into the stories that are making our world what it is. >> ray suarez hosts "inside story". only on al jazeera america. >> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris. the boston marathon bomber is sentenced to die. dzhokhar tsarnaev showed no remorse. the amtrak derailed train engineer said that he does not remember the crash. the first of eight victims is laid to rest. making history in cuba the minnesota orchestra is the first to improving relations with havana. and we remember the life of an

all-time great bb king. ♪ >> the verdict is in. cricketed boston marathon bomber dzhokhar tsarnaev has been sentenced to death. we have the latest on this. >> it took the jury 14 hours three days to come to this conclusion and dzhokhar tsarnaev did not show any emotion as he heard the jury give him the death penalty on six counts connected to the boston marathon bombings. all of those counts were related to the second pressure cooker bomb in a backpack that dzhokhar

tsarnaev planted himself. that blast killed two people. that explosion went off seconds after another backpack bomb set by tamerlan tsarnaev set off nearby killed crystal campbell. both those blasts injured 260 more people. nearly all of the majors agreed that tsarnaev's friends and teachers knew him to be thoughtful caring, respectful, hard working but all 12 jurors agree that tsarnaev planned and premeditated an act of terrorism and agree that he showed a lack of remorse. despite the defense's argument to blame the older tsarnaev brother, few jurors agree that he would have committed the crime. some jurors were dabbing their eyes with tissues. federal prosecutors commented their work saying that justice was served today.

>> the defendant was an adult who came to believe in an ideology of hate, and he expressed those believes by killing maiming and mutilating innocent americans. >> prosecutors added this is not a time for celebration and some of the victims and their families who were in the courtroom for the verdict agreed. >> there is nothing happy about having to take somebody's life. i'm satisfied. i'm grateful that they came to that conclusion because for me i think it was the just conclusion. >> i have to watch my two sons put a leg on every day. i don't know closure but i can tell you that a weight has been lifted off my soldiers. >> tsarnaev is in custody with u.s. marshals. now at 21 years old he is officially the youngest person on federal death row. >> thank you.

jamie floyd is here, our al jazeera legal contributor. did this decision surprise you at all? >> no, not as much as some. but at the same time we have now as erda pointed out early yes in the day the youngest person on our federal death row and this is the first first sentence since timothy mcveigh and that goes back to 19 97. he was executed in 2001. that's a long time. >> yes yes, a couple of factors, and i'll ask you the same question again. the father of one of the victims said don't give him the death threat because i don't want an endless appeals process. he was being tried in a politically liberal state that does not allow the death penalty for state cases.

>> yes. >> some jurors believe-- believe--some--under the guidance of the influence of his older brother and still this jury sentenced him to death. >> so you bring a lot of things up. yes, we are in a liberal state but we are in a federal jurisdiction that imposes death penalty in terrorism cases. and they're death qualified meaning that everyone who sits on this jury has the judge who say we can and we're willing to impose the death penalty. that stacks the deck. number two they don't know a thing about whether or not the victims are in favor of the death penalty. there has been a lot of discussion about whether or not if jurors in this case should have known what these victims wanted. they didn't know about victims such as the ones we just heard about in erica's report, who wanted the death penalty, but they didn't know about the richard's family, the little boy, the very first--the second count on which they came back with death the little boy the

young victim specificallying aggravateing circumstance, that family did not and does not want the death penalty because they don't want to live through what will be now ten years of an appeals process. that's what the death penalty is about in this country. and rightfully so, we want to get it right. except this case is not a did he do it or did he not do it kind of a case. this is a case where this is an appeals process that will revolve around the jury incidence instructions and whether the judge got the jury instruction right. >> look, no one feels sorry for tsarnaev. let's be clear about that. >> no, there was a fair amount of dysfunction in his childhood. there is a terrific book called "the brothers" by a russian-american journalist. there were good mitigating circumstances, but this is not the most sympathetic-- >> why didn't he testify in the penalty case? >> he needed to testify.

>> why do you think he didn't? >> well -- >> he has attorneys, and they're offering guidance. >> in the end it's the defendant's decision whether to testify or not to testify. you can't keep him from testifying. it's his right. but you can't compel him to testify. if he doesn't want to, right? maybe he's sitting there and he doesn't want to testify. maybe he is radicalized. maybe he is that kid who stuck up his middle finger, or maybe he's damaged in some way. maybe there is something in his background you don't want to come out. or maybe as is the case of most people we represent maybe he's not going to be any good on the witness stand. maybe he'll do more to hurt his case than help him. but in this case, tony, you really needed a person who could testify. >> did holding the trial in boston-- >> hmm. >> did that stack the deck against him--,we don't want to

feel sorry for him. because as we're hearing from erica, this was an attack not just on individuals but an attack on an institution. >> on patriots day. >> oh this community. >> right. >> so to try that, to try this case in that community should there have been a change of venue here? >> well, i'm among the first in almost every case to argue for change of venue but i don't know that it would have mattered in this case. you can't the state of massachusetts. you're not going to--you can't come to new york. and look, even if you come to new york, what difference is that going to make in this case? this was a nationally recognized attack on america. >> this act--i'm in doha. when this happens, this is internationally reported. >> and you need to have it tried in the united states. even if you go to california, it would not have mattered. sure, the closer you are to the site of that bombing the harder

it is to find jurors who are not deeply effected by it, but i don't know that a change of venue would have made a difference. >> thank you. federal investigators say they have interviewed the engineer and the two other crew members of the amtrak train that derails in philadelphia on tuesday. they also say that the fbi has been called in to be a part of the investigation. john terrett joins us live from philadelphia. john, what did the crew tell investigators? >> good evening tony, well the national transportation safety board wrapping up a news conference here within the last couple of hours that was absolutely packed with new information, they have interview interviewed the driver of tuesday's train and floated the idea of what might have gone wrong on tuesday. it's a new clue. cracks in the wind shield of the amtrak locomotive, and the ntsb has called in the fbi.

the national transportation safety board has been front and center every day since tuesday's crash. friday was their final public event before retreating behind the scenes to analyze the data from train 188. the headline the interview this afternoon with the train engineer. >> he found him to be extremely cooperative. >> the board spokesman is robert sumwalt. >> he recalls ringing the train bell as he went through the north philadelphia station. that's not a normal station stop, but he has no recollection of anything past that. >> someone also said that the fbi has been called in to investigate the mysterious cracking on the amtrak train windshield, something may have been thrown at the locotive. in new york, where the train was headed, the first funeral of the crash took place. a man killed in the derailment. a midshipman, he was in his soft

mothersophomore year. if all goes well, full service will resume tuesday. in philadelphia city center a key rail hub for years the mayor thanked those who were first on the scene on tuesday night. >> there is no doubt the philadelphia fire department, the philadelphia police department, and all of our first responders saveed a lot of lives the other night putting themselves in a significant amount of danger in the dark not knowing whether or not there was potential for explosives or again some other highly dangerous situation. >> amtraks committee to introducing positive train control, the fail safe mechanism only then can this stretch of track go back to what it's usually known for.

not a disaster, but a key section of the country's busiest rail commuter route. >> yes, and tony, more on that new clue that is required the fbi being called in by the ntsb. they say that the assistant conductor on the local train service tuesday night things she heard her own engineer report that a projectile had been thrown at the train and the amtrak service said yes something has been thrown at mine too. it's backed up by another assistant conductor in the seventh car of the amtrak. he's reported to have told the ntsb he remembers two major impacts. it doesn't explain however why the train was doing 106 in a 50 mph zone. >> exactly. john terrett for us in philadelphia. thank you. make sure that you tune in for our special report, derailed, how safe are america's trains. that's tonight at 5:30 eastern time around 5:30 pacific time.

wreckage of the helicopter in nepal was found. >> they went to that remote land to help people who offered devastating losses in the terrible earthquake. they represented truth that guides our work around the world world. >> searchers spotted the wreckage but they have not been able to get to it. it went down tuesday eight miles north at an altitude of more than 11,000 feet. >> in ramadi after a full and brutal assault isil has taken over the main government compound there. still the entire city has not yet fall on it isil, but that could be next. [ gunfire ] >> the symbol of government

authority in ramadi is now under the control of the islamic state in iraq and the levant. ramadi has long been a city that's been fought over. it was also the iraqi government's main stronghold in anbar province, but isil fighters averaged an all-out assault early friday taking over the ramadi compound, which houses most of the city's government buildings. they managed to pen freight using suicide-bombers. government forces and their local sunni allies were not able to stop isil's advance. many of them were killed. it is a strategic blow to the authorities who have been losing ground in other areas of the province. >> the assault on ramadi was part of a large scale attack on government forces on multiple fronts in the province. late thursday isil used 22 suicide-bombers 20 target the barracks of security forces. it is clear that isil considers anbar strategic. after all it borders territory it controls in neighboring

syria. it's controlled most of anbar province before this latest assault, now isil controls most of the capital of the sunni heartland. >> people of ramadi were caught in the fighting and the fear is isil will punish those who cooperated with the authorities. council officials in anbar are blaming the central government in baghdad for isil's huge gains. sunni tribes allied with the government have been warning that isil would make gains if military reinforcements and enforcements were sent to the ramadi. but they will not give the sunny tribesmen weapons because they're suspicious of their loyalty, after suffering military set backs in other provinces isil can now claim a vicinity just weeks after the government declared a military campaign to capture anbar. >> it was a life sentence today for an one-time aid to osama bin laden.

convicted for his role in the 1998 bombings at the u.s. embassyies. it led to the death of 224 people. found guilty of four counts of conspiracy and was bin laden's spokesman and media adviser. secretary of state john kerry steps into another international crisis tomorrow. he arrives in beijing amid rising tensions in china locked in the dispute of territorial rights of the south china sea. jamie what does secretary kerry hope to accomplish on this strip? >> the secretary already meeting with senior chinese leaders to go over the proverbial wide range of issues. but one source of tension as you mentioned, is the series of manmade islands that china has been building essentially on submerged reefs in the area of the desperately sprattly islands

right in the middle of major shipping lanes. here is a satellite photograph of the fiery cross reef taken back in august of last year. and if you compare that to another photograph taken in march of this year, you can see how much china has built up in reef and added a runway and landing strip. it looks like they're working on another one. it's a source of tension for the united states because the u.s. is concerned that china has embarked on this ambitious building spree of manmade islands. just this week a defense department official told congress this was china in a provocative flexing of its military muscles. >> china's land reclamation could potentially have a range of military implications if china chooses to pursue them, including developing long-range radars, berthing deeper draft

ships and developing diverse airfield for carrier-based aircraft. >> but the pentagon, tony, is denying published reports suggesting that secretary of defense ash carter has ordered a series of options of u.s. ships and planes close to those manmade islands as a show of support for navigational rights. it says that it has full authority to send in chips and planes because these manmade islands are in international waters and are not sovereign territory. >> so jamie look, the question has to be asked here, how are china's actions effecting the relationship between the united states and beijing? >> well, it's a source of tension, but really in the overall big scheme of relations it's not having that much of an affect. president obama said recently he believes it's in the u.s.

interest to deal with a china that is rising and successful and engaged in the world as opposed to a weak collapsing china. and china also seems to be sort of issuing the kind of statements that you would say--that it values an even-keel relationship with the usa. here's how a spokesman put it this week. >> the military of china and the united states actually has maintained normal communication and cooperation on every level i think everyone would believe that maintaining the normal relationship between china and usa is establishing relationship between great powers and protecting world peace. >> just to be clear tony, the u.s. believes that it's not taking a position on the territorial disputes in that area but it is calling on all the parties including the philippines, vietnam and other countries that have claims on islands in that area to settle its dispute diplomatically without military provocation.

>> jamie mcintyre for us. thank you. in yemen there are reports of fighting despite the humanitarian truce called by saudi arabia. there were clashes in aden and taiz meanwhile planes filled with humanitarian aid arrived in the capital of snaa. more aid is expected to arrive. the president of burundi is back in power after a coup attempt failed. as malcolm webb reports from the capital, the situation in the country remains volatile. >> this soldier came to hospital injured. he had been fighting for the leaders' attempted coup. >> it was here. after that, you see a group of

policemen arrive here, and they began to shoot. everywhere, and they began to look for. >> out on the streets protesters tried to block the roads after hearing about the coup's failure. but they were quickly dispersed with gunfire. on wednesday the military takeover was initially popular among the demonstrators but since it failed many now think it's made things worse for them. >> this whole coup d'etat is something that they came up with by themselves. we don't agree because he came from the same party. they fought together and did a lot of things together. and then he came here and tried to talk to people about the demonstrations, things we didn't want to hear about. >> but most of the streets in the capital were quiet with loyalists, police and soldiers in control. after the coup attempt fighters political to the president

attacked and burned radio and tv centers, now the only radio and tv on hair is controlled by the government. when the president returns to the capital his supporters welcomed him. but the activists who had been organizing the protest against his bid for a third presidential term are now fear crackdown the government says those involved in the attempted coup will go on trial. activists are still calling for more protests on monday against the third term. burundi's political crisis is far from over. >> thousands of migrants desperate to reach the shore in indonesia and thailand, why so many of them are being turned away. plus? ♪ >> remembering the king of the blues. bb king.

up. >> blue bell creameries is laying off a third of its employees after a listeria outbreak. three people died and several more ended up sick from listeria. production plants have been closed ever since. and the remaining workers are busy cleaning the plants so they can eventually reopen. and apparent bow bogus take over bid over the company avon. >> this is not a story that is bizarre and somewhat troubling for what it says about how quickly investors react to questionable and unconfirmed information. it boils down to what is almost certainly a fake bid for avon by something calling itself pgt capital partners. that's supposedly a private

equity firm. it made a filing on the securities and exchange system called edgar. shares of avon jumped 20% yesterday to $8 a share. after news wires reported the bid, but they did not stay high for long falling back to earth saying avon had not received any offer or confirm that ptg even exists. avon's shares up 6%. and then fell 6% today. >> what are we supposed to think about this? >> one, someone was trying to make money selling avon stock by committing fraud. and investigators are eagle for see avon taken over. it's in rough shape. sales have fallen for the past

three years. it has lost money the last three years. stocks down 50%, and investors are looking for this. more importantly it shows how easy it is to manipulate the sec filing system. so a spokesperson told the wall wall street journal filers are responsible for the truthfulness of their filings. they're subject to enforcement actions, they're reviewing it and seeing what they can do. >> what else is coming up on the big program tonight? >> we're looking at the issue of workplace bullying, we'll tell you what it is and why there is no real legal remedy for it, but some people are trying to change that. >> have a great weekend. >> thank you. >> you can watch ali velshi right here on al jazeera. and coming up next, it's been a year since we've seen that influx of child migrants here in the united states. how things have changed since then. plus hacked, penn state is the victim of a cyberattack.

why colleges are the target.

[ sirens [ sirens ] >> turned away by the navy. these migrants accuse the navy of sending them away. many were in the water for hours. they got into trouble after fighting broke out on board between rohingya asylum seekers and migrants from bangladesh. they attacked each other with knives and hammers over food and water. this boy said that 12 of his

relatives have been killed. >> they said you're rohingya, we're going to kill you. >> the indonesian navy towed their boats and sent them to malaysia. there they received the same treatment from malaysian authorities. after that, fishermen from indonesia found the boat in distress and mobbled as many vessels as it could find to rescue them having deified navy policy the fishermen were questioned by police. >> they side of a horrific boat journey but then started killing each other. this all happened after indonesia and malaysia refused to accept them. if the international community does not act soon, more tragedies at sea are bound to happen. >> after fishermen brought them ashore, they were given no choice but to be given medical aid. after three months at sea they were very weak and some had serious injuries.

>> we have no money. we're poor. we need food. we are all muslim. we have no money. they kill us. they kill us. please save us. >> it was great relief when some of them managed to call their families. >> this is the second boat but there are estimates that thousands of more people are stranded at sea. they say the migrants are in the middle of a game of ping-pong between malaysia, thailand and

indonesia. a game that is costing many their lives. >> a measure that would offer a back-door amnesty for people who are not in the country legally. a year ago a surge of young migrants from central america more than 67,000 arrived in the united states. so far this year the number of unaccompanied children trying to cross the border is far lower. officials say that is due to increased enforcement by the united states, mexico, and central american governments. striking farm workers let's bring in leslie, the senior protection officer for the united nations refugee agency. the unhcr. showdowns me now from washington, d.c. i didn't think we were going to get you for a second. we're happy to have you on the program. particularly on a friday, a gait away day. do you expect the same kind of crisis to unfold again this year or were there a particular

set of circumstances in place last year that just aren't present so far this year? >> well thanks for having us on your program. when we look at last year, we have to remember that was the culmination of a flow that started three years prior. the numbers really set up to an unprecedented and historical peak last summer. but again this summer it's the same conditions. the countries' conditions have not changed. it's still pushing whether it's conditions of extreme poverty coupled with a lack of rule of law. there are still victims of violence. we only have to follow media to follow stories of mass grave because of violence. >> you said the problems of last year date back and were building three years prior. how so?

walk me through that? >> well, starting back in 2010 we watched as the numbers of arrivals of uncompanied children in particular had doubled every year since 2010. our own data showed that between 2008 and 2013 by the end of that year there was 712% increase, and the number of asylum applications from those places other than the united states. combined these numbers were cause for concern for the u.n. refugee agency. we went in. we interviewed over 400 children to better understand what is it that they're leaving and within those reasons are there any international protection concerns? a year ago we rang the bell. >> yes, you sure did. what have you come to understand about this issue? why are so many young people

leaving their home countries. we understand why they're coming here to america but why are they leaving their children. >> they're under direct threat as children. this is not just about children or uncompanied children. 70,000 unaccompanied children arrived to the u.s. but another 70,000 arrived with their parents, with their mothers. those children tended to be younger, and what's pushing them, i mean, the conditions, they haven't changed. mothers are still afraid to allow their young girls to go to school. to leave the house. so as much as this is a story and narrative about forced displacement, there is also this important dynamic of displacement within the country where neighborhoods have been completely abandoned or even stuck within a house where they can't leave to go to school, go out for dinner, take a taxi

after 9:00 p.m. these are challenging times. >> there is a pew report that mexico at the behest of united states is deporting more migrants. this accounts to a nationwide manhunt. we get that law enforcement is one thing and law enforcement is necessary but doesn't there need to be a greater emphasis by these nations on the root problems on these countries? i know i'm teeing you up on the real softball on this, but we need to hear you on this. >> look, the structural challenges within these countries that don't have the capacity to protect their own citizens. as soon as that is addressed and the corruption levels and the violence, then there would be less displacement. but in the meantime, it's not

just about addressing the root causes, no doubt that will be a long-term effort but there is immediate humanitarian need of families who have been displaced who have been crossing-- >> you're saying stay within this moment now. >> not only stay in the united states. the united states is still on track to receive the second largest influx in decades this year. it's not just about children. it's about women and children. there are single women who don't have children. there are single men--i mean, the profiles go beyond children. we're talking about journalists lgbti individuals women who are victims of sexual silence and it does not end. to apprehend and stem the flow, as is the u.s. narrative, it's

unabated. people are still fleeing what is their house is on fire and they're trying to leave to save their lives. >> you have a strong and passionate voice on this. we can hear it and we can see it. leslie have a valez. >> thank you very much. >> yes striking farm workers thousands of farm workers in baja california, have been on strike since late march. they were demanding a wage increase from $8 to $13 a day. now today mexico's federal government said it has agreed to pay part that have increase. now according to mexico's interior ministry, in addition to the wage, baja workers will be available for healthcare through mexico's social security program. penn state said that it's engineering school has been the victim of pro cyberattacks. the hackers did not steal

critical personal data like social security numbers but user names and pass wards of 18,000 people may have been taken. penn state said that at least one of the attacks originated in china. universities may be even bigger targets for cyber thieves than most businesses. the nation's top schools say that hackers attempt to steal student information several times a day. we go to the university of wisconsin where one hacking attempt was foiled. >> behind this locked door at the university of wisconsin a battle is underway against unknown enemies. >> so what is this that we're entering now? >> this is the network operations center. >> this is where robert turner, the school's top cyber cop and a team of virtual detectives constantly scan internet traffic for hackers. >> every day someone is trying to pound in our far wall and see if they can get through. >> the latest threat in the last 36 hours a fishing scam director

students and faculty to a fake log-in page to get confidential information. the home pages look identical. the only difference is the url. turner calls these hackers creative and elusive. >> they can do all kinds of fun stuff with the internet and mask themselves or change the ip of where they're headed from. >> in the past decades schools have been a primary target of cyber thieves. there have been more than 700 documented breach he is second only to the healthcare industry. hackers often aim for research. doctor william murphy and a group of stem cell researchers are developing a device to reproduce human bones that could be worth millions of dollars to the university if licensed. murphy says he has logged hundreds of hours of work online. cyber theft is always in the back of his mind. >> if we lose data that's a

whole lot of time, effort, and ultimately money oftentimes taxpayer money that has gone into funding this research. >> this is a real balancing act. on one hand they want students and faculty to have the freedom to chair share information over the internet, but they have to make sure that it does not fall into the wrong hands. >> they constantly keep universities and faculty up to speed on how to spot attacks. spending about $3 million last year. still, turner worries constantly. >> this keep you up at night? >> yes. you know, the thing that keeps me up at night do i have the adequate defenses in place? do i have the team trained well enough to understand where the threats are and where they'll try to get next. >> turner said that planning and vigilance are about the only ways to stay one step ahead of an enemy that can attack any time from anywhere.

>> diane estherbrook reporting there. in 2016 campaign politics there is republican outrage over the revelation that a prominent network television anchor made large donations to the clinton foundation. david shuster reports. >> from "abc news" live in town square. >> the news from abc's george stephanopoulos amounts to donations. >> i've many dozens of donations. they were a matter of public record but i should have made additional disclosures on air. >> stephanopoulos who once served as bill clinton's communications director and now hosts abc this week and good morning america said in hindsight donations totaling $75,000 were a mistake. >> i should have gone the extra mile to avoid even the

appearance of a conflict. i apologize to all of you for failing to do that. >> "abc news" said that stephanopoulos violated network news and will not moderate any any 2016 presidential debates. but the chairman of the republican national committee called the punishment disingenuous. >> george stephanopoulos was never going to moderate a republican debate any way. >> they talked about the debate and ban of stephanopoulos months ago. >> how can i as chairman of the national party have the former employee of the clintons running on the other side be the person on the stage deposing our candidate? >> several presidential candidates including senators ted cruz and rand pal paul are condemning stephanopoulos and questioning peter schweitzer. >> thank you for joining us. >> in his book "clinton cash," he connects foreign payments to clinton foundation with timely

changes in state department policy under hillary clinton. stephanopoulos was tough. >> do you have any evidence a crime may have been committed? there is no evidence at all that hillary clinton was directly involved in this decision. do you have any evidence that she intervened in this issue? >> on fox news senator rand paul weighed in with this. >> he's out interviewing the guy who is exposing the clinton foundation and then not revealing that he's a donor to the clinton foundation. there is a direct conflict of interest there. >> it's also political low-hanging fruit. fair or not allegations of media bias fire up party activists, republicans and democrats. and party leaders also always try to fan the flames, as republicans are doing now. >> abc apparently thus far isn't all that concerned about making sure that it's reporters are trustworthy, making sure that it's reporters are neutral arbiters of the facts and are

not partisans. >> even the apology from stephanopoulos has become political fodder. some insist that it was half hearted so they're asking for a more solemn admission knowing that a conflict between their demands and abc's refusal could keep the perception of bias going. >> members of the minnesota orchestra are performing as ambassadors tonight. it's the first american musical group to perform in cuba in decades. plus... >> the thrill is gone, and now is bb king, but he'll never be forgotten. been

>> the first american orchestra to former in cuba.

ash har quaraishi with more. >> in havana music is everywhere. >> this weekend music is the universal language that many hope can reunite the hearts and minds from cuba and the u.s. even if for a brief moment. >> i think music is a great and powerful element and it's an element of our life. and when someone is trying to build something new between two countries, what could be better than music? [ orchestra music ] >> it's the first time an orchestra from the states has traveled to the communist island in 50 years. more than 100 american musicians from the minnesota orchestra is performing as part of the

international cuba festival. this is the group's first visit to cuba since 1930. the maestro said that the answer ensemble. >> they are playing during one of the such visits. >> the trip takes on even more meaning since the recent evolution of u.s.-cuba relations relations. while diplomats from both countries do their work, tours like this help to build relationships on a person to person level. >> i want you to come more core

to the sound. >> u.s. musicians like tony ross are coaching and playing with cuban music students. >> they seem to have a huge appetite for our kind of classical music, which is our cause, to bring that back to life. >> we talk about the relationships between nations and countries and in this particular case this is beyond symbolic. it's very important. >> this is incredibly exciting. to be the first major orchestra hopefully in this new era of relations, and to make friends through music is the easiest way. we both love the same things. so let's talk about it.. [ orchestra music ] >> it is interesting to see how music, which is an universal language, can eliminate barriers. it can get you people through music and it's something great.

>> it is this greatness artists hope will help build momentum to bridge the diplomatic divide between cuba and the united states through the sound of music. >> that is good stuff. ash har quaraishi joins us now from havana. look, how difficult was it for the minnesota orchestra to travel to cuba considering the current restrictions? >> well, significant challenge tony, as you can imagine obviously with the financial issues. you can't use credit cards so everything has to be done in cash. but also central to the question how do you transport 165 people over 1 of them musicians from minnesota to havana in the most efficient way possible? they had to get special permission, for example, to travel on a charter flight from minneapolis to havana. the other question is how do you get a plane that big to charter from there to there and they have equipment with them, 65

cases, four tons of material that was coming with them. they also built something, an arch in the background of the concert to deal with some of the echoing that they were going to have to take into consideration here in cuba. the infrastructure is an issue as well. but finding enough rooms in havana not easy as you think. and trying to find rooms for 165 people very challenging. one of the organizers said that this kind of trip would take years to plan. they did it in 100--impressive. >> so where will the orchestra be performing this evening? >> so they're performing at a very historic venue right here in havana. it seats over 2,000 people, and the concert is about to start in just a little bit over a half hour right now. the venue seats about 2,000 as i mentioned. and one thing that organizers wanted was to ensure that anyone

who wanted to enjoy this would be able to, the cost of the ticket less than a dollar. >> love that, ash har quaraishi for us in havana. thank you. for a look at what's coming up at the top of the hour, john seigenthaler is here. >> coming up here at 8:00, the death sentence for the boston bomber. how did the jury make the decision? we'll have reaction from the family members of the victims. plus deadly crashes and crossings from the money to technology, what will it take to reduce the danger on america's railroads. and part four of al jazeera's derailed special how safe are america's trains? also riding with the police. flint, michigan, ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in america, but police are working to reverse that trend. we'll show you how they're doing it. we'll have those stories and more in about six minutes. >> he was known as the king of the blues, bb king died in his home in las vegas. he was an identifial for

generations of musicians and fans. randall pinkston takes a look back at the king's life and legacy. [ guitar music ] >> in a career that spans seven decades, bb king states his claim as the king of blues of all time. he grew up in the delta of a racially segregated mississippi. then one day an uncle gave him a guitar, and a preacher taught him to play. when king was 20 he moved to memphis and found work as a deejay. he would build a following singing and playing guitar. soon he had a record deal, and then he blues boy king became simply bb. >> i want you get my story get my meaning what i'm trying to talk about and being a male

that likes ladies usually my story has to do with something with ladies. >> he's favorite lady ways has famous guitar. >> that's lucille. that's my girl. the only girl that i had that never argued with me. >> king would go on to record over 50 albums while performing more than 200 times a year. a pace he kept up well into his 80s. >> i like to do what i'm doing and i would do it for nothing if someone would pay my bills. but they're paying me for something i like to do any way. >> in between touring king's later years were a whirlwind of accolades for a life well loved the world over. he's a member of both the blues and rock-n-roll hall of fame. he kept company with presidents. >> my neighbor and friends from mississippi, bb king, please come up. [applause] >> and won the presidential medal of freedom. friday morning president obama issued a statement saying that the blues have lost it's king

and america has lost a legend. no one worked harder than bb. no one entired more up and coming artists, no one did more to spread the gospel of the blues. ♪ >> eric clapton, a close friend and collaborator paid tribute to him online. >> i just want to express my sadness and to say thank you to my dear friend bb king. i want to thank him for all his inspiration and encouragement he gave me as a player over the years, and for the friendship that we enjoyed. >> like bb king i was born in the mississippi delta. king never forgot his roots returning to our home state year after year for numerous charitable causes and for blues festivals held in his honor. i last saw him two years ago in jackson at a tribute to civil rights icon medgar w. every

evers. he made all of us proud. he was 89 years old. randall pinkston, al jazeera. ♪

hi everyone this is al jazeera america, i'm john siegenthaler. death, the sentence for the boston marathon bomber. the crash, new questions about the moment just before the train jumped the tracks the engineer talks to investigators. on the offensive, isil makes a strategic gain in iraq and threatens to destroy a world heritage site in syria. ♪ so give me one ♪ >> king of the blues, from mississippi