>> for police accreditation across the nation. >> when i first saw it my heart dropped. >> plus, tavis smiley. talks about police. and on all counts, the boston marathon bomber found guilty.

>> they need to understand, whether or not he lives or dies. plus sea lions. >> like it or not they're here and here to 78. >> protected specious is -- species is becoming a threat . and we begin with what many call a national crisis. unarmed black men being gunned down by police. the latest case we know about is in north carolina. shooting a black man repeatedly in the back. the victim died at the scene. protests and calls for change. jonathan martin is in charleston

with more. >> good evening despite the initial part of the investigation moving quickly the chief of police and the mayor say they don't have answers to. calling for large scale changes here in the police department. >> this is a systematic thing. >> for a second time wednesday demonstrators circled outside. city hall in north charleston, south carolina. charging former officer michael slager with the murder of walter scott. >> this is finally an opportunity to validate what we have ever been saying, there is violence and profiling and intimidation happening in the north charleston, area. we don't have video every time it happens.

>> north charleston released the video. in a news conference disrupted by protestors mayor said the officer has been terminated. but relying on two points, whether anyone witnessed the shooting and whether anyone administered cpr. >> i watched the video and i was sickened by what i saw they said they tried to save his life. >> the mayor announced the pharmacist has secured a grant to purchase 100 body cameras for officers. >> today i made an executive decision and have notified my counsel. we have already ordered this morning an additional 150 body cameras so that every officer that's on the street in uniform will have a body camera. >> reporter: but organizers of the group black lives matter say they want more.

>> we need an apparatus a citizens review board we need a department of justice review. we need the mayor out because he has been overseeing the operation for a very long time. everybody who is a native that lives in north charleston knows this. >> reporter: tuesday night in his initial appearance before a judge, slager was denied bond. prosecutors do not know whether they will seek the death penalty in this case. his mother spoke publicly for the first time. >> i almost couldn't look at it. to see my son running defenselessly, being shot. it tore my heart to pieces. >> charged is not being convicted. once a conviction is put in place i'll feel a whole lot better. >> reporter: and you may have also noticed john, in that initial court appearance with former officer slager, he

appeared alone. that's why his attorney decided to remove himself from the case, from representing mr. slager. it is not clear who will be representing him in the case moving forward and it is also not clear exactly when his next court appearance will be. john. >> all right jonathan. we know about the south carolina shooting in part because it was caught on tape but there are many across the country that are not caught on tape. jonathan betz joins us with that story. jonathan. >> not police shootings, when you say this death in south carolina again shows that that policy needs to change. the death of another unarmed man at the hands of a police officer captured on video by a bystander. >> i was sickened by what i saw. >> the shooting in charleston, south carolina is one that calls for change. some of the cases are high

profile igniting protest and national awareness. the most well-known august in ferguson missouri. a police officer shoots to death michael brown. >> i can't breathe. >> and in new york, eric garner dies after being placed in a choke hold by police officers more recently, a police body cam video shows a mentally ill man shot by an officer in dallas. also last month a bystander with a cell phone catches the death of a homeless man on the streets of los angeles. but how many other deaths slip under the radar? several hundred. but we don't know the actual number. >> if we know the numbers we can look at trends across regions and across time to determine whether our own communities have a problem or not.

>> journalist brian berghart, tracks media and statistics. his numbers go back to the year 2000 and he's still counting. >> we've collected about 6,000 so far and our estimates are that there will be between 15 and 18,000 incidents before we're done. >> reporter: that would be a little more than a thousand people a year. three people a day killed by police in the u.s. in florida, a state with a population of about 20 million so far berghart has found 840 encounters with police since 2000. new york state with a similar population has had about 370. >> it's triple what it is in new york state. but you hear about officers in new york state all the time. because of the media attention to issues in new york state.

>> now, the number of reported deaths may actually go up dramatically this year and that's because of the death in custody act signed into law in december. it requires all deaths that occur in law enforcement custody be reported or the law enforcement agency could lose funding. john. >> advising chris stewart the lawyer for the family of scott walker -- walker scott. he is in our studio this evening. welcome. >> thank you for having me. >> how is this case different just the video? >> well, i wrote a piece for "time" magazine called when will america challenge the standard police mayor narrative. this narrative when they kill a person of color i felt threatened, i felt in fear of my life. that's why they always sanction the killing of unarmed

minorities. now with this video that calls into question every time we have ever heard that narrative. it has been played out over and over again whether it's michael brown in ferguson, alicia thomas or on and on and on. >> you question whether the officer is telling the truth in all these cases? >> absolutely. because some of the narratives are just so ridiculous. take for instance walter scott's case. shot in the back seven times but the narrative is he is felt in fear of his life yet the man was shot in his back seven time. they are willing to sweep his death under the rug we will never know how many they swept under the rug. >> when you see that video what do you see? >> unfortunately i see an unnecessary killing of a human being. it is so unnecessary what this officer did and then to go plant

the weapon. and it just calls to question what coach exists within police departments around this country to say that the officer who came on the scene didn't come forth and say anything? we always talk about there are many many good police officers, versus, those that may not be good. but those good police officers have to speak up, john. when they see misconduct, if they don't speak up then how good are they? >> what could have -- i mean if in haven't been a video in this case would there have been any charges? >> absolutely not. absolutely not. it would have been the police word against a dead unarmed black man. and they always accept the standard police narrative. over and over fen. again. don't take my word for it. the number of times they use that narrative i felt in fear of my life -- >> aren't the police telling the

truth in some of those narratives? >> i'm sure they are in some of those narratives but in our community, when we start this video a lot of us were shocked but many of us were saying this is where so-and-so said or this is where he said. >> you're not surprised. >> finally they got caught. finally they got caught. so now while people in the murnt communityminority community say the police aren't lying or aren't weren't truthful. we can look at the situation in inkster michigan or south carolina. >> you are going to go to south carolina tonight right? >> i'm going to go on saturday. >> what are you going to do on saturday? >> i'm going to visit my friend chris stewart i'm president of the national bar association so

i'll be supporting him. >> as he's handling this case. your article in "time" magazine comes out tomorrow. >> i do. >> thank you for joining us. >> thank you for covering this important matter. >> richard wineblatt is in indianapolis tonight. richard, give us your take on how you see this situation? >> john it is horrible. i can tell you i've done a number of interviews on this as i tend to do. sometimes i call it that the police did good. and sometimes i call it that the police did bad. well you know what? the police did bad here. at least this particular officer. and i have been inundated with facebook messages, tweets, e-mails, et cetera from officers i know, officers i don't know as well as nonpolice folks.

everybody agrees that this was a bad shooting. i tell you what one south carolina officer who used to be a student of mine who moved to south carolina, he was like thank you so much officer in north charleston for putting a bigger target on my back. most of these men and women are doing a hard job with people in their worst moments and there are millions of interactions that go just fine with no, no use of force. this was wrong what happened. and as a profession, we lose credibility, if we don't come out and admit it was wrong. and i'm glad he was charged. and i hope that the process continues to go forward. and we see that justice is done. and -- but it should not besmirch the name of every police officer out there. >> i understand that. but you understand what's being said in the african american community. >> oh yeah, absolutely. >> they are not surprised with this they believe it's been going on for decades and decades

in the african american community and the police officer just got caught this time. >> uh-huh. in some cases that is absolutely true. what i say to folks i've had this discussion all the time as a criminal justice professor police dheef chief et cetera. you wouldn't want a broad brush painted against all african american males so should there not be a broad brush painted against all police officers. or anchors present company secluded of course. >> i understand that. >> am i happy that that video is taken, great, am i happy that this person had the courage to come forward with the video and let it be seen publicly, that's fantastic. i think the forensic evidence would have this case fall apart eventually anyway as it did in officer wilson's case.

>> you have seen the police and the african americans in this country who have been at odds for some time and good reason why they have been at odds. i want to get your opinion. is this part of a culture that comes from years of history of discrimination against african americans by police? >> look, some of it is cultural. i mean when i saw what appeared and granted this was a two dimensional video i'm not seeing anything. but i'm hard pressed to come up with any justification for anything i saw in the video. but when i see a person pick up a dark object something that is looks like a taser. he drops it by the person, looks like a plant. we've had commissions on police corruption and brutality in the past who talk about where they have a throw-down gun. that has fall by the way side for the most part. you know a lot of this stuff --

>> that's what reminds people who can remember, that's what this reminds people of. >> absolutely. it's a dark side of policing. but it does not represent modern policing. i.t. does not represent many officers that i have worked with in my career. and it's sad. it really hurts the scott family. obviously. it hurts the community. and it hurts policing, it hurts the relationship. there has been a cultural shift. there have been some positive things that have come out of ferguson and i think it's gotten the attention of police administrators and city and county administrators. what we see is great is the south carolina folks and sled, the law enforcement came out quickly and powerfully, because they have learned the lessons and 20 years ago you wouldn't have seen that. did the video help with that? absolutely. but it is a great move away from

the old culture. it absolutely is a great move away from the old culture. >> richard wineblatt. it's good to have you on the program, thank you very much. >> thank you sir. >> tavis smiley, i got his reaction to the shooting video. >> when i first saw it, my heart dropped, my blood started to boil and tears ran down my face. and if i spend too much time thinking about it i'll start to have that same reaction now. because i am the same age that this young man was when he was murdered. i'm 50. >> smiley also talked about race relations and policing in america. and we'll bring you much more of my conversation with tavis smiley at the bottom of the hour. now, to the guilty verdict of the boston marathon bomber dzhokhartsarnaev. after 11 hours of deliberations

john terret has more. >> dzhokhartsarnaev listened but didn't react. counts 1 to 17 that carried the death penalty among those counts using of a weapon of mass destruction. resulting in death. >> the jury makes a decision that they weigh the aggravating circumstances in this case such as the killing of a young boy. the use of these devices causing massive injury. those are aggravating circumstances. >> reporter: the prosecution strategy was straightforward. tsarnaev had already confessed and the video evidence that showed him near the finish line and the aftermath of the explosions was all the jury needed to know. but the so-called flash decision that many had expected didn't come. the jury took only 11 hours to come up with its verdict after asking the judge for clarification offer at least two

points. tsarnaev's attorneys never disputed that he took part in the bombing nor the carnage that fold. the shooting of sean collier and the death of his older brother tamerlan run over by dzhokhar. he was a troubled 19-year-old living under the spell of his radicalized brother. >> the fact that he was 19. the fact that he was a follower. the fact that the brother bought most of the items. the jury then weighs how bad was this crime? versus some of these mitigating circumstances? they need to decide unanimously whether or not this person gets the death penalty. >> reporter: the second phase of this federal trial will now begin with the same jury, tasked with deciding if dzhokhartsarnaev will die or spend the rest of his life in a

cell. for karen brassard, who was injured in the bombing the next phase will be filled with anxiety. >> the process is not going to be over any time soon, it will probably take many years to get through this but it will be good to have this behind us, one more piece of the puzzle being done. >> reporter: in many ways the trial is just starting. judy clark has kept many other defendants alive but this could be the toughest job yet in her 20 year career. john terret, al jazeera. >> and as the trial enters its next phase the focus will be on the fate of dzhokhartsarnaev. but we remember the victims those whose lives were lost. martin richard crystal campbell lindsay lou were killed near the finish line.

others died days later. four months after the formal end of combat operations, a soldier dies. and the end of war torn yes, yemen.

>> a u.s. soldier was shot and killed today in eastern afghanistan. an afghan soldier opened fire after a meeting inial in jalalabad. the first death since the u.n. mission ended pack in november. jamie mcintire has the story. jamie. >> in today's attack, it's the latest incident that underscores that while the u.s. combat role in afghanistan is over, the danger is not. in jalalabad a u.s. diplomat

had just departed a meeting with an afghan official, when his detail came under fire. one american soldier died, several other u.s. and afghan troops were wounded. it's the first u.s. troop death in afghanistan since the troop withdrawal december 31st. >> it's been over 90 days since two americans were killed in afghanistan. that has occurred precisely because we're not in a combat role. >> reporter: the last u.s. combat getz were wyatt martin and ramon morris, killed by a road side bomb december 12th killed two weeks short of the end of their combat tour. fateful final tour in afghanistan.

president obama said he was mindful that after keeping all 90,000 troops into afghanistan into next year he is putting more u.s. lives on the line. >> i'm the first to say that as long as our men and women in uniform are serving in afghanistan there are risks involved. it is a dangerous place. >> reporter: the 13 years of fighting have killed 2216 u.s. troops with more than 20,000 wounded and thousands of u.s. troops on the ground until the end of the year it is unlikely those are the final numbers. john as any war draws to a close, there is something somewhat poignant about the last to die. troops are superstitious about their final days of deployment although intellectually, their chances of dying are the same on every day. but there seems to be something particularly unfair about surviving bitter combat and then dying on what was supposed to be

a mission of peace. john. >> jamie mcintire, thank you. immediate kale aid reached yemen. although more is needed. port city of aden, residents there are in desperate need of food and water. battles rage in that city and beyond. now foreign powers are taking on a deeper role in that fight. war planes strike houthi positions in sanaa. and the saudi led coalition has stepped up its military campaign to prevent houthi fighters from capturing the port city of aden. the battle on the streets is intensifying. this amateur video appears to show supporters of the compiled compiled presidentexiledpresident under heavy fire. so far the houthis are holding their ground.

on wednesday iran deployed two navy vessels near yemen. the saudis accused iran of arming the houthis. a charge iran denies. it says the ships are part of an antiprivacy campaign and that diplomas isdiplomacy is the only way to solve yemen's problems. >> translator: standing together to form a government of national unity. >> reporter: on yemen's border crossing with saudi arabia, people are trying to escape. >> actually the situation is getting worse. that's why the company advised us to leave immediately. >> the humanitarian crisis in yemen continues to get worse but aid for the wounded and sick is finally making its way into aden. the first boat carrying urgently needed medical supplies has arrived.

doctors without borders have said that nearly 2,000 arrived at hose much more is needed. doctors without borders operates a hospital in aden. it says it has received more than 600 patients in the past three weeks. now, to syria a disastrous situation there in a refugee camp under i.s.i.l. control. food and drinking water under short supply. emergency aid for children living in the camp, the yarmouk camp in damascus is home to thousands of palestinian refugees. conditions there have drastically deteriorated since i.s.i.l. took over last week. coming up my conversation with tavis smiley. >> we have to come to grips with the fact that black lives don't matter in society. >> the actor and political

commentator. plus this. >> i'm allen schauffler, in astoria, oregon. luck may be running out for a record number of california sea lions. >> and a people at risk, what happens when a modern world threatens a native culture. ture.

>> my everyone, this is al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler. . >> in south carolina, a police officer charged with murder. we talk to journalist tavis smiley about police. >> it is not an indictment on all officers. >> and race in america. crowded shores in oregon. how an influx of sea lions is putting other species at risk. preservation or progress. nicaragua's plans that could put a native community in danger. and song of protest. ♪ just like it's down there a

billion barrels in the shale ♪ because it's down there like the holy grail. >> singer tom chapin fighting for the environment one song at a time. the killing follows a series of high profile police shootings but the video is graphic and hard to watch. something we haven't seen before. a white south carolina police officer shooting a black man repeatedly in the back. an autopsy of walter scott shows he died of multiple gunshot wounds. today the officer michael slager was fired. he is facing murder charges and north charleston police officers are faceing serious charges. >> i have watched the video and i was sickened by what i saw. and i have not watched it since. but in that end as i was -- because i have been receiving a lot of phone calls and a lot of

e-mails. in the end of it i believe what i saw was the officer removing the shirt of the individual and performing some sort of lifesaving but i'm not sure. >> he's not sure if cpr was performed. tavis smiley is a journalist and a political commentator. i asked him about the shooting in south carolina. >> when i first saw it my heart dropped, my blood started to boil. and tears ran down my face. and if i spend too much time thinking bit i'll start to have that same reaction now because i am the same age that this young man was when he was murdered. i'm 50. and i know what it's like to be pulled over, for a broken back

taillight. i've had that experience. i've been put over for a taillight being out. i know what i.t. it feels like to be 50 and i can't imagine over a busted taillight my life would be snuffed out. and so the contestation of his humanity, the lack of respect for the dignity of his humanity is just mind boggling to me. in some ways this is less about black and white and more about wrong and right. how do you disrespect the humanity of someone so much so that you shoot thek in them in the back eight times and you see planting what appears to be a taser on him then when he's dead on his face shot, on the ground, you handcuff him. are you so afraid of him that you have to handcuff him?

>> i have heard that this is an isolated incident. are please all like that? >> they are not. these cases are not mutually exclusive. it is no longer an isolated incident when we see stories like this happening tall time. >> what about the video? how did the video change this? if there hadn't been a video would this police officer been charged with murder? >> it makes you wonder. makes me wonder certainly, how many other cases have happened in the years past or happening every week where there is no camera where there is no videotape. we have this kind of public discourse. again we have to come to terms of whether or not this is young black lives just don't matter the way other lives matter. >> this situation has been going on for the past year regarding ferguson and new york, and this little bit of information add to the debate? >> what it says is that as we

approach the end of barack obama's second term and we're about to kick off god help us, this fight for the white house all over again those who thought almost eight years ago that the election of a black president was going to usher us into a postblack and white america, were i don't think wrong. the america that we can be. this is a damning day. this is -- this represents the night side of america. i would hope john, that it wouldn't but i would hope that would be as public and as vocal as they can be. trying what happened here in south carolina. because the situation gives law enforcement a bad name. makes all law enforcement suspect. we know that all cops are not

bad but how much more powerful would that statement be if the community came out you know in unison and said, this is unacceptable this is not who we are america can do better. >> you know, the election in ferguson two more black americans were elected to the council. we had a white citizen a white voter on there the other day on reports who said look, we didn't know. we've known this for a long time. what's the disconnect? >> the disconnect is that we still live in two fundamentally different americas. the kerner commission is still correct. we live in white america and black america. sadly that is true, but it reminds me of what dr. king said consistently change does not roll in on the wills of

inevitability. taking the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. these are real issues. we cannot continue to turn a blind eye or a deaf ear. all americans have to take this seriously. why? because as often as we talk about these black men being gunned down by cops there are clearly more white fellow citizens killed by cops every year than there are black fellow citizens. >> tavis smiley, it's good to have you. >> thank you john. >> the change of the guard. tuesday's election brought two more african american members to the city council. six member council is now 50% black for the first time in its history. even though nearly 70% of ferguson citizens are black wesley bell talked to tony

harris this morning. >> our entire movement was about public servants. and oftentimes our public servants forget that part of the title. they forget the service part. and as a result everything we did was about getting people involved making them feel valued making them feel a part of the process. >> bell said change was needed in ferguson after brown's death and the violence that followed. chicago's rahm emanuel will get a second term. he defeated chewey garcia, emanuel carried nearly 56% of the vote. now to a special report on our fragile planet. tonight, male sea lions unable to find food in california heading north in larger numbers

than expected. many are worried they could spell trouble. allen schauffler is in astoria oregon with more. allen. >> john, remarkable scene here on the docks. i just did an informal count. i counted 650 or so sea lions on this mooring basin in astoria, there are probably a couple hundred more in the breakwater on the lower columbia. the numbers biologists just say they've never seen anything like this. they're worried about the kind of damage these sea lions can do to salmon runs. a battle for dock space in a familiar hangout spot for migrating male sea lions. this year it's overcrowded. you'll find sea lions everywhere along the astoria waterfront. >> i've never seen anything like

it. it's pretty amazing. >> robin brown has studied the animals since the 1970s. >> a lot of those animals normally often the northern california coast are moving north to oregon and washington to find additional plea. >> ten times the number that dropped by for dinner five years ago. the big draw this year massive runs of smelt that tasty bait fish and now spring chinook salmon starting their trip up river. clearly enjoying the changing menu. they'll fatten and rest for several months then head for breeding grounds off southern california. the sea lions are a natural tourist draw but their diet is a concern for fishermen like charter captain jeff kiteley. >> they have faces they're cute

but if they looked like monsters i bet we would have already done something about them. >> reporter: he usually fishes far upstream, 20 miles from the hungry crowd in astoria. the marine protection act makes killing sea lions illegal. >> when they're that close when we hook a fish we have practically no chance to get the fish. >> further upriver the concern for fish survival is even greater and the tactics much more aggressive. we're 145 miles from the ocean with a tribal boat crew on sea lion hazing duty using small underwater bombs. and above water shotgun fired crackers. scaring california and the bigger stellar sea lions away from salmon and steel head below

bonbonneville dam. >> it takes about three hours for the animals to come back. >> they congregate before swimming up the ladders on the dam, the first man made barrier on their route. a huge population of sea lions at the mouth of the river this year could spell trouble here. 55 california sea lions most identified by branding, as persistent return customers of the dam have been trapped and euthanized in recent years. >> none of us want to kill sea lions. none of us enjoy it, it's not a task we asked for. >> more may be sanctioned if more move up river.

>> it absolutely breaks my heart. >> ververonica is with a conservation group. >> we already have the stars of the show. but why do we have to scapegoat our sea lions for you know eating such a small amount of our fish in the river? >> critics like montoya says the columbia's extensive hydroelectric system and farming in the river deserve far more blame than the sea lions. still, it's a reality. >> whether we like it or not they're here and here to stay. >> brown says solid data is hard to come by but he estimates 5 to 10% of returning salmon, 20,000 spring chinook, for example end up food for sea alliance between astoria and bonneville. that means the hazing could continue this year. >> it's another action that's being taken to limit mortality

to the threatened and endangered fish. >> reporter: fish under more pressure every year as more sea lions finding good feeding on the lower columbia. this could solve i.t.self in time by june, most of these males will be headed to the breeding grounds. how many will stay behind, how many will come back next year, will we see a doubling of the population in 2016, those are certainly questions that the biologists are wondering and asking tonight. >> first allen those are amazing pictures, they are clearly taking over the docks and the docks were not made for the sea lions but they there are. in the meantime, until they leave, what are the locals going to do, let them stay there? >> i've talked to the head of the port of astoria and he says they're testing mats that they

could lay on the dock that would deliver a small electric charge to keep the sea lions off the dock. that may solve the problem the local problem may make these docks usable for human beings again but not going to solve the problems for those up river. and wildlife management challenges ahead around sea lions and people. by the way great tourist draw, we've seen other than 100 people out there bringing the children out to see the sea lions is a big big draw. >> allen schauffler, thank you very much. now to an indigenous community in nicaragua. a tiny village home to about 140 people sitting in the path of what could be the new nicaragua canal. for years rama culture has been threatened by ranchers and developers despite laws to protects them.

as kate kilpatrick reports the push for a panama competitor could wipe them out. >> reporter: the 140 people who live in this remote indigenous village on the remote area of nicaragua has been abandoned by the central government. it is one of the poorest and least developed area of the country. the people here live off hunting fishing and farming. the community is home to the last remaining speakers of the indigenous rama language. >> we the rama, we plant eat and we live. we don't bother nobody. >> reporter: but that life is about to change. in the middle of the biggest infrastructure build in the world. the nicaragua canal. >> the people we don't feel too

good about it. we sad about it. why we sad? got many of my people in, they don't know where they want to live. they don't know where them going going. them suffer. >> in june 2013, the nick rog juan government granted the right to juan jang and his company, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in december although there's been little sign of construction yet. while nicaragua's indigenous population make up only 13% of the entire population, bankuku estimated cost of at least $50 billion, the 170 mile canal will mean dredging all the way across lake nicaragua and building two sets of locks an artificial port one right here in ban

kuku, too big to pass through the panama canal. we went there to find out what the people there think about the massive mega-project. you can't get there by car. from minaugugua we took plane. a community center where guests can stay. they're surrounded by fruit trees and lush forests where edwin works each morning. >> you can plant anything, you can plant tomatoes, you can plant melon you can plant anything. the land produce a lot of things. >> angela benjamin worries the canal will displace them. >> i praying to god they can make the canal, it will make it

but they must not move this part we live in. >> they fear their culture and their rama language could be lost forever. >> not all. i about six away, what could speak rama, they said them understand they understand but them not talk. >> the people of bankuk have been told little about the project. but installed this marker. >> in nicaragua the indigenous people have not very much a public utility power. they are few they are far away, they don't know the languages they don't know the different culture. they are not considered important. >> reporter: at a hearing before the interamerican commission on human rights in march, a representative from the rama community of bankukuk,

accused the government of paying off. meeting with each individual along the canal route. >> everything has been done according to the required laws. right now we're doing the consultation free informed consent. >> some of the people we talked to weren't sure what a canal is. but are fearful it would destroy their small society. >> reporter: gregory hutchson says he wants to negotiate a bigger settlement. >> reporter: and for the rama

of bankukuk, that could be a long. a fertile land, a language on the verge of extinction and a way of life for a future generation. from nicaragua this is kate kilpatrick for al jazeera america. >> online at aljazeera.com you will see a five part series examining the impact of the nicaragua canal including the impact the dig is having on climate change. in peru, antonio mora is here with a story you will here about in the next hour. >> we're talking about bio-similars they are much cheaper than the original medication sometimes by 30%. a group of international pharmaceutical companies is trying to ban new biosimilars in peru even though some are already certified 50 fda. while the battle plays out in

court, patients are left without the help they desperately need. >> translator: the problem is i'm being treated in the public hospital and they are telling me they can't give me the treatment because it's too expensive. >> the cost of pharmaceuticals has pushed the health system to near collapse. in our next hour, why they are fighting to keep the drugs. >> thank you antonio antonio. >> we talked with tom chapin and jason samil about using art for activists. activists.

>> they call themselves fracktivists, they recorded an album of protest against the drilling practice known as fracking. tonight's first person report. ♪ ♪ >> my name is jason samil and i'm the producer of buy this fracking album. i think the idea to put the buy this fracking album out antifracking movement had just

begun taking shape and really build. and i'd gotten a chance to meet a lot of them and become educated against fracking. i was able to get educated by first contacting the artists that i knew best and that i had worked with before such as tom chapin. >> so jason got me involved in this album by calling me up and said, do you want to go down to dimick pennsylvania? i said yes i would very much like to go and see what the reality is on the ground. >> their water supplies have been completely decimated because of fracking wells that are right across the street from their houses. i wanted them to get a firsthand experience of really what fracking was all about. >> our levels of barium are very, very high. iron chloride, aluminum, the methane is really high. >> the emotional cracks that have happened in those communities was really heartbreaking. i don't really care whether oil

companies are making a lot of money. what i do care about is what kind of world we are leaving to my grandchildren your grandchildren, and that's -- becomes the important thing in my life. >> our drinking water is extremely precious. our water is extremely precious. if we don't protect it we don't get to live. we hope that this music that was createed to open the ears of these people does just that. >> i think songs can inspire change. why else are people so -- throughout history been so scared of musicians? ♪ just because it's down there ♪ >> an the album comes out on june 16th. all proceeds go to antifracking organizations to help the people of pennsylvania. now to our picture of the day. 40 years ago put himself in the starting lineup. this photo shows the home run he

hit that day. that's our broadcast. thanks for watching. i'm john siegenthaler. i'll see you back here tomorrow night. the news continues next with antonio mora.

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