>> tech know where technology meets humanity... only on al jazeera america . >> hello welcome to another news hour. libya's national oil company declares it is unoperational after a series of attacks by isil-linked fighters. at least 23 miners killed in an east ukrainian mine. ten still missing.

smart watches as more and more use wearable tech to keep fit. in this news hour in libya, a country fast descending into chaos. the national oil company has declared itself unoperational. it's an illegal move to protect the company from liability from failing to honor its contracts. the latest attack happened at the oil field the fighters have claimed allegiance to the islamic state in iraq and the levant and have been targeting libya's oil fields in the recent days. isil fighters came under attack from militias loyal to one of the countries to rival governments. the libya dawn group has backed

the government in tripoli. the other government backed recognized by the u.n. the two are due to meet for talks in morocco. james bays from the u.n. in new york. >> well, i think the security council saw for itself exactly how difficult it's going to be to bring peace to libya because moments after we heard the special representative lyon talk about those talks taking place in just a matter of hours in morocco, then this very explosive speech coming from the libyan representative, that is the representative of the government in tibruk, because they hold the u.n. seat. and he was most critical of the other side in that they're

supposed to be negotiating with using words like militia and terrorists. he not only attacked those in tripoli, but he had a stinging attack on ban ki-moon and one of the ambassadors who is one of the permanent five members of the security council. he didn't name that ambassador, but he said there was one ambassador that was taking sides in all of this, and wanted to split the country. a really explosive speech that we'll have to see what happens and what comments there are in the coming hours. but the speech itself could undermine those talks that are supposed to take place. >> let's go to a former ambassador to libya. he said that it's not as comparable to syria and iraq as some suggested. >> in syria and iraq you have

what amounts to and a army, which which has seized large areas. that's no what we're seeing in libya. we're seeing seizures and attacks. it's real worry negative but not very strong. the iraqi army with local sunni tribes are trying to retake the tikrit from isil. jane arraf reports. >> iraqi troops are moving slowly towards tikrit. slowly because they're facing suicide-bombers, snipers and buildings rigged with

explosives. this defense video shows the biggest combat operation the iraqi military has launched since isil seizedster tore last june. it doesn't show the militia component of this fight. they make up 20,000 of 30,000 troops here. they say that they're deserting and heading for the mountains. the highway leads to mosul. defensemen acknowledge that there is a tough road ahead. >> we're in multiple phases of war. we're in the preparation phase for the real battle. the obstacles are big and we've taken much difficulties to. >> it's on the sidelines in this militia-led battle for tikrit. >> the iraqi government in this case did not ask for our support

in this particular operation and i think that we need to be watchful. >> there are others who are eagle for join in. they said in baghdad the country was ready. >> shia militias need to show that they can offer sunni territory. but it doesn't end there. the militias will need to make sure that the city residents feel safe enough to come back. jane arraf al jazeera, baghdad. >> in neighboring syria explosions have killed members of the security forces and 14 rebel fighters. the blast appears to have targeted an intelligence

building. it was a joint operation between the al nusra front and other rebel groups. government fighter jets have responded with airstrikes on rebel positions. syrian activists want to allow aid into the seized districts. they say that people are dying from starvation and disease. we have reports from beirut and neighboring lebanon. >> these children say that they're hungry and they have no food at home. s rebel-controlled area is under sieged by syrian government forces. local charity organizations are able to provide some help to families but even those groups find it hard to bring in supplies to this besieged suburb of damascus. over the past two years the u.n. has been able to bring aid to this district, but activists say it's been months since any goods

were allowed in. >> there is no food at all, and you're hearing the words, i am hungry, from many people every day. every day people have died from starvation. there is no drinking water. the regime is using starvation as a tactic against the rebels. [ baby crying ] >> this is not the only damascus district where people are hungry. yarmouk has been sealed off from the outside world. children are dying starvation. hamaed was only 20 days old. people here don't only need food. there is a lack of medicine. >> my daughter has asthma, and the other four children have similar cases. my nine-year-old daughter falls down every time she's trying to walk. there is no medicine to cure them. >> the united nations says that over 200,000 people live in besieged areas where conditions are deteriorating by the day. many of them are not being

reached because of the fighting and the lack of access. >> the problems of getting aid and food in to yarmouk are immense and growing. we've been able to get virtually nothing in. this is the condition that has continued under a very cruel siege. part of the fact there are clashes in the camps and we don't have clearance from syrian authorities. there are problems, and the 18,000 civilians in yarmouk are paying the highest price. >> and they've been appealing for help. u.n. resolutions have been passed to increase aid access across the front lines in syria but u.n. officials say that they've will little impact without political action. al jazeera beirut. >> u.s. and iranian diplomats have wrapped up three days of negotiations over tehran's nuclear program. secretary of state john kerry

has been holding talks with he's iranian counterpart. and on wednesday tuesday prime minister benjamin netanyahu asked the u.s. congress to block any sort of deal. >> there are gaps that need to be filled serious ones. but it does not mean that we're not capable of moving forward. we have one very serious problem, and that is there is a great deal of pressure that is being imposed by warmongers, by scare mongers who are trying to scare mongering tactics, and that is an impediment to the atmosphere required. >> more from jacky rowland who is in in the swiss town of

montrove. >> it's clear whatever progress is being made in these talks it's made at a gable pace. glacial pace. this is a slow and painful process. the u.s. secretary of state did talk in a bit more detail to the american state department reporters who are accompanying him on this diplomatic trip. he said to them that he didn't want to deal at any cost. it had to be the right deal, he said and a deal that would stand up to international scrutiny. he said any deal would have to involve intrusive access to iranian facilities, verification measures, and it was increased with what is known as the break outtime and the time it could take the iranians to develop

highly enriched ukraine yum to produce a bomb. but clearly the talks are going to continue. we have more talks here in montreux were lower-level officials, from various security council members of germany to continue work on this, and the u.s. secretary of state said he will meet his iranian counterpart again on march 15th. >> we want to make you aware of news we're getting out of south korea. the u.s. envoy to seoul has been attacked during a lecture that he was giving in seoul and he has been taken to hospital. reports say that he has been seriously injured after being attacked by an armed assail envoy toassailant. the suspect was immediately arrested. his or her identity or motive

still unknown. we'll keep an eye on developments from south korea. we'll let you know any time we have news to pass onto you. the envoy to seoul the u.s. ambassador attacked thursday morning during an lecture by an arm assail envoy to assailant. now a gas explosion of the ukrainian mine has killed 23 miners, 10 others are missing. as al jazeera's john hedron reports from donetsk ukraine's prime minister are accusing the rebels of slowing down the rescue effort. >> reporter: after the blast came the confusion. >> suddenly there was dust everywhere. and people were groaning.

there was an explosion. no one knows what condition they are. >> most of the 230 men who entered the mine, some were evacuated. there was a bang, and then it threw me so hard that i flew for three or four meters. immediately the heat, the temperature rose, and here are the consequences, and then the temperature became a little lower and we locally started crawling out. >> the families of those who didn't make it out there was wait worry. >> he was supposed to retire next year. everyone is angry that they say on tv that 32 people died, but nobody tells us anything. >> the deadly blast left ukrainians asking whether politics delayed help for the men trapped underground. they say that the separatist government who controlled the

mine denied access for the rescue workers that he sent. >> i gave instructions to send six brigades, each composed of ten people, but the russian terrorists does not give the opportunity to the ukrainian mine rescue brigades to help to pull out people and to save the lives. >> the separatist government says those rescuers were not needed. >> we have using 135 men for rescue operations inside the men. these men belong to the military mountain rescue service of donetsk people's republic. if necessary the head of the hubble will ask for help from the russian ministry of emergency services and the luhansk people of republic. >> and then there is the question of what caused the blast. the donetsk people's republic said that a build up of methane

gas is to blame. >> accidents happen enough that they've developed a tradition of burying the miners here. >> an isn't in incident in 2007 killed 100 people. it was the deadlyiest mining accident in ukraine. italy's coast guard rescue more than a thousand immigrants. and more on the goals coming up a little later. >> india's home minister has ordered an investigation into how a film crew managed to interview a man sentenced in the gang rape and murder of a

student. the attack in 2012 prompted widespread protests calling for the protection of women. at a new documentary on the subject is fueling debate. gerald tan reports. >> reporter: more than two years after a fatal gang rape in india sent shockwaves across the world, the case is once again provoking outrage. >> we're protesting against daily gang rape. they said that the crime took place due to the victim's fault. she went outside at night. >> featuring conversations with one of the four men on death row over the rape and torture of a 23-year-old student on the bus. the film called "india's daughter" has been blocked in india. >> in the strongest possible terms will not allow any.

>> the filmmakers challenging the ban said she received all the necessary permission to conduct the interview which sheds light on an sensitive issue in india. >> i have gathered insight and understanding into the way he views women and that is what is shocking. not what he did but what he thinks that led him to do what he did. it is not just he that thinks that. it's a societal problem. >> there have been intense debate in parliament and social media about whether the convicts should be given a platform for their views. the father of the victim, meanwhile, has spoken out against the rapist's comments. >> we need to think about what is prompting him to say such

things. in a way he's telling the country that daughters should not be sent to schools and be, instead, restricted indoors. >> in response to national outcry of the 2012 attack, india toughened it's anti-rape laws that many say the root cause has not been addressed. attitudes remain unchanged and women in india continue to be blamed for rape. gerald tan, al jazeera. >> let's go to karen from the pan america center, a non-government center that advocate freedom of expression and freedom of the press. she joins us live from new york. an investigation has been ordered into how this film crew managed to get this interview. his views are so abhorrent. should a voice been given to this? >> i think they should. it's a very extreme form of the views, but these views are

prevalent across a broad strata of the indian society. i think it's very important to draw more attention to the fact that these views still continue to be prevalent, and in parts of society despite the vast attention given in the past few years. >> give that, is there a danger of the airing of his views in particular he brames his victim, he blames the victim. is there a fear that it will glorify it? >> when i read and watched the excerpts i was disgusted, and i would assume that a lot of people would have the same reaction. it was really abhor rent. i think it's the opposite of

glorification. it brought issues to the forefront but not in the positive way in the slightest. >> the indian government said that the filmmakeer misled her intention of getting accent access to the defendants. >> it's my understanding that she did go by the book and got all the necessary permits also from the jail and consent from the prisoner himself. i think there is an issue for some in the legal community with the fact that this documentary will be aired in the middle what have is an on going legal process. this case is under appeal there, is worry from some that seeing this video could jeopardize the judges' feelings on the process and jeopardy eyesize the process on the appeal. in terms of what she did and how she went about it, i don't see any problem with her conduct

from what i've read and heard. >> thank you very much. more on that breaking news we told you about. the u.s. ambassador to seoul has been attacked during an lecture and taken to hospital for treatment. reports say that he was bleeding heavily. we are more now from seoul. what do we know? >> yes the at the the ambassador was giving a lecture this morning. he was attacked in the face and breeding heavily. he was taken to a nearby hospital. the suspect appeared to be a middle-aged man has been contained immediately at the scene. we don't know what he wanted. he used a razor blade to attack the ambassador.

apparently he was referring to the ongoing south korea and u.s. exercise. bus of thisbecause of this exercise there have been heightened tensions in south korea and in north korea, and it appears he was politically motivated. this is the first time that an u.s. ambassador was ever attacked in south korea. >> we're waiting for news of the condition of the u.s. ambassador there. we'll let you know as soon as we do as soon as we get any information on his continue. as i say, highways been taken to hospital for treatment following that breakfast meeting attack. now the u.s. justice department has cleared former police officer darren wilson of civil rights violations over the shooting of an armed black teenage. michael brown was killed last

august. the trial of one of the alleged boston marathon bombers is unway and the lawyer for the suspect has admitted that he did carry out the attack. but he said that his older brother tamerlan was responsible for the attack. tamerlan was killed in a shootout with police following the attack. mexican security forces have captured the leader one of the most violent criminal gangs in mexico. he goes by the alias z-42. he was arrested in pre-dawn raid in monterrey. we have more from mexico city. >> more on this alleged leader comes just days after authorities in mexico took down

the alleged leader of the knights templar. now these two arrests show that mexico continues to focus on taking down leaders of these drug trafficking and criminal organizations. what is not clear exactly is what impact that has on ongoing violence in mexico. we've been speaking with the drug enforcement administration in washington, and they say it clearly fractures these organized criminal groups and means that over time they're making mexico safer. on the ground of these communities where these criminal organizations operate it doesn't seem to be bringing it down levels of violence. now this man had $2 million price on his head from the mexican government, and a $5 million reward from the u.s. government on his head. that shows just how important both governments see him and leading allegedly the victim's organization. but they are clearly going to be many people vying to take control of that cartel now that he's been taken out of power.

>> we're approaching the midway point at this news hour. still continuing, vast wealth and extreme poverty side by side. we report from nigeria's oil ridge delta region. we tell you about the face off of the i am meant execution of 11 drug smugglers in indonesia plus-- >> in papa new guinea, where a sport dominated by men is being used to tackle violence against women.

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android mobile device. download it now >> hello again. this is the news hour from al jazeera. adrian finnigan in doha with the top stories. the u.s. envoy to seoul has been attacked during a lecture, a breakfast lecture he was giving in the south korean capitol. he was reportedly slashed with a razor blade and seen bleeding heavily. he's now being treated at hospital. the suspect has been arrested. it's thought to be politically motivated. a series of attacks by

fighters linked to isil. a legal move to protect the company from liability for failing to fulfill its contract. the latest attack happened at the oil field. mexican security forces have captured the leader of the drug cartel, one of the violent criminal gangs. he was arrested in a pre-dawn raid in the northern city of monterrey. in ukraine 23 people have died in a blast at a mine in the rebel-held city of donetsk. pro-russian separatists are slowing down rescue efforts. well, a number of bomb takes in recent months is raising concern that rebels are opening a new front 37 in the east.

>> in the east of ukraine this was on february 22nd. the roadside device killed four people including a police officer. a pro-russian bombing campaign, which has been targeting activists since october had turned deadly. >> this there was another rally on sunday. security and anxiety levels are very high. >> putin's russia is only a few meters from us. we know that. so when people come to our rallies they know that it's potentially dangerous. everyone knows. >> the campaign on terror is clearly having an effect. turn out has been markedly down in recent weeks while the bombing campaign has escalate:

this police video shows a car in the city of mariupol, said to be packed with explosives. odessa too, has been affected, and they say russia is behind it all. >> we have confession testimony saying who recruited them, where they were trained and it was on the territory of the russian federation. it was representatives of the russian security services. financial support came from the russian side weapons and explosives were provided. this is incontroversyible evidence. >> it's a complex city led by a pro kiev administration but there is are a number of pro-russian sympathizers here. >> in january 14 people were wounded by a bomb blast. the intended victims were activists from the right sector

group. the casualties also includeed civilians. the intention is to spread fear. >> we don't think that it will like continue such a face. >> hundreds of arrests so far have done little to reassure the public. >> we adapt we learn the fate of israel and the united states await us. those countries live under continuous threat of terrorism and this threat will continue while vladimir putin remains president of russia. >> that would mean more bomb attacks like this one will continue. >> edward snowdon's lawyer the american whistle blower now fugitive wants to come back to the united states.

he washe now lives in russia after being granted asylum. >> the man who has been edward snowdon's lawyer since he arrived in russia was launching a book. at that book launch he talks about what is happening behind the scenes legal discussions that would soon potentially lead to edward snowdon's return back to the united states. let's listen to what he had to say. >> of course, i it's not a secret that's considering it and wants to come back home. >> if edward snowdon came back to the united states, he would not be put immediately on trial. he has been a fugitive from u.s.

justice for two years now. we heard a little bit from the lawyer about edward snowdon's experiences here in russia. i remember he came to moscow by round about route. he really didn't want to be here. he arrived never having been here before, with no money and without knowing the language. without those things he has settled down pretty well, but obviously not well enough to want to spend the rest of his life here. he would rather go back to the united states, it seems and face the very real possibility of a lengthy jail term. then spend the rest of his life as a an international fugitive. >> ten migrants died when their body capsized. >> a can you in the mediterranean and a reminder of an ongoing tragedy. just 24 hours italy's coast guard picked up a thousand people in the straight of sicily. but ten migrants died after

their dinghy capsize: three and a half thousand people died trying to cross the mediterranean, but still with violence continuing, the throw of refugees is actually speeding up. >> the waves will sometimes be five meters high, you can imagine the desperation that takes people to tease boats to find relief. >> do you >> the support for italy.

and we're coming up with really a sign of solidarity from europe europe. >> between october 2013 and october 2014 italy's search and rescue program saved an estimated 100,000 lives. the budget was around $10 million per month. but when italy said it could not cope the e.u. took over with its own operation triton. but it has been receiving a much smaller budget around $3.2 million a month, it's focused on border surveillance not rescues. while the u.k. government will say that it will deswayed migrants were trying to reach europe, that's not true. >> we have in receiving countries humane policies and good rescue operations and so on we're pulling irreal migrants into those societies when in fact, we know the principle issue is push factor. it is the issue of war violence

and abuse. >> in january and february of this year alone 370 people died trying to cross the mediterranean, but it will take a lot more than that to stop the dangerous boat trips which end in death for thousands of people every year. >> hello, everyone, tony harris here. now the city of ferguson is ready to respond to the government's report. we'll hear from them shortly in the next five minutes or so. in the represent police in ferguson are cited for making stops without reasonable cause and darren wilson will not be charged in the death of michael brown. the officer said that he was defending himself. those who disagreed launched a

nationwide movement with protests in dozens of cities. they maintain that michael brown was trying to surrender when he was shot. according to the autopsy report, he was shot six times. let's bring in jamie floyd al jazeera's local contributor. i haven't heard from you yet. i'm glad you're here. your thoughts about the report from the justice department on ferguson missouri. >> well, i think people in ferguson are going to say we know water is wet. >> do you believe us now america. >> i think that's what reaction is there. but i think a lot of people across america are surprised by the depth and breadth about the report. i don't think people are surprised that the justice department found a patternen in ferguson after we began to hear from people in ferguson.

but what was in the report is quite disturbing in pattern and practice. this is echos of the eyes on the prize series that we all watched, that is supposed to be part of history. >> since alabama. >> and the consistent use of tasers and the disproportionate use of force against african-american men in a city that is majority black and the majority of the police department is might. they found that this is not only a violation of the constitution in particular the fourth amendment time and again but also a revenue-generating mechanism. the police department being used as a collection agency. this is a gross violation of the constitutional rights of those

citizens, and so now it is up to ferguson, the department, and also the larger system of justice here to step up and do the right thing, to work with the department of justice to correct all of the gross inequality. >> to that point the police department being used as a generating revenue generating department. >> officers will charge multiple violations for the same conduct. three or four charges for a single stop is considered fairly routine. some officers even compete to see who can issue the largest number of citations during a single stop. a total in one instance rose as high as 14. we have observed that even minor

code violations can sometimes result in multiple arrests, jail time and payments that exceed the cost of the original ticket many times over. >> so a former mayor i believe his name is fletcher, of ferguson said of the report and findings said wait a minute. i'm waiting for the mayor. >> the current mayor is going to give a press conference. >> we have three minutes. this former mayor flesh fletcher said look this is a city three-quarters african-american. we've got a lot of people in surrounding communities who do their shopping here. so where is everyone so surprised that so many african-americans are ticketed

in our community? because other african-americans are coming from predominantly african-american communities that surround ferguson to shop here. why is everyone so surprised? why should that be factored in the conversation j i would? >> i would say read the report. not only are people being stopped for all kinds of bizarre reasons. they have a strange thing called "manner of walking." i'm going to confess right here on television i'm a jaywalker. if i was stopped for manner of walking, i would be stopped three and four times a day. >> that's dangerous in new york city. >> and guess what, it's illegal. but you can be stopped for strange manner of walking if

you're on the street. the suggested notion of how you're walking can cite you and citation equals fines and apparently african-americans are stopped much more often the majority than non-african-americans. and then the report, you are often stopped when the officer does not have probable cause or reasonable suspicion to stop you. once stopped you may be cited and when you get to the courthouse you're more likely if you're african-american to pay more fines go to jail and spend more time in jail if you're african-americans. it's not just the police department according to this report but the entire system that is stacked against african-americans. >> now let's take a shot right there in ferguson.

that's not a particularly good looking shot. if you want to come back, look, we're a minute away from the mayor making his remarks. we understand that he will not be taking questions. i want to set the scene. it was a couple of months ago that the attorney general appeared in cleveland ohio, with the mayor there side by side to announce the findings in its investigation of pattern and practice of investigation of the cleveland police department. >> and it's really important to emphasize that ferguson has not been targeted alone in the united states. the justice department has been looking at police departments across the country. >> albuquerque new orleans. >> and tamir rice was shot and killed the 12-year-old boy and the justice department has been looking at cleveland. but each city, police department city council municipality respond differently when the justice department

comes in and takes a look. >> jamie, whether this mayor will come out and say we're going to cooperate with the justice department and make reforms. >> i do, but we have to take it in contexts also. ferguson is a very small city. it's almost a town. we're talking 54 sworn police officers. the entire force is less than 100 people. we're talking about 75 people who work in that department. we're not talking about the 40,000 people we have here in new york or the 10,000 they've got in los angeles. it's a very small department. can they cooperate? yes, or maybe it's better to shut the whole thing down and start all over again. >> there he is. >> there are various approaches each time you deal with justice. >> there is the mayor. >> good afternoon i'm james knowles, mayor of the city of ferguson. yesterday, police chief and

ferguson district attorney an myself received the final report of the investigation into the policies and practices of the city of ferguson police department. the 100 page document outlined five specific areas of concern in which the ferguson police department engaged in a pattern or practice of unlawful conduct that violates the united states constitution and federal law. the department of justice began their investigation of the ferguson police department on september 4, 2014. during the past six months city officials have cooperated with the department of justice to supply tens of thousands of documents which included thousands of e-mails from 75 employees of the city of ferguson and other electronic materials from the ferguson police department. the city also arranged ride alongs for department of justice investigators to observe ferguson police officers while

on duty. during the meeting on tuesday the department of justice officials informed the city of ferguson that the review of city e-mails uncovered explicit racial bias by three individuals who are employed by the city of ferguson police department. let me be clear. this type of behavior will not be tolerated and the ferguson police department or any department in the city of ferguson. immediately upon leaving that meeting the three individuals were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. one has sense been terminated, the other two are still awaiting the outcome of an internal investigation. these actions taken by these individuals are in no way representative of the employees of the city of ferguson. but today's report allows the city of ferguson to identify the problems not only in our police department but in the entire st. louis region. we must do better not only as a

city, but as a state and a country. we must always work to address issues of racial disparity in all aspects of society. as mentioned by the department of justice there are several initiatives already taking place in the city of ferguson and the ferguson police department. they are as follows: the ferguson police department are in the process of hiring three new officers. we hope to have an update on these position and the racial makeup of these new hires in the next week. the city of ferguson has hired one correction officer. one african-american female candidate was hired for that position out of a pool of 91 applicants. the ferguson police department has hired two assistant court clerks since august 9, 2014. both positions were filled by african-american females from a pool of 64 applicants. all ferguson police department officers have completed mandatory diversity training as of december 31 2014.

the ferguson police department has also begun an explorer program in the ferguson school district beginning in january january 2015. the goal of this program is for officers to engage to engage youth in the law enforcement profession as well as potentially recruit them for police officer positions in the future. i've convened a task force made of residents businesses and law enforcement to create an oversight board that will review complaints and provide citizen input into the policies and procedures of the ferguson police department. the task force meets weekly and it's efforts are already under way. this groundbreaking initiative will be one of the first of its kind in this region. lastly, the city of ferguson has retained services of an independent consultant recommended by the department of justice to conduct a patrol staffing and employment study. finally i would like to speak

briefly about our effort toss reform the ferguson municipal court. the city of ferguson has acted in august and september of 2014 to implement several additional reforms and programs. the city of ferguson was the first community in this region to undertake such steps. in september 2014 the ferguson city council repealed many provisions of the municipal code relating to fees such as an administrative fee of the weren't when overseeing the release of a towed vehicle or recall of a warrant upon request. in addition there is no longer specific offense for failing to appear which would eliminate certain fees and court costs for individuals in the court system. pending charges of failing to appear which were issued prior to the reforms taking place are being dismissed as they come up in the municipal court.

the municipal court is implementing new procedures and programs. a new docket was established specifically for those having trouble paying fines. the defendant may appear and speak to the judge or prosecutor about different pavement plans or alternative sentencing. the city has passed an ordinance in september of 2014 to cut municipal revenues at 15% of the city's over all budget. this is half of the legal limit allowed under state of missouri law. this ordinance is also specified that any excess court revenue will be appropriated for communities projects. these are just some of the initiatives that the city of ferguson has taken and will continue to take moving forward to hopefully move this city, it's residents and community forward. >> mayor? >> we were warned that the mayor would read a statement then would not take questions and he

was true to that word. not taking questions. mayor james knowles leaving after a statement that jamie floyd contained some real substance here. look, the question we have going in to this news conference is whether or not this mayor radio announce his cooperation with the justice department findings, and would take steps to reform the department and really the city. >> well look he took some baby steps. >> yes, is that how you characterize it. >> they're baby steps. i'm going to say he's a young mayor. i'm not going to call him a baby mayor. i want to be respectful, and i don't want to date myself, but he's the youngest mayor in ferguson history. i think that's relevant. i think with generational change comes change in attitude. when i reference the mayor's age, i'm not doing it out of disrespect, i think its relevant to the conversation. i think he understands that change needs to come, in part because of his young age.

he left those e-mails that are so controversial and directly cited in the department of justice's-- >> no. >> in the report. >> november 2008 e-mail read. president obama would not be president for very long because what black man hold as steady job for four years. >> hmm. >> right? >> hmm. and that--that, tony, is one of the milder. >> you want--no. >> you want me to read the other one here? >> no, i really don't. a couple had visuals attached to them that turned my stomach. but what the mayor did, those people had been fired. >> one has been fired. >> two are on administrative leave depending the outcome of an investigation. he's nipping that at the bud. he said we will not tolerate this kind of behavior in our department. so right away he took care of that. then he addressed the diversity issue.

>> yes. >> he said we haven't hired african-american females in three positions where we had openings. a correctional position and two other positions. those are the baby steps. but tony, i think what eric holder was looking for today in his earlier press conference was something much bigger. i think he was looking for some sort of consent decree, an agreement with the department of justice that we're going to work hand in hand-- >> we don't have that, do we? >> no. >> that was not announced today. >> this was a very small and short press conference signaling to justice that we're willing to make the kinds of changes you want to see going forward but i don't think that it was-- >> that we can handle this on our own. >> that's kind of what i got out of it. again, i got the sense that he wants to do the right thing but i don't know that this was big enough to satisfy--i keep referencing, tony, the volume of this report. 100 pages, and great specificity in the findings from the department of justice. >> because what you might see in

a more fullsome response, the kind that you're thinking is lacking here is what we saw in cleveland. >> absolutely. >> where there was a consent decree. >> a federal monitor and some of what's required in ferguson as i read the report is outside of the mayor's control. this report suggests that part of the problem is in the judiciary. well, the mayor doesn't have any control over the judges there in ferguson, that would require federal oversight. i think it was excellent that the mayor came out and made some statements suggesting that he's in agreement. i think he said pretty much we understand that we have a problem here. but he cannot alone make these changes. >> so the justice department now gets an opportunity to respond. i mean at some point the justice department says this is not enough we're going to, what, take the next step? >> yes, that's right. >> fines? >> i think it's got to be something similar to what we've seen in cleveland. on a much smaller scale because

this is a much smaller community, department and municipality but it's got to be a parallel approach. >> moving forward, what we do have is a statement from the mayor suggesting that one person had been fired linked to e-mails. two others are on administrative leave depending the outcome of an investigation. >> right. >> greater diversity. >> with some concrete hires in that direction. not just in terms ofethnic and racial diversity but women. >> did he talk about more diversity increased in the patrol. >> he talked about the effort to recruit more youth to the patrol. but i hear what you're talking about, real on the ground community policing, which is sorely lacking. >> jamie, thank you.

we're going to take a quick break here. we'll come back with the top of the hour newscast. the news hour begins right at the top of the hour. tony harris in new york city. we'll see you in just a moment.

>> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris. >> the attorney general details how police bias in ferguson, missouri is a powder keg. and taking up the affordable care act again and the growing controversy over a film about gang rape. indian authorities launch a new investigation.