as a sprawling sprawl metropolis produces more garbage. >> you can keep up-to-date with all the news on our website www.aljazeera.com. you can see our front page there with some of the lead stories we're following there for you at www.aljazeera.com. >> you struggling to survive as the red cross waits for a plane willing to deliver aid to civilians. and a strong response to an attack on a college. and rolling stone retracts its story about an alleged rape at the university of virginia, and why some call it a failure of journalism.

>> this is number al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm stephanie sy. the u.n. said that yemen is heading towards a major humanitarian crisis. the red cross said it it's trying to fly in emergency aid but it's not clear if they will be able to fly while saudi-led airstrikes continue. in aid aden hundreds are dead and many report seeing corpses on the treats. >> of the days of heavy fighting and winning battles many parts of aden have been destroyed. homes and shops lie in ruins. civilians are also being killed. houthi rebels along with fighters loyal to ali abdullah

saleh, former president are near the city's ports. these are fighters loyal to president hadi, and they're putting up a fight. civilians are now caught in the middle. >> getting water and food supply supply power maybe two or three hours today. but electric power but otherwise everything is going down hill. >> people in aden say they've been without clean water for five days. and stores are being cleared out of food. president abd rabbuh mansur hadi who fled to saudi arabia, is said to be restructuring his army. he sacked his chief of staff accused of treason. but it may have little impact,

that's because the military is loyal to the deposed president ali abdullah saleh and are fighting along side the houthies in this war. the saudi-led strike against the houthis is now in its 12th day. in the capital of sanaa there is a fuel shortage, and people are scared. >> i've been here since last night. our kids and the elderly are at home. they are terrified of the bombing and vibrations. we don't have wheat and flower. it's a flower--flour, it's a tough situation. >> the houthis are also paying a high price. many here are searching for the bodies of their families members. ment. >> this is a home of my brother. they hit his home at 2:00 a.m. it was a random bombing of civilians. we woke up to find the house reduced to republic.

>> the international red cross says it's preparing two planes loaded with urgent aid but that may provide little comfort to the millions of yemenis caught in the cross fire. al jazeera. >> humanitarian groups say the fighting in yemen has become a crisis. hospitals are low on staff equipment and supplies, and there is also the issue of food. yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world and even before this crisis yemen had relied on food aid. 90% of the food is imported. yemeni american groups say that the obama administration needs to do more to help u.s. citizens to get out of yemen. earlier we are learned that an american was killed in a mortar strike. he was from oakland california. he was hoping to bring thinks wife and daughter back to the

usa. saudi government has requested support and the parliament is debating whether to get involved. >> well, the ruling party has the majority in parliament, but you also have to deal with a considerable number of parties such as the pakistan people's party and then you've got the those opposing any deployment into yemen at this time saying that pakistan should act as a mediator and firefighter rather than getting involved in the yemeni quagmire. however, the government has the support and defense minister speaking on the floor said that saudi arabia has asked for neighbors for air and ground support, and pakistan said that

if case there was infringement of sovereignty of saudi arabia, pakistan would respond. strong language coming out and there is the expectation that it will go through parliament but the debate is likely to continue for another day or two. >> i spoke earlier with mohammed kubati, a former adviser to the past three yemeni prime ministers. he said that yemen's former president ali abdullah salesh behind 2. >> it's not the houthies. people need to understand that the man pulling the streaks the backseat driver is the former toppleed briefs dictator mr. saleh. he's behind. he's going to use--he wants the option. as heroes and family or he brings the whole on the head of

everybody. >> the fights has left 500 people dead in recent weeks. president obama calls the tentative nuclear agreement with iran an once in a lifetime opportunity. many u.s. lawmakers say that the deal will not stop iran from threatening its neighbors. >> number one this is our best bet by far to make sure iran does not get a nuclear weapon. and number two what we will be doing even as we enter into this deal is sending a very clear message to the iranians and the entire region that if anybody messes with israel, america will be there. >> the president said that he's concerned about how the talks with iran have strained u.s.-israel relations. he said he takes it personally when he's accused of being anti-israel.

rolling stone magazine admits it was wrong in the controversial story of an allege rape at the university of virginia. it retracted the story after a report that it failed all the basics. what is the magazine doing in response? >> in addition to the restriction that you mentioned the magazine has issued an apology. but here's what it's not doing. rolling stone said that the rape the editor of the rape story will not be fired. they said that the reporter violated basic rules of journalism. >> she wrote a rape on campus to explore the issue of sexual assault. she used an alleged rape victim to illustrate the crisis. jackie a sued in this matter told her that she was raped repeat lid and she called friends for help. but jackie's story and the "rolling stone" report began to

fall apart beginning with a "washington post" investigation. in december a month after the story was published, "rolling stone" issued an apology on its website and initiated the review by the colombian journalism school. that review was released sunday night and is sharply critical of erdly and rolling stone. three flowers of reporting stand out. they involve basic even routine journalistic practice not special investigative effort. and if these reporting pathways had been followed, rolling stone very likely would have avoided trouble. erdly failed to corroborate jackie's account. erdly failed to reveal jackie accounts to the fraternity. and erdly failed to get the last name of the student accused of leading the attack.

officials suspended all greek activities to crackdown on sexual assaults. >> i truly feel as though nothing has changed since 1984, and when i read jackie's story i, myself, am back in that room. it is the same place. it is the same smell. it is the same feelings of being groped. >> last month the charlottesville police said that they found no evidence to support the story of jackie adding that it does not mean that something terrible did not happen to jackie. >> they have this statement:

stephanie? >> of course, colombian journalism school will be holding a press conference in a couple of hours. so we'll get more details on that investigation. >> yes. >> thank you. closing arguments are under way in the trial of the accused boston marathon bomber gee car tsarnaev. his attorneys are trying to spare him the death penalty. >> attorneys for dzhokhar tsarnaev close their case after. their suggestion that dzhokhar participating ifparticipated in the attacks but was under the spell of his older brother. >> the defense was trying to show the older brother influence and that motive had more to do within that than terrorism. >> from the beginning the offense all the said their strategy is not to win an

acquittal but to keep him from the death penalty. they called four witnesses to draw him away from tamerlan the crime. 92 witnesses were called to give evidence for the prosecution. including experts who provided a mountain of evidence from the crime scene before resting on monday. >> the prosecution also trying to bring the jurors to the scene of this horrible horrible crime to show the devastation that it caused to loved ones, to folks who lost their limbs so that the jurors, when they decide about punishment, will have all of that in mind when they make those decisions. >> trial watchers have noted that dzhokhar showed no emotions throughout the trial. >> i think he's adam.

>> one of those is rhetter adams. the bomb took part of her leg off. >> i can't understand how a person like that thinks. >> now the trial of the century is moving towards its conclusion conclusion much to the relief of those in the city. >> it's been mentally draining to come here every day seeing the horrific pictures that are out there the testimony of the poor people who passed away that day. >> ken yap going after at shah babb. coming up we'll go inside the school where more than 150 people died. and a grilling on a comedy show. >> this is a fundamental concept of liberty. >> right, but you have to own that then. >> tv host john oliver questions edward snowdon about leaking documents from the nsa.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. it is 10:45 eastern taking a look at today's top stories. the epa is investigating the dangerous chemical that may have caused a family of four to get sick on vacation. the family may have been exposed to a pesticide at their hotel in in the virgin islands. the chemical was banned for indoor use in is the 1984 but is still used for agriculture use. in north carolina a hearing for accused killer of three muslims. the attorneys for aaron hernandez will be beginning their case for his murder trial. he has pleaded not guilty for orchestrateing the death of a semi pro football players in in 2013. fighting today with thousands trapped.

isil and the syrian government has been battling for control. the u.n. officials call the situation beyond inhumane. >> they speak of incredible fear. these are some of the people that managed to get out of yarmouk. they aired these pictures showing how the army and palestinian factions helped them get to safety. >> isil called from the mosques if we catch one working the palestinian group fighting all with the government they will cut our heads off. they have no mercy. >> for the first time video of isil has been posted online showing the inside of the palestinian refugee camp. they've been fighting palestinian groups and others here for the past six days. this camp has been we seened for more than two years by the syrian government because rebel groups are also based here.

it's people starving with no running water and no electricity. now isil's presence and syrian regime bombardment in what used to be a densely populated camp is making a terrible situation worse. even though some people have made it out most of the 18,000 people who try to survive here are trapped. >> we cannot pay for anything. we're not on anyone's side. we want with the whole camp to be safe. >> the palestine liberation organization is sending a delegation to syria to try to help solve the crisis. no aid is making it into the camp. we're told by activists inside that the lack of medical supplies is making it impossible to treat the wounded. isil storming the camp has come as a shock here. their mere presence terrifying people. the u.n. is warning of a humanitarian catastrophe if the fighting does not stop. >> the kenyan air force is going after al-shabab.

they left more than 150 people dead. kenyan warplanes targeting al-shabab positions. authorities say they have identified one of the the again men behind the massacre, and he is the son of a kenyan government official. we're seeing the aftermath of the attack in garissa. >> we're allowed into the campus. it's a big compound of many buildings, and that water tower over there is the entrance where two security guards were killed by the gunmen, who then came here. this is where it all happened. they killed the students in the siege that took about 12 hours. some of the surviving students watched their friends killed are still very traumatize: this is one of the entrances to the dorms. looking at the destruction. you can imagine how terrified the students were, and the panic

that was in interest when the gunmen arrived. the bullet holes where the security forces engaged in a sea of battle. we're not allowed to go in, but i can still smell blood from where i'm standing. we're told about a hundred students were killed here. >> catherine soi reporting from garissa in kenya. the prime minister of greece heads to moscow to meet with russian president vladimir putin. the issue, greek death. alexi tsipras said it's not about money. they could agree to lift restrictions on greek imports to boost the economy. former nsa contractor edward snowdon is talking about the leaguing of classified

documents. at times it was funny and at times controversial. >> how many have you read? >> i evaluated all the documents in the archive. >> you read every one. >> i do understand what i turned glover there is a difference between understanding what is in the document and reading what is in the documents. >> well, in my defense that's passed journalist and they're using extraordinary measures to make sure that it was reported in a responsible way. >> but they were journalists with a lower skill set that you. >> yes but they understand just like you and i do, to get this right. >> but it was not redacted properly and it was possible to see that something was being used in mosul in al-qaeda. >> that is a problem. >> that's a [bleep] >> it is a [bleep], and these things do happen in reporting. in journalism we have to accept

that some mistakes will be made. this is a fundamental concept of liberty. >> right but you have to own that then. you're giving documents with information you know could be harmful, which could get out there. >> yes. >> that interview took place in russia where snowdon has been living since fleeing the u.s. the supreme court has rejected an appeal by former cuban prisoner alan gross. he was detained in cuba for five years and wanted to sue the u.s. government for negligence. he will receive $3 million in a straight case. that's part of a settlement reached with a contractor for which he work: up next, crowd funding for candidates. the group challenging the status quo.

>> the campaigning wraps up today ahead of ferguson, missouri first municipal election since the death of michael brown. voters could put three african-americans on the city council, and diane estherbrook

tells us that would be the first time it happens in the city's history. >> this building is ready for demolition. >> was your business here. >> i had sections b and. >> janese lost her antique store when rioters torched this building last november. since then she has been waiting for the own for rebuild. >> do you know how much money you possibly lost to date? >> i know from last year it was at least $30,000 i've lost in sales. >> the city wouldn't tell us if it's missing targets were sales tax revenues. but they did say that the number tickets issued by police dropped by 4,000 in the five moss following the riots following from 5800 to 1400. the city's acting police chief acknowledge the financial strain. >> how are you going to do that?

>> that's what budget is for. they'll have to do it. >> this building used to house a beauty supply store. >> how long before tenants can go in there. >> we're looking at three months. >> janiece andrews' building is scheduled to be demolished and rebuilt but not fast enough for her. >> center rand paul is expected to announce a presidential run. but when it comes to running for congress not every has to endure a tough campaign. despite a congressional approval rating below 13% dozens of incumbents ran unopposed last fall. michael shure said that there is now an effort to change that. >> this is alabama senator jeff exceptions. last november in his bid for re-election the republican lawmaker received nearly 800,000 votes while his campaign twitter had only only

12 tweets. his campaign facebook only four posts, and he had no opponents. amid unprecedented discontent with congress many voters, if they even got to the polls didn't have a choice once they did. half of georgia's congressional delegation ran unopposed. for massachusetts it was two-thirds. in all more than 30 house members ran unopposed. and many of those names like john lewis charlie dent and joseph kennedy also didn't have a primary opponent. enter crowd pack. >> every vote center every district should at least have a choice of who to vote for and it turns out in certain parts of america in november last year you did not have a choice. >> they see the problem as big as fixable. >> what we want to do is give politics back to people. to give them a real sense of control over the political process that is really lacking at the moment. >> to do this, crowd pack has start what had they call their

unopposed project. raising money to field candidates in each district where there was only one name on the ballot last time. >> the money will be distributed to the opponents future opponents of the unopposed members of congress who ran in 2014. so let's make sure that it doesn't happen again in 6:00. >> crowd pack invites donors to contribute any legal amount. all in order to fill some voids. they concede that the climate of money and politics is not about to change. >> you have to start with the reality that money is really important. and that therefore political donations is probably the most effective way that people can make change happen. >> crowd pack is nonpartisan but their point is that an election takes two. >> for us it's a principle of democracy where everyone should have a choice. it's not for us to decide whether a candidate is better or

worse. but our role is to help democracy work better. >> can it work or is is is it a waste of time and money? maybe we should ask representative eric can't eric cantor --um, former representative eric can'ter. >> the match up comes after the badgers took down previous lie undefeated kentucky. notre dame with a repete the last year's championship match. the arelinquish defeated south carolina by just one point. the white house is marking easter with its annual easter egg roll. the easter bunny coming out of the white house just a short while ago with opening remarks from the president. let's look at what is happening there. first lady michelle obama speaking celebrating the fifth anniversary of her let's move initiative. a fitness and health initiative for kids.

thanks for watching al jazeera. >> you welcome to the news hour. we're live from our news center in doha. womaning up in the next 60 minutes. desperate for aid. enemy in yemen scramble for basic supplies as fighting continues. the united nations says that the situation in syria as yarmouk camp is beyond inhumane. kenya launches airstrikes on al-shabab