midwest. of course you can get more on all the stories that you've been following if you head to the website. >> britain heads to the polls in a tight race that could change the future of the united kingdom. >> i will hold those accountable if change is not made. >> baltimore's mayor asked for a federal investigation into her police force as questions emerge over an officer's past before the freddie gray case. >> secretary of state john kerry is in saudi arabia, pushing for a humanitarian pause in the war in yemen as rebels close in on

the port city of aden. >> >> this is aljazeera america good morning live from new york city i'm randall pinkston. polls are open in the unit kingdom for national election data appears to be the tightest race in decades. prime minister david cameron is fighting for his political life and voted with his wife earlier. the conservative party is running a close race. neither party is expected to win a clear majority of parliament, so as voters turn to the scottish national party it may throw party behind labor to form a new government. we are live outside parliament, lars, tell us about the rules for you reporting on elections if you were reporting to the

united kingdom what is it that you couldn't tell us this morning? >> it is enormously confusing. i'm sure the broadcasters covering the u.k. go into suspended animation on election day, everyone pontiff indicates during the campaign but while polls are open, you're not allowed to say anything. it's like a court case here when the jury is considering the evidence, you can broadcast all that, but when a jury goes out to consider its verdict when the voters turn to the polls you can't say anything at all that might be construed as influencing their decision, very very odd compared to the situation in other countries. when the polls close there are exit polls and everybody can say what they want all over again but it is primarily so the vote isn't influenced by people like me. >> you're talking to an american audience, so you can tell us anything at all.

first of all turnout, what are you seeing? >> yeah, a lot of excitements a lot of nervousness because the u.k. uniquely really in its modern political history is heading into an era of coalition politics, that existed all over europe. why? because the two party that normally govern alone labor on left conservative on right has collapsed. an attack from the left by the scottish nationalist the welsh nationalist and conservatives from the right want separation from the european union. there will probably be a coalition government of perhaps three, four, even five parties and that has never happened and britain has to get used to it. >> what are the big issues that play in this election?

>> well, primarily the economy. they claim they've brought britain back from the economic crisis. labor and the other new wing left parties say the recovery has only been for the rich, there is massive austerity historically high use of food banks, the transfer of the tax burden from the rich to the poor so it is that vital question about who has benefited from the economy. i think mostly on that is what it will be judged on. >> we will be watching and listening for your reports. thank you. >> for the first time in more than a week, baltimore this morning is no longer under a state of emergency. the governor lifted the restrictions wednesday almost a week after charges were filed against six officers in the death of freddie gray. the city's mayor says a lot more is needed to rebuild trust with

the african-american community. she is calling on the federal government for help. >> in order to achieve the kind of sustainable and significant reform that we want to see that i want to see that the citizens want to see in baltimore, i am requesting the department of justice conduct a federal pattern or practice investigation into the baltimore city police department. >> attorney general loretta lynch spoke with gray's family this week. the department of justice is already conducting a civil rights investigation into gray's death and reviewing the mayor's request for a formal police probe. former new york city police lt. valueian harper is the founder of 100 blacks and law enforcement who care. thank you nor joining us this morning. let's talk about the mayor's request for federal intervention in baltimore. as a former police officer how do you think your colleagues are going to respond to that in bat mar? >> i think they are north going to be pleased that they're going to have federal oversight but i think that it is important that

there is federal oversight because the community needs to have trust in any investigation that's going to be conducted concerning their police department. if you were advise be the d.o.j. investigators, where would you begin to look first in baltimore? >> i think the first step i would take is looking at the relationship between the community and the police department. what i would also look at is how the administration allows their police department to interact with the community what kind of arrests are being made, is it an overwhelming amount of disorderly conduct arrest, large amount of resisting arrest cases. >> what would be the significance of a whole lot of disorder conduct and or resisting arrest cases what would that indicate? >> that there's not an initial charge prior to the interaction between the police and community. when i say that, i'm talking about possibly a burglary charge, maybe a controlled

substance charge. >> no probable cause for a stop. >> exactly. >> a lot of these stops happen without probably cause. >> yes, they do, without probable cause or reasonable suspicion to lead to probable cause. >> and therefore people end up not being arrested after they're stopped, but sometimes horrible things occur. >> sometimes not -- they may be arrested, but sometimes they are not charged as the process goes on. >> let's talk for a minute about the case that has been ruled in baltimore with respect to the death of freddie gray. the lt. who first spotted him looking at him had a troubled history. lt. rice according to documents uncovered by the guardian newspaper had at least two instances have being investigated by his own force and placed on some sort of leaf. his weapons were removed because he had threatened -- allegedly

threatened his wife--ex-wife and her husband and her husband is also a police officer. with that kind of history if he were in new york city, would he still have been allowed to continue to work? these were two separate incidents separated by months. >> well, for the most part in new york city, he would have been removed from any type of enforcement. he may have been put on a desk job. he may have been put on administrative leave he may have been be suspended depending upon what the investigation revealed. initially while the investigation was being conducted, he would have definitely been removed from any type of enforcement or contact with the general public in enforcement capacity. >> in this particular case, he was in charge of other officers, directing them to go after freddie gray and place him in the wagon. would everybody been in command position? >> not at all. he would have definitely been removed from command position.

>> what kind of revelation do you think this has with respect to the charges of man slaughter and misconduct and false imprisonment? >> i think with this being brought to light i think that the prosecution is probably going to use this to show that he was not in a place where he should have been able to conduct this type of enforcement which may have been i guess damaging, and the contact between him and the community he may have made some inappropriate decisions at the time which may led to this. in your role, you were part of the internal affairs unit. >> yes i spent time with internal affairs. >> how often did you find your recommendations not accepted by the prosecutor? >> in my -- i mean, i think i was fortunate. i did very thorough and fair and

impartial investigations i conducted, rather and for the most part, the prosecutors were in line with what i found or what my findings were and charges were pretty much, they stuck. they were sustained. >> that's a conversation that i'd like to pursue for another time because understand that there have been instances for example in the case of eric garner where the prosecutor looked at one set of fact, the people at another set of fact and come to a different decision. >> secretary of state john kerry is in saudi arabia asking that the country stop airstrikes in yemen. dozens of civilians were reportedly killed as they tried to flee the worsening conditions there. kerry said aid groups are unable to help victims because of the ongoing attacks. >> the situation is getting more

dire by the day and we're deeply concerned about that and we have urged all sides anybody involved to comply with humanitarian law and to take every precaution to keep civilians out of the line of fire, out of harm's way, as well as to provide the opportunity for humanitarian assistance to be able to be delivered. >> kerry also melt with yemen's ousted president hadi in riyadh today. >> in israeli, prime minister benjamin netanyahu signed an agreement with the jewish home party which allows benjamin netanyahu likud party to remain in party. the deal comes at a major cost. >> it went to the wire, only at the last moment was an agreement reached between jewish home party. it's leader, bennett asking for major concessions before

throwing in his eight seats but gave the prime minister a majority in parliament, a slim majority of one. the full extent of concessions made will only become apparent in coming days as benjamin netanyahu finalizes the com significance of his government. it will be a government of right wing sensibility. jewish homes has its root in the settling moved and called for the settlement of more, not less along with the expulsion of palestinians along the west bank. the government will be at the mercy of two ultra orthodox religious parties granted the renewed state benefits for the ultra religious and exclusion from military service for religious students. the inevitable increase in state expenditure will in turn pressure the mom nailed finance minister who brought his party

back into the fold. >> it could take the withdrawal of support by just a single member of one of the coalition parties to bring the government down. >> at the end of weeks of negotiation, benjamin netanyahu is left with a slim one-seat majority in parliament. it will be a weak government that's essentially at the mercy of the settler movements and two small religious parties. >> co incidentally this evening it's an annual religious festival, but there's added spring in the step of these dancers as they also celebrate the resurgence of ultra orthodox religious movements in israeli political life. al jazeera west jerusalem. >> prime minister knelt's new coalition raises a red flag for palestinians which means israel is not interested in returning to the negotiation table. >> i have absolutely no hope that this government will proceed to really make peace.

i have very, very little hope that they will stop their colonial settlement plans their attempt to take over our jerusalem, that they will really decide that finally peace is much better than occupation. >> palestinian chief negotiator eric cat put out a statement saying the coalition indicates israel wants to vary the two-state solution and impose an apartheid regime. >> iran released a cargo ship and crew seize the last month sake the crew is in good condition. iranian forces fired warning shots in the m.v. tigress. the ship is flagged to the marshall islands and the episode prompted the united states to send ship to say monitor the situation. iran defends the move as legally valid, saying the seizure was based on a court decision. >> cleanup is underway in texas and the nebraska this morning

from strong storms spun off tornadoes which caused serious injuries in oklahoma. the weather was just as bad in other states, too. more on that from gerald tan. >> terrifying, yet awe inspiring, a tornado whips its way through oklahoma. more than two dozen twisters touched down on wednesday cutting a path from texas to nebraska. they flipped cars, tore down trees and power lines and ripped off roofs. the storm system also brought heavy downpours. the national weather service declared a flash flood emergency, a first for oklahoma city. in the business district, streets were inundated, as water filled parking lots and forced shop to say close for the day. >> distraught, disshelved, but

will get back to business. >> homes lost electricity people advised to stay off the roads until debris is cleared and the severe weather passes. a tornado watch remains in effect for oklahoma and other states in the great plains and midwest. gerald tan, al jazeera. >> male or female, thousands are families are faced with the difficult choice. how to raise children born with an ambiguous gender. what happens when the child disagrees?

>> welcome to al jazeera america. it's 748 eastern time, taking a look now at today's top stories syria's opposition is denying that hezbollah fighters have retaken areas saying the syrian army killed dozens of its fighters and a commander. there are fears the fighting could spill into neighboring lebanon. >> chile's minister asked her entire cabinet to resign, saying she will announce new ministers in the next few days. she faces the lowest approval ratings of her career in part due to recent corruption scandals. >> american and italian police say they broke up a major

cocaine trafficking ring operating between the u.s., europe and central america. italian police caught 13 suspects while they were sleeping. it's believed they have links to the mafia. officers seized more than 120 pounds of cocaine en route to philadelphia. >> thousands of american babies are born every year with ambiguous gender. many undergo surgery to determine if they will be raised male or female. we report, it is a difficult decision for parents and can long impact their children's lives. ♪ >> today pigeon does not identify as he or she preferring to be called they. >> i thought i was a girl. that's what people called me she, and i was jennifer, that's my real name. >> in my the age of 18, she identified as female, living as a girl and believing she was one. she never had ovaries and in

fact has xy chromosomes typical is boys. the condition is known at intersex. >> it is an individual that is born with not just uniform male or female parts but they can have combinations of both. >> usually doctors and parents would decide what sex a child should be and then the ambiguous genitalia surgically modified to resemble that gender. >> i wish with all my heart and being that they would have left me exactly like how i was born. >> chuting surgery at this early stage is controversial. activists and bio ethicists say individuals should choose for themselves when they are old enough. >> it's predicting how the patience is going to identify sexually, in a more male role or female role and that kind of choice it seems we've learned is best left up to the patient him

or herself. >> it's one reason a program at the chirp's hospital in chicago began a more holistic approach. the gender and sex development program includes consultation with urologists and psychologists. >> it is a discussion between consent and patient rights. >> school districts in oklahoma may soon be able to designate an employee to carry a handgun on school property. critics worry it puts people in danger. no word on whether the governor will sign the bill into law. >> many who lost everything in hurricane katrina maybe on the

verge of a major victory against the federal government. a judge ruled that a canal built by the army corps of engineers played a role in flooding during the storm. now it's a matter of how much victims will get paid. jonathan martin reports from new orleans. >> every few weeks for nearly 10 years, elmo returned to his old neighborhood in st. bernard parish to maintain the lot where his home used to stand. >> my house was completely underwater. >> a decade after hurricane katrina's catastrophic flooding, barns and hundreds of others who lost property in the area feel they're finally receiving justice. a federal claims judge has determined what residents have long insisted, that a shipping canal built by the army corps of engineers was largely to blame for flooding in new orleans lower ninth ward and st. bernard

parish and the u.s. government should pay damages. >> they didn't do the homework and say what the consequences were going to be. >> the core build the mississippi river gulf outlet in the 1960's, commonly referred to as mr. go, the canal was a short cut for ships going between new orleans port along the mississippi river and the gulf of mexico, but the judge found the 76-mile canal has been poorly constructed and maintained and expanded and eroded and caused storm surge exacerbated by a funnel effect during hurricane katrina and other storms. the judge called the canal a ticking time bomb. >> they built a product -- >> mark davis is an environmental law attorney and professor at too lane university. >> she said you should have foreseen this and since this was so foreseeable, you're going to be responsible for when and if it happens. >> it's a hard fought victory for st. bernard parish and 17

plaintiffs who sued the federal government 10 years ago. the u.s. government is typically immune to liability related to flood control projects, but the court found this case was different, since the mrgo canal was built for navigation. >> the message that resounds from this decision is that the people can hold their government accountable. >> the canal was closed in 2009. the department of justice told al jazeera it's reviewing the judge's decision. it's unclear if the federal government plan to say appeal, and just how much the government will pay in damages remains to be seen. if a judge grants class action status elmo branches and others who lived in the st. bernard parish and lower ninth ward could sue for compensation. >> i'd like to see these mistakes don't happen again. >> jonathan martin, al jazeera new orleans. >> the high cost of living in

san francisco many residents are evicted but property owners say they are just trying to get a fair price. >> on al jazeera america ali velshi looks at the issues affecting us all... >> we're taking a hard look at the most important issues out there that get you the answers that you deserve.

>> real money with ali velshi only on al jazeera america >> not only is san francisco expensive, but the eviction rate the highest in a decade. >> i'm lisa bernard. san francisco's housing market is in transition. we'll introduce you to one schoolteacher fighting an eviction. >> it's not fair to pick on the disabled, because this is a very stressful feeling to be evict. >> evictions are up over 50% in the past five years. many long time residents say they're being forced out of the city as wealthy newcomers move in. the housing supply has never kept up with demand here but now is reaching a critical point. we'll hear from property owners

who want to take advantage of the tech boom and get the return on their investment that this hot market is offering. >> rent control for 35-37 years has messed with that whole market economy. >> a tenant that's been living in a unit for 30 years is paying 20% of what a new tenant in that same unit would pay. >> the growing tension over long standing policies here is what we'll look at, is the city's culture changing. san francisco's mayor weighs in on what he's trying to do to alleviate the problem. >> you can watch the full report tonight at 8:00 eastern. >> no comment yet from superbowl winning quarterback tom brady after an investigation into deflate gate, finding two lower level employees likely intentionally deflated balls before the a.f.c. championship game last january and says brady was generally aware of the activities. brady denies involvement but he could face suspension. >> thank you for joining us.

stephanie sy is back in two minutes with more aljazeera america morning news. keep up on the aljazeera.com. >> sunday on "hard earned". losing control. >> 50 and broke. i live with the consequences every day. >> harsh realities. >> i did two tours in iraq, when i came back i couldn't find a job. >> fighting to survive. >> bein' a man and can't put my family in a home that they deserve... that's a problem for me. >> hard earned pride. hard earned respect. hard earned future. a real look at the american dream. "hard earned". sunday, 10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> part of our month long look at working in america. "hard earned".

>> it's two days on this boat just to get there... >> unspoiled... unseen... under threat... >> macaws, they're at risk of disapearing in the wild. >> the new fight to save a species... >> we're looking at

one of the most incredible wonders of the natural world. >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> this is my selfie, what can you tell me about my future? >> can affect and surprise us. >> don't try this at home. >> "techknow" - where technology meets humanity. only on al jazeera america. >> election day in the u.k., brits head to the polls in one of the tightest election in decades to decide who will be the next prime minister. >> secretary of state john kerry meets with yemen's president in saudi arabia in hopes of getting desperately needed aid into the region. >> tornadoes touchdown in the central plains leaving destruction in their wake. >> righting a wrong in chicago the city agrees to pay millions in reparations to victims of police torture. >> to be clear, we are talking

about reparations for black people in this instance, that is a huge landmark. >> this is aljazeera america live from new york city, i'm stephanie sy. voting is underway in the u.k. right now in the tightest race in a generation. prime minister david cameron's conservative party is in a dead heat with the labor party. no clear winner could mean a significant role for smaller parties, including scattish nationalist party and ukip. tell us about the process today which is quite different than how we have u.s. presidential elections. what will we know at the end of

the day about who will be governing the united kingdom? >> i think the overwhelming thing we'll know is that no single party, will be able to govern alone. there's a lot of excitement and quite a lot of nervousness among the electorate here about the process of coalition politics for the first time in modern british history that usually exists across the continent here. the labor and can serve actives which are traditionally governed alone here have seen a collapse. both trying to fight this campaign pretending these parties don't exist but it hasn't worked. it is suggested that neither will be able to form a majority

without three or four other parties. it is an absolute journey into the unknown. those negotiations will have to start tomorrow and may take days or even weeks. >> it's a complicated pros for us americans. talk about what are the key issues driving voters to the polls. >> primarily, it's to do with the economy as i'm sure it is everywhere else. the conservatives are quite surprised that they haven't done better than they have, given that they claim to rescue the u.k. from the brink of political collapse. they say they rescued britain created 400 billion pounds sterling and gave it to the banks to refloat them, but the opponents say they transferred the tax burden then from the rich to the poor, that there's been massive austerity higher use of food banks here and u.s. as well. they say the recovery has been for the rich and not anybody

else. you have the scottish nationalists in particular arguing labor hasn't been strong enough taking the conservatives on and want tougher measures from the austerity and the poor. san francisco in the housing crisis there exactly the same in london, mismanagement of the economy by both parties has played into nervousness among the electorate where a huge amount of confusion whether you should vote with your conscience or vote to the parties that you know. >> austerity and its unpopularity in other parts of europe is an issue. what does this election mean for the rest of the european union. >> primarily it's to do with whether the conservatives win. if labor win they say they want a bit closer to europe and be more college another p. ukip says an in-out referendum on british membership of the

european union within two years. the scottish would hate it. the big loser potentially would be the european union -- vladimir putin and the kremlin don't like the european union at all. >> your audio breaking up just at the end there. what he was saying is that if the conservatives win, there would be a referendum on whether the u.k. should remain in the e.u. >> the new government is taking shape in israel. prime minister benjamin netanyahu signed a coalition deal with natali bennett giving knelt net just enough seats to take power but gives bennett's jewish home party more say in the government actions. the far right wing party opposes the establishment of a palestinian state and supports settler expansion.

palestinians say it means they are not interested in peace. we will speak about this new coalition. >> in chile the president is revamping her government after asking her entire cabinet to resign during a t.v. interview. she will announce her new ministers in the next few days. she faces the lowest approval ratings in years. >> in yemen, saudi arabia announced a five days ceasefire in yemen something secretary of state john kerry had been pushing for during his current trip in riyadh. kerry would the u.s. is concerned about worsening human conditions in yemen. he met with saudi officials and yemen's ousted leader, as well, today. houthi rebels had intensified their ground offensive this week as saudi arabia and other countries continue their bombing campaign. kerr require said aid groups are struggling to reach millions of people impacted by the conflict.

>> the situation is getting more dire by the day and we're dopily concerned about that and we have urged all sides anybody involved to comply with humanitarian law and to take every precaution to keep civilians out of the line of fire, out of harm's way, as well as to provide the opportunity for humanitarian assistance to be able to be delivered. >> dozens of civilians have reportedly been killed in recent days, as they try to flee the worsening conditions in yemen. we have this report an their desperate search for safety. >> for thousands trapped in ades district the sea is their only way out. they've been caught in the battle for the southern port city. the residents are terrified. >> >> the condition is all rockets bombing, random shelling on our

houses, no electricity, no water. >> the gulf states should share responsibility for accept aside. >> the streets are deserted, many confined in their homes. others are on the move looking for a way out. boats like this have become the only hope of survival, but even they've become dangerous. on wednesday, one of the boats was shelled by houthi rebels, killing dozens. the district is important. it is not far from the city's port, the area is vital for control over yemen's southern coast. the houthis and forces loyal to former president ali abdullah saleh remain powerful here. in taiz, the fight is equally hard. forces loyal to the current president adou rabbo mansour hadi are putting on a tough fight, but most of the city is

destroyed. houthis and their allies continue to push for control of the city. different areas were bombed. speaking from the saudi capitol the newly appointed chief of staff said his priority is to reorganize his forces. >> our priority is to unite and regroup the army, because the majority is at their homes. the houthi seized equipment cleared the bases and sent the officers home. 80% of the army is not doing their job. >> in yemen most of the country is a battlefield and millions of yemenese continue to suffer. al jazeera. >> the city of chicago is owning up to a disgraceful chapter in its history agreeing to pay more than $5.5 million to victims of police torture. we have more. >> chicago's mayor rahm emanuel offering an apology wednesday on the city's latest police practices over three decades. >> this is another step, but

essential step in righting a wrong, removing a stain on the reputation of this great city and the people who make up this great city. >> governor, the mic is yours. >> on wednesday chicago announced it was setting aside over $5 million for victims of police torture in the 1970s's 1980's and early 1990's, equating to $100,000 per victim, as well as free college tuition counseling and training and a formal apology by the city, too. >> 120 people, mostly african-american men were tort you arid by the now disgraced chicago police commander john burge and his team of south side detectives. known as the midnight crew, they used electric shocks, beating suffocation and russian roulette tactics to force them to confess. >> i was scared to death and didn't want to show it. my mind was such as it felt like my head was being blown off when

i heard that click and then they took the shotgun barrel back out of my mouth and put me in the back seat of a detective car and had my feet outside the detective car. i was still handcuffed. they pulled my pants and shorts down and they started to shock me with electric cattle prod. >> victims their families and supporters some of them wearing reparations now tee shirts stood and applauded. the council's unanimous vote on reparations on wednesday. >> this is the first time any city in the united states of america has ever acknowledged racist police practices and provided reparations, and to be clear, we are talking about reparations for black people in this instance. that is a huge landmark. >> reparations package is the work of midnight crew survivors abamnesty international and the chicago mayor.

as for former commander john burge, after being led go from the force in the mid 1990's, he was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice spending four years behind bars. today, he lives in florida on a chicago police pension. john terrett, al jazeera. >> for the first time in more than a week, baltimore this morning is no longer under a state of emergency. the governor lifted the restrictions wednesday almost a week after charges were filed against six officers in the death of freddie gray. the city's mayor says a lot more is needed to rebuild trust with the african-american community calling on the federal government to look into her own cities police practices. >> in order to achieve the kind of sustainable and significant reform that we want to see that i want to see that the citizens want to see in baltimore, i am requesting the department of justice conduct a federal pattern or practice investigation into the baltimore city police department. >> attorney general loretta lynch spoke with gray's family

this week. the justice democratic is conducting a civil rights investigation into his death and reviewing the player's request for a police probe. >> former president bill clinton said the tough on crime policies his administration pushed in the 1990's went too far. in 1994, he signed a sweeping bipartisan crime bill with a three strikes policy for violent offenders. he told c.n.n. his policies too focused on punishment and not enough on rehabilitation. >> we cast too wide a net, we have too many people in prison and we went to putting so many people in prison that there wasn't enough money left to educate them, train them for new jobs and increase the chances when they came out so they could live productive lives. we are wasting too much money locking people up that don't need to be there. >> he thinks the law should be changed and supports his wife's position, hillary clinton has

criticized mass incarceration and favors reducing jail time for low level offenders. >> a big stretch of tornado alley is clique up this morning after storms hit from texas to nebraska. john henry smith is here with the latest. the damage is extensive. so far no detectives reported. >> you are correct although authorities say five trailer park residents in hard-hit oklahoma have been credittically injured. there's been plenty of property damage and frayed nerves in a part of the country all too used to both this time of year when the twisters make their presence felt. >> the most significant of all tornado warnings that we can have again a tornado emergency. >> tornado alley living up to its name. >> i'm telling you please stay at work. do not get on the highway. >> over 20 tornadoes packing winds of up to 150 miles per hour leaving a trail of destruction. >> a lot of damage out here, and it's still raining.

>> the storms brought hail and flooding to parts of oklahoma, stranding cars, and stranding residents. >> in the freezers and bathroom. >> buildings completely collapsed. power is out. >> the governor declared a state of emergency as the weather left at least 33,000 without power and destroying homes. >> tornado on the ground south of lincoln. >> the reports of damage were less severe in nebraska. authorities size 10-15 buildings were severely damaged. >> we have a roof that just flew through the air here. this is a serious situation. >> kansas reported minor damage as did texas. >> its getting stronger. >> although roads near austin flooding caused rescue to be needed by drivers. tornado alley could get hit with more twisters this weekend. >> oklahoma governor mary fallon will spend much of this day

touring the hardest-hit areas of her state surveying the substantial damage. >> still trying to figure out how big the damage is, thank you. >> a tornado touched down in northern germany. these pictures were recorded as the tornado moved through the countryside. one person was killed and dozens others injured. while tornadoes are common in the u.s., they are rare in europe. >> a federal judge has heard the first arguments over how much the federal government should pay for damages from katrina and other hurricanes. the judge ruled that a shipping canal built by the army corps of engineers was largely to blame for flooding in the lower ninth ward in new orleans saying it was poorly constructed and maintained. the ruling has been 10 years in the making. >> more broadly what's important, the mental that resounds from this decision is that the people can hold their governor accountable and they have the mechanism to do that. >> the judge ruled that the damage counts as the equivalent

of the government taking property. both sides to turn to a mediator to calculate damages. >> on the agenda today the senate homeland security committee will look at how social media is being used for what it calls terrorist recruitment. a former supporter of a tax on targets will testify. >> also giving congress a chance to review and possibly reject final nuclear deal with iran faces a test vote. talks between the u.s. and other countries resume next week in vienna. >> an annual jewish pilgrim imagine too nearby he be is that as they head to africa's oldest synagog. >> the alarming new study that ranks the u.s. dead last in maternal health among the world's developed nations. >> a look at a prestigious school producing sought after students garnering attention world wild. >> palaces in the sky the

technology allowing super skinny buildings that tower above the rest.

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>> welcome to al jazeera america. it is 8:19 eastern. an aid to california's attorney general and two others arrested accused of running a fictitious police department. authorities began investigating the so-called masonic fraternal police department after getting letters about a new chief. it operated in 33 states with ties to the mid evil order of the knights templar. >> the f.a.a. will test commercial drone use looking at use in urban areas and studying flights beyond the operator's line of sight. right now flying a commercial zone requires f.a.a. permission. >> jim write one of the most controversial house speakers in memory has died. he rose to be the top democratic is congress but forced to resign in 1989 amid an ethics scandal. he was 92 years old. >> whole foods will soon open lower cost verses of its stores.

the move aims to attract younger cost conscious shoppers. stores will begin opening next year. >> on the healthbeat this morning, a new study is raising serious questions about medical treatment in the u.s., particularly for mothers and children. as bisi onile-ere reports the u.s. ranks worst for maternal health among developed countries. >> the report looked at the best and worst countries to be a mother based on five indicators, one of them being maternal mortality. the stayed is by the child advocacy group save the children. women in the united states face a one in 1,800 risk of maternal death, the highest risk of any developed country in the world. an american woman is more than 10 times as likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth as a polish woman. norway is the safest for mothers. somalia is the most dangerous. according to the group's 2015

mother says index rank, the united states came in 33rd. the study looked at infant mortality rates and in a survey of 25 of the wealthiest capitol cities, washington, d.c. had the highest mortality rate. it's infant mortality rate is three times higher than that of stockholm and tokyo. in d.c., the group between the rich and poor makes for plenty of debate among legislators but is a factor in the survival rate of babies. in 2013, there were 10.9 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to 1.2 deaths in the city's richest neighborhood, making the infant mortality rate 10 times higher in the poorest neighborhood compared to its wealthiest community. in recent years d.c. cut its city wide infant mortality rate in half, but it's still higher than the national average and

the city's poorest enables continue to have the highest mortality rates. bisi onile-ere, al jazeera, new york. >> nordic countries lead the way when it comes to health care for mothers. according to the study norway is best, followed by finland iceland, denmark and sweden. among the worst places for care, somalia gets the lowest marks followed by the department republican of congress, the central african reap and niger. >> high blood sugar is a possible cause of alzheimer's disease. scientists found high blood sugar increases levels of a flak found in the brains of alzheimer's patients. the studies main author said the discovery could lead to more effective treatment for the neurological disorder. >> on the science beat, eachor more than 1,000 students apply for a small number of places at a very uniquely school. the school helps connect entrepreneurs to the business

world. >> these students are among the brightest brains in technology in west africa. they're ideas are being closely watched by international investors. >> are you going to upgrade the feature? >> the entrepreneurial school of technology runs a program designed to give these young people the skills to compete world wild. >> i want them to be able to take a look at things that affect their lives and their families lives and friends' lives and solve real problems so they feel passionate about it. to beto be an entrepreneur, if you are not passionate about your idea, you are probably going to burn out. >> at the end of the academic year they pitch their idea to investors. >> these students are dreaming big. they want to be global players in the tech world and this institute is helping them achieve that, but finishing here is just the beginning.

>> linda and her business partner are mass graduates. they created an on line service that can track any shipment anywhere in the world at the click of a button. many do business through ghana's main port. investor's in sweden jumped at their idea. >> it started in a room, four guys storming an idea and after a few months, we brought it into life and it's changing a lot of companies. that alone just makes us happy. if, you know making enough money or they're not sleeping at night. >> the team lives and works at their office. >> we see that this account -- >> they say it's been challenging. it's less than a year since they graduated and they already have around 200 clients in an office in sweden. >> they say they're proud of the fact that they and others are showing what africa can contribute to the world of

technology innovation. al jazeera ghana. >> up next, a look at afghanistan's billion dollar drug war. >> i'm in southern afghanistan. farmers this year expect another high amount of poppy. >> the death of the american dream, why it may be impossible to escape poverty.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. it is 8:28 eastern, taking a look at today's top stories. polls are open for a national election that appears to be the tightest in decades. prime minister david cameron is fighting for his political life. his conservative party is in a dead heat with ed mill brand's labor party. neither is expected to win a clear majority in parliament. >> saudi arabia just announced a five day pause to airstrikes in yemen, but the time line when it

might take effect is not clear. secretary of state john kerry is urging houthis not to violate the ceasefire. he is pushing for aid agencies to get supplies to victims. >> israel's prime minister formed a new government, partnering with four other parties including the far right jewish home group. that party opposes the establishment of a palestinian state and supports settler expansion in the west bank. the chief palestinian negotiator responded this morning with this this new right wing extremist government is not a partner for peace. when the leaders call for the annexation of palestinian land, forcible transfer of the palestinian population and the genocide against our people. >> the former israel minister of justice who served in the kin net set for two decades and now the penalty of the cultancy form for foreign affairs joins us

from tel-aviv. let's start with that that israel's new leaders are said to bury any possibility for a two two-state solution. is that right? >> it he may be wrong he may be right. the government is a weak government, it is a rightist government, it is vulnerable to the world. actually it's a neighborhood rightist government and it will have to do something in order to not be more isolated than before. this is why i can see here not at the time happy that this is the structure for the new government but i do not believe that we have to give up on it. i don't believe that my friends

to immediately say no chance, no way. the same policies was a member of the former government and it was stronger then. you don't have lieberman as the foreign minister, which is also some good news -- whether there is a world out there. >> yeah. bennett's jewish home party is -- >> exactly -- >> bennett wants to annex some occupied territory around build nor settlements. what did prime minister benjamin netanyahu have to give up to get benefit's support and with issues will he have on the palestinian issue sir? >> i think that he will not have a yearous impact, although everybody in this new government will be somehow influential because if it is 61 and the president is 120 each of them may threaten and leave but

otherwise, he does not fulfill any important role in the new government, and this is why i think that it is not up to bennett. it was not up to him in the past. the question is whether there might be an outside suggestion to both sides a serious one like council resolution which speaks about the horizon for the solution of the palestinian problem, and then to suggest to the side at least to begin serious negotiations on the second phase of the roadmap in order to enter palestinian state in provisional borders to work a government solution in the coming years. i think that this should be an international initiative and i hope that it will happen, because it will not be easy for netanyahu to say no to it up front. he doesn't have the former president, who in a way gave him

an umbrella or an umbrella of a more moderate party. he is now without an umbrella. >> what does this mean for u.s.-israeli relations? >> the relations is very, very bad, not necessarily the israel and the u.s. but the president and leader of the free world and leader of israel. it has an impact on the relations between the two parties, since they are both there, they will have to somehow find way to say talk to each other, because of course, beyond states is much more important for israel than the other way around but israel is also important for the united states and i believe that the embattlement of the relationship can be done in a context of a

new american initiative or at least a french or european initiative, which is supported by the united states. >> the former israeli minister of justice joining us from tel-aviv this morning, sir thank you so much for your time. >> afghanistan supplies the world with 90% of its her win and according to the u.n., the country is set to reach another record level of heroin production this year. the government said it is making gains against the traffickers but as it is reported, that is not obvious in the poppy fields. >> in a secret facility in kabul, four men accused of smuggling millions of dollars worth of heroin are about to answer to justice. afghanistan's special drug court is run as a clandestine operation to try to prevent judges and prosecutors from being targeted or bought off but faced with growing criticism it is not doing enough, the

afghan government has allowed al jazeera's 101 program in. a prosecutor here. >> we never take bribes. we know afghanistan is under severe threat from drugs. >> officials argue the court is convincing many to give up illegal trade. last year, afghan farmers harvest add record 224,000 hectares of opium poppy. this year looks like another bumper harvest. this is the only photo of a kingpin sentenced to 20 years in jail for drug trafficking. still, he managed to escape. >> an internal investigation discovered after his conviction in court people working for the kingpin campaigned officials in the justice system to the tune of $14 million to $16 million.

that money secured his release and to this day he has been nowhere to be found. >> you're talking about clean judges, clean courts, but then there are cases like this. what happened there? >> all those who were involved in exploiting the processes are under investigation. >> afghanistan's acting minister of counter narcotics says john is an isolated case. >> can assure the international community that the mistake that has been made will not be repeated. >> the drug court has put thousands behind bars. that may be so, but out in the fields, few seem intimidated by the threat of jail time.

>> they say they pay local officials off. al jazeera southern afghanistan. >> joining me now ed fallos, the assistant regional director in afghanistan of the drug agency previously joining us from st. louis this morning. thank you for your time. before the u.s. invaded afghanistan, there were only about 8,000 hectares of job yum. y field now more than 240,000. what went wrong why was there this failure in u.s. policy when it came to opium? >> it's quite the con none drum. afghanistan has had quite the history throughout many years of harvesting and exporting opium and heroin throughout central asia and europe. with al-qaeda taking up camp and

training, and invasion as you referenced and the coalition of those who were to combat al-qaeda worldwide terrorism emanating from afghanistan and specifically the drug insurgency that we know is the taliban we stepped in after 9/11 and attempted to bring it on par with the rest of the world. there may be only 8,000 hectares, but conclusively, there were many, many warehouses full of prodigious amounts of opium. >> i see. >> prior to the invasion and that was indeed to be targeted and it was quickly realized after a presence was noted after 9/11 that the insurgency, the taliban was principlely fueled by opium dollars. you asked why indeed, it's increased -- >> $8 billion spent in counter markics, what are you guys doing

there? >> well principally the drug enforcement administration did extraordinarily well with advancing enforcement. teaching counterparts to develop drug courts and enforcement of their drug laws. the eradication piece was a different program and it's one of those unforeseen consequences. as security over the last two to three years has been drawing down for many of the afghan eradication forces and with those unforeseen consequences of teaching the afghans how to raise alternate crops provide hem with fertilizer and technical know how -- >> these are poor farmers just trying to make a livelihood. from my reading of this, the taliban is so involved in the trade of opium that they are providing the seeds for farmers the fertilizers everything they need and they don't have any choice. is that how you saw it on the ground when you were last in

afghanistan? >> yep and it is almost no choice. they've become a country of indentured servants, and taliban has advanced a strong agenda. accept our generosity and provide the opium and assist in the global trade or face other consequences meaning good economic consequences or face the terror they impose upon the people. it's exactly that. they have them in a head lock and unforeseen consequences, we taught them how to raise alternate crops and that was par laid toward developing a more robust opium and heroin trade. >> unintended consequences if i've ever seen the definition of that. >> protests in baltimore have put a spotlight on part poverty and lack of opportunity in

america's inner cities. johns hopkins university has been following the fate of baltimore school children for nearly a quarter century. researchers found if you're born into poverty escaping it is nearly impossible. america's tonight adam may has more. >> professor carl alexander and a team from johns hopkins university tracked almost 800 baltimore children, surveying them through their school years and following them into adulthood until age 28. more than half were considered urban disadvantaged living at or near the poverty line. >> what did you say your goals and aspirations were? >> when i was younger law enforcement. >> despite goals faced by the children the research concluded that only 4% of urban disadvantaged student went to college and completed a four year degree. the vast majority of students returned to their poverty stricken neighborhoods after school. >> kids who grew up i have not

distressed neighborhoods on average had lower levels of completed schooling lower status jobs and lower earnings as young adults. >> another stunning discovery there is a big difference between races. >> it sounds like what you're describing is white privilege. >> we wall it white privilege in fact, good for you. that's the theme and it's descriptive. it is what we see. >> among working class mails 45% of whites found trade jobs like plumbing or construction compared to just 15% of blacks. the white males made sways at much money. >> there are network advantages to favor white men in accessing this kind of employment. >> this little league football coach never finished college and

never got that police officer job. even though he has a clean record, you might say he ended up in jail. >> i do corrections now. i've been in corrections for 15 years. >> how are you doing? >> good. >> his salary is well below the state average. he and his wife live here in a baltimore inner city row house that shares a wall with a vacant boarded up home. his children walk to the park in a low income dangerous neighborhood. >> ed ended up on a completely different path in life. he and his wife are raising four children in the suburbs. they have four wheelers, an r.v. and season tickets to the new york jets. >> we have already got it, baby. >> ed says he made it big even though he never went to college and he served time in prison for drug dealing. the kleins run a computer shop

in a trendy neighborhood. they have worked hard for their success, but even ed is surprised as how well he's doing. >> i shouldn't be here. i mean, i've been in so many situations growing up, i mean, i've been standing on the corner and people have walked up and blown the guy next to me's brains out so every day is lucky for me. >> in the research group ed klein is a rare exception. only one intern children raised in poverty see this kind of financial success. >> prospects for moving up in the united states in relationship to where you started in life in terms of your family circumstances is much more limited here in the united states than most of the other drillized countries throughout the world. >> al jazeera. >> in today's environmental impact report, global levels of carbon dioxide have hit a milestone. co2 levels is 100 times faster

than the past. the increase has been pushed by the burn of coal, oil and gas. >> in a follow up to a story we've watched closely east porterville, california will keep the water running for now. it's without it's own water source. it will continue getting water from a neighboring community until it can build a well. the construction is expected to take about nine months. >> teams of sharpshooters are headed to the coast of oregon, hired to kill more than 10,000 birds at the mouth of the columbia river. it's supposed to help the fishing industry, but the move is making animal activists angry. we have this report. >> we're about 50 yards offshore from east sand island, right at the mouth of the columbia river. we're not allowed to go onshore and shoot video. this land is owned by the army corps of engineers. they've told us we are not allowed to go onshore. they are about to begin a

consulting program here at this huge colony of double crested comoran. culling means killing shooting from boats and blinds on the land during the day and nighttime hours using night scopes. they'll be trying to kill some of the birds here who eat 11 million salmon and steel head every year. it's about protecting the baby fish. >> i think it's wrong. we're trying to control mother nature. that's like trying to cap a volcano. >> it's not ok. they're living creatures. >> 11,000 birds that's something we've got to do. >> that's a drop in the hat yes. >> we could kill more? >> yeah. >> the auto ban have filed a lawsuit, asking a federal judge to stop the killing.

people who love wildlife in a tremendous setting like this basin. the army corps of engineer have been told to bring the number of birds down to a very specific level and say they have no option. we have details on why they've been told that and how they plan to go about it later on tonight. al jazeera oregon. >> you can see alan's full report tonight at 8:00 eastern. >> from church choir to chart topper. ♪ >> or conversation with music legend deon war wick talking about her faith and battling racism. >> the pope is getting the title globe trotter for a much different reason.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. it is 8:49 eastern, taking a look at today's stop stories. syria denies that hezbollah fighters have taken key areas on the lebanon-syria border. hezbollah linked media says the syrian army killed dozens of its fighters and commander. there are fears the fighting could spill into neighboring lebanon. >> american and italian males broke up a major cocaine

trafficking ring between the u.s. europe and central america. italian police caught 13 suspects believed to have links to the mafia. officers seized more than 120 pounds of cocaine en route to philadelphia. >> new york's newest skyscrapers are skinny and built for the ultra wealthy. we look at the new technology that allows these buildings in a city where space is at an absolutely premium. >> there's a new kind of skyscraper going up in new york city enter tall, knife like towers for the extremely rich. the tallest among them boasts views of central park, manhattan. it feet like you could see china from here. this apartment costs $95 million, but we managed to get inside while i was still under correction. >> beautiful view. we are very proud.

>> marcus is the builder. >> we are looking at your fort foal i don't. >> yes. >> for him the height isn't the challenge. the challenge is that in manhattan, you have to make it very thin. >> the slenderness of the building the width of the building multiplied by 15 is equal to the height of the building. >> think of a child's ruler, one unit wide to 12 unit's tall. in terms of buildings that is very skinny. the north tower of the world trade center, one of the world's tallest believe had a ratio of one to seven but 4032 park avenue has a one to 15 ratio while looking down on the original trade center and top floor of the new one. that creates its own set of problems. robert good win is designing another tower for a turkish developer. >> for most people, they

understand structure and a building as being something that holds it up, that there's a weight and you have to keep it up but the nature of tall buildings, even ones with far less slender than this is much more about the way that the wind interacting with a tall building because the tower's always going to move in the wind but if it moves slowly, you don't feel it. >> is it moving? >> absolutely, but you don't feel it. we are able to engineer the building in such a way that the people will not see the movement. >> a pair of 650-ton pendulums on the roof counter the building's movement and at five pounds along the length of the tower there are no windows to let the wind through. despite that, it's still unnerving to be up here. >> my hands are sweaty, they're shaking, but people are going to live here. the experts say this is the

future of high end residential living. >> the united states invented skyscrapers in 1985 and 1930's in the morning built the empire state and vice leer building thanks to elevators and steel crime construction. carrol willis said it is a new evolutionary step and that money is what makes it possible. >> there are now more than 10 of those buildings that are just beginning to emerge on the skyline. i'm sure there will be more in the next coming years. it seems there's a no one announced every day. there's no greater punch of power than the wow factor of just stepping into a space in the sky that is entirely your domain. >> in the end these buildings are about power. >> we didn't just say that they're's a gym in the basement for pool somewhere where. you can have a chef table where you can have a whole dinner party for a lot of people, because you might have a smaller

amount, but might want to have a party for 50 people. >> these towers are the future of new york and a select few wealthy residents will see that from on high. for everyone else in the city. this new form of engineering only serves to elevate the rich even farther above the rest. >> jacob ward reporting. >> fans around the world mourn the lead singer of the band hot chocolate. ♪ >> "you sexy thing" was one of the songs. he performed at the wedding of prince charles and princess diana. he died of liver cancer. >> a conversation with the legend, it is safe to say that dionne warwick is one of a kind, her songs timeless. she is an icon.

she talked about what her life is like today. >> i'm happy still working so running around this world putting the butts in the seats singing the songs that they love, which i'm thrilled and grateful for. >> did you ever expect to have the success that you have had? >> i don't think any of us did. you know, known as the try triangle that worked in the industry, because everything was completely different than anything being done in that part of the 1960's, we kind of carved our own niche out in the music world where nobody was doing like we were doing. ♪ >> i mean, you're someone who broke barriers, did you experience racism in the music

industry? >> yeah, i didn't know what it was, i thought it was funny. i did my first tour in the south. i decided i wanted to get a drink of water so went up to the front where they had the water fountain. that's when it hit me, my goodness, there was a white side and a colored side. there was this white woman who came up to the fountain to drink and i bent down to drink at the same time. we bumped heads. i said oh my goodness and i started laughing. i played the game p.m. i said i know i'm not supposed to say anything to you but i must say don't you think it's kind of strange you have your side and i have my side but the water is coming out of the same pipe. i thought the woman was going to choke. she lamb fainted. that's how stupid that really is, you know. how -- what's the reason for it? >> what do you think it is that kept you going and has continued

to give you the strength be to go on? >> you know, that's exactly the guy in the sky. my faith is very, very strong, very very sincere, and it will be for as long as i'm with you. i truly believe that god is the one that has the plan. i always say we make plans and god laughs. he's got the plan for me and i know that i'm not finished yet. i've got too much else to do. >> we're glad that you're here and still singing and we're proud to have you on the program, it's niles to see you. >> it's my pleasure. thank you for having me. >> looks great, too. >> the harlem globetrotters have an honorary new member, pope francis. he received a framed jersey with his name on it and practiced spinning a basketball on his finger. others honored include henry

kissinger and nelson mandela. more news from doha coming up next.

>> hello from al jazeera's headquarters in doha, this is the news hour. coming up in the next 60 minutes, saudi arabia holds talks with the u.s. about implementing a five day humanitarian ceasefire in yemen but will the houthis agree? >> fighting in syria near the lebanese border. >> b