courage. to erase past fears kimberly virginia. much more news on our website. >> amtrak resumes train service between new york and philadelphia as federal officials push for significant changes to rail safety. >> it is amazing that innocent civilians were not injured here. >> nine dead at a biker gang shootout in texas. what was behind the violence. >> the u.s. led coalition steps up airstrikes trying to regain control of rimadi by shia militia on the ground may be the

real key to retaking the city. >> this is aljazeera america live from new york city, i'm john henry smith. for the first time in a week trains are rolling between new york and philadelphia. amtrak service was resteered a short time ago while investigators try to figure out what led to the derailment that left eight dead. we have more. i understand service is back up earlier than expected. >> that's right john, and crews worked for the last six days to get the site cleaned up and rails put back together. around two hours ago amtrak trains pulled out in philadelphia resuming service following last week's deadly crash. >> only track trains between new york and philadelphia are running this morning following a derailment that left eight people dead and more than 200 injured last tuesday.

ntsb investigators spent days combing the site of texas in philadelphia. it's unclear why the train was traveling at 106 miles per hour as it approached a curve. the engineer onboard told officials he can't remember what happened. federal regulators ordered amtrak to in stall technology that would slow trains on the tracks where texas occurred. ntsb officials are certain the technology would have saved lives. it will be required nationwide by the end of the year. >> we have seen countless accidents that could have been prevented had positive train control been implemented. >> investigators are looking at the shatter mark on the windshield and whether the train was hit by a projectile. >> we heard no communications at all from the amtrak engineer to the dispatch center to say something had struck his train. >> on sunday, a reflection ceremony was held at the site of the crash. philadelphia mayor michael nutter read the names of the eight passengers who died and

spoke about the many more hospitalized. >> let us recognize that we still have many patients in the hospital. we have families who are burying loved ones. today is about respect for all of them. >> almost 20 of the injured are still in the hospital. five are in critical condition but they are all expected to survive. amtrak has been ordered to examine all curves along the northeast corridor to see if more can be done to improve safety. >> there's legislation out there that might elongate the positive train control deadline to 2020. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> there's a beefed up police presence in waco, texas after a fierce gun battle between motorcycle gangs. in the end, nine bikers were killed in waco. more than a dozen were injured

dozen's more arrested. >> i saw bum let holes in cars, windows shattered out of cars, there are police officer's cars that have been hit. it is amazing that innocent civilians were not injured here. >> five rival gangs were gathered to talk about turf and recruitment when the shootout erupted. the police knew about the meeting in advance and had a dozen officers outside the restaurant. police shot bikers, but it is unclear how many were dead by officers. >> marines died in a fiery aircraft crash in hawaii. the osprey was performing maneuvers when it came down. twenty others aboard were hospitalized. it is based at camp pendleton. >> another soldier hurt in a new jersey humvee crash has died.

the 35-year-old was one of four service members in a humvee at the back of a convoy on may one. police say they were hit by a car that was trying to pass them. the collision sent the humvee off the road and into a tree. leak's death comes 10 days after a first lt. died of his injuries. >> the white house will no longer allow local police to buy military style equipment from the government. president obama signed an executive order today arming law enforcement stirred controversy as they battled protestors in ferguson missouri last officer. >> the pentagon is vowing to help iraq recoup at your rimadi. fighters seized control when the iraqi army disobeyed orders to hold its ground. the u.s. led coalition has launched more than a dozen airstrikes against isil forces.

the city lice just west of baghdad. isil controls anbar and several roads leading west and north. the head of the u.s. central command is in baghdad now for meetings with iraq defense minister. >> shia militias will deploy to anbar province today. so far, they have stayed out of anbar for fear of a sectarian backlash. we have more prom baghdad. >> isil is in control of ramadi city after a three day complex and sophisticated assault, they managed to push government forces out of the provincial capitol of anbar. the anbar provincial council asked the help of shia led militias to recapture the city. what we understand is that these militias the different brigades are now preparing gearing up for a counter offensive against isil. this is a very controversial decision and many sunni

influential tribal leaders have been warning against it, saying this will backfire, in flame sectarian tensions and some will consider this an iranian occupation. sunni leaders blame the iraq government for the fall of ramadi, saying they've been issuing warn ins and appealing for weapons. they were requesting weapons to take on this fight by themselves, but the iraqi government has been reluctant to give them weapons because they don't trust them. we heard the u.s. secretary of state john kerry play down the gains in ramadi, saying he's confident iraq will recapture the territory. what will happen next is the question. we have seen isil pushed out by shia led militias, but people have not returned and shia militia's have been accused of human rights abuses. you captain win this militarily. there has to be political reconciliation and they have to reach out to the people of anbar

for this fight to work. >> reporting from baghdad. >> secretary of state john kerry spokespoke about isil. the secretary of state reverse to the group as daish. >> particularly in anbar where you don't yet have the presence of iraqi security forces in the full numbers necessary to take the fight to daish everywhere yet, i underscore yet there are targets of opportunity like a rimadi or somewhere else where daish has the ability to inflict great damage. >> kerry was in south korea mostly to talk about security. >>. >> i think never has the international community been as united as we are now that number

one, north korea death to denuclearize and have not taken steps to move in that direction but grown the threat of their program and have acted with a kind of reckless abandon. >> kerry said pyongyang has been repressing its citizens use of the internet. >> there are new airstrikes in yemen after a five day ceasefire ended. yemen's foreign minister said the saudi-led coalition decided not to renew the truce because the houthis broke the agreement. in riyadh, yemen's political military and tribal leaders are brainstorming a lasting peace plan. exiled president hadi said the houthi rebels are solely responsible for the conflict. >> they shell civilian buildings. they seized oil to use it as a

tool to who you mill 80 our people. history will remember the heroic action of our people. we feel sorry to see our people under the siege of these militias. >> the houthis refused to attended a peace conference saying any agreement in their absence will be irrelevant. >> all in all we need a very serious concerted international effort to deal with yemen and this humanitarian crisis, and of course the political solution is the only solution, and that is why we believe that interyemeni dialogue should take place. >> there was footage which ships going to yemen carrying aid. we report on the latest developments in the war from riyadh. >> the talks are behind closed doors and we are expecting the major yemeni factions to agree

on a roadmap for yemen's future, basically asking the international community for support to ousted houthis including the use of force and they say they recognize the legitimacy of the government of president adou rabbo mansour hadi. they will discuss issues about reforming the political establishment, reforming the army of top new military commanders and giving the movement larger political representation. as far as the houthis are concerned, as far as dealing with the houthis is concerned those attending the meetings here in the saudi arabiaian capitol riyadh say that the houthis have only two options join the political process otherwise they will be sidelined. the united nations we know from our sources that they are talking now to the international community. the u.n. envoy is on his way to new york. they are talking with the saudi-led coalition and with the different yemeni factions to have a ceasefire implemented as

soon as possible. we also do understand that talks in geneva will take place most of the factions said that they are going to attended the meetings and therefore, you have to have some sense of ceasefire implemented that would give the international community some positive message that the yemeni factions are ready to talk in geneva against the backdrop of a truce. otherwise, they are concerned that there might be more violence in the country. >> saudi arabia is in the spotlight for another reason this morning. senior u.s. officials say the kingdom will soon acquire nuclear weapons from pakistan. former c.i.a. officer valerie plaem said she doubts the saudi's really want nuclear arms. >> i wouldn't put a whole lot of stock in the story. it's sourced to one anonymous former defense official.

it just doesn't make sense. it is not in saudi arabia's strategic interest to get a nuclear weapon or in pakistan's interest. pakistan would lose about a billion dollars in u.s. aid each year. it's not uncommon that these rumors circulate and they feel anxious and want to convey their concerns to washington about iran's nuclear ability. >> a deal for iran's nuclear capability is set for the end of next month. >> stopping the violence in one of the nation's most dangerous cities. we ride with police in flint michigan to see how they're building bridges with the community. >> a hack attack in the air. allegations that a cyber security expert tampered with planes in the air.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. it's 7:45 eastern time. taking a look at today's top stories, tensions high in jerusalem today after clashes during jerusalem day. several palestinians were arrested for throwing rocks at police. officers broke up fights between israeli hardliners and

palestinians. today marks 48 years since israel captured the city in a six day war. >> european union leaders are in belgium set to approve a force to fight smugglers. it would include plans to hunt them down and destroy their boats. thousands have died trying to reach europe. >> germany's chancellor trying to reform the w.h.o. angela merkel said changes include creating a new semi autonomous body which will warn the world of future epidemics. >> flint michigan, consistently ranks as one of the most dangerous cities in america. the police there are trying to change that by bringing officers and community together. bisi onile-ere followed one flint officer for a day to see

the challenges police there face. >> as a law enforcement officer yes, i see a lot of the violence, but i also see a lot of the good. >> officer terry lewis has been a member of the flint police force for 17 years. >> how are you today? >> i'm looking for address 2949. >> today he's on the city's south side, patrolling a public housing complex known for shootings and illegal drugs. tight for space i took the back seat while a camera rolled up front. for safety reasons, i was asked to wear a bulletproof vest. >> i've lived in three of the four sections of this city, as i've grown up. i've seen when it was at its peak when it's thriving, and i've seen it at its lowest. >> at that peak, flint was a powerful force in the american auto industry. today, the predominantly black city is plagued by crime high

unemployment and violence. >> have you ever had to use your gun? >> i have. still a little tender subject and it's been nearly nine years. >> at a time when police departments across the country are under scrutiny, flint is considered one of the most dangerous cities in america. >> what was your reaction to seeing the events unfold in ferguson and baltimore? >> personally, it was disheartening. >> has it all impacted on how you respond or act when dealing with people. >> impacting how i respond to people no. i know me. i know my character and my integrity. i know that i'm a representative of something much larger, and brutality doesn't come across my mind. i have these with, these are door knockers. >> like here in many communities

across the country distrust of law enforcement spans generations. >> i've got to give you this. >> budget cuts are partly to blame. a police force of a little over 100 officers has half the manpower that it should. years after the state of michigan took control of flint's finances, the department is now in a position to hire, and invest time in the community. officer lewis is trying to bridge the gap by reaching out. >> where do we think that the majority of these shots are being fired? >> back there. >> ok. >> in the city's south end. officer lewis have become a familiar face. some avoid him others welcome him. the police department is stepping up community policing efforts with the help of state and federal grants. >> i have a felony, and my felony is like nine years old and i'm trying to get that expunged. >> do you feel like you made an impact today?

>> absolutely. making connections with folks out here that are curious. >> for officer lewis this is more than just a job. >> you can't be here for a paycheck. you've got to have a heart for people and have a heart for a community, and want to see change, and be motivated to help that change. >> this is part of the choice neighborhood's area. >> in flint the road ahead is uncertain, but with a focus on building a stronger relationship with the community. officer lewis believes the city is on the right path. bisi onile-ere. al jazeera flint, michigan. >> well, there's a flash flood watch in effect in northeast texas this morning after heavy rain inundated the area. a dozen homes were evacuated. emergency crews used a drone to drop a rescue line to one family whose house was surrounded by water. officials performed a dozen rescues. >> people are also cleaning up

this morning in missouri after severe weather slammed that state. five tornadoes swept through missouri over the weekend. the storm destroyed houses and cars and uprooted trees. there were no reports of injuries. the images, these are from a town that had still been recovering from a devastating tornado that tore through there exactly one year ago. >> in the west, the issue continues to be drought and scientists predict the worst is yet to come partly due to global warming. >> normally these peaks in washington are covered in snow, but this year are barely dusted with white only 16% of normal. streams flowing from the mountains are low. that's bad news for farmers and produce vendors at this fruit and vegetable market, where mike sells his wares. >> the washington governor declared a state of emergency.

>> we're seeing things happen at this time of year that we just have never seen before. >> the drought is expected to cost washington farmers a billion dollars in cross loss this is year. the state is offering incentives to farmers willing to sacrifice crops to save water. >> the drought is into its fourth year, but that may be the beginning. a new study predicts parts of u.s. may suffer from dry spells that last for decades. >> using tree rings to compare past rainfall levels and powerful computer modeling, scientists at nasa and colombia university forecast droughts far worse than those of the past millennium partly due to global warming. >> these droughts represent events in the united states that nobody has had to deal with. >> in the past, droughts in the same area destroyed whole civilizations. an extended dry spell ended a flourishing civilization of

people. their fate is a warning from the past for the society of today. rob reynolds, al jazeera, los angeles. >> first kayaks, now the courts. why some activists are turning to the legal system to stop oil drilling in the arctic ocean.

>> another step in the effort to stop a shell oil rig from leaving seattle for the arctic ocean, activists in kayaks already have lengthed to physically block the rig from elliot bay. now they're filing a lawsuit to stop the rig in court. alan has more. >> this is the seattle waterfront. this is the port of seattle property. there it is, the polar pioneer royal dutch shell's drilling rig is now tied up at the dock here. there's a 100-yard exclusion zone that's been put in place. no other vessels are supposed to

go within 100 yards. walk with me and we'll show you how close we are to the other side of this water way. we're very close here. that limiting public access to public waters is part of what's president base of some legal action being taken against the port of seattle. another big part that have legal action is whether the port went through proper environmental review before approving the contract allowing a local marine services company to do a lot of work on the polar pioneer before it heads north later this summer. >> they have to conduct an environmental review any time they change the use of a shoreline and they skipped that process and just went ahead and negotiated the he's essentially in secret. >> the next step in these legal proceedings should take place in late july when a hearing is scheduled in superior court in king county here in seattle. by that time, shell is expecting to be in alaska waters beginning

their exploratory drilling. what this lawsuit is asking is that the contract which allows shell to be doing work here is invalidated. al jazeera, seattle. >> some hope in california that changes in the pacific ocean could help end the devastating drought. federal weather forecasters are out with an el niño advisory and it could impact climate around the world. we turn to nicole mitchell for today's environmental impact. we hear the term el niño a lot. what is it? >> el niño and la nina are weather changes that occur around the equator on the warming or cooling there of. el niño is the warming. this is the pattern. the first couple frames of this, that warm water in the eastern side is el niño event. winter is when we see the impact. those are the biggest impacts and here's a few of them.

it can be cooler and welter in the southern u.s., warmer in southern canada and alaska, drier in the pacific northwest and it can -- looks like we started with the summer list. diminished hurricane season and more severe weather so that's a good side and a bad side to this where you can see some of those impacts especially with the diminished hurricane season. that's due to some of the action boosting in the pacific ocean but being the opposite in the atlantic. so taking a look at where some of has that happens this is the winter side, some of those things that i already started to talk about. this last winter, el niño was looking like it was starting. we had a couple good systems in the west coast in california that kind of died off. 90% chance el niño sticks with us through the summer, 80% chance into next winter. california's already starting to look at this. there's some of those summer

impacts, which could include the northern rookies seen a bit more. things like the hurricane season, that would be the next thing coming up, possibly fewer storms, but you still have to watch. >> el niño, not a bad thing. thanks for joining us, i'm john henry smith. >> it's not looking pretty. i gotta pay my bills. >> you gotta do somethin', you know? try to keep your head above water. >> sunday... $38. thursday... $36. for this kind of money i really don't give a s**t. >> a real look at the american dream. only on al jazeera america. >> part of our month long look at working in america. "hard earned".

>> tomorrow. you know his music but what about the man? >> i was given a gift. >> up close and personal. behind the scenes of the biggest hits. >> she was a troubled girl. >> brightest stars. >> kids don't want to "own",

they just want to "play". >> and the future of music. >> the record business is in trouble. >> every tuesday night. >> i lived that character. >> go one on one with america's movers and shakers. >> we will be able to see change. >> gripping. inspiring. entertaining. "talk to al jazeera". tomorrow, 6:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> amtrak trains on the rails again this morning between new york and philadelphia less than a week after a deadly derailment shut down service. >> a brawl leaves nine dead at motorcycle gangs square off in a texas restaurant. >> a fiery crash for a military helicopter in hawaii, investigators try to figure out what went wrong.

this is aljazeera america live from new york city. i'm stephanie sy. commuters are boarding amtrak on a busy route shut down for nearly a week. service was restored between new york and philadelphia. investigators are still trying to pinpoint what led to the derailment that left eight people dead. we have more. inez, good morning. service is back up quicker than expected. >> that's right, and crews worked for the last six days to get the site cleaned up and rail put back together. passengers this morning were able to board trains again following last week's deadly crash. >> amtrak trains between new york and philadelphia are running this morning following a derailment that left eight people dead in more than 200 injured last tuesday. ntsb investigators spent days combing the site of the accident in philadelphia.

it is unclear why the train was traveling 96 miles per hour as it approached the curve. federal investigators ordered amtrak to install technology to slow trains the accident occurred. >> we have seen numerous accidents that could have been prevented had it been implemented. >> they are investigating whether a train was hit by a projectile before it derailed. >> we heard no communications at all from the amtrak engineer to the dispatch center to say something had struck his train. >> on sunday, a ceremony was held at the silent of the crash. philadelphia mayor michael nutter read the names of the eight passengers who died and spoke about the many more hospitalized. >> let us recognize that we still have many patients in the

hospital. we have families who are burying loved ones. today is about respect for all of them. >> almost 20 of the injured are still in the hospital. five of them are in critical condition, but all are expected to survive. amtrak has been ordered to examine all curves along the northeast corridor to see if more can be done to improve safety. >> police in waco, texas are trying to figure out what led to a shootout between rifle biker gangs. nine were killed, more than 150 detained and john henry smith joins us with the latest. why were these rifle gangs in the same restaurant in the first place? >> the goal of the meeting from what we hear were for the groups to work out their differences but even police were prepared for the violence. they prepositioned officers near the restaurant before it happened. >> this was a true gang fight that occurred in this location behind us. >> one of the officers that was here said it was absolute

complete chaos when they pulled on scene. >> up to 200 bikers were at this waco restaurant, members of five rival gangs meeting to work out some sort of dispute. an argument led to a brawl and then gunfire. >> our officers knew then, our officers did fire, so we have officers that are involved, as well in shooting some of the biker gang members. >> when it was over, nine bikers were dead, twice as many wounded. the police chief described a gruesome crime scene. >> i saw everything from piston casings to rifle casing, i saw knives, i saw a club. it was just a very violent crime scene. there were pools are blood streams of blood probably one of the most gruesome crime scenes i've seen in 35 years on the force. >> i crawled back into the freezers with waitresses and other people there.

we didn't know if somebody was going to come back. they said people outside the doors had guns. it was scary. >> none of the other patrons were injured. >> i saw bullet holes in cars, windows shattered out of cars. there were police officer cars hit. it is amazing that innocent civilians were not injured here. >> authorities are looking into what sparked the violence. they say it could have been a turf battle or fight over recruitment. whatever the cost, police say the gangs are no stranger to law enforcement. >> yesterday said event started on bad guys on bad guys. when our officers got there and intervened in the active shooter situation, those bad guys turned their hostility on our officers. >> police say they've received threats against officers and security has been tightened around waco just in case any of these troops try to retaliate for the shooting. >> a marine has died in a fiery aircraft crash that happened sunday afternoon near honolulu.

the osprey was performing maneuvers. 21 others were hospitalized. it is based at colorado's camp pendleton. >> another soldier hurt in a new jersey humvee crash died. the star sergeant succumbed to injuries thursday. the 35-year-old was were you ever four service members in a humvee at the back of a convoy on may one. police were hit by a car trying to pass them, sent off the road and into a tree. his death comes 10 days after the first lt. died from his injuries. >> the white house will no longer allow local police to buy military style equipment from the federal government. president obama spelled out the restrictions in an executive order today arming local law enforcement stirred controversy when police confronted

protestors last summer. >> the u.s. is vowing to help iraq retake ramadi. 19 airstrikes have been launched against isil forces in the last few days. the city is 70 miles west of baghdad. isil controls much of anbar, as well as several major roads leading to the west and north. the head of u.s. central command is in baghdad now for meetings with iraq's defense minister. we have more. >> they were caught in the crossfire and now they have no place to go. according to the international organization for migration 8,000 people were forced to leave ramadi when fighters belonging to islamic state of iraq and the levant advanced into their city. people headed towards baghdad are questioned before being allowed to enter the capitol. authorities want to make sure no isil fighters make it into the city.

>> why aren't we allowed to go to baghdad? aren't we in the same country? we can't cope. it is better to die than to live this life. >> anger towards the shia led government runs deep in the mainly sunni province of anbar. there is also a feeling among people that they've been betrayed. >> we spent two days on the road. we were humiliated at government check points along the way. we can't understand how security forces just retreated and withdrew. why did they do that? >> rimadi belongs to isil for now. that video was released by the group. the provincial capitol of anbar seems abandoned after a three day offensive that pushed government forces out. according to government officials, up to 500 security personnel and civilians were killed either in the fighting while others who worked for the government were murdered by isil.

>> now iraq's shia militias are ready to launch a counter offensive against isil in ramadi. they operate under the government-sanctioned popular mobilization forces. they were responsible for pushing isil from the provinces but they have been accused of human rights abuses and many people have sometime not returned to their homes. >> the regular army and the local police were no match for isil. many were seen escaping from the city. many sunni leaders blame the government for the fall of the city. >> right now, we have very few options on the ground, but the best is to train and arm the local tribes, because the only group operating under the command of the prime minister is the shia militia coalition. unfortunately, the reluctance in bringing the local sunni tribes onboard played a factor in the fall of ramadi and the

retreating of forces. >> some leaders said they would consider the sunni tribe involvement an occupation of their province. there is concern. >> it's a sunni area. there isen ethnic dispute definitely before, it's long about 10 years and there will be a clash definitely, between the tribes and the shia militia. secondly, it's more weakening the central government. why? because it's not the army who's getting in. >> ramadi was isil's first major gain after a series of defeats in recent months. the united states which leads the coalition against isil insists it is confident that ramadi will be recaptured. that may happen, but winning the political battle could be even harder. in recaptured territories, there is its or no reconciliation

between the government and sunni's. >> egypt introduced restrictions for women traveling to turkey. it's in an effort to keep them from joining isil. egyptian women between 18-40 are required to obtain security clearance before traveling to the country. it's in response to an increase of women who married isil fighters traveling to syria via other countries. a travel security clearance for men has been in place and that applies for turkey and libya. yemen is waking to a new round of airstrikes hours after a five day humanitarian ceasefire ended. the saudi coalition decided not to renew the truce saying the houthis broke the agreement. in riyadh, tribal leaders and military are brainstorming a lasting peace plan. president hadi said the houthis are solely responsible for the conflict. >> soon after the ceasefire came to an end saudi-led coalition

targeted houthi positions in saada and aden. the houthis also say that saudi troops shelled houthi villages in the northern province of saada, but there are talks underway between different factions and the international community, the g.c.c. countries to agree on a new extension of the ceasefire. this comes against the backdrop of the riyadh conference, where key yemeni factions are working on an agreement on the future of the country. they say they would like the international community to help them ousted houthis even if that means the use of force. they will reform the military establishment and agree on how to run the country but that won't be enough, because the houthis are not a party to the talks. there are crucial talks which would take place in the swiss capitol geneva by the end of this month. that's where the international community hopes to bring all the feuding factions in yemen to

agree with a political settlement to bring ant to the violence and insecurity. >> the deadline for a deal curbing iran's nuclear prom is set for the end of next month. valerie plame said world leaders are reaching a turning be point. >> right now, we are in a pending agreement that has i think, the most -- the highest possibility of success of truly rolling back iran's nuclear program, putting their research and development on ice and bringing them, welcoming them back into the international community, which is what i think they really want. i have always been in favor of these negotiations, and i'm deeply disturbed when i hear those that are critics of these negotiations in any sort of deal, because they don't have

other option. their only other option is always war and everyone, no matter what side of this debite you're on agrees that military intervention in iran would simply delay their nuclear capability, maybe two three four years it just doesn't make sense. we have to make this deal work. >> legislation mandating congressional review of any nuclear agreement with iran is awaiting president obama's signature. >> secretary of state john kerry is in south korea meeting with the president. north korea has been the big topic as kerry reassures the u.s. ally to its commitment to the south's security. >> it continues to pursue nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. it continues to break promises and make threats and it continues to show flagrant disregard for international law while denying its own people the

protection of fundamental freedoms. >> kerry also said the international community has never been as united because of north korea's proffer provocations. >> john kerry referred to recent events in north korea. he said that the submarine launched missile ballistic test which recently took place was a violation of north korea's u.n. and international obligations, and he said that the apparent execution of one of kim jong-un's most senior military leaders was another display of public execution of a grotesque grizzly and horrendous nature. he said north korea was not just treating its elites in this way but its entire population in this way. as he raised possible ways of increasing the pressure on north korea, potentially further sanctions, he also said that other avenues would be pursued

and he gave a very strong indication that the united states would be pursuing referral of north korea to the international criminal courts, saying that unless kim jong-un changed such behavior, it would be hard to envision a scenario in which such referral could not take place. there's a significant barrier to that china and despite the fact that relations have cooled between pyongyang and beijing they haven't cooled to the extent where it would be seen china would allow such a thing to happen. it does seem the united states will be pursuing that, john kerry making that pretty clear during his visit to seoul. >> on the agenda today the food industry is bracing for a final ruling by the obama administration to all but ban transfats in products like frozen pizza. the ruling could force food companies so cut the fats far beyond the 85% in place for the

last decade. >> the u.n. is expected to approve an effort to curb the influx of migrants by destroying the boats used to move them. >> there's a splash flood watch in the accident after heavy rain inundated the area. more than a dozen homes were evacuated due to the flooding. emergency crews used a drone to drop a rescue line to one family. officials performed more than a dozen rescues. >> people are cleaning up this morning in missouri, which was hit with severe weather. five tornadoes swept through the state over the weekend. the storm destroyed houses and cars and uprooted trees. there are no reports of injuries. these images are from on area recovering from a tornado that tore through the tone one year ago. >> a lot of attention on line

about a man claiming he hacked into computer systems on commercial airliners. in's a cyber security consultant kicked off a jet for tweeting about security threats that he said he hacked in more than 15 times and once overwrote code allowing him to issue a climb command. he tweeted's his only interest has been to increase aircraft security adding that given the current situation i've been advised to decline saying much. >> poised to make history with a first of its kind referendum in same sex marriage. >> the great drought in the west is spreading and scientists predict the worst is still to come.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. senator lindsey graham is sparking rumors he may announce a run for the white house saying he'll make an announcement next month.

he spent the weekend in iowa along with other 11 republican presidential hope was. >> an athlete is one of two base jumpers found dead at yosemite national park. he jumped from a cliff. it's not known what went wrong but the pair reportedly crashed into the rocks below. >> 2 million more chickens will be killed because of anout break of bird flu. one barn holding 200,000 birds were infected. they will kill the entire flock. birds have been infected in 15 states voters will decide on friday whether to allow weddings between gay couples. we have the report. the outcome could be surprising for a conservative catholic nation. >> it's time. >> voters in the republic of

ireland will decide whether it's time to amend their constitution to legalize gay marriage. >> you vote? >> of course i voted. >> gay rights campaigners say that would give same sex couples more legal protection and broader social acceptance. they've won the support of major political parties and polls suggest the majority of voters. they're facing opposition. >> you should be able to have reservations about gay marriage without called a homophobe. >> the leader of the catholic church said it would change marriage. >> as people of faith, we believe to the union of a man and woman in marriage open to the pro creation of children is a gift from god who created us male and female. >> guy rights have changed fast in the country. ireland decriminalized momentum mow sexuality in 1993 and began allowing civil partnerships four

years ago. >> same-sex marriage game legal in england wails and scotland last year. it will join 18 countries and some states in the u.s. and mexico that allow same-sex marriage. support for the catholic church has declined drastically in island over the last 30 years. >> by voting yes on may 22, we can change forever what it means to grow up lgbt in rifled. >> the country was once inseparable from its religion. >> in the u.s., the supreme court will rule whether to make same-sex marriage nationwide. former presidential advisor mccarthy said the battle is being fought state by state. >> in ireland, it is not -- there's no legal requirement that the issue be put to a

public referendum. ireland is an important country but roughly the size of louisiana. it has about 5 million people. a country like ours has 320 million, we don't have national wrench comes. the only closest thing we have is an effort to amend the u.s. constitution to prohibit gay marriage. it's not really the way we do things in this country. politically, it developed in ireland in such a way so i think the political parties got together and thought that it was probably a good idea to put it to a national referendum. it's a different scale here. also, you know, we have the actual protection cruz in the u.s. constitution, very specifically says that everybody's entitled to the same rights and responsibilities and we don't usually like to put people's civil rights up for public referendum, although that's not to say we have never done that. >> the supreme courts court cases are based in michigan,

ohio and kentucky. >> it is called the last free place in america where people live rent-free and without local government, but that could be changing. we report from the place that's come to go known at slab city. >> 140 meals east of san diego near the sea you'll find what locals calm the last free place in america. here hundreds live off the grid without water or sewage services. they don't pay rent and they don't pay taxes. they are squatters on state-owned land. >> i think i have the right to stand on the planet and have a drink of water and breathe the air without owing somebody. >> this is slab city, a former military base named for the concrete foundations or slobs left behind when the base closed in the 1950's. now there's an aimless collection of tents trailers and mobile homes a community that also has a library church

and concert stage. we met a long timer william. locals call him builder bill for his construction skills. he came to slab city 16 years ago, facing jail time for a slew of unpaid parking tickets. >> i'm more of somebody in the world now than i ever was in my whole life. i'm being more creative, engaging the world which i had never done before. >> coming up tonight why the so-called slabbers' way of life could be as risk as a feud over the land turns neighbor against neighbor. >> what has me concerned is that i think there's a valid need for a place like the slab to say exist. i don't want to see that go away. i have friends and i know people around here that are at least living a some way halfway productive life and it's because this place exists. it's been co opted in different

directions and it's wrong. >> hear more tonight. jennifer london, al jazeera slab city, california. >> you can watch the full report tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern. >> a dramatic accident in gary, indiana, the driver of this casino bus skidded over a bridge before dawn sunday morning. fortunately, the bus little stuck atop a wall, saving the driver from a nasty fall. the driver was the only one on a board and he was rescued. >> china and russia building a fleet. both nations are pouring money into their navy. >> some dogs are helping keep our waterways clean sniffing out invasive species.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. taking a look at today's top stories.

amtrak is rung between philadelphia and new york. the first pulled out a few hours ago less than a week after a train derailed. investigators are looking into what caused the derailment. >> police on alert in waco, the accident after a shootout in a restaurant. nine people were killed. police are investigating at what happened at a meeting between rival motorcycle gangs. >> a marine helicopter came down. two were killed and 21 hospitalized. >> nine russian and chinese war ships are in the mediterranean sea conducting jointly naval exercises. we have more. is this a provocation or sort of business as usual? >> it's certainly something that beg that is question. the exercises are the first

russian-chinese war games. moscow said the goal is to improve military ties with china, not to send nato a message, but as the crisis in ukraine sparked tensions, moscow has grown closer to beijing militarily and economically. china's president was in moscow earlier this month standing shoulder to shoulder with russian president vladimir putin at ceremonies marking the soviet victory over the nazis. i in recent years russia and china have poured money into their navies. russia is rebuilding after decades of decay while china seeks to become a true naval power. the two countries can better support each other's objectives and policies and showing off a little military muscle in the mediterranean complements a broader strategic vision. china often talks of a new silk road, a web of land and maritime

rounds in europe and their near seas. it is a way of extending influence facilitating trade and securing access to energy and commodity producers in you're asia. the west end is the mediterranean, making the waters between europe and africa crucial to beijing's grand am bigs. >> thank you for joining us on that. john kerry was in beijing this weekend, meeting the president and the trip dominated by concerns over china's territorial ambitions in the south china sea. also on the agenda, the further sanctions on north korea. chinese nuclear researchers estimate pyongyang could double their nuclear arsenal by next year. can you just describe china's -- let's start with north carolina

korea, describe china's current relationship and how much leverage itself has on its nuclear program. >> well, first of all china has normal relations with the dprk and china's position on the nuclear issue on the korean peninsula is well known and has been made public to the whole world. that is china opposes the nuclear arms by either north korea or south korea and china wants to achieve the ultimate denuclearization. china is committed to do whatever is required to achieve this goal not only pushing towards this goal by itself but also working very much in the six party framework involving china, the united states, japan south korea north korea and russia to achieve this. >> beijing and washington and other world powers were engaged

in on and off discussions with north korea to try and stop it from getting a nuclear bomb. it seems chinese scientists are saying they have a lot more than we thought. at what point in the process did diplomacy fail? >> well, first of all, i don't think the north korean government can field its people with nuclear weapons and eventually, it's a political decision as to what to do with these weapons. i think if major powers stick total ultimate goal of achieving nuclear denuclearization on the peninsula, we will prevail to achieve this goal. this is an unswervable goal to be achieved, because this is the only target that will bring fundamental peace and stability back to the korean peninsula. any attempt at playing around with nuclear weapons on the

korean peninsula will not only be highly destabilizing but also very much deconstructive of peace and stability on the korean peninsula. therefore, i don't think, you know either china or other major countries will tolerate or even recognize dprk's status as a nuclear weapon on want country. >> can anything be learned from the fact dprk has acquired the nuclear weapons, from the failure of diplomacy, for example when it comes to iran and its nuclear weapons development and the talks that continue there? >> first of all i think a major country should have consensus and they should really engage in this endeavor with the same commitment. you cannot just adopt different strategies or change horses in the middle of the stream or shifting around about your

ultimate strategic objectives. i think, you know, in this part of the world in the northeastern part of asia, for example where you face the so-called pivot to asia by the united states, it really undermines the many assumptions that 50 in this part of the world as to what exactly is the ultimate goal of the united states. when i say the strategic objective of the united states, whether the united states has incentive to work with china to achieve the goal of denuclearization. if you want to achieve denuclearization on the korean peninsula, they need to look at the same issue with the same eyes, rather than second-guessing each other. >> the director of the china in my association of international studies joining us from beijing

thank you sir. >> in the west, the issue continues to be drought and scientists predict the worst is yet to come in part due to global warming. rob reynolds has more. >> >> normally these peaks in washington are covered in snow but this year are barely dusted with white, only 16% of normal. streams flowing from the mountains are low. that's bad news for farmers and produce vendors at this fruit and vegetable market, where mike sells his wares. >> the washington governor declared a state of emergency. >> we're seeing things happen at this time of year that we just have never seen before. >> the drought is expected to cost washington farmers a

billion dollars in crop losses this year. the state is offering incentives to farmers willing to sacrifice crops to save water. >> the drought is into its fourth year, but that may be the beginning. a new study predicts parts of u.s. may suffer from dry spells that last for decades. >> using tree rings to compare past rainfall levels and powerful computer modeling scientists at nasa and colombia university forecast droughts far worse than those of the past millennium partly due to global warming. >> these droughts represent events in the united states that nobody has had to deal with. >> in the past, droughts in the same area have destroyed whole civilizations. an extended dry spell ended a flourishing civilization of native american people. their fate is a warning from the past for the society of today. rob reynolds, al jazeera, los angeles. >> some in california hope changes in the pacific ocean could help end the drought. federal forecasters are out with an el niño advisory that could

impact the climate around the world. let's bring in nicole mitchell. how severe this year's el niño? >> so far it's been hobbling along. we saw signs of this last fall, very minimal. it's expected to possibly increase through the summer. we could see more of those impacts. as you go around the world here's what that looks like. the early frame that bright red around the equator, el niño is ocean temperatures in the equatorial practice risk that ripple around the world. winter, a cooler and wetter south, warmer in southern alaska, drier in the pacific northwest and wetter in california. the west coast started with a couple storms in december, but it didn't pan into a wet winter overall. if we can continue this through next winter and it intensifies some a better chance. that wouldn't reverse the brought, but would help. there's an 80% chance this lasts

through the winter. a 90% chance through the summer. in the summerments, it means chances for more severe weather but also a diminished hurricane season. that's one of the good sides of this. we had tropical storm anna out there, but fewer hurricanes through the rest of the year would be a benefit to states such as florida. >> thank you. >> a project in virginia is prompting stainingers to share its hopes and fears called the courage wall. >> great job with that wall. >> it's nothing more than a simple black board transformed into what the crater hopes is a starting point for those wishing to change their lives but so far unable to take that first step. it's called the courage wall, using chalk passer's by finish the sentence i wish i had the courage to -- >> with their own secret hopes

and dreams. >> nancy belmont cradled the wall after struggling to overcome her own fears of failure. >> i realized that in my own life, my own courage was lacking. i think that the conversation resonates with everybody because everybody has their fears they hide deep inside. >> fears that are holding a fact. >> i need the courage to do better every day in what i'm doing, impacting on the lives of others less fortunate. >> i wish i had the courage to be the best version of myself and reach my utmost potential. >> i've learned in that time that if you're bold and take risks, you can make amazing things happen in the world. >> she never imagined her little chalk board would be such a big success. most days, the board fills within hours. to handle the overflow, she created an on line version of her courage wall. hash tag we live big. >> we have a hash tag at we live

big and have a facebook and instagram act as we live big. >> this board is the first step. >> it's bundle way to take a first step, but you don't need to write on this board. you can do it at home. you can write on a scrap of paper and put it on your fridge and share it with your friends. you don't need a courage board. you've got the courage inside of you. you just need to make that declaration. >> to erase past fears in favor of a future not yet realized, al jazeera, virginia. >> at&t is bringing its speedive broad band network to tennessee today, promising one gig built connectivity to consumers and businesses. to give you how fast it is, at&t claims you can download 25 songs in less than a second or grab an entire movie in less than 30 seconds. >> on the tech beat this morning, humans have about

5 million sense glands. dogs have up to 300 million. it's no surprise to scientists use dogs to snitch out things we can't see or smell. tech know looked at canines so sniff out species. >> a new group of canines are unleashed to find and exposed invasive species like the mussel threatening american lakes. we traveled to montana where these dogs are used as a first line of defense to keep water ways clear of the mussels. >> in montana amy is using one of the most effective tools available to prevent invasive species infiltration. wicked is a conservation dog trained to sniff out endangered species, as well as invasive

species. the dogs will be working to detect mussels zebra and coga mussels. theyle grow in pipes. so far montana is one of the few states that's remained mussel-free. let's meet our team of hounds. wicked is a 10-year-old black lab shepherd mix a former pound dog, she is now learning her 22nd scent. tia just returned from her work. she now knows 11 scents. >> lily, six is a yellow lab. she was abandoned by five different homes before becoming a conservation dog.

she has helped track gorillas in cameroon. are these dogs traditional family dogs? >> these dogs don't make great pets. they are high energy, high focused, high intensity. these are the kind of dogs if they don't have a job are digging up the back yard. >> so this assignment on flat head lake, their intensity is just right. >> tell me, a boat arrives here, what happened? >> we bring a dog out on leash and we start at one side of the hitch and we work around the boat with the dog. the dog will independently pick a lot of places to sniff and then our job as a handler is to identify other places we would like them to check. >> using a test sample of crushed frozen mussels company founder of the working dogs for conservation alice white law demonstrates how pack member will signal with an alert if she does find a mussel.

>> she found it. [ laughter ] >> some of those canines are used overseas in the fight against the illegal poaching trade, by sniffing out ivory. these dogs really are man's best friend. in los angeles, al jazeera. >> you can watch "tech know" tonight at 6:30 eastern. >> there is a big profit selling unwanted clothing from america. people come from all over to join the trade. we have this report. >> coming here from nigeria his family raised $100 to help him start his shoe business.

that i asked what he is doing he said selling this shoe. >> most of the trade is in the market in the capitol from the east of nigeria. they built up a business empire in the trade of secondhand items. >> this is where unwanted goods from europe and america end up. you can find anything from clothes to shoes to bags. some of it is sold locally but most is bought in bulk for sale across west africa. coming with nothing 25 years ago, now is importing goods every week. >> they come from cameroon, ghana, nigeria mali, niger they come from all around, from all around. >> the trade has become incident integral

to the economy. it is dominate by outsiders because of the way the economy has developed. >> women sold goods in the markets. nobody was selling second handled goods. the foreigners came and point opportunity and exploited that sector of the market. >> he came because he had to survive. as long as the customers keep coming, his future is here. al jazeera togo. >> bridging the diplomatic divide with music. ♪ >> the minnesota orchestra strikes the right chord with a historic visit to havana. >> the houston team that got into all eight ivy league schools. which did he choose? none of them.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. it is 8:50 eastern, taking a local today's top stories. there is renewed fighting in

burundi today. soldiers fired warning shots. protestors were calling on the president to drop his plans to seek reelection. >> tensions high in jerusalem today after weekend clashes. several palestinians were arrested for throwing rocks at police. the officers had to broke up fights between israeli hard linears and palestinians. they were gathered for jerusalem day marking 40 years since israel captured the city in the six day war. >> making students run up debt had one major provider announce it's closing campuses, and now students are refusing to pay

back their loans. >> i'm michael shure on capitol hill. tonight we look inside the often predatory world of for-profit colleges just 13% of all u.s. college students hadn't these institutions but they account for 50% have all defaulted student loan debt. some students are refusing to pay. >> we want a full cancellation of these student loans for current and former core run theen students. half of state attorneys general are investigating these schools. congress had a chance to act in 2009 and in 2011, but lobbying money got in the way for both democrats and republicans. now, some congressmen are working to bring legislation to the floor yet again. will it work?

we'll find out. >> you can see the full report tonight at 8:00 eastern. >> a special graduation for a student who thought he'd never get the chance. he spent 10 years in prison for a crime he did that not commit. over the weekend he graduated from law school. >> i'm in here for the rest of my life for something i didn't do. you are in here for absolute bull crap with no evidence and you're not going to fight to get out? so it really woke me up. >> he hopes to work defending low income defendants and wrongfully accused. >> a teenager from tennessee is saying no to every ivy league school. ronald nelson was accepted by all eight ivy league colleges but decided to attend the university of alabama. he would the school offered him a handsome financial aid package and will let him take part in an elite academic program.

he rejected stanford, johns hopkins within vanderbilt. >> on the culture beat, the minnesota orchestra made history visiting havana to perform before sold out crowds. it's the first major american orchestra to perform in cuba this century. ♪ >> in havana, music is everywhere. this weekend music is the universal language that can unit the minds and people of cuba and the u.s. >> music is a get a and powerful element. when somebody is trying to built something new between two countries, what could be better than music?

it's the first time the orchestra has traveled to the island in 15 years. more than 100 american musicians from the orchestra are performing as part of the international cuba festival. this is the group's first visit to cuba since 1930. the ensemble is performing one of the same pieces performed here 85 years ago. >> they have played this during one of those visits and that was the reason why the local organizers want to have it, you come back to play the same symphony that you did like 85 years ago. >> the trip takes on even more meaning sings the recent evolution of u.s.-cuba relations. in december, president obama took step to say renew former

diplomatic ties with havana which the u.s. cut in 1961. while dips from both countries do their work, tours like this helped build a relationship on a person to pepper level. >> i want you to get more core to the sound. u.s. musicians are coaching and playing with cuba music students. >> they seem to have a huge appetite for our kind of classical music which is our cause to bring that to life. >> we talk about the relationships between nations and countries and in this particular case, this is beyond comblike. it's very, very important. >> this is incredibly exciting in this hopefully new era of relations, and to make friends through music is the easiest way. we both love the same thing so let's talk about it.

>> it is interesting to see how music can eliminate barriers. you can unite people through music and that's something great. ♪ >> it is this greatness artists here hope will help build momentum to bridge the diplomatic divide between cuba and the united states through the sound of music. al jazeera havana. >> coming up in two minutes from doha, the latest on the fight against isil in ramadi. that's it for us here in new york. we leave you with live pictures of mount st. helen, 35 years after it erupted. have a great day.

>> welcome to the news hour from doha. coming up, iraqi shia militias arrive to recapture ramadi from isil fighters. >> e.u. ministers in brussels gathering to stop human trafficking across the mediterranean. >> end to the ceasefire in yemen, the saudi coalition