ia television. and ross was taken to the hospital with a broken arm. >> listen we will go to a break, all right. >> reporter: for the record the pair agreed to give up arm wrestling for good. i think a lot of people would give up arm wrestling after seeing that and keep up to date with the news on our website, al jazeera.com. >> attrition son worker admits her role in helping two convicts escape in a new york prison. the manhunt now in its seventh day. >> a hack on the federal government may have been much larger than first reported. the personal information of every federal employee may have been compromised. >> weeks after a deadly biker brawl in waco, dozens of still behind bars.

many say they are wrongfully accused. >> this is aljazeera america live from new york city. a new report that the woman accused of helping two convicts escape a new york prison admitted her role. she is said to be cooperating as the search for the men enters its seventh day. >> it is reported that prison employee joyce mitchum admitted to police that she provided convicts richard matt and david sweat with smuggled power tools and a cell phone in the leadup to their escape last week. police believe she failed to show up after initially agreeing to be the getaway driver. police believe that has left the two men to fend for themselves on foot. the search for the two men is

concentrated in an area less than five miles from the prison where officials shut down roads and a school. one mom in the town of katyville said whether the schools reopen friday or not she's decided to play it safe with they are three girls. >> i'm keeping them home, yes keeping them right here until shis settled or at least it's winding down some. >> a helicopter continuously circled the area. on the ground, police searched vehicles on route three. many residents brought food to the officers. >> the people around here have been great. they've been, you know, very welcoming, patient. we hope in very short order we'll have these guys in custody and life will return to normal. >> search dogs picked up the scent of two men leading police to a would area where the men may have camped out leaving food wrappers and jim prints in the grass. police also have reason to believe the two men stopped by a gas station within a mile of the

prison. one local issued a warning to the fugitives if they are still in the area. >> i would dare to bet 90% of the people in this area own weapons and they are loaded. >> well, refired f.b.i. agent michael joins us from kansas city this morning. during his time with the agency he oversaw fugitive cases. michael, welcome. all but 29 people who escaped new york prisons from 2003-2012 got caught within three days. these fellows are up to seven days now. >> most of those escapees didn't have a plan b. for once they get outside the prison. they planned it quickly or just took a moment of opportunity. these two had the cooperation of an insider giving them plenty of time to plan. >> police have searched near the prison and searched about

50 miles away in vermont. are police grasping at straws? how would you vault law enforcement's plan of the attacks so far? >> you have to follow every lead. most did appear to be somewhat vague but you cannot ignore them. now we have a hot lead with the potential to be very significant, so they shift the investigation as new leads come in and they weigh the importance and credibility of each lead. >> let's talk about the prison worker joyce mitchell. she admitted her involvement. to what degree does she fit the profile of someone who would help prisoners escape? >> when we think of someone as a co-conspirator in a prison break, she doesn't fit the profile. when we look at women who sort of fall for these bad boys as we call them, she does if it that profile. we've seen it before. i had a case with an informant in jail for a triple homicide and some woman fell in love and

married him while he was in prison approximate it does happen. >> a cab driver in philadelphia swears he gave them a ride. what are the chances if these guys are hundreds, if not thousands of miles away from where the search is taking place? >> it was possible within those first days when we didn't know where they were or their mode of travel. given the information now that seems highly unlikely, as do other leads which were 30 miles south. sometimes people see what they want to see or just based on a heightened alert state think they see something that didn't happen. >> the first 48 hours are crucial. does the 48 hour rule apply when looking for escaped convicts? >> obviously the sooner we find them the better. as trails go cold literally and figuratively as we see here. earlier in the investigation

this has the potential to lead the right direction but we run the risk that it may turn out to be a cold lead if we don't develop something within the next 24 hours. >> thank youry four insights this morning. >> learning new details on an attack on the government. the hackers likely have personal information on every federal employee and retireee, as well as up to 1 million former government workers. some officials blame the chinese. >> the severity of the breach was never in question. the obama administration saying up to 4 million current and federal machines' date that has been compromised. thursday the president of the largest federal employee union in the country announced how massive the hack was:

>> in that letter, addressed to the o.p.m., union boss david cox also said hackers obtained a treasure trove of information on all employees including social security numbers birth dates pay history and data such as health insurance life insurance and pension information. the union says it's based its findings on briefings by the o.p.m. and accused the obama administration of down playing the breach. the white house thursday denied it was hiding information about the hacking and said the investigation is continuing. >> the precise scope of this particular intrusion is one that i continues to be under investigation by the f.b.i. and technical experts that have the knowledge necessary to try to figure out what exactly has occurred. >> on capitol hill it was fodder for a swipe at the white house. >> i think a lot of people were shocked to hear that the obama

administration was unable to prevent the information of 4 million americans from being compromised by hackers. >> that brought a swift response. >> he comes to the floor today and blames barack obama for the hacking that the chinese did. >> john terrett, al jazeera washington. >> a grand jury in cleveland will decide whether to charge two police officers for the fatal shooting of tamir rice. probable cause was found to charge them. >> this is more than about the law. this is about a moral obligation. >> rice was playing with a plastic pellet gun in a public park when police shot and killed him. activists used a little known law to ask the court to order the arrest of the officers. the judge declined, saying his decision is a recommendation. >> america's to be general says the u.s. could significantly expand its presence in iraq to

help fight isil. the white house announced at least 450 troops will advice and assist iraqi forces. the chairman of the joint chiefs is pointing toward even bigger plans. >> even before the boots of the u.s. military advisers hit the ground, joint chiefs chairman general martin dempsey said the so-called lily pads could be used elsewhere in iraqi. he told reporters with him on an overseas trip our campaign is built on establishing these lily pads that allow us to encourage the iraqi security forces forward. we're looking all the time to see if additional sites might be necessary. dempsey said the concept where experienced military planners drawing on u.s. resources for surveillance and communications work in the headquarters side by side with iraqi commanders can

make iraqi operations more effective. he may be the top military advisor to president obama but the white house was cool to the idea of increasing the number of bases and sending more troops without first seeing some success to get iraqi forces back in the fight. >> there are no immediate specific plans to do that. what i will say though is if a kind of recommendation like this did come from the penalty's national security team and military advisers in particular, it would reflect that the on going training efforts have been useful. >> dempsey would the additional of advisers south of ramadi is an adjustment, not a change to the current strategy, that relying on iraqi troops to do all the fighting on the ground. he said a similar lily pad in the corridor that runs from baghdad to tikrit to kirkuk to mosul might also make sense. the term lily pad implies a jumping off point or launch pad.

pentagon sources say there are no plans to move attack helicopters or close support aircraft to iraq. general dempsey continues to oppose putting u.s. spotters on the ground. the move that air power experts agree would improve the accuracy of airstrikes in urban combat. said dempsey we're just not there yet. the outgoing chief of staff of the army who was a top commander during the iraq war also said putting u.s. troops back in a combat role is not the answer. >> would i put 150,000 troops to defeat isis, yes but then what? then what? >> the pentagon says the u.s. could quickly did i see patch isil the sectarian divisions would remain and mean the u.s. would face a different group of an tall any of thes down the road. al jazeera, the pentagon. >> a second man has been arrested in an alleged plot to behead police officers.

nicholas r. avinski will appear in court. police have not said what his connection is to the case. the man was shot by police after he lunged at them with a knife. >> nearly a month after a deadly shootout in waco, texas dozens will face a judge today. they've been held in judge since biker gangs opened fire on each other in may. as heidi zhou castro reports some family members wonder if innocent bystanders were swept up in the arrest. >> a smoothout in waco, texas between rival members of the bandidos and cosacks motorcycle club. 177 arrested. now almost a month later fewer than half have been released on bond. among those still behind bars,

severe and son john and jake wilson. >> they should be here. >> bobby wilson says her husband and son are motorcycle enthusiasts who were at the wrong place at the wrong time. now with the two men in jail since may 17, the family bike shop in waco has stood shuttered. >> what would it mean to you to lose this place? >> we've put everything we've got into it, so it will be hard on us. >> could you possibly afford the million dollar bond to get your husband out? >> absolutely not. that's insanity. >> her husband president of the five member strong mcclellin county motorcycle club left home to attend a club meeting at the twin peaks restaurant. >> i didn't think anything of it. >> did you know the bandidos were going to be there? >> no. >> do you think your husband

knew? >> probably. >> why would he go to a his sworn enemies would be present? >> well, i never understood them to be sworn enemies. >> wilson said her husband and son did not bring weapons to the restaurant and that when the shooting erupted they immediately fled the patio where they had been eating to the bathroom. >> not for one second do i believe that my husband my son or anyone in his group was responsible for this craziness. >> michael white is john wilson's attorney. >> what they've done is taken close to 200 people and decided that they're all guilty of something because they were there, and the number of them were wearing certain jackets. >> 26 days later the majority remain locked up, though a grand jury has not heard their case. >> texas law allows people to be

detained for 90 days without indictment. we reached out to the city of waco no one would talk about this case on camera. the waco police department told us that the investigation is on going, and a lengthy process due to the high number of individuals involved. >> though not indicted. all those arrested currently face the charge of he gauging in organized criminal activity. >> to this date, to this hour, nobody's said what the criminal activity might be. usually, you're aware of what you're accused of and what you're held in jail for. >> wilson hopes a hearing scheduled for friday will lower her husband's bond. if not she has no idea what will come next. >> i adore this man. he's never given me any reason not to trust him. >> al jazeera, waco texas. >> four men claimed they've been wrongfully put on the no-fly list. now they're suing the federal government. their stories, next.

billion dollars. >> this is their dirty little secret. >> welcome to al jazeera america. the time now is 7:47 eastern standard. taking a look at today's stop stories, a french court acquitted former i.m.f. chief of charges of aggravated pimping.

the three week trial exposed details of champagne fueled sex parties and prostitution. strauss cann said he was did take part but was not aware the women were sex workers. >> saudi arabia's supreme court this week upheld the conviction of a man who had been sentenced to 1,000 lashes plus 10 years in jail. the last time he was struck was in january. >> the body of the man believed to be the first american killed while fighting isil has been returned to his family. hundreds of people turned out in a kurdish town in syria to pay respect to say keith bloomfield. the state department confirmed he was killed while fighting alongside kurdish forces earlier this month. >> arcments begin today in a lawsuit filed by four muslim men who say the government forced them to become spies. they say they were put on the no

fly list after given a choice, spy for the f.b.i. or forget about flying. paul beban reports. >> in 2007, muhammed canvir of queens in the morning said he was questioned about an acquaintance by the f.b.i. that was the start of three years of contact with f.b.i. agents asking him to work as an informant and provide information about muslims in the u.s. and other countries. he repeatedly told them no, and that he had nothing to say. in 2010, he said r. says his refusal to cooperate landed him on the no-fly list. he is not alone. >> we've seen significant abuse and misuse of the no fly list. just the fact that there is a secret list that the government uses to deprive individuals of their right to travel without any due process. >> he and three other muslim men are suing the federal government claiming that the f.b.i. used the no fly list to coerce them

into being informants and retaliate when they refused. law enforcement never accused of the men of a crime. they say they have no tie to say terrorist organizations and that as a result of being banned from flying they've been unable to visit family members overseas for years. jamel, who's wife and daughters live in yemen say they have done a lot of damage to me and my life. they messed up my life. i haven't seen my family in a long time. my youngest daughter doesn't even know me. the government operates the no fly list in secrecy citing national security concerns. it's estimated that there were 64,000 names on the list last year. >> individuals are put on the list for little or no reason. they're left on the list when it's clear they should no longer be on the list and also that people who should be on the list are not. >> the lawsuit says the no fly list significantly interferes with their constitutional right

to travel freely and that the plaintiffs lack any effective due process protections to challenge their placement on the list. the f.b.i. has refused to comment on the suit, but days before their hearing the plaintiffs learned that their names had been removed from the no-fly list. >> to use the no fly list as a method of coercing somebody to do something the government wants them to do is inappropriate in any case. i think there's a larger problem in the way the f.b.i. is using informants in the muslim community. >> paul beban, al jazeera. >> an attorney for the plaintiffs in this case says the f.b.i. has made only minor changes to the way it operates the no fly list. >> well, the difficulty with the no-fly list is that up until very recently, the government didn't confirm or deny whether you were even on it. i don't know how you're going to protest that, right? now they're supposedly providing

you with that response, but it's still not enough. we don't know what it takes to get on the no fly list. we think the standard is way too low, enabling persons to use it as the agents have in this case. >> it's not known how many people are on the no fly list but the number has risen to 64,000 last year. germany is dropping its investigation into the n.s.a. said alleged spying on german chancellor angela merkel. the n.s.a. did not provide enough evidence for legal action. the allegations were raised by edward snowden in 2013. the white house did not outright deny it at the time, but said her phone was not currently being bugged and would not be bug would in the future. >> a new michigan adoption law that critics say legalizes

discrimination. why adoption agencies can turn down couples for religious reasons. >> the head of a naacp chapter faces scrutiny for lying about her race. her family says she's white not black.

>> a new law in michigan is drawing the ire of gay rights activists. it lets private adoption agencies turn away prospective parents for religious reasons. as bisi onile-ere reports critics are ready to challenge the law in court. >> less than 24 hours after arriving on his desk. michigan governor rick snyder signed off on a package of bills that will allow faith based adoption agencies to refuse to serve prospective parents if doing so goes against their religious beliefs. critics say that means people who are gay lesbian or of a particular ethnicity can be now

turned away. >> this package of bills would allow the moral ideology of an institution, of a company of an agency to trump the needs of our most vulnerable children. i think it's wrong. >> democratic state senator rebecca warren was among those to voled against the legislation. she believes it's a form of legalized discrimination. it also winds up hurting children. >> these are our state's kids and the they're receiving the hundreds of thousands of dollars of state taxpayer money and now they get to pick and choose what families and what kids they're going to work with. >> right now there are 62 adoption agencies operating in michigan. according to the michigan catholic conference, 17 have a religious affiliation. last year, $19 million in state and federal funds were spent on adoption and foster care services. almost 10 million of that funding went to faith bailed organizations.

senator rick jones voted in favor, saying it will allow more agencies to stay open by heading off lawsuits. >> do you see the argument that people have, some feel this is a discriminatory law? >> this is political nonsense spread by a few people that want to stir it up. we have a system that is working, has worked for over 50 years and we i simply want to keep it in place. >> the new adoption law takes it back immediately just as same sex marriage should be legal. >> it is beyond words to me how atrocious it would be for these couples to finally have the right to legally adopt only to really be stripped of that right because they can't find an adoption agency that will work with them. >> the fight to repeal the law

isn't over. the american civil liberties union is preparing to file suit against the state of michigan, charging discrimination. bisi onile-ere, al jazeera detroit. >> on the healthbeat this morning, apparently you're not nuts if you think eating a handful of nuts could help you live longer. researchers writing in the american journal of epidemiology saying eating the nuts reduces the chance of dying by 23%. they fight dancer, diabetes, respiratory and neurodegenerative diseases. >> the nba finals are all tied up. the warriors changed to a smaller lineup and it worked. lebron james was held scoreless in the fourth quarter and finished with only 20 points, as

well as a nasty camera lens cut in his head after crashing into a cameraman. thank you for joining us. stephanie sy is back in two minutes with more al jazeera news.

>> probable causes a judge decides there is enough evidence to charge two police officers in the killing of 12-year-old tamir rice but he is not the final word. >> new claims that the hacking of federal employee information may have compromised millions more than first believed. >> seven days still on the loose, police are getting help from a prison worker accused of assisting two inmates with their escape. >> are you of are you african-american?

>> i don't understand the question. >> an naacp leader under scrutiny. her parents say she's been passing herself off as black even though she's not. this is aljazeera america live from new york city, i'm stephanie sy. >> a cleaved prosecutor will not change the way he handles cases of deadly police force despite a judge be's opinion that there is probable cause to charge the officers who killed 12-year-old tamir rice. the prosecutor says the decision to charge will rest with the grand jury. bisi onile-ere has more. >> the judge made it very clear that he's only offering recommendations. this is a case that still needs to go before a grand jury. however, sources say that the judge's opinion will likely

pressure prosecutors. >> thursday's decision by a cleveland judge comes just days after a group of clergy and activists used a little known law asking the court to order the arrest of the police officers involved in the shooting death of 12-year-old tamir rice last november. >> the people have decided to take the opportunity to make the government work for them. this is not a contradiction. this is not a circumvention. this is applying the law that is available, so that our government is responsible and accountable to us. >> the boy was playing with a pellet gun in a public park when officers timothy lowman and frank gar backpulled up, the shooting caught on video. the judge decided that the officers should be charged. officer lowman, who fired the

fatal shots will also face the charges, including murder, involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide. >> this is more than about the law. this speaks truth to folks in power when they refers to. it's about a moral obligation for my little nieces and nephews who are on the streets of cleveland every day and i fear for their lives. >> cleveland officers said they mistook it for a real gun. community leaders took advantage of an ohio law that allowed them to by pass prosecutors and go directly to the court. >> it's absolutely legal. there is an obscure provision in ohio law that laws an average citizen to file an affidavit with any reviewing magistrate that could force them to file a

warrant in this case. >> the judge noted that his opinion was advisory. the judge's opinion is now in the hands of cleveland prosecutors. bisi onile-ere, al jazeera detroit. >> attorney and legal analyst martin joins us from philadelphia this morning with talk a little bit more about this case. good morning. the judge said this was advisory his ruling. help us make sense of what this judgment leads to. >> essentially the judge had an opportunity to force a warrant to be issued and for the police officers to actually be arrested and then a public hearing held. clearly this judge did not want to ruffle the feathers of the local district attorney or other police involved in the investigation. he made it very clear that his opinion was advisory in nature but that opinion was scathing in

terms of finding that the two officers involved in the shooting of tamir rice were not acting justifiably or within their constitutional limits for policing. he found that the police officers were actually -- there was probable cause to charge them with both murder and involuntary manslaughter. the judge was pretty clear that he thought this was a case where the officers should be charged. >> what evidence would this judge have access to, would it be comparable to what the grand jury is seeing? >> absolutely. what we have been told by that the eight activists and community leaders that filed the affidavits with the course is they attached the surveillance videotape as well as statements from witnesses at the scene when the shooting actually occurred. this is the same kind of evidence we would expect the prosecutor to present when this matter is actually given to a grand jury. >> what about statements from the police officers, their testimony to what happened?

>> not clear that those kinds of statements were included in the affidavits and not required by this obscure law in ohio. all that had to be presented was facts that were sufficient for a judge to make a determination that there was probable cause. not likely that the police officers allowed themselves to be interviewed or that they provided any statements to these activists. we can imagine that the police are against the filing, in fact, the police, the head of the police union slammed the attorneys as well as the activists for trying to circumvent the grand jury process. >> do you think it will influence the grand jury decision on whether to charge the officers? >> absolutely. i think this finding by this judge ups the ante, makes it very difficult for the prosecutors to ignore what this judge has already determined. i think what is important to note here is that these citizens said look, in the typical grand

jury process the prosecutor presents evidence most favorable to their case, but in these cases involving these high profile shootings be and officers prosecutors have done something different. they've gone into grand juries and presented evidence favorable to their case but also pretend evidence that's considered exculpatory for the police. in those cases, in this's have found that there wasn't probable cause, like in the mike brown case the eric garner case. the activists in cleveland wanted to change the game and they wanted to put the evidence most favorable to the family fort to the judge and that's what they did in these affidavits. >> does this law exist anywhere else besides ohio? you probably do have communities in the eric garner cares, in the case in ferguson who are wondering why they don't have this legal avenue available to them. >> well, there are a handful of states in the united states that have this kind of law like in ohio. it's important to note that even in those states that do, it's

very very difficult to get a judge to be willing to circumvent the typical grand jury process and attorneys even in ohio noted that they knew of no case, precedent where a judge did issue an arrest warrant outside of the grand jury process. >> great to see you, thank you so much. >> an orlando man wants criminal charges filed against two police officers who beat him up. he said he was sitting on the curb when one officer started kicking him and another used a stun gun. a bystander recorded what happened. he has filed an affidavit with prosecutors. florida's department of law enforcement said it is investigating. >> the last of the angola three prisoners could walk three later today. a judge's order was temporarily blocked demanding albert woodfox be released. he was convicted of killing a prison guard during a protest. two of his convictions were

overturned. >> investigators trying to find two escaped convicts in northern new york may have new help this morning. the local newspaper reports the woman accused of aiding the men admitted her role and is now working with police. john henry smith is here with the developing details. the men have now been on the loose for some seven days. >> which is already a record in the annals of the new york penal system. the woman you referenced is apparently now cooperating with police at a time when investigators with the help of search dogs focused their search on the area immediately around the prison. >> the albany times union is reporting that prison employee joyce mitchum admitted to police that she provided the convicts with smuggled power tools and a cell phone in the leadup to their escape from the clinton correctional facility last week. police believed she failed to show up after initially agreeing to be the getaway driver. police believe that has left the two men to fend for themselves

on foot. the search for the two men is concentrated in an area less than five miles from the prison where officials shut down roads at a school. one mom in the town of katyville said whether the schools reopen friday or not she's decided to play it safe with her three girls. >> i'm keeping them home, yes right here until this is settled, any way or at least it's winding down some. >> a helicopter continuously circled the area. on the ground, police searched vehicles on route three. many residents brought food to the officers. >> the people around here have been great. they've been, you know, very welcoming, patient. we hope in very short order we'll have these guys in custody and life will return to normal. >> search dogs picked up the scent of two men leading police to a wooded area where the men may have camped out, leaving

food wrappers and imprints in the grass. police also have reason to believe the two men stopped by a gas station within a mile of the prison. one local issued a warning to the fugitives if they are still in the area. >> i would dare to bet 90% of the people in this area own weapons and they are loaded. >> these convicts have been on the run for longer than most. only one in 29 recent escapees lasted more than two days. sweat and matt have been on the run for seven days now. >> despite the national attention focused on this. thank you. >> new details about a massive cyber attack against the federal government. the federal employees union says the attack was far worse than the obama administration publicly admitted. last week, the administration said the personal data of 4 million current and former u.s. government workers was compromised. the union said the breach affects every federal employee,

every retiree and up to 1 million former federal workers. june the severity of the breach was never in question. the obama administration saying up to 4 million current federal employees data has been compromised. thursday, the president of the largest federal employee union in the country announced how massive the hack was: >> in that letter, addressed to the o.p.m., union boss david cox also said hackers obtained a treasure trove of information on all employees, including social security numbers, birth dates, pay history and data such as health insurance, life insurance and pension information. the union says it's based its findings on briefings by the o.p.m. and accused the obama administration of down playing

the cyber breach. the white house thursday denied it was hiding information about the hacking and said the investigation is continuing. >> the precise scope of this particular intrusion is one that continues to be under investigation by the f.b.i. and other technical experts that have the knowledge necessary to try to figure out what exactly has occurred. >> on capitol hill, the breach was fodder for a swipe at the white house. >> i think a lot of people were shocked to hear that the obama administration was unable to prevent the information of 4 million americans from being compromised by hackers. >> that brought a swift response. >> he comes to the floor today and blames barack obama for the hacking that the chinese did. >> john terrett, al jazeera, washington. >> a second man has been arrested in an alleged plot to behead police officers. he will appear in court today. officials have not said why he was arrested or his connection

to rahid who was shot and killed after lunging at police with a knife. >> the house is set to vote today on one of president obama's biggest priorities, a law designed to make it easier to push trade deals through congress. the president said the deal will help the u.s. economy. aswe have this report. >> it is the megatrade deal the obama administration hopes to rush through congress, the transpacific agreement between the united states, nations and trade and investment partnership covering the u.s. and european union. both agreements are bill would as tearing down trade barriers to boost economic growth, but seen as tools for countering the rising influence of the economic power not included in either pact china.

>> it is the reason wipe the united states is working toward building a new trade geometry in the pacific. >> it was underscored by secretary of defense ash carter, who said patting the deal was as important to him as another aircraft carrier. opponents of the pacific deal argue it will shift u.s. jobs overseas and drag down already stagnant wages. clauses that let multi-national firms for rules that could harm their profits are drawing fire. al jazeera. >> also on the agenda today the world food program begins reducing rations for kenyan refugees by 30%. the organization says this is a tell procedure emergency move to conserve dwindling supplies and funds. the justice department and lawyers have untilled end of today to file a plan about

family detention centers. the d.o.j. is fighting to keep three open for undocumented migrants. >> the white house celebrates the national week of making, events around the country honor entrepreneurs and new ventures. >> a debate over race and identity is heath up on twitter and facebook after reports that a civil rights activist in washington state falsely portrayed herself at being black. >> rachel is the penalty of spokane's branch of the naacp often leading rallies for racial equality. she spoke out against hate male she said she received. >> it's not isolated to spokane or targeting me, it's target be the larger black community. >> her credibility is now in question with family members saying she's been living a lie for nearly a decade. her mother provided these pictures to the media confirming that public records

already show. rachel is white. her mother told a local paper it is very disturbing that she has become so dishonest. >> a reporter for spokane's kxly interviewed her about the hate crimes. she's described several in detail. >> are you african-american? >> i don't -- i don't understand the question of i did tell you that yes that's my dad and he was unable to come in january. >> are your parents are they white? >> that video has gone viral leading to a spirited debate on twitter, some tweeting will rachel's salary rise from 65 cents to 75 cents on the white mans pay now that she's white? only a white person could get this much attention for being black. it's also stirred conversations about a new term, with some tweeting she was born in the wrong body.

let's shower her with awards and magazine covers. her mother said the family's ancestry is czech swedish and german and that the family has faint traces of native american, as well. she identified herself at part african-american on a recent job application. >> police have found little evidence of racial harassment she has claimed over the years. it is being looked into whether she violated the naacp code of ethics. >> coming up, what landlords are doing to push tenants out of rent stabilized amounts. >> driven to distraction why being behind the wheel is the most dangerous place for your teens to be, especially at this time of year.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. it is 8:20 eastern, taking a look at today's top stories. four members of a fishing boat crew safer after a rescue in alaska. the coast guard arrived before

the boat sank. they encountered very rough seas. they had a swim to get to a life raft where they were lifted to safety. >> prosecutors are dropping charges against a university of virginia student whose arrested sparked outrage. videos showed the arrest outside a bar in march. he was accused of public intoxication and obstruction of justice. prosecutors closed their investigation without charging the officers. >> hillary clinton will hold the first major rally of her presidential campaign tomorrow in new york city, held on roosevelt island, a residential area between manhattan and queens. clinton is expected to tell voters she cares about their problems and can be trusted to fight for them. >> i.m.f. chief strauss can was oop quit. he said he did take part but was

not aware the women were sex workers. barnaby, this be acquitle was expected >> the crucial point was that the prosecution always struggled to prove that dominic strauss-kahn had organized these parties or in fact that he even knew that the women who took part were prosecutors toots. what he was saying was this was not my morality on trial i'm charged under a penal code. what mr. strauss-kahn said was that and let's not forget at the time he was head of the international monetary fund. he said he needed some form of recreation at a time when he was

"saving the world" during the global financial crisis. >> this was a man once believed that he could be the next president of france. how has this trial's details hurt his standing in that country and around the world? >> it's definitely hurt him. let's not forget mr. strauss-kahn has been through four years of legal turmoil and four years of i suppose his reputation being dragged through mud dating back to may 2011, and those charges have attempted rape which were later dropped against a chamber made in a u.s. hotel. at that point things started to go bad for the man. you would have thought now that his front line political career is over, but that doesn't mean that he no longer has any form of future in public life. he's an enormously respected

economist. he charges five, even six figure fees for public speaking talking about the state of global finance and he may go down that route, i suppose lucrative conference and after dinner speaking route. >> we will see. barnaby, thank you. >> european markets are down as the clack ticks down over making a deal with greece over its debt. they are far from an agreement and greece won't make compromises. athens owes a $2 billion payment to the i.m.s. by the end of the month. >> on the money beat this morning, new york is one of the most expensive cities in the world. a new report finds the rent now tops $3,000 a month. some landlords say their rents aren't high enough and are facing to end the city's rent regulations. >> a anywaysive new yorker from brooklyn. >> i grew up in brooklyn.

i lived around the corner most of my life and i moved her 10 years ago. >> her neighborhood has gotten expensive. like many, she put up with terrible living conditions to hold object to a two bedroom amount she could afford on her salary. >> we had no heat, at times the hot water would go. >> it got worst. >> ax was taken to the boiler. they destroyed the electrical system the gas and they actually took a saw to the water pipes, so the basement was just flooded out. >> the they in question were the landlords who owned her building. they were arrested on charges they intentionally where he could three of their buildings to drive out tenants who were protected under lent stabilization laws, limiting the increase of rents annually. >> as rents get more and more expensive in manhattan more and more people are moving to the outskirts of the city, like this one, driving up prices here, as well. once a rent stabilized tenant

moves out of their apartment landlords can raise the rent. >> landlord harassment is something that is approaching universal levels, in rent regulated units that were substantially below market. those landlords desperately desperately want to evict those long term residents and move in new, wealthier folks. >> landlords say the small rent increases they are allowed aren't enough. >> the low turnover means our long term tenants are paying rents far below market and we are pressed to meet our ever increasing costs. >> the cities rent regulation lawses due to expire june 15. >> the cities lawmakers are pushing for a requirement to include affordable units in new luxury buildings blamed for driving up housing costs across nearby. whether a compromise is possible remains to be seen.

catalina said it's been a struggle to provide for her two children since the city deemed her apartment unlivable. >> i have roommates helping me, dipped into savings accounts, did whatever i had to do to make sure my kids have a roof over their head. her former neighbor has moved to a homeless shelter. al jazeera, new york. >> questions on whether robo calls from ebay and pay pal vital federal law. new user agreements from the company ask customers to agree to getting the calls. critics say the practice may vital consumer protection rules and the f.c.c. said it could results in thousands of dollars of fines. >> tough new standards for abortion clinics upheld in texas. the effect it could have on the health of thousands of women. >> those embedded with isil fighter who live to tell about it. it.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. it is 8:29 eastern, taking a look at today's top stories. >> a cleveland judge found probable cause to charge two police officers in the fatal shooting of tamir rice. he is not issuing charges. the prosecutor said he still plan to say take the case to a grand jury. rice was shot holding a pellet gun in a park. >> a worker at a new york state prison has reportedly admitted helping two convicts escape. joyce mitchum is working with the police after telling them she gave the inmates a cell phone and power tools. the men have been on the run for seven days. investigators are searching near the prison and in vermont. >> the december hacking of government computers may have been worse than revealed. the federal employees union said hackers have personal information on every federal employee retireee and 1 million former government workers. administration officials have said the cyber attack likely originated in china.

china denies that. >> america's top general says the u.s. could significantly expand its presence in iraq to help fight isil. joint chiefs chairman martin dempsey said the concept is for so-called lily pads, jumping off points controls the country where troops could be closer to the front lines. that could include a corridor from baghdad to particular kilt to kirkuk over to mosul. the white house was cool to the idea of sending more troops and increasing bases without first seeing some success. >> there's no immediate claim to do this. what i will say though, is that if a kind of recommendation like this did come from the president's national security team and from his military advisors in particular, it would be a recommendation that is made it would be a recommendation that reflects that the on going training efforts have been useful. >> general dempsey opposes putting u.s. spotters on the

ground a move some military analysts say would improve the accuracy of airstrikes in urban combat. >> isil's resilience in the face of this u.s. coalition won't come as much of a surprise to our next guest who spent 10 days embedded with isil fighters in mosul and raqqa. he's believed to be the first western reporter to live to tell their story. he joins us from munich this morning. thank you for being with us. it has been one year since isil took mosul as washington debates the best strategy to defeat the group what do you think it will take? >> i don't know what the americans will decide, but i.s. will be delighted if the americans send ground troops. that's what they want. they like american ground troops and they would like to fight against them. it would be very difficult for

the american troops, because the i.s. fighters are brutal terrorists guerilla fighters, able to fight in the city and the americans will not be able to defeat them, unfortunately. >> talk to me about your personal experience with these isil fighters. were you on the bottle field with them? what was it like to be there with them? >> that's a long story. i wrote emails to roundabout almost hundred german jihadists and got a lot of answers. i was in touch with a spokesman. i wanted a guarantee from the caliphate and to be published. in the end it worked out. i spent 10 days with these people who are completely

fanatic, brainwashed but at the same time, military very well trained. they are very well trained and they are extremely good fighters. if you have 10i.s. fighters, fighting against 10 american special forces, the american special forces are very good troops but they want to go home after the fight. they want to join their families. the fighters from i.s. don't want to go home. they just want to fight. they know the streets and they know everything and they are ready to die and therefore they have a great chance to defeat also american ground troops. this is not the solution. >> do you think that they have a great chance? you believe that their ideology has traction, their vision of a caliphate is actually gaining traction within iraq and syria?

>> it's a lot of things, but an important thing is that all these brainwashers, there's a network of brainwashers in the western countries have told them that they are fighting a historic fight which has been already talked about 1,400 years ago and now they have the chance to fight this ultimate apocalyptic fight between good and evil and they are the goose ones opinion the big point is that for the first time in their life, they were being told, they have been told that they are important and they feel important, and they are ready to give everything to be successful in this ultimate fight. the american fighters or the iraqi fighters, for them, it's just a fight and they want to bring their money home and they want to get home alive.

they don't want to die. >> i understand you also spoke to americans that are fighting with isil. did these fighters express a desire to attack their home countries in the west, or is their focus on this caliphate on regional domination? >> they talk a lot and i think for the next future, it's the middle east and they are extremely successful in the middle east, and they think in the long run they can attack the united states, europe, but this is a long story and it will take a lot of time. they think they can win against everybody. >> fascinating reporting, thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> the body of the man believed to be the first american killed

while fighting isil has been returned to his family. hundreds of people reportedly turned out in a kurdish town in syria to pay their respects to keith broomfield. the state department confirmed he was killed fighting alongside kurdish forces earlier this month. >> a teenager in northern virginia lighted guilty to conspiracy to support isil. he used social media to attract followers to the cause. he faces 15 years behind bars when sentenced in august, but his lawyer says he might get a lesser term, because he has been cooperating with officials. >> the latest fight over abortion rights could be heading to the supreme court. the fifth circuit court of appeals this week upheld new restrictions on clinics in the accident. it's a decision activists say could cause more facilities to shut down. we have the story from austin. >> at issue was whether abortion clinics had to meet the same

medical standards and requirements as hospitals and surgical centers the same rooms sterilization systems equipment and staffing. texas lawmakers argued this was about patient care, and in a statement, the govern applauded the decision to uphold the law saying texas will continue to fight for higher quality health care standards for women while protecting the unborn. >> pro rights activists believe it's not about patient safety, but closing down clinics. >> abortion is safe. it's one of the safest procedures in health care, period so that kind of shows the tactics that they're using with decimating, you know, apportion care here, the state. >> the impact will be significant. as recently as two years ago texas had more than 40 abortion clinics. with this decision, the number of clinics will drop to about seven or eight in the entire state. look at the map.

some women would have to travel hundreds of miles in order to reach a facility. >> added with that, that's taking time off of work, that is finding child care. if you have to seek child care, that is increased costs with transportation that's if they have adequate transportation to get five hours one way and then to get five hours back. >> those in favor of the law do not see it that way. >> two years ago, before this law, there were about 40 clinics and now it's going to be down to about seven or eight. is that ok? >> that is not the effect of this bill. there will still be tens of thousands of abortions performed in texas every year, regardless of whether this law goes into effect. >> the decision didn't come as a complete surprise. this circuit court is considered one of the most conservative appellate courts in the country.

>> the founder of whole women's health who's company owns clinics in texas is one of the lead plaintiffs in this case. amy, thanks for being with us. >> we are optimistic for a few reasons, one because the supreme court has already ruled in our favor in this case and saw the need to step in and give us an injunction in order to keep our clinics open in order to serve texan women. it's very difficult to argue that going from 41 clinics down to eight is an undue burden. texas is the largest state in the continental united states and the clinician are only in the middle of the states in urban areas. this is a huge burden on women and families.

the evidence in our case is solid and shows and demonstrates it. >> the court of appeals clearly did not believe this melt the constitutional point have undue burden. >> the fifth circuit this is the fourth time the circuit ruled against the challenges that we've brought to p.b.2. >> it is a more conservative court, yeah. >> yes, very much so. there is a disproportionate affect on women and families in the rio grande valley and southwest texas with where all the clinics closed except ours. we've been doing our best to keep the doors open here and in other parts of the state. it's very confusing for a lot of people who live in texas. is abortion still legal it's really done an injustice to

those in the state whose rights have been played with. >> around the country welcome back, ladies and gentlemen laters have enacted laws restricting access to abortion. in the last three years then in the last decade between 2010. just in the last three years they have passed more and more of these laws. the gutman ins statute say they restrict access. is all of this leading to another major decision at the supreme court and do you worry that could lead to roe v. wade being overturned? >> i think that they're trying to chip away at row v. wade through any means necessary, we are seeing things bubble up in lots of states throughout the country. i'm not worried about the foundation of roe v. wade, but cases open the door for restrictions to be passed state by state --

>> that case basically says based on the argument of women's health, these clinics face great eeriestrictions as long as they don't place an undue burden on women that want access to abortion correct? >> right it opened up the door for states to place restrictions state by state on abortion within the states. that's why you're seeing these strategies passed around from our opposition from state to state and different kinds of bills entered. in texas, we have the most onerous am blahatory surgery center requirements and the only state they didn't give leeway. other states allowed for grandfathering of existing providers or provided mechanisms for variances or waivers. we don't have any of that in texas. it's an extreme ban and a real sham law. it's not about safety and it's putting women's lives and health in danger. >> how long do you assume it would take the supreme court to decide on a stay?

>> so we have 22 days from the time that the decision came down to come into compliance. during that time, all of our clinics remain open. we've challenged the decision to the fifth circuit. we need to get some evidence to them this week and they're requiring the state to respond next week and so we are hoping that we will be able to challenge to the supreme court and reinstate the injunction that blocks these provisions from going into effect and allows us to remain of service throughout the communities in the state. >> thank you for your time. >> we are in the middle of what is considered the deadliest 100 days for teenage drivers. more teens are killed between memorial day and labor day. nearly six out of 10 accidents happen because teenagers were just not paying attention. we have this story. >> playing with the radio putting on makeup, talking or texting, all distractions that take eyes off the road and have dangerous and deadly

consequences. triple-a has been putting cameras in cars to study the problem. >> the most common form of distraction was teens interacting with other passengers in the vehicle. this was followed by teens interacting with their cell phone, texting and driving to talking on their phones and interacting with social media. >> how often do you come to this memorial? >> i come either every morning or every night for three years. >> mike's daughter died in a car accident at this new jersey intersection back in 2012. only 18 years old at the time, she was just weeks away from her high school graduation. >> we miss her. we miss her terribly. nobody can figure out or explain what it is to lose a child and the feeling because you can't explain it to somebody, it's like an empty empty room, empty spot in your heart that is

killer. >> she was a passenger in the back seat of a car driven by a classmate. prosecutors say it's inconclusive whether the driver was texting or talking on a cell phone, but distract driving is blamed. >> when you're a kid and inexperienced and have a couple of kids in the car and they're lovingings and you have the music on and you're thinking about stuff to have a car out is crazy. you're in a time bomb ate waiting for it to go off. >> he has started a non-profit organization people against distracted driving. >> we try to reach out to teens duties anybody that willis. that's the hardest part is getting them to listen. >> after learning distracted driving may have led to his daughter's death he pushed for a state law requiring new jersey roadways to have signs like this one that clearly state texting while driving can kill. here in new jersey, texting and driving is against the law.

that is not the case across the country. >> only 33 states and district of columbia ban texts and using a cell phone while driving. friends in the car, 17 states in washington d.c. limit new teen drivers to one passenger under the able which 20. >> the way you drive a car -- >> some critics argue distracted driving might not happen if teens are properly trained before they get behind the wheel. there is no national standard for drivers education in the u.s. in some states, it's not even required. >> there are efforts underway to set guidelines at the national level and to raise the bar for driver education for all states. there is a varying degree of what is required and what is in place in the different states. >> this is not your run of the mill driver's he had class. it's a real world driving school run by tire rack street survival in new york. simulating driving in bad weather to emergency stopping,

to avoiding accidents. >> they are teaching us how to get out of skids and make sharp turns if we have to. it's all safe and controlled. >> it trains your brain so you can do it on the road. if emergency happens if anything happens you'll know what to do. it really helps. >> this dad worries about his daughter on the road. >> inning is completely safe. they teach keeping your eyes up, looking far ahead. >> while many are looking down at their phones, some know better already. >> nobody i know texts and drives and if somebody does, they yell at them. >> i never text and drive ever. it's horrible, dangerous for yourself and everybody around you on the road. >> this father agrees sending this message to all young drivers. >> put it down, put the phone in the back. you're going to arrive at the next spot and be able to tweet to your buddies. that text mental or voice male

can wait. >> images of the great migration, pictures from the time when millions have african-americans made their way from the south to the north. >> private notes being made public. letters from harper lee to a friend, set to hit the auction block.

american dream... >> this definitely gave me an opportunity to grow up... >> you just don't give up... >> hard earned reunion only on al jazeera america >> welcome to al jazeera america. taking a look at today's top

stories, investigators say the co pilot who crashed a germanwings jet into the french alps feared he was going blind. some doctors felt he was unfit to fly kept quiet because of german privacy laws. 150 people died in the crash. >> germany is dropping its investigation into the n.s.a.'s alleged spying of german chancellor angela merkel. the n.s.a. did not provide enough evidence to justify legal action. allegations were raised in edward snowden's leaks in 2013. >> the pope has a more humble ride arriving at the vatican in the new hyundai pope mobile, added to the fleet which have often been mercedes. it is seen as adding to his

simple life. >> nigeria launched new incentives to get start ups off the ground. there are major challenges. >> i want to place an order. >> this woman and her two partners run an on line food delivery service. customers go on line and order from local restaurants that signed up to her company and she delivers it. she works with 30 restaurants. she calls it a food logistic service and sees huge opportunities in the technology sector that could create employment for hundreds of thousands of people. >> the local penetration has made it so that there is a need for convenience a need for delivery there's a need for that provision of logistics in terms of the meals for consumers. >> you can carry out

transaction. >> it got started with the help of inspire an organization that helps launch tech start ups funded by the government. here entrepreneurs are taught the basics of computer programming or on line business ventures. inspire has helped 50 businesses get started. there are still major challenges. >> you need to have patience investing in tech businesses. people are beginning to see that next 5-10 years tech businesses are going to be the businesses like we have now. most investors are stuck on brick and mortar kind of business. >> the government has tried to support tech based businesses, too, but has faced problems. >> the government was supposed to build a so-called technology village here on this land to house over 1,000 tech businesses. a contract for millions of dollars was awarded in 2007, but so far, very little has been built. >> some analysts say that the

government should allow the private sector to take the lead while it focuses on poles to improve things. >> the government needs to overhaul the entire school curriculum for i.t. and technology so that the next generation of students will be better equipped. >> the challenges of tech companies is how to market their product especially in a city with low internet penetration and most restaurants offer their own deliver services. she is confident there is a huge market for her service. al jazeera nigeria. >> uber is recruiting drivers using games. the company released a smart phone app that asks players to cart passengers from one place to another. uber hopes the app inbe ties people to join the company. >> on the culture beat, personal letters written we author harper lee are up for auction today. they come from around the time she wrote "to kill a mocking

bird." signed with aliases she wrote to friends thanking them for their support. the letters are expected to fetch $200,000. >> new york's museum of modern art is marking 100 years ins can the start of the greet migration from 1915 through the 1970's. 6 million african-americans began their journey from south to north. we have more. >> 6 million black americans that moved from the rural south to the urban north and west from the years of world war i up until the 1970's, when conditions began to improve thanks to the civil rights movement. that's a huge demographic event. >> leah is a curator when the exhibit marks the centennial of the great migration. the main feature the migration series, 60 panels, each with a caption by the late painter jacob lawrence. >> that story of how you leave

home is very much the american story. you have picture that are scenes that are simple and of great tenderness and intimacy, and then you also have scenes of hard-hitting addressed to issues of racial violence, and racial injustice. >> lawrence's epic series is one of the first attempts to tell the story of the mass miles. at millions move to chicago pittsburgh and new york, they transformed more than the demographics. along the way they brought the music, food, politics and speech that would forever change the culture of their new homes. >> this was also a period in the south when segregation and racial terror here in the united states pushed a number of black people out of their communities displaced them because they no longer wanted to live under the

daily fear of racial violence. >> the great migration is also a story of agency, people doing for themselves what immigrant groups had done for generations and generations before, which was to vote with their feet, and make a new life for themselves. >> this work is almost 75 years old and speaks as if it could be speaking to us today. >> those issues of labor access, educational opportunity social justice, and racial justice are very much still with us, and unfortunately, are as relevant to young people, the 20 something's, the millennials as well as 20 something's today as relevant as they were before. >> that's it for us here in new york. i'm stephanie sy.

thanks for watching. have a great morning. >> challenge the way you look at the world. >> talking about big subjects. >> telling human stories. >> fraud, waste and abuse. >> we've spent 110 billion dollars. >> this is their dirty little secret.

>> my name is imran garda the show is called third rail, when you watch this show you're gonna find us being un-afraid. the topics will fascinate you, intrigue you... >> they take this seriously... >> let me quote you... >> there's a double standard... >>...could be a hypocrite >> you're also gonna get a show that's really fair bold... never predictable... >> the should be worried about heart disease, not terrorism... >> i wouldn't say that at all...

>> you'll see a show that has an impact on the conventional wisdom that goes where nobody else goes... >> my name is imran garda i am the host of third rail and you can find it on al jazeera america >> hello welcome to the news hour from doha. pakistan accuses save the children of spying and is giving the charity 15 days to get out of the country. >> australia accused of paying people smugglers to turn back asylum seeker vessels. the prime minister dodges the allegations. >> former i.m.s. chief dominic strauss-kahn is acquitted of procuring prostitutes for sex parties. >> a