fire. they're not sure how much this will change them, but they know it will transform the future of their tribe. al jazeera northern philippines. >> you can always keep up to date with all the latest news, all the day's top stories on our website, aljazeera.com. >> a crucial moment in nuclear talks with iran, on the eve of a deadline, what's holding up negotiations. >> houthi rebels try to gain more ground in yemen and now international ground troops could be headed there next. major companies pull back from indiana, after governor mike pens doubled down on a controversial religious freedom law.

>> this is aljazeera america live from new york city, i'm stephanie sy. negotiations on iran's nuclear program are down to the wire this morning. the u.s. and five world powers are in a final push oh to reach a freedom work agreement by tomorrow's deadline. leaders on both sides of the table say a deal is doable, but last minute challenges are coming up. let's go live to james bays who is in lausanne, switzerland where the talks are taking place. james, good morning. what is happening on the eve of this deadline? what are the final sticking points? >> well, there are final sticking points, but that's to be expected. when you deal with something as complex as this, as controversial as this, something that's been negotiated for literally years, when you come close to the end, you get to the points that are the most

difficult. the points they are stuck on is future research and development of iran's nuclear program, what restrictions there should be on that because iran, of course, could develop more sophisticated centrifuges, which would change all of the calculations they have about a possible breakout time to get a nuclear bomb. the other main sticking point is about sanctions. iran wants the sanctions lifted, it says if we do this deal, we he want to trade like a normal nation. the other powers around the table say that's fine, but what if you don't comply with a deal. now the main problem is with u.n. security council sanctions. they took many years to get in place, and the idea of lifting them all straight away is something that the p5 plus one the international community here don't want to do. >> james, we are also hearing that russia's foreign minister, a key player in these talks sergey lavrov has gone back to moscow today. should web reading into that or was that expected?

>> >> no, it's not expected, and it's not clear by he's saying that he will probably return to moscow. we believe there may well be another meeting in the comes hours before he he goes anywhere. it's possible this is part of a negotiating tactic. when you get very near the end of any negotiation for a deal, threatening to walk away is obviously one possible tactic, but not clear why he might be leaving. they are saying if he does leave, he may welcome back. a short time ago i caught up with the u.s. secretary of state who headed out of the highly security hotel where these talks are taking place for a lunch here on the lakeside. he really didn't give anything away. we asked him how the talks are going and he said simply that they are going on. >> ok, james bays for us with the latest in lausanne, switzerland. james, thank you. >> given the mistrust you that has characterized u.s. iranian

relations for decades it's easy to forget that it was the united states that put iran on a nuclear path back in 1967, a decision washington is clearly grappling with today. al jazeera's foreign affairs correspondent joins us now with more. good morning patty. >> good morning stephanie. in 1967, the united states provided iran with its first nuclear research reactor. of course, back then, iranian man arc was in power thanks to a c.i.a. engineered coop that overthrew the prime minister the in 1979, of course, u.s. iranian relations went into meltdown when the shaw was toppled in a revolution that brought ayatollah into power and had american hostages held in ran for 144 days. the most recent concerns over iran's nuclear provisions date back when an opposition group

claimed iran had built a uranium enrichment program. in 2006, hard line president removed the deal. it was forced back to the negotiating table with six world powers in 2013 and here we are 18 months later with a deadline loom to go forge a political framework to pave the way for a comprehensive deal in june. >> sanctions of course are part of these negotiations that are on going. what do we know about how international sanctions might be scaled down? >> there's really three sets of sanctions that you have to look at u.n. sanctions, u.s. sanctions and e.u. sanctions. the united sanctions are the

backbone of everything. they're in chapter seven of the u.n. charter giving them legal authority, clout to be enforceable. the sanctions that have really harmed iran the most are u.s. sanctions imposed in 2011. basically the adjustment put foreign banks on notice, you do business with iran, you are not doing business with us. we used our leverage in the global financial system, and of course in 2012 at part of e.u. sanctions, iranian banks were cut out of the swift messaging system making it virtually impossible to move money in and out of the country. if you don't have access to swift, your economy is toast. >> that is part of the details we expect in the next couple of days. thank you so much. >> to yemen officials say international troops could be on the ground within days. overnight, saudi-led airstrikes targeted grounded fighter jets in sanna planes seized by houthi rebels from the air force. a camp was also attacked,

killing dozens of houthi fighters there. positions in the northern province of saada also hit by airstrikes, that area considered a main support base for the houthis. victoria gatenby has year. >> there is no let up, for a fifth consecutive night the saudi-led coalition continues to hit houthi positions. airstrikes continued in other parts of the country. dozens of houthi fighters have been killed and bombed positions in the northern province of saada, considered the houthi's main support base. the saudis deployed soldiers along the border this he share with yemen but continues to there is no plan to send troops for now. >> we are using the apache to attack, but there is no let's say major land operation.

>> the saudi-led airstrikes seem to be weakening houthi fighters which seem to be retreating from the south. sunni tribesman are on the move to recap at your areas they he lost. >> i believe if this military operation had not happened on time, the price would have been higher. it came at a suitable and critical time and through expert military men. >> the arab league summit hob dominated by yemen's deteriorating security situation. the saudis and their allies say the airstrikes will continue until ali abdullah saleh and the lootses disband their militias. they say adou rabbo mansour hadi is yemen's legitimate leader. >> we are joined live now from doha. it appears that the sawed r. saudi led strikes are doing some serious damage. what has been the arab league's

role in the conflict so far? >> basically with lobbying from saudi arabia, the arab league has managed to formally say that it is going to establish a joint force and dispatch to areas where you have problem like yemen. although some countries like algeria, iraq and oman voiced concerns about the makeup of the army, its mandate and whether this is something that will conflict with the sovereignty but you have many saudi allies willing to move forward and to provide significant assistance to saudi arabia in its fight against the houthis and its move to reinstate legitimate government of adou rabbo mansour hadi. for the time being the saudis ever a strong backing from the arab world. >> does that mean we are going to see foreign forces on the ground in yemen soon?

>> well, very difficult because for the simple reason that in the 1960's, the egyptians tried the same approach in the push to support anti monarchists and thousands of egyptians were wiped off by yemeni militias and the ground doesn't help, because it's a mountainous area. you commit boots on the ground, you will definitely get a high level of casualties. for the time being, this is exactly why you see the saudis con send straighting their effort to wipe off missiles, fighter jets, and artillery. at that point i think once they do it, they will assess whether or not they will commit boots on the ground. >> the lesson from history was called egypt's vietnam. reporting from doha, hashem, thank you. >> syrian's penalty said he is

open to negotiations with the u.s. in an interview, bashar al assad called reports that he carried out a chlorine gas attack against his people propaganda. he dodge add question about his forces being responsible for 90% of civilian casualties. >> we cannot win the heart and mind of the syrians while we are killing syrians. we cannot sustain four years in that position as a government and me as president, why the rest of the world much of the world, the great powers, regional powers are against me and my people guns me. that's impossible. i mean, this logic has not led to -- this is not realistic and this is against hour interests our government is to kill the people. what do we get? >> the civil war in syria is now in its fifth year. more than 200,000 people have been killed, and more than 9.5 million have been displaced or have fled syria. european investigators are now focusing on the mental state of the pilot who slammed a

germanwings plane into the french alps. authorities want to find out what drove him to deliberately crash the jet. officials are building a road to gain better access to the crash site. they have yet to find the jet's data recorder. >> indiana's controversial freedom restoration act is start to go affect the state's bottom line. leader at apple yelp, sales force and the ncaa have condemned the measure. an indianapolis based angie's list is canceling a $40 million headquarters expansion. indiana governor mike pens is standing his ground, defending his decision to sign the bill into law. >> this is about religious liberty of people of faith and families of faith across this country. that's what it's been for more than 20 years and that is what it is now with the law in indiana. >> supporters insist it protects business owners from being forced to act against religious

believes but critics say the measure will be used to discriminate against gays and lesslesbians. >> former maryland governor martin owe mali said the country needs new leadership, saying the presidency should not just be passed between two families. john siegenthaler spoke to former labor as he can robert rice. >> he he's an economist professor, author, political comment tater. he served in three dumped administration and was an economic advisor to president obama in his campaign. i sat down with robert rice in berkeley california where he teaches public policy at the university of california. we talked about several economic and political issues, but i started bicycle him about his friend, hillary clinton and her chances in the 2016 race for president if she decides to run. >> i think she will be, and i

think it's a will. i think she will be president. >> you have some insight that we don't. she hasn't announced she's going to run yet. >> i'm looking at the same odds everyone else is. knowing hillary clinton since she was 19 years old i think she'd be very good. she'd be a very competent president. here's what worries me. without a democratic primary in which hillary clinton has a chance to develop her message and train for the general election and also without a primary in which the issues that we've been talking about of privilege and power and stagnant wages for the middle class and a widening in equality are front and center for the democrats all we're going to have for the next year and a half is a rupp primary where you have eight or nine people who are going to battle it out over reducing

taxes, shrinking the size of government, sort of basically creating a 19th century social darwinist state in the united states which is the opposite of what we ought to be talking about, so i really hope that elizabeth warren runs in the rhymery. i don't think she will but i hope somebody who is making -- who is raising the questions the themes that i am now raising. >> you don't think hillary will. >> if she doesn't have a primary challenger, i don't think she will raise these issues on her own. they are controversial, they are difficult, i'm not sure that she is going to bite the hands that feed her. >> is all of government simply bought and sold by big money now? >> i don't think it's all bought and sold by big money but there is too much big money too much reliance and big money and you have to if you're going to have

enough money to run an election and win an election, you have to kiss some very wealthy posteriors. >> would you serve in a cabinet again if you were asked? >> john, these are hardest jobs. i worked, you know, 15 hour days sixar seven days a week. i didn't see anything of my family. i would do it again if a president wanted me to, because i think it's important, but i wouldn't go in wagging my tail and with a smile on my face. >> you can see the rest of john's interview with robert rice tonight at 8:00 eastern here on aljazeera america. >> ballots are being counted in nigeria's most hotly contested election in more than a decade. we'll look at how fraud and violence could up end the vote. >> the antarctic ice shelf melting faster than ever before. we'll tell you why.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. it is 7:48 eastern, taking a look at today's stop stories. new york pleas say two bodies have been found after a building collapsed. authorities had been looking for the men. the apparent gas explosion in manhattan leveled two buildings.

>> u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon is in baghdad for talks with iran's prime minister al abadi. >> in israel, former prime minister was convicted of fraud and breach of trust in a jerusalem court today. it was a retrial of a 2008 case against american businessman morris tulansky. the court said he funneled money from 1992-2005. >> counting is underway in nigeria's presidential election. incumbent good luck jonathan facing a strong challenge from former military

muhammedu buhari. >> from all accounts, including our own, with he feel the elections have been credible, and the process has been really fascinating to watch. i think the enter heroes of the election process here are certainly the nigeriaen voters. they were the heroes, they were eager to vote and turned out to vote. it was impressive to see that kind of commitment to democracy from the nigerian people. >> al jazeera continues to demand the relation of two of our journalists detained in nigeria, both embedded with the military before they were detained. they have been held in their hotel since tuesday. >> scientists and environmentals call it a sign of irreversible damage to the earth. the research shows glaciers are

melting extremely fast. at this rate, half of the ice shelves in west antarctica could be lost, raising sea levels by 11 feet. we have today's environmental impact. this report spanned almost 20 years. >> starting in 19 final four, there were really two sections in it. it was done by the script institution of oceanography and they do a lot of climate work. as we take a look at video first we show you the computer generated images of some of the areas losing this ice and then also we'll show you the time laps images in a second, but high resolution satellite imagery was used to track the ice as it receded so between 1994 and 2012, over 18 years some places lost up to 18% of their ice over 18 years. that's a lot. the rapid acceleration was especially in that second period, so it's starting to go

faster now. what are some of the impacts? >> well, animal life, for example, penguins, which we all kind of have a soft spot in hour heart for breed on areas of sea ice and ice shelves so they for example could lose their breeding grounds over time which would ever an impact on the population for the species. other impacts like potential sea rise as all of this happens. >> nicole mitchell, thank you. >> in today's morning stream, we look at the stories getting traction from our digital reporters at aljazeera.com. this is getting attention on our facebook page, it's called rattle snake roundup the four day festival takes place in west texas every single year. more than 2,000 pounds of rattle snakes are measured, beheaded, skinned and eaten. others are sold alive. animal rights activists say it encourages cruelty and they say using gasoline to lure them damages the environment. the festival draws tens of

thousands of people each year. we're going to have another digital update in hour next hour. for more, follow us on facebook or tweet me. wisconsin's governor taking a hard line on immigration after reports. >> a former tech worker raising concerns about gender and equality in america's tech industry.

>> wisconsin governor scott walker are is firming up his hard line immigration stance in questions he he reversed his position. he says he's opposed to any path to citizenship for undocumented

immigrants, those comments coming 24 hours after every visited the mexican border in texas. fellow texas governor introduced walker as someone who governs like a texan. >> i think in terms of citizenship, if someone wants citizenship, they need to go to the country of origin and get in line like anybody else would. there's benefits when it comes to voting and other benefits to come with that. in steps of things beyond that, that's where we've got to tackle other issues first and then have a president that's willing to work with the congress to figure out a reasonable way. >> earlier this month walker reportedly endorsed a path to citizenship at a private function in new hampshire know insist he never used the word citizenship at that event. >> silicon valley employee ellen powell's gender discrimination suit put a spotlight on the

industry. many companies have all faced criticism. the gender problems in silicon valley may run much deeper than hiring practices. >> they graduated from m.i.t.'s business school. one also holds an aero space degree, another speaks chinese. despite their accomplishments running their own startup the two believe that many women in silicon valley still get left behind. >> sometimes people think that maybe you need to explain stuff to them or they might need an extra hand to do stuff. >> there has been no female equivalent to mark zuckerbergerburg. there's no reason for that other than the current structure of things. >> the numbers tell the tale. more than 97% of businesses have male c.e.o.'s. on the engineering side, women make up just 20% of software

developers. battles are being waged including the gender discrimination lawsuit filed by ellen against her former venture capitol employer. she believes mail colleagues who underperformed still received promotions while she did not. >> this case is a wakeup calm to the venture capitol industry and to silicon valley generally. it's a window on the kind of micro in dignities that individually seem small, but cumulatively really get in the way of women's advance in the workforce. >> lauren of the startup glass breakers remembers one such moment as her former job where she was the first woman to be hired. >> you know, the first day i walked in, they actually were like here, look, we've made a bathroom that's just for women because we've never needed one prosecutor. >> these days, she and her co founder are working to change the calculus with their social

network for women in tech. >> more and more women are coming together for support in the tech world through startups like glass breakers or through regular meetings. most of still shy about speaking out publicly. they don't want to be viewed at trouble makers. >> what they are be entrepreneurs and when venture capitalists fail to invest in women, they're missing out financially on potential returns. until then, when it comes to women, as i will cob valley, known for innovation, stays stuck in the past. al jazeera, san francisco. >> army sergeant bowe bergdahl was charged with deserting his post, but he tells a different story. coming up in half an hour, bergdahl's lawyer speaks about what caused bergdahl to leave his unit, that was nearly six years ago. thanks for joining us. tony harris is back in two

minutes with more al jazeera morning news.

>> this is aljazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris. intense negotiations are underway this morning between six world powers and iran. they have just one day to reach a basic agreement on tehran's nuclear program. leaders meeting in switzerland sky tuesday's deadline is final. >> it's in everybody's interest for the deal does get done, but it has to be a deal which puts the bomb beyond iran's reach. there can't be any compromise about that. if we're going to get this done here, iran has got to take a deep breath and make shtough decisions to ensure that those red lines can be met. >> al jazeera's james bays is in lausanne switzerland, where the talks are taking place. james, what are the potential sticking points here at this

point? >> well, there are a number, i think of key sticking points, tony, and i think although we know some of them, i think others may emerge. you're at that stage in a very, very long protracted complex and controversial negotiation that nog, i think could come up at this stage. the ones that definitely have been causing problems over the last week or even couple of weeks, which are some of the very last areas that they need to try and resolve are one on the future research and development of iran's nuclear program, could they get more sophisticated technology during the time line of a deal and what restrictions would there be on them over perhaps a 10 year time line and then for the period after that through to 15 years. the other key area is all about sanctions, because iran wants to trade like any other nation in the world. it wants the sanctions lifted. the view from the international

partners that are negotiating here is yes, we'll give you some sanctions relief but we need to keep something. what if you were to renege on any deal, how then, would we punish you and i think what they're talking about is trying to rewrite the u.n. security council resolutions that are in place with some sort of new resolution that will say yes we'll lift the sanctions but if you were not to comply, we would have a snap back provision automatically, the sanctions would come back in place. iran it seems doesn't like that idea. >> jails the difficulties of these negotiations aside for just a moment here, they were always going to be difficult talks, how optimistic are leaders on both sides at reaching a deal? >> well, i saw the u.s. secretary of state a short time ago. he actually went out of the high security hotel where the talks are taking place came to the lakefront here in lausanne.

i asked him how things were going and he simply replied we're working very hard. we are also hearing that after a big meeting that took place a few hours ago here, with all of the six countries that are negotiating with iran, all around the table that the russian foreign minister is signaling he may well leave these talks in the coming hours and be prepared to coming back closer to the deadline on tuesday. we don't know what to read into that. we've been given no further details from the russians, but one thing to say when you're in a very difficult negotiation one thing sometimes people do is threatsen to walk away. >> james bays for us in lausanne james good to see you, thank you. >> negotiations with iran are putting a real strain on the u.s. relationship with israel. prime minister benjamin netanyahu is repeating his warning to the p5 plus one delegates, telling them not to trust iran when it comes to making a deal.

>> this agreement as it appears confirms all of our concerns and then some. even as meetings proceed on this dangerous agreement iran's proxies in yemen are overrunning large sections of that country and attempting to seize control. the act must be stopped. >> prime minister knelt net says iran is trying to conger the entire middle east. he accused tehran of backing armed houthi rebels in their fight against the government in yemen. international troops could join the fight on the ground within days according to officials there. meanwhile, saudi led attacks have shaken yemen overnight targeting fighter jets in sanna those planes seized by the houthi rebels from the air force. dozens of shia rebel fighters were killed after a strike at a camp in the northern province of saada also hit. that area is considered a main support base for the houthis.

victoria gatenby with more for us. >> there is no let up in this military operation for a fifth consecutive night. the sawed coalition has continued to hit shia houthi positions. airstrikes continued in other parts of the country. dozens of houthi fighters have been killed and jets have bombed positions in saada considered the houthi's main support base. the saudis have deployed sell injuries to their border with yemen but say there is no plan to send troops at least for now. >> we are using the apache to attack some concentration of force for the militias, but there is no lets say major land operation. >> the saudi-led airstrikes seem to be weakening houthi fighters who have retreated from areas in the south according to local

sources. sunni tribesman are on the move to recapture areas they lost in the last few weeks. >> i believe if this military had not happened, the price would be higher. it came at a critical time through excellent military men. >> the arab summit has been dominated by the security situation in yemen. the saudis a understand their allies say airstrikes will continue until ali abdullah saleh and the houthi disband their militias. they insist that adou rabbo mansour hadi who has fled the country is yemen's legitimate leader. >> al jazeera's national security contributor mike lyons is a retired army major and senior fellow at the truman national security project. yemen's police department addi accused iran of destabilizing the country. is he right in that? >> he's got somewhat of a point but not really.

he does have some fault of his own. yemen remains very unstable, unstable under his regime, as well. >> true, iran had been funding and giving arms to the houthis there in an implied manager of support of what they're doing. >> are we seeing a proxy war between the sunni players, saudi arabia and iran? >> no question. this is classic proxy war what we thought the middle east would develop to back in the cold war area and second and third tear countries would fight each other. the fact that saudi arabia is so involved with their airstrikes shows you how much they feel the threat is on their border. >> do you think there will be saudi ground forces. >> saudi or this coalition of 10 arab states which is kind of a precursor to what the arab

league wants to do going forward. ground forces changes the equation right now. the way the situation is on the ground now the houthis control it there. the airstrikes are doing a classic missions from early but if you want to take and hold this ground, you've got to put ground troops there. the question is if saudi arabia does that, it changes the calculation. >> what's the u.s. interest here the stake in this fight? >> right now aligning with our ally in saudi arabia. however, we are negotiating this deal with iran on the nukes which has saudi arabia concerned. the question is iran becoming more powerful. >> is there a military solution to what's happening in yemen? does this ultimately need to be negotiated politically? >> it does. there always is some kind of military. >> at some point there are some documents signed. >> that's right.

you've got to get parties from both sides to agree on a situation here, probably restoring the president of yemen, probably bringing back the parliament. the houthis are going to want a say in the government and what's happening there. the question is what tactically that is going to be. >> do you see the houthis surrendering? how does this end? >> this is going to go on for a while. i think that especially given the influence iran has there you're going to see the houthis dig in, knowing full well unless grounds troops are there they're in power for a while. >> mike, good to see you appreciate your time, as always, thanks. >> it appears isil has beheaded more than half a dozen men in syria, the attack believed to have taken place in the value province. the group released a new video on line showing fighters beheading eight shia men. a man uses a derogatory term for

the shias. >> syria's president said he is committed to having a good rapport approximate the united states, bashar al assad saying he is willing to negotiate with washington. >> we always want to have a good relationship with the united states. >> can you have good relationship with a country who thinks you shouldn't be in power? >> that's not going to be part of the dialogue. this is not a business. we have syrian citizens who can decide this, no one else. whether they want to talk about it or not. this is not something we're going to discuss with anyone. >> president assad pushed back against climbs his regime used chlorine gas against his own people, saying the airstrikes targeting isil in iraq and syria have been ineffective and are only gaining the group more recruits. >> the search continues in france for remains of passengers

onboard the crashed germanwings flight. investigators say between 400 and 600 body parts have been located and being examined. investigators are still looking for the second flight data recorder. the cockpit voice recorder was found last week. australia now says it will also make it mandatory to have at least two people in an airline cockpit at all times. we may have our first glimpse into the first moments of flight 9525. german tabloid billed released a summary time line from the data recorder. it confirmed it would support the theory that co pilot andreas lubitz locked the pilot out. the pilot can be heard screaming

"for god's ache, open the door." the alarm goes off terrain pull up, the captain is heard screaming open the door. at 10:40 a.m., it sounds like the plane's right wing scrapes a mountain top. those are the last sounds. german officials have not confirmed this, but they have yet to deny the content. >> indiana's new religious freedom recitation act is starting to affect the state's bottom line. indianapolis based angieed list is canceling a $40 million headquarters expansion. as al jazeera's rob reynolds reports, it seems the critics may have finally caught the governor's attention. >> several thousand people marched through indiana's capitol city, denouncing a new state law that allows business owners to refuse service on the

grounds of religious belief. >> we are fired of having to constantly fight the backwards thinking. are you tired enough to fight back? >> yes! >> indiana's republican party dominated legislature and republican governor say the law dubbed the religious freedom restoration act will stop government agencies from forcing business owners to go against their religious faith. indiana's the latest of 20 states to pass such laws. >> it's about government over reach and i'm proud indiana stepped forward and i'm working hard to clarify this. we're reaching oh you the to business leaders. >> in one example the law would allow floorists to refuse to sell arrangements to be used in same sex wedding as her moneys. this store owner, who says she's against gay marriage, also says she wouldn't turn away gay customers. >> if someone walked in my store, i think i would serve them. >> indiana's ban on same-sex

marriage was overturned in court last year and conservatives were then unable to put a gay marriage ban in the state constitution. indiana's law could hurt its economy. some groups are reconsidering plans to hold conventions in the midwestern state. the major indiana-based consumer website angie's list posted pond plans for expanding its offices and hiring more staff. >> if the atmosphere is such in the state that we can't draw the talent, that they can't be comfortable, then i can't commit the company. >> apple c.e.o. tim cook, one of the most prominent openly gay business leaders in america declared his company was deeply disappointed in indiana. >> professional athletes and film stars are spreading the hash tag boycott indiana on twitter and the obama white house has stepped into the fray. >> it should be easy for leaders in this country to stand up and say that it is wrong to discriminate against people just because of who they love. >> with key gains in the

enormously popular march madness college basketball tournament due to be played in indianapolis next week, tournament officials hinted they might move the matches elsewhere in protest. rob reynolds, al jazeera. >> indiana's new law is one of the stories gaining traction on aljazeera.com. more opponents from the tech industry are calling for a statewide poi cot. at least two companies announced they are dropping out of an upcoming data conference in indianapolis executives from emc and cloudara say they won't participate in the may event. last week, the c.e.o. of sales force.com announced his employees will stop traveling to indiana and the company won't expand there unless the law is revered. for more stories from our digital team follow us on facebook. >> still to come, charged with deserting his fellow men and women in the military, but bowe bergdahl's attorney says that's not the case at all. we will talk to eugene fidel

about his client and what bergdahl was doing when he wandered off. >> the stalled confirmation for lynch. why it isn't a good sign for the president's pick.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. taking a look at today's top stories. u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon is in talks with iraq key prime minister al abadi. >> prosecutorses expect to rest their case in the boston marathon bombing trial. >> president obama will be in bossboss tan today. several senators including john mccain and listen beth warren along with the vice president will be there. >> wisconsin governor scott walk are is doubling down on his hard line immigration stance amid questions he reversed his

position. the possible 2016 presidential candidate is opposed to any path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. those comments come 24 hours after he visited the mexican border in texas. during that visit fellow texas governor greg abbott introduced walker as someone who governs like a texan. >> in terms of citizenship if someone wants citizenship they need to go to the country of origin and get in line. there's benefits when it comes to voting and other benefits to come with that. beyond that, we're got to tackle these other issues first and then have a president willing to work with the congress to figure out a reasonable way going forward. >> earlier this month walk are reportedly endorsed a path to citizenship at a private function in new hampshire now is insist be he never even used the word citizenship at that event. >> scat walker may have female

competition running for the nomination. former hewlett packard c.e.o. is likely to run for president saying there is a 90% chance she will toss her hat into the ring. she ran for california's senate seat in 2010, but lost the democratic -- two democratic incumbent barbara boxer. >> we need as other potential candidates are doing that he we have the right team in place and financial resources lined up, just as all the other potential candidates. >> when would you announce? >> late april early may. >> she is 60 years old and became a sales represent for at&t at the age of 25 after dropping out of law school. she was dubbed america's most powerful business wham at that point she was president of lucent technology.

she became the first woman to lead a fortune 100 company. the president's historic pick to be the nation's next attorney general is stuck waiting for confirmation. loretta lynch could be the first african-american woman to serve in that post, but congress has headed home for a two week spring break without moving forward. we have more on this. lynch has sailed through confirmation votes in the past, so what's going on here? >> that's right tony. now the hold up is unprecedented. she's waiting longer than any attorney general in 30 years to get confirmed and now with congress gone, that means she'll be the biggest cabinet secretary delay in three different administrations. here's the deal. it looked like her confirmation would move quickly. attorney general eric holder is loathed by house republicans and senate republicans alike. they held him in contempt three years ago. we thought they would move forward quickly and loretta

lynch has republicans saying has a sterling record. they can move forward if they want. the political calculation is a problem for republicans. they don't want to be the one to vote for her and support the president. on the other hand, they don't want to see the attorney general still be eric holder. >> let me ask a pretty blunt question. are republicans hoping that she becomes ultimately discouraged by this delay and removes herself from consideration for the post. >> that is incredibly unlikely to happen, but there is a real danger in a delay. gives people time to dredge up some dirty laundry. that has not happened. she has gotten through this process with no problem. even rudy giuliani said she is overqualified for the job but the delay could build momentum against her. groupsic the n.r.a. are saying republicans should not support her, putting them in a bit of a bind delaying the process and keeping eric holder in his job. >> libby good to see you.

libby casey with us. >> on the healthbeat this morning, indiana's governor, who continues to make news over the state's new religious freedom law has now declared a public health emergency over h.i.v. there are 71 confirmed cases in rural scott county. all of linked to dirty i.v. needles shared by drug users and that number expected to rise. >> this is about health and lives. therefore, we've -- we have signed today an executive order that initiates a robust multi-agency response to stop this h.i.v. outspread in its tracks. this we will do. >> normally, there are only five cases of h.i.v. reported each year in scott county, but since january, 79 people there have tested positive for the virus that causes aids, and that number is expected to go up,

health officials are trying to contact at least another 100 people who may be infected through shared needles. >> this is truly a crisis that is centered on a crisis of drug abuse and it's the drug opana. >> it is a powerful prescription pain medication that comes in pill form. some drug abusers crush the pills and shoot them intravenously for a faster and stronger high. the c.d.c. calls pain killer abuse a deadly national epidemic. the c.d.c. said one of the best ways to stop h.i.v. from spreading is through needle exchange programs, something the indiana governor has staunchly opposed. now he says the epidemic calls for democrat particular measures, calling for a third day exchange program. >> the stunned is bringing the full resources on giving the local community what they need to get the job done. >> ran d.l. pinkston, al jazeera. >> on the first h.i.v. clinic

will open in scott county tomorrow in an effort to stop new cases. >> parts of the west coast have been hit hard with triple digit heat. for three days now, it is the earliest on record that that has ever happened. let's bring in nicole mitchell for today's environmental impact. it sounds like this heat is leading to a real concern for wildfires in california, i would think. >> that will be a problem later in the season. what we've had all season, places like california, instead of the winter being the wet season, it's been hot and dry once again. now, unfortunately some of that heat that we saw bottled up on the west coast has been spreading to the midwest, that's where part of our danger is today. as we take a look at that, we are seeing the broad picture on the environment. midsection of the country westward very dry. i want to mention if you're seeing a couple flakes fly by in the northeast. >> no! >> you are not crazy. there has been some snow and then this rain ended that,

causing delays in atlanta this morning. but as we get closer, so here's the temperatures. you can see however northward now that warm air has bubbled. 10-20 degrees above average all through the midwest. as we look at somewhere like omaha, for example 76 degrees, normal high temperature this time of year, 57. that's 20 degrees above average and we're very dry out there. we're going to continue to see fire danger through the course of the day because of the combination of wind, low humidity and that heat drying everything out. that's going to be a problem for us through the day today and i want to say the region finally gets rain maybe on wednesday but that's a severe risk, as well so we'll keep an eye on that. >> nicole, appreciate it, low wind and humidity. that's a bad combination. >> making the case for bowe bergdahl, ahead we will speak with his attorney. why he says his client wasn't abandoning his troops and where

the bergdahl chase goes from here. >> i'm in the northern philippines with a tribe, there is excitement here as the tribe welcomes to new arrival.

>> welcome back, everyone to aljazeera america. taking a look at today's stop stories, a yemen official say international troops could be on the ground within days. overnight, saudi-led airstrikes pounded houthi rebels in sanna and positions in the north. >> authorities are searching for passenger remains from that downed germanwings flight that comes as a tabloid confirms the theory that co pilot locked the captain out of the cockpit. >> a critical phase over the

iran nuclear talks. >> it has been a long time since iran began its nuclear work. it's taken many years to get to iran and six world powers to the negotiating table. our correspondent is here now with a closer look. >> given the distrust that has characterized relations for decades, it's easy to target it was actually the united states that launched iran on a nuclear path in 1967, a decision washington would come to regret. >> 1953, iran's democratically elected prime minister is overthrown in a coup organized by the c.i.a., clearing the way for closer energy ties between washington and iranian monarach. in 1967, the u.s. provide said iran with its first nuclear research reactor.

in 1979, u.s.-iranian relations meltdown. the shaw is toppled bringing ayatollah to power and seized 52 americans headlight hostage for 444 days. iran's nuclear program is shut down, only to restart it during the of the iran-iraq war. in 1992, israel raises the alarm, claiming iran is on track to have nuclear weapons by the end of the decade, a warning echoed through the corridors of washington. >> iran aggressively pursues these weapons. >> president george w bush famously labels iran as partly of an axis of evil. later that year, an exiled iranian opposition group claims tehran built a facility and heavy water plant. in 2003, international inspectors find traces of inare

you familiared weapons grade uranium. tehran agrees to spurs end its program and allow unannounced inspections. in 2006, newly elected hard line police department ahmadinejad driver's license it. november, 2011, president obama turns the sanction screws, barring fortune financial institutions from conducting transactions with ires bank. culminating in iranian banks cut off from the global financial system. >> ires savage record. >> autumn, 2012, israel's prime minister speaking at the u.n. uses a cartoon to illustrate iran's nuclear threat. by 2013, its oil exports halved by sanctions president rouhani

turns the page on relations president obama speaks by phone to president rouhani the first contact between the two leaders in 34 years. by november, talks between iran and six world powers yield a breakthrough with iran agreeing to curb portions of its nuclear program in exchange for a partial lifting of sanctions. >> 18 months and two missed deadlines later, negotiations are down to the wire again to forge a political framework and pave the way for a comprehensive deal in june to rein in ires nuclear ambitions. >> the deadline is approaching to get the framework deal. there are a lot of parties in the region flying to influence. >> voicing objections and more loudly over the weekend and lead that go pack would be israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. he came out and really amped up the rhetoric that iran is trying

to conquer the middle east. there is concern by powers in the region. you can trace this back to the fact that a lot of iranian shia groups in the region are gaining ground in iraq, syria and in yemen. the sunni powers in the region are very concerned and concerned that this deal will hand iran even more power. >> good to see you. >> counting is underway in nigeria's presidential election, incumbent goodluck jonathan facing a strong challenge from former military leader muhammedu buhari. it hopes to announces a winner today, but there is growing concern that violence could erupt once a winner is announced. we are live in nigeria. is it likely we will get an

announcement today? >> electoral officials in the capitol are saying that we could start hearing the results trickling in end of day on monday so until the official results are announced, people will start to speculate. here is a typical newspaper saying 14 states will determine the presidential poll winner. one is here where i am, people will only know in a few hours time end of day monday, when officials will start releasing results slowly. >> do you get a sense where you are that people there favor one candidate over the other? >> >> it is complicated. it's right now controlled by the opposition, but there is a big following for the ruling party the p.v.p. the streets behind me, people are getting back to normal,

trying to get back to normal. this is typical market, people selling food, investigate bells meat to make ends meet. they are concerned about the outcome of the election, what is going to happen, whoever is going to be announced as winner, is it going to be peaceful. these women say i just want to be able to come back to work tomorrow, sell my product and look after my family. it's divided and people are waiting to see which cabinet has won this particular area. >> everyone following these election are concerned about the potential for violence. are officials there expecting any violence? >> oh, yes a lot of people are. in specific areas of the country. right now in river state that's where the oil is, the niger delta. the opposition there is alleging voter fraud and they will process it on sunday, about 15,000 of them. they are planning another

protest today saying they aren't happy with any results outcome the same, people will come on the seats. people are threatening to be violent in the north where there have been boko haram attacks people threatening to go on the streets if they aren't happy with the results. officials are on high alert. things seem quiet but people are concerned once it is announced later on monday, possibly we could see some activity. >> new criticism this morning for army sergeant bowe bergdahl. his attorneys are defending hear clients actions in having a but some of his former com comrades say he put them at risk. >> army sergeant bowe bergdahl us facing life in prison. >> sergeant bergdahl is charged under the uniform code of military justice with one count of article 85, desertion with in tent to shirk important or

hazardous duty and one count of article 99, misbehavior before the enemy by endangering the safety of a command unit or place. >> in 2009, bergdahl walked off his base in afghanistan leaving his fellow soldiers behind. he was almost immediately captured by the taliban. in the days after his release when it was believed he said been tortured, many saw bergdahl as an american hero. some platoon members saw him as a person who put many in dang are. former army sergeant was a squat leader accusing bergdahl of being responsible for the deaths and injuries of soldiers who went looking for him. second lt. darren andrews was one of the soldiers who set out to rescue bergdahl but never made it home. >> i have frustration that potentially he could still be alive if bergdahl had not left his post. we lost somebody we love very much and will never see him again. >> last year, the white house secured his release with a

prisoner swap, trading five members from guantanamo, a highly politicized move. >> the release of the taliban held in guantanamo was conditioned on the qataris keeping eyes on them and creating a structure in which we can monitor their activities. we will be keeping eyes on them. i wouldn't be doing it if i thought it was contrary to american national security. >> just last week, senator lindsey graham revealed he received information that one of the taliban five that was swammed had been in touch with members of a militant group. >> bowe bergdahl's attorney eugene fidel joins us this morning. we appreciate your time. let me get to pointed questions for you here. the charge is that your client is a deserter. how do you respond? >> my response is that there

will be an article 32 hearing currently scheduled for april 22. i think that may be put off, and that will be open to the public and i would suggest that everybody watching this show hold their -- hold the phone until that hearing and until you all and we all know more about what it is the government is relying on. in this connection, i want to publicly ask the army to release the investigative report prepared by major general kenneth dahl. it's very important that the facts get out. that's the investigation that's been conducted to date, general dahl had something like 22 investigators working on it for months and months. the report is thousands of pages long. the executive summary is 57 single spaced pages long. that's where people should be looking. i think it's incumbent on the army in response to some of the misinformation that's been doled

out by various sources to put that on the public record. >> couple of questions to follow up on that. the investigative report, is that within -- is it within your purview to have that at this point? is that part of the discovery process? do you have that investigative report? >> we finally got it. we asked for it months and months ago finally got it after i went on television and complained that we didn't get it. that night they released it to us. we haven't had a chance to digest it. as i said, it's thousands and thousands of pages long. >> is there an item maybe one item maybe a couple items that you have seen that you would like to draw our attention to as we get ready for this hearing? >> oh, i think people should read general dahl's executive summary. it's easy enough for the army to release that. they've got to pull out privacy act and hipaa information but basically the document is unclassified and should be made public. >> i'm asking you to share. we haven't seen it yet it

hasn't been declassified. you have it. is there something you would like to share or can you share anything from that report? >> well, what you can -- what i can do is refer you to the statement that i submitted to general millie, the commander of u.s. forces command in which i pointed out that general dahl's report indicated that anyone died as a result of my client's conduct. that's a critical fact. for reasons i can only attribute to political considerations, there is a drum beat of the unfounded assertion that people died as a result of my client's conduct. that's got to be scotched. i call on the army to scotch it. we need an announcement from army public affairs today. >> all right again back to the first question. he is charged with being a deserter. your response as i am ply and plainly is what? >> let the facts unfold.

i'm not going to try this case in public, in the media. it will be tried in public, if it ever gets to a trial or gets to the article 32 hearing, that will be open to the public and you'll hear everything you want to know at that time not from me. >> but you are here to offer up something on behalf of your client, so can you tell me why he left his unit? >> as indicated in the letter that i sent to general millie, it was to express concerns at a higher echelon about conditions that he he had observed in his unit. >> ok, so he was leaving his unit. was he looking for another commander to speak to? had he tried the chain of command before leaving his unit? >> i'm not going into greater detail other than to say he was hoping to bring his concerns to a higher level of authority. >> ok. one more question for you. are you ultimately -- is there a

possibility that you will enter into a plea agreement with the government on this case? >> everything's possible. >> anything's possible, everything's possible. >> everything's possible. >> have you had -- have had you discussions with the government along those lines? >> contrary to false statements that have been disseminated on other news outlets, we have had no interaction whatever with respect to a disposition of this case by a pretrial agreement, so the answer is no. >> appreciate your time, eugene fidel he. >> thanks for having me on. >> a pleasure and a lecturer at the yale law school. >> hillary clinton hasn't declared her candidacy for president yet but most assume she will. john siegenthaler sat down with

a former friend of hers, former labor secretary robert rice. he hopes others challenge her in the primary. >> he's an economist, a professor, an author, political commentate or. he served in three different administration and was an economic advisor to president obama in his campaign. i sat down with robert rice in berkeley, california where he teaches public policy at the university of california. we talked about several economic and political issues, but i started asking him about his friend, hillary clinton and her chances in the 2016 race for president if she decides to run. >> i think she will be, and i think it's a will. i think she will be president. >> you have some insight that we don't. she hasn't announced she's going to run yet. >> i'm looking at the same odds everyone else is. knowing hillary clinton since she was 19 years old, i think she'd be very good. she'd be a very competent president.

here's what worries me. without a democratic primary in without a contest in which hillary clinton has a chance to develop her message, and train for the general election, and also without a primary in which the issues that we've been talking about, of privilege and power and stagnant wages for the middle class, and a widening in equality are front and center for the democrats, all we're going to have for the next year and a half is a republican primary where you have eight or nine people who are going to battle it out over reducing taxes, shrinking the size of government, sort of basically creating a 19th century social darwinist state in the united states, which is the opposite of what we ought to be talking about, so i really hope that

elizabeth warren runs in the primary. i don't think she will, but i hope somebody who is making -- who is raising the questions the themes that i am now raising. >> you don't think hillary will. >> if she doesn't have a primary challenger, i don't think she will raise these issues on her own. they are controversial, they are difficult, i'm not sure that she is going to bite the hands that feed her. >> you mean big money. >> i'm talking about big money. president obama, i believe will go down in history as an exceptionally gifted president but even president obama to my way of looking at it was too close to wall street, too dependent on big money and big corporate money. >> these are people that are close that you have advised and

close to. is all of government bought and sold by big money now? >> i don't think it's all bought and sold by big money but there is too much reliance and big money and you have to if you're going to have enough money to run an election and win an election you have to kiss some very wealthy posteriors. >> would you serve again? >> i would. >> you would like to. >> i wouldn't like to. these are the hardest jobs. i worked, you know, 15 hour days, six or seven days a week. i didn't see anything of my family. i would do it again if a president wanted me to, because it's important but i wouldn't go in wagging my tail and with a smile on my face. >> you can see the rest of john's interview tonight at 8:00 eastern 5:00 pacific right

here on aljazeera america. >> let's look at one story gaining traction from our digital reporters. this is getting attention on our facebook page, called rattle snake roundup. yum. the four day festival takes place in west texas. it happens every year, more than 2,000 pounds of rattle snakes are measured, beheaded, skinned eaten, others are sold alive. animal rights activists say it encourages cruelty and they say using gasoline to lure them damages the environment. the festival draws tens of thousands of people each year. for more stories from our team, just go to our website aljazeera.com or follow us on facebook. >> up next, lightedding the way how empowering women in one of the oldest tribes in the philippines is helping an entire community see the light.

>> welcome back, everyone to aljazeera america. >> a senior iranian negotiator is pushing back against a key part of a nuclear deal, saying sending uranium stockpiles out of his country is not on the agenda. >> the prosecution is expect to wrap up its case today in the bombing trial are dzhokar

tsarnaev. the defense team could begin its arguments. he faces the death penalty if convicted if the attack. >> g.n.c. promises changes to improve products. new testing procedures will be announced today. they and three other retailers were accused of selling contaminated supplements. >> a new phase for the first solar powered plane to try and fly around the world solar impulse two just took off from myanmar. this is the fifth of the 12 legs in the plane's global journey. the plane which is powered exclusively by the sun is head to go c take 18 hours. >> in the na tribe is cut off from the rest of the country. 10,000 people live in the remote mountains, disconnected and resistant to change. one international project is shedding new light on their

lives. >> deep in the mountains in the northern philippines live the oldest tribe in the country. they have farmed and hunted in these lands for thousands of years with little change. now the tribe has a new hero. the once shy grandmother of 10 is now called the engineer, the bringer of light. >> it gets very dark here in the mountains, it's good we have found this to help us help the others. >> she has come back from india with three other women part of a group of similar women from around the world invited by a special college to learn how to harness solar energy and build their own lamps and battery panels. >> we couldn't understand each other, so we had to do everything through sign language. >> they returned to their

community to share what they've learned. >> it's villages like this that the lighting project aims to help. isolated impoverished and without access to basic services, the thinking is empowering women will eventually empower a community. >> they have always been known for their fire making abilities. now another newly trained engineer is happy she can make fire of a different kind. >> when there is light there will certainly be joy all around us. >> they still call this new arrival fire. they are not sure how much you this will change them exactly but they know it will transform the future of their tribe. al jazeera, northern philippines. >> scientists are concerned about a report they say shows irreversible damage to the earth. glaciers in the an arctic of melting extremely fast and can

potentially raise sea levels by 11 feet. at this rate, scientists say half of the ice shelves in west antarctica maybe lost within the next 200 years. meteorologist nicole mitchell is back with today's environmental impact. this report spanned 20 years? >> almost, 18, mom 1994 and broken into two parts. the first part they weren't seeing that much loss, but the second half rapidly accelerating, going into that period to 2012. they took high resolution satellite imagery. it's just shrinking away as you look at all of that, up to 18% in certain areas and definitely that level sea rice impacts keeping some of the ground ice from being held back. that will flow into the ocean and raise levels. other impacts, for example animals, certain types of penguins breed on see ice and ice shelves so that means their habitat is going to be removed

and of course, that's not the only form of life that will be impacted by this. we all have a soft spot in our heart for those cute little guys out there. >> come on, let's see them again, let's see a little penguin. nicole, good to see you. >> two more teams punched their ticket to the final four. michigan state needed overtime to beat louisville 76-70. the duke blue devils beat gonzaga. duke and michigan state will meet in one semifinal next saturday. kentucky and wisconsin will faceoff in the other game. >> coming up, tomorrow morning here on aljazeera america morning news, the israel knesset is swing sworn in. how the new government will treat peace talks with the palestinians. that's it for us from new york city.

more news in two minutes.

>> these people have decided that today they will be arrested >> i know that i'm being surveilled >> people are not getting the care that they need >> this is a crime against humanity >> hands up! >> don't shoot! >> hands up! >> don't shoot! >> what do we want? justice! >> when do we want it? >> now! >> they are running towards base... >>...explosions going off we're not quite sure... >> fault lines al jazeera america's award winning, investigative series... on al jazeera america

>> welcome to the news hour. i'm nick clark in doha with our top stories. >> heavy fighting between houthi rebels and tribesmen across yemen after a fifth night of saudi-led airstrikes. >> we're working very hard, working hard. >> world powers try to reach a deal on iran's nuclear program. >> counting votes in nigeria people wait to see who will be the next president.