hour including a conversation with a new york city councilman. now, to texas. a last-minute stay of execution

for a mentally ill death row inmate. scott panetti was to be put to death for killing husband in-laws. his attorneys won a reprieve. heidi jo-castro has more. >> 56-year-olds scott panetti lives another day, avoiding his scheduled execution by hours. the 5th circuit court of appeals says it is staying the electrocution to consider the complex legal questions at issue. an honorabley discharged navy vet was diagnosed as a schizophrenic. he was hospitalized more than a dozen times. 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. >> but that defense never made it into evidence because panetti was allowed to respect himself.

he dressed as a cowboy, tried to subpoena god and j.f.k. and told jurors an alter ego named sarge was responsible for the murders. >> he has one of the most severe forms of schizophrenia that i have ever seen. >> dr. seth civil eshleman was hired to assess his competency in 2007. he felt panetti did not have a rational understanding of his punishment. >> in my opinion, it was pretty clear that he did not know the reason he was being put to death. he thought he was being put to death because he preached the word of the gospel. >> the attorneys say they are grateful. they argue the 8th amendment protection severely mentally ill prisoners from execution because it would amount to cruel and unusual punishment. >> question is still before the u.s. supreme court. now, the state argues that panetti is facing his

schizophrenia and they point to hours between him and family members in which he was lucid and intelligence. nevertheless, the defense says panetti is still delusional and does not understand the cause and effect relationship between his crime and his punishment. john? >> heidi jo-cast row, thank you. ters over exploding airbags. five people, at least five people and dozens of injuries have been linked to that defect. lawmakers want to recall expanded but the japanese manufacturer, takata is refusing. lisa stark reports. >> reporter: these exploding takata airbags have been blamed for four deaths in the united states. there have been millions recalled in a number of recalls over the past seven years. but the latest recall involves just airbags in a small part of the country, just a few states. the national highway traffic safety administration has told

takata, we want that to be a nationwide recall. the company said, no, and got an earful on capitol hill. >> as he did during his first capitol hill testimony two weeks ago, one of takata's top executives apologized for the death and injuries caused by the company's airbag. >> we are deeply sorry about each case. >> law make makers, though, were angry over takata's refusal to broaden its airbag recall. takata wrote, there is absolutely no evidence supporting an expanded recall of vehicle. >> how many more would need to die before you do a nationwide recall. >> takata says it's testing says the current airbag problems are limited to a few high humidity areas. >> all i remember was a big explosion t sounded like a

shotgun, and my right side went black, pitch black. >> he is now blind in his right eye. the nitzsa had first agreed to a limited recall, in florida, hawaii, virgin islands but after two outside that area, it called for a nationwide effort. honda which has the most cars affected has now announced it will move forward with its own countrywide recall, a driver's side airbag on the affected vehicle. >> why are we doing this? because our customers have concerns, and we want to address them. >> lawmakers, themselves, had plenty of concerns. first and foremost, what is the root cause of the problem? >> do you know whether the issue today is manufacturing related, or is it a design flaw in the inflator, itself? do you know the answer to that question? yes or no.

>> if takata isn't sure what's wrong, what about the quatty of the replacement airbags. >> are the replacement bags as a result of the recall safe? >> reporter: what about the propellant? did it. akata engineers warn that the am ownium nitrate was unstable. >> did you blow it off and say, it doesn't matter. it costs less? did you say, we think we can get by with this? >> reporter: none of the answers satisfied lawmakers. >> the confusing, contrary, uncertain and sometimes purely non-sensical information comes from takata is confusing to drivers. they don't know whether their cars are safe. >> that concern was echoed by the deputy administration or of ni t.s.a. he said his acted see has been aggressive on this airbag recall and he said they will continue to push for a nationwide recall. he said it is time for the industry to step up and put

safety first. john? >> lisa stark reporting. california was hit with more rain for the sixth straight day. the rain is needed to ease record drought but it caused problems. meteorologist kevin corveaux is here. >> some have seen more than double the amount of rain than they would for the whole month of parts of december. up here towards northern california, take a look at the video across the san francisco bay area today. now, we are talking about heavy rain across the region. we saw airports delayed at the airports. we even saw some potholes being formed as well as in downtown san francisco, one sink hole opened up. had to go secure the gas to make sure there was no danger there. unfortunately, we are looking at more rain coming into the forecast. take a look at the radar. see the rain is pushing out. >> that's not going the evened of it, especially for northern california. we are looking at watches in

effect across the region even down toward the south. for southern california, we think the rain is going to be easing up. you may see another inch of rain over the next 24 to 36 hours. it's towards northern california we expect to soo patrol another two to four inches of rain, probably going all the way through thursday evening. now, it's going to be a rainy day. we expect the rain to start to ease off as we go towards friday morning. los angeles, the good news is, we are going to be seeing some much better weather conditions for you. now, of course, the drought situation has been one of the most severe droughts they have seen for the last several decades. it's going to take about another week to decide how that is going to play out. so we are going to be watching this very carefully. they don't need any more rain. they get the water into the reservoirs. >> next on the broadcast: how much federal protection do pregnant women have in the workplace? the u.s. supreme court is taking up that issue plus, nasa just hours away from the first launch

of its spacecraft of the future.

>> 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 how much protection does federal law offer pregnant women at work? the u.s. supreme court is looking at a case involving a former ups employee.

she was forced to go on unpaid leave and is suing the company. kimberly halkett has the story. >> reporter: in 2006 when peggy young became pregnant with her daughter, trinity, she asked her employer, united parcel service for help. she had to lift packages as heavy as 31 kilograms. but when her doctor provided a note to ups restricting young to lifting packages nine kilos or less...? >> they basically told me that, go home. we don't have anything that you can do until you are no longer pressure benant because you are a liability. >> young says ups told her she didn't qualify for a temporary assignment. she says she lost medical and pension benefits. after giving birth, young decided to sue the company. she claims short-term accommodations ups routinely made for workers recovering from injuries should also be extended to pregnant women. but two lower courts sided with ups. >> so far, the courts have said that what ups did was not

illegal. but we believe that it was. and we believe that it violated the clear terms of the pregnancy discrimination act. >> reporter: ups argues it did not intentionally discriminate and has since changed its policies. in october, it sent out an internal employee memo announcing ups had elected to change our approach to pregnancy accommodations in order to remain equal employmeopportunit for all worker. they say they will offer light-duty conditions to people who are pregnant. this employment attorney welcomes the change but says a supreme court rule something necessary to send a message to other employers who may see previous court rulings in favor of ups as a potential loophole. >> this is happening to women all across the country, and today, women make up nearly half of the workforce. women are working later into their pregnancies.

they are more responsible than ever in the bread winner role for their families. women cannot afford to suffer this discrimination at work. young says she was looking for equal treatment, that's why she continues to argue her case. >> we shouldn't be made to choose between our job and having a child. >> the supreme court is expected to rule on young versus ups in june. >> kimberly halkett, al jazeera, washington. >> rachel squire is the attorney and founder of change the ratio. she is back in our studio. >> thank you for having me. >> you think what the ups did was...? >> discrimination against a pregnant woman. absolutely. it seems very clear to me action and i am on the justice kagan side of things. one of the issues at hand is whether or not, you know the absence of doing more for a

pregnant woman is required. so in this case, ups argued as long as, you know. >> it was very clear-cut based upon the similarly situated test which means people who are sarly situated should be treated in similar fashion but i am certainly more viscerally aware. my doctor told me not to lift anything heavy. so, i am aware

that that's a fairly typical for a pregnant woman. that's a natural limitation of a natural human condition. >> so how widespread do you think is workplace discrimination when it comes to pregnant women? >> i think as stated in the package that it is fairly widespread. anecdotaly, i have heard of more cases than i could count on fingers and toes, of people i know in situations. i think that this is a reason why the pregnancy discrimination act was en add in 1978. it's the reason that peggy young, you know, brought her complaints to the employment, the eeoc and then brought it to court and that's the reason this has gone to the supreme court. >> it strikes me that times have changed in the last forty years for the fact that there are now six in 10 pregnant women employed during their previous 12 months. so -- >> and women comprise half of

the workforce. >> so what is at stake for women? >> a lot is at stake, in terms of the broadest possible understanding of what discrimination is. right? so ups had a very narrow construction of the pregnancy act. i think if you look at the intent behind the law, it was to protect the max num number of people who need protection from discrimination, and i think that, you know, as i say, it's 2014. times are changing but as we know, work places sometimes need some catch-up. >> it's not just pregnancy either? >> of course not. there is discrimination across the board but i think what is specific about pregnancy is that sort of the term disability, it has connotations with, you know, pregnancy was a choice. put that aside in terms of

whether or not it is. depends upon the state you are living in. you know, like a pregnant woman, it's a temporary condition, you know, not a disability, per se. but there are disabilities that can arise very naturally that women sometimes require to be on bedrest and that can keep them from going in to the. i mean there is all sorts of things which can render a woman temporarily disabled to the extent they are not is able to perform a job in the way in which it was contemplated, but it's a temporary thing and, you know, accomodation where it would be made for other employees should also be made for a pregnant woman. >> it's an important decision. >> it is. >> rachel, it's good to see you. thank you for coming. >> thank you for having me. drug companies are being asked to give more information to pregnant patients. the food and drug administration said there will be a new system to determine how safe

prescription drugs are for pregnant or women or newborn. it uses a letter grading system. the rules take effect next june. coming up next: >> we are not going to let up until we see a strengthening of the trust. >> the president responds after a new york city grand jury decides not to indictment in the chokehold case. the worst industrial disastner modern history. thousands in india killed by a toxic gas leak 30 years ago. victims are still waiting for justice.

>> start with one issue education... gun control... the gap between rich and poor... job creation... climate change... tax policy... the economy... iran... healthcare... ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony... >> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america this is "al jazeera america." i am john seigenthaler. the federal government is launching an investigation into

the new york city chokehold death. shot and killed in 1999, the 4 new york cops were indicted but then acquitted. his mother reacts to today's grand jury decision. 30 years later, india remembers the worst industrial accident in history. tens of thousands died. ♪ protests are taking police across new york city todd tonight after a grand jury decided not to indictment a police officer in the death of an unarmed black man. eric garner died after an officer put him in a chokehold this past july. attorney general eric holder has announced a federal investigation into garner's death. more on that in a minute. but first this evening, demonstrators made their way to time square, paul beban joins us

live from there. paul? >> reporter: jrn, that's right, an evening of roamming protests, large groups of people disrupting traffic as they move, laying down in intersections, blocking traffic, police following behind them. occasional arrests and confrontations but mostly a peaceful protest as this city tries to come to terms with this grand jury decision 689. >> this is the video that helped spark nationwide outrage in july. an you know armed 43-year-old blackman with his hands up facing arrow charges of selling loose cigarettes. eric garner was place nad chokehold by a white officer a moved band by new york city police more than 20 years ago. he died within minutes. the last words of the father of six heard on tape? >> i can't breathe.

i can't breathe. >> those words became the refrain in protest over his death. >> 8 breathe. i can't breathe. >> new york's medical examiner ruled the killing a homicide. >> no peace. no peace. >> reporter: three weeks later riots block out after a white officer killed another unarmed black man. in both cases, prosecutors sentence the days to gjz. a grand jury in new york staten island has now also voted against indictmenting a police officer new yorkers were urged to keep protests peaceful. bill diblasio who was married to a black woman talked about what he would say? >> because history hangs over us, we have had to train him as

families all over this city for decades. he said he talked to garner's father and has joined one of the roaming bands of protesters heading west out of times square, we followed them for two blocks west as they headed toward the west side highway. we managed to capture footage. police caravan following them

wherever they want, standing off, helicopters overhead the entire time. >> group we want out to the west side highway, turned around and came back, headed back to times square. john, it looks like the nypd and the rest of mid town manhattan could be in for a long night of disruptions. >> more on the federal investigation into the chokehold case. our correspondent mike viqueira reports. >> good evening, john. after speak with president obama and the family of eric gardner, eric holder announced a civil rights investigation by the department of justice into the killing of eric gardner on the streets of staten island last july. there is a similar investigation on st. louis, the former police officer who killed michael brown. eric holder announced it at the department of justice last on wednesday evening. >> gharn eaer's death have test the sense of trust that must

exist between law enforcement and the community they are charge today serve and protect. this is not a new york issue nor a ferguson issue alone. >> eric holding adding that the investigation by the department of justice will look at the materials that were generated by the grand jury investigation in staten island but, also, this will be an independent investigation by the department of justice conducting their own investigation by their own investigators. before holder spoke, president obama and at a previously scheduled event. he said what happened in staten island and the sequencedecision by the grand jury again speaks to the larger issues, many of which were brought up in ferguson and elsewhere. he vowed once again as president of the united states that he was fully engaged and he was going to some of these problems which he lays at the feet of the mistrust between law enforcement and minority communities around the country. >> we are gloth to let up until we see a strengthening of the

trust and a strengthening of the accountability that exists between our communities and our law enforcement. >> reporter: the president reminding the crowd he has taken an initiative in the wake of the ferguson community of some $600 million for police training around the country as well as the purchase of 50,000 body cameras for law enforcement and police agencies around the country of the he is forming a task force to look into these issues of mistrust to see what can be done about the issues of mistrust between lawrence forcement and the communities they serve. >> mike viqueira serving. gjz are shrouded in secrecy. the process differs across the country. abo with a look at how it works in new york and whys prosecutors are sometimes hesitant to indictment police officers, here is randall pinkston. >> new york city consists of five counts ease, each with its own prosecutor.

>> in richmond county where eric garner died daniel donovan spent nearly 3s three months presenting evidence and questioning witnesses. >> bae powell called that lengthy presentation highly unusual in homicide cases especially where there is video evidence. >> i can't breathe. i can't breathe. i can't breathe. >> if you or i were on videotape putting our arm around someone's neck and that person then said, i can't breathe and we sat on them and they died, we would be indicted in 30 seconds. the granted jury would take month more than a day possibly, prosbi two. >> the difference says how will and some other legal experts is that the potential defendant was a police officer. he was the one who used a chokehold to subdue garner. >> how did the prosecutors

objective shift? >> ideally, it doesn't. unfortunately, prosecutors work with about police officers in twntsz in just about every case. they collaborate a lot. when a prosecutor seeks an indictment for a police officer, they don't necessarily wants that sgeement. >> in esc, says how will, prosecutors use gjz as a shield to give the public the impression that the grand jury is making a decision when, in fact, the prosecutor usually leaves the panel with the impression the prosecutor wants. >> 99% of the time, they are going to get an indictment. maybe more. it's a process they control entirely. there is no judge in the room. >> only the prosecutors and the gjz? >> right and typically they seek indictments where they want indictments. >> when prosecutor donovan first announced he would take the case to the grand jury, he was quoted, i will go wherever the evidence takes me without fear or favor.

>> they say a prosecutor could sxwhiet a ham schvment. >> the evidence has, as district attorney donovan presented it, holds no police officers accountable for eric garner's death. >> new york city council member joins us in our studio. again, counsel man, welcome. >> give me a since of what's going on your city tonight. >> a level of anger. i feel it's moral indignation. it appears to me we have the garnett sign that we have a criminal justice system that refuses to hold officers accountable for miss country. >> many say they weren't surprised at the decision. were you? >> i was in a state of shock. the officer with eric garner in a chokehold. the chokehold had been prohibited for 20 years and it resulted in the death of eric

garner and all of it was captured in if i hvideotape. i was in a state of shock when i heard the news. >> given your reaction and the reaction of many people on the street here tonight, can members of the minority community trust the law enforcement department, the lauren forcement, police in new york city? or are we talking about the whole police force? are we painting them all with the same brush? >> no. you have -- i truly believe that every officer is acting out of good faith. having said that, there are concerns about the policies of the nypd. eric garner was confronted because he was selling loose cigarettes. you have officers tackling him to the ground. the governing philosophy is broken windows policing which shoulders they should

aggressively prosecute minonmin. >> focuses on minorities? >> disproportionately and poises the relationship between especially young men of color and a police department. you have a generation of young men who are beginning to view the police department in some sense as an occupying, and it's an unhealthy dine agic. >> there is a thought that all of this is police babbing. what do you say to that when you at that you can about a history in the united states that goes back so far african person ins? what do you say when police -- when americans say you are just bashing the police. stop. >> nottats all. we should be a country that is governed by the rule of law and those who enforce the law should not be an exception to that rule. all we are asking is that those officers who are engaging in this conduct should be criminal

justice system like everything else. i have aenormous respect for the inform ypd. >> they went to the grand jury system. the prosecutor did what apparently he is supposed to do or not. >> the system is fundamentally broken and we have a creases of confidence. we have a criminal justice system that's failing to hold officers accountable when the circumstances warrant it and we have a challenge publithat we have to reform and we are introducing legislation. >> what policies should change? >> i work about the nature of interaction and lack of accountability. we are seeking reglation to bring action. >> cameras? there was a camera here? >> beside cameras are going to have -- make some difference, but it's no substitute for a systemic reform of criminal justice. >> maybe it did matter. maybe the grand jury saw it

different than you. >> i think the public, it was obvious. >> mien media is taking steps. there has been a dram attic number of stop and frisks from 20112014. there has been some substantive

progress. >> based upon what happened today, does this change the relationship between minority communities in new york and the police department, or is it the same as it was yesterday? >> no. it's much worse. we have a crisis of confidence in the criminal justice system a. >> richie torres, good to see you. thank you so much? >> thank you so. >> long before the case of eric garner, the death of dillao, an unarmed immigrant was killed in 1999. four police officers were indicted but then acquitted. his mother reacted today to today's decision to. >> the decision today i think indicated to the community that there is no hope here why not?

because indictment doesn't mean to condemn the officer. a trial would have been an opportunity for the community to have a sense of justice, to hear the case, to have all of the evidence. when amadu was killed, went through the trial and acquittal of the officers who killed my son. i asked for calm and prayers and for peace and i stood up with the community and work hard to bring changes. >> you can watch the rest of the interview with amadu diyism lla's mother at the top of the hour. michael brother's stepfather apologized for what he said the neat authorities, there would be no changes against the white police officer who killed his son. ferguson police are looking into whether lewis head's comments may have incited a

riot. also to the kind of we learn more about the cleveland police rookie who shot and killed a 12-year-old boy who was armed request a pellet gun. the shooting happened last month in clear land park. a grand jury is looking into the case now reports that officer kim lowman had been employed by a suburban police force .2 years ago and his supervisors said he had been destratted and weepy during firearms training. fun recall services were held for tammy rice. overseas now to abadab when are killers are looking for the killer of an american schoolteacher. the suspected attacker, the u.s. embassy warned about online postings encouraging stacks against american teachers abroad. in the latest on the fight against isil, there is more

evidence iran has joined the fight. jamie mcintire has that part of the story from warrant. >> john, united states is not publiconfirming that is its long-term adversary was conducting airstrikes against isil in iraq, but privately, it is and it turns out it's not all that unhappy about it. >> this video shot by al jazeera last week shows a fighterju jet providing air support to iraqi forces retaking the town of sadism a. the fuzzy image shows the profile of an f 4 phantom sold to iran back in the days of the shah. analysts say iran has joined the air fight against isil. >> we have no indication that the reports are not true, that iranians aircraft have conducted airstrikes in the last several days against isil targets in eastern iraq. >> the penitentiary penitentiary

declined to say if iran's attacks against a common foe was a good or bad thing but ming in brussels, secretary of state johnkerry was moreforth right. >> if iran is take okay isil in some particular case and it's confined to taking on isil and it has an impact, it's going to be a net effect is positive, but that's not something that we are coordinatin coordinating. >> the obama administration keeps stressing no coordination with iran. the u.s. is accused of medaling in iraq. >> we are flying missions ov overr overrat. we forked nature. it's up to the iraqi government to deconstruct that air pace. >> it somebody the u.s. is. in a tell christian interview this week, iran's prime minister said stayed it's no longer a secret iran has advisors helping the embattled iraqi government. he said their presence is just

like that of american advisors. he flatly denied there are any iranian fighters on iraqi soil. it may be that the enemy of your enemy is your friend but the united states remains larry of getting into an alliance with iran. it's suspicious of the majority and while it's see to us ill taking hits from iranian jets, it remains in competition with the new iraqi government. >> germany mcintire reporting. survivors of the worst industrial accident in history say they need more help. a deadly gas leak in the depositionly populated city of bhofal. 30 years ago. >> hundreds of protesters took to the streets to market the 30th anniversary of the bhofol disaster. many of those marching are survivors.

on december 3rd, 1984, nearly 40 tongs of poisonous gas leaked from the union car beside pesticide factory in bow policy india. roughly 4,000 people died that day. 15,000 more died over the next through years according to the indian government. thousands more, according to activists. at lea at least a half a million other people have been effected. hazardous waste on the site has con damnated drinking water and caused children to go born with brain damage and deformities. >> that's a fraction of the daughters with toxic wait lying around. >> has very few complications. >> in 2009, al jazeera spoke with sanjay and his two songs. both were borge with deform at

this. today, they are teenagers and the burden of their disabilities is crushing their father. >> if my son received a pension even if i die action someone would give them two meals a day. in the future if they don't have anything, no one will start to look at them. >> annual protests like these are an attempt to draw the world's attention to the suffering of become ohpol's victi victims. union carbide paid for a settlement in 1989, some survivors say the money isn't enough. >> the people have pen waiting for proper healthcare, standard medical treatment protocol is needed. >> that's not yet available. finally, in some ways the most important question is where is the justice? >> india's government says it has done everything by the book? >> once a court of law makes a decision, there is nothing anything can do. the government has done everything in its power to deal with the issue.

>> three decades after the disaster, it seems bohfol's tragedy is hardly over. the plant is a shell of what it was and a daily reminder of this city's flight. >> coming up on this re, p minusself 7 hours until nasa's test fly it plans to use could take people to mars.

>> a dirty deal. struck at the heart of government. >> egypt mismanaged its gas industry. >> taking the country to the brink of economic ruin. >> it's obvious that egypt was being ripped off. it's basically saying to the israelis, "look if you want to screw us, here's a tool you can use to screw us". >> al jazeera exposes those who made a fortune betraying an entire nation. >> you don't feel that you owe an explanation to the egyptian people? >> no... no... >> al jazeera investigates. egypt's lost power. december 17th. 10:00 eastern. on aljazeera america.

former fbi special agent ali soufan. >> if that specific information was shared with to the fbi agent 911 could have been stopped at its early stages. >> the ethics of torture, preventing terrorism and combatting isil. >> islamic state, their strategy differs from al qaeda because for the first time now they are controlling land. >> every saturday join us for exclusive, revealing and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time. >> only on al jazeera america.

>> my name is elenor and for the last 25 years i was bernie madoff's secretary. >> an unimaginable story of betrayal. >> they lived this incredible life. it just never occurred to me that they were living on the dime of the clients. >> greed... >> bernie was stealing every nickel but he wasn't trading anything. >> ... and entitlement. >> you took my grandchildren's future away from them. sony's popular game player systems turned 20 today. the play station was the first video game console to sell 100 million units. they are celebrating a retro gray edition of the ps 4. only 12,300 consoles will be sold. they cost $499. not cheap. the orion pace craft is ready for a lift off.

the unmanned mission is considered the boldest in decades. andy gallacher reports from the kennedy space center. >> it may not look as futuristics as the space shuttle but it holds the key to nasa's fewer. it is the agency's first new spacecraft in more than a yenration. it's initial test flight is being described as a landmark event. nasa's administrator charles bolden says it's a return to the glory days of space life. >> i hope the causeway is lined with cars and rimnicient for the days of the early days of shuttles. >> the next will head into deep space and all but 14 times higher than that of the international space station during its 4 and a half hour maiden voyage, the capsule shield will be super heated before orion splashes down in the pacific ocean. vital to the mission are

readings engineers will receive from the sensors on board. the orion spacecraft's first mission is a stress test but it represents a hugely ambitious program by nasa. in the years to come, it's hoped the orion will take astronauts to mars . >> a whole new era in space ex ploration. in the past few months, two major accidents in the commercial space sector have brought new attention to safety and vieability. nasa's future is dependent upon partnerships with the commercial sector for those involved in the orion project say it won't hold them back? >> can you get your data? if you do, you are successful. it words you because it's just the thing in the back of your minds and i think it sefrpz a good reminder to everybody to redouble efforts on safety. >> manned missions aren't expected to launch for at least another 15 years. nasa says orion's first test

flight brings k450u78 kind that much close to a new frontier. kennedy space center florida. >> we close out tonight with our freeze frame. a man visits a makeshift memorial for eric garner tonight at the scene where he was placed in a police chokehold. a grand jury today decided not to indictment the officer for garner's death. much more on this story tomorrow. i am john seigenthaler. thanks for watching. we will see you back here tomorrow night. "america tonight" is next.

>> on "america tonight": what will it take? another death at the hands of police. another decision not to indict. >> i don't know what video they were looking at. it wasn't the same one that the rest of the world was. >> will eric garner's death on camera reignite the fury in ferguson. what can be done when officers and the community they serve face the next flash point. also tonight: the search for answers,