the halls of power, i'll take you to greece for a series of reports to see if this country can avoid an imminent disaster. stay tuned. that's our show for today. thank you for joining us. i'm ali velshi. under siege - i.s.i.l. fighters launch a counteroffensive in iraq, forcing thousands of families to feel the si of ramadi. chemical warfare. new accusations a chemical weapons are used in syria, a graphic video of chlorine gas victims brings tears and a promise of action from the u.n. security council. lighting up... >> i don't have the cough or

hacking that i have the staggering raise in teens puffing on e-cigarettes. why some are calling it a new public health emergency. >> and loreta lee's confirmation has been held in abeyance for month, now talk of a force of vote. i'm antonio mora this is al jazeera america. tonight, iraqi forces in the u.s. led coalition are trying to fend off an i.s.i.l. offensive in ramadi. the capital of anbar is 70 miles west of baghdad. i.s.i.l. took aim launching suicide attacks. 150,000 fled ramadi since wednesday. xi jinping reports.

-- jamie mcintyre reports. >> general dempsey did not say that it was not important, but not as apparent as to the north. >> thisifiedo shot on a responsible phone shows sa trike on ramada. the u.s. and coalition use air strikes. at the pentagon joint chief's chairman general dempsey downplayed the set back. i would rather ramadi not fall. it will not be the end of the campaign. >> several say said the more important tack it to the north.

that is a more strategic prize than where the focus is. >> once the iraqis have control of budget yi of baiji, they control the structure north and south and deny generating revenue through defense secretary ash carter stressed that iraqi forces battling i.s.i.l. must be multicultural and report only to baghdad. >> we support forces under the command and control of the iraqi government, irrespective of their sectarian make-up, which is the whole point. the way things got, the way they did in iraq is the collapse of a multi sectarian approach. >> reporter: in a speech in washington. the tikrit offense is was called a model. >> >> in many ways, the victory of tikrit shows how the rest will

be helped and how federal and local forces work together to ensure the safe return of people to their homes. >> the pentagon says it's investigating reports from some after pushing i.s.i.l. forces out. jamie mcintyre at the pentagon. a grim reminder of the toll from syria's 4-year civil war. the syrian observatory for human rights says 220,000 people have died in the conflict. more than 67,000 were civilians, 11,000 were children. . >> the dead included 28,000 foreign fighters fighting with groups like i.s.i.l. and the al nusra front. u.n. security council members were moved to tears by footage

of suspect chlorine gas attacks. and heard from doctors that treated the victim, many of whom were joig. the u.n. will try to yaf and bring to justice those behind the attacks. >> reporter: this shocking video was filmed in the aftermath of a chemical attack in syria last year. the pictures of doctors trying to revive young children was shown to security council ambassadors. they were shocked. men moved to tears. >> the video in particular of the attempts to resuscitate the children. if there was a dry eye in the room i didn't see it. it was - it's devastating to see the fact of what the regime was doing. people were visibly moved. >> some of the worst things i have had to watch. there were moments when all i

wanted to do was look away and i realised that the people we were seeing have to live and regrettably die through it. >> reporter: as well as watching video, they heard evidence from two doctors, and a survivor of a chemical attack. they briefed reporters. >> translation: in the video you see the patients were one on top of the other. that's because we see many sick people. it was disturbing. every time i rewatch the video, i remember the event, which was very upsetting. >> reporter: this was a victim of a sarin attack in 2013. doctors thought they had lost him. >> they gave up on me. i was placed between dead bodies for 25 minutes. a friend of mine noticed i was alive. called the doctors, gave me more atroe pin, and i came back to

life. the video filmed 10 days after the boat. a rare moment when the condemning of the clues of chlorine was passed. it is a clear act of defines by the bashar al-assad government. action seems unlikely. russia would block condemnation of the syrian government in the security council, and the obama administration remains reluctant to take military action. a federal grand jury indicted an ohio man for allegedly planning an attack in the u.s. he planned to kill american soldiers at a military base in texas. he was trained by an al qaeda-linked group in yemen. in yemen, the al qaeda group

seized a port airport and military base. it comes as houthi rebels maintain their offensive despite three weeks of saudi-led air strikes. >> in pakistan a u.s. citizen was hospitalized after a drive-by shooting. john terrett joys us. >> there's little -- joins us. >> reporter: there's little doubt it was brilliant. >> that's right. the woman was shot after leaving her job. she was targeted because she is an american. >> reporter: bloodstained seats, a bullet hole shattered glass. remnants of an ambush that left an american worker in caracas in hospital. >> translation: four many on motorcycles came here intercepted here firing four times, one hit the chin one the arm. >> reporter: deborah lobo a

vice principal was shot as she drove home from work the victim of a planned attack. the gunman left a leaflet. they target her because she was an american and promised more attacks against other americans. >> what is unclear is who is responsible. pakistani investigators say the gunmen implied they were connected to i.s.i.l., but indicated that it was revenge for an operation in carr abbingy. >> the consular general is in close contact with pakistani authorities, working to obtain information. police authorities in pakistan are handling the investigation. >> lobo is the second american in pakistan to be targeted. a medical doctor was shot dead in lahore. it comes after the release of a

mastermind of the 2008 mumbai attacks. that move to grant him bail has been highly criticized by the u.s. state department. >> pakistan pledged its cooperation in bringing the prepare traitors. financiers and sponsors of the attacks to justice. and we urge pakistan to follow throw and enjur justice. >> the u.s. pakistani relation-is an odd one to say the least. close allies in the war on terror. they fail to see eye to eye with each other, and granting bail is an example of an uneasy peace between washington and identify. fewer attention are smoking internets but tuesday is up. they are warning parents this they are using hooka and

e-cigarettes that may car i the same use. >> reporter: victoria ranked oval picked up her first cigarette at the age of 16. today this teenager prepares puffing on this. randolph is smoking on electronic cigarette. >> they have instagram and facebook pages and youtube channels teaching you to build on the stuff. it's jamie whole - it's jamie culture. >> it's a battery-powered nicotine infused vaporizer growing in popularity among teenagers. randolph says she was smoking randolph says she was smoking a

pack of cigarettes a day. do you feel different? >> i feel healthier. i don't have the cough or hacking i had smoking cigarettes. when i smoked cigarettes i felt i was covered in ash and smelt bad all the time. >> reporter: according to a report released by the c.d.c. on thursday, the number of middle and high school students who tried e-cigarettes tripped in one year to 13%. and in 2011 traditional cigarette smoking declined from 16% to 9%. >> the striking increase in middle school and high school cigarettes and haka is an emergency. >> reporter: scientists are yet to determine if there are long-term effects from using e-cigarettes. still the food and drug administration is considering imposing regulations on the industry. among them, banning sales to anyone under 18. >> electronic cigarettes contain and deliver nicotine. nicotine is very dangerous to the developing child and adolescent brain. parents should take no comfort in the fact that their kids are using an e-cigarette rather than a burning cigarette because of

the presence of nicotine. any tobacco or nicotine containing product used by jamie child or adult is bad for the that push and public health. a child or adult is bad for the that push and public health. victoria says she eventually plans to quit. >> i eventually will quit. i didn't use it for the culture. i got into the culture because i was using it. i was using it to quit. i still am. >> selling e-cigarettes to minors is banned in some states, there's no federal restriction of e-cigarette sales to children in the u.s. jamie propose add rule by the f.d.a. this summer could change that. and the f.d.a. has been working on reigning in the industry for a year. among many things it says it wants to curb sales to minors, and disclose ingredients on all of the products thank you. the tulsa county sheriffs office

launched a review of its reserve deputy programme. the audit coming after a 73-year-old officer fatally shot an unarmed man. the reserve said he went to use his stun gun, but reached for the firearm by mistake. the tulsa world newspaper said baits was never changed, saying police employees falsified records to make it appear he attended all classes. president barack obama's pick to be the next attorney-general has been awaiting a confirmation. the top democrat in the senate is threatening to force a votes on loreta lynch, and five years after the oil spill, gulf of mexico still shows signs.

congress has cleared the way for president obama to fast-track a multinational trade

pact. lawmakers voted to allow the president to move forward with the trans-pacific partnership it includes the u.s. and is 11 pacific nations the biggest deal since the north american free trade agreement president obama's choice loretta lynch to replace eric holder has been waiting for five months for the senate to vote. a vote on loretta lynch as been linked to a ball. harry reid is threatening to force the vote. professor, good to have you here. little doubt that loretta lynch will be confirmed. is this a case of both parties behaving badly. let's start with the democrats.

what they are proposing is a bipartisan bill. the republicans added language that money and fines will not be used to fund abortions. federal law prohibits that so why take a stand on this? >> the democrats believe it's another example of republicans trying to slip in extra policy when it's not necessary. go back further. you could make the art that the democrats should have tried this in fall. >> when they had control of both houses. >> exactly. there are mistakes strategically that they made. the republican party is using it as a bargaining chip it's unrelated. human trafficking is important. is taking a stand the shenanigans that has approval

ratings. >> congressional approval was at 13%. somewhere around vladimir putin? north korea. they are doing better than congress. >> so this is a west -- waste of time. it she's a bad nominee, vote her down. not making a distinction is something we have seen. >> there's probably no one they like less than eric older. holding up the yirmation. one of loretta lynch's advocates is giuliani. he will lobby saying i worked with this woman, she's qualified. let's get it done. >> harry reid's move to force a vote. could it be counterproductive. >> i don't think it will work. he has to get five republicans

to buck the leadership. >> how about the group that was founded by al sharpton threatening hunger strike could that be counterproductive? >> the fact of the matter is mitch mcconnell nose he's safe. -- knows he's safe. republicans will ride this out. i don't think outside pressure - if giuliani can't get them to move i don't think a burn of protesters will. >> now there's the iran bill. they could push off the human trafficking bill. it could go on much. >> i thought this was problem attic. we don't have a new or functional attorney. -- attorney-general. we had a foreign leader. it doesn't make sense. >> what do you think will happen. >> i think shell get confirmed. it won't happen until some time over the summer. the white house has capitulated.

i don't think it will be held up for that. april 20th it will mark five years since an explosion at bp's deep water haz yn drilling rig triggered a massive oil still. jonathan martin tells us the debase has not. >> it was the worse oil spill, more than 3,000 barrels littered the gulf. two reports have been released telling a different story. >> reporter: the nwf points to islands. a bp crew was seen digging up a 28,000 pound tarmac. and kat island, a nesting haven for birds before the spill is a lifeless sand bar. david with the national wildlife

operation says it's hardly the reality. >> there's oil out here, there's clean up that has to happen. >> birds are a rare final, the lasting impact to wildlife is a widening debate. bp found data does not indicate a significant impact. the wildlife federation found there was a significant threat, with 20 species having problems five years after the spill. the idea that you would not have effects is pretty hard to believe. >> reporter: bottle-nosed dolphins were found dead along the coast. the nwf says there's evidence the deaths are connected to the spill. b.p. says there's no evidence of a link. with b.p. and the wildlife federation's reports far part, we went to kyle for answers, a member of the wildlife team. damage assessment team the group tasking with determining the long-term damage caused by

the spill. he says the rival reports are driven by rival agendas, since most government research has not been released. >> you have two entities with different purposes. one is the responsible party - they are trying to take care of their shareholders. on the other side you have the watch dogs. national environment, and they are pulling together pieces they want to discuss well. >> reporter: bp declined an interview with al jazeera, but in a statement accused the wildlife group of ignoring years of progress. in an effort to finance policy agenda. >> two conflicting reports, but ultimately it will be up to a federal damage team to determine how much bp will be paying for the spill. >> it may be some time before we know how much bp will need to pay. the more immediate concern is

how much it will pay in civil penalties, a judge will make that decision some same later this month a survivor of one of the most infamous places ever guilt. -- built. >> this is auschwitz, where you arrived. we are shipped here to be killed. on this holocaust remembrance day we hear his story and how he made it out alive.

. >> spectacular video from n.a.s.a. it was shot on a go pro camera. it shows verts and fellow astronaut routing cables. they were outside preparing for the arrive of two docking attackers. the suspension is over for player petersen. the running back is reinstated tomorrow. the league suspended him for most of last season. violated and charged with miz narn and punished his son. around the world. it's holocaust remembrance day. >> reporter: in israel sirens brought life to a stand still in honour of jews killed by the nazis, gene was 16 when he and

his family were sent to auschwitz in 1944. he's 87. his scory of survival in our first person report. >> i'm gene cline and i'm a holocaust survivor. i remember soldiers waking us up tell us us you are going to get on trains and move to places and we don't know where. and the journey takes three days and three nights. we arrive to the destination, which we don't know where it is, what it is. doors open. we have maybe a few minutes to hug when the order comes. women and children on the left-hand side. men and boys from about mid teens up, all in rows of five, and you start marching on. i get up to the front. my father is next to be. an ss officer points to him, you

this way, points to me, you this way they were playing god. if you went to the left you go directly to the gas chambers. after i talked to a polish prisoner who - i ask him how come my father went to the left and i went to the right. he said "come with me", pointed me to the barracks and pointed in the distance to a big tall chimney assuming sparks, he said "your father is going up the chimney", i said "what is he talking about, i was with my father yesterday, how can he go up the chimney?" he said "this is auschwitz, we are shipped here to be killed." one morning when we come out. you can spend a couple of hours, because you are sometimes laying next to prisoners who are dying.

you come out. the first thing we in theed, no guards at the machine-gun towers. all of a sudden there's a break in the fog. we see two horses approaching with one human being on one of the horses. one of the polish kids said "look at his hat." i look. red star. what a feeling. knowing that you made it. so the three of us, as fast as our skinny legs could carry us, running to the barracks, opening the door, and all the languages yelling "we are free, we are free." this is something you don't forget gene cline's mothers and sisters survived auschwitz. you can read his story in the book "we got the water." i'm antonio mora, thanks for joining us.

"inside story" is up next. have a good night. it's no exaggeration to say we are electricity addicts - from the alarm clock that wakes you up to the charge on your cell phone or laptop. to your fridge, home lighting and heating. we assume that when we need it it's there. in endless abundant reliable supply. concerns are growing that the vast web of infrastructure that guarantees lights come on is antiquated antiquated inefficient and vulnerable to sabotage and attack.