winning investigative series. "faultlines": death on the bakken shale. monday, 10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> part of al jazeera america's >> special month long evironmental focus fragile planet

>> we have questions about the u.s. spy program. president obama said he's looking into whether changes are needed in u.s. intelligence gathering. his comments come one day after he revealed that two civilians were killed in a drone strike several months ago. >> we all bleed when we lose american life. we all grieve when any innocent live is taken. we don't take this lightly. we all know each and one of you understand the magnitude of what we do with the stakes involved. and these aren't abstractions. we are not cavalier about what we do. >> italy is demanding more information about the drone strike that killed two

al-qaeda aid workers. he was killed along with warren weinstein. they said it took too long to identify that laporto had been killed. said the country needs much more information about what went wrong. >> thank you for coming. >> thank you it's good to be here. >> i ask you is it too much to ask that we know who we are targeting when we fire one of these drones strikes. >> it's very difficult to find out if someone is in the house or not in the house. for example the owe bin-laden

raid there was only a 50/50 chance that he was in that compound building. they decided to take the chance. the americans had no idea that these hostages were inside that building. there was suspicious activity going on in the building, but they didn't know who was in there. instead of the four bodies they expected to be brought out from the republic there were six bodies and the fifth and sixth are that's two very unfortunate very tragic figures. humanitarian workers one italian, one american. >> i think 50/50 that bin-laden is in the house is different from what we have here. as the president changed the drone policy to require near certainty that the terrorist target is present. now if the white house is now saying that we didn't know who

the drone strike is aiming to kill. >> there was supposed to be to what is end of signature strikes which are not aimed necessarily at a picker individual but certain activities. these proposed to end but i don't think they have been put to an end. >> at some point you would expect this whole line of questioning that we're pursuing right here on television to be a part of the inquiry when congress begins, correct? >> yes. i would like to say something of the background to the drone scribes that are complicated. there is a division of labor. the cia is in charge of the area of afghanistan and pakistan, and yemen is half and half cia and military.

in afghanistanin africa it's military. why is the cia involved in pakistan? it goes back to the 1990 1950s when they had the flights over peshawa and need had to be coordinated with the isi, so that was the foundation of this relationship between the cia and the isi. with the idea of transiting from cia controlled drones to military control of drones which would be desirable in theory the point is that the cia had relationship with the military intelligence. >> it's pretty confusing, you would admit what you describe there is confusing and hard to follow correct? >> no, it isn't confusing. the cia has a relationship with

the pakistan intelligence, that's why they run these drones. >> do you have objection to the drones program itself. there are many and there is a controversy around this, who consider the drone program to be nothing but extra judicial killings. how do you respond to that? >> the drone program can be very pinpointed and very effective and the classic case is this killing of this leader who was killed by a drone missile. there have been casualtyies, they're euphemisticcally referred to as collateral damage. >> this is true. >> and americans have been killed. and in this most recent case. >> well, that's true, but the americans, the classic case of the americans is very much of a bad guy al alakqi.

>> his 16-year-old son was killed in a separate strike. >> that is true. that is true. it's a debatable point but i think one of the things that will come out of this is that they will hasten the transition control of these drone strikes i think that may happen. >> and less confusion. okay. charles, it's great to talk with you. the former chief of the cia's near a east and south arab. charles, good weekend to you. thank you. italian authorities said that they had arrested several men suspected of plotting an attack on the vatican. nine men were suspected of plotting.

>> it led to the arrest warrants of 18 people. now nine of those people were arrested. two of them are suspected of still being at large and search are believed to have returned to pakistan already. all of them mr. afghani national who is moved here to italy in you 2005. they blended in local communities. most of them were businessmen well regard, but behind the scenes police believe they were raising funds to back terrorism and even took part in some of those terrorist attacks including the bombing of a market in 2009 which killed more than 100 people. now two of those people are also believed to have had close ties to the network of people who protected osama bin laden during his period of hiding. the investigators found some

type of communications where two people were asking about his health in particular. but the shocking revelation is that investigators believed that this network was organized some kind of--planning some kind of attack to the vatican at a time when pope benedict pope benedict xvi was in office. that never took place yet the vatican down played the risks or the threat, saying that of course that was a long time ago five years ago. and nevertheless italy and the vatican are still targets of organizations such as isil and that therefore the risks are still very high. >> two crew members at the helm when a boat carrying migrants crashed and sank were in court today. they face human trafficking charges.

dozens of migrants from africa arrived in sicily today. the italian court guard said that the men were rescued from a small boat sinking off the coast of libya thursday. rescue services said that many of them were suffering were suffering were skin disorder of scabies. >> in the russian president clad clad and french president françois hollande were among world leaders who paid their respects at a memorial in armenia. they held a memorial at a church in istanbul, the first time that a member of the turkish government has attended such an event. turkey's e.u. minister was there, but out in the streets it was a different story. turks who deny a genocide ever took place held a demonstration in istanbul. and in buenos aires argentina

the homeland of pope francis who has been denounced by some for calling the killings of armenians genocide. here in this country the 100 anniversary of killings of armenians was remembered. >> hear we see hearing today is an outpouring of armenians. lapd is not giving us the exact numbers but they're thinking by the end of the day there will be 100,000 armenian americans here in the streets marching. it's an interesting combination both of anger at particularly president obama for not acknowledging this as a genocide but also delight in the fact that pope francis just two weeks ago acknowledged the genocide. they feel like they're making

strides. people in the streets today young, old are trying to use this as a teaching moment. >> it has been a very interesting experience with my seven-year-old right here. she has been asking me questions that i have a very difficult time answering. why did this happen, what did we do wrong why are we protesting. because turkey deny it is. why does it deny it? why do we live in the u.s.? and why isn't the president recognizing it. these are all questions i don't have answers to. >> do you as an armenian see the the difficulty that the american government would have acknowledging the genocide? >> absolutely not. turkey had allyied in world war i war i. thosallys were germany and austria. germany just this week called it what it is, and called for a just resolution to it.

the german government said that it will look into its own complicit into the genocide because german soldiers were long side turkish soldiers. for them to have that courage and for the united states not to is just a travesty. >> that's what you're seeing here tony. you're seeing people incitizen tent on the acknowledgment of it as a jean side. they have armenians coming together and telling the people, in particular the president that they've had enough. they want it to be labeled what they want it to be labeled, a genocide. >> michael shure for us. the end of an era at the justice department. eric holder wraps up six years as the nation's top law officers. and in minnesota why an outbreak of bird flu has officials there so concerned.

>> the nation's outgoing attorney general delivered his

farewell address today. eric holder's six years in the office comes to an end officially when loretta lynch is sworn in on monday. he said that they will be remembered as a historic time in the department of justice. >> 50 years from now and maybe sooner from that people will look back at the work you all did and say this was another golden age. that's how good you all are. this is how good you all are. that's how dedicated committed wonderful you all have been. >> holder took office in 2009. he exits as the nation's third longest serving attorney general. randall pinkston takes a look at the legacy holder leaves behind. >> he's been one of the most divisive attorney generals. >> the best attorney general i've seen in my lifetime. >> supporters praise holder for

taking strong positions on controversial issues, supporting same-sex marriage. opposing state efforts to impose voter i.d. laws. speaking of police practices such as racial profiling. >> it undermines the public trust but it also makes us not good at what we need to do. >> harvard profession ogel try. >> he said that the war on drugs was the mistake, it was the wrong approach, and these men should have a chance to rehabilitate themselves as opposed to being incarcerated. >> he asserted himself into controversial cases alleging police abuse against african-americans. >> this is one of the recent

incidents that tests the sense of trust that must exist between law enforcement and communities that they're charged to serve and protect. >> but the cato institute said that holder's policies have damaged race relations. >> i would say he has probably had one of the most race race-conscience tentures in terms of how he enforces voting rights laws other civil rights laws. >> shapiro said that holder will be remembered more for his poor relations with congress. >> stone walling congress is a theme that comes up again and again. whether it comes up in fast and furious where he was held in contempt by the federal prosecutors. he has not provided disclosure when requested. >> fastfast and furious was a deputy of justice gun smuggling operation that holder admitted failed miserably.

>> unfortunately we'll feel the effects for years to come as guns lost during this operation continue to show up in crime scenes both here and in mexico. >> but when he refused to turn over documents demanded by congressional committee holder became the first cabinet officer to be held in contempt. two years later this sharp exchange with with a member of congress revealed how much holder was stung by the citation. >> i realize that contempt is not a big deal to our attorney general, but it is important that we have proper oversight. >> wait a minute, buddy. you don't want to go there okay? >> i don't want to go there? >> no. >> about the contempt? >> you should not assume that that is not a big deal to me. i think that it was inappropriate. i think it was unjust but never think that that was not a big deal to me. >> i don't need lecture from you about contempt. >> and i don't need lectures from you either. >> another complaint while the

department of justice negotiated record fines against wall street banks after the 2009 economic collapse. >> the justice department obtained a landmark resolution with citigroup totaling $700 million in finds. >> shapiro predicts a negative legacy for holder. >> he has not brought the country together in the sense of fair justice and rule of law. >> others disagree. >> i think he'll be viewed as someone who made an enormous amount of difference in this suit and used his time to make things happen. >> on that point critics and supporters might agree. randall pinkston, al jazeera. >> and the woman replacing eric holder will officially assume her duty monday morning. she's scheduled to be sworn in

by vice president joe biden. she'll meet with local police officers nationwide this summer in an effort to strike a new tone. link is the daughter of an north carolina civil rights leader and first black woman to become u.s. attorney general. >> american tourists planning summer vacations in europe are probably celebrating the u.s. dollar's surge in the past year but it's a different story for many american companies. ali velshi of "real money" here. what is the down side of a strong dollar? >> a couple of weeks ago i was in greece covering their debt stuff, and it was cheap. when you look at dollar versus you are row but that's not where most of our trade it is. the strong dollar causes problems. the basic idea is u.s. multi national companies like mcdonald's coca-cola general motors, they do a lot of business overseas. so when they turn money overseas and exchange that for dollars

they earn less as the dollar is rising in value against that our currency. this is a very big deal because overseas revenue accounts for 30% of accepts sales in s&p 500 companies. now we've talked about the reasons before, u.s. economy is recovering well while europe and arab continue to struggle. but the strong there are also hurts companies that make american goods because it makes them more expensive for foreign buyers. americans export a lot of goods and services, but if you're an european company now your european competitor looks a lot more attractive. companies are not holding back in blaming the strong dollar for taking a bite out of their sales in earnings in the first three months of this year. this is all by the way tony, we're in the stock reporting season we're hearing this over and over again. general motors said this week

currency fluctuations shaved $1.8 billion off of its first quarter revenue. other companies blaming currency coca-cola 3m, kimberly clark. but not just companies that make stuff. tech companies are hurt. google said its revenues would have been higher. just remember when you're enjoying your trip overseas the strong dollar is not always good news. >> well wait a minute. is a strong dollar all bad news for u.s. companies? >> no, i would say if you're a manufacturing company selling stuff overseas, goods or services you're doing well. many u.s. companies have major expenses that come from overseas. raw materials if if you make your money in u.s. dollars but you buy your raw materials or you have labor in another

country with a lower currency you're doing very well. stronger dollar lowers the cost of anything you pay for overseas. here is something else that is important for those who own stocks in their retirement plans. there is very little evidence that a strong dollar ultimately hurts the performance of u.s. stocks. remember that's what matters most when you evaluate companies, the health of their underlying business. over the long hall currency fluctuations tend not to determine how a company's stock performs but it's good to remember that there is a good side and bad side to everything. and. >> what else is on the agenda. >> taxes. what happens in kansas when the state slashed its income taxes it created a huge budget shortfall. i'm talking with grover in order norquist you know him. we're going to be talking about

that. >> ali velshi right here at 10:30 on al jazeera america. a deadly avian flu is spreading throughout the midwest. it poses as a big threat to america's poultry. migrating birds are spreading the virus to neighboring states. erica pitcy has more. >> reporter: a state of emergency in minnesota. >> due to the continued spread of the avian influenza which has now reached 44 farms in minnesota i'm declaring today peace talk emergency. >> a virus is spreading at lightening speed through one of the country's biggest poulty-producing states. it hit turkeys first and now chickens. >> you know what a healthy bird looks like, and these look a little bit sick under the weather breathing difficulty. >> there have been no known transmissions of the virus from

birdies humans. but as a precaution the state is offering tamiflu to handlers who have handled sick birds. the bird through is a highly contagious respiratory illness. it can kill turkeys and chickens in days. once flocks are infected drastic steps must be taken. all the birds must be destroyed. 22 it could be a huge hit on minnesota. it raises about 47 million chickens a year for meat and 11.5 million for eggs. and revenue for the state reach nearly $3 billion. >> if my birds were to test positive for avian flu the federal government would kill everything on the farm. >> for the consume that are could mean higher prices for chicken, turkey and eggs.

>> and just ahead tensions in baltimore, protesters are promising a huge demonstration over the death of freddie gray. the city's mayor demand answers. we'll go live to southern chile where there could be more eruptions ahead from the volcano. volcano.

>> so there is still anger on the streets of baltimore protests over the death of 25-year-old--a black man freddie gray in police custody. demonstrators vowing to shut the city down tomorrow. now activists want answers to what caused injuries to freddie gray after he was arrested and taken into custody 12 days ago. he died a week later after slipping into a coma. a preliminary autopsy shows that gray's spine was severed at his neck. what are the protesters

planning? >> good evening to you tony, on a sunny but cold evening here in west baltimore we're outside of the police station in freddie gray's neighborhood, and it's peaceful at the moment. there have been protests in the last couple of nights, but not tonight. more of a hang out at the moment because we think there is tomorrow planned a massive protest in downtown baltimore around city hall. the intention is to try to shut down the city they can. >> no ma lick shabaz is at lawyer for justice. and he said that people will turn out in their thousands, he thinks, because they want to change what's been going on here a very long time. a very rough relationship between the african-american community and police in particular. he said whatever the police tactics tomorrow, they will not be intimidated.

>> we're saying that justice must come. and you're not going to come out here and try to flip it on the demonstrators and those for being wrong. they've suffered too long. that's why they'll be taking a stand here tomorrow. >> that will be about 1:00 tomorrow afternoon. everyone will congregate around city hall towards the afternoon and early evening. >> john, there was a news conference earlier today. did we get any updates on the investigation? >> yes we did. a couple of key points that have not been aired before. key amongst them is this photograph, which we're able to show you. the police have asked for people to come forward if they recognize the person in this photograph. it's somebody who was a witness to the arrest to freddie gray, and they don't know who it is, and they want to know. if you know who it is contact

baltimore police. the police commissioner said that for him as the investigation goes on, the real focus is on a gap in time where they have no evidence, the time from which freddie gray was chased by police to the point that he was put in the back of the paddy wagon. there is a gab. they simply don't know what happened. there are no video and no witnesses they have to work out what went on in that time. this is how the police commissioner put it. >> there is a gap for me. the gap between where mr. gray ran from the officers and where video picks up. what we don't have there are witnesses or cctv information to show what occurred there. so we have to clear that picture. >> yes and the bulk of that news conference, which was about 4:00 this afternoon as you can imagine, is what the police think will happen at the protest tomorrow and how they intend to police it. tony? >> what's next? what's next in this

investigation? >> right well, we have a full frame on-screen graphic that will help explain to you what will happen over the course of the next couple of days. beginning with the medical examiner's report that is talked about being 90 days away. that's the one that everyone is really waiting for. in the meantime freddie gray's body we're told, has been released to his family. he's being cared for by his family at an undisclosed funeral home. the funeral will take place on monday and the police report coming out of this building behind me, the initial report that will handed on to the state prosecutors, the attorneys that will be published a week today a week on friday. >> john terrett for us in baltimore. bernard parks is a former los angeles police chief before taking the top job of the department he was isn't chief during the o.j. simpson chase

and deputy chief during the rodney king beating. he's in los angeles for us tonight. councilman parks good to see you. let me start here. >> thank you for the invitation. >> yes yes pleasure. what is frustrating to me and everyone who is demonstrating in baltimore, my hometown, and i guess for a lot of people watching is the fact that what seems to be to be an easy set of questions to answer aren't being answer: we just want to know what happened while gray was in police custody right? from the time of arrest, from the time he was in police van why can't we get an answer to that question? >> well, i think this is going on a few days from occurring. i think it's unreasonable to be asking for information that quickly because you're in a very very preliminary stages of an investigation and you could do great harm to an

investigation particularly if it's going down the criminal side if you give out misinformation, if you've not covered the witnesses or if you give out information that solidifies witnesses statements that may not have been there. so there is a very critical stage in preliminary investigation where you must investigate and get the facts before you can make them public. and you can imagine the public discourse if you provide information that's later deemed to be false because you did not thoroughly vet it. >> how do these investigations roll out then. from your years of experience, as a layman, i'm thinking that you as a chief will get an opportunity to go in and ask guys what happened. but what you're here to tell me is that it doesn't work that way. >> welcome, you can go in and ask, but it's not for public consumption because until they finish the investigation some of this could be speculative.

they can say what they know today, and then another witness comes on board that changes it. you can be briefed but those briefings are all tentative as it relates to information. there is no final information until you've exhausted all of your witnesses where you've exhausted your ability to use technology. you've been able to check and see if there are cameras posted for security. talk to everyone in the community that has come forward. you've verified statements against the physical evidence. what is going to drive this investigation more than anything else is the physical evidence for more than the personal interviews. >> so that's pointing to this medical report that's due out in 90 days? >> the medical report is very--the medical report is very important. the physical evidence that was captured at the scene, any videos captured from the security cameras the issue of whether there is a crime scene

where you can go and find out if this really occurred. is there physical evidence there. those are things that you have to put together to make a case to where you can determine is this something criminal? is this something that is will terminate the officer but not enough to get a filing? i think it's unreasonable for days of any incident to be asking very specific questions. we know what happened in ferguson as beam debated what would come out of the autopsy. those are things that complicate the whole life of an investigation, and eventually the community will be totally disgruntled if they get misinformation. >> so a couple of things. what does it say to you that all but one officer has given a

statement. one officer has taken the fifth and is not answering questions. what does that say to you from your experience? >> well, it says that he has an institutional right not to be interviewed. he does not have a constitutional right to be a police officer. you can order him to speak. if you could process him for insubordination. you could discipline him or move forward and remove him. but the issue is that there are two separate investigations. the critical part is that you do not want to do anything that amp pers the criminal side but on the administrative side you can force more information what have

you been thinking as you watch this boil over. ferguson, staten island with eric garner and all these incidents of black men dying at the hands of white police officers? >> well, don't forget mr. scott in carolina. what i sense in looking at these issues is that there is an apparent lack of a couple of issues. the use of tactics that causes a safety net for both the officer and the person you're in contact with. if you do not use good tactics and you put yourself in harm's way the likelihood is that you're going to use force and maybe deadly force more quickly. the second thing that comes out clear is that there seems to be less of an appreciation for life of the people that are being contact: you hear a lot of mantras from police officers who

say i'm going to go home alive. no one has ever asked the police officer to martyr themselves. but on the other hand part of protect and serve is reflecting that sensitivity of life for the community. i think there seems to be somewhere missing link that the protection is only in the half of the officer or the officers in the community and is not part of that then all of these issues those are irrelevant because they are obligated to insure the health and welfare of the person in custody. if they never lost sight of him and they went into custody someone in that department knows what happened to him.

they can't avoid that responsibility and they can't avoid the issues to reflect. you cannot sever your spine by accident in self-inflicted wounds. if the officers always had them in their sight they know exactly what happened to him and why he's injured. >> bernard parks former los angeles police chief. chief, we appreciate it. thank you for your time. in tulsa oklahoma, the district attorney said he's highly concerned about new information that was reserved by that a reserve police officer killed an unarmed black man. he was found to have

preferential treatment from high ranking officers. what that means we're not sure and there are questions about bates' training records. much of southern chile is on alert because of the volcano. at least 5,000 people have had to evacuate, and geologists expect more fiery seismic activity. we have more from chile. lucia, can you describe for us what it is like there on the ground? >> hello tony, right now i'm i'm--where it is fairly calm. 20 miles from here is the town of ensenada, which is buried in volcanic arch at least ten inches. alleveryone there had to wear

masks because the particles in suspension are dangerous for respiratory systems. people were forced to evacuate. 2,000 were evacuated earlier today from another part of the foot of the volcano because apparently a river is about to break its banks because of the large amounts of ash and lava that has plugged up the rivers all around here. it's really quite intense as well. there is a state of emergency in place throughout this area. and curfews begin at 11:00 to 5:00 in the morning. >> is there still lucia danger of another eruption? >> there is certainly is. authorities, volcanists, geologists have not discounted the possibility that there will be another. it is still erupts but not as strongly as it did less than 48 hours ago.

>> oh, i think that signal is gone. lucia newman reporting to us from chile. over the past few weeks the war in yemen has forced more than 150,000 people to leave their homes. many of them are part of the growing number of migrants escaping on boats in search of safety. others who are still in yemen say they have lost everything. >> what is happening here is the yemen humanitarian crisis. these homes have been destroyed and victims are the result of what politicians have done to yemen. >> the saudi-led coalition has carried out 20 airstrikes across yemen despite an earlier announcement that it was ending its campaign. today one humanitarian agency said that 150 people have died in as part of the conflict and 115 of those were children. resource there is are now

stretched to the limit. >> there is a semblance of law and order here. despite no clear governance in yemen, a bomb disposal unity has come to work. a military base was hit by an airstrike this week. spent ammunition litters the streets. >> the area is now free of chemical substances. we have examined the whole area with detecters. we have collected the remains of explosives and now they're being moved to be disarmed somewhere else. >> residents say it was the largest blast they've heard since the saudi-led campaign began. look around, and you get a sense of hundreds of lost man hours. jobs on hold, and the thousands of dollars that will be needed for reconstruction. although none of this is as urgent as caring for the hundreds of people urgent in that one bombing. the 20 minute drive away is the

hospital in sanaa. it's intensive care unit is where the most serious cases will be seen. the hospital director said that may not be the case much longer. >> the electricity supply has been cut off. we're using generators, but there is not enough fuel. this has been going on for a week. and if it continues i'm afraid the hospital will have to close. >> it's not just this hospital in trouble. the "world health organization" is warning that yemen's healthcare system is on the brink. meanwhile, the red cross director in sanaa says he believes keeping the hospitals run something more important than the need for food. >> it will be a catastrophe in a few days. hundreds of people can die because they don't have their medicines. >> he said while medical aid has started to arrive his staff faces yet another pitfall. delivering them to the hospitals in places where there is

fighting. al jazeera. >> the desperate situation in syria is only getting worse and the united nations is pleading for help with the growing refugee crisis. leaders from around the world are meeting at the u.n. syria's neighbors say they need more aid to provide housing protection and other services to the more than 4 million people who have fled syria over the past four years. james bays has the latest. >> every single month the uniform security council gets the report on the humanitarian situation in syria. every single month that report shows the situation is getting worse. it's now believed 200 and 20,000 people have been killed in the conflict. the u.n. says $7.6 million syrians have been displaced. this month they decided to talk about all of this in an open session to try and get the world to take notice. just listen to the words of the u.n. humanitarian coordinator. >> the government terrorist

groups continue to kill, maim, rape and take syria to new lows that seem unimaginable a few years ago. people become numb to figures that should every day shock our collective conscience and spur urgent action. >> sitting next to her other key humanitarian officials including the special envoy for unchr, the u.n. representative actress angelina jolie. she knows that the media are not covering every twist and turn of the crisis that al jazeera is doing, and she hopes that she'll bring some headlines. >> what went wrong at last night's musical at west field high. there it is. at least the injuries were minor.

>> so the superintendent of west field schools say maintenance records are being turned over to try determine why a stage suddenly collapsed during a high school musical last night. the terrifying moment caught on video as the stage just gave way. the 17 students injured are now back home recovery from mostly minor injuries. >> the music was playing. everyone was singing along and then boom, the floor just went straight down. everybody just dropped. the look on everybody's face was just pure shock. we couldn't believe it was happening. >> we were running to the stage to find out what happened. you see this 12-foot drop and students covered in wood and debris. >> the high school was open but the stage was cordoned off as investigators go through the school's building records to determine what went wrong. there was a scare for visitors.

new york police ordered the site evacuated after a caller told 911 dispatch that he was going to blow up the iconic statute. hundreds of tourists and staffers were ushered off the island and declared safe late this afternoon. the 11-ton hubble satellite captureing images of the outer space never before seen by mankind. it uses huge mirrors to peer into the universe. >> in new york city's time square the tourists are getting a realtime display that is literally out of this world. far, far out thanks to the hubble space telescope which launched in 1990. since then from its orbit the instrument has september back more than 1.2 million observations. by overing past the earth's

atmospheric haze, hubble is like seeing a pair of fire flies in japan all the way from the east coast of north america. the scientists have been able to see planets and identify for planets beyond it. and they have developed a deep appreciation to the deepness of space. >> we know there is something like 200 billion other galaxies in the university each filled with hundreds of billions of stars. >> they've gain startling insights into the course of the universe itself by tracing tracing it backward in time to places more than 13 billion light years from earth. >> the galaxies are not only flying away from each other but they're accelerating. this tells us that the universe is filled with dark energy. >> the hubble tell cope is the only telescope to be serviced in space by astronauts.

a fatal flew discovered in its larger mirror almost made it worthless, but nasa was able to correct it. >> one of the big hopes is that we have web and hubble operating at the same time that will open up a whole new window on the universe. >> a window likely to produce even more revelation abouts worlds yet to be discover: tom ackerman al jazeera, green belt maryland. >> hawai'i is on the urge to raise the legal smoking age to 21. the legislation was approved in the state senate this afternoon and now heads to the governor's desk. the governor's office has not yet commented on the bill but the measure makes it illegal for young people to buy use

possess cigarettes and electron cigarettes. >> the challenges of u.s. terrorism operations. frustrateing, figure pointing and dangerous. we look back at failed attempts to rescue american hostages. the effort to alter embryos. how it works and the impact dna editing could have on human evolution. and adored and abandoned by the art world. since his death his work has sold for millions. now a new exhibit is giving us a glimpse of what inspired him. >> lisa, appreciate it. the nba is the first sports organization to take advantage of the foreign relations with cuba. former stars are in havana training young athletes. as john henry smith reports they want to focus on sports not

politics. >> current and former nba players regularly take part in basketball clinics but this one is special. >> for the next couple of years there will be a chance for athletes for basketball to get the same exposure that athletes from baseball have. >> for four days they'll lead a camp in cuba, making the nba the first american professional sports league to take advantage of the thaw in relations between washington and havana. >> it has not worked. it's time for a new approach. >> afternow a global ambassador for the league, his job is more than ceremonial. >> we offer to build this bridge. that will help so many union men and women here in cuba.

>> mutombo is laying the groundwork for new a new market and new source for talent for the league. >> i think there will be a change to give basketball the same explore that baseball has got. >> and the nba isn't alone. baseball commissioner rob manfred said that he hopes mlb teams will be playing next spring. current big leaguers look forward to the day when they don't have to choose between their families in cuba and their careers. >> we pray for that every day. i have many relatives in cuba. my grandmother my aunt, cousins, friends, i have a lot of people i love in cuba who i want to see. >> the north american soccer league is also moving fast to cuban soil. the cosmos will be the first north american team to play in

cuba since 1999. among the athletes and ex-athletes, however the focus is sports, not politics. >> these questions are above my pay grade because these are obviously political issues.

beings >> hi everyone, this is al jazeera america. i'm lisa fletcher. john siegenthaler is off. >> massacre ever one and a half million armenians after turkey denies the genocide 100 years later. risks versus rewards. ruby bridges the problems that