leave many americans behind. set your d.v.r. for 10:. 30 eastern. that's the show for today. i'm ali velshi thank you for joining us. pash it's it's it's it's a step closer to mending ties. president obama moves to take cuba off the list of state sponsors of terrorism. finding common ground. >> congress should play a role in ensuring all the details that need to be in mace are there. >> a senate committee passes a bipartisan bill giving congress a say in any bill.

president obama indicates that he'll sign it. >> teachers behind bars. it's like the sickest thing that happened. >> an atlanta judge sentences nine out of 10 former educators over a cheating scandal. >> three. two. one. lift off success and failure for the latest spacex mission to the international space station. gening i'm antonio mora this is al jazeera. the u.s. took a big step today on the road to resuming diplomatic ties with cuba. president obama informed congress he'll take u.s. off the u.s. list of state sponsors of terrorism. mike viqueira has more from the white house. >> the move was expected and will have real world consequences. cuba and america open for business with each other. it could have come saturday. many expected it when president obama was in panama for the

summit of the americas and he received a recommendation that cuba be delisted from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, where it resided since 1982. it's part of president obama's announcement that he wanted to work towards normalization. this will have real world consequences listing many financial straits on banks, on international united nations like the world bank that wanted to do business or lend to cuba. they are likely to be lifted. it will require congress to review it. they essentially had 45 days to block the president. it's not expected they'd do so. there has been opposition assistance the white house made the announcement speaker john boehner against this. marco rubio, florida senator, presidential candidate for 2016

coming up against it. there's not the votes for the opposition to carry the day here. >> what the state department did is certify that cuba had not been involved in terrorist act yisty. what is left. opening a u.s. embassy, a cuban embassy in washington or havana. negotiations are ongoing over that move. perhaps the biggest peace, lifting the arms embargo from the united states from cuba. that'll require congress it will be a tough vote and is not expected to come soon. >> mike viqueira at the white house meanwhile, the fight against i.s.i.l. took center stage as iraqi prime minister abd-rabbu mansour hadi met with president obama. the iraqi leader came to washington looking for help to stop i.s.i.l. but the end result fell short of what he hoped for. >> reporter: haider al-abadi arrived in washington.

his staff in baghdad making it clear that he was coming for reentosment in the fight against the islamic state of iraq and levant. on his list, surveillance drones attack helicopters and fighter jets. they said they needed those. didn't get it. when asked. this is how president obama responded. >> this is why we are having the meeting. making sure that iraqi security forces are in a position to succeed. >> the press secretary went further. >> there were no requests made. >> the u.s. is pledging aid. >> the u.s. president was very specific on one point. when it comes to actability they would be responsible for any war crimes committed with

that equipment. >> human rights groups complained the u.s. and iraqi officials are not doing enough on that front. >> there's no indication that the resources to know what is happening with the weapons, who they are going to, we know who the u.s. says they are supposed to go to. we don't know if that's who ends up using them. >> the most leverage the u.s. has is the control of air strikes. after this meeting, it's not clear the u.s. is ready to give that up. >> the u.s.-led coalition is stepping up strikes in beiji, clearing the way for the city to be retaken from i.s.i.l. half of the 15 air strikes on monday attacked sites in beiji, destroying 11 blocks, four creekses and two i.s.i.l. -- vehicles and two i.s.i.l.

fighting position. >> food marks a year since boko haram attacked over 200 girls. protesters called for the return of the girls. some escaped. 219 are missing. nigeria's president-elect muhammadu buhari pledged to safe. he said he cannot promise the girls will be found. >> congress and the white house may have avoided a battle over a nuclear deal with iran. a senate approved a bill giving lawmakers a say. it sets up a 30 day review period during which president obama cannot wave sanctions put on iran. >> senators agreed on one thing they want a say in the obama negotiations with iran. >> i want to make sure every member of congress has input.

>> we'll have our say. congress should play a role. and ensure that all the details that need to be in mace are there. >> i don't think we will convince any administration or republican that congress should have a role in anything they do. >> there has been a tug of war between president obama and congress with the white house threatening to veto legislation weighing in on a nuclear deal with iran. that changed on tuesday. senators retooled the bill avoiding a show down. obama administration josh ernst described a white house standing down. >> what we would find ourselves with is the kind of compromise that the president would be willing to sign. the compromise shortens the time congress has to review a deal, getting rid of a requirement that the president certify that

iran has not supported terrorist acts. bob corker and ben cardin worked together to craft the bill. >> as senator corker was working with the ranking development to work out the compromise they were able to come together and the white house better go along because they were building up a veto proof majority as a result of this compromise. as the country goes in the us you've got to know when to hold them and know when to fold. >> democrats say it will not interfere. >> i have receive assurances. all morning i was on the phone with experts saying do you foal if we vote for the bill, we'll up negotiations. the answer came back in a straight forward way. >> no, the bill will not do that. >> on the other side of the aisle. corker convinced colleagues that they will get their say. >> let's face if, this was not

something that the administration favoured. congress prevailed. >> a rare bipartisan moment postponing the big fight over sanctions until another day. >> this bill goes on to the full senate where it's expect to pass with the veto inform prove majority. >> thank you. >> a jury has been chosen in the trial of the aurora colorado movie theatre shooter. 9,000 perspective jurors were questioned the largest ever jury pool. the lieutenant is charged with killing many people. >> new charges have been filed charged in a corruption case with new jersey senators. the opthalmologist was indicted op 76 counts related to a film. earlier this month he was

charged with giving a million in bribes. both men pleaded not guilty in the case. >> spacex blasted off from florida, on a mission it replenish the international space station. >> when it came to the other mission, lapping a reusable rocket. it didn't go as planned. john terrett joins us with a successful launch but not a successful landing. >> no you are right. don't you love a space story, a bit of this, a bit of that. space x is in the business of pioneering a rocket. when the fall con 9 was headed. they were delighted. when the first stage reappeared over a barge, they were happy to see it once again. it's that landing thing that is proving tricky right now. >> three. two.

one. and lift off. the fall con saws from its perch. >> it was all systems go. and the aump of the rocket. the mission to deliver more than 4,300 pounds of good clothing and equipment including an expresso machine for one of the crew. space xchlt bosses were delight up to this poison. >> velocity was on the money. velocity is rite and this is right too. from what i hear dragon is in perfect shape. >> whale the capsule was sent into orbit, the re-entry part of spacex's plans failed. the first statement flipped around fired engines to guide it back to earth, deploying steering fips and touched down on a barge positioned 200 miles

off the coast of jacksonville. the falcon nine came in too hard wrecking chance of using it again. >> it was used to provide food, cargo. it's not clear what happened but it's - suddenly it needs more work. >> during a previous landing attempt in january, the rocket ran out of hydraulic fluid and crashed into the platform. a second attempt in february was called off because of high seas. it hovered vertically above the waves before splashing down and breaking apart. spacex was one of two companies to fly to the space station now that the shuttles have been retired. it's hoped they'll trim cost and

change how mankind approaches space flight, but not yet. for now it's back to the drawing board. >> i am sure we'll figure this out and make it work. it's a matter of finding the right parameters and methods to do this space x is not worried, they are convinced they'll crack the problem. the next attempt is june when supplies are to be sent up to the international space station. it's exciting. >> they are getting close. >> it's a diny tlat form to land. >> more ahead on the pop story, the bt' plan to take cuba off the terrorist list. and what is means for efforts to re-establish eyes. >> and the moment an arizona police officer turned his car into a weapon when chasing an

armed slent. -- suspect.

police in southern arizona

are released a video showing officers driving into an armed suspect. this shows a man pursued by police a collision sent this person to the hospital. he is accused of committing several crimes that day, including invading a home, stealing a car and a rifle. >> tough penalties for a group of atlanta school teachers and administrators convicted of a massive cheating scandal. they were sentenced to prison by a judge rejecting the idea that it was a victimless crime. >> to have them sit in gaol for another 30 days because the court is upset. >> reporter: fiery exchanges, tears and a frustrated judge. >> i'm going to put you in gaol if you yell at me point at me. >> i'll be quiet. >> reporter: judge jerry baxter

sentenced all but one to prison he delayed sentencing by a day to give them a last chance to make a deal with the prosecutor. only two accepted. >> the fact that she said i'm going to plead note and challenge the charges does not mean she doesn't care about the children. >> for the two na took the deal, judge backtore followed recommendations, giving a former teacher one year of home confinement and a former testing coordinator six months of weekends in prison. >> this was pervasive. it's like the sickest thing that happened to this town. >> thank you. >> the remaining eight received harsher sentences. >> i sentence you to 20... >> three beyond the prosecutor's regulations, ranging from one to seven years in prison. everybody in the education

system and a.p.s. knew that cheating was going on, and your client promoted it. >> reporter: a 2013 state investigation found that as far back as 2005 educators from the atlanta school system fed answers or erased and changed answers after tests were turned in. evidence of cheating was found in 44 schools with 180 educators involved. >> cheating on a sustainedized test is wrong. it's harmful. something ought to be done to make sure it doesn't happen again. i don't know whether it sets a precedent. i hope that people will top and look at what happened. >> one of the largest cheating scannedless is closed. many say the damage done will last a lifetime. >> i do pam emma cleveland apologise to the students, staff

members, parents and atlantic public school system. >> reporter: for the former educators that did not take the deal they have 30 days to appeal. the one former educator that did not give a sentence gave birth a few days ago, and she is expected to receive her sentence this august. as we reported earlier, president obama decided to take cuba off the list of state sponsors of terrorism, a move that could pave the way for relations. the president informed congress about the move. cuba was blacklisted in 1982 when it supported rebel movements. the state department ensuring it no longer backs them. we are joined from jirnalia

beech, by a former assistant administrator. from the burrow of latin america and the caribbean. was it not time to take cuba off the list. north korea has been on it and they threatened to use nuclear weapons. >> i don't think it is, this continues a pattern where it doesn't get anything in the u.s. interest. nor does he do anything for the cuban people. the cuban people will not benefit by this because the castro brothers gave up nag and made it clear that they will change nothing about the way they govern the country or about the economy. >> i want to talk about what will happen inside cuba in a minute. but to stay on the list of terrorism, the state department says it conducted a rigorous review finding that it hadn't supported terrorism, a standard that needs to be met.

as i mentioned, cuba has a history, a long history of actively supporting resolutions. from a technical standpoint is it something that should be done at this point? >> i don't think they are following the it can call standard. it requires that coouba stay that it changed its policies. >> has raul castro done that condemned terrorism saying that cuba does not support terrorism. >> no he has not. he has not said that he would stop harbouring the eta or that he'd come back and kill a new jersey policeman. he has not said anything about shooting down brothers to the rescue. this is not checking a box in an easy way to get around the policy. the president can do it. he'll probably steak this but it is a bad faith negotiation when the regime hasn't changed

what it is on the island as well as who it tools with. in 2016 it helped the korean ship munitions. it has not changed. >> as you know the cuban made it clear they would not normalize relations unless moved from the list. >> do you think they'll move forward and do everything and re-establish relations? >> they said they want guantanamo back and all the economic sanctions lifted. and those are difficult tippings to do. congress has a role in that. >> do you think they'll sabotage the initial movement to establishing embassies in both countries. it's hard to say or tell what ravt wr wants. he'll probably hold firm on several things but drag to out because it makes the united states look weak that cuba is the center of the world. >> the first private poll in half a century showed the cuban

people are in favour of full relations with the u.s. hoping it will benefit them. won't that to some extent tie the hands of the government. had they gone too far down the road to sabotage the progress? >> nothing that cuban people want mattered to them. we this three times that the castro brothers said there would be a liberation of the policy like everyone else that visits the island. i don't expect the cuban people's wishes to matter. >> good to have you with us, thank you. >> thank you. >> there has been a breaklo in the way medicare pays doctors. the senate passed a bipart sn bill to create a payment structure. centers faced medicare pay cuts unless congress passed a last-minute duck fitch. president obama tonight praised congress for the bill and is

expected to sign it into law. coming up, a look at abraham lincoln, how his personal writings are shading light on his character. and a lining between autism and a condition many pregnant women experience. what researchers discovered.

[♪♪ ] ♪ when a man loves a woman ...

that classic "when a man loves a woman" was percy sledge's biggest hit. he died. he had been patling cancer. he recorded the song in 1976 weeks after recording and signing. other hits were recorded and it tears me up. >> a study is linking some autism to the heath of expected mothers, whim that develop diabetes are slightly more likely to have children with autism cording to a study. out of 322,000 children studied, women diagnosed with dibeesies by the 26th week of pregnancy were 36% more. exposure to high levels of bloodstains sugar could disrupt development

the president was shot at a theatre 100 years ago. a new exhibit has never before seen letters and writings from abraham lincoln, revealing new insights. >> reporter: was honest abe honest. >> yes, of course he was. >> reporter: there was hesitance hesitance. >> he's famous for his stories, tails and anecdotes. he was able to tell the truth but obliquely. >> reporter: the new exhibit is entitledlingon speaks. lincoln in his own words - what he said and wrote. sometimes raw, always to the point. like this note. >> it's brief suck sinks but forceful. have just read your dispatch of 1:00 p.m. yesterday, i begin to see it. you will succeed god bless you all. >> that thing wag winning the

american -- was winning the american civil war. when lioningon wrote the -- abraham lincoln wrote the telegram the nation was coming apart at the scene. lingan was not. >> was he a man of the people. >> definitely a man of the people jim says lincoln's writings show he as unwaiverering in his conviction to end slavery. >> he made many comments about how wrong slavery was. let me take you to a surprising document in the exhibition. >> the document deals with the slave trader facing the death penalty. >>lingon to the surprise -- abraham lincoln, to the surprise of many refused to grant him clemency and was the first slave trader to grand clemency, makinglingon the only american president to experience slave

trading. >> the exhibit offers insight to the man behind the legend in letters like this one. >> he writs this alert to a woman, mary owen. we hadn't met. in the letter he was trying to persuade her why she wouldn't want to be involved with him. >> much centers on the issue defying the time and a man that lost his life trying to end it. slavery. >> here is a thing called general orders number 252 issued in july 18, '63. the black soldiers were equal to white. for every black killed a rebel soldiers should be executed. from everyone engaged or sold into slavery, a rebel soldiers should be placed into hard labour. >> where views based on politics or personal feelings? >> they are deeply personal

feelings. a moral attempted was found. it was understood black people were black people. people who were human being and understood that this was profound i'm antonio mora thank you for joining us, have a good night. night. happening in florida and when he wouldn't remove offending language, he was suspended. we'll also be joined by a guest who is keeping tabs on where politics may trump science across the country. it's the inside story.