of interest. >> reporter: for all the efforts to tackle the problem, some may have to get used to living with dirty air for some time to come. well you can get more on all of stories if you head to aljazeera.com. you can see the front page of the website for stories we have been ^ below been following. scuffles on the streets of baltimore. a curfew leads to an overall night of calm on the city streets. residents hoping it holds. [ chanting ] hundreds of people blocked traffic in nepal's capital demanding better access to aid in the wake of a devastating earthquake. and nigeria's military says

300 million women and girls have been rescue from boko haram. the missing schoolgirls are not among them. this is al jazeera america, live from new york city. i'm randall pinkston. baltimore is calm this morning after the first night of a mandatory curfew. 2,000 national guard members joined about 1,000 law enforce. officers on the street. there were scuffles between police and demonstrators shortly after the curfew took effect. several were arrested. john terrett is live in baltimore with the latest this morning. >> good morning to you randell. it's a bright sunny, but chilly morning, rather like yesterday, but unlike yesterday the mood is different. at the junction of west-north and pennsylvania which was the

epicentre of stop throe throwing looting and pushing. last night there was officers blogging access to west-north. officers were deployed to the square here. some of them behind me you see. what about last night. the police did what they said they would do. distrightly enforcing the curfew when it came into play at 10:00 p.m. there was smoke pepper balls and tear gas. i think the feeling is that it could all have been a lot worse. >> reporter: long time congressman elijah cummin came out to help enforce the curfew from 10:00 pm to 5am no one on the streets except medical emergencies. >> there's some restraint here tonight. >> reporter: baltimore's police commissioner anthony batts echoed the congressman's words.

>> tonight i think the biggest thing is citizens are safe and the city stable. >> reporter: to be sure the police and national guard were on standby. >> acts of violence and destruction of property cannot and will not be tolerated. >> as the hour of 10 struck there were a few squirmishes. protesters and police faced off in west baltimore, police tossing tear gas cannisters behind shields, demonstrators hurling cannisters and throwing bottles. the crowd quickly dispersed. >> with respect taking rocks. we had a young leader responding in a peaceful way. >> reporter: despite the sporadic violence the commr declared the curfew and police presence a success. tuesday was a day of community and clean-up another the cvs that burnt sunday night. demonstrators mixed with residents that came out to clean up from the night before.

>> yesterday broke my heart. today i feel proud. >> reporter: from the mayor, a note of optimism. >> i think this can be our defining moment and not the darkest days that we saw yesterday yesterday. >> a different feel in west baltimore. schools are open. they were closed yesterday. schoolchildren with mums and dads heading off for an early start. the orioles will play a game. they had to postpone for the last two days. they'll play at camden yards against the white sox but they will not let anyone in. i believe that is the first time in major league baseball that that has been done. we'll have to check the records book. i'm pretty sure. >> thank you john terrett in baltimore while baltimore was mostly quiet other cities saw support adding violence during protests against freddie gray's death.

in ferguson, missouri, one man was shot in the leg. people threw rocks and set its to fire in streets. in chicago, what began as peaceful marching devolved into a confrontation. around 200 were arrested after they refused to stop blocking traffic. d.c. and los angeles had small demonstrations. they were peaceful. >> reporter: international aid is reaching remote areas of nepal four days after an earthquake struck the nation. rescue efforts is slow and with each passing day there are challenges. a big concern now is cholera. fays jamil is live in kathmandu. what can you tell us about the risk of conditions like cholera and other diseases? >> well it's the same conditions we have seen since the earthquake struck. much of the city has rubble all around we see clean-up over

here. they've sprayed disinfect apt as they sprayed the rubble. the search for survivors is on. we were past the 72 hour window much that's a crucial and deadly time to find survivors. clean-up is beginning. many have got out of the city for days because of the worry about diseases. they are worried about juanedize. -- jaundice diarrhoea, malaria. there has been no buses. there was a scuffle between people and police because there weren't enough buses to get out of the city. there's little relief coming in. it has increased but it's a trickle, a fraction of what is needed. people say if they can't get help and there's a threat of disease, there's no point of them staying in kathmandu. >> once they leave kathmandu to go to relatives, isn't it likely they'll find the same alt of destruction and possibly less --

amount of destruction and possibly less aid because it's difficult to get the aid to those remote areas? > that's true but the affected villages we have no access. al jazeera was on a helicopter trying to get to one but couldn't find a place to land. landslides blocked the roads going there. we don't know the level of destruction. people trying to go to other villages that are safe that saw little destruction, they are sometimes 500 miles away. those people couldn't get enough buses to get out. now there are buses and they are trying to get out. it's far away but they say it's better to go there than to stay here. the death toll has topped 5,000. are they expecting to find more victims as we reach the remote

areas? >> they are expecting that the prime minister of nepal said yesterday he expected the toll to double. it could be over 10,000. the last survivor was found late tuesday. he is currently in hospital. the search for survivors goes on with every hour it ginles the likelihood of finding anyone alive we are learning about an amazing story of the survival from nepal. this map, trapped under a collapsed building for 82 hour. search and rescue pulled him out alive tuesday. he was 27, and huddled with three dead bodies and without food and water. he said he banged against the rubble until finally someone came to help. >> hundreds of thousands are leaving kathmandu, lining up for

government buses to get out of city trying to return to villages worried about disease and aftershock. many are returning to places just as devastated as the capital. patrick fuller from the international red cross joins us from kathmandu via skype. the red cross has dozens of staff in nepal leading the response to the earthquake. can you tell us how much progress is being made at this point with getting aid to places that are so remote? >> every day the red cross has supplies going out. we have a strong community based footprint. you have branches in every affected distribute and volunteers in every affected village. so the big issue for us is giving clear information about what the needs are which are the worst affected areas, we are all in the same boat scrabbling

for information, and the big challenge is getting access to some areas. you have to bear in mind it's trekking countries, himalayas, and getting into the places you can only reach by helicopter. taking relief requires trucking it and carrying it out. it's a change, but more relief is coming in international flights, international emergency appeal has been lodged to get funding. we have over 2,000 volunteers for the red cross involved in the operation. >> obviously water is essential, but that is a big prop in kathmandu where there's no power to pump the water. what is done about getting the vital water to people. >> yes, you mentioned in a report that tenses of thousands are -- tens of thousands are leaving the city and continue to leave the city.

i think it will change. everyone is afraid of aftershocks. the red cross is intervening in kathmandu, and we are locking at sites to set up water purification and supply points as you say, power is off. people are not getting water pumped to the tanks. that's what they rely here. water supply before the -- that's what they rely on. water supply before the quake wasn't proficient. we rely on experts speaking the local language. in the next few days we'll have a better situation on the ground. >> are there still aftershocks. >> we haven't felt one in kathmandu for a few hours. yesterday we felt a big one. that's why people are leaving. there are rumours there could be another big quake. seams like the after shocks of moving east towards india.

>> for the red cross what is needed now it terms of outside assistance? >> we need cash. cash to support the operation. it's not going to be days weeks or months it will be years to help communities get on their feet. we need funding to bay tents and non-relief its. blankets clothing, water containers. there are limited supplies. we shift them in. we have suppliers in places like pakistan. we by the commodities from them. we don't need unsolicited goods. people sending in food and clothing. the way the public can help is donate through red cross. >> thank you patrick fuller from the international red cross

speaking live from kathmandu. the nigerian army says it rescued 300 women and girls from boko haram. but the chibok girls were not among them. the rescue taking place in the forest in of the south-west of the country. it's known to be a hide out. authorities are working to confirm the identities of 200 girls and 93 women found. in today's digital beat, some residents in mississippi blame rare cancers and birth defects on a possibly contaminated greek. the atomic energy commission dumped waste after world war ii. and the government says it has been cleaning up the site and claims the area no longer poses a threat. residents disagree. we caught up with a reporter that spoke to them. >> a lot of people that grew up

were dying of rare and bizarre cancers. once they put the pieces together what is this common thing we have in common they rorles and found out about the contamination -- they realise and found out about the contamination of the creek, that would flood and cover the vegetable gardens and basements. a facebook group has 10,000 members. you can read the first part of the series on aljazeera.com. there's a warning for spring. doctors say there's a high risk of lime and tick disease. what you can do to stay safe. activists in seating take to the water calling for the protection. environment thousands of miles away.

welcome back to al jazeera america. it's 7:46 eastern. taking a look at the top stories. australia is withdrawing its ambassador from indonesia in response to the executions of two australians. the men were among eight convicted drug smugglers put to death by firing squad. four nigerians, a brazilians and on indonesian was executed. a philippine woman was granted a

last-minute stay an amendment on a proposed deal with iran. republican senator called for the deal to be considered a treaty requiring two-thirds of the senate to sign off on it. the senate is debating other amendments a texas judge halted the execution of a man on death row ours before it happened. robert was convicted of killing an officer. his lawyers want new d.n.a. evidence may is here people are getting ready to put hiking and camping gear into good use. warmer weather means a higher risk of lime disease. nicole is lime disease a new england, north-eastern problem or is it across the country? >> more so. the only state that has not had a report of lime disease is

hawaii. it's possible anywhere. i know people that are hitting the hiking trails. now that it's nicer out. the best tip with lime disease is the long pants. don't get it in the first place. this is a growing problem, and with climate change that means that they are coming out earlier and earlier every year. lime awareness month is may. some advocate it start as early as april, because of that. according to the c.d.c. it's the fastest growing infectious disease in the whole united states. so if you happen to get a tick. the best thing is to do a shake down. if one attaches here is an area you are most likely to have it happen. the north-east. and another or in the mid west. minnesota and wisconsin over 10,000 reports. about the ut north-east you get to play new york and

philadelphia. there has been 30,000 reports. a lot of people don't realise they have it. if you get one, use little tweezers. grab close to the head, you want to pull all of it out. steadily pull and wash the area and the hands when it's done. if you catch it within the first day or two, it doesn't have a chance to transmit the disease. not all have it. certainly getting warmer temperatures we see it spread more and more and start earlier. >> i guess you somehow wear a covering over arms and legs. >> long pants. >> the first arctic ocean drilling rig arrives in seattle bringing controversy with it. environmentalists say they'll met the rig as it comes into seattle with a flotilla of kayaks. allen schauffler has the story. >> reporter: this is elliott bay

at seattle's waterfront and it's about to become a battle fooled in an environmental war, over something that could happen later this year a couple of thousand miles north of here. this is where a flotilla of small boats will met shell oil's arctic trilling rigs and support fleet and stage a water borne protest. this is the bolla explorer that will be here. this is where the flotilla will met the rig. they call themselves kayakivists. here is one of them. stephanie, i'm curious, when the rig comes into elliott bay, how many people and boats were you expecting. >> we are hoping several thousand. with the inspection at least a few hundred. >> that is the beginning. several groups are getting together to host a 3-day

festival of protests and demonstrations in the middle of may. people a company spokesman with shell tells me they have no intention of making plans. seattle has been a good business partner and they expect that to continue. >> small boats and big oil headed for a collision in elliott bay. >> you can watch the report tonight at 8:00 eastern 70 years after the u.s. dropped atomic bombs in japan, we here from two survivors, why they call on the u.n. to stop all nuclear technologies. technologies.

hiroshima and nagasaki killed 29,000 people. dozens of survivors are in new york pushing for a ban on nuclear weapons. two shared their story. >> reporter: from above the

atomic bomb named little boy looked like this. below in japan's industrial city of hiroshima this 13-year-old saw a bluish-white flash. and the walls around her crumbled. >> and then i had the sensation of floating in the air. friends, classmates who were with me in the same room were burnt to death alive. >> reporter: somehow she stumbled outside. >> some people were carry their own eye balls in their hands. nobody was shouting for help. simply asking for water, water, water please. >> reporter: most of her family was out of town safe but her sister and nephew were killed crossing a bridge. three days later, on august 9, 1945 the u.s. dropped another nuclear bomb on japan.

this one on nagasaki. the u.s. energy department estimates more than 100,000 died significantly in the two blasts. >> i have received this afternoon a message from the japanese government. within a week japan surrendered and 2000 world war ii was over. survivors suffered. in this film the u.s. called this 16-year-old boy patient number 50. with his skip burnt off his back he had to lie face down for a year and nine months. >> translation: i was struggling on the border between life and death, often screaming "kill me kill me." it was a hard time. >> reporter: laying on his chest for so long it collapsed. i ask if he's still in pain.

>> it doesn't pain me but i still feel pressure on my heart. >> reporter: in the decades since the bombings japanese families bore the loss of many that died since the attacks. they spent the years determined that nuclear weapons should never be used again. >> my little nephew four years time became a chunk of burnt meat. well, their image just lives in my brain. that imaging. it's driving me compelling me so every five years she and others joined survivors in new york demanding that countries do more faster to eliminate weapons. thousands are marching to the un, delivering a petition with 8 million signatures calling for a ban on weapons.

the deliver becomes before the review of the nuclear proliferation treaty. it's meant to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. more nations have more nuclear weapons than before. countries that don't have them could get them soon. >> we talk about disarmament. we have not made progress. >> what needs to be done? >> they have to be taking the issue seriously. and realising that they hold in their hands the fate of humanity. >> the survivors say they'll tell their stories until they no longer can they both have been nominated for the nobel peace prize, and are opposed to the peaceful useful nuclear energy and there is a danger of an attack of the nuclear plant in

2011. the supreme court is looking at whether same-sex marriages - they are looking at whether states can ban gay marriage and whether they can recognise memories performed elsewhere. >>: right now 70% of americans live in states permitting same-sex marriage, but are banned in 13 states. the ruling is expected in june. today a ruling over a drug linked to botched executions. the drug is not strong enough to cause deep unconsciousness before other drugs are injected. the high court ruled that the drug combination does not constitute cruel and unusual punishment. thank you for joining us. stephanie sy is back in 2 minutes with more al jazeera

america morning news. keep up on aljazeera.com. aljazeera.com.

is a curfew restores calm to baltimore. police and the national guard control the streets as the city hopes to maintain order. a man in nepal pulled from the rubble 82 hours after the workplace. a desperate effort to get aid to the worst hit areas. >> nigerian army finds 300 women and girls held captive by boko

haram, but they are not the missing schoolgirls. this is al jazeera america, live from new york city. sim stephanie sy. calm this morning in baltimore where a mandatory curfew seems to have kept most people off the streets. there were sporadic clashes. police in the national guard scuffled with a few dozen people. police made a few arrests. most are hopeful the peace will hold. >> reporter: it's palpable here it's a sunny crisp morning in baltimore at the junction of west, north and pennsylvania avenues. this was the epicentre monday night of the rock flowing and the looting and burning. and yesterday morning when we were together on the air there was a line of police blocking access to the rest of west-north

avenue but not this morning, police pushed back to the corns of the square. you can see some behind me. the schoolkids are going back to school. the city has an air of being - not entirely but on the way of being back to normal. what about last night. as promised the police enforced a curfew at 10 o'clock. there was smoke pepper balls and tear gas. the feeling is that it could have been worse. >> long time congressman elijah cummins came out to enforce the curfew from 10:00 pm to 9am. no one on the streets except for medical emergencies. baltimore's police commissioner echoed the congressman's words. >> the biggest thing is it citizens are safe. the city is stable.

>> to be sure the police and national guard were on standby. >> acts of violence and destruction of property can't and will not be tolerated. >> reporter: as the hour of 10 struck there were a few squirmishes. police in riot gear tossed tear gas cannisters from behind shields. demonstrators hurling cannisters and throwing bottles. the crowd dispersed. >> we were taking rocks. we had ta good young leader responding moving people back tuesday was a day of community and clean-up. near the cvs that burnt demonstrators that mixed with residents came out. >> yesterday broke my heart. today i feel proud. >> and from the mayor, a note of

optimism. >> i think this can be our defining moment and not the darkest days that we saw yesterday. >> reporter: i must say you can feel the optimism on the street. it's a crisp sunny morning. businesses are going back to school. we'll have to see what's later in the day. there is an optimistic note in the air, and an historic note for you. the baltimore orioles are going to play - have been trying to play the white some. today they are going to -- white sox. today they are going to play with no one in the stands or bleaches much it's the first time in major league baseball that that happ. >> not normal yet. let's hope the peace remains. the death toll from nepal's quake tops 5,000. rescuers are slow. they are performs incredible

rescues. this man was trapped under a collapsed building for 82 hours, and was pulled out alive. a looming concern is disease spreading. drinking water and poor sanitation could lead to diseases such as cholera. many were angry about the slow pace of relief efforts. how is the government responding to some of these concerns about response times? >> well, the government admitted that the initial response was slow on their part. they told some countries they didn't need all the aid provided. today they started three days of mourning and say they are making an appeal for specialists to go in. anyone with trauma to come into the country. the stumbling block is what it has been for the last few days.

there's only one run way. it is a huge bottle neck getting aid out. once it's out. it's hard to get outside to the effected areas. now al jazeera was on an aid helicopter and they tried to land in an area. it was not able to because of weather and there was nowhere to land. >> the problem is more search and rescue more relief in nepal. it is getting stuck in the capital and not reaching people in the city. >> what about safe and rescue is it urgent as before are they able to get one in the remote areas? >> no they are still not. it's a problem. it's an area of devastation. we have no idea how large the scale is. >> here in kathmandu there is a lot of damage. this is an historic tower, two

centuries old. it was nine stories tall. there's about a storey and a half left. there are dozens inside and on top when it collapses. there was a digger an yarth moving removing rubble. the window defined survivors less and less. the one gentleman you spoke about that was pulled out after 18 hours. many believe it was the last person maybe that would be found. >> what are you seeing that may set the stage for diseases such as cholera there? >> well the biggest thing i see, stephanie, is the fact that a lot of people are sleeping in the open. a show that aid is not reaching people in the city. we were at the bus station in

kathmandu. people have been trying to leave for days. there weren't buses or tickets available. they are going to villages not in the acted areas, but i asked why they are leaving the city. they are worried about the disease. cholera, malaria, diarrhoea and since they are not getting relief in kathmandu, there's no reason to stay. >> that report live from the scope in kathmandu, where rescue and recovery continues. saudi arabia's ruler is reshuffling the cabinet in a move that sets up the cabinet. mohammed bin nayef, the ruler's nephew is the heir apparent, and the king's son prince salman is deputy crowned prisons, the first heirs to be grandsons and not sons of saudi arabia's founder and decided the succession for decades to come. the former heir apparent's

resignation began this. saud al-faisal left his position. the youngest son of saudi arabia's founder. and he has had major rolls in the past. ones hitting saudi arabia's intelligence agencies. a non-royal and a u.s. friend as foreign minister abdel al-jubeir. saudi arabia's ambassador to the united states and a long-time foreign policy advisor to the laying king abdullah. he replaces prince saud al-faisal, the longest-serving foreign minister. he has strong tied to the u.s. as does the heir apparent. caroline malone has more. >> prince mohammed bin nayef is the new prince elect. he is the most powerful man in the exporting saudi arabia. he's been the interior minister since november 2012, a position he keeps despite his promotion.

>> translation: his highness mohammed bin nayef was selected as the crown prince, deputy prime minister, interior minister, and head of the political and security affairs council. >> reporter: mohammed bin nayef studied in the united states and retains good relations with saudi arabia's close ally. u.s. embassy cables released by wikileaks show him being hawkish on iran. he over saw military action in yemen involving saudi-led air strikes to stop iran-backed houthi rebels. al qaeda fighters tried to assassinate him six years ago when he was head of security services. he's been tough on internal security. there has been many arrests of suspected al qaeda and i.s.i.l. members. he's encouraged government aid to syria, and discouraged private donations to rebel groups.

but during his time as interior minister, saudi arabia remained tough on descent at home. activists continue to be detained and imprisoned. mohammed bin nayef is the first grandson of the reining monarch, to be appointed second in command. as crown prince he becomes one of the most powerful men of his generation. saudi-led air strikes in yemen hit the capital. the attack destroying a private aircraft at the airport. yemenees security officials say it was hit to protect a supply plane from landing. australia is withdrawing its ambassador from indonesia in response to the execution of two australians, among eight convicted drug smugglers killed by firing squads. four nig ear entrance a brazilian and another were among

those executed. >> at least executions are cruel and unnecessary. it's an important relationship between australia and indonesia. it suffered as a result of what has been done brazil's foreign minister says it's evaluating its ties with indonesia. the indonesian president defend his decision saying his country's sovereignty must be affected nige ear jan officials are working to verify the identity of 300 women and children retrieved from a known boko haram hide out. they are not believed to be the 200 chibok. details about the 200 girls and 93 women were found. mehdi nemmouche ynonne ndedge is in abuja. do we here more about the women

and girls, and their identities? >> we don't know where they are. they must be in the north-east because of hour away the area is from the capital and the major city asks how difficult it is to get to. all the military told us is the 293 individuals are screened and profiled in a bid to try to ascertain the identities where they came from how they came to be in the forest and we managed to speak to a spokesperson who said that the military believes there's a possibility that some are believed to be the wise and children of operatives operating from the forest. we are promised that photographs will be released today, and more details about who these women and children are so nearly 300 women and girls we are talking about. they were not the ones taken from chibok. that has a lot wondering how

come the world has not heard about their abductions and how many more women and children may be involved in the abductions. >> well the reality is boko haram used kidnap as a tool for the last six years of this insurgency against the nigerian state. the reality is hundreds of women and children have been kidnapped across the region the reason why the chibok incident stood out, this was one mass kidnapping one full swoop in which 200 girls were taken away from a school in broad daylight. on a day-to-day basis what we have been witnessing and reporting day in day out is the disappearances and kidnappings of people from all kinds of communities in the north. it's not surprising to those of us here who spend a lot of time focussing on the issue.

it is alarming for people to hear that there are 300 women and children who have been kept away. kidnapped, held hostage, that nobody knew about. their identities have not been known to the public or stories tole. tole. many are awaiting details, and who the women and children are, where they came from and how they came to be trapped in the dense remote forest. >> thank you for that context, from abuja. on the gapdagenda the supreme court here arguments about a drug used in executions. the drug is no longer available. fund to be raised for a safety structure. the united arab emirates is

set to destroy 10 tonnes of illegal ivory seized. the first time app arab country is taking such access. >> japan's p.m. speaks on capitol hill the first time a japanese leader addressed a joint congress. last night he was at a dipper at the white house, and in talks. the two allies have a lot of work out before the t.p.p. becomes reality. >> reporter: prime minister shinzo abe is getting attention reserved for few leaders. a private tour of the lincoln monument, welcoming and hand shakes in the oval office. and for the first time a japanese officer addressing the congress. there's a reason beyond the normal relationship. money.

particularly the trans-pacific partnership partnership, on the agenda for president obama. >> i'm clear that t.p.p. is good for american officials and businesses. >> reporter: top white house officials believe the key to getting the agreement with all 12 nationals is they have to settle disagreements first with japan, based on agriculture, cars. they are downplaying speculation that they come to an agreement on that. the prime minister gave only the vaguest of updates. >> translation: on the bilateral outstanding issues we welcome the fact that significant progress was made. we'll continue to cooperate to lead the t.p.p. talks through the last phase. >> reporter: some analysts say the delays are pretty toey. >> president obama came out of the tokyo meetings last year saying we had a breakthrough, we think we see the way to a deal, and here we are a year later. a couple of months ago it was going to get done when shinzo abe came to town, now we hear, well, no maybe not.

>> reporter: they promise to keep work because if one is clear, this is a top priority for the u.s. president, heated debate over same-sex marriage. what the lawyers and justices had to say about making it the law of the land. and we talk to a lead petitioner in the case.

welcome back to al jazeera america. it's 8:20 eastern, taking a look at the top stories. three people have been killed in protests in burundi. military police have been deployed. six people have died since clashes sound. a texas judge allowed a stay of execution from robert pruitt. his attorneys want d.n.a. tests used on metal used to kill the officer and bernie sanders is expected to announce he'll run for president. he'll seek the democratic

nomination posing a challenge to hillary clinton. hose an independent describing himself as a democratic socialist for same sex couples the wait is now on. justices heart arguments on same sex marriage on tuesday. lisa stark tells us there was excitement in anticipation inside and outside the courtroom. >> i'm humbled and honoured to be here to be part of the fight. >> reporter: for jim, this is an emotional day. he is the lead petitioner before the supreme court. his fight is to be recognised as the surviving spouse on the death certificate of his late husband. the two married in maryland. same sex marriage is legal, but lived in ohio. demonstrators on both sides packed the sidewalks outside the court of the opponents had

religious objections arguing the court should not decide the oib u. >> we believe it's a states-right issue. we are here at the court instead of the state. inside the courtroom some of the justices forced the same concern. the issue is not whether there should be same sex marriage. >> all eyes were on don kennedy. the despiting vote. first questioning whether to upend the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and a woman. >>: >> reporter: later kennedy expressed concern about excluding same-sex couples of marriage. >>:

>> reporter: chief justice said if same-sex couples prevailed, the core definition of marriage will no longer hold. >> you are not seeking to join the institution, you are seeking to change what the institution is. attorney speaking to the couples says to deny the right of marriage stains unworthiness. and it was argued that the state has the right to define marriage and the court should not enact social change. it's not the way democratic process is supposed to work. there's long-term harms to the country and fundamental liberty. supporters of same sex marriage said this is a question of fundamental equal rights

guaranteed by the constitution. you don't decide via head count, but individuals you have in the country. >> all we are asking for is the same rights everyone else has. nothing special. we want to be treated and enjoy the same rights responsibilities and protections. we are americans, and the building the front of it says equal justice under law. that is what i was looking for. >> reporter: the petitioners will have a decision soon, the court will decide before the end of the month. it is banned. it is forbidden in 13 states. one of the lead petitioners was in the courtroom for opening arguments. he and his arguments have two adopted children. thank you so much for your time. what was it like to be in the

courtroom. how do you reflect back on the first day of an historic case in the highest court? >> it hasn't hit all of us. we are ipp spoired by the fact that we were in the courtroom to hear arguments that they were talking about us. it was amazing. >> was there a moment during the arguments when we felt moved or disturbed? >> we were all very taken by the use of our individual stories that humanized us and made it more of a reality than a theory about what this is and that there were real families here and real families that have been harmed. that was particularly moving to hear our names in court, us know, in the court record. >> you were married in san francisco. then you moved... >> correct. >>..to tennessee, where there is a ban on same-sex marriage. why is it important for you that

the rest of the country recognise your marriage? >> well i mean i should be able to move to any state within the united states as an american citizen and have my legal document from california recognised. it shouldn't be a patchwork. i shouldn't have to worry about is this the state where it will be recognised. my job moved me to tennessee. and in order for me to work i had to move to tennessee. thee didn't recognise our legal marriage. it puts into question our authority, adoption. if they don't recognise that do they recognise the adoption of our children. >> all of the things you listed are legal reasons. i wonder when you look at the faces of your two children does it mean more than that, this ruling that we may see from the supreme court in june that may make it legal for any states.

is it symbol ib is it something more than legal? >> it shows our children we are willing to stand up for our rights and you'll see that it is important for you to speak out when you see an injustice, and we see an injustice. >> listening to what the justices had to say. are you getting an impression of whether there is a strong enough legal art to overterm the same-sex personaling bans in the -- marriage bans in the 13 states that have them. >> we are proud of the n.c.l. r and our attorney doug that argued in court. we are proud of what they are doing, and they made an excellent case and we are hopeful that they will rule in our favour. >> what will you do if the decision does not come down in your favour. what is the next step for the movement? >> well it's hard to say. we are hopeful that it's

something that we wouldn't be able to read tea leaves. we are going to wait until june last week of june to see what they'll say, and go from there. >> you live in san francisco, which is a liberal enclave. i imagine your family is readily accepted there. if the gay marriage bans are overturned will it make you and your family feel more accepted in pockets of the country that feel that it is morally unacceptable for gays to marriage? >> we live in orange county moving from tennessee to southern california. we were married in san francisco, and lived there for over 20 years. it's important for the rest of the country that doesn't have the voice and support that we have that our marriage is recognised so therefore they can have the same rites and obligations that you know our family has. >> thank you so much for your time. >> thank you taxing times for the n.f.l.

why the most profitable sports league is giving up its tax exempt status after more than seven decades. walking while black. a man filing suit after being arrested for using a golf club as a cape. -- as a cane.

exempt status after more than

welcome back, al jazeera america, it's 8:. 30 eastern, taking a look at the top stories. emergency workers are reaching remote areas of nepal as the earthquake and death toll reaches 5,000, many are protesting the slow pace of relief efforts. that area has been known to be a hideout for boko haram. an area where girls were rescued, authorities are working to confirm the identities of nearly 300 women rescued. the kidnapped chibok schoolgirls were not among them baltimore is calm after the

first night of a mandatory curfew 2,000 national guard joined law enforce. on the street. there were scuffles shortly after the curfew took effect but the night was mostly peaceful. reverend alvin hering from peak of national network works in urban communities to develop faith-based solutions. thank you for your time. what haves last few days been like for you? what are you been doing in and around the community? >> thank you for having me. the last few days in baltimore have been very reminiscent of the days we spent in ferguson. we were on the ground to give aid and support to the community as we had been in baltimore.

we had been working as closely as we can with local faith organizations. the work of organising is the work of developing relationships, and so we have been working to establish the relationships, and to fill gaps that we might be able to fill when you look at the anger, at some of the young people rioting and looting knowing that that is a minority doing that. do you think any of it is justified? >> i think it's the wrong frame. i don't think that you know, certainly i know that the main stream media has tended to focus on what they characterise as rioting and looting. and certainly, you know, there were folks in the street overcome by rage. understandable rage if you understand baltimore and other urban communities, that's not

the big story, the big story is as james baldwin said in his work that history is trapped inside of people. and there's a history here in baltimore and across the country of the most perinitialous and -- destructive oppression and even psychological. folks can only take so. that's the real story in baltimore, in ferguson. we are able to see the underpinnings of a racist and oppressive systems that make life difficult for many people. particularly poor and working people, people of colour and the instance of ferguson and baltimore, black people. >> when we see these times of unrest, we see pastors come out preaching peace, love and

nonviolence. what do you believe is the church's role in addresses root causes of violence behind history, presence poverty, protection. >> absolutely. i think the church's role is complex. we need faith communities to be on the ground the tip of the sphere providing a sucker and support, food clothing. other kind of basic and primary needs. the larger work, the faith communally is to stand with those oppressed, to push for economic and political policies that shift the way in which the systems operate and stand on people's necks all across the country. we are challenging our clergy giving them an opportunity to decide if they intend to be chap lanes of a system racist to the core or profits of a resistance

that elevates love and a deep call for justice. >> it leads to the next question which is what tangible changes - you've been in baltimore for a few days - like to see for the death of freddie gray. we saw tangible challenges in government and politics in ferguson. what would you like to see in baltimore? >> i lived in baltimore for 11 years and raised my children hear. it's a wonderful country of some of the most creative hardworking friendly industrious people. through their own labour and calloused hands, they guilt the city. they have never been able to enjoy the fruits of the city. folks, particularly poor and black have been locked out and excluded from well real power is used and where real power is

located in this city. they've been economically locked out. they have been denied opportunities and access to a higher quality of education, health care. you go up and down the ladder in terms of the major systems that add to the quality of life. you will see a denial of access and opportunity to the systems. you know and that denial you know over the last couple of nights spilled out in the kind of moral outrage that we have seen. let's be clear, the big story is not luting and rioting, it's freddy grey was, for all intents and purposes grievously gravely and unfortunately destroyed in

that van ride and the community is two weeks on and they have not been given the benefit of a strong investigation or real report. this is every day in baltimore. this outrage is understandable. we have to make changes. >> freddy gray's case being one of many cases in which the community is demanding answers. >> that's right. >> reverend alvin herring, thank you for your insights this morning, appreciate it. >> thank you, god bless. los angeles counties settled a case. last a supervisors accepted a justice department settlement offer. terms were not disclosed. the justice delt sued the country after discriminatory behaviour by deputies on minorities. a man is claiming racial

arrest. william wip gate is black, the officer that arrested him was wight. winn gate was stopped because he was carrying a golf club. [ chanting ] >> reporter: at a protest march held in his honour william winngate walks with a gain instead of a golf club that he usually uses. it's because of this confrontation last summer a seattle police officer stops him claiming he threatened her with the putter. in the video wingate parse startled and didn't know what was going on. >> i thought she was lifted for a shoplifter or maybe i jay walked. >> reporter: 22 times the officer arrived winngate to drop the golf club.

. >> put it -- >> reporter: five times she accuses him of threatening her. >> reporter: after another officer arrives wingate is handcuffed and taken to gaol. gaoled overnight the air force veteran and refired metro because driver says he's never had a problem with police. a lawsuit has formally been filed against the city, the police department and officers cynthia that arrested him.

he seeks $750,000 in damages for civil rights violations false imprisonment. racial discrimination and emotional distress. >> the worst 20-25 minutes i have ever had. you have to - your hand behind your back. >> reporter: the officer is on desk duty while the internal investigation continues. in the lawsuit winngate claims he's been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression and is fearful when encountering police officers. >> that woman did a lot of damage. something got to be done the big business of the nst fl draft is a day away -- n.f.l. draft is a day away. ahead of that. it is dropping its tax status. a lot of people are surprised it

is a nonprofit. the money making machine, as much money as the national football league rakes in you may be surprised to know it has not pat taxes. the n.f.l. agreed to start paying taxes, here is why. >> in a memo to 32 teems n.f.l. commissioner roger goodell announced a change to the $10 million business of football: goodluck jonathan is-- roger goodell is referring to the tax committee. individual teams paid taxes on profit but the league has been classified as a nonprofit. tax free a rising chorus of voices wondered why. >> they are making a lot of

dough off of us, my way of saying the n.f.l. is screwing off. >> shouldn't the public have some sort of ownership. >> politicians threatened to remove the tax status. now the n.f.l. nullified that threat, and it's dubious that taxing the league would generate. tax revenue. according to n.f.l. tax returns it separate from 32 teams registered multi-million losses in two of the last three tax years citizens for tax justice estimates the exempt status saved the n.f.l. $10 million. ending the nonprofit saves the league from having to publicly disclose tax returns. such led to criticism of the league a salary north of the 30 million

roger goodell says the league office would file tax returns as a taxable entity in the 2015 fiscal year, which happened this month. major league baseball gave up tax status and the n.b.a. has never been tax except. n.s.a. are tax exempt. they are in the process of evaluating that the vietnam veteran's memorial is a visited and venneral site. it's recognised for brilliance. jamie mcintyre has more. >> the basic elements are the qualities of the stone, the reflective qualities of the names in a con logical order. >> he likes to point out how the design makes the wall the most engaging memorial. >> when you walk you notice the names. slowly as you get to a point

where the memorial is over your head. we are there now. there's no longer the distraction beyond you of the cars going by, you are part of this situation, you are enveloped by the sea of names, and this creates the emotion. this is when people talk in a lowered voice. considering it was controversial at the time it's amazing that you could talk to the tourists and no one would dispute the power of the wall. it's a great work of art. and most monuments, the washington monument you have to jump back to enjoy it. this one you make physical contact with it. it's a big distinction. it draws you in jamie looks into how the

memorial almost did not get built. that's at 8:00 p.m. eastern in today's digital beat, a story you see only on aljazeera.com. residents in missouri are blaming rare cancers on a possible contaminated creek. the atomic agency dumped waste in the site. they say the area no longer poses threats of the of. residents disagree. we caught up with a reporter that spoke to them. >> a lot of people i grew up with from school, were dying from rare and bizarre cancers. once they put the pieces toot. why are they sick what do they have in common. they realised they started digging and found contamination of the creeks that would flood

there's a facebook page for residents to support illnesses has 10,000 members. may is almost here. that means people are getting ready to put their hiking and camping gear to good use. warmer weather means a risk of lime disease. here is nicole mitchell. >> the only place that never had lime disease was in hawaii. it was found in lime connects. the north-east is the biggest nexus for the cases. they have an experienced way across the country. with climate change and earlier warning. the season has been starting earlier and earlier. may is lime awareness month, some advocate moving it back to april. if you thought the cold weather would insulate. there was snow. it kept them inflated. here are the big areas. northern midwest into the

north-east. all the place in red had over 1,000, 10-20,000, especially the north-east like new york and pennsylvania. over 20,000 cases reported since the early 2000. but they say 10 times that. 300,000 cases a year. if you are out there, some of the things you can do - wear long pants, and if you have one remove it as soon as possible. if you get it in the first day or two it doesn't have the time to transfer the disease to you. >> check your body and your pet's body. >> we probably give everyone the creepy crawling weighing the strength of the u.s. economy. latest g.d.p. numbers are out. we'll look into what they spelt for economic growth. >> why mining for precious metals means going under the sea. he sea.

weighing the strength of the of the welcome back to al jazeera america the wait is on as the supreme court debates whether same-sex marriage should be legal nationwide a forest fire near ukraine's nuclear plant. officials say it poses no danger.

high winds means that there is a risk of flames, that they may spread. a conference in london aims to raise money to contain the melted down nuclear reactor protests in mexico against the education system. demonstrators set fire to government buildings and clashed with police. days ago thousands took part in protests marking 7 months since a group of students went missing we have gotten a read on how the economy did in the first three months of the year. straight to patricia. i imagine we are not uncorking the sham up pain. -- champagne. >> don't shoot the messenger. we got the number it was rub bish. disappointing. comb in mind that the numbers are volatile. one thing that was dragging on the economy we saw a slowdown

in consumer spending. it grew 1.9% in the first quarter of this year, compared to 4 oi 4% in the -- 4.4% in the last quarter of 2014. a drag down in the job markets hit confidence. consumer spending is two-thirds of the g.d.p. two-thirds of economic output. when consumers are not confident they don't reach into their pockets. we had low gasoline prices. you see that causing a deceleration of spending. a big drag - exports. exports were hammered, contracting 7.2% in the first quarter. we had a lot of destructions at ports. keep in mind it can be vulnerable. the other thing weighing on it is the strong u.s. dollar. it is strong compared to other

currencies. when the dollar is strong it makes exports that much more expensive to buy. europe is a big trading partner, and their economy is not doing well. you have the perfect storm. >> what will that mean for interest rates? the fed is wrapping up a meeting, and they'll look at the numbers. >> what you expect is people were expecting the fed was not raising interest rates in june it bolsters that argument. raising interest rates in june is is probably not on the cards the world's biggest retailer is getting bigger. wal-mart says it will open 115 stores in china, and has 400 stores in the country. it plans to close operations that are not performing well and focus on online grocery market services. venezuelan is conduct hours for some workers to save

electricity. government officers will be opened six hours a day initial site a jump in power usage. it's not clear how long the emergency measure will last. venezuela, a major oil producer depends on hydroelectric power. on the tech beat - there is a limited supply of gold silver and copper on earth. estimates suggest it's being depleted quickly. scientists are looking in a wetter place. techknow's reporters are talking about taking it under water. >> reporter: these days the gold rur rush is not in the heel but in the deep. verified by this submeshesible in 1977. no one mows -- nose this better

than this professor who scument with the undersea mining. >> we have found valuable minerals. >> reporter: estimates suggest the land on earth could be picked clean of gold, silver and copper in a few decades. the search is on, under the sea. the national service estimates there's 150 trillion no gold waiting to be mined from the world's notion. here is phil torres on the navy ship off the coast of costa rica. >> people are committed to hear about vesting reachesers. industry wants to do their work

in environmentally conscious methods. the discovery of hydrothermal event, similar to hot stription on land -- hot springs on land it's where high temperatures cool forking a reaction. causing metals like copper gold and zinc. some animals thrive in the environment, in dom pleat darkness. >> -- complete darkness. >> just because it's on the bottom of the middle of the ocean, it shouldn't be handled in the same manner. as exploreation continues there are goals, for mining it's profits, and for scientist, it's the knowledge of seabed which is almost unexplored.

industry is actually doing the extraction when they are there with the tools. the sign tib community will be there you can watch techknow thursday at 6:30 eastern. coming up in two minutes, we'll have the latest on the earthquake in nepal. there are worries about disease spreading as relief workers try to reach the worst-affected areas, and we are hearing about sporadic rescues. that's it for us here in new york. i'm stephanie sy. thank you so much for watching. watching.

>> on al jazeera america >> technology...it's a vital part of who we are... >>they had some dynamic fire behavior... >> and what we do... don't try this at home! >> tech know where technology meets humanity...

only on al jazeera america announcer: this is al jazeera. hello welcome to the al jazeera newshour. we are live in doha. the top stories, frustration in nepal. aid trickling in four days after a massive earthquake. first in line to the throne. saudi arabia's king names his nephew as the new crown prince in a reshuffle nigeria's military says it rescued nearly 300