modeling agents and houses that employ them could be jailed and find. a similar measure in 2008 filed to get final approval in the french legislature. >> we have an updated website at aljazeera.com. >> celebrations in the streets of iran at news which the framework for a long term nuclear deal, but the plan faces challenges here in the u.s. and abroad. >> new evidence of the co pilot's actions in the downing of a germanwings plane. the revelation on the jet's flight data recorder. >> the religious freedom fight indiana and arkansas reverse controversial laws and try to

rebuild trust over fears of discrimination. >> this is aljazeera america live from new york city. i'm libby casey. a 12 year standoff between iran and world powers is no more this morning. president obama calls a new framework agreement over iran's nuclear program historic, but washington critics and overseas urge caution. in iran, thousands gathered in the streets of the capitol to celebrate the framework agreement. we have that part of the story. >> a hero's welcome for the iranian foreign minister. he arrives home after securing what is hailed as a triumph for diplomacy. the framework agreement aimed at curbing iran's nuclear program cements the stage for the gradual lifting of some international sanctions. >> i hope that at the end of

this pros, we will all show that true dialogue and engagement with dignity, we can in fact resolve problems, open new hoars dishonest and move forward. >> a carnival atmosphere took over the streets and people expressed joy at the announcement. >> i think the economic pressure people endured because of iran's nuclear program will be reduced. >> i was very happy when i heard the news. many things will definitely improve, relations between iran and europe and other countries will greatly improve and the pressure on people will ease a little. >> years of sanctions crippled iran's economy making life difficult for many. the once thriving automobile industry has dropped by 40% in just four years.

restrictions on banking and shipping. one in four people are out of work. the stakes of the international agreement are high. >> if the sanctions are lifted and iran is once again part of the word economy and integrated into the global system, it can risk losing all of that if it starts cheating, so suddenly has an incentive to stay within the framework. the only way to make sure this deal is durable is that both sides feel that they won. months are grueling negotiations will happen before a final deal is struck. >> the digital reaction was swift. many iranians tweeted their joy. one tweeted them chanting thank

you, acknowledging iran's foreign minister for negotiate be the deal. others tweeted selfies with images of president obama an their t.v. sets. iranian t.v. aired the president's comments on newt accord. >> patty culhane is at the white house. the first challenge will not selling this deal to congress. >> sell the deal to congress, but also trying to make sure congress doesn't kill the deal. here's the white house. they believe that if the u.s. in fact backs away from the deal, then the whole thing's going to fall apart. they don't believe the other nations will sign on with iran. basically, we're as you know, congress out of town for the holiday, but we've seen paper statements. some democrats have said we want to see the deal, we want to be briefed before making judgment. the republicans have had the fiercely critical, parodies many comments we hear from israel,

saying basically iran cannot be trusted. the president's responded to that concern by saying if it turns out that they are misleading the investigators sanctions can be snapped back immediately, we'll wait and see if that argument it enough to sway concerns about iran's past practices. >> how common is it for congress to have a say in things like this. >> when you think about the constitution it's pretty unusual. foreign policy is put to the president, but this has been unusual and unprecedented. think about this, when is the last time you saw 47 senators send a warning letter to a foreign head of state? it hasn't happened. when is the last time a foreign leader was invited to speak to a joint meeting of congress to criticize the president on his foreign policy. that shows you how big a fight the president is in for trying to keep congress on his side. >> what will you be watching at the white house the next couple of weeks?

>> we're going to see a full court press on the hill from white house officials trying to keep just a handful of democrats onboard. i think they realize the republicans are going to vote to either impose additional sanctions or to require that the president give them the time approval over the deal, but it's those democrats some democrats they've lost. they signed on to the bill, saying congress has to have a final say. there's just a handful of democrats that are going to be hearing so much from the white house, lobbyist groups and their own members. it's going to be a very interesting behind the scenes fight which we might not know all the details for at while but you can be guaranteed that's what's going to be happening. >> thanks for joining us. >> iran's lead negotiator during nuclear talks a decade ago told us what changed to make this deal possible. >> i think the only reason made the deal possible was a change

in u.s. position. 2003-2005, we were ready to have the same principles agreed today in lausanne, but the u.s. was insisting zero jen richment in iran. the u.s. was saying n syncle n no centrifuge in iran. >> there are two key dates to keep an eye on. april 14 the senate foreign relation committee will demand a review of any final deal. president obama has threatened to veto that. june 30 is the next big deadline for tehran and world powers. they need to iron out details and have a comprehensive accord finished by that date. >> we're learning new details

this morning about what happened in the final moments onboard that germanwings plane that crashed in france. an initial reading from flight data recorder information shows that co pilot andreas lubitz desell rated the jet away all onboard were killed. >> in kenya officials are trying to identify the victims of a massacre at garissa university. al shabab gunman took over the school leaving 147 people dead. 550 students were evacuated during the although. it's the bloodiest attack on kenyan soil singles the embassy bombing. kenyans say security is an even bigger fear now. >> most are fearful. we don't know what the government will do, unless we are convinced that the security will work against houthi when

they go back. we are afraid when the session continues, some won't go back to their places. they won't go back if there is no security at all. >> we're outside the entrance to the college of garissa where it all started yesterday morning before sunrise. attackers killed two armed groups here before moving into the compound, throwing explosives and attacking the student residence buildings where some students were asleep and some operating. the siege went until sunset yesterday after a heavy firefight and it came to an end. today we see vehicles going in and out soldiers taken in, we've seen families try to identify the bodies of their loved once. surviving students are coming out, they were allowed back in to collection possessions and leave again. we understand that they are going to be taken away. the minister of education said they'll be able to continue

their studied in other institutions in other parts of the country. people are saying that this could have been prevented. we heard from reliable sources that the government was explicitly warned about the threat of the vulnerability of this institution with a lot of young people living here and very little security. in the northeast, people thought this was vulnerable for attack and it's proved yesterday to be very vulnerable, indeed. >> malcolm webb, thank you. >> in yemen officials say at least 12 houthi fighters were killed by southern popular resistance at the aden airport. it comes after houthi fighters withdrew from a hill top complex in the city. the u.s. role in the conflict is expanding. a new agreement calls for american military planes to refuel the saudi jets bombing houthi fighters. china said it's helping 225 people from 10 countries leave yemen. it's the first time beijing has evacuated foreign nationals from

an international crisis. >> praise and criticism today for state officials in indiana and arkansas. both states approved revision to say their controversial rereligious freedom bills. ncaa penalty he is very pleased with the changes. the association is headquartered in indianapolis and that's where the final four will be held this weekend. the critics say the changes in indiana and arkansas don't go for enough to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination. >> rules to make complexes safer. we look at one plan and ask whether it goes far enough. >> the major industry hit hard by california's crippling drought.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. it's 7:43 a.m. eastern time. taking a look at today's top stories. chrysler is considering an appeal after a jury in georgia ordered the company to pay $150 million for the death of a 4-year-old boy. the child died three years ago when his family's 1999 jeep grand cherokee was rear ended and burst into flames. chrysler has resisted government requests to recall similar cars with low hanging gas tanks. >> severe thunderstorms

overnight caused major flooding in kentucky. some roads were covered with several feet of water. rescue teams were sent in to help people trapped in their homes. this storm is expected to dump heavy rain in mississippi and tennessee. >> a missing sailor is back on dry land today after spending 66 days lost at sea. he was found on his disabled sailboat about 200 miles off the coast of north carolina. jordan said he survived by eating fish and drinking rain water. >> 500 homes lost in one fire has put rules for apartment designs in the spotlight. a group is said to call for new standards in new jersey that could improve safety in other states. does it go far enough? john henry smith is here with more. what are some of the standards they are looking to fix? >> this group of six architects from the new jersey chapter of the group of architects is

trying to force standards in the state in the wake of the devastating fire last january in edge water, new jersey. the inferno destroyed 500 unit and left 5,000 homeless. critics pointed fingers at what the complex was made of, light with the wood, a man made compound contractors love for the flexibility. it burns three times as fast as conventional wood. this stuff is in 60% of new construction across the country. i asked task force leader if lightweight wood was safe. >> although it does burn faster than this wood, again it's about the safety of people being able to exit the building and the building code takes that into consideration that as long as we are protecting the building utilizing sheet rock, utilizing sprinklers when using this wood be it is a safe product. >> he says his group will

produce a report in the coming months intended on helping designers and builders of lightweight wood to use it in a safer manager. it will suggest ways policy makers can strengthen building codes to make something like this the avellan edge water fire never happen again. coming up, we'll take a closer look at the issue of lightweight wood. >> california has been dealing with a drought for months and now their snow pack at record lows. it supplies california with 30% of drinking water but now there's barely snow left. let's bring in nicole mitchell for today's environmental impact. this is bad for residents and harming certain industries. >> yes. you're talking about that snow pack. if we go back to 2005, right now, 5% of what we would normally have on those april 1 averages that means not a lot of runoff to fill the releaser voluntaries. industries like skis when you don't have the snow pack

tremendously hurts the economy of the state. skiing in california is a $1.3 billion industry. last year with less snow, the season was down 28%. the numbers haven't come in for this year, but there was so little snow in months like january, some of the ski resorts had to close in the middle of the season. those that made it through many had to still close early. that also impacts the individual employees in this area. let's take a look at some of the snow pack as we went through the winter. december we actually had a fair number of storms, so we got some decent snow in december, but then january, for example let's take tahoe city, no snow at all in january and it should be the second snowiest month. of course, tahoe is a big ski area. january, you can see how little we got. a little bit of a rebound in february but then once again come march, very little snow. i mentioned tahoe about 12% for the hole season of normal, 12 feet less than they normally

see. as i said, not only does it really hurt that industry, but it's going to cause long term impacts in terms of not the snow to melt and fill other things. >> nicole mitchell, thank you. >> in today's tech beat, a potential solution to california's water problems and related issues around the world. as tech know reports taking waste water and turning it into clean drinking water using the sun. >> underground drainage water natural occurring salts and other heavy metals make it unif it for irrigation or human consumption. >> this is sub surface tile water. historically this has been that type of water. other goal is to turn it into a productive resource. >> this water actually runs underground about eight feet and you've brought it to the surface. you're going to clean it up and

tap it back into the crops. >> that's the plan. >> aaron mandel is the c.e.o. and founder behind the company that produced the desalination plant. this is an a ray of mirrors. >> we're using this large mirror to capture the heat. the sunlight is reflected. >> the heat is piped into evaporators and steam generated. fresh water is condemned from the steam and salts and minerals removed in the process. >> what percentage of the water is purified? >> we can go to 93% water recovery. >> is 93% a typical amount of recovery? >> no, it's not. it's very high. that's what makes this process different from traditional sea water desalination which operates at 50% recovery. >> this is the product water

we're producing which you can see is very clear but more importantly doesn't have salt in it. >> ok. i'll take your word for it. >> how did it taste? >> tastes very earthy. >> that's the whole point of the pros that we can make clean drinking water just using the sun. >> plans are underway to add more mirrors over this 50-acre site. when completed he says they'll be able to process 2 million gallons of fresh water per day. >> i think one of our biggest challenges is just getting farmers to think that desalination could be a reliable source of water. >> we need to start looking at water treatment as an additional water supply for the state of california and the world. water is going to become our future gold. >> you can watch techno later today. >> marking good friday in the holy land, thousands descend on jerusalem to walk a famous path.

>> will lowering tax rates for that top 1% boost investments and spark job growth? a lot of people say yes. opponents say you only look at what is happening in kansas to see it doesn't work. >> when ronald reagan took office as president in 1981, the u.s. economy was suffering high inflation and an unemployment rate of 7.5%. >> together, we're going to do what has to be done. we're going to put america back to work again. >> to bring the economy under control, reagan implemented a bold policy based on a newly developed macro economic theory labeled supply side economics. broadly speaking, it called for a massive cutting of taxes coupled with large decreases in spending for social services. reagan eventually lowered the tax rate for the wealthiest

americans from 70% to 28%. the theory went that corporation and the rich would stimulate the economy by investing their new tax savings back into the economy, sparking spectacular economic growth. some people called it trickle down economics. critics called it simply voodoo economics, but the die had been cast and it would dominate politics for the next three decades. perhaps no one person epitomizes the anti tax better than norquist. he came up with the taxpayer protection pledge. a promise to oppose any tax increase. today, 1,358 lawmakers including most republicans in the current congress have taken the pledge not to raise taxes. it's made norquist one of the

most powerful non-elected individuals in washington. over the past few years critics have charged that norquist's ironclad pledge has contributed to gridlock in washington. cans governor, republican sam brown beck once considered the poster child for trickle down economics has become a pariah for the gop. that's because his massive kansas state income tax cult did not produce the promised jobs. >> the sun is shining in kansas and don't let anybody tell you different. >> they plagued cans with a $279 million deficit and the a credit rating downgrade. critics are keen to point out that brownback the trouble of emblematic of the movement, tax cuts without the promised growth and troubles could be a signal that trickle down might be start to go fizzle out. >> despite the economic issues, the labor department said in february that cans was creating

new jobs at one of the fastest rates in the country. >> now to our science beat. new york's out of date subway cars are being placed underwater to create artificial reefs. photographer steven malon captured the transformation. >> this parked out in new jersey with the subway cars parked on them. i had read about the artificial reef project in the new york times with the redbirds that i thought had finished with the older subway cars. when i spotted this barge and asked the contractor what is that for, he said it was the project. they gave me access to come into the yard and photograph while they were loading the cars on to the barge and then went out on and off for three years on different drops. >> there is always a little bit of an emotional ping, you know, a sense of vertigo when you're close to that and you see the sea train that you think you may

have just been on a day ago going over the edge of the barge into the atlantic ocean. it's kind of like this, you know, it pulls you and get bit into the water. >> this is referencing the color of the water the air i think that was escaping out of the subway car. i asked if they could possibly do this at an angle for me to get a little bit more of a splash. the shot was a little art directed. this was the subway cars stacked on the barge. one thing i love about this image i guess just the pallet of the inside of the cars, just you've got this wonderful rusty tone on the inside of the cars and again it's this beautiful lumines sent quality of the inside. this image is titled wave. it was the roughest day at sea when we shot this. this is the placement. this has been featured quite a

bit. it's one of the most popular prints that we have. it's only three prints left in the collection. >> one of the reasons that the subway cars have worked well is because they have a large surface area, so there's a lot of space to attach themselves. >> i do want people to, you know still believe in the potential for recycling. i hope that they walk away just with a sensation of enjoyment. >> worshipers are gathered in jerusalem today to mark one of the holiest days of the christian calendar, good friday. crowds prayed in front of the giant wooden doors at the church of the holy sepulcher. many believed it is the route jesus walked before being crucified. >> a hash tag on line shows it's not just christians preparing for the end of lent. muslims for lent was created in solidarity. muslims are posting images with

signs showing what they gave up for the 40 day period. one participant said the objective is to show unity and love across faith. some are already talking about a reciprocal hash tag christians for ramadan. >> al jazeera america brings you a first hand look at the environmental issues, and new understanding of our changing world. >> it's the very beginning >> this was a storm of the decade >>...hurricane... >> we can save species... >> our special month long focus, fragile planet

>> a historic step forward after months of negotiation the united states and other world a nuclear agreement with iran. >> if iran cheats, the world will know it. we see something suspicious, we will inspect it. >> can president obama now sell the deal here at home? >> calls for swift justice after al shabab storms a university in kenya, killing nearly 150

people. >> new developments in the germanwings jet crash what the co pilot was doing as he brought the plane down. >> the religious freedom fight indiana and arkansas revise their controversial laws, but will they really protect gays and lesbians from discrimination? >> this is aljazeera america live from new york city. i'm stephanie sy. heated debate this morning about an initial nuclear agreement with iran. critics in congress and key u.s. allies say it doesn't have enough safeguards, but the white house in tehran are both hail the accord. >> it took eight days of negotiations in switzerland but a frame work is in place to curtail iran's nuclear program. >> it is the foundation for a deal that will see iran reduce

its stockpile of he riched uranium by 98% for 15 years. it is a deal in which iran will cut its installed centrifuges by more than two thirds. >> president obama has been monitoring the talks from washington. the outcome is one he says will keep iran in line and prevent it from cheating. >> it is a good deal, a deal that meets our core objectives. this framework would cut off every pathway iran could take to develop a nuclear weapon. >> the administration said it's a win-win situation for the u.s. and iran. iran will reduce its rain yum stockpile by 98%. >> the europe union will

terminate all economic and financial sanctions and the united states would -- >> overnight people were cheering into the streets of tehran. >> i have always insisted that i will do what is necessary to prevent iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and i will. i also know that a diplomatic solution is the best way to get this done and offers a more comprehensive and lasting solution. it is our best option by far. >> iran's lead negotiator during nuclear talks a decade ago told us what changed to make a deal possible. >> i think the only reason made the deal possible was a change in the u.s. position. during 2003-2005, we were ready to have the same principles

agreed today in lausanne, but the u.s. was insisting zero enrichment in iran. the u.s. was saying n syncle centrifuge in iran. >> you think the u.s. has moderated its position. >> the u.s. moderated accepted principally enrichment for practical needs of iran. that's why the deal was possible. >> some iranians tweeted their joy over the deal. one woman post add picture of iranians gathering in front of the foreign ministry chanting thank you acknowledging the iranian foreign minister. others tweeted selfies of themselves with president obama on their t.v. sets. the iranian t.v. stations showed the president's speech in its entirety. the president noted there's still one group that needs convincing congress. >> if congress kills this deal not based on expert nationals

and without offering any reasonable alternative then it's the united states that will be blamed for the failure of diplomacy. international unity will collapse and the path to conflict will widen. >> libby casey joining us now again. reaction from congress swift not entirely unpredictable where the sides fell. >> republicans very critical, using words like blind faith and that we're relying too much on trusting the iranians. democrats are using phrases like cautiously optimistic, not signing off but want to give the white house breathing room to follow through on this pros. house speaker john boehner was in israel, seeming to align himself more with the prime minister of that country than his own commander-in-chief. here's the statement he put out:

a lot of republicans looking at the bigger picture of iran, not just a deal, saying they just don't trust iran overall. >> not just republicans looking at the bigger picture strategist looking at the geo politics. a republican controlled congress what could they do to put the brakes on any possible agreement? >> complaints are one thing action another. there is legislation that the senate is batting about. they'll probably take it up in mid april when they get back from recent. republicans are going to get behind this, the real question is what will democrats do. >> what role do democrats play in the process? you saw some unequivocally support the president and some look warm. >> it takes 670 votes in the senate to overturn a presidential veto. obama would certainly veto what

they gave him. we are watching players like ben cardin the top democratic in the foreign relations committee. we're watching to see how he'll react. he is still not saying how he'll go with this. some democrats are supporting this legislation saying it's something that would kick in. we do want to say in congress over this, the question is will they line up behind the white husband? >> that's not unexpected that congress would want some say in reviewing a final deal. congress is in recent. they have a couple of weeks and they'll come back and we'll see what happens with this worker bill. >> that's the real test, whether they will get behind it and then will the broader senate, democrats especially line up along that bill or for the white house, which does not want to see this passed. >> thanks a lot. >> turning now to kenya where officials today are trying to identify the victims of a massacre at garissa university.

al shabab took over the school located 230 miles northeast of nairobi. 147 people were killed, most of them christians. more than 550 students were also evacuated. it is the bloodiest attack on kenyan soil since the 1998 u.s. embassy bombing which killed 200 people. now the government is under pressure to prevent more terror attacks from happening. >> we are afraid that when the session continues some are not likely to go back if there's no security at all. >> we security is fighter across the country today but the greater concern is securing the border with somalia. malcolm webb has the latest from garissa. >> we are just outside the entrance to the compound of the

university, college of garissa where it all started yesterday morning before sunrise. the attackers killed two armed guards before throwing explosives and attacking the student respondent buildings where hundreds of students were either asleep for some operating. the siege went on for many hours until sunset yesterday after a heavy firefight came to an end. today we've seen a lot of vehicles going in and out soldiers taken in to see family to say try and identify the bodies of their loved ones. we just need a few surviving students to come out. they were allowed back in to collect some of their possessions and leave again. the minister of education said that they're going to be able to continue studies at other institutions in other parts of the country. meanwhile, people say that this could have been prevented. we heard from reliable source the that the government was explicitly warned about the

threat of the vol initials of this institution. a lot of young people were living here with very little security. people thought this was vulnerable for attack and it proved yesterday to be very vulnerable indeed. >> at least five people are dead after an explosion at a bus station in nigeria. the blast happened in the northeast city. the bomb was inside a woman's handbag that was dropped next to a bus waiting to take on passengers. 15 people were injured. officials believe boko haram may be behind the attack. >> the u.s. is ramping up its role in the conflict in yemen u.s. surveillance planes patrolling the northern border with saudi arabia providing intelligence on that houthi fighters. a new agreement calls for american planes to refuel saudi jets. a day of advances for the coalition opponents houthi fighters seized control of the city center in aden. this footage shows rebels on top

of the presidential palace. in the city's nearby port, gunman arrived by sea. there are conflicting reports who sent them. saudi arabia controls that water way but denies the soldiers are theirs. >> we don't have troops, formal troops in aden. the use of ground troops is on the table but the decision will remain on the circumstances and need. >> saudi arabia has now suffered its first casualty since beginning it's assault last week. they say houthis attacked their border killing one guard and wounding five others. >> rear learning more about an alleged homegrown bombing plot in new york city. the f.b.i. deployed an undercover officer two years ago, who played a key role in helping two women with their plan. investigators say the two brought propane tanks to prepare bombs. they were in court for the first time on thursday.

according to core filings, they had been in contact with al-qaeda. >> new religious freedom bills on the books in arkansas and indiana, both were revised after an outcry that the bills could lead to discrimination. at the signing in little rock, the governor said he was pleased lawmakers added protection for gase and lesbians. the measure passed overwhelmingly in both the house and senate and it was signed immediately into law. >> arkansas understands the diversity of our culture and workforce, but also the importance of balance that with the -- with our sincerely held religious convictions. >> in indiana governor mike pence signed his state's revised assertion of a religious freedom bill. jonathan betz has more from indiana. >> what was intended as a message of inclusion inclusion

of all religious beliefs was interpreted as a message of exclusion, especially for the lgbt community. >> indiana's house speaker doing damage control over the law critics say would pave the way for legalized discrimination. >> nothing could have been truer -- further from the truth but it was clear the perception had to be addressed. hoosier hospital at had to be restored. >> protestors said the law would give business owners the right to refuse service to gays ablesbians and anybody else. under pressure, lawmakers worked to change the bill. here's what they came up with. the amendment would grant new protections, including hang on sexual orientation and gender identity the first time those words had been used in a bill in indiana. the lgbt community said changes cannot come soon enough.

>> i am a transgender individual and i am here to ask you to please help indiana be a better safer, more welcoming state by passing a bill providing traps gender people a safe place to live. >> several stood with lawmakers to back the changes. missing was the c.e.o. of angie's list who understands the fix is not enough. he said there was no repeal of rifra. angie's list is headquartered in indianapolis and put expansion plans on hold after the original law was passed. one democratic lawmaker said something else is missing, as well. >> i want to hear somebody say we made a grave mistake and we caused the state tremendous embarrassment that will take months and possibly years to repair. the healing cannot begin until that happens. >> still a lot of anger over

this love, as one executive pointed out it still remains legal in indiana to fire someone because they're gay. >> also in indiana, more support for a pizzeria that's been under fire for saying it would refuse to cater a gay wedding. the owners say they closed their doors wednesday after being threatened. the restaurant is labeled as a christian establishment that doesn't support home row suit. a go fund me campaign for donations to the pez rhea has raised almost half a million dollars in one day. >> menendez pleaded not guilty to 14 criminal counts. he is accused of taking nearly a million dollars in gifts and campaign contributions from a long time friend. prosecutors say senator menendez gave political favors in return. >> severe storms moving across the nation are leaving damage in their wake.

let's bring in nicole mitchell for a look at the severe weather. good morning. >> good morning. it's been a slow-shifting area, which means not only is the severe weather itself slow shifting but the rain is, which will allow it time to dump in certain areas and cause a lot of flooding louisville, for example, and some of the flooding here overnight, you can see there were rescues going on, pretty widespread area dealing with this. we've had numerous wind reports. that's possibly what overturned another truck as we head to oklahoma. you can see that there. it could just be the treacherous roads with all of this. then, also reports of a lot of lightning with some of the storms. let's get to the maps. here's what we've had going on for the last 24 hours. you can see all the pings, nine reports of tornadoes most of this wind and hail. unfortunately, the tornado reports, the strongest damage i saw was specifically here.

a lot of flood watches in effect with that northern arkansas still under a tornado watch because of the potential for that. here's where that risk is today especially from kentucky down into northern parts of mississippi or alabama. watch for that enhanced risk for severe weather. across the rest of the country if you're in the west coast the weather is much quieter which if you feel like getting up after three am, the shortest lunar eclipse of the century that blood moon, you can see it until 5:00 a.m. west coast time. >> all right, nicole mitchell, thankthank you. >> lawmakers set today to discuss the state's marijuana ballot initiative, decreasing penalties for first and second time marijuana possession offenders. >> a new investigation in france into charges that the media may have endangered hostages in a jewish supermarket by reporting where the host ones were.

the men and women were taken away active right after the charlie hebdo attack in january. >> a teenager accused of insulting the turkish president the case sparked national outcry when the 16-year-old was detained in december. he faces four years in jail. >> a sailor missing for months discovered lost at sea. his harrowing tale of survival. >> fighting to prevent massive fires, new jersey works to eliminate the wood being used in 68% of all construction across the count beery. >> a historic hire, a boy scout group defies the ban on gay leaders.

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foreign fisherman forced to catch seafood for little or no pay will be sent home. an associated press investigation found them held against their will on an island. most are from myanmar or thailand. >> france cracking down on websites that promote anorexia. a new health bill threatens a heavy fine or up to a year in jail. the law follows a failed attempt to stop the hiring of extremely thin models in the fashion industry. >> a fire that sent 500 apartments up in flames has led to a push to review standards everywhere. john henry smith has been reporting on this story from the beginning. a particular material has been under scrutiny since that fire. >> this material has become so controversial that a new jersey lawmaker has introduced a bill to stop it being used in the state for two years. it's a material that's currently used nationwide in 60% of all

new residential construction, which gives this story national implications. our own al jazeera investigation looked into what this material is and why it's dangerous. >> fire roared through this apartment complex anally water new jersey. >> it did advance quick live into the hall ways and ceilings. >> the flames lit up the night sky. >> it just billowed and billowed and at one point the roof blue off the place. >> the fire took more than 12 hours to control and drove more than 1,000 people out of their homes. >> this is what's left of the avalon edge water apartment building that caught fire in january. 240 units gone in a flash. since that night a lot of attention has been paid to and a lot of fingers pointed at what is inside the walls of this building and others like it across the country. >> it's called lightweight oh wood am cost sit of smaller wood basically chips blessed

and glued together. these eye training gels are the trusses, and is widely used in homes throughout the country including thently water amounts. >> if it was made out of concrete and continueder block we wouldn't have this problem. it's lightweight construction which sprinklers and if this is the problem you face with this kind of construction. >> lightweight engineered wood burns three times faster than solid wood beams. >> it has been a problem for decades for us. >> an associate professor at science science in new york was at the scene of thently water fire. >> firefighters are wary when they go in. >> why? >> they're wary that they're not going to stop the fire. they're wary about the collapse potential, because these floors collapse. they have been to several when the entire floor is collapsed on to the floor below. >> advantage to lightweight wood

construction are time and money. we bought some engineered wood and some conventional wood at a lumber yard and brought the samples to the penalty elect of the american institute of architects new jersey chapter. >> good old mother earth this is cut right out of a log. as we go see on the ends, you can see the rings. in this case, the web is made up of a material that's known as oriented strand board o.s.b., which is basically compressed wood chips. it's done in oriented fashion which is what gives it its strength. >> he said it's as strong as plywood, but when it comes to fire. >> because this is solid and more dense than this material is and the fact that there's no glue that's present in this, this is still going to burn faster. >> avalon declined an interview on camera saying in a statement

it is: >> the leader of the new six person new jersey architect task force, he says the group will produce a report in the coming months intended on helping designers use lightweight wood in a safer manager and strengthening building codes to make sure something like the fire never happens again. >> hopefully the lessons are learned. >> we are learning new details this morning about what happened in the final moments onboard that germanwings plane that crashed in france. investigators say an initial reading from the flight data recorder shows the co pilot deliberately accelerating the jet as it descended toward the french alps.

all 150 onboard were killed. >> a missing sailor is back on dry land after spending 66 days lost at sea. he was found on his disabled sailboat 200 miles off the coast of north carolina. he survived by eating fish and drinking rain water. >> a somber anniversary coming up in west virginia sunday. five years ago sunday, two dozen coal miners were killed in an explosion and families are still seeking justice. lisa stark reports from west virginia. >> this is one of the memorials to the 29 men who lost their lives. west virginia coal miners, it was an explosion at the upper big branch mine, just down the road from here. it happened five years ago but emotions especially among family members is still running high. >> it hurts me to talk about it.

in a sense it feels good to talk about it, because you're interested in my family, and what i once had. cory was 20, had a beautiful smile, had a great big heart. he loved life. >> many blame the tragedy on the company that owned the mine, and on its former c.e.o. the company had racked up numerous safety violations and investigations after the tragedy found that it was entirely preventable. >> now blank kenship faces federal charges including conspiracy to vital federal mine safety rules. he has pleaded not guilty. family members we've talked to are waiting for the trial. they are hoping for justice. >> you can see the full report tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern here on aljazeera america. >> we are awaiting the monthly

job reports numbers due out in a few minutes. >> it's been linked to hundreds of deaths, the designer drug and why it's so dangerous. >> a cross country trip complete the first self-driving car makes the 3400-mile journey from coast-to-coast.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. it is 8:30 eastern.

the u.s. defense department cleared the way for the military to aid the conflict in yemen refueling saudi planes. it will not happen over yemen. u.s. surveillance planes are already providing intelligence. >> severe thunderstorms overnight caused flooding in kentucky. some roads were covered with several feet of water. rescue teams were september in to help people trapped in their homes. the storm is expected to dump heavy rain in mississippi and tennessee. >> a missing sailor back on dry land today after spending 66 days lost at sea. louis jordan was found about 200 miles off the coast of north carolina. he survived by eating fish and drinking rain water. >> all this momentum, we're looking at the issues facing our fragile planet. we head back to california.

the drought there is now in its fourth year. the governor put into effect mandatory water restrictions. farmers worry about the future of their crops. >> on a small farm 50 miles north of los angeles phil knows what it means to live with less water. >> farm be organically is a trick but farming without water that's a big trick. that's what we're doing the last few years. >> he's farmed this land for 37 years and has seen wet years dry years but nothing like the last three years. >> we just haven't had any rain. it's just more in sects it's -- the cost of water is three times higher than three years ago. it's only going to get more expensive. >> we met mcgrath a year ago. at that time, the droughts was a concern, now a crisis. governor brown's unprecedented mandatory water restrictions

stopped short of placing further restrictions on farmers but requires a detailed drought management plan, including how much water they currently use. >> farms big and small have already seen large cuts to the amount of water they are allocated for irrigation. when you consider 80% of california's water goes to farms controls the state it's possible even larger reduction could come in the future. >> as californians, we have to save water in every way we possibly can and we have to pull together. there will be some heartache here. >> still the governor's order for now targets mostly city dwellers who also use more than their fair share of water from keeping cars clean to their lawns green approximate in los angeles, most of the runoff from those activities ends up here. >> what's the water we're seeing here in the creek? this is not coming from the mountains. >> this isn't snow melt. >> it's not from rain. >> we haven't had any rain in a

while. its effluent from facilities and dry weather runoff which comes from the streets and storm drains which is mostly people watering their lawns. >> liz is with an advocacy group. although the group applauds the executive order they question why it took so long. >> should the governor have acted with mandatory restrictions earlier? >> we have certainly advocated for mandatory restrictions long before now. i do believe there was a loft opportunity over the last year since the governor declared a drought. it took a long time for californians to real estate we're in a dire situation. >> the governor's executive order expands on restrictions already in place. since last july, residents were instructed to limit lawn watering to two days a week and only wash cars using hoses with

automatic put someoff in put someoff nozzles. >> we would like to see state agencies put a limit on how many gallons per capita per day can be used in california and that should be based on current uses, so not only should there be a 25% reduction statewide but we should look at the biggest water users and ensure they're making the biggest reductions so that we have an equitable distribution of water among the state. >> a shared sacrifice that governor brown says will cause heartache as the golden state continues to turn brown. al jazeera, los angeles. >> california's drought is only getting worse. now the state's snow pack is at record lows. the snow pack supplies california with 30% of its drinking water but now there's barely any snow left. let's bring in nicole mitchell for today's environmental impact. not only is it bad pour residents, it's bad for certain

industries there. >> the ski industry, you talk about the snow pack, looking back to 2005, right now for april 1, numbers only 5% in terms of what we should have for snow pack. the steve industry, some,s shut at early as january a lot of empty ski resorts shut early into march that would extend much farther and definitely having problems out there. as we look at those, we had a don't december. there was a little more snow then. there's video of the ski resorts. this is a $1.3 billion industry. last year already down 28% because of not as much snow. this year, there was even less. the numbers haven't come in, but it's probably going to be a dire number. a lot of seasonal workers laid off. looking at those maps, december a decent month. we got a little bit more snow, not quite as much as normal. you can see the sierra's highlighted with a circle there. to january almost no snow, none

in some areas like lake tahoe on the northernently of the area didn't have any. the rest of the winter went the same so definitely a dire situation. as you mentioned now not only does it hurt the ski industry but there's not that water for the run off fortresser voluntaries. >> the monthly jobs numbers for march have come in. it is disappointing news for the economy. the streak of 12 straight months is over. only 26,000 jobs were added in the month of march. the labor force participation rate is 62.7%. let's bring in peter maurice he teaches that economics. 126,000 jobs in march. that does not match expectations. what happened? >> >> essentially the economy is

slowing. we have problems in the oil patch because of low price. a lot of the big blue states where employment growth has been strong like new york and california this effort to raise wages at the bottom, it really occur tails hiring in service activities like restaurants and so fort. you can't raise the minimum wage without having numbers like this. >> i want to get into minimum wage and stagnant wage growth. the up employment is holding steady at 5.5%, lowest since may of 2008. is that rate misleading? >> absolutely. we have 7 million men between the ages of 25-54 too old for college, too young to retire at home doing nothing and not looking for work. they have given up. this isn't changes in society. these aren't men watching kids and things like that. they are people with nothing to do. we're basically collecting government benefits that weren't

available 10 years ago free health care, food stamps, things of this nature. it's just much easier to go without a job these days. we're subsidizing unemployment. >> wage growth at 2.1%. why is wage growth remaining so stagnant? >> essentially at the bottom where most jobs are created there really is a huge contingent supply of workers that don't appear on the unemployment in connection. all these people sitting on the sideline there are many more women sitting on the sidelines. some of them are with children, but many would be lured into the labor force if it paid better, but doesn't. as soon as wages go up, they come in, pushes wages back down. why do we still get 2% growth? the top 10% you and i with skills in high demand and also who sell what they make on

international markets where the growth is. you know, this t.v. segment will be projected into asia, the folks on wall street service people in asia, as well. they have wage growth because they have big demand. the u.s. economy gross slowly for ordinary people but quickly for the highly skilled. >> the labor participation rate, is it that people are staying home or jobs aren't being created. >> it's a little bit of a chicken and egg. folks have become so discouraged, especially men this was a man recession it eliminated jobs in manufacturing and a lot of older men are subject to systemic age bias and gender bias. there's no two ways about it. i can give you two examples. i recently encountered one of those examples. they are complaining about it all over the place that they become discouraged. men once proud that would not take, you know, attitude stamps,

or free health care through obamacare people this is the only way out. they live off of relatives. some are in the grayer economy. they don't get counted but they're working part time. >> professor at the university of maryland, thank you. >> in public defiance of national rules the boy scouts affiliate in new york hired a gay scout leader. the 18-year-old is an eagle scout. he's set to work at a scout camp this summer. under current rules openly gay scouts can join the organization but gay leaders are banned. officials from the new york chapter say he is extremely qualified for the job. the boy scouts of america is looking into the matter. >> today a man is being set free after 30 years on death row. he was charged with murdering two birmingham fast food workers in 1985. his case was reopened after forensic evidence showed his mom's gun used as evidence

against him was not involved in the killings. >> in today's healthbeat, growing concerns in florida over a dangerous drug called flaca. doctors say it causes people to act erratically and uncontrollably. it can be injected, snorted smoked or swallowed often with dire consequences. this video reds by the fort lauderdale police department shows a man under the influence of this drug trying to break down the door of the police station. the drug has been linked to the deaths of more than 100 in florida in 2013 alone. let's bring in an assistant director at the university of public health. what is in this drug? >> it's unclear. we think the active ingredient is similar to another, which is chewed in parts of south asia

and the middle east. it acts like mdma, ecstasy crystal meth. >> it's a stimulant june it's a huge stimulant. if it sale goes to 10, this is a 12 or 13. >> this one is more dangerous? >> we don't actually know where it's coming from so have no sense of the purity. there are reports that it's being 16 they sized china. the potency may be too high and overrides the brain's stimulation center. >> it works on the brain we're talking about a high with hallucinations, dell illusions. >> exactly. it targets the neurotransmitter dopamine what we normally use

as reward center. this overactivates surges and stops it from going back into the receptors that hold it, so it's out there. you get a huge dopamine surge causing the hallucinations and hyperactivity and could be what we saw in the video almost this super human strength that people will have. it poses a challenge to doctors and law enforcement. it's hard to bring a person who's high on this down. >> look at this guy that is on the drug, and the behavior is clearly erratic. 100 people have died from this drug in one year. what are they dying of? >> so, what's happening is when people overdose on this drug, you get this huge dopamine release, and that overactivates the body, and most of the time what happens is either they hurt themselves in a delirious state

or they overheat. one of the ways one treats somebody who is overdosing on a drug like this, you have to cool them. when you overheat, it's because the muscles of over active and the muscles start to disintegrate that. that affects the kidneys and they get kidney failure. you have to give them fluids to stabilize the kidneys. >> serious stuff it's called flakka. thank you. >> it is a major holy day. jews will mark passover commemorating the release from slavery in ancient egypt. thousands of worshipers descended on that jerusalems church of the holy sepulcher. many believe the church sits at the end of the walk jesus took before he was crucified.

>> the crucifixion was reenacted. in rome, the pope washed the feet of male and female inmates. it's not just christians preparing for the end of lent. muslims for lent was created in solidarity. some muslims show what they gave up for 40 days. one of the participants told us the objective is to show unity and love across all faiths. some are talking about a reciprocal has she has gone calls christians for ramadan. >> as we report, the growing of christianity is said to be because of the printing by a bible company. >> at one time, the little red book was the only best seller

here. now there's been another one and it's been around a lot longer. more than 130 million copies of the bible have rolled off this production line. 30 million last year alone. many exported, but the majority were for the domestic market, purchased for churches, sanctioned by china's atheist government. >> first principle is serve our churches our brothers and sisters. then if we still have the capacity or will, serve the overseas churches. >> the factory publishes bibles in 90 languages from arabic to russian. such is demand for the holy book it remains an around the clock operation. according to official figures around 30 million people are christian, unofficially, it's 100 million. that's more members than the communist party has. while religion is tolerated the

government is wary of its growing popularity, reflected here. >> the factory began publishing biles in 1987, just a few years before the communist party ended its campaign to try to wipe out religion. today, it's proof there is money in religion. >> in today's china more people are seeking meaning and spiritual comfort that neither communism nor capitalism seem to have supplied. >> we are a human being not an animal. we are always thinking that why the value of the life, what is the value of the life,. >> he believes 20 years from now, there could be up to 160 million chinese christians and of course, they'll all need

a bible made here. >> facing a future with autism. >> bit by bit it seemed parts of himself were disappearing. >> their son needs constant care but this family worries what will happen when he ages out of his much-needed services.

>> welcome back. israels prime minister met had top security officials today evaluating the preliminary agreement to eliminate iran's nuclear program. netanyahu calls it a historic mistake, saying a final deal will threaten israel's survival. >> firefighters battling a four alarm fire in louisville, kentucky. the fire broke out just before dawn. officials say it is unclear what caused the fire. all employees are accounted for and safe. >> the world overnight marked autism awareness day. monuments were lit in blue. over the next decade, half a million young americans with autism will age out of services they receive in school, leaving families to find care on their own. this is one family's struggle. >> now throw it back to me. >> we have a 16-year-old son with autism named adam.

>> when he was first diagnosed it was a shock. we knew something was wrong but we never imagined it would be autism. >> it was so terrifying and scary that you have this beautiful, beautiful boy and we seemed to be losing him. autism has affected his life in many ways. one is adam needs assistance with many things, many things that people take for granted such as putting on your own clothes, being able to understand danger, being independent. our son doesn't speak. >> in school, he has a one to one with aids always with him. he learned to drink from a cup without spilling juice or water. he learned to zipper up. he learned to use a spoon to feed himself. >> many things keep me up at night, just thinking about when adam turns 22.

a lot of things go away, a lot of his services and supports that he desperately needs disappear at 22. >> more. >> i am very concerned that adam's skills will begin to degrade and slip. >> when my friend's son aged out, her son was going to a program and all he did was watch videos all day. when i saw him after he aged out of the school system, he seemed like a zombie. to get the services that we want him to have, we don't have enough money. i can work until i'm 70, it still won't be enough. my worry about adam as he gets older is that one day i will leave him and he will be put in an institution and he willing drugged up to control his behavior. >> daddy loves you. ok? i'm proud of you. >> i really worry about, you

know that he truly truly is, you know, at the mercy of society and all i can do is pray that society be good to him when i'm no longer here. >> i'll see you in the morning. ok? >> a self driving audi finished a nine day trek from california to new york. it largely drove itself using g.p.s. sensors and cameras to steer through traffic. the chief technology officer said it will be probably 10-15 years before self driving cars are ready for the general public to take on the road. >> a small town in alabama with too much bamboo and too few jobs hopes it can ride out of an unemployment problem by turning the plant into a cutting edge bicycle. we have the story.

>> you have a lot of bamboo. >> this is how the supply chape moves here at hero bikes. >> all right turning left. >> bamboo bicycles around exactly a new idea. they've about that around since the first was introduced in 1894. now they're gaining popularity in small bike shops a lot like this one but none of those bikes are quite like the bikes here. that's all thanks to away industrial designer who really took the time to get his hands dirty and develop a new innovative design. >> the professor and students tinkered with prototype frames, coming up with a hybrid called the semester. >> which part makes this completely in innovative? >> i think the most innovative part is actually being able to make a composite with having

carbon fiber with the bamboo. >> walk me through what we have here. >> we take our bamboo and split it. on the outside we plane flat and cut angles on the sides. each one of these slats has a bevel on the side. we're using a carbon fiber sleeve. this is just a piece of bicycle inner tube that's inside. we can put all this together with resin to hold all of this together. if we inflate the inner tube now, it's going to expand the carbon fiber to blow out the bamboo and make a very strong tube. it's a very low tech way to get at a high tech solution. >> it's elegant in its as i am appliesty. >> thank you. >> you can't do a bike story

without a ride. >> thank you. >> it's awesome! i can't believe how shooting this bike is! this is really cool. >> what do you think? >> well, if you're not careful i'm going to steal it when you're not looking. >> the semester bike runs about $850. >> what we'd like to do is use what is here to create a better future. >> how does being involved in this make you feel? >> that part of being able to come back here and see this shop filled with people that are making these bikes how rewarding is that? >> you can watch techno later today. >> coming up from doha, the latest on the saudi-led fight against houthi rebels in yemen. thanks for watching.

>> a global climate crisis >> two feet of sea level rise is projected... >> threatening america's coastline >> 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. >> part of al jazeera america's >> special month long evironmental focus fragile planet

>> welcome to the news hour live from doha. saudi t.v. says houthi rebelsn after more airstrikes. >> celebration in iran over a framework deal on iran says nuclear program. israel said the agreement threatens its existence. >> despair and grief