reason enough for change. and a reminder that you can keep up to date with all of the news on our website. more there on our top story and the aftermath of that devastating earthquake in nepal where relief efforts continue. as many as 10,000 people are feared dead. emergency in baltimore as crews begin cleaning the city up after a night of riots. >> we're going to put every available asset and as much manpower as it possibly takes. >> maryland's national guard patrolling the streets, trying to keep the city calm. and the supreme court is hearing arguments right now over making same-sex marriage legal nationwide. the decision could change the

lives of thousands of americans. ♪ this is al jazeera america, good morning, live from new york city. i'm randall pinkston. the mayor of baltimore is asking for healing and promising to find the people responsible for inciting riots in the city last night. this morning national guardsmen are on the streets trying to restore calm. nearly 200 were arrested in that wave of violence. 15 officers were hurt. the number of fires topped 150. public schools are closed dade and and curfew is in effect. john it looks like cleanup crews are already out this morning. >> reporter: randall, you are absolutely right. it is a bright sunny morning here in baltimore after the nastiness of last night, people

are on the streets clearing up. and they were on the streets clearing up last night while it was all going on. but here there is a cvs which was badly burned out and looted. but people came here and took away the debris from the sidewalk so when the mayor and governor could come here and glad hand people which they did, then it would be a little bit cleaner for them to see. remember this has not really affected the downtown district. it has affected the west northwest area of baltimore, and i'm afraid there are many mom and pop businesses in this area and elsewhere, dotted in isolated fashion around the city that are smoldering this morning. now the schools are closed today. and tonight there will be a curfew from 10:00 until 5:00 in the morning, and that involves

everybody who isn't going to work or have an emergency. and president obama is going to address the issue at about midday today when he meets with the japanese prime minister and our mike viqueira is going to be reporting on that at around about midday. ally ja cummings is the long time african american congressman for this very area where the riots happened. yesterday a group of faith leaders came down right into the middle of the rioters, with him at the front, and it has a very very calming effect. now here is elijah cummings. take a listen. >> the pain and frustration of young people many of whom i know, who are crying out, and they are crying out, they are saying look you know, we want to be better educated.

they want we want jobs. we want recreation centers. and they are concerned about all of the austerity, but they are saying what about us? >> reporter: and when i saw elijah cummings yesterday, he looked absolutely angry and depressed and fed up in a way i have never seen him look before. it was a very, very grim day for him yesterday, but he and the faith leaders in that group came right here where i am now, seemed to have an effect. people calmed down when they were there. randall. >> can you give us some context about who started it last night? >> reporter: according to -- this -- i know this sounds extraordinary extraordinary, doesn't it but according to the police commissioner last night, this really was started -- and for the most part continued, by high schoolers. there was some kind of social

media pressure for high schoolers to turn out at 3:00 yesterday afternoon, and they did, and go to the big mall where they confronted think police. what we don't know is how that then transposed its to here where i am where the vast majority of the looting and fire-setting took place. it happened within hours of the funeral of freddy grey. his family appeared reluctantly on television saying this is not helping his cause. but it is what happened in baltimore last night is. and they said these are the worst riots here since the 1960s. >> thank you. the riots are drawing new attention to the police force on monday. and the mayor is facing criticism over what she said about the protests. john henry smith has that part of the story. >> reporter: this the mayor at a

press briefing last saturday. >> we also gave those who wished to destroy space as well. >> reporter: critics say that could have excelled the violence that happened. >> yeah destroyed was the wrong word clearly. one thing about words once they leave our mouths we can't always take them back and it was the word destroy, i think if she had her way, she would take that back. >> reporter: the mayor also sought to clarify her words. >> i'm going to protect people's right to protest. the fact that people exploited that does not mean i have an obligation to protect people's right to protest. i never said nor would i ever say that we are giving people space to destroy our city. so my words should not be

twisted. >> reporter: the unrest had resulted in significant property damage and injuries to 15 policemen. >> we were giving them space when they started breaking windows, and doing criminality, that's when we changed our attitude. >> i'm not happy that 15 officers were injured at this point. i'm not happy at all. could we have done things differently? we have to sit back and really assess that. >> reporter: john henry smith, al jazeera. now to former u.s. police lieutenant. doctor you heard what the baltimore police official said that they changed their attitudes about the protesters when the protesters became violent. but we were watching tv yesterday afternoon and seeing rock after rock brick after brick being thrown at the officers.

what should they have done? >> well for starters i felt the police department didn't have the have the proper intel in play. when i look at this incident this is non-an aberration this was merely the catalyst to an underlying problem that has been developing in -- and stayed within this community for years and years and years, so when we look back at that strategy first thing is first. the schools mentioned they were going to have a day of anarchy, which was yesterday, when we had one to two public high school that agreed they were going to protest. had the police department had the proper intelligence in play they would have been able to counter this effectively, and we wouldn't have had this mass rioting, looting, et cetera. >> let me ask you about the image that we saw of bricks being thrown at police officers.

going back to when you were on the line what would your commanding officer ordered you to do? >> when we think about bricks and things being thrown you need to have leadership on the front line that directs you accordingly. and i feel like there has been a lack of leadership here. the police executive branch coupled with the mayorship in baltimore, failed to provide that leadership. when we think in terms of how to effectively combat crowds or connect with crowds in these types of incidents, like case in point, look at what happened at the cvs, that went too far. they were in that cva for a period of time. they lit the place on fire et cetera. historically it has been proven with riotous situations you need to counter it immediately. because if you let it continue to grow it will fester. the police should have

been -- been on -- on -- posted up at the cvs and taken charge in that situation. >> let me take the counter argument, which is if the police started to drag people out, they would have created even more of a confrontation, and possibly more injuries on both sides. >> well we're looking at maybe 100 to 130 people here. the police department was equipped to counter that resistance. so had you effectively moved in initially, we wouldn't have the situation that we have now. >> the national guard is now standing by for -- for orders. who is in charge? is it the police department or the national guard. >> generally speaking the national guard functions as a resource for the police. they don't have the ability to make arrests its. the police should be at this

forefront and merely use the national guard troops as a resource. when we look at new york for example. we always have national guardsmen that patrol subways et cetera however, the police are at the forefront of that. >> and we know that all of the images digital and video, the people who committed the acts are now being reviewed. there have been up to 200 arrests, we expect more. thank you. >> thank you for having me. the supreme court is hearing a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. >> we were lucky enough to get married up in maryland but we wanted to come and support everybody else that doesn't have marriage equality across the u.s. >> reporter: the ruling is not expected until june but as lisa

stark tells us many businesses have already lined up in favor of gay weddings. >> which one do you want? >> reporter: april and jane share adopted children all of them have special needs. nolan is six. jacob is five. ryan is four. and riley is two. they consider both mom, but legally, they are not recognized as a family. so where does that present challenges? where one has rights to a child and the other doesn't. >> there's very simple things like i legally isn't sign a permission slip for either of my boys to go on a school outing because i'm not the legal parent. >> reporter: that's because michigan is among 13 states that ban same-sex marriage. no legal union means no joint app -- adoptioned. they had to adopt their two

children separately. >> the biggest is, you know in a case where something happens to one of us either one of us dies or becomes incapacitated in some way, that we can't make legal decisions for ourselves, the children don't automatically go to the other parent. >> reporter: the nurse's sued michigan over its adoption code in 2011 and 2012 they amonged the lawsuit to challenge the ban of gay marriage a measure that voters overwhelmingly approved. >> our position from the very beginning has been that as much as you want to respect the will of the people not so much that you disregard the civil rights of minorities and our position has been that you don't get to vote on the civil liberties of other individuals. >> reporter: after a two-week

trial last spring a federal judge ruled in favor of the two which opened the door to gay marriage in michigan. 300 couples tied the knot. >> it was a wonderful day. there was so much joy and happiness on that day. >> reporter: but after only three hours, the state filed an emergency appeal and the mayor just stopped. the two didn't get married, both wanting to wait on the outcome of their case. in january the couple learned that the high court would hear their case as well as the cases of three couples from ohio kentucky and tennessee. what made you decide to fight? >> when we set out to do this we set out to educate the public about our life and -- and so that people can say they know a gay couple. they know a lesbian couple a family, and to show them that

we're really not that much different. >> reporter: so what began as a deeply personal light for this michigan couple could lead to a ruling that could impact thousands of same-sex couples nation wise. bisi onile-ere al jazeera, detroit. couples in states where same-sex marriage are already legal are also watching the supreme court arguments today. among them seth and michael, the first gay couple to get married in utah. early this morning i asked them what it was like to get their marriage license. >> that day was such a surprise to everybody. we weren't trying to be the first. we weren't even sure we were getting married that morning when we woke up. that day we went down to the county clerk's building and it was news to everybody. we filled out the paperwork. the state tried to shut everything down immediately.

and throughout the course of 2013, lbgt families were under attack by the state. >> here in utah we're still facing so much resistance from people trying to overturn marriage equality and go back to -- um -- you know the previous state of affairs, and so for us to have the supreme court say this is something that is nationwide, would put, you know, just a final close on this very long fight. >> a decision from the supreme court is expected in june. saudi arabia says it had foiled an attack on the u.s. embassy in riyadh. details on what officials call a plot inspired by isil next. also rescue workers digging through the rubble in nepal as the death toll rises.

well come back to al jazeera

america. it's 10:48 eastern, taking a look at today's top stories. a court landed a life sentence to the captain who was at the helm when the ferry went down last year killing more than 300 people most of the victims high school students. another delay in the retrial of two al jazeera journalists in egypt. they were back in court today, but the case was adjourned until may 9th. theying spent more than a year in jail on charges they aided the muslim brotherhood. nine convicted drug traffickers are set to be executed in indonesia in just a few hours, despite international pleas for clemency. indonesian officials are rejecting calls to postpone or cancel the executions.

authorities say 250 people are believed missing in knee knee -- nepal after a mud slide. rescue crews are still searching for survivors of the quake on a day marked by heavy rains. nearly 4700 people are now reported dead along them four americans. several other u.s. citizens are still unaccounted for. faiz jamil has the latest. >> reporter: locals here have started taking the search and rescue on to themselves. they were worrying that the rubble might still find down. and they did find one body. and some members from the nepal civil defense organization did come and join them. but the rains came. people went back for shelter. and now two international teams one from malaysia and one from germany have just come. and hundreds of disaster tourists have also come.

and i have asked some of these people why are they here? and they say simply there's nothing else to do. shops and businesses schools are still closed. they want to see the damage and if there are survivors here. 72 hours is the window to find survivors, but that window has now passed. but search and rescue teams have started coming back to the area hoping to find one or two people who might be alive. all of the climbers stranded on mount everest are now rescued. the earthquake triggered avalanches sending a wall of snow rocks and ice towards the camps. at least 18 climbers were killed. most of the camps were destroyed. earlier today the u.n.'s

relief chord today in for in nepal, spoke to al jazeera about what the quake survivors need most. >> obviously they need shelter and food support and other types of relief items. we hope the after shocks will come during the next few days because rain has kicked in and if the after shocks can seize, i would imagine in the next few days people can go home to their safe houses. but there will be a large number who will not be able to go back home. >> nepal's prime minister says the earthquake's death toll could reach 10,000. saudi arabia says it has arrested more than 90 suspects, including two accused of plotting to carry out an attack at the u.s. embassy in riyadh. the plot was discovered in march and involved a suicide car bomber. mohamed vall is live in saudi

arabia right now. mohammed what do we know so far about this plot against the u.s. embassy in riyadh? >> reporter: yes, the details of this plot and the arrest of these 93 suspects came in a statement by the interior ministry, and it was published earlier today on the saudi press agency, and according to the statement, these 93 include 65 saudis, and two people, one of them is saudi and one is syrian who were behind the attempt in march to attack the u.s. embassy with a car bomb. and a third suspect is still at large, one of these three, the cell that has been trying to target the u.s. embassy, two are syrian, and one is saudi. they are among the 93 who have been apprehended. also the statement gives a lot

of details about how they have been arrested in the span of time. it started quite -- quite a few months ago, earlier this year in february 15 were arrested. they had a cell which they call -- a group which were the soldiers of the land of the who holy mosques, and the statement accuses all of these 93 as being part of the isil -- the group known as isil the -- and also it mentions that they have a lot of ammunition and a lot of cash and they have been recruiting young people in saudi arabia trying to stage attacks against saudi and government facilities. >> mohamed vall in riyadh. thank you. with pop and circumstance president obama formally welcomed japan's prime minister this morning in a ceremony on the south lawn of the white house. >> today we welcome the prime minister as we broaden our alliance.

the united states has renewed our leadership in the asia pacific. the prime is leading japan to a new role on the world stage. the foundation of both efforts is a strong u.s. japan alliance. the prime is holding talks with president obama right now. they plan to make statements around noon and later the white house will hold a formal dinner for the prime minister. tomorrow he'll address a meeting of congress. a meet for a japanese leader. up next the first witnesses set to testify at the trial of accused theater shooter james homs. his lawyers said he did it but he's not guilty.

jurors are back in colorado courtroom in the next hour to hear from the first witnesses in the trial of james holmes. we are looking now at live pictures in the courtroom in aurora, colorado where he

admitted to the shooting. but his lawyers say he was insane at the time. >> he tried to murder a theater full of people to make himself feel better. >> reporter: his lawyers say he has a long history of mental illness, and schizophrenia. prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. world powers are reviewing a nuclear treaty at the united nations. protesters are also here. calling for an end to the weapons. roxana saberi was here and talked to a survivor of the bombing of hiroshima. >> reporter: thousands are here calling for a ban on nuclear weapons. this rally is taking place just before the five-year review of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty at the u.n. it's meant to stop the spread of

nuclear weapons. it is also happening nearly 70 years since the ah atomic bomb was used in war for the first and only time. the united states bombed the cities of hiroshima and gnawing sake. this is one of the survivors. she was 13 when the u.s. bombed her city. >> my little nephew was four years old [ inaudible ] well that image just lives in my brain. that image is -- just drives me compels me to speak. >> reporter: we'll hear more from her and another survivor this evening. they'll tell us whether these calls to ban nuclear weapons really can make a difference. thanks for watching i'm randall pinkston. the news continues next life from doha.

keep up on aljazeera.com. >> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ hello, welcome to the news hour on al jazeera. i'm live from our headquarters in doha. our top stories. nepals prime warns that the death toll from saturday's devastating earthquake could reach 10,000. saudi arabia arrests more than 90 suspected isil fighters believed to have been planning attacks across the kingdom. also this hour, the syrian government is losing control of a second province. rebel fighters drive more government soldiers out of