. >> this is al jazeera america america live from new york city. i'm michael yves. iran nuclear talks deadline. struggles reaching a deal with iran developing a nuclear bomb. and the religious law ruling. changes to indiana's controversial law that critics say allow discrimination against gays and lesbians.

>> secretary of state john kerry said that he and other foreign ministers will work through the night to resolve tricky issues blocking the agreement. the diplomatic editor james bays reports from switzerland saying there is cautious optimism going into the final hours of the talks. >> the talks here in their last difficult leg. >> is it going well, secretary certificate kerry? >> we're working hard. >> they're trying to hammer out a deal with iran counter part. they've been joined by foreign ministers of the so-called p5+1 countries, china, u.k. france, germany and russia. it was an important meeting but it shows there is no deal to be

signed yet. sergei lavrov, who arrived in lausanne 4 hours earlier decided to leave again. he may be back close to the deadline on tuesday. the break of negotiations in the middle of the day with chinese foreign minister went for a jog along lake gentlemen geneva. later he told reporters positions are narrowing. i'm cautiously optimistic we can reach a deal. it's just a matter of hours to go before the deadline. secretary kerry took a walk discussing the remaining sticking points. >> in the negotiations of such complexity and such high stakes it is not unnatural for brinksmanship to go on until the

last minute, until the 11th hour. each party is hoping that the other will budge at the last minute. but i think the negotiators understand very clearly that they're running out of time, and this process is no longer sustainable. >> talks are continuing on the main problem areas of the future of iran's nuclear research and development and the lifting of international sanctions. time ahead of that deadline is fast running out. james bays, al jazeera, lausanne. >> we're joined now by president of the american-iran council and former iran presidential date. always good to have you back in our institutes. >> thank you. >> we heard from secretary of state john kerry saying that some hard decisions have to be made, and he's directing that towards iran. what compromises have to be made for any type of deal to be worked out.

>> they're expecting iran to do a few things first not all sanctions be lifted in the beginning, that they have to accept a gradual lifting of sanctions. and going along for us, second, they're expecting iran to forego research and development almost completely, and then after ten years they may start developing some level of it. they're also expecting iran to agree to send some sent to russia. these are serious demands on iran, and it will have to be very tough for iran to deliver it. >> you mentioned uranium. sunday they step back. they won't do that. why is that such a sticking point for iran to send uranium out of the country? >> it's basically a colonial issue, it is a very sensitive issue. under the colombian rule the

colonial rule, they would put them in final commodities return to the colonial places, colonies. iran has been thinking is there a colony that i should be producing this uranium send it to russia and get fuel rods back. it's just like the early 20th century that iran would produce cotton, raw silk. they would send it to england and turned into textile, and then returned to iran aztecs tile. that would mean that iran has lost sovereignty. it's an issue of sovereignty. >> a very deep cultural issue added to that. >> very deep cultural issue.

>> they don't want a written agreement. they just want a handshake. >> he's afraid that written deal will be exposed to the public. he does not want that exposed to the public in iran and elsewhere, "the modern world." >> why not though? shouldn't the world know what is being agreed to? >> before it's done and on paper a lot of people would jeopardize and he would come under tremendous pressure because after all it is the americans. >> he doesn't want to look like he lost too much. >> they don't want it published to iran and the modern world and what they gave up to the demands that americans have made. they have been for 36 years saying that nobody can tell us what to do and what not to do.

and now here is a case where the americans and telling iran what to do and what not to do. they want to distribute quiet and behind the scenes. >> let me ask you one more question for the sake of argument let's be pessimist i can. let's say that a deal does fought get done, what happens then? >> i wrote an article some months ago saying basically what will happen, a series of amenities that will end up in a good deal later on. i don't think there would ever be a comprehensive deal. that word comprehensive is unfortunate. they should never have put that word on the table. they should have gone after small little deals as they've done in the past and they'll be doing the same next time and then a month later and gradually get the iranian ukraine uranium

deal metered and that's the way they should have gone. >> let's hope that this deal comes to fruition. the president of the american iranian council and former presidential iranian candidate. >> thank you. >> at one time two countries were close allies. patricia has a look at this complicated relationship. >> given that there has been mistrust that characterized the u.s.' relationship with iran for decades, in 1967 there was a decision that washington would come to regret. >> in is the 1953, iran's iran

is overflown by a coup. in 1967 u.s. provided iran with its first research reactor. but in 1979, iran's relationship with united states toppled down. they would hold hostages for 444 days. khomeini shut counsel iran's nuclear program only to restart it in 1948 during the hype of the iran-iraq war. in 1992, israel raises the alarm claiming that iran is on track to have nuclear weapons by the end of the decade, a warning echoed through the corridors of washington. >> iran exports terror. >> 2002 president george w. bush labels iran as part of the axis of evil.

later that year an opposition group claims tehran has built an uranium enrichment facility. in 2003 international inspectors find traces of enriched weapons grade ukraine yum. tehran agrees to suspend it's enrichment program and allow unannounced inspections. but in 2006 newly elected hard line president mahmood ahmadinejad resumes uranium enrichment leading the security council to vote unanimously to impose sanctions on iran. in 2011 president obama turns the sanctions screws tighter barring financial institutions conducting with iran's central bank. a mood that culminatess in europe cutting iran off from the known global system. amen 2012, israel's prime minister speaking at the u.n. uses a cartoon to illustrate's

iran's nuclear threat. by 2013 it's exports and elect new president. president obama speaks by phone with president rouhani. the first in 36 years. iran agrees to stop a portion of its nuclear program for the lifting of partial sanctions. >> now we'll see if iran and six world powers can form a political framework that could lead to a comprehensive deal in june. >> thank you. the pentagon denies a report that a drone strike killed two

iranian adviser in iraq. but they said that they did not conduct any man mannenned- or unmanned airstrikes in that area until two days later. y men's foreign minister blamed attacks on the rebels. >> they're always trying to have a human shield. houthies they're going to place place-- >> these are the victims of a saudi-led airstrike. dozens were killed or injured. it's the highest death toll since the start of the military

intervention in yemen. the houthies say the victims were civilians who were forced out of their villages and sought refuge on the board of saudi arabia. saudi military officers say houthies are to blame. >> howes have weapons and fight necessary areas where we have civilians. we stress we do our best to prevent civilian casualtyies. we have no confirmation this was a refugee camp. >> the targeting of movements of houthi fight necessary southern areas. the aim is to prevent them from transing towards the sea port city of raiden. ammunition depos. answered aircraft batteries were also hit. houthi supporters took to the

treats of the capital of sanaa to announce the attract is. >> this aggression does not effect us. it only increases our determination and strength. >> they say they will continue until those loyal to former president ali abdullah saleh hand over their weapons and join talks. >> nigerians are waiting to find out the result of the presidential election. analysts say that the croat is too close to call. good luck, gentlemen. the final reports is expected by tomorrow. many two of our al jazeera colleagues are still being detained by the nigerian military. they'll been held in their hotel

in maidiguri since tuesday. al jazeera is demanding their release. reports say that the pilot of the germanwings plane that was crashed into the alps had sought treatment for suicidal tendencyies. >> the news of the prosecute prosecutors in düsseldorf. learned that he had suffered from depression in 2009 and at that point he was experiencing suicidal tendencies. that was important because germanwings and it's parent company lufthansa had given him

tests and he passed them and he was found able to take controls of the plane. we know he took controls of the plane, locked out the captain and made this fatal dive into the alps. chancellor angela merkel will be in berlin to talk about this disaster and confirm the fatalityies on the day of the accident, on tuesday of last week. and the memorial will be held and the chancellor and president will be in attendance to mark the memorial for the 149 innocent victims that andreas lubitz took to his their deaths.

>> committing suicide by crashing a passenger plane is unusual, but it's not for pilots in single-engine planes. 44 pilots has died and 44 were men. >> gunmen open fired on tourists. tunisian government said that the chief operator of was killed in an assault in a raid. the fbi trying to figure out why two men dressed as women attempted attempt run their vehicle into a security gate.

>> now federal investigators are trying to figure out why two men in a stolen suv tried to ram the gate of national security agency's headquarters in fort meade, maryland. what do authorities know so far? >> well, michael here are the facts as we know them so far. 9:00 this morning two men dressed as women as you say are driving an suv. they approach the main entrance gate to the national security agency just off the major highway. they're directed to stop at the gate. they did not stop. they drove through the checkpoint. they got through a secondary checkpoint where pop-up barriers were employed. and then the car tried to turn around to get off the base. it's egress was blocked by a police vehicle. the police then ran the vehicle and the police open fired killing the driver and wounding the passenger.

a small amount of coin was cocaine was found in the vehicle. the vehicle had been stolen this morning. >> are the investigators giving an idea of what the facts suggest? >> they're not saying, but if you can connect the dots a little bit. this apparently started last night when these two men were met by the owner of the suv. the three are alleged to have spent the night together in a motel up the road in married. and then apparently the two men dressed as women took the victim's vehicle and headed off down the road. the man called--the victim called the police and reported the car stolen. i've driven this section many

times, and i can tell you the exit for nsa, while it says restricted access, it is not difficult to get get off at that accident. the authorities will stop you at the gate and direct you to turn around. they'll take your drivers license and hand it back to you as you head out. they men made an unwise decision not to stop and tried to drive away. one man paid with his life and the other seriously injured. >> thank you. >> the pentagon has suggested update be.

the meant gone wants 6,000 people for cyber mission. right now the military has half that number. another proposed change, mid career breaks. ash carter will consider sabbaticals for troops to go to school or start a family. many say that the fda's process takes too long and they say that means there is little hope of finding an experimental treatment that could save their lives. kimberly halkett explains. >> reporter: ten months ago jay smith was at the height of his career as ceo of a music technology company when he was diagnosed with als. it's a form of motor neuron disease like that suffered by physicist stephen hawking. there is no cure. >> it started with slurred

words. now we're in a wheelchair. the hands aren't working. the speech is going. >> smith has joined dozens of other als patients to lobbyer food and drug administration the body that regulates pharmaceuticals in the u.s. they want access to an experimental drug that could save jay's life, among others. they also want reform so patients can access experimental drugs. >> we're telling them that the status quo is not good enough. they need to do everything in their power to speed the search for a cure. >> the fda approval process could take more than a decade. the average als patient lives three years after diagnosis. fighting government for the try right to try experimental

medications. >> the right to try movement would like to alter the way experimental drugs are used in the united states and allowing experimental drugs to be fast tracked for patients who need it. ten states have granted access to experimental drugs. >> in europe drugs tend to get approved earlier. in this country they could be approved earlier. because it would save so many lives. it's doable. >> the u.s. government last year allowed u.s. ebola patients to receive life-saving experimental medicines. the smiths say they want the same opportunity. >> that's really the first thing thing. if i have to wait i won't be around. >> they say they're already in the fight of their lives, and

they don't want to fight their government too. kimberly halkett washington. >> doctors sat the national institute of health say an ebola patient has been upgraded from critical to serious condition. the patient who caught the virus in sierra leone earlier this month and had been in west africa treating patients since november. >> victims going face-to-face with those blamed for problems at a wisconsin care facility. plus taking on hillary clinton. the toughest criticism yet of the democrat presidential hopeful from maryland's former govern. that's coming up in today's power politics.

>> welcome back to al jazeera. i'm michael yves. revisions are come together indiana state new religious restoration act.

the governor said that it the wording should make it clear that the law does not allow discrimination against gays and lesbians. >> they say the backlash only seems to grow since this bill was signed into law. corporations, universities joining into the concern of this law. apple's ceo has criticized as has walmart and others across the country. they say that this law only protects people from doing something that violates their basic religious freedom and rights and does not force them to do anything other than that insisting it does not discrimination. but other people have very different interpretation of this law saying that it allows businesses in indiana to refuse to serve gay people. the outcry only continues to grow. the governor did not answer

basic questions about this legislation and critics say did not defend the law clearly enough. >> hoosiers do not believe in discrimination. this is protecting liberty of every hoosier of every faith. >> will it protect gays and lesbians. >> you're trying to make this issue about something else. >> so now today after that indiana republicans held a news conference earlier admitting that they will revisit this law. they're concerned about the outcry, and all the businesses even towns threatening to boycott indiana or discourage travel here. republicans say they're going to work to clarify this law. >> what senator long and i are here today to state is to the extent that that might be the affect of the bill we're prepared to encourage our

legislative colleagues to take immediate action to clarify that in every way. >> now the democrats say that will not happen. by the way the law supporters insist the language as it stands now does not discriminate butted a myth that it does need to be clarified. as one lawmaker said, they hope to calm the seas directed at this bill and also directed at indiana. >> i know you just arrived in indianapolis today, did you get the sense that since you've been on the ground how this is effecting the people in the city and also the state? >> well there, was a lot of anger towards this bill, michael. almost all the civic leaders have spoken out against this law. they're very concerned about how it makes the state and the city overall look, and many people

here are very upset it about it, and slightly relieved that republicans are coming out and saying that changes are needed, and the language at the very least needs to be clarified. >> jonathan betz reporting live. thank you. meeting on veteran's healthcare. they were there to talk about problems at the veteran's medical center. erica has more on the story. >> it was an emotional congressional hearing. whistle blowers and veteran's families were given a chance to publicly face v.a. officials overseaing the wisconsin v.a. medical facility. the basis of their complaint that doctors are overprescribing veterans with painkillers and sedatives. it has triggered investigations by state and federal agencies.

in august of last year a young marine died while the v.a. said he had aneurysm the autopsy revealed his death was the result of mixed drugs of a dozen drugs prescribed to him. >> there isn't a day that goes by that i don't regret that morning. i can't get that thought out of my head. i wish i would have been there for him. i love jason and still do with all of my heart and miss him every day. jason was proud to be a marine and to serve this country. i've argued with jason's doctors about them overmedicating him. i was i was always told i wasn't italy patient even though i was his dad who truly cared about him. >> he was not the only person to die. many other veterans were treated

with usually high amounts of opi opi ates, and there was one conversation that revealed that doctors and nurses at the center of the controversy are still employed at the v.a. hospital, and they're still on the payroll. some families we know have filed suit against the v.a. they're hoping to make sure that this does not happen to any other families. >> very emotional when you put your care into the government's hands from a healthcare standpoint and a father loses a son. erica, thank you so much. discouraging members to providing jobs for execution. --providing drugs for use in executions. in recent years prison departments have had difficulty finding execution drugs because death penalty opponents convince

pharmaceutical companies from selling them. kevin broomfield's lawyer said that he's mentally impair and cannot be put to death. after louisiana court turned down bloomfield's execution, the judge decided he could not be put to death. the executive director of the death penalty n center, and he joins us now robert, is there is chance that the supreme court will decline to hear this case? because it could set a huge precedence. >> well, the court did hear the case today and in oral arguments today the court had a lot of trouble with both sides i think the question before the

court is how broadly and narrowly they're going to review the facts of the case. >> they did hear the case, but they're not required to necessarily issue a decision in this case, is that correct? >> that's true. i think it may be unusual, but the court was troubled by a couple of things. number one how broad or narrow the question was presented. the united states supreme court clearly stated in 2002 it was unconstitutional to execute people who had intellectual disability. and mr. bloomfield did not get any hearing at all in state court about his intellectual ability. when asked the court said no. when asked for funding the court said no. at federal court the federal granted him funding.

do you defer to the process offered by the state court or door listen to the evidence only evidentiary hearing. >> it left it up for the state to decide the intellectual aptitude. >> i don't think this case will have any implications in terms of who is determined to have intellectual disability. it may have implications for the process that states use in determining who has intellectual disability. there is no question here about the substance of mr. bloomfield's deficits.

he has an quakes of 75 or below which is intellectually disabled. he has provided evidence of functional disabilities. functional impairments, which is the second part of the definition, and he has had those deficits prior to turning age 18. that's the core of the substantive mental retardation. the question is what do they have to offer to prove that he does or does not have intellectual disability. i think there might be some implication there is because what louisiana did was base its decision on a pre-existing trial record, a record that was formed prior to the united states supreme court decision and the state court relied on evidence that was presented during a trial at a time in which the defendant had no obligation to present any evidence of mental retardation, which is what intellectual disability was known as at the time, and during

a period had he presented that evidence the jury would have been able to use it against him in saying if you have mental retardation you might be a danger to society in the future. it is relevant to the question of whether he should live or die. that's why the supreme court in atkins has said that you need determination specifically of the question of intellectual disability. >> i believe one of the reasons why this case can be confusing or complicated for people listening to we have two systems of court here. we have the state court and the federal court. louisiana is saying that we're the state court. the 2002 precedence set and we determine that level. but the federal court said that he should at least have it. what do you think the ultimate outcome of this should be or could be? well the important outcome, we

have a system where there are state courts and federal cuts. under the habeas this is where this case gets interesting. because the state court has to decide to base its decision that mr. brumfield does not have disability, and base that decision on a trial that was held before this was even an issue. if the supreme court said that's reasonable there is nothing that they can do. but then you're left with the following scenario. the only court ever to hear evidence about mr. brumfield's

intellectual disability is to determine if he has intellectual disability. and if what the supreme court finds what they did reasonable, and they find have to let him be executed. >> thank you so much for the insight. well, the prosecution has rested its case in the trial of the boston marathon bombing tsarnaev. he's facing 30 criminal charges 17 of those carry the death penalty. two former federal agents are accused of stealing the agency bitcoin. it was part of the investigation

to silk road, a site where people can buy drugs and other illegal items. now they face money laundering and wire fraud charges. >> in switzerland secretary of state john kerry said he and his counterparts from iran and other world powers will be working through the night. there is less than 24 hours for them to create the framework of a deal for iran to curve their nuclear ram. >> it would focus on the number of centerfuges that iran is allowed to keep. they estimate that iran's in huges 10,000 are working that could allowed iran enough to enrich uranium sufficient to build a bomb. iran said they would bring it down to 6,000 and others are inspectors would be given access to said sites.

the truth is, that there is a complicated political and strategic backdrop to these negotiations that may be pushing the u.s. and iran towards an agreement despite how little--not likely it seems right now. in the last week sunni-dominated saudi arabia has led airstrikes against houthi fighters. houthies are see i shia. who saudi say receive their support from iran. they compete to help iraqi forces to take on isil fighters on the ground. isil are sunnies. but in a new twist the u.s.-led airstrikes are helping iraqi forces, and they're backed by iran taking the city of tikrit from isil's hands. it's probably a stretch to say that iran and u.s. are working together in iraq, but they

appear to go working at cross burns in yemen. anyway this would be viewed as a plus for the united states and removing sanctions on iran would help to boost iran's i depressive economy. >> ali velshi thanks a lot. you can watch ali velshi every night at 10:30 eastern and 7:30 pacific. president obama will be visiting kenya early this summer. it will be mr. obama's fourth drip to sub-saharan africa. there are growing indications that one prominent democrat intends to challenge having for the party's presidential nomination. other parties are taking notice. >> testing the waters for presidential campaign form maryland martin o'malley is now jabbing at the likely front runners, hillary clinton and

republican jeb bush. >> the presidency of the united states is not some crown to be passed between two families. it is an awesome and sacred trust. >> o'malley said that the nation would benefit from new leadership and new perspectives. >> we need a president who is on our side. a president who is willing to take on powerful, wealthy special interests. >> is hillary clinton not the candidate to take on those special interests? >> i don't know where she stands. would she represent a break from the past? well, on. >> he has promoted his progressive record on immigration, gun control and gain marriage and has used economic pop populism to their feet. >> together we will make that dream come true again. >> o'malley took a shot at the

clinton's. for many progressives progressive. spending millions to lure warren into the race, but warren insists she isn't running. that has left some democrats to look for an alternative. >> if he doesn't have a primary challenger, i don't think she'll raise these issues on her own. >> meanwhile this guitar guitar-strumming former governor who also sings in his own band is sparking intrigue. [♪ singing ♪] >> anan progressive hillary

clinton said that any progressive would be music to their heirs. >> e cigarette effective. the challenge in a ecigs can help smokers kick the habit. and getting ready for the next leg of its flight.

>> more now in the growing backlash against the so-called religious freedom bill in indiana. it was signed into law last week. critics say the measure will be used to discriminate against gays and lesbian. sports attorney and founder of romano law, a firm specializing in sports and business law. this is a huge week for the city

of indiana because the final four will be held there this weekend. we saw protests about the final four in indianapolis. do you see this new law having any affect whatsoever on the tournament this weekend? >> yes, i do. and there is precedent for this kind of thing. i mean, this law is i will conceived. it wasn't well thought out. and now four days after it's pass they're talking about amending and revising it. i think there is a possible protest going on. >> there have been calls for people not only to boycott internally displaced people, but to move it out of indianapolis. some people don't understand how big of an event this is. we're talking about tens ever thousands of hotel rooms and they could not just move it, but they could recommend next year. >> this is huge business. but there is a precedent for

this. the players conceivably have a voice. in 1965, the afl players walked off from the all-star game in january that have year when it was to be held in new orleans and the game had to be re rescheduled and moved to texas. you're right further games and future considerations of the ncaa will be weighed heavily here in response to what the governor does in this of a large avalanche of protest. >> let's talk about how big this one event can be for any city that decides to host it. when you go back to 2012 when the event was in new orleans it brought in $135 million. in 2013, it went down to half at $70 million. in 2014 it was 2014 brought in $276 million. and the projected impact this

year is $70 million. the last time they had it in in 2010 that's $50 million. that's a lot of missed revenue in the state of finished they decide not to have this event here again. how could this affect local and state economies? >> i think you're seeing it. even the chamber of commerce is coming out and speaking negatively about this law. you're seeing it on the left and on the right. everyone is speaking out against this law and i i don't think that the lawmakers throughout this through. i don't think they expected this kind of response. the nfl will reconsider having the draft combine in indianapolis, and i think it could have significant repercussions. i think you'll see a push to have the law not just amended but being repealed. >> there are two major sports

teams interest as well. the indiana pacers and the colts as well. we haven't heard anything from roger goodell or anything in their decision to bring the game back. that's the biggest sporting event in the country. from your standpoint what do you think the future bid could be in that state. >> i think the future that have event could be at jeopardy and other large sporting events could be in jeopardy unless the state significantly reconsiders what it's trying to do here. >> domenic romano specializing in as sports attorney. thank you very much. according to the league, falcons used recorded crowd noise. that's against league rules because that could give unfair

advantage, and they will lose two picks in the upcoming draft. ads offering tips to help smokers quick. but not everyone likes the new government campaign. >> for 30 years shawn robinson used to smoke up to a pack of cigarettes a day. until he discovered e-cigarettes. >> i was like, wow. i just quit smoking. i don't think my mom even believes i quit smoking. i've smoked that long. >> e-cigarettes have been touted as an antismoking tool. it allows smokers to decrease the amount of nicotine they're taking in, eventually being able to quick the happen. but now the

>> many adults who think they're going to get off cigarettes by taking in e-cigarettes are still continuing to smoke if they had not taken up the e-cigarettes. >> most people when use e-cigarettes as a cessation tool also continue to smoke. and they fear the fruity vapors may attract children. robinson disagrees with the arguments. he's convinced that the e-cigarettes can reduce nicotine defendcy. so much so that he even opened up an e-cigarette business. >> i'm proof that they do everybody good. >> despite u.s. government

warnings to the contrary. >> with a look at what is coming up at the top of the hour john seigenthaler joins us. >> coming up at 8:00 tonight eastern time will there be a deal on iran's nuclear program as the international delegation works on an agreement could it involve oversight from the u.s. congress? we'll have reaction from congress. and robert reich served in the clinton administration and two other administrations as well. we talked about an economy gap in this country. >> you have increasingly have workers in other countries that demand far lower wages and second is technology itself in terms of displacing more and more workers from good jobs. and then you have also a failure of politics. a failure of government to come up with ways to boost and

maintain good jobs basically for the last 30 years and i can say this because i was secretary of labor, and i failed to do what i think should have been done or could have been done. we've seen government in this country especially of failing to protect jobs and wages. >> and the face of late night comedy. well, it's changing. we now know who is taking over the daily show when jon stewart steps in. we look at how a south african comedian's view of the world will change the tone and the viewership of the show. >> i look forward to it. interest is an update on a landmark journey around the world. the solar-paneled aircraft had landed in china after a 20-hour trip from myanmar. the winds from pushing the plane backwards. the plane's crew will stay in china until the weather is good enough for a five-day,

five-night flight to hawai'i. john seigenthaler will be back in just a few minutes. for the latest news any time go to www.aljazeera.com. have a great evening.

. >> hi everyone, this is al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler. >> deadline, time is running out on a nuclear deal with iran. what could hold it up, and what is at stake? fatal "d"fatal descent the new of course about the german co-pilot co-pilot. >> battleground state backlash against indiana's new religious freedom law now the proposed changes t