attractions and not as a bitter reminder of the excessive rule by the marcoss. >> al jazeera western philippines. >> you can keep up to date with all the news on our website aljazeera.com. >> deadline day the clock winds down for a long term nuclear deal with iran. its program and global security hang in the against. >> an election that could tip the balance of power in africa, nigeria's capitol where voters wait to hear who won a presidential vote. >> facing the fallout indiana's governor mike pens defend his

controversial law. why the fight could move to arkansas next. >> this is aljazeera america live from new york city, i'm stephanie sy. it could be a historic day for relations between the u.s. and iran. secretary of state john kerry and other top diplomatics in switzerland have until midnight local time, that's about 11 hours from now to reach a framework deal on limiting iran's nuclear program. let's go to james bays in lausanne where the talks are taking operation. james, what is the sense you're getting there are the differences narrowing? >> >> i think the differences are narrowing, but they're still trying to work out something that they can present in the form they can present it to the public. as you say, 10 and a half hours left.

this has been such a protracted and complex and controversial series of negotiations, on and off for 12 years, for the last couple of weeks, 12 days of negotiations, seven different delegations in the hotel behind me, they are getting close but they are not there until they've got an agreement. i think there still are some potential sticking points and some sticking points on perhaps the wording of what they're going to say when they present this to the public and how they present it. >> you talk about the different delegations that are there. are the players united at this point? we spoke yesterday about russia, sergey lavrov, the foreign minister leaving. is he back at the negotiating table? >> he headed off he went back to moscow, said he had business and said when there was something that was looking realistic in terms of an agreement, he would be back. well he has now decided he's going to come back here in

lausanne. he gave a press conference before he left moscow and he he sounded optimistic. >> i'm plan to go return to the talks and take part in the final session. i would say this round of negotiations has a good chance of success if the participants don't bring forward any new demands which may change the balance that now exists. >> the words of sergey lavrov, the russian foreign minister who we believe now is on his way back here to lausanne. no agreement will be announced clearly until he's here. there is still work going on. some of the words we're getting from some more optimistic than others. it's going to be played out i think until very close to the end. as we say that deadline still over 10 hours away. >> ok, al jazeera's james bays for us in lausanne, switzerland james, thank you. >> the deadline may be hours away but the technical details on the number of iran's

centrifuges may take a while to work out. our science and technology correspondent james ward explains why attempts to limit iran's nuclear capabilities could backfire. >> it seems logical if the u.s. and allies want to deprive iran of a nuclear weapon, they should simply limit the centrifuges with which the country can enrich uranium but placing a limit might have the opposite effect. >> by limiting them to a small number we're limiting them to the number you need for a weapon. >> the reason is that it actually takes fewer sentry finals to create a weapon than it takes to create a steady supply of nuclear fuel. that's what so few people understand. it takes tens of tons of nuclear material to power a reactor for a single year but only 25 kilograms or 55 pounds of uranium to build a nuclear

weapon. there is a push for a deal for iran to retain 6,000 century finals down from 20,000. the trouble is, it takes 5,000 centrifuges to build a weapon. in a study a harvard researchers said 6,500 centrifuges gives iran a seven month time table for enriching enough for a nuclear weapon. it's not just a matter of centrifuges. weapons-grade uranium has to be the highly enriched variety. took clear fuel only four to 5%, the fuel for energy program is easier to make. that's actually not saying much, here's why. once you've made the leap from raw uranium you're well on your way to 90% and you have to make 1,000 times fewer kilograms of that uranium to have something

for a nuclear weapon. iran has only one nuclear power station. russia supplies the necessary knack clear fuel for that. iran would need 10 times for centrifuges to supply that station itself. most observers believe by reducing the number of centrifuges, the u.s. and allies hope to lengthen the so-called breakout period, the time it would take iran to build a nuclear bomb but reducing the number of centrifuges wipes out hope that iran might have of supplying its own fuel to produce its own nuclear power. >> a senior analyst focused on iran's nuclear program joins us from the talks in lausanne. great to see you. from what you are gathering there, seeing, hearing in your view is some agreement going to happen by this deadline tonight or as some reports are saying, are we going to see another extension of some sort?

>> we're quite close to the finish line and gaps narrowing. the talks ever to continue. even if we get an understanding this is not a final agreement. the negotiators will have to write a skeleton of this agreement and then put in all the very complicated technical annexes and implementation plan. therefore, the talks will continue with enormous amount of effort required by the end of june. this is not the finish line per se but we're really close to reaching a commonly and mutually acceptable formula. >> and yet there were also reports including in the wall street journal that the iranian negotiators may be constrained by what the supreme leader ultimately wants. iran has always insisted its nuclear development was for civilian purposes. do we know what the supreme

leader is willing to accept? >> i think both sides are constrained by their domestic pack addition. both sides have red lines. sometimes these red lines don't overlap and this has been one of the reasons that these negotiations have taken 18 months but i think the sign of seriousness on both sides especially on the side of iran is they accepted the interim agreement that was signed in geneva a year and a half ago and they've remained committed to their commitment under that agreement. if they didn't want to deal, i don't think they would engage as seriously as they ever in these negotiations. obviously we need a formula that is sellable to scent skeptics back home in iran and the u.s. unfair deals beget unfaithful

deal makers. >> you've gotten a sense from the obama administration that if this deadline and some framework agreement is not reached tonight by this deadline, there is a possibility that congress reconvenes next month and there are more sanctions. do you have a sense of that pressure there on the ground? >> absolutely. the biggest wildcard in these negotiations is the u.s. congress which has put enormous amount of pressure on the u.s. negotiators. no other negotiating team is under as much pressure as the u.s. team and congress has threatened new legislation upon its return from recess on april 14. if you want for the u.s. teams the real deadline is today, in the hope that if they reach an understanding, they have less than two weeks to write a text that they can then present to u.s. congress.

>> reporting to us from lausanne from the international crisis group, thank you for your insight. >> iran denies it's playing to role in the yemen fighting with that saudi-led airstrikes overnight again targeted houthi rebels. bombs hit a weapons storage facility in sanna. the coalition struck targets in nine of yemen's 18 provinces. monday as many as 40 people were killed and hundreds injured when airstrikes hit a camp housing refugees in the north. iran insists it is not backing the rebels, contrary to what yemen's government and arab leaders have said. >> there be a number of iranian revolutionary guards on the ground but they started operating more in the open. there are many advisors supported by iran, mercenaries from lebanon syria and other place all operating under the guidance of iran. >> coalition naval forces say they have blocked yemen's ports

to prevent rebel fighters from rearming. >> votes are still being counted this morning in nigeria. early returns though incumbent goodluck jonathan trailing former military leader muhammedu buhari. we are live from nigeria. what is the latest there and how soon can we expect to see more results? >> the chairman of the national electoral commission is announcing the results. we know already that the main opposition presidential candidate muhammedu buhari has 13 states and the incumbent president goodluck jonathan has got 11 of those states. the winner of this race not only needs a clear majority of the national votes they also have to get at least 25% of the votes in 24 of nigeria's 36 states. if the incumbent fails to do

that if the main opposition fails to do that, this race will go to a runoff in a week's time. it will be the first time in nigeria's democracy has has ever happened. we are still waiting. you can hear behind me the chairman announcing the results from several more states. it will be a clearer picture who has won this race so far. >> going into this, you reported that this was going to be a tight race. is this initial vote count a cause for concern for the sitting president good luck jonathan and his supporters? >> it seems to be, because just minutes ago there was a small fracas here. a former minister in the ruling party took to the stage took the microphone and started to demand the resignation of the chairman saying that the commission is partial to the opposition. now, people are saying in the

opposition that this is evidence if anybody needed it that the incumbent president goodluck jonathan is losing this election and the fact that a former minister appointed by him took to the stage in such a way and we saw the results announcement suspended for 10 minutes is everyday that the president is losing this election. international election commission are urging people to wait for all the results to just be patient and wait for a definitive number to come out. >> all right reporting from nigeria, thank you. >> continuing backlash this morning to indiana's religious freedom law the most talked about story in today's digit albeit getting attention on aljazeera.com. the indianapolis star's front page today has gone viral fiction it now. the image has been retweeted hundred was times and the paper is urging the governor to repeal the law. in a wall street journal op ed,

governor mike pens said the law has been grossly misconstrued as a license to discriminate. calls for a boycott against the city have prompted republican indianapolis mayor greg ballard to speak out against the law. he he's promoting the hash tag indy welcomes all. >> 40 years of history as one of the most hospitable communities in america should not be placed in jeopardy with this act. this isn't about politics. this is not about p.r. this is about doing what's right. >> ballard signed an executive order that anyone receiving city funds must abide by its human rights ordinance. a number of stores also looking to distance themselves from the law. many stores tweeting out pictures of signs and stickers at their establishments letting customers know they will serve everyone. >> florida republican senator and likely presidential candidate marco rubio supporting

the indiana law saying the law is necessary to stop the government from forcing business own oars to vital their religious views. he also acknowledged the legislation has sparked a difficult debate. rubio is expected to announce his bid for the white house next month. >> this fight moves to arkansas. lawmakers could approve their version of a religious freedom bill today. >> shame on you! >> protestors took their chance to the statehouse monday, saying the allow would allow for discrimination against gays and lesbians. >> the defense begins its case in the boston marathon bombing trial. what's happening in court and the emotional end to the prosecution's case. >> a new outlook from government scientists this morning why they expect a year of harsh weather across the country.

>> >> welcome back to aljazeera america. taking a look at today's top stories, lufthansa says insurers are setting aside $300 million to cover costs from last week's crash of a germanwings jet. the company offered around $54,000 each to the relatives of the victims. 150 people died after the plane crashed into the french alps.

>> thailand military backed prime minister plans to lift martial law. former army commander led a coo last year that overthrew the elected government. critics say the prime minister has unchecked authority over all branches of government. >> the search on for a prisoner after he grabbed a gun and escaped from a hospital near washington d.c. fairfax hospital is on lockdown. it is unclear why he was at the hospital or whether anyone was hurt. >> the defense has its first full day in court today at the trial of accused boston marathon bomber dzhokar tsarnaev. federal prosecutors rested their side on monday, after presenting gruesome photos and testimony that included disturbing details of an 8-year-old victim killed while watching the marathon. john henry smith is here. good morning what can we expect to hear from the defense? >> we'll start with what you cannot expect. you can't expect the defense to

make the case that the now 21-year-old dzhokar tsarnaev was not involved n bombing. they conceded that point on day one. they will present that he was manipulated by his brother. they'll counter arguments from the prosecution. jurors heard emotional testimony about the bombing deaths of a 23-year-old and 29-year-old. the jury saw more images of the younger tsarnaev seeming nonchalant in the aftermath of the attack. the prosecution finished up reminding jurors with this picture that even if dzhokar tsarnaev wasn't the matter mind. he did purposely leave a kettle bomb right next to young martin richard. the chief examiner testified that it ravaged the boy's body. >> several jurors openly cried as they looked at autopsy photos of the little boy. several male jurors put their hands to their faces at they

looked at the photos. the last question asked was how old was martin richard. the answer was he was eight years old. >> the prosecution took two weeks to make its case. the defense is expected to be done by the end of the week. tsarnaev faces 30 counts, 17 of which could result in the death penalty. >> the government has its latest weather outlook. it is not necessarily good news. how are things looking in the next months? >> we are still dealing with the ramifications of winter. across the country today, there is 9% of the country still has snow on the ground. the northeast anywhere from northern pennsylvania up toward maine, about 90% of the area still that snow on the ground, so flooding is one of the concerns especially in the northeast. if we get a really big temperature warmup, that could happen quickly. fortunately, it's staying cool.

i know a lot of people would like spring weather but it's helped us with the flooding. the west coast expected to stay in that warm temperature area, and that is not good news. we were warm through most of the winter and that is exacerbating drought conditions in places like california. speaking of drought, we have more of those outlooks ahead in just about an hour from now. >> nicole, later today countries around the world are supposed to submit proposals to lower pollution to the u.n. i understand not every country is going to do that. >> not only not every country but it's not even close. if you look at the united nations which has 200 members. about 30 will meet that deadline today. what the deadline was was two years ago the u.n. came out and said please do these submissions by today in advance of a conference taking place in september in paris on climate

change. the u.s. is submitting a proposal. about 30 countries are but some of the big emitters, china, i understand i can't russia are not expected to submit proposals. some say they'll do it closer to the time of the actual conference but that kind of defeats the purpose. they wanted he really everything in early to compare proposals. >> nicole, thank you. >> in today's tech beat, crash test did you meanies are in the midst of a makeover, becoming heavier to better r the weight of the population. that's not the only change. did you meanies are also going high tech. >> lights! >> camera. >> 48 points. >> and action. welcome to crash hall at the insurance institute of highway safety in virginia where every year, they'll smash a understand

trash 70 new vehicles to let you know which new cars are safe. high speed cameras allow researchers to slow down the accident to study how the body absorbs the effects of a crash. it's all done with a fleet of state of the art crash test did you meanies with up wards of 50 embedded sensors. they are pricey and smart did you meanies. >> on each sensor, we are recording 10,000 samples of data per second. we have an investment of about $250,000 per dummy. with did you meanies, of course, it's very difficult to predict things like soft tissue injuries. >> crash test dummies have been used and are getting more sophisticated with 3-d computer models. >> for the bodies exterior,

three dimensional laser scan captured 500,000 points on the body in 12 seconds. from that, an avatar of the external body shape is created. the goal is to create a wide spectrum of digit digital dummies. >> what i find fascinating are the layers going from external all the way through to internal. >> we have a statistical model that can predict the bone geometry based on age gender, stature. rough live 2 million elements adjusted on a single person. >> this is a fantastic graphic of really i illustrating the different impacts with different body shapes that. >> this is one example of how obesity can affect the crash. all the fat right here in the belt cannot quickly load on to

the pelvis. for this particular simulation, this will have higher interest. >> someday in the future, everything might be done with computer models. i think we're safe to say we're going to be using vehicle crashes for sometime to come. >> later today how new technologies can affect your life. >> a volcanic eruption creates the newest land mass in the world. meet the man who was the first to step foot on the island.

>> a look at a new island in the south pacific an underwater volcano spewed rock and ash creating the new land mass. this man was the first to step foot on it. >> it was a big eruption creating an island in front of the capitol. coming up from the middle of nowhere in between other two islands. one was the one that already erupted a couple of years ago. >> we will come very close. >> now is connected with the new island with a huge, huge black beach. we was waiting until the smoke fell down to land in the new

island. last week, we did it. it was myself together with a couple of friends. we went by boat. >> i was the first person to put my feet on top of the island. >> the south face, it was very slippery. all around the volcano is plenty of i can say canyon, two and a half meter deep. you have to walk inside the canyon to go on top of the volcano. the surface was really, really soft like sand. it's quite easy to reach the island and not so far but you're going to be prepared. it is not for everybody. >> you'll see water in the streets without rain... >> now fighting back with a revolutionary new technology >> there de-watering the

ground... >> this is the first time anybodies done this before >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> this is my selfie, what can you tell me about my future? >> can affect and surprise us. >> don't try this at home. >> "techknow" where technology meets humanity. only on al jazeera america.

>> deadline day iran nuclear talks go down to the wire, but a full deal could be in jeopardy. saudi led strikes in yemen hit a camp believing des dead amid conflicting reports on whether it was housing refugees or houthi fighters. the defense takes the reins of the boston marathon bombing

trial with testimony about its youngest victim. >> this is aljazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris. it is crunch time in switzerland. negotiators from the beyond and five other nations have a little under 10 hours to reach a framework greatly on limiting iran's nuclear program. james bays is live in lausanne. these talks as you know, these things kind of take on their own momentum. we know there are differences but does the general momentum of things suggest that a deal is within reach? >> i think a deal is within reach, everyone saying the positions are narrowing but this is a really high stakes negotiation. this has been gone on and off

for 12 years. in this phase for the last couple of weeks they've been going on 12 days, meeting all types day or night trying to come up with some sort of agreement. they're not only talking about the substance they're also talking about the presentation, what exactly if they get a deal are they going to tell us about the feel. they have a satisfactory the critics on capitol hill who say iran isn't doing enough and want fresh sanctions. >> what does the road look like? let's assume for a second here that there is an agreement that can be discussed by the end of the day. what does the road look like going forward? what then become the next steps? >> i think the first thing will be what sort of thing we get out of this. remember, we were told a framework agreement now we're hearing words like understanding and statement. i think the first thing will be

to see how meaty this is and that will affect the reaction. going forward from then, remember the original interim agreement back in november, 2013 that is still in place until the end of june. one analyst said that was like a nuclear ceasefire where basically the iranians said they would stop any further advancement of their nuclear technology in terms of some sanctions relief, so that continues until the end of june. if they get some sort of deal today in the coming hours then they have to build on that with all the technical details technical annexes so we do have another deadline ahead. >> if we take a step back here for just a moment, we realize that many countries have nuclear programs at least eight possess nuclear weapons. why is there such an emphasis specifically on iran's nuclear program?

>> i think there are a number of reasons for that. but remember iran's position in such a volatile region where the only other country that does have nuclear weapons is israel. almost let me ask you to rewind a bit take us back to 2005, 2006 2007, the end days of the bush administration, and we thought we were close to going to war with iran over its nuclear program. israel at various points threatening it might carry out a unilateral strike, so these negotiations are very, very important, because ultimately down the line, if iran continues its nuclear advancement and people think its heading towards a weapon, then there are people who would like to take the military option rather than the very protracted diplomatic action taking place in the hotel behind me. >> absolutely, james good to see you as always.

we spoke with iran analyst who's monitoring the talks in lausanne. >> the biggest wildcard in these negotiations is the u.s. congress which has put enormous amount of pressure on the u.s. negotiators. no other negotiating team is under as much pressure as the u.s. team and congress has threatened to pass new legislation upon its return from recess on april 14. >> the executive director of the american iranian council joins us. good to see you again. >> good to see you tony. >> the russian foreign minister, sergey lavrov seems to suggest an agreement is reachable if neither of the sides involved, any of the sides involved here bring forward new proposals new ideas. is that your view of the negotiations that things are coalescing in the kind of momentum that would bring us to

a deal? >> at this moment as we speak the p5 plus one and iran are engaged in close talks to reach this statement in a few hours. if they were not serious, we would not have foreign ministers from any of those countries in lausanne to put their stamp on this statement. i go along with mr. lavrov's statement that yes, we are optimistic and i think at this last hour, there's a possibility that there would be a breakthrough. >> let me push you on this a little bit. does this mean that some of the sticking points that we've understand to be sticking points centrifuges what happens with enriched uranium that those sticking points have been resolved? are we talking about dottle i's and crossing t's here or is there a fundamental different out that there that hasn't been

discussed more fully is there a poison pill out there potentially? >> there's always a poison pill somewhere, the devil's in the details. when the statement does come out and they are all drafting it at this moment, we will be able to see what is the base of the agreement that has been agreed on now that will set the stage for a few months down the line as been mentioned because a comprehensive deal is going to happen july 1. we have to set the expectations right. not everything is going to be resolved today but a lot of the sticking issues that you did mention have reached a stage where there is sort of a roadmap to be resolved. >> what would that mean 12 years as james mentioned of on and off negotiations, to even come to a place where there's a framework agreement over iran's nuclear program? what would it represent? >> it is an important step.

it's a final achievement because over a decade, nerve negotiating these things. the good news is that through these latest talks what has been unprecedented is the bilateral negotiations between the united states and iran. this hasn't happened before. if you look at the way they are engaging, secretary of state john kerry and his counterparts have reached a sort of stage where they can all each other friends. this is in the 35 years of history of u.s. and iran relations we have not seen. i believe that is the big story not necessarily the framework agreement. >> one more for. you what's your reaction to the claims coming from israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu that iran's goal here through this deal and through its over kind of growing in flu ins in syria iraq and yemen is attempting to conquer the middle east?

>> it's unfounded. i believe iran as a regional power can play a part in resolving these same issues that he is bringing up. let us not forget that the most aggressive state to its neighbors has been israel in the past decade. iran has not waged a war directly with another country in the region, so i hope -- i'm more optimistic that iran's role could be much more cooperative through this deal than it would be other ones. >> good to see you as also, the executive director of the american-iranian council. pleasure sir. >> thank you. >> now to yemen for a moment here where saudi-led airstrikes targeted houthi positions for a sixth night. monday bombs hit a refugee camp killing 40, the houthis blame the saudis saying women and children were killed. witnesses say the camp is occupied by houthi fighters. saudi arabia said its fighter jets may have been responding to houthi artillery fire.

elsewhere, strikes ever hit several provinces including the houthi stronghold of saada. there has also been fighting in aden and saudi arabia said it has completed a blockade of yemen's ports manufacture government officials say the houthis are to blame for airstrikes on that refugee camp. >> houthis have moved the weapons and fighters to areas where you have civilians and we stress that we do our best to prevent civilian casualties. >> yemen's leaders insist iran is backing the houthi rebels. tehran denies that allegation p.m. iraqi forces have recaptured several key areas in their offensive to take back tikrit from isil. government troops backed by shia militias liberated four neighborhoods in southern tikrit. they raised the iraqi flag over the city's main hospital buildings. the u.s. denies that an american drone strike killed two iranian military advisors operating in iraq. >> the fighting in tikrit is

gaining traction in our digit albeit this morning. iraqi security forces have been hampered by booby traps and mines planted by islamic state fighters. they have been doing house to house searches for the enemy. also making headlines on the agenda today arkansas set to vote on a bill as early at today that's nearly identical to indiana's religious freedom bill. it's actually a law there in indiana, hundreds of lawmakers are set to take their oath of office today in israel's parliament the knesset. >> we could see he a potential ceasefire deal today in myanmar. the government there and dozens of warring ethnic groups are expected to sign an agreement. >> attorneys for accused boston marathon bomber dzhokar tsarnaev will try to convince a jury today that he does not deserve the death penalty.

it is the first full day of the defense. federal prosecutors wrapped their side with gruesome testimony. john henry smith is here with more on that. >> the defense has its work cut out for it after prosecutors showed and described the grisly last moments of the three people who died at the scene of the boston marathon bombing. there's one thing working in the tsarnaev team's favor though. seems like securing a not guilty verdict is not their first priority. >> day 13 will be the first full day his legal team presents arguments that they're client does not deserve the death penalty, despite the fact that the 21-year-old has pled not guilty his attorneys have never disputed their client was involved in the april, 2013 bombing at the boston marathon. >> the defense case is expected to be relatively short. their focus is going to be to show that the older brother tamerlan tsarnaev is the more

culpable one in the bombings in the hopes of sparing dzhokar tsarnaev the death penalty. >> they began with a cell phone expert who testified that at the same time tamerlan tsarnaev was buying the hardware for the bombs in northern massachusetts and new hampshire, dzhokar tsarnaev's phone was pinging off cell phone towers in southern massachusetts. >> the defense trying to show that his brother tamerlan is the one who bought those bomb components not him. >> the prosecution reminded jurors with this picture that even if dzhokar tsarnaev didn't buy the bomb materials he he did purposely leave a bomb right next to young martin richard. boston's chief medical examiner testified that the explosion violently ravage the the 8-year-old's 69-pound body. >> several jurors openly cried as they looked at autopsy photos of the little boy. several other meal jurors put

their hands to the faces looking at the photos. the last question asked of the medical examiner was how old was martin richard and he answered he was eight years old. that was the final testimony by prosecutors. >> jurors also heard emotional testimony about the bombing deaths of 23-year-old and 29-year-old victims. jurors saw more images of the younger tsarnaev seeming nonchalant in the aftermath of the attack. 17 counts could result in the death penalty if he is convicted. >> prosecutors reminded jurors of the words dzhokar tsarnaev allegedly wrote in the boat police found him in. the u.s. government is killing our innocent civilians we muslims are one body, you hurt one, you hurt us all. the prosecutors hope to use his words against him. >> john henry smith, thank you appreciate it. >> two former federal agents are accused of stealing the digital currency bit coin. the agents were part of the

government's investigation into the on line black market known at silk road, a site where people could by drugs and illegal items and where bit coin was the accepted currency. the agents face money laundering and wire fraud charges. >> pharmacists have encouraged new he got calendar standards in executions. many pharmaceutical companies refers to sell the drugs. >> dozens of people join a revolt refusing to pay back their student loans. why they say they shouldn't have to pay. >> the new man at night to look at the south african comedian tapped to replace the daily show's john stewart.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. police are hunting for a prisoner who escaped this morning from a hospital near washington d.c., after stealing a gun from a security guard. he was an accused bank robber taken to the hospital for a medical problem. >> power is being restored in turkey. the country suffered its worst blackout in 15 years. >> more than a dozen major city

lost power. >> lufthansa is setting aside $300 million to cover possible cause from last week's crash of germanwings flight 9545. that's coming despite indications the co pilot deliberately crashed the plane into the french alps. all 150 people onboard were killed. >> on the money beat this morning, some graduates from the for profit challenge chain are in washington today looking to draw attention to what he said believed to the nation's first ever student debt strike. the strike number is up to 100 now? >> these student strikers are putting their financial futures on the line. student loans are the only type of consumers debt that can't be canceled through bankruptcy. fail to repay them and look forward to poor credit, garnished wages and worse.

it's a nightmare scenario, but a risk these strikers believe is worth taking. >> natasha graduated cum laude in california. part of the for-profit education giant corinthian. today, the 26-year-old is back in her native missouri, working part time as a grocery store for minimum wage, honest work, but not the career everest promised here. >> they told us that we would have a job in the field that we studied within no more than six months. >> she couldn't get a foot in the door or transfer her credit to another college. she has nothing to show for her everest degree. >> $28,012. >> except $28,000 in federal student loan debt. she and dozens of others who

attended corinthian schools have declared a debt strike, claiming they were defrauded. they are refusing to pay back sterile offend loans they say the department of education should cancel, charges that underpin lawsuits brought against corinthian by the states of california, massachusetts and wisconsin and the consumer finance protection bureau. >> the evidence was compelling enough to underwrite state and federal lawsuits but not enough to convince the department of education to shut down corinthian or forgive the federal student loans taken by students like natasha who are saddled with worthless degrees and life altering debt. >> last year, the department of education moved to curtail corinthian's access to federal aid funds only to have the for-profit announce it would have to declare bankruptcy. the department didn't let corinthian go under. instead, it cut kept the funding

taps open and brokered the sale of campuses. >> the department of education has been a partner in crime with corinthian. >> the debt collective helped organized oh the debt strike. >> they have conducted a predatory scheme under the auspices of the department of education which supported and funded it. >> the department of education declined our request for an interview to discuss their handling of corinthian. a spokesperson gave a statement saying: >> i think the department of education does not want to set a precedent of mass student loan cancellation because once these students get what they deserve in this case, other students who have been scammed and defrauded by their schools are going to want the same thing. >> which is why natasha is

standing her ground. >> coming together and creating a collective, i think we have something. i know we have something. we can make the department of education sweat. >> we asked corinthian to weigh in on the myriad allegations leveled at them in state and federal lawsuits, including that they misled students about job placement rates. >> patty why is the department of education seemingly so invested in keeping corinthian afloat? >> had they let it go under that immediately would ever canceled out the student loans of the existing students and for all the graduates or people who went through their programs, would have given them legal footing. by keeping corinthian afloat, basically those students have to keep paying their student loans. that's why its brought on

charges of too big to fail. >> you interviewed oh woman for this piece. a predatory lending scheme are the charges got to tell you that sounds like the language we heard in the outset and during the financial crisis. >> of course, so many parallels with the sub prime mortgage meltdown. that is why people are drawing those comparisons. here you have a for-profit college and myriad allegations that they misled students about their job placement rates and transferability of their credits and deliberately targeted low income students with these predatory loans. it does sound familiar. these students are in washington today to deliver their letters demanding a defense to repayment. they want the department of education to forgive those loans because the department of education is the regulators of these schools and made the federal funds available. >> i consider this a really

important story because that is a bubble out there waiting to burst. you're going to have more on this tomorrow evening's real money with ali velshi. thanks. >> on the science beat this morning, americans use more than 76 plan eggs a year. i'm going to use a few myself here soon. that's a lot of chicken. scrambling to lay those eggs, but one company has found a different way to make the breakfast staple from plants. >> eggs are the ultimate super food easy, inexpensive and packed with essential nutrients and proteins. americans eat more than 76.5 billion eggs per year. you can have it any way you want scrambled approached, hard boiled or over easy. >> this is what most people think of when they think of an

egg, breakfast. the egg is more than just breakfast. it's the multi-tasker in the kitchen. >> it air rates adds volume, emulsify. >> josh is obsessed with the egg's versatility. >> it builds the muffin together and makes sure your cookie doesn't crumble. it gels together if you have a good scrambled egg. the egg is pervasive it's all over the place. >> that's one of the reasons why he thinks he can change the world by recreating the chicken egg. >> when you really peel back the onion of the chicken egg, you see strange things. it's part of a system responsible for 18% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, part of a system that sees and i haveian flus pop up around the world. it's part of a system that uses a lot of water. it felt like a good 11 we could pull to bring the cost of food down to bring the sustainability of food up a understand make food a little

healthier. a part of what we do is to search for plants that are better than the chicken egg in doing those things. >> he assembled a team of bio chemists food scientists, bakers and chefs to help find the right plants. >> we're on a search an discover mission. >> it starts with bio chemist josh cline. >> we are trying to find plants that happen to have proteins that function in the way egg proteins do. we found a pea yellow split pea he that actually worked well as an emulsifier, we started doing iterations on flavor, taste texture and going into can we make this a viable mayo product and the answer is yes. >> it is the first product made available to consumers. >> our theory of change is win just on the merits to create a model that's so powerful that it makes a not so good thing

entirely obsolete. >> for the latest on new technologies and how they impact your life. tune in to tech know today. >> live in nigeria as the opponents of former military ruler takes a lead in the race for president. >> also the c.d.c. goes after e-cigarettes, saying they are just as bad as traditional cigarettes.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. let's take a look at today's top stories. federal investigators now say two men who crashed a stolen car into nsa hours were partying.

partying at a nearby hotel before it happened. police shot and killed one of the men while the other was hospitalized. >> air raised by a saudi-led coalition hit houthi target overnight in yemen centering on the group's northern stronghold, striking them in nine provinces. >> talks continue today phon iran's nuclear program top diplomatics optimistic by reaching a framework deal by the end of the day significant differences remain as the clock ticks down on negotiations. republican leaders in congress are doing their own diplomacy with squeal. prime minister benjamin netanyahu has condemned the talks. now several republican leaders are reaching out to show him support. libby casey joins us. house speaker john boehner is in the country now. how unusual is this? >> head to go israel right as this deadline ticks done.

mitch mcconnell top republican was in israel over the weekend. members often take foreign trips during a recess and white house is playing this down, saying lawmakers are both parties often travel to israel. the white house is trying to shrug its shoulders and minimize political ramifications, but the timing is significant. i want to give you a sense of how house speaker boehner is talking about his trip. >> there are serious issues and activities going on in the middle east. i think it's really, really important for members of congress to hear from foreign leaders, other governments other parts of our government to get a real handle on the challenges we face. >> this trip isn't just about hearing from israel. this is scene as aligning himself really, aligning himself with the prime minister's

position over that of president obama. it's breaching that philosophy that politics stop at the water's edge. >> which leads to the question, does this trip by the speaker cross the line? >> well, he's been on this delicate line for a while inviting the prime minister that talk before congress earlier this month a breach of protocol other republicans jumping in, senators sending a letter to the iranian leaders telling them that the white house negotiations really won't stick. this is a fine edge. congress does have a history of inserting itself into geopolitics. on the eve of the iraq war a group of democrats went to iraq to try to prevent it back in 2002. here's the thing though, the u.s. is really the country trying to stick to this marsh march 31 deadline. other countries including iran aren't as concerned watching another deadline in a couple of months.

it's pressure from congress and the negotiations over here between the president and congress making that deadline significant, so republicans are only heightening that and increasing tensions, not just here in the country but overseas. >> for sure. libby great to see you, thank you. >> the republican presidential race could soon get another big name entrant. florida senator marco rubio plans a major announcement on april 13. the republican would not give details during a fox interview monday. many suspect he will announce a run for president. rubio is directing people to his website to sign up for tickets to the event. >> how about this, a new backlash this morning to indiana's religious freedom law. it is the most talked about story in today's digit albeit. a look at the headlines getting attention now on aljazeera.com. the indianapolis star's front page has gone environmental fix

this now. the image has been retweeted hundreds of times. the paper is urging the governor to repeal the law. in a wall street journal op ed, governor mike pens said the law has been guessly misconstrued as a license to discriminate. calls for a boycott have prompted indianapolis mayor greg ballard to speak out against the law, promoting the hash tag indy welcomes all. >> 40 years of history as one of the most hospitable communities in america should not be placed in jeopardy with this act. this isn't about politics. this is not about p.r. this is about doing what's right. >> ballard signed an executive order that anyone receiving city funds must abide by its human rights ordinance. stores are looking to distance themselves tweeting out pictures of signs and stickers at their establishments letting

customers know that they will be served. this comes as many democrats demand the law be repealed or changed. republicans in the state say they are working to do just that. >> hoping to end the count recovers over indiana's religious freedom restoration bill leaders came out monday to say the law does not discriminate against gays and lesbians. >> we need to clarify this law will not lead to discriminate against anyone. >> some admit they need to fix any language that could be discriminatory. >> we urge our colleagues to take action to clarify that. what we had hoped for with the bill was a message of inclusion inclusion of all religious beliefs. what instead has come out is a message of exclusion.

>> indiana governor mike pens who signed the bill into law last week in an interview with abc news insisted no changes were necessary. >> this is not about discrimination this is about protecting the religious liberty of every hoosier of every faith. >> pens also never directly answered whether the law opens the door for business owners to discriminate against gays and lesbians on religious grounds. >> the question here is if there is a government action or a law that an individual believes believes impinges on their religious liberty. they ever the opportunity to go to court. >> indiana democrats say a fix won't be enough and want the law repealed. >> there can be no figure leaf, there can be no bandaid for what's transpired here. we're going to have to take real action. it's going to have to be substantive. >> hundreds have come out against the bill and businesses across the country have threatened to boycott the state. the controversy threatens to

overshadow the final four in indianapolis. monday the ncaa weighed in. >> our universities care about an environment that celebrates diversity and provides an inclusive supportive environment. right now we're not sure we have that. >> the issue of religious freedom is also front and center in arkansas where lawmakers could approve a similar law today. >> shame on you! shame on you! >> arkansas protestors took their chants to the statehouse, saying the law would law discrimination against gays and lesbians. the republican governor has promised to sign the bill should it reach his desk. >> in nigeria votes are being counted. it appears incumbent president good luck jonathan trails former military leader muhammedu buhari. voting took place in 36 states. votes have been counted in 22 states. of them, 12 have gone to

muhammedu buhari and 10 to president jonathan. we are in nigeria where things have gotten a bit contentious over the voting process. yvonne what is the latest there and how soon might we expect more results? >> in the last few minutes the electoral commission announced more results. the main on that pigs presidential candidate muhammedu buhari is now leading with 13 of nigeria's 36 states and the incumbent president goodluck jonathan that ha 12 states plus here the capitol known as the federal capitol territory. not only does the winner have a win a clear majority in terms of the national number of votes counted, after that, there's another part to this process. they also have to win at least 25% of the vote in 24 of nigeria's 36 states. if neither of the two leading

candidates get this, there will be a run off in a week's time. it will be the first time in nigeria's democracy that there's ever been a runoff. we still have results from 11 states around the country to be announce said. at the moment, the electoral commission officials are on a short break. we hope to resume in the next few minutes and get some more figures to get closer to the final result and find exactly who will be the next penalty of nigeria. >> we were looking at what suggested could be concern for president jonathan and his supporters correct? >> that's right. president jonathan has lost the most popular state in nigeria to the opposition. he he's also lost states in the north, which were expected to vote for muhammedu buhari. he's from the north of the country and that really is the

support base of the opposition, but he's won in the southwest which is not a traditional place where he he's been popular but he he's managed to align himself with a very key influential politicians in that region. president goodluck jonathan has taken some of the states in the south in the last minute or so. they've announced that he won river state though that state there were protests in that state and people in that state that no election took place there, so controversy about figures coming out so far. >> got you. good to see you, thank you. >> the race is now on to be the next leader of britain. prime minister david cameron asked the queen to formally dissolve parliament monday, starting the path to may's general election. we should tell that you most polls show he that neither cameron's conservatives nor his main opposition labor party will win enough seats to governor alone. >> the government is out with

its latest weather outlook and the news is not all that good. let's bring in nicole mitchell for today's environmental impact. how are the next few months shaping up here? >> it dependency what you want in your forecast and what you might be getting. where you looked earlier at things like temperatures, let's look at where you might be seeing a little more rain and what that means and why we're seeing those influences. heading to the four corners region west the accident, that is rain influenced by el niño. minnesota, wisconsin less rain possible because of the pattern out there. you look at california, equal chances, more or less rain, doesn't look too bad if you look at it in terms of that. while we're in drought conditions, we can use extra. i showed the temperature maps earlier, still high heat in the area so that will continue to dry things out. what does that do for drought conditions? well we're going to be looking

at the areas in brown. that's where you see the increasing areas. i mentioned the midwest with less rain, of course that would increase it there but really the west. yellows are place where drought expands or there's a chance for that. you can see that in a few of those areas just carving away at a little bit of texas because of what we were talking about. still certainly a lot of problems as we go forward for california after record drought year after year. i think the heat is still going to cause a problem. >> nicole, help me understand this here. today is the day when a number of countries are supposed to be submitting their plans right for reducing pollution. >> supposed to. >> supposed president obama to have. some are participating some not. >> many aren't. looks like 30 countries are abiding by this. the united states have participated. india and russia, big looters

are not onboard yet saying they'll get to it eventually. >> eventually. we'll see how long eventually is. nicole, appreciate it, thank you. >> in our healthbeat this morning, the c.d.c. includes e-cigarettes in its anti smoking ads. health officials say the vaporizers are just as bad as tobacco cigarettes. some former smokers think e-cigarettes can help people kick the habit. >> for 30 years sean robinson used to smoke up to a pack of cigarettes a day that is until he discovered e-cigarettes. >> epiphany, i was like wow i just quit smoking. like i don't think my mom still believes i quit smoking i mean i've smoked that long. >> e-cigarettes have been touted as an anti smoker tool, allowing smokers to control the amount of nicotine they're taking in,

eventually kicking the habit. the u.s. centers for disease control for the first time is now including he e-cigarettes in their anti smoking campaign, arguing the alternative tobacco is just as deadly. >> many adults who think they're going to get off cigarettes by taking e-cigarettes are continuing to smoke when perhaps they would have quit if they hasn't taken up the e-cigarettes. >> the c.d.c. claims most smokers who use e-cigarettes as a cessation tool also continue to smoke putting their health at even greater risk. the agency also fears the fruity flavors of vapors used in he e-cigarettes will attract children who may not have started smoking otherwise. >> i'm not surprised but i'm sad. >> robinson disagrees with the c.d.c. argument. he insists he e-cigarettes can reduce nicotine dependency, he has opened a business dedicated to helping people quit.

>> i'm in the business to get people off cigarettes. the way i quit was with e-cigarettes. i'm proof that they do everybody good. >> despite u.s. government warnings and now advertisements to the contrary. al jazeera washington. >> dr. david new man is an associate of emergency medicine at mount sinai school of medicine. do you accept when the c.d.c. is telling us, this pop significance that he e-cigarettes are adjusted as bad as traditional cigarettes? >> well, i think no. i mean in its basic sense that's pretty much not something anybody would agree with when we're talking about health and health risks. the e-cigarettes do not rise to that level. >> the c.d.c., that's strong stuff. >> they are worried mostly about the speculation that this harm reduction pathway of using

e-cigarettes as a replacement for cigarettes might not be something good for the society in general because what we've done for the last two or three decades is denormalize smoking. >> what does that mean? >> in conventional wisdom, smoking has become less and less of a normal and more and more of a denormalized activity and that's something i think they are afraid of. >> harm reduction pathway. explain to us what these e-cigarettes are designed to do here. >> they are really just a nicotine replacement device. they're designed to deliver nicotine in a way that is not at dangerous as smoking and allow somebody to eventually and incrementally come off of cigarettes. they seem to do that about as well as other nicotine replacement devices according to the best science we have, but on the other hand, they are renormalizing smoking in the way smoking looks and the way people act when they smoke to some

degree which is what i think the c.d.c. is concerned about. >> the key is from everything you looked at, they can be effective, correct? >> well, you know, it turns out when you look at nicotine replacement devices nothing is very effective. there's a lot of failure when you look at state's as whether it's a gum or a patch or an e-cigarette. >> that is how these products are being used by consumers correct? >> partially. it's an issue and one reason for the c.d.c. is when what you're using is a device that acts and looks like smoking worry that renormalization happens. >> that's another concern. do you share the c.d.c.'s concerns that because there are flavors involved here that that might actually attract young people to these e-cigarettes and

maybe eventually traditional cigarettes. >> traditionally that's been the concern that we've seen, the ads that we've seen for regular cigarettes clearly targeted younger people in different ways over the years and seeing that again i think is scaring people who fault against that for many years. >> dr. newman, it's great to see you, dr. david newman, associate professor for emergency medicine at the mount sinai emergency school for medicine. >> why critics are lining up to stop expansion plans for one of new york city's prized museums. >> some of the biggest music names are launching streaming services and say it will change the entire industry.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. let's look at today's top stories. the u.s. and leaders from five other nations in the final push for a framework deal on curbing iran's nuclear program. they have nine hours to reach a self imposed deadline. >> saudi-led airstrikes continue to pound houthis in yemen. the coalition that struck targets in nine provinces, one attack on a refugee camp on monday killed as many as 40 people including women and children. >> the defense has its first full day in court today at the trial of accused boston marathon

bomber dzhokar tsarnaev. federal prosecutors rested their side monday after presenting gruesome photos and testimony. >> on the culture beat this morning, controversy over new york city museum, a new proposal would double the size and critics say that would ruin it, the controversial part of the plan is getting rid of a garden that some say is literally a work of art. >> how do you respond to all of the critics accusing you of destroying a beautiful work by an english landscape architect? >> well, what i find is that a lot of people just don't have the record straight. i just try to get the facts and i'm happy to have this opportunity talking with you to talk about the history. >> ian is executive director of the museum. he has been credit sides for proposing what he he says is a necessary third renovation to the museum. >> we have spatial needs we need

to address in order to continue to provide as beautiful an experience to our public as we wish. >> the frick is on fifth ave he new, built a century ago by industrialist henry clay frick who spent millions of dollars to buy and house is enormous art collection. >> he had a large gallery the largest gallery to show works of art in new york. >> al jazeera was given a private tour. >> this room is the progress of love. it's the single most important work of art that henry clay frick ever bought. >> paintings from masters. >> this is one person who had great taste enormous resources so he put together a wonderful collection. you don't come here to get an entire history of art. you come here to see a few

masterpieces of the highest level of quality that one person liked. >> the commitment to frick's vision is why he he wants to expand the existing museum from this to this. >> we need more facilities mostly back of the house. our audience has been growing larger and larger so we don't have a big enough coat room, we need more space for education and classes. we have no room for that. >> you will be changing the garden and that has been a bone of contention. >> the trustees had spent 32 years buying three townhouses on 70th street in order to have a parcel of land on which to build, they decided in the end they couldn't afford it, so built a small pavilion and garden. we are proposing to use this site to make our expansion. >> i'm really disturbed that this museum with its spectacular

design and extraordinary russell page garden is really going to be compromised and in the case of the garden, completely destroyed. this is his only work in new york. >> architecture critic is opposed to changing the building's profile. >> it was designed to give visitors this intimate experience of seeing art the way it was meant to be seen in the past. it wasn't meant to be the metro poll to know museum of art or the louvre. >> is there any part that you find acceptable? >> the idea that the second floor will be open. everyone looks up and says i really want to go up there. >> the critic agrees with the director on this part. part of the second floor will be open to the public. >> we are talking about opening up a circuit of five of the rooms, which include original bedrooms dressing rooms a breakfast room. >> sharing more of the home that henry clay frick envisioned as

an institution for the future. randall pinkston, al jazeera new york. >> so being the king of hiphop isn't enough for jay z. the rap star just unveiled title. it is a subscription-based service he bought for $56 million. he says the majority of the company will be owned by artists, including big names like rihanna kanye west, madonna and beyonce. >> some of trevor noah's old tweets are drawing controversy. comedy central hopes the comedian can keep the daily show alive. >> after john stewart announced

he would leave the daily show later this year, speculation over his replacement was intense and now the mystery answered. comedy central's choice for a successor is south african funny man trevor noah. >> on the hiphop station they sense a hiphop. why would you do that? it's a hiphop station. >> his father is south african and father swiss joined the show back in december. >> the road on the right is a super highway in central africa. the photo on the left, i took that from my cab here on the way from the airport. >> right now he's the show's tongue in cheek international correspondent, get it? john stewart turned the program into a jug you are put that with a nightly audience of 2 million viewers. his success is built on tearing down america's news media including aljazeera america and even me. >> our show, here it is, the moment of dozen. >> i don't care what you do from day to day just do it on this

show. >> what do you call a camel with no hump by the way? humphrey. >> comedy central went from a man who is a household name to one very few have heard of, but that was yesterday. now as trevor noah moves to the fore comedy central looks to him to steer the show through the next presidential election and bring a new international flavor to the program. they hope he can keep the numbers up. >> tomorrow morning a new minimum wage rules go into effect in seattle. restaurants and workers worry about the impact of the increase. that is all of our time. have a great day. ay.

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only on al jazeera america >> welcome to the news hour in doha. good to have you with us. over the next 60 minutes here's what's coming up: heavy fighting across yemen on the sitting day of the saudi led offensive. >> deadline day in switzerland. diplomatics search for a last minute agreement on ires nuclear future. >> tensions rise in nigeria as the reading of its hotly